Uma Musume: Become a Legendary Trainer

Chapter 189 Takarazuka Memorial Opening and Study Guide (1w2)

The competition arrangements for the Takarazuka Kinen did not change due to the arrival of the East Sea Emperor and Mejiro McQueen. Trainers like Kitahara still took Tamamo Cross to adapt to the venue before the start of the game, but the spectator arrangements were slightly changed.

In the past, teams would basically watch from the front of the field.

That position allows one to closely observe the performance of the horse racing ladies during the competition and promptly discover any problems they encounter in actual combat.

However, today in order to further practice the "Feynman Learning Method" mentioned before the game and allow Oguruma and the others to improve their knowledge by teaching the younger generations, Kitahara plans to arrange the horse girls other than Tamamo Cross to the viewing hall.

So, after making the last round of arrangements before the race with Tamamo Cross in the player preparation room, Kitahara arranged for Komiyama, Yusuhara and other training members to take their seats in the audience seats near the track, and brought the rest of the team to the viewing hall of the Hanshin Stadium.

"You guys can watch the game here today. It won't be affected by other spectators."

This plan had been announced in advance, and Oguruma and the others didn't look surprised. Kitahara then instructed, "I still have to go back to the front to watch the game later, so I won't be able to see your communication and exchanges in time."

"So, you should follow what I said before and record the conversations during this game separately."

"Consider this as an assignment, I'll check it later."

According to previous arrangements, among the members who came to watch the game this time, Oguruma, Kobayashi, Aldan and Inariichi served as seniors who would explain the game.

The ones listening to their explanation were Roman Oguri, Emperor of the East Sea, and Mejiro McQueen.

"I need to do my homework..."

With his ears drooping and his hair scratched, Xiaolimao was a little distressed, "Can I not write, Kitahara..."

"School homework is painful enough. If I have to do more homework, I feel like I won't be able to handle it..."

As a typical practical person, she is indeed not good at the various homework assigned by the school. She is troubled by the "experience reports" during the "hypothetical training" and similar task arrangements in her usual training.

If it weren't for her companions and classmates Tamamo Cross, Little Bay and Aldan who were very good at this and helped her from time to time, I'm afraid she would have been called to the school by her parents because of her failure to hand in homework.

In the past, Xiaohaiwan and Aldan would show a funny and sympathetic look at Xiaolimao's distress, and then comfort her and promise to help her.

However, this time, the two top students also became distressed.

"Hmm... Kitahara-san, if it's just a normal homework, it doesn't seem like you need to worry too much."

Looking at Oguruma with some embarrassment, then looking at Kitahara, Xiaowan hesitated, "But after hearing about that study method yesterday, I went back to the dormitory to look it up."

"I feel like that method should be very effective and it sounds simple, but it doesn't seem to be that way when you do it."

"Like what is said on the Internet, there is a lot of knowledge that we can understand ourselves, but it is different when we explain it to others."

"Because when we understand something, many of our thoughts are expressed in our own way, and when we tell other people about it, they may not necessarily understand it."

"So it's like relearning the knowledge you already have, understanding it in more basic and simpler terms, and then teaching it to others."

"But……"

She scratched her cheek a little embarrassedly. "I tried to review my previous knowledge and also tried to talk to Aldan."

"That is, I tried to teach her."

"I discovered the starting, cornering, sprinting, and more basic power and running posture. Even though Aldan already knew this knowledge, it was one thing for me to say it, but it sounded different to her."

"It feels so weird. It's easy to understand when Mr. Kitahara says it, but it becomes a little weird when we explain it ourselves."

As soon as Xiao Haiwan finished speaking, Aldan nodded in agreement, and Xiao Limao became even more distressed.

"It's okay. I never intended for you to master this learning method all at once. And you don't have to write the 'homework' this time."

Kitahara had not failed to take into consideration Xiao Haiwan and the others' confusion.

In fact, when he was "assigning homework" just now, he was about to say that the way to complete it this time was a bit special, but he didn't expect to be interrupted by Oguruma.

After explaining, he glanced at the furnishings in the viewing hall.

The interior decoration of major competition venues in Japan is still very good.

In this room, there are some retro murals hanging on the walls, and tall cabinets are displayed along the walls. Above the cabinets is a glass display area with photos of various Uma Musume events, and below is a storage area.

Facing the murals and cabinets, square tables and high chairs are arranged in an orderly manner. On each table is a beautiful vase and a set of exquisite tea sets.

It seems that they hope that the audience can enjoy refreshments while watching the game in a leisurely manner, or calm down and chat and reminisce after the exciting game.

In this tea room-style hall, next to a cabinet near the door, there are a few light yellow corrugated cardboard boxes that look a bit out of place.

