Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Ten Meters

After finalizing the upcoming training plans in the dance studio, Yasui Makoto, Kitasan Black, and Vodka gathered their belongings and headed out, intending to have dinner at the academy cafeteria.

Just as they stepped outside, a figure suddenly dashed over from beside the door.

"Hello, hello~! Are you Yasui-san? I have a package here for you to sign!"

The figure belonged to an Uma Musume with shoulder-length brown hair tied into a single ponytail on her left side. Her lively face was dotted with faint freckles, and her bright green eyes sparkled with cheerfulness as she handed over a large package, roughly a meter square. As she did so, her gaze drifted curiously to Vodka and Kitasan Black.

"Huh? Vodka? Weren't you in Europe? And this child... Isn't she the one who used to follow Teio and McQueen around all the time? Kita...Kita something?"

"Hello, Fujin-senpai! I'm Kitasan Black. It's our first time formally meeting, please take care of me!" Kitasan introduced herself stiffly, standing straight as a board.

Vodka tilted her head inquisitively. "Fujin-senpai, you're still delivering packages? Oh, right—I haven't explained yet. I just got back from overseas and decided to stay at the academy for a while."

"Oh, I see…" The Uma Musume known as Fujin nodded knowingly. "Well, it's more of a habit at this point."

"I always took part-time jobs to pay for tuition and living expenses back when I was still a student here. Sure, I've earned a bit from races since then, but it feels weird to be idle."

"Besides, my two younger sisters have debuted now. Though they didn't make it into Central Tracen Academy, they're doing quite well at regional academies. Studying costs a lot of money, and who knows—they might still get a chance to transfer here. That'd cost even more."

"So as their big sister, of course, I have to look out for them."

Yasui, Kitasan, and Vodka exchanged discreet looks of admiration mixed with amusement.

A bit of prize money, she says? We're talking about the Japanese Derby prize here…

Fujin's full name was Ines Fujin, and like Vodka herself, she'd won the prestigious Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). Although she retired immediately after that race, the victory alone had earned her a whopping 110 million yen.

The terms of prize distribution for Yasui Makoto and Kitasan Black were straightforward—they simply split it evenly, fifty-fifty. But other Uma Musume typically had more complex arrangements. Most Trainers came from families or organizations that offered extensive training resources, which meant the Uma Musume themselves often received smaller cuts.

Ines Fujin fell into the latter category. Though her percentage share was lower than Kitasan's, the massive total prize meant that even her smaller cut was still enormous.

Even accounting for personal expenses plus her sisters' tuition and living costs, she had more than enough to spare.

Yet, ever since Yasui had arrived in Tokyo, he'd noticed something curious about these top-level Uma Musume. Despite being wealthy young women with considerable savings, none of them enjoyed being idle. All of them took on work connected in some way to their passions—often related to running.

Ines Fujin, delivering parcels; Oguri Cap and Bamboo Memory, delivering takeout and patrolling the neighborhood—these jobs inevitably involved running. Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, and Doctor Agnes Tachyon were similar—their research was directly related to speed or the physiology of Uma Musume.

And as for Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, their roles as Student Council President and Vice-President put them in daily contact with younger students, often advising on running techniques.

For all of them, running truly seemed to be an inseparable part of their nature and identity.

As Yasui Makoto pondered this with quiet admiration, he accepted the parcel and delivery form from Ines Fujin. After quickly inspecting it, he signed his name.

"Thank you for your hard work, Fujin-san."

Nodding politely, he turned to Kitasan and Vodka.

"Since my order's arrived, I won't be joining you two for dinner tonight. I need to head back and test it out so we can hopefully use it in tomorrow's training session."

"Eh? We can't eat dinner with you tonight, Trainer? That's disappointing..." Kitasan murmured, looking downcast. But then curiosity overtook her. "From what you said, Trainer, did you order… training equipment?"

"Equipment?" Vodka echoed, stepping closer. "What kind of equipment?"

She recalled Daiwa Scarlet mentioning how Yasui Makoto differed greatly from most Japanese Trainers. While others largely relied on tradition, seniority, or textbooks, Yasui combined traditional training with cutting-edge overseas research to tailor programs specifically for Kitasan Black.

This innovative approach intrigued Vodka immensely, especially given her familiarity with more conventional methods. She was eager to see what new idea he'd come up with this time.

"A drone. For filming purposes."

Without suspense, Yasui tapped the parcel, explaining with a smile:

"Before coming to Tokyo, I did some research. Currently, drones are mostly used in agriculture—for watering crops, fertilizing fields, and such."

"But some people have started attaching high-speed cameras to drones for filming purposes."

"You Uma Musume run extremely fast, so conventional methods often struggle to capture ideal footage. Usually, filming during races requires multiple cameras set up along the course."

"But obviously, I can't install multiple fixed cameras around the school track. Theoretically, drones could offer both multiple camera angles and follow along at high speed, producing even better footage."

"Of course, I'll need time to test it out, since no one's used drones for training purposes yet. I'll head back first—if everything goes smoothly, you'll see what I mean tomorrow."

With that, Yasui Makoto tucked the package under one arm, waved goodbye with his free hand, and walked toward the academy gate.

As they watched him leave, Vodka's interest deepened noticeably.

"Drones, huh? Interesting. I learned a bit about them back in Europe, but I never expected Yasui-kun would think of using one for training."

"Vodka-senpai, are these drones really that impressive?" Kitasan asked eagerly. "I've never heard of anything like this before."

"Neither have I, honestly. I've never heard anyone else even suggest this approach," Vodka admitted thoughtfully. "Those machines really can carry high-speed cameras and fly faster than we can run."

"Yasui-kun is right. In theory, using a drone to film training sessions might reveal things we've never noticed before. Even if it's no better than the current multi-angle filming, it still means Kita-chan will get even better training."

"Kita-chan, Yasui-kun is truly impressive. If he pulls this off successfully, he'll likely become the first Trainer in Japan ever to think of this method."

Kitasan nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling. "Yes! Trainer is really amazing!"

At that moment, Ines Fujin, who had been listening curiously all this time, finally spoke up.

"Um... So, from what I gather, that young man just now… he's your Trainer, Kita-chan?"