That evening, Yasui Makoto strolled along the tree-lined path at Tracen Academy, occasionally glancing at the girl beside him.
Kitasan Black walked with her head bowed, fingers intertwined in front of her, completely unaware of his gaze.
After the hot spring treatment, they had talked over the Training Race during dinner. The other Uma Musume had already left for the night.
Yasui Makoto had planned to escort her back to the dorms before returning to his rented room to review his notes. But she had stopped him with a quiet, "Trainer… let's take a walk together."
He had assumed she wanted to say something.
From what he knew of her, Kitasan Black wasn't the type to bottle things up. She usually spoke her mind the moment a thought crossed it.
Yet after wandering aimlessly for an hour or two, she still hadn't said a single word.
She wasn't just holding something back — she was clearly preoccupied.
And she was.
Deep Impact's words from that afternoon kept replaying in her mind.
After telling her to go all out, the senpai had added that she was no longer in peak condition. At best, only the Zone she entered during the final sprint of a Training Race could bring her close to her old self.
But if she couldn't even match or surpass her own performance in the early and middle stages, then talking about the Zone was pointless.
The senpai had also said to pay close attention to the Zone itself.
That state was mysterious. Even those who had experienced it struggled to explain exactly what it was. Yet everyone who managed to reach it shared one thing in common — something they desperately wanted to achieve.
Like winning the Japanese Derby.
"After saying all that, you must be under a lot of pressure. But compared to this race, it's nothing… at least in my opinion."
Finally, the senpai had continued, "I'm not very good at explaining things, but if you're confused about anything, I'll do my best to answer.
You can also ask Special Week or the other seniors. Though your Trainer has probably already considered most of it, so you could ask him too.
As for the rest… that's more about techniques and tactics. I'll discuss those with your Trainer."
So… did that mean she should just leave everything to her Trainer and the seniors and not do anything herself…?
Going all out, wanting to win no matter what — shouldn't that be her own responsibility?
All this time she had been working toward the Classic Triple Crown, trying to become an Uma Musume like Tokai Teio, carrying so many expectations on her shoulders…
So…
"You're about to hit a tree."
"…Huh? Ow!"
The quiet, slightly amused murmur came from beside her. She answered on reflex, and before she could even turn her head, a sharp pain bloomed across her forehead.
Her eyes stung. She clutched her head and looked up in a daze.
A large tree stood in front of her, its crown swaying gently in the night breeze. A few green leaves drifted down. On the dark trunk, about a meter off the ground, several palm-sized patches of bark had cracked and fallen away, leaving a pale patch that matched the shape of her forehead almost perfectly.
"No, you actually hit it… You really didn't see it at all?"
The amused tone had shifted to panic. Her cheeks burned as she met a pair of urgent eyes.
Yasui Makoto was cupping her face, checking her over under the moonlight and streetlights. The warm glow from the lamp cut across her forehead, highlighting a faint red mark in the center. A few strands of her bangs swayed in the breeze, brushing against the teardrops clinging to her lashes before sticking to the mark.
Frowning, he reached out and gently touched the edge of the redness.
"Does it hurt— Hiss—!"
Before he could finish, a sharp pain shot through his wrist. He sucked in a breath.
He tried to pull back on instinct, but her grip clamped down like a vice.
"I'm fine… but this tree is really hard."
Kitasan Black answered in a daze. Then her ears twitched as she realized she was still gripping his wrist — and that he was wincing, his brows drawn tight.
"I-I'm sorry! I, I… Trainer, your… your wrist… Does it hurt…?"
She let go at once and stared at his hand, words tumbling out in a rush.
He flexed his fingers a few times, pressed along the bone, and felt no sharp pain or swelling. His shoulders relaxed. Looking at her, he gave a small chuckle.
"I'm fine. My wrist must be pretty hard too."
Kitasan Black paused, then realized he was teasing her with her own words. A mix of worry and irritation flickered across her face.
"Trainer, really… How can you joke about something like this?"
She bit her lower lip, reached out, and gently took his hand, pulling it closer to examine it under the moonlight filtering through the leaves.
Five distinct red finger marks stood out clearly from the edge of his palm to his wrist.
"Here… it's clearly swollen, isn't it?"
She traced the marks with her fingertip, then pressed lightly in the center.
"Right? It's swollen… isn't it, Trainer?"
She asked again and again, voice tight with concern, then suddenly looked up and froze.
When she had bumped into the tree, he had been right there. He had warned her. She couldn't bring herself to blame him for not stopping her in time.
And the way he had looked at her afterward… there had been real worry in his eyes.
Now he was looking at her again — or rather, she was meeting his gaze.
The worry was still there. But beneath it was something else, something that made her chest feel strangely warm.
Moonlight and tree shadows danced in his eyes like scattered stardust. The silver light reflected back at her, sending a rush of heat through her veins that felt like crossing the finish line at full speed.
The warmth that wasn't hers traveled through her fingertips. The distant sound of the fountain grew clearer. Her ears trembled. For a moment, her breath caught on the evening breeze.
She quickly lowered her head and stared at the marks she had left on his wrist.
When she noticed the small crescent-shaped indentation her thumb had pressed into the center, she realized she had been unconsciously caressing it.
I… I…
This… this is…
What's going on…?
The questions rose on their own, then were pushed aside just as quickly. She didn't understand it, and she didn't want to think too hard about it. That had always been easier.
A finger tapped lightly against her temple.
A soft chuckle came from above.
"Today's Training Race must have worn you out. You've been spacing out a lot…"
"Get some rest early tonight. We can talk about anything else tomorrow."