By the time Kitano, Ardan, and Takamine reached the main hall of the Mejiro estate, they found it far more crowded than they had expected. The Mejiro family's horse girl bodyguards formed a dark, imposing wall. If it weren't for Gold Ship's roan-haired head sticking out half a head taller than the rest, Kitano wouldn't have even been able to see the blocked-off members of the Gold family.
"What's going on?" As the next head of the family, Mejiro Takamine walked straight to the front. The bodyguards immediately parted to let her through.
Soon, Takamine saw her. Standing amidst a line of menacing Gold family horse girls was Gold Journey. Though small in stature, her aura was in no way inferior to Takamine's. Her face was cold, but the ferocity and aggression in her eyes were enough to make any taller horse girl tremble.
Flanking Gold Journey were Nakayama Festa and Gold Ship, both glaring at Takamine with undisguised hostility. Each held a wrapped wooden sword, a clear sign they had forced their way into the estate.
Any other horse girl would have been terrified by these three ferocious, gangster-like figures. But unfortunately for them, they were facing the Mejiro family, and more specifically, the one Mejiro who would never back down or admit defeat: Mejiro Takamine.
Just as they arrived, the other Mejiro sisters who had been spying on them also rushed over. Mejiro McQueen was the first to step forward, addressing the familiar Gold Ship. "Gold Ship? What are you doing here? Stop this at once!"
"—Sorry, McQueen, but Goldie can't listen to you today," Gold Ship replied. Seeing McQueen, her expression had started to soften, but after a brief internal struggle, she met McQueen's gaze with a rare seriousness, her words firm. "This is a matter of principle! If we can't sort this out, there might be some... physical conflict."
"Goldie doesn't want to fight you, McQueen, and I certainly don't want you to get hurt. So, it's better if you step back a bit this time. Goldie is being very serious."
"Gold Ship..." McQueen was taken aback. This was the first time Gold Ship had ever disobeyed her. Though she was often annoyed by Gold Ship's bizarre pranks, she knew it was a sign of affection. Gold Ship was completely indifferent to those she didn't care about.
McQueen had always felt that Gold Ship, despite her antics, was relatively well-behaved around her, almost obedient. That's why she was so surprised to see this uncharacteristically firm side of her.
...And is it just my imagination, or is her hair a little shorter? A little thinner? Was she always this bald, or did she get a bad haircut?
"Hey, you! Don't stand on the wrong side!" Nakayama Festa spotted Kitano standing next to Ardan and let out a displeased "Tch!" Wielding her wooden sword, she strode forward, grabbed Kitano's wrist, and tried to pull him over to the Gold family's side.
But at that moment, another slender hand seized Kitano's other wrist, holding him fast.
Feeling the resistance, Nakayama Festa whipped her head around, coming face-to-face with the expressionless, exquisite features of Mejiro Takamine.
"Guests are welcome, but guests must behave as such. The current actions of the Gold family are hardly befitting of guests."
Takamine's grip on Kitano tightened imperceptibly. As a "tall horse" born of the Mejiro line, she was more powerful than even the stallion-line horse girls of the Gold family. No matter how hard Nakayama Festa pulled, she couldn't budge Kitano an inch.
"Kitano is mine! He's my trainer! Don't get it twisted!" Nakayama Festa was no match for Takamine in strength. Her glares were powerless against her opponent's composure.
But just then, another hand replaced Nakayama's on Kitano's wrist. Seeing it was her own family's matriarch, the furious Nakayama Festa sheepishly retreated...
"—Kitano is the exclusive trainer of the Gold family. The only one."
"Your Mejiro family is so large, yet you're fighting with us over a single trainer. It seems you are the ones being unreasonable."
Gold Journey, the matriarch who could command this family of problem children, possessed a matching authority and power. Though not an exceptional racer herself, when it came to sheer ferocity and presence, all the other Gold family horse girls combined were no match for her. It was a kind of bloodline dominance. Now, facing Mejiro Takamine, she was the only one completely unfazed. Pulling Kitano slightly towards her, she spoke to Takamine, word by word.
"Now, give us our Kitano back. Doesn't the Mejiro family have its own exclusive trainers?"
"—My apologies, but the Mejiro family is not as narrow-minded as you think. I was simply inviting Mr. Trainer over as a guest. And to recommend a child from our family to him."
Despite her words, Takamine's grip on Kitano's other arm didn't loosen in the slightest. She pulled back, engaging in a new tug-of-war with Gold Journey. "Surely the Gold family doesn't interfere in the social lives of its exclusive trainers? Or perhaps... your definition of an 'exclusive trainer' is different from ours?"
