Kousei arrived at the cemetery holding a bouquet of flowers. Before heading to Tracen, she wanted to visit a late acquaintance on behalf of Reiko.
For Kousei, this person had also been a great benefactor: Toyama, who had passed away from cancer.
Kashimoto Riko seemed to have arrived before her. She stood silently before Toyama's grave, her gaze fixed on the headstone. As Kousei drew closer, she noticed two bouquets already placed there. It seemed someone had come even earlier than Kashimoto Riko.
"The other bouquet is from Bourbon," Kashimoto Riko suddenly said. "She seems to linger here for hours every day."
Kousei placed her flowers before the grave and bowed her head in silent mourning.
"Is Bourbon doing okay?" Kousei asked.
"I don't know. If you're only looking at the surface, then my answer would be yes. She attends classes on time, eats normally, and her grades are excellent. After retiring, she no longer has to attend afternoon training, so she has a lot of free time."
Since retiring, Bourbon was no longer bound by the Thorough Management Education Program. For an ordinary student, Tracen's current system wasn't particularly strict.
"A lot of free time... That must be agonizing for her."
Kashimoto Riko didn't respond, her silence a clear answer. She knew all too well that Bourbon's "normalcy" was just a facade. The Cyborg could never truly express herself; she refused to open her heart, allowing the pain to torment her again and again.
"Mr. Toyama was incredible," Kousei said. "His theory was correct—the barrier of innate talent can be broken."
"Yes, you won, and he was right. So what?" Kashimoto Riko retorted. "Central's trainers are now emphasizing Slope Training, and people are calling him a pioneer of his era. But what's the use?
"He's dead.
"When he was alive, everyone mocked him, calling his ideas delusional fantasies. No matter what he said, no one would listen. He was labeled an abusive trainer for his entire life.
"Now, he lies in this cold coffin, unable to speak a single word. Yet everyone is desperate to press their ears against the lid, hoping to fabricate some claim that they've grasped his true meaning."
Kashimoto Riko's voice caught in her throat, her eyes filled with sorrow. "It's truly pathetic—"
It was unclear what she meant by that.
Kousei looked at Kashimoto Riko and voiced her suspicion. "You were the one who delivered Mr. Toyama's notes, weren't you? You knew they were meant for me, so why didn't you stop them?"
Kousei and Jade's race had gone viral online, sparking intense discussion. Thanks to Rohan's manipulation, both Umamusume had gained significant exposure.
Kashimoto Riko must have known that Kousei's trainer was named Chiin Reiko. Yet, she still honored Toyama's final wish and delivered Slope Training into Reiko's hands.
"I just wanted to prove to the world that he was right."
A man with vision far ahead of his time, who should have been renowned, ended up with a hasty, unremarkable end. Throughout history, heaven has always been jealous of genius, whether Umamusume or trainer.
The weariness at the corners of Kashimoto's eyes was impossible to hide. The Central Committee was a tumor slowly killing Central, but Kashimoto Riko was definitely not part of it. Kousei's intuition had never failed her; she believed Kashimoto Riko was fundamentally different from the Committee.
She loves Umamusume deeply and needs help.
"I'm leaving now. Since you're an exchange student, you're free to act as you see fit within the permitted areas."
Kashimoto Riko turned and left the cemetery.
"Aren't you going to ask why I came back?"
Kashimoto Riko paused for a moment, then continued walking, letting out a long sigh. "It doesn't matter anymore."
Kousei watched Kashimoto Riko depart, then bowed before Mr. Toyama's grave. "I must go now too, Mr. Toyama. Thank you so much for your help. I will never forget it."
After Kousei left the cemetery, the Umamusume hidden in the shadows vanished as well.
Stepping back into Tracen Academy, Kousei's mindset and status were completely different. She looked at the familiar yet strangely distant scenery—every blade of grass, every tree.
The Umamusume whispered among themselves, their gazes a mix of scrutiny and hostility. Kousei met their stares without flinching, and they fell silent, their eyes filled with conflict. Finally, they lowered their heads in a gesture of respect.
