"Mr. C.B.? Your daughter? No, no, I must refuse."
"You and your wife's reputation is in tatters in Japan. It's a miracle you even dared to come back. Now you want to put your daughter on the track?"
"Please, we were friends, weren't we? Don't do this to me. If your daughter isn't good enough, my career will be ruined too!"
From a young age, Mr. C.B. knew two things. First, her parents were the best in the world. They loved each other and loved her fiercely. She was their pride.
Second, outside of her parents, no one liked her.
Before the day she returned to Japan from abroad, the young C.B. had never imagined that she, her parents' treasured jewel, would be so unwelcome in Japan, let alone be branded with the title "child of sin."
The reason for this stemmed from her parents' seemingly enviable but, in the eyes of Japanese society at the time, highly controversial love story. Her father, a trainer, had fallen in love with his own charge, a horse girl. And at the peak of her career, they had both chosen to abandon their professions for love, eloping abroad amidst a storm of domestic opposition.
It sounded incredibly romantic. In that era in Japan, elopement was a romantic theme in movies and TV shows. Such a love should have been blessed—but for two reasons, it became not a symbol of romance, but of sin.
First... was the nature of the trainer-charge relationship. Strictly speaking, a trainer's relationship with an adolescent horse girl was similar to a teacher's with a high school student. Though C.B.'s mother was eighteen when they eloped, their love was undoubtedly a challenge to social norms, destined to be condemned.
The second reason had to do with her mother. Her mother's bloodline was exceptionally outstanding. Her grandmother had won a race that no Japanese horse had ever conquered—the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
This led everyone to place high hopes on C.B.'s mother, hoping she would be the first to lead Japan onto the world stage. And indeed, not long after her debut, she showed she had the talent to bear such expectations. Two major victories and her incredible speed on the track fueled these high hopes.
But just then, her trainer had run off with this horse girl who carried the hopes of the URA and the Japanese people, disappearing without a trace. As a result, the dream of Japanese horse racing connecting with the international stage remained a distant one, even when C.B. grew up.
And all of this, all the consequences, fell on the shoulders of Mr. C.B., this "child of sin."
That day, the grown-up C.B. hid on the attic stairs, listening as her parents, trying not to wake her, pleaded with everyone they could find on the phone late at night, hoping someone would be her trainer when she entered Tracen Academy.
But, as if in penance for their youthful impulsiveness, no one was willing to take the huge risk and public pressure of accepting Mr. C.B., this "child of sin."
The child of the horse girl who had once been Japan's greatest hope and her trainer would undoubtedly become the center of national attention on her debut day. If she inherited her mother's speed, it would be one thing. But if she didn't have that talent... then her title as the "child of sin" would be cemented, and the good reputations of these established central trainers could be dragged into the abyss because of her.
But none of that mattered.
If I have no trainer, I will fight alone. I will reach the peak of Japan by myself!
I will enter Tracen Academy as a victor, and when I stand at the top, I will show them all with my actions that my parents' choice was the right one.
And everything that happened after, C.B. seemed to prove her determination with her actions. In her first debut race, without having entered Tracen Academy, she entered under the name "Mr. C.B." and truthfully informed the Japanese public that she was that "child of sin." As expected, she immediately became the focus of the race, the most watched horse girl.
And in that debut race, with the professional training she had received from her parents since childhood and the talent inherited from their bloodline, C.B. successfully defeated a large group of central horse girls with an incredibly beautiful and easy victory, becoming the undisputed winner of that race.
After winning her debut, as expected, her parents immediately received an admission letter from Tracen Academy, as well as a flood of offers from the very central trainers they had pleaded with just a short time ago.
Faced with her parents' tears of joy, C.B., in her own happiness, made an extremely stubborn choice.
"I will go to Tracen Academy, but I will not accept these trainers' invitations."
These opportunists are not worthy of being my trainer. This was the half of the sentence she didn't say. However, her parents knew their daughter's personality all too well. When she made up her mind, her stubbornness was almost impossible to sway.
After exchanging a look, the couple chose not to oppose their daughter, but still offered their advice in the right way: "C.B., you don't have to carry the debt your father and I owe. You don't have to prove anything. You are your own person. Don't ruin your life because of your stubbornness."
"We know why you're doing this. Mom and Dad won't force you to do things you don't like. But we can't always be by your side. At the academy, if you can't learn to take care of yourself, find a trainer who is suitable for you."
"He doesn't have to be the best, or the most mature. But at least he can teach you, guide you, be your pillar, and help you avoid many detours. Running alone is a very tiring thing, C.B."
...Someone to support me?