"Hey, uh, can I say something..." Caught between the two, Kitano winced from the pain in his wrists and tried to speak.
"The feeling is mutual," Gold Journey retorted, her expression darkening as her grip tightened. "At least the Gold family doesn't resort to underhanded means to turn a trainer into its private property. You know very well how each of your exclusive trainers came to be."
"Oh? Then I must ask, how does the Gold matriarch know of our family's affairs? Do you have an inside source, or is this merely... your own dark speculation and slander?"
The verbal sparring between Takamine and Gold Journey grew increasingly fierce. Unconsciously, both horse girls had activated their [Domains]. Vague, four-legged apparitions began to form behind them, glaring menacingly at each other.
It was then that Kitano finally lost his patience. The man who had been silently enduring the tug-of-war, his face pale, finally erupted!
Perhaps because they were conscious of his frail condition, neither woman had used her full strength. But now, with his two-year lifespan boost, Kitano mustered a strength that surprised them both, miraculously breaking free from their grasp.
The next moment, he grabbed both of their wrists, pulling them towards him. In a rare display of emotion, he exclaimed, "You two, argue all you want, but can you stop tearing me apart? Are you trying to dismember me?"
The pain in his wrists was sharp, and he was sure they were already bruised. But what was truly unbearable was the feeling of being pulled in two different directions. He genuinely felt that if he hadn't intervened, they might have actually torn him apart.
What is this? Is this how trainers die in the horse girl world? Torn into five pieces by five warring horse girls? Is this what they mean by uma-dismemberment?
After his rare outburst, Kitano let go of their hands and immediately started rubbing his sore wrists. He didn't notice the momentary shock on the faces of the two typically cold and short-tempered horse girls.
Takamine and Gold Journey both stared at the wrists he had just grabbed, subconsciously stroking them with their other hands, as if to soothe the pain, or perhaps... to savor the memory. After a long moment, they both spoke in soft, unified voices. "...Sorry."
"Mr. Trainer, are you alright? Should I call the doctor?" Ardan was the first to rush to his side. She gently rolled up his sleeve, and upon seeing the two clear bruises from their grips, she looked on the verge of tears.
Her concern, however, made Nakayama Festa's ears twitch in irritation. The old lady is one thing, but what are you, a Mejiro, doing getting so close? Am I, his actual charge, invisible?
"He's my trainer, not yours! Don't get it twisted—alright, let me see. Where are you hurt?"
Though not as gentle as Ardan, Nakayama Festa checked his wrists. Seeing it was just some bruising, her experience from her family's frequent brawls kicked in. "Just some bruises. Leave it for a week and it'll heal. Tsk, I'll put some medicine on it later and wrap it up. It's nothing serious."
"Thanks, Festa," Kitano said, having composed himself. He habitually ruffled her hair. This time, Nakayama Festa didn't resist, merely lowering her ears and pretending to look away.
However, Ardan noticed the happy wagging of Nakayama Festa's tail, a clear sign of her improved mood. From this, she deduced that this Gold family horse girl was Kitano's charge.
So... Mr. Trainer has more than one charge... The realization dawned on Ardan, but for some reason, her mood sank, a shadow of melancholy in her eyes as she gazed at Kitano's back.
"...What is all this commotion? The Mejiro estate has never been this lively. Have we received an esteemed guest?"
Just then, an elderly voice cut through the tense, yet bizarre atmosphere. At the sound of the voice, almost everyone present reacted. An elderly, roan-haired horse girl slowly made her way into the hall.
"Grandmother..."
The moment the old woman arrived, the Mejiro horse girls' presence diminished significantly. Even Mejiro Takamine immediately composed herself and bowed respectfully to the Mejiro matriarch.
"Mm," the old woman nodded. This living legend of the horse racing world instantly commanded the room. Her gaze soon fell upon Gold Journey and Kitano, who was flanked by Nakayama Festa and Ardan.
A sharp glint flashed in the matriarch's eyes as she looked at Kitano. Then, a kind and gentle smile returned to her face, her voice warmer than anyone expected. "Mr. Kitano Ryuichi, and the children of the Gold family... I have a general idea of what has happened, though I am not clear on the details. But I trust this old woman can still handle this matter properly."
"Continuing to argue will get us nowhere. Why don't you all come to my office? Takamine, you will explain the situation to me. Is that understood?"
"...Yes, Grandmother."
Knowing she was about to be reprimanded, Mejiro Takamine accepted her fault without a word of protest. But now, with her grandmother here and intervening, she suddenly felt this might be an opportunity...
An opportunity to get her grandmother's approval for Mr. Trainer, and to make him a trainer for the Mejiro family once and for all!
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