There was a black package on the corrugated box. Kitahara walked over, opened the package first, took out a camera, and then took out the tripod, power cord and other accessories.

"Did you see that? You will use a video camera to complete this assignment."

Shaking the camera in his hand, looking at the surprise and curiosity on the faces of Oguruma and the others, Kitahara said with a smile:

"You must have watched some Vlog videos, right? Or you can listen to them."

"You don't need to worry too much about how to apply the specific learning method. Just treat it as a tea party or a 'watching party', where you can eat, drink and chat."

"Of course, we talked about the game. Afterwards, Komiya and the others watched the replay and gave us guidance in the next training session."

"Oh, by the way, food and drinks..."

He patted the corrugated cardboard box under the black package with his free hand, and the smile on his face became even more intense. "It just so happens that I borrowed this camera from the Hanshin Stadium."

"The staff here are very enthusiastic. When they heard that our team came here to compete, they gave us a lot of snacks."

"The snacks are all here, and the tea and other things are in the cabinet over there..."

He had just pointed to the cabinet against the wall when he was interrupted by a surprised voice and a silver-gray figure rushing over.

"Oh! Kitahara, you should have told me earlier that there was something delicious!"

"Let me see what's delicious... Hey, what is this...?"

Unable to wait, he pushed Kitahara aside, and with a few quick strokes, he tore off the transparent tape on the corrugated cardboard box and pulled out a long box the size of a book and half a palm thick.

"Tile pancakes?"

She was stunned when she saw the words written on the box.

"Ah, that one, that one is delicious. Xiaoyu likes it better."

After hearing what Oguruma said, Inari recalled and explained with a smile:
"I heard her say that tile pancakes are a very famous snack in Kochi City. It seems that they are named that because they are specially made to look like the tiles of a castle there."

"Because it's handmade, the ingredients are very exquisite and it tastes especially good."

"They also sell it in Hanshin. They seem to be sold as souvenirs here."

"Hey, hey? Have Tama and Inari ever eaten this? That's too much. They didn't even let me try it."

Xiao Limao complained for a moment, then she quickly smiled and said, "But it doesn't matter. I can try it this time."

"There are so many here, I can eat as much as I want at once... Hurry up and take them, or they will all be mine."

The members of Eternal World were no longer surprised by Oguruma's foodie nature, and they would just complain about it occasionally.

Inari followed the sound and walked over to the cardboard box, and couldn't help but complain.

"Xiaoyu doesn't particularly like eating it like you do. She just happened to be born here and feels that tile pancakes are very compatible with her, so she likes to eat them more."

"Besides, she is used to saving money, and this kind of snack is not particularly cheap, so she rarely buys it."

"Even if she did buy some, they were mostly for her brothers and sisters. I happened to come to Hanshin for the competition with her, and she also gave me some."

“Crunch, crunch… Mmm, it’s really delicious. Very sweet, crispy, and fragrant.”

Xiao Limao had already opened a box of pancakes and started eating, but she was a little confused.

"Oh, right, crunchy...Xiaoyu rarely buys snacks. When we go out together, she always buys the least snacks..."

"Hey, Inari, what did you say, Tama? This pancake has a connection with her, what's going on?"

"Oh, didn't you just say that the tile pancake is named after the fact that it looks like the sleeve tiles of a castle?"

As he explained, Inari began to take out the snacks from the cartons and handed them to his companions one by one.

"That castle is called Takamatsu Castle. Because it happens to be located in Tamamo-cho, it is also called Tamamo Castle."

"Do you think there is a connection?"

"Here, Little Bay, Aldan, Little Chestnut, Emperor, and McQueen, come and get some too."

The viewing hall suddenly became lively, especially Mejiro McQueen's side.

She had no reaction when she heard "tile pancakes" at first, but when she heard Oguruma say "very sweet", her eyes lit up instantly, her lips slightly opened, and she looked like she wanted to pounce on him.

It seemed that because she was in front of so many seniors, including her own sister, and had a bad friend like the Emperor of the East China Sea next to her, she finally restrained her impulse.

"Ahem... since it's a dessert, it'd be better to pair it with black tea. I'll go prepare it for everyone."

As she spoke, she squatted over the cabinet and began to search in the storage area below.

Seeing this situation, Kitahara did not feel left out. He just smiled, set up the camera in the corner of the viewing hall, turned it on, debugged it, and then walked out the door.

"Then I'll go to the front and prepare to watch the game."

Before leaving, he paused for a moment and said, "Don't just eat here, share your views on today's game."

"It's better to talk about not only the Takarazuka Kinen, but also all the previous competitions."

