This advance chapter release is all thanks to Jason_Ramirez_3781 from gifting 6 power stones up to this point. Gift more Power Stones to advance the chapter schedule. Thank you very much and enjoy the read!
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The days following Gentildonna's announcement rippled through Tracen Academy like a fresh breeze. Conversations were livelier, training sessions were fiercer, and even the students who usually slacked off seemed twice as motivated.
For Diamente, the announcement had stirred something deeper—an unspoken reminder that she, too, lived in the world of legends.
Every afternoon after her classes, she quietly slipped into the academy's freely accessible gym. Her training regimen was still low-intensity, careful enough not to risk any relapse from her recent accident, but structured enough to prepare her for the day her own maturation would begin.
Stretches, balance drills, stability work—little by little, she built her foundation.
On the far side of the gym, another scene was unfolding. Gentildonna stood tall and composed, arms folded behind her back, counting out loud.
"2… 3… 4… 4… 4…"
Before her, her trainer strained through another set of push-ups, sweat dripping onto the gym mat. To any outsider, the sight might have seemed reversed—like the trainer was the trainee, and the Umamusume was the one keeping him in line. But for everyone at the gym, this was a familiar daily spectacle.
Rumor had it that becoming Gentildonna's trainer required meeting a physical standard she set—not the other way around. Many joked that one needed enough strength to survive the "Gentildonna Regimen" just to be considered for the job.
She repeated her count a few more times, only to pause when she noticed her trainer's form faltering.
"You know I'll continue counting the same number if you do it improperly," she said calmly. "4…5…6…7…8…8…8…9…"
Her trainer nearly let out a whimper, but he pressed on. When Gentildonna finally reached, "Ten! Final set done," the exhausted man collapsed to the floor like a rag doll.
"You've done well, Trainer-kun," Gentildonna praised with a gentle smile. "Six full sets, as required."
Her trainer released a shaky sigh of relief. "Thank goodness…"
"Cool down properly for now. I'll bring you your water and towel." Gentildonna turned away and began walking toward the lockers.
As she passed the semi-open workout space where the yoga mats were spread out, she slowed.
A young Umamusume stood alone in the center, finishing her final pose with impressive balance and poise. The girl nodded to herself and muttered:
"Warmups complete. Today is the core exercise day… so, let's do sets of half-minute squats and planks. I wonder if I can hold through the first two hundred digits of Pi…?"
Gentildonna blinked.
"Not that it's required, anyway…" the young umamusume added.
Two hundred digits of Pi?
Unsure whether she should be concerned or impressed, she paused for a moment. It was uncommon for someone so young—someone who clearly hadn't even reached maturation—to attempt such a demanding exercise without supervision.
Yet the girl's methodical, almost calculated approach reminded Gentildonna of something unmistakable:
Potential.
Gentildonna chose not to interrupt her. She simply resumed her walk and headed to the lockers. When she returned to the main area, her trainer was now sitting on the bench, recovering his breath.
She tossed the towel and water bottle to him.
"Here."
He caught them, then looked up at her curiously. "You're quiet. What's wrong? Don't tell me the Arima Kinen preparations are finally making you nervous."
Gentildonna placed a hand on her hip and gave him a confident smile. "Of course not, Trainer-kun. I will win my last waltz just as I declared."
"Then what's on your mind?"
"Well," she glanced toward the yoga mats. "I just saw a young Umamusume in the center of the room. I heard her saying that she was going to do half-minute squats and planks, trying to last it while reciting the first two hundred digits of Pi."
Her trainer's jaw dropped. "Two hundred?! Who even trains like that at her age…? Do you know her?"
"It's the first time I've seen her," Gentildonna replied.
Her trainer let out a soft laugh. "Sounds like someone I used to know. Reminds me of the first day I saw you in the gym."
Gentildonna chuckled elegantly. "It's only natural. All Umamusume pursue strength and excellence in their own unique ways. For me, it was strength training. For her… I feel like we'll see more of her in the future."
