Chapter Summaries

Tsubasa Hayate barged into Kitasan Black’s classroom to deliver her a challenge letter, but Satono Crown noticed an embarrassing mistake on the envelope. The letter remained unopened as the class reacted to the words “Peach Challenge.”

• Tsubasa Hayate interrupted Kitasan Black’s class and asked for her by name.
• Satono Crown introduced herself as class representative and tried to manage Tsubasa Hayate’s disruptive visit.
• Tsubasa Hayate threw an envelope toward Kitasan Black, but it landed on the floor and Satono Crown picked it up first.
• Tsubasa Hayate announced that she was delivering a challenge letter to Kitasan Black on someone’s behalf.
• Satono Crown pointed out that the envelope said “Peach Challenge” and teased Tsubasa Hayate for the wording.

Tsubasa Hayate brought Kitasan Black a challenge letter on Ribbon Keiko’s behalf, but Ribbon tried to withdraw it after apologizing for Hayate’s impulsiveness. Kitasan Black’s mistaken guess at Ribbon’s name changed her mind, and Ribbon left having formally challenged her to the Saint Lite Kinen.

• Tsubasa Hayate charged into the classroom and urged Kitasan Black to accept her challenge letter, while Ribbon Keiko arrived and apologized for Hayate’s actions.
• Ribbon Keiko admitted she had wanted to beat Kitasan Black, and Satono Crown recognized her as a competitor from the Satsuki Sho and Japanese Derby.
• Satono Crown pointed out that Ribbon Keiko, Tsubasa Hayate, and Kitasan Black were all scheduled to run the Saint Lite Kinen.
• Ribbon Keiko tried to take back the letter, and Kitasan Black agreed to race normally before mistakenly calling her Ribbon Song.
• Ribbon Keiko pulled Tsubasa Hayate toward the door, then formally challenged Kitasan Black to the Saint Lite Kinen.

Anjing Zhen noticed that Kitasan Black was in Absolutely Awful Condition after an upsetting encounter with Ribbon Keiko, who had challenged her but then felt slighted when Kitasan Black failed to recognize her. Anjing Zhen advised Kitasan Black to accept the challenge and express her feelings by winning the Saint Lite Kinen with a Great Escape.

• Anjing Zhen saw that Kitasan Black’s training was unusually poor and ended the session early.
• Kitasan Black told Anjing Zhen that she had failed to recognize Ribbon Keiko after school and wanted to apologize.
• Anjing Zhen read the challenge letter Tsubasa Hayate had written in badly garbled Chinese.
• Kitasan Black explained that Ribbon Keiko had blocked Crown-chan after Crown-chan tried to contact her.
• Anjing Zhen told Kitasan Black to accept Ribbon Keiko’s challenge and win the Saint Lite Kinen with a decisive Great Escape.

Anjing Zhen encouraged Kitasan Black to apologize to Ribbon Keiko and let her decide how to resolve their conflict. By race day, Kitasan Black had regained her focus, and Anjing Zhen planned her tactics for the 2,200-meter race while acknowledging Ribbon Keiko as an opponent.

• Anjing Zhen told Kitasan Black to express her feelings to Ribbon Keiko and suggested she seek help from Daiwa Scarlet if needed.
• Kitasan Black left training with a plan, and Anjing Zhen later noticed she had regained her usual energy but still acted strangely when Ribbon Keiko came up.
• At Nakayama Racecourse on September 21st, Anjing Zhen recommended Great Escape as Kitasan Black's primary Running Style, with frontrunner as her backup.
• Anjing Zhen explained that four Escape Horses in the fifteen-gate field could make the battle for the Lead Position fierce, and Kitasan Black asked whether her change of Running Style would depend on her opponents.

Before Kitasan Black’s race, Anjing Zhen delivered her training records to Agnes Tachyon and met Manchester Cafe, who offered advice about Nakayama’s broad final stretch. The chapter left Anjing considering whether Kitasan had built enough of an advantage ahead of her much-anticipated opponent.

• Anjing Zhen left the Preparation Room after reviewing Kitasan Black’s race instructions and went to his usual spot in the stands.
• Agnes Tachyon surprised Anjing and collected Kitasan Black’s training logs and Anjing’s notes for her research.
• Agnes Tachyon introduced Manchester Cafe, who said she had heard about Anjing from Tachyon.
• Anjing asked Manchester Cafe for advice, and she warned that Nakayama’s wide final stretch offered many chances to overtake, especially when a much-anticipated opponent was racing.