"Xiao Xiaoli, Emperor, McQueen, the knowledge you usually learn in school is different from the real competition."

"You will definitely understand these differences after you compete, but if you start asking the seniors now, the effect will definitely be better."

"Anyway, you guys should communicate more. We will make further arrangements based on the video footage later."

After giving these instructions, he left straight away. Before Xiaowan and Aldan could respond, Xiaolimao, who was busy distributing snacks to his sister, finally reacted.

"Ah? Kitahara, you're not going to take some tile pancakes... and you're leaving."

Scratching her head in distress, she soon relaxed.

"Crunch, crunch... Let's buy some tile pancakes for Kitahara later. They're delicious."

"Buy some for Didu and the others, and give them to them during class... crunch... "

She was not the only one eating snacks. After Mejiro McQueen finished making the black tea, a series of "crunching" sounds soon rang out in the house.

Bright sunlight shone in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the viewing hall. A room full of horse racing girls sat around the table, chewing snacks and taking a sip of steaming hot black tea from time to time, as if they were really enjoying a leisurely afternoon tea.

While enjoying the food, they did not forget their main business.

"Hey, seniors, dang dang!"

Smiling somewhat smugly, the Emperor of the East China Sea crunched some tile pancakes for a while, then suddenly took out a stack of newspapers and color pages from the gap between the back of the chair behind him.

"I just found some reports and event schedules in the closet."

“I’ve read newspapers about Uma Musume before and watched competitions, but this is the first time I’ve received guidance from seniors like this.”

"Hmm...how about one of you seniors tell me first, what should we pay attention to in today's game?"

Putting the newspaper on the table, she thought: "Or, if I were to play in the game today, how should I run?"

Her enthusiasm quickly attracted the attention of Xiaolimao and the others, and then, without thinking, Xiaolimao shook her head.

"It's better not to run."

As soon as he said this, the smile on the face of the Emperor of the East Sea froze, but Xiao Limao seemed to have noticed nothing and continued seriously:
"The Emperor has great talent, but he is still too young now."

"You wouldn't have a chance of winning any game today if you went up there."

"So in order to avoid losing the game too badly and feeling too sad, it's better not to run."

No, wait a minute...

Oguri/Sister/Oguri-senpai, you are too direct...

The room suddenly fell silent, and the other horse girls were speechless at Oguruma's confession.

"...Ahem, what Oguri said can't be considered wrong, but I think what the Emperor wants to ask is the situation at the Hanshin Stadium?"

After a moment of silence, Xiao Haiwan took the lead in easing the atmosphere in the room with understanding.

"How should I put it... Oh, by the way, in the past, when Mr. Kitahara, Ms. Komiyama, and Mr. Yusuhara analyzed the game, they also started from the field."

"How about we explain it the same way to Xiao Xiaoli, Emperor, McQueen and the others?"

"Oh, as for the venue, I remember it."

Still not realizing there was something wrong with what he had just said, Ogurumao responded actively again.

"If it was Kitahara who was explaining it, let me think... ah, it would probably be like this, ahem."

After two dry coughs, she began to imitate her trainer's usual tone.

"Takarazuka Kinen, Hanshin Uchikai Grassland 2200 meters, the starting point is on the right side of the spectator seats near the exit of the fourth turn, and the finish line is about 200 meters in front of the starting point."

"Generally speaking, the first 200 meters after the start is a gentle downhill slope. It is easy to speed up in this part, so you have to pay special attention to the speed of your opponent when you leave the gate, so as not to be left too far behind."

"After these 200 meters, there is the famous steep uphill climb at the Hanshin Stadium. The height difference of this uphill climb is not that big, but it is only about 90 meters, so you need to increase your strength and speed up."

“Most horse girls will maintain an uphill pace through the first and second turns, and they will also be careful not to be left behind.”

"The subsequent straight line is about 356 meters long. Other venues often consider making certain position adjustments here, but Takarazuka Memorial is better not to do so."

“Because the Takarazuka Kinen Bend is a downhill terrain, it is conducive to acceleration. At this time, it is the most labor-saving to get ahead and adjust the position, especially when you are behind or chasing.”

“And this kind of preemption and position adjustment cannot use too much energy, otherwise when you pass the final bend and face the steep uphill again, it is easy to run out of energy and fail to speed up.”

"Well... that's about it."

After giving a long narration, she nodded subconsciously, and then looked at her companions and juniors with some excitement.

"How is it, did I learn it well?"

The room fell into silence again, but the reason this time was somewhat different from before.

"That's great, Xiaoli..."

Xiao Haiwan was a little emotional. "Although I can remember Mr. Kitahara's analysis and arrangements, I really can't memorize them like you did..."

