"I see... I understand the whole story now."
An hour later, in the Mejiro matriarch's office, she had heard the full account from Takamine. Of course, Takamine had omitted the part about her gambling wager; otherwise, even at twenty years old, she wouldn't have escaped a stern family punishment.
"Yes, it was all my own doing." Takamine knelt in the formal seiza position on the cold, hard floor, without even a cushion beneath her.
Despite this, her slender waist remained perfectly straight, her impressive bust, the envy of every horse girl present, even more prominent in this posture. Like an older sister, Takamine shouldered all the blame. "As a Mejiro, and as the eldest sister, I allowed such a commotion to occur within our family. It is my responsibility and the result of my poor judgment."
"I am willing to accept any and all responsibility. Grandmother, please, do as you see fit."
—In retrospect, Takamine realized her actions had been full of flaws. If she had simply notified Kitano's charges beforehand, even if they had strongly objected, the conflict wouldn't have escalated into a full-blown war between two families over a single trainer.
But at the time, the thought of Rudolf, Mr. C.B., and others showing interest in Kitano, combined with Suzuka's "great escape," had driven her to act impulsively, to secretly bring Kitano over and settle the matter.
Why she felt she could only meet Kitano in secret... Takamine couldn't explain it. Her subconscious had simply decided it, as if meeting him in private was the only natural way.
"Sister..." Ardan couldn't bear to see Takamine take all the blame. After all, her sister had done this to introduce a trainer to her. Ignoring her own frail body, Ardan also knelt down in seiza. "Grandmother, my sister did this for me. I am willing to be punished alongside her."
Seeing Ardan kneel, Kitano, who knew her condition all too well, was alarmed. Forgetting about the punishment he would surely face from Nakayama Festa later, he immediately rushed to help Ardan up, speaking to the matriarch at the same time. "Matriarch, I was brought here by Miss Takamine. I also bear responsibility for not informing my charges in a timely manner. Please, do not be hard on Ardan and Miss Takamine."
Otherwise, I might just collapse on the floor right here. He didn't say the words, but he felt the situation wouldn't escalate that far. Having lived with the Mejiro family for several years, he knew the matriarch was kind to her family and stern to outsiders. As long as no major principles were violated, she was usually very reasonable.
With him and Ardan pleading, Takamine probably wouldn't be punished too severely... Kitano keenly observed a slight softening in the matriarch's expression, which boosted his confidence.
But Kitano didn't see what the three Gold family horse girls saw—the matriarch's gaze lingered on him and Ardan for a moment longer, a hint of an interested smile playing on her lips.
That smile... Gold Journey knew it well. She had used a similar smile to provoke Symboli Rudolf when Nakayama Festa won her debut race! It was the confident smile of a family head who had a plan!
"—Ardan, Takamine, both of you, stand up. I am not blaming you."
The matriarch watched as Kitano helped both of them to their feet, then slowly stood up herself. Pouring herself a cup of hot tea, she addressed Kitano. "Mr. Trainer, I have heard of your deeds. I must admit, I am very impressed."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the three Gold family horse girls, each sitting in their own unique, flamboyant manner, even holding their teacups with flair. Her eye twitched slightly, but her voice remained gentle. "A trainer who can handle the horse girls of the Gold family is no ordinary person. Everyone knows the Gold family has immense potential, but so far, only you have successfully grasped each of their personalities and unlocked that potential."
"You are a very special trainer. It's no wonder that even a meticulous child like Takamine believed you could be the one to change Ardan."
With that, the matriarch took a sip of her tea and turned her gaze to Ardan, her most cherished yet pitied granddaughter. Her expression softened. "So, Ardan, do you believe Mr. Trainer can be the one to change you?"
"Grandmother..."
Suddenly being asked such a question, and in front of everyone, Ardan was taken aback. Her head turned slightly, and her eyes met Kitano's, which held a mixture of curiosity and faint expectation. Her face flushed red, and she quickly lowered her head.
For some reason, under the gaze of so many people, Ardan suddenly felt as if she were being proposed to, with her grandmother as the officiant asking if she would marry the man before her—even though they had known each other for less than two hours.
