Can She Become a G1 Uma Musume?

When he happened to see that interview with Saburo Kitajima, Anjing Zhen Shen had found it deeply moving.

Even with the experiences from his previous life, he wasn't any kind of genius. He'd met plenty of geniuses while studying at the Trainer Academy.

Some of those geniuses had come from humble beginnings, while others, like him, came from families of trainers.

There were also those with even better connections. The moment they enrolled, prominent figures came calling, asking them to train the Uma Musume in their families.

Yet in the end, not one of those geniuses had surpassed him. Some had transferred midway through, while others were still studying at the academy.

Now, as he unconsciously recalled that interview and thought back on the time he'd spent with Kitasan Black, Anjing Zhen suddenly understood where his Uma Musume's personality had come from.

She was passionate and cheerful, lively and generous.

She could feel anxious, and she could falter.

During training, she was always utterly meticulous, obedient and attentive. Whenever he assigned her a task, she gave it twelve out of ten rather than settling for ten.

A lot of the time, she seemed a little clumsy, only knowing how to put her head down and keep moving forward, regardless of anything else, taking one solid step after another.

But in the end, she always got it done.

She was just like her grandpa.

"Thank you, thank you, everyone! Thank you for listening to Grandpa and me sing... Trainer?!"

As he was musing, a delighted cry suddenly rang out in the distance. Anjing Zhen looked over instinctively.

The black-haired girl's face lit up in an instant, and she rushed over, throwing both arms around Anjing Zhen's neck.

"Trainer! You saw it, right?! My second race... I won again!"

"Yeah, yeah, congratulations, Little Kita. But..."

Feeling the weight hanging from his neck, Anjing Zhen gave a wry smile.

"Could you get down first? My neck... feels like it's about to snap..."

At the same time, he couldn't help thinking:

...He'd seen the numbers before, but...

She really was so much heavier than the other Uma Musume...

"Ah, ah?! S-sorry, Trainer! I got too excited again..."

Kitasan Black quickly let go of Anjing Zhen's neck and took two steps back, her expression still excited but her eyes filled with concern.

"Trainer, your neck's okay, right...?"

"That was just an exaggeration. I'm fine."

Anjing Zhen rubbed his neck and rolled it back and forth, then smiled at Kitasan Black before looking past her.

"Forget about me... Little Kita, this is your grandpa, right?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Kitasan Black turned around, trotted a couple of steps, and took the hand of Saburo Kitajima, who had already come over. She pulled her grandpa along with a few more quick steps.

"Trainer! This is my grandpa!

"Grandpa! This is my trainer, Anjing Zhen!"

Though he was a household name in the music industry and across Japan, Saburo Kitajima didn't put on airs.

His eyes were still sharp and clear. When he looked at Kitasan Black, they brimmed with affection; when he looked at Anjing Zhen, they held admiration.

"Hello, Teacher Kitajima. I'm Kitasan Black's trainer, Anjing Zhen."

Anjing Zhen bowed. "I'm honored that you could make time from your busy schedule to come see Little Kita's race."

"Hahaha, there's no need to say that."

Saburo Kitajima laughed heartily, then said warmly,

"Of course a grandpa should come watch his granddaughter race.

"If anything, I should have come last time, too. But the girl didn't want to draw too much attention. Otherwise, no matter how busy I was, I would have come."

"That's because you're too famous, Grandpa."

Kitasan Black was smiling, but her tone was a little plaintive and affectionate as she looked around.

"Look, so many people gathered just now.

"If you'd come to the track last time, everyone would've gone to watch you instead of my race."

Just as Kitasan Black had said, quite a crowd had gathered at the entrance to the Rest Hall.

Most people's eyes were fixed on Saburo Kitajima, full of excitement and admiration.

They hadn't come any closer, probably because most of them had managed to keep their excitement in check, and because a number of men in black suits were holding them back.

A brief glance was enough for Anjing Zhen to tell that they were trained bodyguards.

After all, Saburo Kitajima was a national treasure of a musician, and there were so many people at the track. Security couldn't afford to let its guard down.

"All right, all right. Grandpa's to blame, Grandpa's to blame."

Saburo Kitajima smiled apologetically at Kitasan Black's complaints.

"Then shall we go inside first?"

"No."

Kitasan Black shook her head without hesitation, then explained seriously,

"Only Uma Musume, trainers, and staff are allowed in the Rest Hall. You definitely can't go in, Grandpa.

"And after I rest for a bit, I need to get ready for the Winner's Stage.

"You can wait for me over by the stage, Grandpa. My performance definitely won't disappoint you!"

"All right, all right. I'll wait with eager anticipation."

After nodding repeatedly, Saburo Kitajima looked at Anjing Zhen.

"But I'd like to have a little chat with your trainer. Is that all right, Little Kita?"

"Mm! No problem!"

Kitasan Black nodded repeatedly as well.

"I've wanted Grandpa to meet my trainer for ages!

"Grandpa, you know, my trainer's amazing. Just talk to him and you'll see!"

"Of course. You won the race, Little Kita, so Trainer Yasui certainly deserves some credit. Grandpa knows he's amazing."

Smiling as he agreed, Saburo Kitajima watched Kitasan Black say goodbye to Anjing Zhen and enter the Rest Hall. Then he turned to Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, and bowed slightly.

"I'm very sorry. I was so caught up chatting with Little Kita that I didn't get a chance to introduce myself to either of you.

"But I've been following the Shining Series for a long time. You're Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, aren't you?"

"You're too kind, sir."

Daiwa Scarlet hurriedly returned the bow alongside Vodka, then smiled. "We grew up listening to your songs. We should have been the ones to introduce ourselves."

"Yeah, sir. Little Kita's told us about you plenty of times. We just haven't found the right chance to pay you a visit."

Vodka was visibly excited.

"Your singing is full of manly spirit. I especially love your songs! I... Huh?"

As Vodka was about to continue, Daiwa Scarlet smiled and discreetly brushed her tail against her.

"The two of us came to cheer Little Kita on, so we'll go help her get ready for the Winner's Stage. If you'll excuse us."

Vodka caught on, too.

"Right, right. The Winner's Stage is important. We'll help Little Kita get everything ready!"

Then the two Uma Musume bowed together and followed Kitasan Black into the Rest Hall.

Anjing Zhen hadn't said a word this whole time.

He'd already figured that if he ever met Kitasan Black's family, they would probably have questions for him or want to talk about something else. After all, she was their child.

The question was, what would the old gentleman ask...?

"It's wonderful to be young. You have seniors who support you, classmates and friends to compete alongside, and, of course, mentors to guide you. Those are the opportunities you only encounter when you're young. Hahaha."

As Anjing Zhen pondered, Saburo Kitajima chuckled and mused aloud before slowly turning to him.

"Mr. Anjing, this may be a bit direct, but I'm sure you can understand how I feel.

"In your opinion, can that girl, Little Kita...

"Become a G1 Uma Musume?"