Chapter 218: Wanting to Win the Arima Kinen in the Classic Year
"Eating makes people happy"… That really did sound like something Oguri Cap would say.
Makoto found it a little amusing.
Usually, aside from dedicating himself fully to training, he would occasionally pay attention to the various bits of gossip and fun stories circulating among the Umamusume.
When it came to eating, there were some particularly interesting rumors.
It was said that throughout Tracen Academy's long history, there had been three famously legendary big eaters.
Whenever any of these three stepped into the cafeteria, everyone—from the head chef to the kitchen assistants—would brace themselves like they were facing a major battle.
The most outrageous time was when all three showed up at the cafeteria at once. Not only did they exhaust the entire kitchen staff, they also wiped out every last ingredient in storage.
And among those three, the one who could eat the most was none other than Oguri Cap.
She could not only finish off the cafeteria's entire stock by herself, but was also the only Umamusume at the school festival to successfully challenge the "1,000 bowls of soba" event.
As for the other two, they were Special Week and Rice Shower—both of whom Makoto had already met before.
Thinking about it, Makoto suddenly paused.
Wait… hadn't he already met and gotten to know all three of these famous big eaters?
He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
At that moment, Bamboo Memory suddenly said in realization,
"So that's how it is."
"But it's true, Oguri Cap-senpai's cooking has gotten better and better these past few years. A lot of people want to try food she makes personally."
"Mm-hmm, I've heard Oguri Cap-senpai say that too," Kitasan Black nodded quickly.
"But she said she just cooks whenever she feels like it. As long as everyone thinks it tastes good, that's enough. She doesn't really care about whether it's considered 'gourmet' or anything."
Hearing that, Makoto couldn't help but add,
"Probably because… she's already tasted too many kinds of great food."
"Tasted too many…?"
Kitasan Black looked over curiously at once. Bamboo Memory, still finishing the last bits of her fried rice, also cast him an inquisitive look.
"I've heard a few things," Makoto explained patiently. "Oguri Cap actually has a chain restaurant under her name. I even order takeout from there pretty often."
"But she doesn't really manage it herself. It's mainly her younger sister and Light handling operations."
"She mostly participates in food shows and competitive eating challenges."
"So she's probably tried countless delicacies. Naturally, she's developed her own standard for what counts as 'delicious.'"
"And with her natural talent, once she experiments a bit, it's easy for her to become really skilled at cooking."
Saying this, he couldn't help but sigh.
"I didn't expect someone who was so legendary during her racing career to also have the potential to become a master chef after retirement."
Both Kitasan Black and Bamboo Memory showed expressions of realization.
After understanding, Kitasan Black immediately asked curiously,
"I never heard senpai talk about any of that. How do you know so much, Trainer? Oh right—and Light-san… is she Oguri Cap-senpai's friend?"
"Yeah, they entered at the same time," Makoto nodded. "Her full name is Berno Light. She and Oguri Cap were already close friends back in Kasamatsu."
"Her family runs a business making equipment specifically for racing Umamusume, and it's pretty large-scale, so she often helps with operations here too."
"I had some contact with her before regarding training equipment, so I learned a bit about it."
"I see…"
Kitasan Black nodded thoughtfully. Then suddenly her eyes lit up, and she asked expectantly,
"By the way, Trainer, you don't have any plans this afternoon, right?"
"Nope, nothing. Why…?"
Makoto paused slightly, and a guess quickly formed in his mind. He tested the waters and asked,
"Do you want to take me to meet Oguri Cap?"
"Exactly!"
Kitasan Black's eyes sparkled with excitement as she hurriedly said,
"OgurI Cap-senpai has a lot of chain restaurants, so she's always running around and hard to find."
"But since she promised to help Crow-chan, she'll be staying in Tokyo for a while."
"Hehe, so I can trouble senpai a bit too."
"So Trainer, hurry up and finish eating. When you're done, let's go find her together, okay?"
She clenched her small fists tightly, her eyes shining with eager anticipation as she stared at Makoto without blinking.
Looking at the energetic Kitasan Black in front of him, Makoto couldn't help but smile.
Compared to when they first met, this trainee of his had truly grown so much.
Today was clearly a rest day—time that should've been spent relaxing—yet her mind was still full of training and racing.
Of course, getting the chance to meet and talk with a legendary senpai like Oguri Cap, someone almost mythical among racers, was also part of the reason. As an Umamusume, her longing to run forward never faded.
Moreover, whether it was the thoughts Kitasan Black had mentioned before, the long talk with Saburo Kitajima after the Kikuka Sho, or the recent waves of public opinion…
Her next race had already been decided.
The Arima Kinen.
Without question, this was the most eye-catching event of the year-end season. Its importance went without saying.
Like other G1 races, it had fan count requirements.
On top of that, there was a public vote. Only the top-ranked runners—about a dozen or so—would earn the right to stand on that stage of glory.
Given Kitasan Black's outstanding performance in winning the Kikuka Sho, qualifying shouldn't be a problem.
But that also meant something else—
For the first time, she would face off against the senior runners from the older divisions.
Compared to them, she was clearly at a disadvantage in racing experience. Physically, she wasn't fully developed yet either.
In terms of speed, she wasn't considered top-tier to begin with. Facing such powerful opponents would severely test that weakness.
Even in stamina and strength—areas where she stood out among her peers—she might not necessarily have an edge against the older senpai.
Of course, every Classic-year runner faced the same predicament when entering the Arima Kinen.
Otherwise, a Classic-year runner winning the Arima Kinen wouldn't have become such a legendary feat in the racing world.
And by coincidence, Oguri Cap was one of the very few who had actually achieved that—winning the Arima Kinen during her Classic year.
With such a rare opportunity, they definitely had to ask her for advice.
All these thoughts raced through Makoto's mind, but he didn't say any of them out loud.
Instead, he quietly looked at Kitasan Black's hopeful face, and a warm smile slowly appeared.
After all, even if many challenges lay ahead, they weren't things that could be solved overnight.
Right now, what mattered most was letting Kitasan Black be happy.
"Then let's go together."
Quickly finishing the rest of his omurice, he stood up and smiled at her eager gaze.
"Let's see if I get the chance to taste this master chef's cooking."
"Mm-hmm! You definitely will!"
Kitasan Black nodded without hesitation, pulling out her phone excitedly.
"I've been going to ask Oguri Cap-senpai about cooking every day these past few days. She should definitely be there right now… huh?"
She swiped the screen a few times, her expression turning anxious.
"Senpai says she'll be busy soon, so we have to hurry over, Trainer!"
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