As Aldan said, Oguruma had just completely repeated Kitahara's analysis and arrangements for Tamamo Cross.

Or rather, recited it again.

What she said was almost exactly what Kitahara and Tamamo Cross had said in the preparation room before the game yesterday and today.

"Hey, can't Little Bay do that?"

Little Limao was surprised, "Your memory should be much better than mine, right?"

"I think these competition arrangements of Kitahara are easy to remember, especially after running on the field, it is easy to remember them."

"Isn't that what you guys are like?"

"...No, I remember all the key points, such as when to climb a steep slope, switch positions, and accelerate..."

Inari Ichiya sighed with emotion, "But for someone like you who can remember the original words, I'm afraid you are the only one who can do it, if I may be frank."

"And it's so strange, Xiaoli, why don't you have such a good memory in Chinese class?"

"I remember that you and I both need to spend many days memorizing a text, right? And you may not even be able to memorize it."

"Even if you are really good at practical things as the uncle always says, you shouldn't be good at such a strange thing, right?"

"This...I don't know either."

Xiao Limao himself was confused, "I really think these things are easy to remember, because they are easy to understand."

“That’s easy to understand…?”

Aldan's expression changed, and he became thoughtful. "To be honest, I'm surprised that you, Oguri, can remember Chief Kitahara's words so clearly, but..."

"You repeating exactly what he said like this, should it be considered as guidance to Xiao Xiaoli and the others?"

"I feel like Chief Kitahara wants us to explain it to them in our own words, right?"

"Like what you just said, Oguri, it's one thing for you to remember Chief Kitahara's words, but your true understanding should be different from the content of the words, right?"

"In your own words?"

Xiao Limao was stunned for a moment, thought quickly, and then smiled confidently.

"I think what I think is the same as what Kitahara said."

"Because the way I think about it, if I were to run the Takarazuka Kinen, for example, I would just go out with a 'ha'."

“When we got to the first uphill slope, we just rushed up in one breath, ‘hey hey hey’.”

"There are no changes in the next two bends and the straight line. Just swishing through them."

"Wait until the last bend to grab a position on the downhill slope, then 'whoosh' to the front."

"When you enter a straight line or encounter an uphill slope again, you need to exert more force than last time, and you need to accelerate suddenly with a 'hey ha'."

"Then it's time to cross the finish line. When you cross the finish line, you don't have to think about anything. It's over in a flash."

"Look, what I think is the same as what Kitahara said, right?"

Completely different!

They all complained in their hearts at the same time, and Xiao Haiwan and the others looked at each other, all with expressions that did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"That's exactly what happened. If we don't talk about Mr. Kitahara's words that Oguri repeated, her own understanding is indeed different from what Aldan and I encountered last night."

After being at a loss whether to laugh or cry for a while, Xiao Haiwan began to think.

"When Aldan and I taught each other the knowledge of the Takarazuka Kinen, it was the same as what Oguri is doing now."

"We can both roughly repeat what Kitahara and his friends taught us. Of course, it can't compare to what Oguri memorized for no apparent reason, but the key points are there."

"But when we talk about our own understanding, or the differences in the words we use, we find that some places are described differently."

"Just like what Xiaoli said now, 'swish swish' and 'swoosh swoosh', uh... it's very vivid, but there may be some deviations in understanding."

"For example... oh, I think I can ask this."

She suddenly showed a look of realization and first looked at Oguri Roman and the others.

"Well, Xiaoli's description just now, I mean the second time she described herself, can you understand it?"

Coincidentally, the Emperor of the East China Sea and Mejiro McQueen both smiled awkwardly, hesitated for a moment, and shook their heads.

"I'm sorry, Senior Oguri, this, this... I really didn't understand..." The Emperor of the East China Sea shook his head awkwardly.

Like her friend, Mejiro McQueen also shook her head, but she quickly pulled herself together.

"I didn't quite understand it though... No, but from what I heard, Oguri-senpai's description, ahahaha... is still, still very vivid."

"It's like I'm watching a game up close, ha, haha..."

"Uh...McQueen, I think your lame comfort and explanation are worse than nothing..."

When his friend showed an expression that said "I really can't explain it any further" and his dry laughter gradually subsided, the Emperor of the East China Sea couldn't help but complain in a low voice.

"...What do you care? Just shut up..." Mubai McQueen originally felt that his explanation was a bit redundant, and his mood was even more complicated. When he heard the emperor's words, he was so ashamed and angry that he wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

"...I really didn't understand. But it doesn't matter. I think I have an idea."

As a horse racing girl, Xiaowan's hearing is naturally not bad. She heard the low conversation between the Emperor and McQueen.

