What Kitahara had called "extra training" was actually parachute sprint training.
This kind of training was very cost-effective. All it required was a standard parachute and a simple harness system. The improvement in short-distance burst speed it could provide was remarkable.
Each of the four horse girls now had their own custom "weighted training gear." Those had built-in harness points, so once the weights were removed, they could directly use them for parachute sprints—no special gear needed beyond the parachutes themselves.
Of course, it was Belno Light's family who had handled the custom work. But since Mrs Tomom had previously been busy making four full sets of weighted equipment and also sorting through the plans Kitahara provided, the parachutes had been delayed until now.
"Whoa, Kitahara, are we going skydiving today?"
On the training field, wearing her weighted gear and holding two parachutes, Oguri Cap bounced on her feet with excitement.
"I heard from Norn that in big cities there's this really fun thing called bungee jumping, and skydiving is fun too—so we're skydiving today, right?"
Tamamo Cross, Inari One, and Super Creek were similarly dressed, hopping around with the same curious, playful expressions. At Oguri Cap's words, they all turned to look at Kitahara.
The parachutes they carried weren't all the same—different in both number and size.
Tamamo Cross and Inari One each carried two, while Super Creek had just one, and it was a bit smaller.
Super Creek had now fully completed her rehab phase and could train normally, but according to Kyoko Miyamura's analysis, her ankle still needed nutritional support for a while, so her training volume shouldn't be too high.
"Not skydiving—this is a new training method," Kitahara explained.
"Working against resistance is one of the best ways to improve acceleration, top speed, and agility. It'll help you strengthen your core power, so you can generate faster bursts of speed and push your limits."
"Those parachutes behind you are the source of resistance."
"When you start running, the air will push against the parachute, pulling you back."
"The faster you sprint, the greater the resistance."
"This kind of resistance is smooth and consistent. It won't put complicated stress on your muscles—it'll let your muscles safely overload, adapt, and raise their limits step by step."
"And because the parachute drifts roughly parallel to the ground, your running form won't change much, so you won't have to worry about it affecting your official races."
The moment Kitahara got into the theory, he noticed Oguri Cap's eyelids start to droop, her face slipping into a sleepy daze.
Inari One wasn't much better—she wasn't nodding off, but her grin was stretched wide, her eyes big and blank, staring straight ahead with a look that clearly said, "I don't get what you're saying, old man, but it sounds amazing."
Tamamo Cross and Super Creek, on the other hand, nodded slightly in thought, even swinging their arms a bit as if visualizing a running motion—they clearly understood at least the gist.
Seeing this, Kitahara smiled faintly.
"Just talking about it doesn't mean much. You'll feel it right away once you try."
"You'll pair up in twos. Oguri Cap with Super Creek. Tama with Inari."
"Tama, Inari—you two come first. I'll demonstrate with you. Oguri, Creek—watch closely."
There was some intent behind this arrangement.
The tension between Tamamo Cross and Inari One wasn't serious, but it wasn't nothing either—like kids bickering in a playground. You could ignore it and let it pass, sure.
But since they'd be training together for at least another month, it was better to build some teamwork, coordination, and maybe even a bit of friendship. That was Kitahara's thought process.
The two short girls exchanged glances, but unlike before, there was no sign of hostility. Obediently, they walked over.
Kitahara motioned for Tamamo Cross to stand on the track, then walked a few meters behind her, grabbing hold of both parachutes, one in each hand.
"All right. When I say 'start,' jog forward at a slow pace."
"When I say 'sprint,' go full throttle."
"When I say 'stop,' you stop."
"Got it?"
Without turning her head, Tamamo Cross crossed her arms and gave a thumbs-up.
"…Tch. Showing off, huh…"
Just as he was about to say "start," he heard Inari One mumble under her breath, and Kitahara couldn't help but laugh. He turned to remind her,
"Watch carefully. You'll be working with Tama later."
"…Oh. Got it, old man."
Seeing Inari One pout but nod obediently, Kitahara smiled again, then looked back at Tamamo Cross.
"Ready… go!"
Kitahara could still keep up with a horse girl's jogging pace.
As Tamamo Cross began jogging, he adjusted his speed, raising the parachutes slightly. Once a bit of air filled them and they started to lift, he stopped and let go.
At the same time, he shouted, "Sprint!"
Just like an inflating balloon, with Tamamo Cross's sudden burst of speed, the two parachutes behind her snapped open at once, billowing full of air.
"Oh, so that's how it works!"
"Whoa! That's awesome! As expected of Kitahara!"
Inari One and Oguri Cap exclaimed at the same time, while Super Creek silently nodded with a small smile.
After about five or six seconds—
"Stop!"
Tamamo Cross came to a halt several dozen meters away, the parachutes settling gently to the ground behind her.
"Got it now?"
Looking over at Inari One, Oguri Cap, and Super Creek, Kitahara explained further, "That's parachute sprint training."
"It's simple in practice."
"You pair up—one runs, the other does what I just did: hold the parachutes at first, let them catch some air, then release."
"The commands are just four: ready, start, sprint, stop."
"For each sprint, the caller silently counts to five after the 'sprint,' meaning each sprint covers roughly 50–100 meters."
"Ten sprints make a set. No breaks between sprints, or just use the time spent picking up parachutes as the break. Between sets, rest for thirty seconds."
"Follow what I just said—pair up and do five sets first. Get used to it, get the rhythm down."
"Tamamo Cross and Oguri Cap go first, then Inari One and Super Creek—five sets each."
After giving instructions, Kitahara walked back to the edge of the field, picked up the clipboard lying on the ground, and gave a nod to the horse girls as they lined up on the track.
"No need for me to time you here. Start whenever you're ready."
With nods all around, a moment later—
"Ready!" "Start!" "Sprint!" "Stop!"—the cycle of commands began to echo across the training ground.
Kitahara didn't stay idle either. With stopwatch and clipboard in hand, he began recording the four horse girls' sprint performances in rotation.
Meanwhile, he was already thinking ahead.
There were many other methods similar to parachute sprints.
Weighted sled pushes, stair and hill sprints, weighted runs, sand sprints… These could each strengthen performance under different conditions. With parachute sprinting now underway, maybe it was time to gradually incorporate the others too.
However, doing them all would require special locations—sled work would mean ski slopes or even snow-covered mountains.
If only Kasamatsu had a full-scale, all-purpose training center. With what I'm planning now—and what I'll need in the future—even the Central Academy might not be enough…
That's thinking too far ahead. For now, focus on getting today's training finished.
The first round of five sets went by quickly. Kitahara then scheduled another twenty sets to complete a full session.
Thus, the whole morning was basically spent on parachute sprint training. With his attention fully on observation and recording, time seemed to fly by.
"All right, that's good for the morning! Take a break, and then we'll all grab some lunch!"
Usually at this point, Kitahara would start sorting the data—but just as he lowered his head to begin, a strange noise suddenly came from the training field.
(End of Chapter)