Anjing Zhen watched Kitasan Black prepare for the Saint Lite Kinen and noticed her tense encounter with Ribbon Keiko. Backstage, Ribbon Keiko admitted her hesitation to Tsubasa Hayate and resolved to face Kitasan Black directly, while both friends vowed to compete fiercely.

• Anjing Zhen watched Kitasan Black appear in the Paddock and assessed her athletic condition before the Saint Lite Kinen.
• Kitasan Black spotted Ribbon Keiko backstage, then entered the underground passage without speaking to her.
• Ribbon Keiko told Tsubasa Hayate she felt unable to explain the trouble caused by her spiteful actions to Kitasan Black or Senior Yamato.
• Tsubasa Hayate urged Ribbon Keiko to speak honestly, and Ribbon Keiko admitted she should have challenged Kitasan Black herself.
• Ribbon Keiko and Tsubasa Hayate promised to give their full effort and compete against each other in the race.

Ribbon Keiko planned to seize the lead in the Saint Lite Kinen, but Kitasan Black launched from the far gate and took an astonishing early advantage. The race began as the commentator and crowd recognized Kitasan Black’s run as a possible Great Escape, while Agnes Tachyon watched in ecstatic fascination.

• Ribbon Keiko assessed her rivals and believed her favorable gate position would let her take the lead ahead of Kitasan Black.
• At the start of the Saint Lite Kinen, Kitasan Black burst from gate thirteen and passed Ribbon Keiko to take the lead by three and a half horse lengths.
• The commentator announced that Kitasan Black might be attempting a Great Escape, and the spectators erupted into cheers.
• Agnes Tachyon became intensely excited by Kitasan Black’s speed and declared that her potential was far from exhausted.
• Anjing Zhen lowered his binoculars and asked whether Doctor Sovetsky had always been so unhinged.

Kitasan Black built a commanding lead with a Great Escape at Nakayama Racecourse, while Anjing Zhen and the others assessed her running style. Agnes Tachyon compared Kitasan Black to Sakura King and recognized that her power and stamina had brought her to the limits of the field.

• Manchester Cafe said Agnes Tachyon’s condition had worsened since retirement, then predicted the race would calm as the other runners hesitated.
• Kitasan Black continued racing alone at the front, and her opponents held back as they approached the first turn.
• Manchester Cafe and Agnes Tachyon recognized similarities between Kitasan Black’s running style and Silent Suzuka’s, then Agnes Tachyon compared her more closely to Sakura King.
• Agnes Tachyon offered Anjing Zhen suspicious black tea after her excited outburst, but he refused to be distracted from the race.
• Anjing Zhen reflected that Kitasan Black’s training had strengthened her exceptional power and stamina while compensating for her slower speed, bringing her to the limits of the competitors.

Kitasan Black used Silent Suzuka’s Great Escape technique to build a huge lead in the Nakayama race, but Anjing Zhen and the others worried that her pace would exhaust her. As Ribbon Keiko launched a pursuit, the race grew more uncertain.

• Kitasan Black charged through the first turn using the Great Escape technique Silent Suzuka had taught her.
• Kitasan Black accelerated through the second turn, experiencing the romance of the Great Escape as her lead widened to nearly ten Horse Lengths.
• Anjing Zhen, Manchester Cafe, and Agnes Tachyon worried that Kitasan Black needed to slow down before the Final Straight.
• The commentator announced that Ribbon Keiko had begun pursuing Kitasan Black, while Free and Unrestrained held second and Ribbon Keiko third.

Kitasan Black’s Great Escape drew Ribbon Keiko into a desperate pursuit during the Saint Lite Kinen, while the rest of the field closed in. Kitasan Black held on to win, then turned to Ribbon Keiko and answered her cry, calling her Ribbon Triumph Song.

• Ribbon Keiko broke into a full-speed chase after Kitasan Black as the pack reached the Third Turn.
• Sato no Takarazuka and Tsubasa Hayate also launched their pursuit, and Ribbon Keiko gradually cut into Kitasan Black’s lead.
• Ribbon Keiko shouted for Kitasan Black to let her touch her as she closed the gap on the final turn.
• Kitasan Black heard Ribbon Keiko’s voice, found a burst of strength, and crossed the finish line in first place.
• Kitasan Black turned to the exhausted Ribbon Keiko and said that she had heard her voice, calling her Ribbon Triumph Song.

