"...Huh?"
Kitasan Black was stunned.
She had not expected such an answer at all, and she had no idea what it meant.
"Fastest. Strongest. Supreme."
Duramente repeated the words. Her usually indifferent expression slowly grew serious.
"I was born into this world to become that kind of Uma Musume. This is my mission... my destiny.
"Whether I succeed or fail, challenging the family's long-held dream on the supreme stage known as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe... That is my only goal."
After saying this, she lowered her head and continued eating her dinner.
"Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe...?"
Kitasan Black blinked, still stunned. She tapped her chin in thought.
"I think I've heard Trainer mention it before, but... what exactly is it?"
Her brown ears twitched slightly. A hint of surprise showed in her eyes as Duramente looked up at her.
"You... don't know about the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?"
"Ahahaha, well... you see..."
Kitasan Black scratched the back of her head and let out a few awkward laughs. She rubbed her cheek sheepishly.
"My grades aren't exactly the best, so... is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe a really amazing race?"
Duramente stared blankly at Kitasan Black for a moment. Then she suddenly frowned, pinching her chin as she fell into deep thought.
"Now that you mention it... I don't really know what makes it so impressive either."
"Eh? Even Dura-chan doesn't know? Then all that talk about dreams earlier...?" Kitasan Black looked dumbfounded.
After thinking for a while, Duramente's expression returned to its usual indifference. She picked up her tray and stood up.
"But it doesn't matter. My parents, Air Groove-nee, and everyone else all say it's the supreme stage for an Uma Musume. That's enough for me.
"Air Groove-nee, I'm finished eating. I'll head back first."
The last part was directed toward Air Groove, who was sitting on the other side of the room.
She had only taken a few steps when Air Groove's exasperated voice rang out.
"Stop right there!
"That's nowhere near enough food after all the training you did today. Don't you realize how important it is to properly replenish your carbohydrates and protein?
"And don't think I haven't noticed what you're planning. I already told you, no sneaking off for extra training without my permission!"
Duramente's footsteps halted. A look of regret crossed her face.
"Ugh... You caught me? How unfortunate..."
...Ahahaha, Dura-chan really didn't hide it at all, did she...?
Kitasan Black muttered to herself silently. She suddenly realized that beneath this classmate and rival's cool exterior lay a surprisingly clueless side.
After thinking for a moment, she stood up and nodded toward Air Groove.
"Air Groove, I'll just give my dinner to Dura-chan. I'll order some more for myself later and make sure she finishes eating properly."
With that, she walked behind Duramente, gently pushed her back toward the table, and shared several portions of her own meal with her.
At the same time, sighs came from both Air Groove and Yasui Makoto.
"Sigh... She really doesn't make things easy for herself. I'm almost a little jealous of Trainer Yasui for having such an obedient Uma Musume like Kitasan Black."
"Ahahaha... Well, it's fine. It's all good."
...
After agreeing to Air Groove's suggestion, Yasui Makoto decided not to change the upcoming training schedule.
Duramente's special training in preparation for the Satsuki Sho focused mainly on building strength. In addition to regular running sessions, she spent most of her time doing indoor training in the gym and swimming pool.
Kitasan Black joined her for these strength-focused sessions, while continuing her own sprint-specific training alone.
In the following days, anyone on the track would see her running with a parachute attached every single day.
From a purely numerical standpoint, Yasui Makoto was very satisfied with the results of the special training.
Kitasan Black's previous training sprint speed was around 17.8 meters per second. In actual races, considering factors like environment, opponents, and condition, her combat speed usually ranged between 17.4 and 17.6 meters per second.
Now, her sprint ability was steadily improving. In less than a week, she was already reaching speeds close to 18 meters per second during training.
On the surface, an improvement of less than 0.2 seconds might not seem like much.
However, when converted to distance, that 0.2 seconds equated to roughly 3.5 meters.
In a race, that kind of distance could easily decide victory or defeat.
Since sprinting had always been Kitasan Black's weak point, this level of improvement was quite gratifying.
Even so, the special training period was very short. This progress would still need further adjustment, strengthening, and stabilization.
Fortunately, the previously scheduled Training Race would serve as the perfect opportunity to test and optimize the results of her special training.
The race was set for Friday afternoon.
Since a Training Race required temporarily closing off the track, it had to be applied for in advance according to school regulations.
Daiwa Scarlet and the others had already given their approval, so Yasui Makoto submitted the application to the student council a few days earlier.
Tokai Teio's side approved it without any issues.
However, when Friday afternoon arrived, Yasui Makoto noticed something unexpected.
The track, which was usually bustling with Uma Musume and trainers, felt unusually open and spacious. Lush green grass stretched out as far as the eye could see.
At the starting line, the school staff had already set up the gates.
Just like the quiet track itself, there were very few people outside the railings. Only Yasui Makoto, Kitasan Black, Daiwa Scarlet and her group, Tokai Teio, and Mejiro McQueen were present at the entrance.
In contrast, the grandstand directly facing the track was packed with Uma Musume and trainers. It was bustling with activity.
A quick glance showed there were no fewer than two thousand people present. That was nearly the entire student body, along with most trainers and teachers at Tracen Academy.
Even from a distance, faint cheers could be heard coming from the stands, along with colorful banners and cheerleader pom-poms waving in the air.
The banners all carried messages cheering for Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, Special Week, and Gold Ship.
The chants ringing out were also in support of these Uma Musume.
Seeing the scene before him, Yasui Makoto couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
"...How did a simple Training Race turn into something this big?"
Hearing his words, Tokai Teio, who had been encouraging Kitasan Black, turned toward him.
"Normally a Training Race wouldn't draw this kind of crowd. But when Trainer Yasui invites so many big stars at once, what do you expect?"
Mejiro McQueen nodded in agreement.
"That's right. Special Week and the others are all top-class Uma Musume, and Gold Ship is one of the strongest active competitors right now.
"Countless students at Tracen Academy dream of seeing them in person. Many of them became Uma Musume because they idolize these girls.
"Now they not only get to see them up close, but they also get to watch them race. Of course the stands are packed."
Yasui Makoto gave a wry smile. He truly had not anticipated this level of excitement.
It wasn't that he was unaware of how famous Special Week and the others were. He simply lacked the experience to fully understand the impact of that fame.
Still, he quickly regained his composure.
After all, outside of races, each of these Uma Musume was a nationally, even globally, recognized star. Just one of them could draw huge attention. Having them all together was bound to cause a stir.
Once he had that thought, he turned his attention to Kitasan Black, wanting to see how his Uma Musume was handling the situation.