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Chapter 73
Kitajima Saburo nodded to himself in approval.
As a top musician in the industry, he had met many newcomers who wanted to make a name for themselves, and many of them were musical geniuses.
One song alone could not accurately judge Yasui Makoto's musical talent, but the quality of this song was enough to prove that this young man's talent should not be underestimated.
Most people in this situation would easily become arrogant because of their talent, or they would be eager for quick success.
However, the young man in front of him remained completely unmoved, his original intention firm. That was quite rare.
Of course, there were regrets.
If Yasui Makoto were not a trainer, and with that kind of talent, he could have become a hot new genius in the industry in no time, and his future could be described as limitless.
But this regret was quickly overshadowed by what could be called a selfish thought.
After falling in love with the Twinkle Series, he had supported no less than a hundred Uma Musume before and after, and their results could only be described as difficult to put into words.
Currently, his beloved granddaughter had debuted as an Uma Musume and had won three consecutive races, including a G2-level major prize like the Spring Stakes.
Among the Uma Musume he had previously supported, there were only two major prize victories in hundreds of races, and not a single G1, with only one G2.
He had long been ecstatic about these results, almost to the point of disregarding his family's objections and finding a concert or other major occasion to announce to the world, "Such an amazing Uma Musume is my child."
How far Kitasan Black could go in future races, as he had just said, he was not as professional as a trainer and could not speculate.
But the young man in front of him was the one who trained Kitasan Black, and compared to cultivating a musical genius or anything else, his granddaughter's future was more important.
With this thought, Kitajima Saburo said without hesitation:
"No problem. I will arrange for people to handle these. Also, I am very grateful for Yasui's trust in me."
Then, after a moment of thought, he asked in confusion:
"Speaking of which, I've been following Kita-chan's races. I hope it's not too presumptuous, but after our last meeting, Yasui hasn't gone to Oono Trading Company. Is there something inconvenient?
As far as I know, training expenses are quite high. Kita-chan often says when she comes back that even her running shoes cost a lot of money, as if she uses up a pair every week.
Yasui, do you really have no financial pressure? If you do, please don't be shy."
Yasui Makoto pondered.
Kitajima Saburo was right. Training was a very expensive endeavor.
For example, running shoes.
At the current technical level, if running shoes specifically for Uma Musume were worn by humans, there would be no significant wear for several years.
However, if used for training, with the powerful leg strength of an Uma Musume, a pair of running shoes would be worn out in two to three weeks.
This was still with horseshoes acting as cushioning and reinforcement.
Kitasan Black's strength was among the outstanding ones even among Uma Musume, so her consumption was even greater.
As Kitajima Saburo said, this black-haired girl would wear out a pair of running shoes every week.
The average price of a pair of specialized running shoes was about 50,000 to 80,000 yen, which meant Kitasan Black had a fixed expenditure of 200,000 yen per month just on running shoes.
Horseshoes were also one of the main consumables.
A pair of horseshoes could be used for one to two months, and the price was much cheaper than running shoes, about 4,000 to 6,000 yen per pair.
Alloy materials would be more expensive, with an average price of 8,000 to 10,000.
However, due to different training content and venues, several different types of horseshoes needed to be prepared at the same time, and they also needed to be replaced as a set according to the Uma Musume's development.
Kitasan Black happened to be in the rapid development period of her full-fledged growth, and horseshoe replacement was about once every two weeks, so the expenditure was not small when calculated this way.
Coupled with sportswear, nutritional supplements, training equipment, and so on, in fact the Twinkle Series, like any competitive sport, was a money-burning project.
What Yasui Makoto wanted to discuss with Kitajima Saburo was precisely about expenses.
It wasn't just a matter of money. In fact, with past accumulations and the prize money from the past three months of races, he didn't have much pressure in this regard.
The main issue was that as a trainer, preparing training equipment for Uma Musume required approval from the Tracen Academy to receive corresponding subsidies.
The approval process itself was not troublesome, but Kitasan Black's consumption was too great, and each subsidy had limits.
All in all, without mentioning anything else, just filling out things like the "Running Shoe Purchase Application Form" actually took up a lot of time.
Thinking of these, Yasui Makoto pondered for a moment, then looked at Kitajima Saburo frankly and said seriously:
"In this regard… I actually won't be polite.
However, the running shoes, horseshoes, and sportswear that Kita-chan consumes in her daily training now receive a lot of subsidies from the Tracen Academy every month.
Coupled with the money I earned from part-time jobs before coming to Tokyo, trainer allowances, and race prize money, whether it's daily consumption or other necessary training equipment, I truly have no financial problems.
I am hoping to trouble Kitajima-sensei to send some people to assist with trivial matters such as filling out application forms.
This way, I can focus more on guiding Kita-chan."
"I see…"
Kitajima Saburo nodded slightly, then praised, "I've heard about Yasui's efforts during his school days.
However, since it's for Kita-chan's training, there's no reason for Yasui to pay out of his own pocket.
How about this, I'll send someone to contact you later, and then all expenses beyond the Tracen Academy subsidies will be handled by Oono Trading Company.
If documents need to be submitted to the Student Council, those people can also do it on your behalf."
Yasui Makoto was very pleased.
He didn't know if it was the same in other industries, but in the trainer field, there were many trivial matters besides training and racing.
He always felt that those things were a waste of time and didn't know how other trainers handled them.
Now that Kitajima Saburo had proactively offered to help, there was naturally no reason to refuse.
Moreover, the content of a phone call he received last night happened to be similar, and he immediately thought of trying to trouble Kitajima Saburo with it as well.
"Then I won't be polite. Thank you very much, Kitajima-sensei."
…
After discussing the support with Kitajima Saburo, under the guidance of the elder, Yasui Makoto toured the various treasures in the mansion for a while.
His family background in this life was relatively ordinary, and Yasui Makoto had been in his hometown until he came to Tokyo, so he hadn't really gone anywhere to broaden his horizons.
However, he had seen many things in his previous life, and during the tour, he felt that his demeanor was quite appropriate.
At the same time, he was also secretly contemplating the subsequent training plan.
It was clear that Kitasan Black's training methods needed to be optimized.
Uma Musume had a strong herd mentality, and running alone in training did not represent their full ability.
To understand their abilities as comprehensively as possible, it often required several official races or practice races with enough Uma Musume assisting.
After this stage, trainers could truly determine the Uma Musume's abilities and further arrange subsequent race routes, tactics, and training.
Due to his memories from his previous life, Kitasan Black had skipped this step entirely.
He had decided on the appropriate training direction, running style, and tactics before her debut.
Under this foundation, of the three races won previously, the first two victories were to be expected.
The third race, the Spring Stakes, was clearly not that easy.