The night of the pace training between Kitasan Black and Daiwa Scarlet.
"Eh—?! So I'm suited to the Escape style?"
In the mostly empty Dance Hall, Kitasan Black cried out in surprise:
"Then why did you make me run behind everyone in my Debut Race, Trainer...?"
Sitting cross-legged across from her and scrolling through a tablet, Anjing Zhen hadn't answered yet. Daiwa Scarlet studied the resistance band Kitasan Black had just used and casually said:
"He was thinking about your future, Little Kita."
"My future... What do you mean, Senior Yamato?"
Kitasan Black looked at Daiwa Scarlet in confusion.
"Wait... Trainer Yasui hasn't reviewed your Debut Race with you yet, Little Kita?"
Daiwa Scarlet glanced at Kitasan Black in surprise, then looked at Anjing Zhen with some embarrassment.
"I spoke out of turn. I'm very sorry for interrupting your training."
"It's fine. I was planning to explain it to her after the pace training anyway."
Anjing Zhen replied casually, then turned the tablet toward Kitasan Black.
"Little Kita, you should have learned the basic requirements for an Escape Horse in class, right?"
"Yes!"
She shot her hand up and answered confidently:
"At the start of the race, sprint at full speed, quickly take the Leading Position, and hold onto it until the finish line.
"Trainer, was that right?"
"Very good."
Anjing Zhen smiled and nodded, then added:
"This Running Style demands a great deal of Instantaneous Burst Power and sustained speed. On top of that, you need a good sense of rhythm.
"When you're alone at the front for the whole race, you need to know how far you've run, how long you've been running, how much of the course remains, and how much time you have left. Otherwise, you'll have trouble managing your stamina.
"Do you remember what I told you when we first started training?"
"Hehehe, that my stride was all over the place and my sense of rhythm was a complete mess..."
Kitasan Black scratched her head with a silly grin. Then her eyes lit up with sudden excitement.
"So that means...
"You'd already figured out the Running Style I was suited for back then?!
"And you planned all the training afterward specifically for that?!"
Daiwa Scarlet's eyes widened in shock. She looked at Anjing Zhen in disbelief.
Basic training for things like stride was usually done right after a contract was signed...
If she remembered correctly, Senior Agnes Tachyon had said that the two of them hadn't even known each other before...
They hadn't known each other at all, yet he'd immediately figured out which Running Style suited Little Kita and arranged the corresponding training...
What kind of monster trainer was this?!
Daiwa Scarlet couldn't help being astonished.
Choosing a Running Style was complicated. A runner's physique, running form, strength, speed, burst power, and stamina all played a part.
Even trainers with long-established reputations wouldn't dare claim they could tell at a glance what Running Style suited a newcomer. They needed extensive training and some actual races before they could draw a conclusion.
Some trainers only found the most suitable Running Style for their trainees a year or two after their Debut Race.
She knew plenty of cases like that, including friends and seniors and juniors she knew well.
So just who was this trainer...?
While Daiwa Scarlet was still reeling, Anjing Zhen patiently explained to Kitasan Black:
"More precisely, it was only a guess at the time.
"I'd looked through the publicly available records of students from the past decade and assessed your burst power and stamina. Even among newcomers, your ability in those areas was quite good.
"From there, it was only natural to consider Escape and Early Lead.
"As for why Escape suited you better, it was because..."
He paused, thinking.
"Your Final Burst isn't strong."
"Final Burst..."
Repeating the words, Kitasan Black looked down at her feet, then instinctively glanced at Daiwa Scarlet.
"I'm sorry, Little Kita. My Final Burst isn't strong either."
Daiwa Scarlet readily admitted her weakness, then shrugged.
"But I never needed a Final Burst to win back then. Except when I ran into...
"Ahem, anyway..."
She cleared her throat abruptly and changed the subject somewhat awkwardly.
"Final Burst is a very special ability.
"With it, you can pour all your remaining stamina into your legs in the final stretch and keep unleashing an astonishing, terrifying speed.
"In theory, every Running Style would benefit from having this ability. But it's not something you can just decide to have.
"By comparison, Escape Horses can gain an advantage in distance through things like positioning awareness. They can win even without a strong Final Burst.
"Your Instantaneous Burst Power is good, and so are your acceleration and ability to maintain speed over a certain distance.
"But your control over your strength isn't yet good enough for us to discuss your Final Burst."
"The latest novels are first published on ⊥⊥⊥⊥⊥!"
"So all things considered, Escape and a fairly forward Early Lead are the best options for you.
"Ah, I got carried away again. Trainer Yasui should be the one explaining all this to you..."
She looked embarrassed.
"It's fine. It makes no difference who explains it."
Anjing Zhen smiled, then turned to Kitasan Black and spoke seriously:
"Senior Yamato is right. The Running Style that suits you best is Escape, followed by Great Escape, Early Lead, and Free-Style Early Lead.
"That means the tactics you used in your Debut Race weren't the ones that suited you best.
"They were risky, and I had prepared myself for the possibility that you'd lose your Debut Race."
"Lose... my Debut Race?"
Kitasan Black was dumbfounded.
"How could I...? I felt great while I was running, and I won in the end."
"That means my judgment was accurate, and I didn't let down your trust in me."
Anjing Zhen smiled, then continued explaining:
"Before your Debut Race, you'd already adjusted your rhythm to a certain level. Instantaneous Burst Power and your ability to maintain speed afterward were already your strengths.
"And at that level, neither you nor your opponents had much skill to speak of. So I thought forcing your way through and then accelerating over a long distance would be enough to win.
"That was where the risk came in.
"If you had an off day, mistimed your move, or couldn't break through because the race was too chaotic, there wouldn't have been much I could do.
"But the risk was worth taking.
"You can't lead every race at every moment. You're bound to find yourself overtaken.
"The more important the race, the less you can afford to use it to get used to the pressure of being passed.
"But your Debut Race and the races right after it are different. The outcome doesn't matter as much, and plenty of top Uma Musume have lost at the start of their careers.
"So it's worth laying a good foundation for more important races down the line, even if you lose.
"I'm not telling you all this to say you can just lose whenever you want.
"Your opponents in the next race won't be clueless newcomers. I'll make adjustments to the details depending on the situation.
"I haven't explained those adjustments in detail before because you didn't have enough experience.
"But from now on, I'll gradually tell you more. Little Kita, you need to try to understand."
Kitasan Black nodded firmly without hesitation.
"Yes! I told you, whatever you ask me to do, Trainer, I'll listen carefully and follow your instructions to the letter!"
At that, both Anjing Zhen and Daiwa Scarlet smiled with satisfaction.
After they had smiled, Daiwa Scarlet discreetly glanced at Anjing Zhen, who had started explaining the training details.
...If she could gain something from it, then losing the Debut Race would have been worth it.
That made sense, but to say it so casually—and then put it into practice in the very first race of her career...
This trainer... He really was a monster.
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