After several days of training, Yasui Makoto found himself surprised by Kitasan Black's performance. His Uma Musume possessed a talent for Extreme Stunts that far exceeded his initial expectations.
He understood that Uma Musume were born athletes—far beyond what any human standard could measure. For ordinary people, mastering Extreme Stunts demanded roughly half a year of foundational physical conditioning, followed by another half year or more of specialized technique training. Throughout that process, rigorous tests ensured their cardiopulmonary function, limb and core strength, and joint flexibility could handle the demands.
Uma Musume, however, operated on an entirely different level. Thanks to the Honkaku-ka developmental stage, once they passed it, their physical abilities—honed through years of specialized training—vastly exceeded human limits, with physiology to match. All they truly needed were the right techniques.
Yasui Makoto had originally assumed he would need to spend considerable effort explaining those techniques. From previous sessions, he knew Kitasan Black's theoretical understanding was decent, but she wasn't the type of genius who could instantly apply one lesson to another. Yet over the past few days, whether he explained the principles or demonstrated the moves himself, the girl would light up with an excited "I got it!" and then replicate what she had just seen with remarkable precision.
So this is Kita-chan's hidden, unique talent… Yasui Makoto couldn't help but think.
Over the years he had spent preparing to become a Trainer—and especially during these past few months of actually guiding one—he had come to love Uma Musume races even more deeply. Extreme Stunts had always been a private hobby he never discussed with anyone, and he had never shared with others just how far he believed Uma Musume, who already surpassed humans, could truly go.
Now, seeing that his own Uma Musume not only had talent for Extreme Stunts but also genuine enthusiasm for it, Yasui Makoto felt a surge of excitement—and an even stronger anticipation for what Kitasan Black might achieve in the future.
===
Friday night, Tracen Academy cafeteria.
Kitasan Black's eyes sparkled as she waved her curry-stained fork excitedly, completely unaware that she nearly poked Satono Diamond's strawberry milkshake.
"Let me tell you, Trainer showed me a brand-new move today! This time it's the 'wall bounce triple spin to cat pounce'! Those two walls were super high, and before I could even react, he was already up there—whoosh, swish! But it's so frustrating! I asked him over and over, and he just kept telling me to practice regular wall running. He still won't teach me the cool moves…"
Satono Crown's mouth twitched slightly. She subtly slid her sister's strawberry milkshake farther away, then nudged her own carrot-sauce meat set a little closer to herself before smiling.
"Kita-chan really does love these thrilling sports… I mean, Extreme Stunts."
Satono Diamond cupped her milkshake with both hands and leaned back in her chair. A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes.
"After all, it's Kita-chan. Climbing up and down everything… She's probably been like that since she was little. Once, when we went camping in the mountains together, I was setting up the tent when I suddenly heard Kita-chan scream—cough cough."
She cleared her throat and imitated Kitasan Black's voice.
"Oh no! Dia-chan! My banana was stolen by a monkey!"
Kitasan Black's ears flushed bright red. Her fork clattered against her plate.
"You—you…! Oh, right—speaking of Trainer, he really loves Extreme Stunts. Didn't you say before, Dia-chan, that he seemed like a serious teacher during regular training? But when he talks about Extreme Stunts, he's like a completely different person. And when he demonstrates the moves for me… he sparkles all over."
Satono Diamond's eyes widened in surprise. Satono Crown looked momentarily taken aback, then nodded thoughtfully.
"Indeed. My impression has always been that your Trainer is very mature and steady. But thinking about it, he should only be eighteen or nineteen, right? It's not that strange for a boy his age to enjoy thrilling sports."
She summarized with a casual remark, then her ears twitched as a smile returned.
"Speaking of Extreme Stunts… Kita-chan, has your Trainer ever seen any movies by a certain kung fu superstar?"
"Movies? Kung fu superstar?" Kitasan Black blinked.
"Uh-huh! He's an international superstar from Hong Kong!"
Satono Crown's eyes lit up. "I really like the former residents, so I visit there often. That senpai once mentioned in an interview that her idol is that star. He filmed so many amazing movies filled with incredibly dangerous stunts. When I watched them, I assumed they were CGI like superhero films… but they were all done by real people."
"I remember now!" Kitasan Black exclaimed. "Trainer took me to see those movies too! He said that star was also his idol—and one of the founders of parkour and Extreme Stunts. He even used clips from the movies to teach me moves! Just yesterday I saw a scene where someone slid down a super-tall glass building. I had no idea it was real!"
Satono Crown's eyes sparkled even brighter. She rarely met fellow enthusiasts who knew anything about Hong Kong cinema at school or at home. Even though Kitasan Black clearly didn't know much, it was more than enough to make her overjoyed.
She eagerly pulled her chair closer and began chatting animatedly with Kitasan Black about the movies.
"…Right, right! And at the end of that movie, there are bloopers—he really did slide down a pillar seven or eight stories high!"
While Satono Crown and Kitasan Black excitedly discussed another film, Duramente, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly picked up her tray and stood up.
"I'm done eating. You two keep chatting."
Kitasan Black paused mid-sentence and looked over in surprise, then grew a little embarrassed.
"Uh, Dura-chan… did we… bother you…?"
Over the past while, Duramente's relationship with her had improved considerably, and she had even grown closer to the Satono sisters. Still, because of her personality, Duramente rarely spoke when the group gathered, often seeming left out.
Duramente paused, then shook her head with her usual cool expression.
"Bother me? No. What you two were talking about was interesting. I was listening."
"Then…"
Kitasan Black started to speak, but her gaze drifted to Duramente's plate. She hesitated.
"Dura-chan, you… didn't eat very much. Is that really enough to fill you up?"
"Not much? I don't think so."
Duramente glanced at her plate, then pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and checked it with a nod.
"It's a training meal prepared exactly according to Air Groove-nee's instructions. There won't be any less—otherwise she'll get angry."
"Training meal? You're… still going to train tonight?"
Kitasan Black looked surprised again. Both Satono sisters turned toward Duramente with equal surprise.
"Yes. Air Groove-nee finally gave her approval. Tonight we're practicing stride-frequency distribution for the fourth turn."
Duramente admitted it without any attempt to hide it. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes.
"The fourth turn of the Japanese Derby.
I won't lose this race, Kita-chan."
---
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