Chapter 225: Looking Forward to the Arima Kinen Symphony
Kitasan Black had already thought this suddenly appearing Umamusume was a little strange, but what she was doing now felt even more unbelievable.
For a brief moment, she even thought that compared to the girl in front of her, even the always over-the-top Gold Ship might seem tame.
Before she knew it, she had somehow been pinned against a tree. The other girl's face kept getting closer in her vision.
Flustered, she waved her hands wildly, trying to push Sounds of Earth away, stammering incoherently,
"W-wait! Th-that's too close… huh? Wait…"
She suddenly froze, a spark flashing through her mind.
"Nakayama… Nakayama Racecourse? The Arima Kinen?!"
Memories and thoughts flickered through her eyes. Realization dawned on her and she blurted out,
"So you're Earth-senpai—no, you already introduced yourself… You're Sounds of Earth-senpai, the one competing in the Arima Kinen?!"
"Hahaha~ I'm honored to be remembered by this year's Kikuka Sho champion. Looks like I'm somewhat famous after all."
Sounds of Earth beamed proudly as she spoke, lifting the violin that had still been producing that lingering, beautiful melody.
With practiced ease, she turned it sideways and gently pressed a button on it.
In an instant, the lovely music that had been floating through the air stopped abruptly.
Kitasan Black blinked. Her mind went blank for a moment.
Then her eyes widened dramatically, and she cried out in disbelief,
"Eh—?! That was a music player?! Senpai— you can't actually play the violin?!"
"Ah, don't sweat the small stuff. I do practice every day, you know."
Sounds of Earth waved her hand nonchalantly, as if it were nothing worth mentioning.
Then she flicked her long brown hair, turned around, and strode forward with exaggerated, theatrical movements like a superstar on stage.
Even her muttering voice sounded like a grand declaration before a performance.
"The harmony has already begun."
"I'm looking forward to it, Kitasan Black."
"I'm looking forward to the symphony at the Arima Kinen."
Watching her walk several steps away, Kitasan Black stood there blankly for a moment before instinctively calling out,
"B-but—"
Sounds of Earth didn't turn around. She merely stopped in place and tilted her head slightly, asking with a hint of provocation,
"What's wrong? Have you lost the resolve to perform beautiful music?"
"N-no, that's not it."
Kitasan Black's fighting spirit instantly flared up, her energy returning in full.
She clenched her fists tightly and said with firm determination,
"The Arima Kinen… even against senpai, I'll give it everything I've got. I absolutely won't hand over the championship!"
After saying that, a trace of embarrassment crossed her face. She hesitated and continued,
"It's just…"
"Just what?" Sounds of Earth pressed.
Kitasan Black smiled awkwardly, scratching her cheek, and muttered softly,
"The harmony part of the music you played earlier… it hadn't even started yet…"
The moment she said that, Sounds of Earth's body visibly stiffened.
But only for an instant.
She immediately returned to normal, a carefree smile on her face. She waved casually again as if nothing had happened and continued walking forward.
"As expected of a great and outstanding musician. Now I'm even more excited for our race."
"O-okay…" Kitasan Black replied automatically.
As the words left her mouth, she suddenly realized that although this senior's behavior was a bit strange, she actually seemed surprisingly easy to talk to.
Especially because of the other girl's obvious love for music, Kitasan Black couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness. She wanted to talk with this senpai a little more.
Remembering what she had been thinking about while walking over earlier, she gathered her courage, stepped forward, and asked nervously,
"Um, senpai… can I ask you something?"
Hearing that, Sounds of Earth not only stopped, but slowly turned around.
Curiosity filled her eyes as she looked at Kitasan Black with interest, speaking in a light, cheerful tone.
"Of course. I'm more than happy to answer any question from someone who pursues music. Go ahead."
"I wanted to ask…"
Kitasan Black hesitated, as if psyching herself up, then continued,
"Do you have a reason that belongs only to you… for running?"
"Oh? Good question. That's a really good question."
Sounds of Earth paused for a moment, her eyes instantly lighting up with interest.
She tilted her head slightly and sank into thought.
After a moment, as if struck by inspiration, she suddenly raised her violin and pressed the button on its side again.
Instantly, the graceful melody began flowing through the air once more.
Accompanied by the beautiful music, Sounds of Earth slowly bowed, her expression solemn and devout, as if performing some sacred ritual.
"Whether it truly counts as my own reason for running… I'm not sure."
"But… no matter how many setbacks I face, no matter what hardships stand in my way—"
"I will dedicate my one and only melody to those magnificent stars."
…
Kitasan Black kept thinking about Sounds of Earth's answer all the way until training began.
It might be completely different from Oguri Cap's philosophy, but this senior undoubtedly had her own firm reason for running.
She treated races like a sacred stage for performance. No matter what happened, she would step onto that stage and resolutely play her own movement.
That was probably the belief conveyed by the senpai she had met by chance today.
In contrast, Kitasan Black found herself sinking into thought again—what exactly was she running for?
When she arrived at the training grounds and began practice as usual under her Trainer instructions, she still didn't have an answer.
But during the training that followed, she didn't let herself drown in those tangled thoughts.
Ever since the training camp ended—and even from everything she'd experienced since her debut—she had come to understand more and more clearly that the road of the Twinkle Series wasn't nearly as simple as she had imagined as a child.
Of course, training and racing were still the core. But beyond that, there were many complicated things too.
The injuries that troubled Duramente.
The complicated considerations behind the Satono Family.
The past conflicts and friction between herself and Ribbon Victory.
And the problems currently weighing on her mind…
Some of these things she could sort out. Others left her completely confused.
But undeniably, they were all parts of the Twinkle Series.
Gradually, she realized that what she could do might simply be what she had always done before: whether she fully understood everything or not, whether she figured out the reasons or not—just keep running forward first.
Besides, she didn't have to face everything alone.
During dinner after training, just like before, Kitasan Black told her Trainer in detail about running into Sounds of Earth and her earlier conversation with Oguri Cap.
After finishing, she scratched her head with a sheepish grin.
"Hehe… maybe I'm kind of slacking off."
"It feels like whenever there's something I can't figure out, I can just hand it over to you, Trainer."
"So yeah… having you around is really great."
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