Ardan didn't realize that the very fact she was having these thoughts proved she had already fallen... but at that moment, Gold Journey, unable to restrain herself any longer, put down her teacup, stood up, and stepped between Kitano and Ardan, confronting the matriarch directly.
"Pardon me, Matriarch, but Kitano is the long-established exclusive trainer of the Gold family. He already has a heavy burden. Besides Festa and Gold Ship, he now has Silence Suzuka. With three charges, his body is already at its limit."
"Kitano himself is a patient. He has no time to care for a patient from your Mejiro family, especially when this young lady has already retired—Ouch!"
Before Gold Journey could finish, a light flick from Kitano landed on her forehead. The Gold family matriarch, after being "attacked" by Kitano, reacted just like a scolded Nakayama Festa—clutching her head, she looked at him with a hint of grievance but said nothing more.
"—My apologies, Matriarch. But while Journey's words were blunt, she is not entirely wrong."
Kitano retracted his hand and turned to the matriarch apologetically. "My team is already quite full. Caring for so many charges is already stretching me thin."
"Of course, I don't mean to refuse Miss Ardan and your kind offer. But in my current state... even if you asked me to be her trainer, I have no confidence I could care for her properly."
"If Miss Ardan were to join my team and her condition worsened, and I couldn't be there for her, I would be failing in my duties as a trainer... My reputation is a small matter, but if I were to jeopardize her health, I would not know how to atone for it."
Having lived with Ardan for years, Kitano knew her physical condition well. As a horse girl, her constitution was, in some ways, no better than his. Though horse girls were physically superior to ordinary people, Ardan's frailty could lead to dizziness and collapse.
After retiring, her condition hadn't improved; it had worsened over her three-year career. In the past, Kitano and the others had tried to prevent her from overexerting herself in any way. Her health was only slightly better than Kitano's, who was on a death countdown.
It was impossible to predict when she might suddenly feel weak. In the past, Kitano could always be by her side, but in this playthrough... with Nakayama Festa, Gold Ship, and even the low-maintenance Silence Suzuka, it would be difficult for him to get away.
In this situation, if Ardan joined his team, an inattentive Kitano would only be harming her, taking her away from a safer, more stable environment. He knew which was more important. This time, he felt he might have to part ways with Ardan, for her own safety.
However, to everyone's surprise, after Kitano's statement, a faint smile appeared on the matriarch's lips. "—Then, what if Ardan were to assist you not as a horse girl, but as a guardian from the Mejiro family? How would you feel about that?"
"A guardian?" The word echoed from six different voices.
Not just Kitano and the Gold family, but even Takamine and Ardan looked at the matriarch in surprise. She smiled patiently and explained, "As it happens, we have a horse girl in the Mejiro family who needs tempering. I am very optimistic about this child's potential, but... her temper and character are quite a headache. I was just worrying about finding her a trainer. Now, it seems her opportunity has arrived."
"What do you say, Mr. Trainer? If Ardan joins your team this time, merely as a guardian alongside this Mejiro newcomer, you would be responsible for teaching the child, while Ardan would be in charge of daily supervision. This would make things easier for both of you, and you would be helping us train a new talent. How does that sound?"
"A Mejiro newcomer?" The question piqued Kitano's curiosity. He knew all the Mejiro horse girls, but he couldn't think of one who fit the description of having a "troublesome personality."
Could it be Mejiro Dober? She was the only one he could think of, the filly who was somewhat afraid of men. In a previous playthrough, when he was with Ardan, his interactions with Dober had been a bit rocky at first. But later, she had overcome her fear, calling him "Big Brother Kitano," which he had found quite heartwarming.
It must be Dober. With that thought, he didn't refuse. After all, with Ardan there to help, training Dober wouldn't be too much trouble.
"In that case, I think I can accept."
"Excellent," the matriarch said with a gratified smile. She snapped her fingers, and the office door opened. Addressing the bodyguards, her voice regained its authoritative tone as she spoke a name that made Kitano's heart leap into his throat:
"Go and bring Muteki here."
Clang!
The moment the matriarch's words fell, Kitano felt something shatter within him. His mind went blank. The name, one he had once uttered himself, one he knew better than any other, had appeared here without warning, catching him completely off guard.
...Muteki? It can't be... Is it really the Muteki I'm thinking of?
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