"It'll be very difficult, huh…" After hearing Silence Suzuka's words, Kitasan Black looked thoughtful. "Then… who does Suzuka-senpai think will win this race?"
"Well…" Suzuka tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment, then looked apologetically at Kitasan. "Honestly…it's hard to say."
"Hard to say…?" Kitasan blinked in surprise. "But senpai, didn't you just say that Journey-senpai has very little chance of winning?"
"Normally, we could judge the outcome of a race from past performances," Suzuka explained patiently. "But the Dream Trophy is a bit special."
"All the participants are famous, but they're retired after all. They've all been busy with their own lives over the years, and it's unclear how consistent their training has been."
"You've seen it yourself, haven't you? Special Week came all the way from her hometown back to the academy to train specifically for this race. I imagine many others did something similar."
"There might be some who've been preparing much earlier. And of course, there may also be some who barely trained at all."
"Oh… I see…" Kitasan felt a slight twinge of disappointment.
She had eagerly anticipated the Dream Trophy for a long time, hoping to see these senpai recapture their former glory on the track.
But if, as Suzuka-senpai suggested, life had prevented some of them from training properly, the race itself might end up disappointing.
After a brief thought, however, she felt a little better about it.
No matter how much you loved running, life wasn't just about running.
Even she herself had thought about becoming a singer in the future. It was only natural that her senpai would also pursue the things they loved.
More importantly, simply being able to see these legendary figures running once again was already the meaning behind the Dream Trophy. There was no reason to force anything beyond that.
Just as Kitasan was thinking this over, the subway began slowing down, and the speakers announced their arrival at Fuchu Station.
Fuchu Station was the closest station to Tokyo Racecourse—exactly where the Dream Trophy was held this year.
"Ah! We're here!"
Excited again, Kitasan hopped eagerly from her seat, eyes fixed on the approaching station sign.
"Then let's hurry up and cheer for everyone in the race today! Oh, by the way—"
She took out her phone, quickly checking a message. "Almond-chan said she's already here. Let's go find her at the racecourse entrance!"
...
Kitasan had learned just last night that Almond Eye was also coming to watch the Dream Trophy.
The little one had mentioned she was on school break and had an assignment for social studies. Without hesitation, she'd picked the Dream Trophy as her topic, wanting to ask Kitasan and Yasui Makoto for advice.
Kitasan had agreed instantly, and Yasui-san had also said there was no issue.
After hearing how this junior had become acquainted with them, Silence Suzuka and Rice Shower were also curious to meet her.
Like all G1 events, the Dream Trophy was scheduled as the highlight race of the day—the second-to-last event.
The group had left Mount Mitou early in the morning. When they boarded the subway, it was just after eight, and when they arrived at Fuchu Station, it was just in time for the racecourse gates to open.
From the subway to the racetrack—especially on the pedestrian bridge leading to the main gate—the atmosphere was full of people with expressions just as excited as Kitasan's.
Judging by the pamphlets in their hands and the various Uma Musume merchandise they wore, all were clearly here for today's Dream Trophy.
In the bustling crowd, following the message Kitasan had received, they quickly spotted Almond Eye standing near the Uma Musume statue at the entrance, looking around.
"Kita-senpai!" Almond Eye spotted them immediately, eyes lighting up as she waved her arms energetically, running toward them in little leaps.
"Almond-chan! It's been so long!"
Unable to wait, Kitasan dashed over, embracing the younger Uma Musume, who was about a head shorter. "It's been about two months, hasn't it? Huh…?"
She held a hand over Almond Eye's head, measuring the height difference, looking startled.
"Almond-chan… Did you get taller?"
Almond Eye, who had been excited just a moment ago, suddenly felt embarrassed when she noticed the surrounding people were now watching curiously due to Kitasan's enthusiasm. Realizing Yasui Makoto and two vaguely familiar Uma Musume were scrutinizing her height, she shyly averted her eyes.
"Um, Kita-senpai… Can you let go of me first?"
Seeing Kitasan startled and quickly apologizing as she released her, Almond Eye glanced around nervously again, then smiled somewhat proudly, raising up slightly on tiptoe.
"Yes! I did grow quite a bit."
"I don't know why exactly, but just before summer vacation started, I suddenly started eating a lot more than usual. I haven't gained any weight, though—just height."
"If I keep growing like this, maybe soon I'll be as tall as Kita-senpai!"
"Yep, yep! Almond-chan will definitely grow really tall! Ah…wait…" Kitasan tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Then…would Almond-chan become Big Almond?"
Standing nearby, Yasui Makoto and the others had been smiling warmly at the exchange between Kitasan and Almond Eye. Upon overhearing their conversation, however, all three paused, quickly becoming thoughtful.
"Growing taller…" Silence Suzuka murmured softly, her eyes carefully examining Almond Eye's head and legs.
"Eating much more than before…" Rice Shower subconsciously glanced at Almond Eye's mouth and stomach.
Yasui Makoto rubbed his chin, appraising Almond Eye from head to toe before nodding with certainty.
"…She's probably beginning to enter Honkaku-ka (full competitive maturity)."
"Honkaku-ka?!" Kitasan gasped, glancing back and forth between Yasui and Almond Eye incredulously. "Wait… Almond-chan? Really?"
"It's probably true," Silence Suzuka nodded. "I remember Kita-chan and Yasui-san mentioned before that Almond-chan was getting ready to graduate. Typically, at that age, it's around the right time to enter Honkaku-ka."
"Yeah, Rice was also like that," Rice Shower added quietly. "My appetite also increased around that time…but Rice didn't really grow much taller afterward…"
"In other words," Yasui Makoto turned curiously toward a stunned-looking Almond Eye, "your parents, family, or teachers didn't notice? It should've been quite obvious."
The Honkaku-ka period for an Uma Musume was somewhat unique, but in terms of timing, it was similar to a human's puberty, typically starting right after graduating elementary school—though occasionally a bit earlier.
The signs were unmistakable: significant height growth, increased appetite—these were very common indicators.
The key difference was that an Uma Musume's innate talent would rapidly blossom during this stage, greatly increasing their running capabilities almost overnight.
To exaggerate slightly, Almond Eye's abilities after entering Honkaku-ka would completely outclass her previous performances—even two or three of her former self combined couldn't match her new strength.
From what Yasui remembered, Almond Eye's debut would probably come about two years after Kitasan's.
Kitasan herself had entered Honkaku-ka roughly one year ago, enrolling in Central Tracen Academy after stabilizing.
The timing matched perfectly for Almond Eye now.