While recovering from her leg injury, Duramente watched Kitasan Black win the Saint Lite Kinen and continued upper-body training so she could keep her promise to Little Kita. Futanari Shingang joined her and explained that classmates considered her aloof.

• Kitasan Black crossed the finish line at Nakayama Racecourse and won the Saint Lite Kinen.
• Duramente recalled the doctor's orders and Sister Symboli's warning to rest, then congratulated Kitasan Black while watching the broadcast.
• Futanari Shingang entered the gym, saw Duramente training, and asked whether her leg had healed.
• Duramente said she could not run but needed to maintain her upper-body strength and keep her promise to Little Kita.
• Duramente asked whether Futanari Shingang had entered the Kikuka Sho, and Futanari teased her for seeming aloof before giving examples of her distant behavior.

Duramente and Futanari Shingang grew closer while talking in the gym, and Duramente offered to share old race analysis to help Shingang prepare for the Kikuka Sho. The conversation ended with Duramente revealing that Satono Crown had withdrawn from the race, surprising Shingang.

• Futanari Shingang discussed Kitasan Black's conflict with Ribbon and suggested it had begun as a misunderstanding.
• Duramente admitted that she had struggled to remember classmates' names and had focused almost entirely on training and racing.
• Duramente invited Futanari Shingang to dinner after training, and Shingang accepted.
• Futanari Shingang asked Duramente for advice about the Kobe Shimbun Hai, and Duramente offered old analysis prepared before her planned Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
• Futanari Shingang said she was preparing for the Kikuka Sho and mentioned Kitasan Black and Satono Crown, so Duramente told her that Satono Crown had withdrawn.

After winning the Saint Lite Kinen, Kitasan Black reconciled with Ribbon Keiko and Tsubasa Hayate during their Winner's Stage rehearsal, then reunited with the Satono Sisters. As the stage performance was about to begin, Satono Crown and Satono Diamond asked to speak privately with Sato no Takarazuka about a family matter.

• Kitasan Black, Ribbon Keiko, and Tsubasa Hayate rehearsed together and celebrated their renewed understanding after the race.
• Tsubasa Hayate challenged Kitasan Black to race again at the Kikuka Sho, and Kitasan Black teased her about the Peach Challenge.
• Kitasan Black met Satono Crown and Satono Diamond on the way to the stage, and they congratulated her on winning the Saint Lite Kinen.
• Satono Crown told Kitasan Black that she and Satono Diamond wanted to discuss a family matter with Sato no Takarazuka, asking Kitasan Black to give them space.

After winning the Saint Lite Kinen, Kitasan Black reflected on the pain of defeat and worried about Sato no Takarazuka, who revealed that Satono Crown had withdrawn from the Kikuka Sho. As Kitasan trained for Kyoto, she remembered Crown explaining that the Satono family judged her stamina insufficient for the race, though Crown had entered the Tenno Sho Autumn instead.

• During the Winner's Stage, Kitasan Black thought about the disappointment other Horse Girls faced after losing and noticed that Sato no Takarazuka seemed composed.
• Backstage, Kitasan Black asked Sato no Takarazuka if something was troubling her, and Takarazuka revealed that Satono Crown had withdrawn from the Kikuka Sho.
• Sato no Takarazuka told Kitasan Black that she would be the only one representing the Satomi family against her in the Kikuka Sho.
• Two weeks later, Anjing Zhen explained Kyoto Racecourse's slopes and terrain to Kitasan Black as she prepared for the race.
• Kitasan Black recalled visiting Satono Crown, who explained that her family had decided her long-distance ability did not meet the Kikuka Sho's standards and that she had entered the Tenno Sho Autumn instead.

Kitasan Black struggled with how to comfort Satono Crown after Crown had to miss the Kikuka Sho, and Anjing Zhen noticed her distraction during their Kyoto Racecourse review. Realizing she could rely on him beyond training and racing, Kitasan Black began telling him about Crown.

• Kitasan Black remembered Satono Crown's disappointment at being unable to enter the Kikuka Sho and wondered what she would do in her friend's place.
• Anjing Zhen noticed Kitasan Black was distracted and paused their track explanation, reassuring her that there was plenty of time before the race.
• Anjing Zhen offered to listen when Kitasan Black seemed troubled, and she realized she had come to rely on him for more than training and racing.
• Kitasan Black decided to talk to Anjing Zhen about Satono Crown.