She responded as if she didn't hear anything, then quickly looked at Xiao Limao and changed the subject.

"If I remember correctly, when you said you should rush out with a 'huh' when you get out of the gate, did you mean you should get out of the gate with more force than usual?"

"Ah? Yes, didn't Kitahara say that?"

After a pause, Xiao Limao said subconsciously:
"After the gates open at Takarazuka Kinen, it's a slow downhill section. This section must be faster than on flat ground, right?"

"In this way, it is easier to grab a good position if you are faster out of the gate, and if you are faster than your opponent, then it doesn't matter how fast your opponent is."

"…Huh? It seems that you, Oguri, really think the same as Mr. Kitahara."

As soon as Oguruma finished speaking, Mebai Aldan's eyes lit up and he looked towards the small bay.

"I see. Xiaowan, you want Xiaoli to explain why she analyzed her game like that."

"Or rather, after listening to Chief Kitahara's analysis, why would she think that?"

Before Aldan said this, Inariichi, Oguri Roman and the others looked a little confused, but now, they all showed expressions of enlightenment.

"Well, that's what I planned."

Nodding, Xiaowan smiled and said, "It just so happens that Xiaoli has a special memory. He remembers the texts and English words in class very slowly, but remembers the arrangements for the competition very clearly."

"I think I have good learning ability and memory, but I'm afraid I can't do the latter thing like Little Limao."

"If I remember correctly, Kitahara-san just told me a few times about the arrangements for the Takarazuka Memorial, and Oguruma remembered everything. I really can't do that."

"I suppose you can't do that either, Aldan?"

Without any hesitation, Aldan nodded calmly.

“This kind of thing still requires talent.”

She looked at Xiaolimao with some admiration, "It seems that Xiaolimao's talent is not in school studies, but in the competition field."

“As long as the content is appropriate, even seemingly boring things can be remembered in an instant.”

"Boring stuff...Are you talking about Kitahara and the others' usual analysis?"

He asked in return, and seeing that Xiaowan and Aldan were both smiling and nodding, Xiaolimao's ears drooped instead.

“I think those analyses are pretty easy to remember.”

"The texts and English words... they are really hard to remember."

"Before I was in Europe, I could still find Moonlight Madness to practice English. I felt that my English level had improved a lot."

"But after I came back, I couldn't find the right classmates to speak English with. Xiaohaiwan and Aldan, you guys are very good at English, but I forgot it during training. After the training, I had other things to do, so I couldn't remember it even more."

"I think my English level has dropped a lot. It's such a headache..."

"Ah, Oguruma-senpai, would you like to practice English?"

The Emperor of the East Sea volunteered immediately. She patted her chest and said, "My English is OK. If you don't mind, I can practice English with you anytime in the future!"

"And me too."

Mebai McQueen quickly replied, "My English should be not much worse than the emperor's. If I practice with Senior Oguri, I should be able to improve faster."

"Besides, the seniors helped us explain the events and competitions, so we can give this as a reward."

"Thank you so much, it's really... Oh, by the way, how do you say thank you so much in English..."

Xiao Limao was excited for a moment, then he thought quickly, and then his eyes lit up.

"Thank you! Very thank you, Teio, McQueen!"

…Senior, although you got the name right, there is no such expression as “Very thank you” in English. “Thank you very much” should be “Thank you very much”…

How can I practice English with someone at this level?

At the same time, they secretly complained about Oguruma's poor English. The Emperor of the East China Sea and Mejiro McQueen suddenly had a headache about their future "sparring career".

Oguruma was completely unaware of the troubles of her two juniors, while Kobayashi, Aldan and the others who were watching secretly laughed.

Having traveled to Europe together before, they knew exactly how much trouble Ogurtimao's spoken English had caused to Moonlight Madness.

After laughing secretly, Xiao Haiwan thought about it and decided to discuss with Aldan after the game how to make good use of the subsequent training camp to improve Xiaolimao's English.

Then she talked about the game again.

"In short, since Oguri was able to remember Mr. Kitahara's original words, we can review and grasp the key points of the Takarazuka Memorial by comparing their two statements."

"I just talked about the exit part, right? Then the next part is the first uphill part."

At this moment, Xiao Li Mao also understood Xiao Hai Wan's idea. Without waiting for the latter to ask, she subconsciously took the initiative to say:
"When going uphill, you have to go up 'hehehe'."

"Isn't it always like this during our practice?"

The one who responded to her rhetorical question was not Xiao Haiwan, but Aldan. While listening to the previous conversation, she was thinking about the arrangements for practice and competition. At this moment, she happened to figure out what Xiao Limao's "hehehe" meant.