Her trainer nodded in agreement, still amazed.
The two gathered their belongings as they prepared to leave the gym, Gentildonna casting one last curious glance toward the determined young girl on the yoga mat—completely unaware that the girl she had just noticed was none other than Diamente herself.
==== 🐎Legend Changer🐎 ====
A few days after Diamente's initial visit to the gym, she stood before her system window, eyes narrowing slightly as she examined her updated attribute values. Every stat—Power, Speed, Stamina, Wisdom, Guts—had risen by a few points.
"...As expected," she muttered to herself. "Low to mid-intensity training only gives small boosts. I can't raise the load too much yet since that'll mess with my growth curve."
She closed the translucent window that only she could see with a swipe of her hand.
"Well… steady progress is still progress."
With that quiet declaration, she grabbed her bag and headed toward the academy gym for her planned foundation-strength and stamina session.
The moment she stepped inside, she froze.
On the far end of the room—sitting on the shoulder-press machine—was a black-haired senior umamusume with distinctive single white-streaked bangs, working through reps with perfect, unwavering form. Standing beside her was a tall male trainer wearing a yellow long-sleeve top under a black vest, observing her movements with practiced attention.
Diamente blinked.
Then a second blink.
Then—oh.
Realization hit.
"That's Kitasan Black…" she whispered internally.
Seeing the living, breathing legendary senpai up close—cute, bright, and every bit as lovable as her reputation—left Diamente momentarily stunned. She collected herself quickly, forcing her gaze away and proceeding to the stretching area.
Once finished, she stepped onto the stair-step machine and began climbing—slow, steady, controlled.
Meanwhile, Kitasan Black finished her final rep before her trainer, Okino, clapped once.
"Kita-chan, that's it for this set. Go for a cooldown first, then we'll proceed with the treadmill next."
"Yes, Trainer-san!" Kitasan answered with her usual energetic sparkle.
As the two walked toward the cardio section, Kitasan's eyes naturally drifted—and then widened slightly. A small junior umamusume was climbing the step machine with mechanical rhythm and unwavering focus.
"She's so dedicated…" Kitasan murmured in admiration.
Okino noticed her reaction and chuckled.
"Ah, that's probably the one Isobu-senpai mentioned."
Kitasan tilted her head. "Is this the one Gentil-senpai's trainer was talking about?"
"Yeah," Okino replied. "He said that there's a young umamusume, from the school's elementary division, training here almost every day after class. It's only a low-intensity foundational training regimen, but he said that she's very consistent with it."
He added, "Apparently, she mutters strange things while exercising—like reciting the first 200 decimal digits of Pi to gauge her limit." He gave a dry laugh. "Looks like she hasn't even started her maturation yet, so she can't really go all out by herself."
Kitasan nearly tripped mid-step.
"E-Eh?! That sounds… intense. She must really want to be a strong runner!"
Okino nodded as he raised a finger.
"Every umamusume is born to run—but not every umamusume has the eccentricity, tenacity, and latent talent needed for G1 potential." he explained. "Just like you have both the tenacity and the latent talent for it."
He then added, "But according to Isobu-senpai… Gentildonna herself thinks that girl probably has all three of those aspects."
Kitasan's eyes sparkled.
"T-Then… Trainer-san! Are you going to recruit her to Team Spica? Should we get Gold Ship-senpai to recruit her?"
"Oi, oi, don't tell that to Gold Ship yet." Okino shrugged lightly. "Being recruited by a trainer or a team as large as ours depends on the person herself. But…" he glanced at Kitasan with a knowing smile, "if you want to invite her, you could do that after you finish today's training."
"Yes, let's get this done Trainer-san!!" Kitasan replied, tail swishing in excitement.
==== 🐎Legend Changer🐎 ====
After finishing my sets on the step machine, I headed toward the treadmills. A slow-paced walk would help cool my legs down, keeping the muscle tension from lingering too long. The moment the belt started moving under my feet, I relaxed into the rhythm.
