Unstable Training Speed

Although the contract hadn't been signed yet, Hokubu Genkoma had already changed how she addressed him. The tall stack of folders and videotapes she held in her arms were the materials she'd mentioned.

Those were things Yasui Makoto had asked Tokai Teio to help provide that afternoon.

Unlike other schools, Tracen Academy's Student Council President held considerable authority, able to represent the academy in handling various matters without going through the Board of Directors or the Chairman.

This included access to the Academy Archives, which contained many materials inaccessible to outsiders.

Yasui Makoto was still a newcomer and temporarily lacked the authority to review them, but with Tokai Teio's approval, there was no issue.

"Thanks for the trouble, Xiao Bei."

After opening the door and turning straight into the living room, Yasui Makoto casually pointed at the floor.

"Just put them anywhere. I'll get you some water."

"Oh, oh, okay... no need to bother, Trainer. The President treated me to plenty of honey drinks, so I'm not thirsty yet."

"Then make yourself at home... have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet..."

Hokubu Genkoma shook her head, then perked up.

"I also told the President that I'll be looking after you for the next few days, Trainer. Just let me know whatever you need!"

"Nothing specific, just do as you like."

Pulling out his phone, Yasui Makoto asked, "Should I order takeout for you?"

"Does the Trainer always eat takeout?"

Hokubu Genkoma paused, unconsciously scanning the room.

The entryway had nothing but a few pairs of shoes. The living room, however, was packed—books and videotapes related to Uma Musume and trainers, along with many handwritten drafts, documents, and a laptop on the coffee table.

Though there was a lot of stuff, aside from the sofa covered in open books, everything else was neatly arranged, with no clutter or difficulty finding a place to stand.

If anything stood out, it was the overflowing trash bin, filled with crumpled drafts and takeout boxes stamped with the words "Gray Stable."

"Cooking myself is too much trouble, and there's a restaurant on the street past the academy that makes great food with fast delivery. I've gotten used to it."

Setting his phone on the sofa, Yasui Makoto sat down and casually flipped through the materials Hokubu Genkoma had set down.

"If you don't like takeout, I'm afraid I can't keep you for a meal."

"Huh? No, it's fine."

Hokubu Genkoma waved her hands repeatedly, then pulled out her phone.

"Then I'll order the takeout. The restaurant you mentioned is 'Gray Stable,' right?

"That place is actually very popular at the academy. When people don't eat at the cafeteria, they usually go there.

"Oh, right! That shop was opened by a few seniors. I wonder if the Trainer has met them... Huh?"

Just as she pulled up the delivery app on her phone, she looked up to see Yasui Makoto opening the laptop on the coffee table, then turning on the TV and videotape player in the living room. Curiosity sparked.

"Trainer, what are you...?"

"Just watching some races from Tokyo Racecourse and comparing them with your data."

Selecting a videotape and inserting it into the player, Yasui Makoto sat back on the sofa, placing a stack of documents beside the laptop as he explained casually:

"Your training doesn't have recordings, so I'll use this method to get a basic understanding first.

"The Archives keep multi-camera footage that's hard to find online or elsewhere, along with unique data on each race's participants.

"Using these for comparison makes it easier to grasp your situation. But once the contract is signed, I'll definitely need to see your running in person."

As he spoke, Yasui Makoto noticed that Hokubu Genkoma's attention was almost entirely fixed on the race playing on screen. He nodded inwardly.

Running was an instinct and a longing for Uma Musume.

But even with the same instincts and longings, differences existed among them.

For instance, the Uma Musume he'd encountered back in his hometown weren't particularly passionate about racing—at least not to the point of focusing so intently on a race like Hokubu Genkoma did.

From this perspective, this Uma Musume already had an excellent foundation in competitive spirit.

The footage currently playing was a pre-race interview, which wasn't crucial to watch. Silently praising her, Yasui Makoto glanced at the phone in Hokubu Genkoma's hand, picked up his own from the sofa, and casually ordered two takeout meals.

Then, cross-referencing the video and various data, he began inputting calculations on the computer.

For a race, the most intuitive data was speed, with the three most important types being starting gate speed, cruising speed, and last three furlongs speed.

Starting gate speed referred to the time from the gate opening to the Uma Musume's reaction. The theoretical reaction limit was 0.1 seconds, with an average of 0.25 seconds.

The difference in this was often used in position battles during the Opening Phase, and to some extent influenced the tactics used later.

Cruising speed had the longest duration, generally referring to the speed between the Opening Phase scramble and the Final Phase.

For most races, this speed ranged from 15 to 17 meters per second, with variations depending on factors like race distance, participant skill, and track conditions.

Last three furlongs speed, also called maximum speed, was used to decide the outcome in the final 600 meters.

Depending on the race distance, tactics, and race situation, this distance could fluctuate by 200 meters up or down, and the speed would change accordingly.

Compared to the speed data shown in the video, Hokubu Genkoma's records in the archives weren't particularly impressive—both her peak and average speeds were significantly lower.

However, Yasui Makoto was not surprised, because the former was data from official races, while the latter was merely training—and training data from before her debut.

What he focused on was mainly the fluctuation, in other words, the variance within the same set of data.

The smaller the variance, the more stable the data set; conversely, the larger the variance, the less stable it was.

After calculating and double-checking over a dozen times, the conclusion was clear: Hokubu Genkoma's current training data showed a large variance, meaning her speed was unstable.

This situation could naturally be explained by her level of power control, but that was far from sufficient.

Speed was only the surface; power control was just one of the causes. The remaining factors could be broken down into oxygen uptake, body fat ratio, gait characteristics, running posture habits, and so on—each of which would affect performance in both training and official races.

After switching to a few different algorithms and data sets, Yasui Makoto quickly came up with a guess beyond the level of power.

"Xiao Bei, have you ever specifically trained the 'Assault Step' used in races before?"

"Go! Go! Go... huh?"

When Yasui Makoto asked, Hokubu Genkoma was enthusiastically watching the video, cheering loudly for the Uma Musume inside as if she were right there at the scene.

"Assault Step...? We did learn about it in class, but..."

Somewhat embarrassed, she scratched her head. "I didn't have a Trainer before, and the seniors at home never taught me..."

Yasui Makoto fell into thought.

He had some impression of this earlier, and after just looking at the materials, he saw that Hokubu Genkoma was born into a large family, one that included other Uma Musume besides her.

However, none of them were particularly outstanding, so it made sense that no one had specifically pointed out this issue.

"Trainer, if I haven't mastered the Assault Step, then my upcoming race..."

Knock, knock, knock—a sound of knocking interrupted Hokubu Genkoma's words, and at the same time, Yasui Makoto's phone began to ring.