“It’s a high-frequency, small-step uphill form.”

Looking at Oguri Roman, Aldan explained:
"When he was in Europe before, Roman Oguri also participated in such special training, right?"

When Roman Oguri nodded, she looked at the East Sea Emperor and Mejiro McQueen who seemed to be deep in thought.

"But if you are in school normally, you won't have any targeted training for special tracks."

"I'm not saying there's no uphill training at all, but there's no uphill training for a specific race, such as the Epsom race we ran before, or the Hanshin race that Xiaoyu is going to run this time."

"In theory, if you want to maintain a high pace when running uphill, you need to increase your strength to push up."

"But this will cause your heart rate to soar, your breathing to increase, your pace to change, and more importantly, it will consume a lot of energy."

"It will be very troublesome to return to the cruising pace after passing the ramp."

“So when we encounter an uphill slope, we should pay more attention to the stability of our heart rate, breathing and cadence rather than the stability of our pace.”

"And small steps and high frequency are precisely to ensure these."

As she spoke, she raised her palms and leaned forward slightly, "Like this, lean your body forward a little and adjust your center of gravity."

"Use the power of the forefoot to 'dig the ground' and allow the body's center of gravity to overcome gravity and move upward and forward."

"At this time, high-frequency steps are more conducive to upward movement, while small steps will not lead to a large consumption of physical energy."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

The Emperor of the East Sea and Mejiro McQueen thought about it for a moment and quickly nodded.

"Well, I feel that this is similar to the basics taught in class. However, it shouldn't be that easy in a real competition, right?" asked the Emperor of the East China Sea.

"Sister just mentioned training for the competition. That means we should adjust our pace and stride frequency specifically according to the competition conditions, right?" Mebiro McQueen also asked.

"Right, you two are very quick on the uptake."

As he nodded with some satisfaction, Aldan felt a vague sense of accomplishment, especially when he saw the realized expressions of the two horse girls in front of him.

"The basic principles of many competition knowledge and skills are taught in class, but the situation on the field cannot be taught in class."

As she spoke, she pointed to the runway outside the French window.

"The conditions at each venue are different. Specifically, the slope, length and ground conditions of the slope are all different."

"When the weather changes, such as when it's rainy or cloudy, the same runway will have different conditions."

"And the situations of each of our horse girls are completely different."

"This requires us to confirm the most suitable frequency and stride length for each of us in different venues under the guidance of trainers."

“Then complete the basics in daily training and make special adjustments before specific competitions.”

"Like your senior Oguri, or Xiaohaiwan, Inari, or me, or Xiaoyu who is participating today, each of us has a different way of running when facing the first uphill when running in the Takarazuka Kinen."

"According to Oguri's description, she could run up in one breath with a 'hehehe' sound. That's because her strides are big, her running posture is very special, her center of gravity is relatively low, and her grip on the ground is more stable."

“If it’s Xiaoyu, her stride is smaller, so she’ll need to rely on her better balance to rush forward ‘hehehehehehe’.”

"That is to say, her pace needs to be more urgent and faster."

Unconsciously imitating the onomatopoeia of Ogurtori, Aldan explained it, couldn't help laughing, and then asked.

"This statement is quite interesting... How about it, do you understand it now?"

Seeing that Oguri Roman and the other three all nodded in unison with expressions of understanding, Aldan once again felt a sense of accomplishment and his smile became even more intense.

"It seems that this learning method arranged by Chief Kitahara is very interesting."

"I feel like I just explained it to them, and I seem to understand better how we usually run."

“And seeing that they understand, it’s really gratifying.”

"Xiaohaiwan, Xiaoli, and Inari, do you want to give it a try?"

"Yes, yes, I want to try it too!"

Without waiting for his two companions to respond, Inari came over excitedly.

"Well, actually I have come to understand a little bit now. The 'swish swish swish' and 'shua swish swish' that Xiaoli said should be her usual way of running."

As she spoke, she gestured.

"Out of the gate and uphill, she doesn't need to be too stingy with her strength, she can just run out in one breath."

"When she said 'swish, swish, swish' at the last two turns, she actually meant that she didn't need any changes at that time, and it wasn't suitable for her to make too many changes."

"Her power is greater than that of ordinary horse girls. If she wants to adjust her position, there are currently only two ways: overtaking on the outside lane or changing lanes at super high speed."

"Both of these methods consume a lot of physical energy. They are not suitable for the early and middle stages. So just run normally."

"If that's the case, it's the same as mine. If it were me, I would make the same choice in this position."

After saying this thoughtfully, she suddenly shook her head.

“But when it comes to going downhill to grab a spot, I can’t be like her.”

