Kitasan Black's ears drooped visibly, but she quickly perked back up.
"Good! Since I still haven't met Trainer's standards, I'll go run a few more laps right now!"
She was already turning to dash toward the track when Yasui Makoto called out to stop her.
"Don't be in such a rush, Kita-chan. And there's no need to look so down.
"Didn't I just say that all beginners are like this?
"The main issue is that the sprint you just did was your usual way of running, not the technique I explained to you before we started this training."
Kitasan Black blinked in surprise. "Is… is that how it is…?"
Yasui Makoto demonstrated the posture she had used earlier.
"Look, your body was staying quite straight while taking long strides forward.
"That posture works well for long-distance sprints, and with your stamina and habits, you can maintain it for a while.
"Only after you reach a certain speed does your body naturally lower due to inertia, and your strides become shorter.
"On top of that, your arm swing gradually decreases from big to small, and your breathing gets shorter too."
He then showed her a different posture.
"This one is for higher-speed, explosive sprints.
"What you need to do now is use the parachute's resistance to help you adapt to this second style more quickly.
"But don't rush it. This will take some time to get used to.
"I'll be right here with you the whole time.
"Once you've adapted, we'll move on to the next step."
Kitasan Black thought back on her run and combined her feelings with Yasui Makoto's explanation. She nodded firmly, clenching her fists with determination.
"So that's how it works. It really does feel more natural and comfortable when I sprint the way I usually do until the end.
"Alright… I'll try again exactly like Trainer said!"
"Okay. Get ready once more."
Yasui Makoto smiled and nodded as he walked over to the parachute lying on the ground.
Kitasan Black spent the entire morning training session getting used to the new technique. By the time afternoon training rolled around after classes, she had already gotten the hang of the basics.
Even when she felt she was getting the hang of it, she still wanted to keep practicing, but Yasui Makoto stopped her.
"Is… is that it for today…?"
She reluctantly untied the strap in front of her and bit her lip. "Trainer, I still have plenty of stamina left. I can keep going…"
Yasui Makoto smiled gently.
"You definitely still have the energy to train more, which is exactly why we're going to work on something else now."
He knew his Uma Musume's stamina levels very well.
Having plenty of stamina didn't mean she should exhaust herself on just one type of training.
Parachute sprinting mainly targeted leg strength and core, with some upper body work, but not enough overall intensity for balanced development.
After guiding her through regular cruising, cornering practice, and high-knee drills, Yasui Makoto brought Kitasan Black to the Tracen Academy gym.
This was the best place for upper body strength training and overall balanced development.
Kitasan Black's previous training schedule had already included gym work. After more than three months of steady progress, it was time to raise the intensity.
As they entered the gym, Yasui Makoto noticed quite a few Uma Musume working out, some with their trainers.
He hadn't been at Tracen Academy for very long, so he didn't know many people. He wasn't planning to pay much attention to how others trained.
However, when he spotted two particular figures, he couldn't help but take notice.
One was an Uma Musume with long, gradient brown hair. The other had short black hair and was lying on a bench in the strength area, doing dumbbell bench presses under the first girl's guidance.
Air Groove-senpai…? And Duramente? That's strange. Where's Duramente's trainer? Why is Air Groove guiding her…?
As Yasui Makoto was wondering about this, Kitasan Black, who was standing beside him, also noticed the pair.
"Huh? Air Groove-senpai? And Duramente…?"
"Hmm… I remember you and Duramente are in the same class, right?" Yasui Makoto asked, casually looking away.
"Yes, but we don't talk much normally. I always get the feeling that…"
Kitasan Black scratched her head. "Duramente seems pretty aloof. I've never really seen her get close with anyone…
"Oh, right. Now that I think about it, I once ran into Air Groove-senpai and Duramente when I went to karaoke with Crown-chan and Dia-chan."
She turned to Yasui Makoto.
"That was the time you asked me to try singing 'Uchiage Hanabi'."
"I see…" Yasui Makoto replied.
He recalled seeing Duramente training on the track or in the gym before, but her trainer had always been the one guiding her. Only in the past month or so had Air Groove started coming along more often, while her trainer appeared less frequently.
This time, the trainer hadn't shown up at all, and Air Groove was supervising Duramente's training instead.
Yasui Makoto thought for a moment and remembered that Air Groove and Duramente came from the same family. It was probably the case that her trainer had something come up, and Air Groove was filling in for the time being.
Compared to most trainers, Air Groove's coaching ability was quite high. She was known in the industry as the "Empress." During her racing career she had achieved outstanding results, and as the Student Council Vice President of Tracen Academy, she had been responsible for training matters. She had personally guided many Uma Musume, with excellent results.
It made sense that Duramente's family would ask Air Groove to help with her training. Or perhaps it had been Duramente's own request.
These were just his own thoughts, so Yasui Makoto kept them to himself. He quickly refocused, patted Kitasan Black on the head, and headed toward the strength training area.
"Alright, don't worry about others. Let's focus on our own training."
Before starting, he glanced at his Uma Musume's legs. The corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he spoke in a teasing tone.
"How about it? Do you still feel like you can run?"
"Now…?"
Kitasan Black had been looking around at all the machines in the gym. She turned to him in confusion, then instinctively looked down at her legs and lifted one slightly.
"It feels… a bit tired. My legs feel kind of heavy…"
"Exactly," Yasui Makoto nodded. "Your training has always been carefully divided into different types.
"Simply put, we split it into static and dynamic exercises, non-fatiguing and fatiguing drills, strength, speed, endurance, anaerobic, and aerobic training.
"The order of each session follows this logic as well.
"The intensity you've been handling is roughly twenty percent above average, which I believe is the most suitable level for you right now.
"Going forward, we'll increase the intensity by another twenty percent and add more detailed variations.
"For example, what you just did was primarily leg-focused training. Now we're going to focus on your upper body.
"The specific muscles and ligaments being trained are different each time.
"This way, the areas you work today can rest tomorrow while you train the ones you didn't use today.
"You can try to remember this sequence and the reasoning behind it.
"But even if you can't, I'll take care of planning everything for you."