Anjing Zhen explained why the Satomi Family had arranged for Satono Crown to run in the Tenno Sho Autumn instead of the Kikuka Sho, and Kitasan Black considered how Crown might feel about it. Kitasan Black decided to tell Crown that they would keep running together, then returned to training with Anjing Zhen.

• Anjing Zhen explained that the Satomi Family had divided Satono Crown and Sato no Takarazuka between major races to improve their chances of winning a G1.
• Kitasan Black asked whether Satono Crown had any choice and wondered if she herself would have defied the family’s plans.
• Kitasan Black said she wanted to tell Satono Crown that they would keep running together, whatever race Crown entered.
• Kitasan Black grabbed Anjing Zhen’s hand and urged him to continue training with her.

Kitasan Black told Anjing Zhen about her video call with Satono Crown, then eagerly resumed training for the Kikuka Sho. Anjing Zhen reviewed her Saint Lite Kinen performance and planned to refine a strategy that combined Slow Escape with Great Escape techniques.

• Anjing Zhen asked whether Kitasan Black had settled things with Satono Crown, and Kitasan Black awkwardly questioned why he was concerned about her.
• Kitasan Black explained that she had shared her thoughts with Satono Crown, who appreciated her concern while saying she did not fully understand the situation; Satono Crown and Benten were training hard.
• Kitasan Black said Ribbon Keiko and Hayate were also preparing for the Kikuka Sho, then urged Anjing Zhen to begin training.
• Anjing Zhen sent Kitasan Black to warm up before reviewing her Saint Lite Kinen running style.
• Anjing Zhen concluded that Kitasan Black should use Slow Escape as a base and apply Great Escape techniques to widen the stamina gap before the Kikuka Sho’s final stretch.

Anjing Zhen and Kitasan Black spent several days preparing for the Kikuka Sho by studying their opponents and refining her running styles, explosive starts, and responses to different race scenarios. By Friday, their preparations were progressing well, and Anjing Zhen asked where Kitasan Black planned to go for fun the next day.

• Anjing Zhen analyzed the Kikuka Sho field, paying particular attention to likely front-runners Rifaru, Ribbon Keiko, Tsubasa Hayate, and Sato no Takarazuka, as well as Kitasan Black’s old rival Futanari Shingang.
• Anjing Zhen had Kitasan Black rehearse her running styles and used tablet data to adjust her starting burst, stride frequency, and handling of curves.
• Kitasan Black practiced the revised rhythm and showed improved curve handling while keeping her breathing steady.
• Anjing Zhen and Kitasan Black spent several days analyzing opponents and rehearsing tactics for the Kikuka Sho.
• After Friday’s training, Anjing Zhen asked Kitasan Black whether she planned to visit Kyoto or return to Tokyo for fun the next day.

Anjing Zhen decided to take Kitasan Black to Tokyo to seek advice from Sakura King, a renowned short-distance racer whose strengths resembled Kitasan Black’s. Kitasan Black agreed to meet the senior she had been avoiding, and they planned to travel together for guidance that might improve her preparation for the Kikuka Sho.

• Anjing Zhen told Kitasan Black he wanted to visit Sakura King in Tokyo to learn from her.
• Kitasan Black revealed that Sakura King had repeatedly approached her, sensing her Bursting Spirit and predicting she would become a short-distance star.
• Anjing Zhen explained that Sakura King’s racing style resembled Kitasan Black’s and that her advice could help refine Kitasan Black’s training and tactics.
• Kitasan Black agreed to meet Sakura King and said she would honestly explain that she intended to pursue middle- and long-distance races.
• Anjing Zhen agreed to travel to Tokyo with Kitasan Black, hoping advice or a run alongside Sakura King would help with the upcoming Kikuka Sho.

Kitasan Black told Sakura King that her dream remained competing in middle- and long-distance races, and Sakura King encouraged her instead of taking offense. Sakura King then began a training session with Kitasan Black, leaving Anjing Zhen impressed by her explosive power and aware that Kitasan Black still had room to grow.

• Anjing Zhen and Kitasan Black visited Sakura King at the Short-distance Racing Department’s training area.
• Kitasan Black told Sakura King she wanted to pursue races like the Kikuka Sho and Arima Kinen, following Teio-senpai.
• Sakura King praised Kitasan Black’s determination and said Bursting Spirit was not limited to short-distance runners.
• Sakura King took Kitasan Black to train, and Anjing Zhen watched their warm-up and Side-by-side Practice.
• Anjing Zhen saw Sakura King unleash tremendous power and speed, while Kitasan Black never managed to take the lead.