"She rushed to the front and then accelerated with a 'hey ha'. This is the technique of 'super high-speed lane change'."

"We have all learned this technique, but it requires a certain amount of strength and weight."

"If we compare strength, I'm not much worse than Xiaoli, but she is much heavier than me."

"What did Uncle Kitahara say? It seemed like... something about center of gravity, inertia, gravity, centrifugal force, etc..."

"Oh, never mind! I have a headache..."

"Anyway, Oguri, you can use the technique of changing lanes at super high speed to grab a good position from the final bend to the final straight."

"As for that final whoosh, this..."

As she spoke, Inari hesitated a little. She looked at Oguruma and the others, and finally her gaze lingered on the faces of Aldan and Kobayakawa.

"Um...should we tell them?"

What she was talking about was naturally the "territory". If it were the first time they came into contact with the territory, neither she, Aldan, nor Xiao Haiwan would have been shy about it and would have said it naturally.

They all hope that both themselves and other horse girls can master this gift from the three goddesses and run freely in any racetrack they want.

But as Kitahara and the others explained and researched the field in more detail, especially after Luduo's symbolic reminder, although they did not understand much, they also understood that sometimes good intentions do not necessarily get things done.

Inari hesitated at this moment because she roughly understood that she and other horse girls had already mastered the field, and all they thought about was how to perform better.

For example, in the Yesen Exchange Competition, they learned through the performances of Tony Bianca and Moonlight Madness that the field can be used in segments, which is exactly what they need to practice and master after Tamamo Cross's Takarazuka Kinen and her Takamatsunomiya Cup.

But the Emperor of the East China Sea, Mejiro McQueen and Oguri Roman are different. The latter practices in the Eternal World every day and knows very well what is going on in the field, but the former two may know nothing.

Domain is a powerful ability after all, and even if the Eternal Horse Girls haven't fully mastered it yet, they can already use it to perform well on the track.

This would be a great attraction for any horse racing girl. Under this premise, if I rashly mention this to Emperor and McQueen, they might pay too much attention to the field and thus affect their studies in other areas.

It was precisely because of this that Kitahara, Komiya and others had not mentioned matters of the territory in front of the two of them in their previous arrangements.

Practicing together on weekdays, these horse girls of Eternal World have an unusual tacit understanding. Aldan and Xiao Haiwan quickly guessed what Inari was thinking through her eyes and expressions.

"Hmm... did you understand what your Inari-senpai just said?"

He first looked at Oguri Roman and the other three, and finally focused his gaze on the Emperor of the East Sea and Mejiro McQueen. Xiaowan murmured, "I mean, except for the last part."

"And the part about centrifugal force, gravity, and inertia. Aldan and I will explain that part later."

“The other parts should be understandable, right?”

"Well, the rest is fine!"

With obvious confusion on his face, the Emperor of the East Sea nodded and said, "We have learned the routine cornering and straight line handling in class."

"But the specific details that Inari-senpai mentioned were not taught by the teachers at all."

"It seems that it is really necessary to listen to the experiences of the seniors!"

After the Emperor of the East China Sea finished speaking, Mejiro McQueen nodded, Inari showed a satisfied expression, and Xiao Haiwan smiled.

"That's good. The final part of the track is a bit difficult to explain, so I'll let Mr. Kitahara explain it later."

Planning to leave the affairs of the territory to Kitahara, Xiao Haiwan casually changed the subject and continued with a smile:

"Let me explain a little bit about gravity..."

Ogurumao and the others' explanation went very smoothly this time.

With Oguruma's special memory, the horse girls can quickly find out the original words said by the trainers.

Xiao Haiwan and Aldan's academic performance is very good. In this way, even if Ogurimao's expression of his understanding is very strange, he can eventually combine the various knowledge and skills to sort out clearly.

Especially after talking about the Takarazuka Kinen that Tamamo Cross was going to participate in at the beginning, the previous competitions gradually unfolded. Oguri and the others were able to try to imitate Kitahara and the others' usual analysis ideas, and talk to Oguri Roman, Tokai Emperor, and Mejiro McQueen about their own analysis or understanding of the competition.

This process continued until today's highlight of the Hanshin Stadium, the Takarazuka Kinen.

"Hmm... I feel like explaining it to Xiao Xiaoli and the others seems to be different from what I usually think."

It seemed that they rarely talked for such a long time. Xiao Limao felt a little thirsty. Except for the beginning, he did not eat any snacks for the first time. He drank tea to moisten his throat.

As she said this, she had already walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a cup of black tea, and looking through the window towards the runway.

"I wonder if the upcoming Takarazuka Memorial will be different from what I usually imagine..."

She whispered as her eyes wandered around the arena.