Not long after, I heard a familiar voice—Trainer Okino's—coming from the next machine over.
"Kitasan, speed up. Hold that pace."
I glanced sideways just a little. Kitasan Black-senpai's feet blurred on the belt, her breathing steady even as she picked up speed.
Amazing… as expected from her. A few minutes later, Okino spoke again.
"Alright Kita-chan, slow down now. Let the lactic acid disperse so no rushing with the cooldown walk now."
"That's correct. Healthy running form and cooldown procedures… as expected from a proper trainer." I nodded to myself inwardly.
Once my cooldown was finished, I stepped off the treadmill. Just as I was just about to walk past them when—
"Kouhai-san!"
I blinked and turned around.
Kitasan-senpai was waving at me from atop her treadmill. "Um—wait! Can I talk to you for a moment?"
I stopped and faced her, trying to keep my voice steady. "Yes, Senpai? What… what did you need?"
I pretended not to know her name, of course. Her official debut hasn't happened yet, after all.
Kitasan-senpai quickly stepped off the treadmill and approached me. "Are you, perhaps, the rumored young umamusume who's always using the gym after class?"
I let out a small smile. "…I might be."
"May I ask where you heard that rumor?" I added, glancing subtly toward her trainer.
Kitasan looked directly at Okino.
He sighed quietly—almost as if saying fine, I'll explain—before facing me. "It's been circulating within our trainer circles. Of course, there were various reactions, opinions… and concerns."
I couldn't help the amused smile tugging at my lips.
Rumors, huh? About me? How interesting.
"I see. And…what do you think of my actions, Trainer-san?"
He looked taken aback for a moment, probably not expecting a child to ask such a direct, adult-like question. But he answered earnestly.
"Truthfully? Most trainers support young umamusume who want to do their best. But unsupervised training—especially before maturation—can cause injuries or negatively affect your development. That's why the general rule is to begin structured training after maturation starts. And I'm not the only one who feels that way."
I nodded in agreement.
"I wholeheartedly understand. Truly. But there's research from normal human studies suggesting that building strong foundations before puberty can support steadier growth later on." I shrugged lightly. "I'm simply adapting the concept for myself, who's an umamusume who wants to run races in the future.
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself before, haven't I?" I added, then bowed to them politely. "My apologies for not introducing myself properly. I'm Diamente, from Tracen Academy's Elementary Division."
Kitasan's face lit up. "Wow… you're really smart, Diamente-chan! For someone so young, you talk like a proper athlete already!"
"I'm Kitasan Black, but you can call me Kita-chan, or Kitasan-senpai, by the way." She introduced herself enthusiastically.
"Yes, Kitasan-senpai," I smiled. "It's all for my dream—to become Japan's Number 1 umamusume."
Kitasan brightened even more.
"Eeeh!? That's so cool! I want to be an umamusume who can make people happy too… just like Teio-senpai did during her Arima Kinen win!"
Hearing her say that with such sincerity made me like her even more. I vividly remember Teio-senpai's Arima Kinen win when I watched the anime series.
Seeing it up close and in person must have been quite a spectacle that I can only envy others who had witnessed it in person.
Just as I was about to go deeper into my thoughts—
"Diamente-chan!" Kitasan suddenly leaned in.
"Do you want to join Team Spica?"
I froze.
"…Eh?"
I instinctively looked at Trainer Okino. He only shrugged as if he wasn't the one who instigated this, I think.
My lips twitched when I heard that. For a moment, I had to force myself not to laugh at the absurdity. Getting invited to a major team this early…? I hope that I won't get sacked and kidnapped by that Gold Ship after this…
I composed myself quickly.
"I… appreciate the offer. Truly. But may I have time to think about it?"
"Of course!" Kitasan beamed. "Take all the time you need!"
We exchanged contact information which still felt surreal, before the trainer and his energetic trainee headed off to finish their day.
I remained standing there for several long minutes.
"…Team Spica… invited me…" Even saying it in my head didn't make it feel any more real.
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