Chapter 223: A Reason You Absolutely Must Win
Before she knew it, Kitasan Black was getting more and more excited as she spoke. Her cheeks flushed slightly from the thrill, and a fiery light sparkled in her eyes.
Yet at the same time, she could clearly see that Oguri Cap hadn't shown the slightest reaction to her emotions from beginning to end.
Those pale blue eyes that seemed to look straight at her held nothing but seriousness and calm.
For a moment, Kitasan Black couldn't quite figure it out. But vaguely, she felt that Oguri Cap was about to say something very important.
Her surging excitement gradually faded. Pressing her lips together, with a hint of uncertainty, she carefully asked,
"So… senpai… was what I said… wrong?"
Oguri Cap fell silent for a moment. That brief silence felt as if time itself had frozen.
Suddenly, the corners of her mouth lifted into a faint smile.
"No…"
She spoke softly, her tone gentle like the warm sun of spring.
"For the people from your hometown who support you…"
"For opponents who give everything they have…"
"For your trainer…"
"And for the ones you admire…"
She glanced toward the kitchen, her smile deepening slightly.
"Winning for their sake… there's absolutely nothing wrong with that."
"It's just…"
In an instant, an image flashed through her mind like lightning.
It was as if glass shattered with a crisp sound. Yet after breaking apart, it revealed an incomparably vast world, filled with endless possibilities.
Then, as if time had reversed, everything that had shattered returned to its original state, as though nothing had happened.
But the world beyond the break seemed to materialize before her eyes, clear and tangible.
Her smile slowly faded. Her expression became serious and calm again. She looked back at Kitasan Black, meeting her gaze, her eyes filled with anticipation and inquiry.
"What about you?"
"What about yourself?"
"If it's just for you alone… do you have a reason you absolutely must win?"
…
Just as Oguri Cap asked Kitasan Black that question, over at the mahjong table the atmosphere was lively. The topic of conversation happened to be the year-end G1 race.
Or more precisely, they were discussing a possible phenomenon that might occur in that race: the "zone."
Makoto had spent quite a lot of time researching this state, but it always felt tricky.
It wasn't that he had no clues at all. The problem was that his research had remained purely theoretical, with nothing concrete that could actually be put into practice.
From Makoto's perspective, that couldn't be helped. Even in his previous life—an era far more advanced in every aspect—progress in this area had still been extremely limited.
So all he could do was try every possible way to talk and exchange ideas with the runners who had experienced it before.
From the archives, interviews, and training records he'd reviewed, he was certain that the three runners in front of him—plus Oguri Cap in the kitchen—were all top-tier runners capable of touching the zone.
So when their casual chat during mahjong drifted to the Arima Kinen, he didn't hesitate to bring up his doubts.
The moment Inari One heard the word "zone," her expression instantly turned serious.
She stared straight at Makoto. There was a trace of caution in her voice as she asked sharply,
"Hey, hey! Don't tell me you're training just to try to reach the zone? I mean, is that how you usually train Kitasan Black?"
Makoto was taken aback.
They had only just met, and at first his impression of this runner was that she had a quick temper—maybe even a bit explosive.
But after several rounds of mahjong, it seemed she was mostly just bickering with Tamamo Cross, and never actually got angry.
Rather than real arguments, it felt more like their usual way of getting along.
So he hadn't expected Inari One to treat the topic of the zone so seriously—almost tensely—and suddenly show an attitude he'd never seen before.
For a moment, his heart tightened.
Still, when he spoke, his tone remained calm.
"Of course not. You could say I've never even considered something like that."
"Actually, I've known about this kind of phenomenon in competitive sports for a long time, and I've spent a lot of time learning about it."
"But based on what I understand right now, that state is incredibly elusive. Even to this day, there isn't a complete or systematic theory about it, let alone any practical training methods you can use."
"So I've always believed that instead of chasing something so vague and hard to grasp, it's better to put your energy into solid, fundamental training."
As he spoke, he spread his hands.
"Inari, you should be able to check Kitasan's training logs directly, right? One look and you'll know I'm not lying."
Hearing this, before Inari One could say anything, Tamamo Cross lightly patted her on the shoulder and spoke up, half joking and half serious.
"You, lighten up a bit. Look, you're scaring Makoto-kun."
Then she turned to Makoto and casually waved her hand.
"And you too, Makoto-kun, don't take her too seriously. She's just always this rough and restless."
"But honestly, she's not wrong. And what you're doing is right."
At this point, Tamamo Cross's eyes grew serious as well.
"As for this 'zone' thing, all of us here have experienced it personally."
"When you enter that state, your performance on the track really does improve to some extent."
"But if you obsess over chasing it, it's honestly meaningless."
"How should I put it…"
She rubbed her chin, thinking, then her eyes lit up and she snapped her fingers.
"Right—it's like that old saying, 'flowers in a mirror, moon in the water.'
"Like the moon reflected in water. If you don't deliberately try to touch it, it just stays there peacefully."
"But the moment you reach out to grab it, it disappears."
"So you're absolutely right, Makoto-kun. The zone is the kind of ability you can't master through normal training anyway."
"Instead of chasing that, steadily training Kitasan Black like you are now is more than enough!"
As she spoke, she exaggeratedly gave Makoto a big thumbs-up.
By then, the stern look on Inari One's face had gradually faded, leaving only seriousness.
After Tamamo Cross finished, she nodded apologetically.
"Sorry… I really did get too worked up."
"But that's basically what I meant."
"And Makoto-kun, you don't need to worry too much about the zone either, because…"
She looked toward Super Creek, and at the same time Tamamo Cross turned to look as well.
"There's someone right here who can win races—even G1s—without ever touching that so-called zone…"
Hearing this, Makoto's eyes lit up, and he instinctively looked at Super Creek.
"Ah, about that…"
She had been quietly listening the whole time, wearing her usual gentle smile. Seeing everyone's eyes on her, she shyly touched her cheek.
"That's true."
"At first, I was pretty concerned about the zone too, and because of that I took quite a few detours."
"But I quickly realized that not having the zone doesn't mean you're destined to lose."
"Basic speed, strength, endurance… and willpower, even intelligence… your mentality, tactics, and the chemistry with your trainer…"
"All of these can become the keys to winning a race."
"And…"
A thoughtful look flickered in her eyes as she glanced outside the room.
"A G1 that I won without using the zone… happened to be the Autumn Tenno Sho."
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