The Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Japan Cup left Kitasan Black with a lot on her mind.
Like always, she'd talked it through with Yasui Makoto—almost holding nothing back.
Like always, she'd grown used to being untangled, soothed, and reassured by her Trainer.
And yet that feeling—relief laced with shame—she kept hesitating over, never quite letting it out.
It wasn't a thought she should be having. It wasn't a thought an Umamusume should have…
An Umamusume should give everything she has, no matter how strong the opponent is, no matter what the race is…
So how could she hope her opponent would get weaker—and feel relieved when she did?
If her Trainer and everyone else knew she'd been thinking that…
Would they be disappointed in her…?
Maybe because she'd never gotten stuck on something like this before, Kitasan Black didn't let it truly weigh her down—but it still came back to her now and then, leaving her irritated for a moment.
The thought was like a summer mosquito—one of those loud ones that darts around too fast.
When her mind was on other things—training, racing—she could ignore it.
But after the bustle, when things went quiet, that annoying bzz-bzz-bzz would circle right back and hover at her side.
Still, the past month hadn't been nothing but these messy, complicated feelings.
Her childhood friend—Satono Diamond, who'd known her forever, who'd made the same promise and come to Tracen Academy alongside her—had finally made her debut.
Kyoto Racecourse. Debut race, 2000 meters. The top favorite. First place.
More than that—Kitasan Black had watched it with her own eyes. She knew just how dazzling Diamond's run had been.
Second, second, second, third—through all four corners, steady as a metronome.
The fastest closing speed in the field—34.8—and then an absolute three-length margin at the line.
To Kitasan Black, Satono Diamond's debut had been far more beautiful than her own.
Dia-chan… you've finally stepped onto the Twinkle Series stage.
These days, it was the kind of thought that made Kitasan Black smile without even realizing.
"So nice… Dia-chan…"
"Hm? What's 'so nice,' Kita-chan?"
"Huh? Oh, I just—"
She froze, answering on reflex. Then Kitasan Black rolled over and sat up, only to realize Satono Diamond had already ended her video call and was watching her with a bright smile.
Kitasan Black couldn't help smiling too, scratching at her head.
"I was talking about your debut! It was amazing—so beautiful!"
"Geez… why are you doing this too, Kita-chan…"
Satono Diamond blushed, then—like she was changing the subject—waved her phone a little.
"Oh, right. I was just talking with my sister about what to do on race day."
"Race day?" Kitasan Black tilted her head. "What do you mean, what to do?"
"After it's over—do we go to Nakayama Racecourse that same day to cheer you on, or wait until the next day?"
Satono Diamond nodded. The flush on her cheeks was still there, but a flicker of confidence lit her eyes.
"My race… is definitely going to be a huge win."
Then her expression turned troubled.
"But mine is at Hanshin, and yours is at Nakayama… You're probably doing what you did before, right? Going to the racecourse a day early to get used to it?"
"Yeah, that's right." Recalling the schedule she'd worked out with Yasui Makoto, Kitasan Black nodded. "We planned it with my Trainer."
"Exactly."
Satono Diamond clapped her hands once.
"Hanshin is still pretty far from here, so I'm wondering if coming over from there the next day would be too rushed."
"And it's the Arima Kinen—Shinkansen tickets and flights are really hard to get."
"And if we use the family jet… that sounds like a hassle, too."
"So I thought, maybe I should just finish my winner's stage and head straight to Nakayama."
She smiled and nodded to herself.
"That way, I absolutely won't miss the moment you win, Kita-chan!"
Kitasan Black froze. Her mouth opened—and she heard herself murmur without meaning to.
"Win… Dia-chan, you really think so?"
"Hm?"
Satono Diamond tilted her head. She hadn't caught it. Curiosity softened her voice. "Kita-chan, what… did you just say?"
"…Ah, nothing. Hehehe… it's nothing."
Kitasan Black gave a goofy laugh and scratched her head again. After a moment's thought, she said, a little awed,
"It feels like… you have more confidence than I do. I mean—about the Arima Kinen."
Satono Diamond blinked, then smiled—like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Of course I do. Kita-chan… you're really incredible."
"Actually…"
She pressed a finger to her chin and glanced up at the ceiling, nodding as if she'd just made up her mind.
"I think I can say it."
"At home, my sisters say this all the time—if you had to pick the strongest Umamusume in our year, it would be you, Kita-chan."
Kitasan Black jolted, then pointed at herself like an idiot.
"…Me?"
"Yeah. And…" Satono Diamond thought for a second. "My sister actually said she accepted the Tenno Sho (Autumn) plan largely because of you."
"Because… of me?" Kitasan Black looked even more stunned.
"Because she really didn't feel like she had much confidence about beating you in the Kikuka Sho—so maybe the Tenno Sho (Autumn) was worth trying."
Satono Diamond suddenly shifted her tone, imitating Satono Crown as she said it, then nodded hard.
"That's what she said."
"And she also said… there's still a gap, maybe, but the pressure she felt from the senpais in the Tenno Sho (Autumn)… was actually kind of like what she feels when she's facing you."
Kitasan Black stared, dumbstruck.
What Satono Diamond was telling her—she hadn't known any of it. And she'd never imagined Satono Crown thought that highly of her.
And Crown had said it so plainly. Whether it was taking a shot at the Tenno Sho (Autumn) like a lucky gamble, or admitting the pressure she felt facing Kitasan Black—she'd been willing to say it.
Kitasan Black's own feelings toward Gold Ship-senpai were a similar kind of "lucky" thought, and yet she'd kept it bottled up the whole time, afraid of how others would see her.
Compared to that, she suddenly felt petty—cowardly, even.
"I get it!"
Suddenly, to Satono Diamond's shock, Kitasan Black hopped off the bed and clenched her fists.
"I should… be more honest with my Trainer!"
"H-h-h-honest…?"
Satono Diamond blinked, stammering the word out in confusion.
"Yeah! That's right! I can't keep hiding things like this—if I do, that's what would really hurt him!"
Her voice rose higher and higher as Kitasan Black spun around and started changing.
"I'm going to go tell him!"
Watching Kitasan Black's sudden surge of fiery enthusiasm, Satono Diamond just blinked in a daze.
Then, all at once, her pupils shrank—then widened. The corners of her mouth lifted before she could stop them.
"Oh… so you've decided to be honest. Then… that's a really big deal."
Her voice stretched out, and she fixed her bright, sparkling gaze on Kitasan Black—now dressed and ready—her smile climbing higher and higher.
"And it's true—Trainer Yasui is always so caring toward you, Kita-chan. You really shouldn't keep anything from him."
"So, Kita-chan, you have to be brave. Don't hesitate—just pour it all out, everything in your heart, all at once."
"Because if you miss this chance… maybe… there won't be a next one."
As she said it, an odd light flickered in her usually clear eyes.
"Mm-hm! Thank you, Dia-chan!"
Already changed and utterly oblivious to Diamond's expression, Kitasan Black charged for the door, buzzing with energy.
"Okay, I'm off!"
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T/N: girl :sob: you literally won the triple crown :sob: (I THINK?) (NVM SHE DID NOT)