Almond Eye's raised voice pulled Kitasan Black back to reality. She blinked and asked instinctively, "W-what is it...?"
"Kita-senpai, you..."
Almond Eye looked over at her in confusion, her eyes full of concern and sincerity.
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?"
"Ah... n-no, I'm fine! M-maybe... I just got a little tired from running around buying groceries, haha..."
Forcing out a smile, Kitasan Black shook her head again and again, desperately trying to remember what Almond Eye had just said.
"Oh, right. I bought all this because I wanted to make Trainer something good to eat. It'll help him recover."
"Wow! Kita-senpai, you're so thoughtful!"
Not noticing anything strange about Kitasan Black, Almond Eye's eyes lit up.
"I know a little cooking too, so let me help, Kita-senpai!"
"Let's make Trainer an amazing breakfast together!"
"Y-yeah... o-okay..."
Doing her best to smile, Kitasan Black lowered her head in a fluster and went back to gathering up the groceries, trying to bury the complicated feelings inside her under sheer busyness.
Standing in the doorway of the apartment, Yasui Makoto actually wanted to help.
But he had already tried going over to pick things up, only to be refused in perfect unison by the two Umamusume, naturally on the grounds that he might aggravate his injury.
So now, as he watched Kitasan Black and Almond Eye bustling about, he felt both warmth and relief—and at the same time, he found himself thinking.
He knew about an Umamusume reaching her peak, of course, but he had very little firsthand experience with it and had never personally seen what that state actually looked like.
The before-and-after change in Almond Eye during that special phase had truly left him stunned.
If he remembered correctly, the last time he had seen Almond Eye had been about a month ago.
At the time, he and Kitasan Black had still been busy preparing for the Arima Kinen, and Almond Eye had come by specially to visit and cheer them on.
Back then, Almond Eye had looked just the same as before—still like an elementary schooler.
Small arms, small legs, a little face full of childishness, and not very tall either—probably only up to Kitasan Black's chest.
But now, not only did she look about as tall as Kitasan Black, her limbs, like Kitasan Black's, carried a quiet impression of strength.
Her figure had matured dramatically, and her features had opened up as well.
You could even say her development far surpassed that of an ordinary girl—or even an ordinary Umamusume. Aside from a faint trace of childishness still lingering in her small face, she looked almost grown.
Which was exactly why neither he nor Kitasan Black had realized right away that this was little Almond Eye.
All he could say was that Umamusume really were amazing.
Now that Almond Eye had introduced herself, he found himself marveling at how much she had changed—but also thinking about something else.
Almond Eye's parents had most likely changed their minds and agreed to let their daughter sign with him.
In other words, barring anything unexpected, Almond Eye would be under his guidance from now on.
That was hardly impossible.
He might indeed still be very young—only just past nineteen—but his results were undeniable.
If he had only won one or two graded races, or even just a single G1, people could still write it off as chance or luck.
But within a year of his debut, the very first Umamusume he had trained had already won five graded races and three G1s. At that point, even if someone insisted it was all luck, probably not many people would believe them.
Of course, there were also people saying that it was only because of Kitasan Black's talent that he had achieved what he had, and that things might not look the same with a different Umamusume.
These last few days, while laid up and bored out of his mind recovering, he had browsed all kinds of sites and had indeed seen that sort of talk.
He did not deny it. He also knew very well that if he had not known Kitasan Black's potential almost prophetically well, then he really might not have been able to achieve these same victories with another Umamusume.
But he also knew that foresight was itself an ability that had to be used properly, and it was precisely because he possessed that one-of-a-kind advantage that he could ensure Kitasan Black performed even better than she had in that other world.
Otherwise, if it had been someone else, at best they would only have brought her to the same level as in that other world. Surpassing it would have been very difficult.
In that case, what the outside world thought did not matter.
What mattered was this: if he really did sign Almond Eye next, how could he bring out the exceptional talent she already possessed and help her achieve even more dazzling results?
Naturally, he would also have to put even more thought and effort into Kitasan Black's side of things. She was about to enter her Senior year, and compared with her Classic year, even more challenges awaited her. He could not afford to relax.
What was more, guiding two Umamusume was nowhere near as simple as one plus one. There were many details to keep in mind.
For now, Kitasan Black and Almond Eye had some overlap in their best distances—middle-distance, for example—but their differences were even greater.
After a year of training, Kitasan Black's real forte was long-distance racing, with middle-distance second.
As for Almond Eye, based on the information he had seen before, her strongest category should be the mile, with middle-distance second.
That meant their training would need to be staggered in some ways, and their race schedules would need even more careful adjustment to avoid conflicts he could not properly cover.
And once training and race plans diverged, the way he coached them would naturally have to diverge as well.
Beyond that, there was the way he guided and communicated with them in daily life, and the way the two of them got along with each other. All of that required attention too.
Thinking through all this made the weight on Yasui Makoto's shoulders feel heavier—but it also filled him with excitement.
It was precisely because he carried such important responsibilities that he, as a trainer, had to give it everything he had and not betray the trust and expectations those two Umamusume had placed in him.
And that, too, was a new chapter in his career.
While Yasui Makoto was still lost in thought, the two Umamusume had already briskly finished sorting the ingredients.
Carrying a big bag full of groceries, Kitasan Black came over, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Trainer, the ingredients are all ready, so come inside. Almond-chan and I promise we'll make you a breakfast that'll blow you away!"
"That's right, that's right! Trainer, just get ready for a feast!"
Looking at the two of them, much of the pressure in Yasui Makoto's heart suddenly melted away.
"All right, then. I'll be looking forward to tasting your cooking."
With a smile in return, he headed inside first and sat down on the sofa in the living room, quietly watching as the two Umamusume came in after him and got to work in the kitchen.
Kitasan Black skillfully tied on an apron and began washing vegetables and preparing the ingredients.
Almond Eye helped from the side, handing over the utensils and seasonings she needed.
Although this was only the beginning of their working together, the two of them meshed remarkably well, occasionally lowering their voices to exchange a few words about the cooking.
And amid that quiet coordination, the kitchen soon filled with the tap-tap of knives on the cutting board, the rush of running water, and the clatter of pots and dishes.
All of those sounds wove together into a unique kind of kitchen symphony.
Before long, the aroma of food began to spread through the room. Yasui Makoto took a deep breath, and the corners of his mouth rose without him noticing.
He was already impatient to taste this breakfast.