Next to the parade circle near the track, 13 horse racing girls were walking towards the gate at the starting point.

The introduction circle part has ended, and echoing in the broadcasting speakers in the stadium and the viewing hall is the commentator's encouraging declaration of "the game is about to begin."

Next to Xiao Limao, there are Xiao Haiwan and the others.

There was a rear-projection TV in the room, and they watched the pre-Takarazuka Memorial Games on it.

But now their companions were about to go on stage, and they couldn't help but walk to the window and see with their own eyes.

Especially in the analysis that lasted for a long time, they increasingly felt that looking at the game from a perspective other than training or being a contestant would give them a completely different mentality.

Through explaining and analyzing with the Emperor of the East Sea and the others, Oguruma and the others vaguely realized that there was a pressure in Tamamo Cross's competition this time that they had not noticed before.

"...I'm still very surprised. Xiaoyu just won the Emperor's Spring Viewing Competition. That's a G1, a G1 in the eight major race walking levels..."

Inari suddenly frowned and said, "But her popularity this time is not number one...?"

As she said, the commentary just now clearly stated that in today's Takarazuka Memorial Popularity Vote, Tamamo Cross ranked second in popularity.

The most popular player was none other than the Akitsu Emperor who was specially emphasized before the game.

“…It’s not that hard to understand.”

As he spoke the words of comfort, Xiao Haiwan also frowned, "Mr. Kitahara once said that sometimes it's not about who has won more games, who is more popular, or who has a better chance of winning."

"Xiaoyu has indeed won many victories before, and the most recent one was the biggest prize among all the big prizes, such as the Emperor's Spring Viewing."

“But the heavyweight races she won were mostly long-distance races.”

“The Emperor’s Spring Appreciation is 3200 meters away, the Hanshin Grand Prize Ceremony is 3000 meters away, the tail-waisting commemoration is 2500 meters away…”

At this time, the Naruto Memorial Race was not in June, but in December, and the distance was not the middle distance of 6 meters, but the long distance of 12 meters.

Xiao Haiwan's intention in saying this is very clear. Tamamo Cross has currently demonstrated its dominance in long-distance events. It has also competed in middle-distance events, but its weight is not on the same level as G1 and G2 events such as the Emperor's Spring Viewing and the Hanshin Grand Prix.

Her opponent, Akitsu Emperor, won the 2000m Emperor Autumn Viewing Race, the 1600m Mile Championship, and the 2000m Hakodate Kinen.

In the first two races, she beat the second place by a total of 5 lengths, and she just broke the record in Hakodate Kinenri.

Such opponents are obviously better at middle-distance events, so since there are not enough middle-distance wins for the time being, it is not completely incomprehensible that Tamamo Cross is ranked second in popularity.

Before the explanation to the younger generation today, Oguruma and the others probably wouldn't have paid much attention to this matter.

Match arrangements, opponent analysis, comparison of strengths and weaknesses, etc., these are the jobs of trainers such as Kitahara, Komiyama, and Yusuhara. At most, Kyoko Miyamura and Shining Glory will give suggestions from their respective medical and technical perspectives.

It’s not that Oguruma and the others don’t consider these things at all, but their previous “considerations” were all based on game intuition, experience, and analysis from a trainer’s perspective. Today is the first time for them.

As a result, they couldn't help but worry about how Tamamo Cross would deal with the Akitsu Emperor who was better at mid-range attacks.

Likewise, they were also desperately thinking about what arrangements Kitahara and the others could make that would ensure their companions could defeat such an opponent.

However, they had never tried this kind of analysis. For a moment, they could remember what the trainers had said, and even Oddball could repeat most of the original words, but they still couldn't think of the key points in such a hurry.

"… Let's just watch the game as usual. After watching this, we can ask Chief Kitahara and the others what their plans are."

Looking at the contestants who were ready one by one in the gate in the distance, his gaze fixed on the part near the outer lane for a moment, looking at the small silver-gray figure, Mubai Aldan frowned silently.

Outer path... I think Chief Kitahara and the others mentioned that the Outer Path of the Takarazuka Kinen is a little special. Where is it exactly...

Although she was confused, she comforted her companions, then left the French window, went back inside, and turned up the volume of the TV and radio.

“Perhaps, this kind of competition experience is what Chief Kitahara wants us to experience.”

"Everyone, come and take a look first. It's clearer on TV than from the window."

As soon as she finished speaking, the commentator on TV became excited.

"The 13 Takarazuka Kinen contestants selected by thousands of fans are ready!"

"All the horse girls have entered the gate!"

"Then, Takarazuka Kinen, G1 Grass Course 2200m..."

"Start!"

(End of this chapter)