Kousei gave a slight nod and continued forward.
Perhaps most of them still harbored animosity toward her, but the Kousei of today was beyond their judgment.
"Kousei... She's back."
"Keep it down, don't let her hear you."
The passerby, chastised, lowered their voice.
"Kousei is a Central-trained Umamusume, so in a way, you could say Central won the Arc de Triomphe, right?"
"You..."
Though they had lowered their voices, Kousei's sharp ears still caught every word of their conversation. She simply chuckled softly, shook her head, and ignored them.
Following the address from the message, Kousei arrived at an office. Instead of knocking, she pushed the door halfway open and peeked inside.
"What are you doing, sneaking around like that?" T asked with a smile, watching his daughter's strange antics.
"Dad!" Kousei's ears perked up, her joy unmistakable.
She leaped forward in a flying tackle. Her father scrambled to his feet, barely managing to catch her as the impact sent him staggering back two steps.
"You're a grown woman now, why are you still acting like a child?"
"Hehe~"
T stroked Kousei's head, his eyes filled with affection. He gently set her down, looking her over from left to right. He wanted to say something but couldn't find the right words.
In the end, all he could manage was:
"You've gotten thinner. Have you been eating properly while you were away?"
In reality, Kousei's current weight was the heaviest of her racing career. She was the heaviest competitor ever to win the Arc de Triomphe.
"Hehe, it's been so long since I've had Mom's cooking. I saved room just so I could savor it."
"Good, good. A healthy appetite is a blessing."
It was a rare heart-to-heart between father and daughter. As the saying goes, "a girl changes eighteen times by the time she's eighteen." Kousei had indeed grown into someone who clashed with the image he held in his memory.
"How's your body holding up?"
"Not great. My lungs, toenails, and knees feel like they're made of glass."
"It's alright. McQueen's body isn't in great shape either."
"Don't let McQueen hear you say that."
T carefully set Kousei down and asked with a serious expression, "So? Are you still going to race?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
Indeed, why wouldn't she? Kousei answered his question with one of her own.
"Your mother always said you have the same temper as her."
"So, was Mom really fiery when she was young?"
At this, T couldn't help but smile. "Mm, incredibly fiery. Like a little chili pepper—anyone who crossed her got burned."
"Eh? And you still managed to handle her, Dad," Kousei teased.
"Couldn't be helped. She was the one who chose me, after all."
"She was that forceful, huh?"
"Back in the day..."
T launched into a long trip down memory lane, with nearly every story revolving around Kousei's mother.
"Speaking of which, Mr. Ivan took care of me in Yunlin. He seemed to know you, Dad."
Hearing Kousei mention Ivan, T scoffed, "Just someone I defeated."
In the business world, T was no match for Ivan in any respect. This must be about some middle-aged love story, Kousei thought.
T suddenly grew sentimental. "Among all of them, you had the least talent, yet you were the bravest and most resilient."
"I thought about giving up, but in the end, I decided to keep moving forward."
T smiled at his daughter. "You've worked so hard. You've done so well. I'm so proud to have a daughter like you."
He gently pulled Kousei into an embrace. His daughter had endured so much; a hug was one of the few things he, as a father, could offer her.
Kousei rested peacefully in T's arms.
"Thank you and Mom for bringing me into this world."
"If I had known you would suffer so much, I would have preferred you never came."
"But if I hadn't come, I never would have experienced all these wonderful things."
"Silly girl..."
Creeeak—
The door suddenly swung open, and Contrail poked her head in. "Mr. T! You wanted to see me?"
Her gaze quickly locked onto Kousei, and her eyes lit up. "Wow! Kousei-senpai!"
Contrail hurried forward. Kousei quickly pulled away from T's embrace, cleared her throat, and adopted a dignified, senior-like demeanor.
"Kousei-senpai! My name is Contrail! Um! I've always looked up to you! I... I..."
Contrail stood very close, her excitement making her words jumble together. Kousei shot a pleading look at T, who finally snapped back to reality.
"Right. This girl is the real reason I called you here today."