Honestly, from the day she officially enrolled, C.B. had never thought she would actually find someone who would wholeheartedly support her. And she never thought she would actually meet such a person... someone who would absolutely support her with all his heart, until the very end.
Because he was far more miserable than her... The first time she saw him, he was lingering outside the gates of Tracen Academy, his eyes lonely and sad, like a lost puppy kicked out of its home. The wheelchair he sat in added a touch of tragic beauty. The way he listlessly toyed with the pendant in his hand, as if it were a rare treasure, was almost impossible not to be moved by.
In that moment, a voice sounded in C.B.'s heart. From the first moment she saw him, this thought had surfaced.
—This is him. This is the trainer I'm looking for.
Someone like her, abandoned by the world.
Someone like her, who wanted to prove his abilities but had no way to do so.
Someone like her... who had no other choice.
C.B. believed that this person, who was just like her, would cling to her like a lifeline, support her with all his heart. He would never think of her as sinful, as others did. He would always trust in her abilities, because she was his only option—that was her most honest thought at that moment.
C.B. knew that this thought was, in a way, entirely for her own benefit... A horse girl scorned by the world, extending a hand to an abandoned trainer.
"Why are you sitting out here? Why not come inside with me, with your head held high?"
From that day, Mr. C.B. had her own trainer. And she finally learned his name from him—Kitano Ryuichi.
And what C.B. learned was not just her trainer's name... she also learned his secret.
"Are you sure you want to choose me, C.B.?" When she told him her name and confirmed that he would be her trainer, she saw an expression of utter disbelief on his face. The look in his eyes, not of disdain for her birth, but of awe, as if he were seeing an idol, left a deep impression on her to this day.
"I could die at any moment, C.B. I probably only have a few months left. Are you sure you want a dying man like me to be your trainer?"
"Yes. I've made my choice. I don't think I'll regret it."
A relaxed smile graced C.B.'s face. She was not shaken by his incurable disease... or rather, from the first moment she saw him, she had been prepared for something like this.
"I need a trainer, a supporter. But the other trainers just want to bind me, to restrain me, to make me run at their pace—so I chose you, Mr. Trainer."
"Can you promise me, Mr. Trainer? I want to be the freest wind on the track. I don't want to be bound. So, can you grant me this selfish request, and let me run freely, in my own way?"
"—Of course, C.B. In fact, running freely is exactly how you should be."
Under C.B.'s expectant gaze, after a moment of stunned silence, Kitano agreed without a hint of reluctance. C.B. remembered that it was the first time she had given a stranger such a genuine smile. And in that moment, she believed she had truly found the most suitable trainer for her.
"In that case, C.B., as your trainer, I also have a small request. I hope you can agree."
As C.B. rejoiced, Kitano, his eyes always filled with a gentle and kind light, smiled at her. But his words held a hint of despair and resignation. He said softly, "As you see, I don't have long... I probably won't even be able to help you win a single race in these few months. So I want to be upfront."
"During this time, just treat me as your trainer, and I will treat you only as my student. I will do my best to help you in every way I can. But outside of training and races, you can plan all your time freely. You don't need to stay by my side, and you certainly don't need to worry about my health."
"My fate... is already sealed with death. But I don't want my death to affect you. So, please promise me, if I do die one day, you won't have any psychological burden, and you certainly won't be sad because of my death. I want you to be able to keep running, as always, even alone."
"So, don't invest too much emotion in me. Just as you said, pass by me like the wind—C.B., can you promise me that?"
Don't invest too much emotion... wasn't that my plan too? To use you as a tool to reach the top?
I never thought you would be the one to make such a request... honestly, if I had been the only one thinking this, I might have felt better. But now that you've said it all out loud, if I really do it, I'll feel a strong sense of guilt.
Honestly, what a cunning trainer. Now I have to give it my all to reach the top, just to live up to your selfless support.
"—I promise, Mr. Trainer."
"Even if you die, I will keep running, unburdened. I will not fall apart because of your death, nor will I give up my career out of sadness. I will pass by you like the wind, without taking anything with me."
"...That's all I need."
After a moment of a bitter smile, C.B. looked up at Kitano again, her expression now more solemn, more natural. She made a promise she believed she could keep to this trainer, the one she was determined to let see her victory.
She would not invest too much emotion in him. She would not give up her freedom for him. What he wanted to see was a free her, a carefree her, who could live even better after he was gone.
I can definitely do it. Mr. C.B. believed in herself, in this self that was scorned by the world, in her indifferent attitude towards everything in this world.
She was a free wind. No one and nothing could ever bind her. Never.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (260 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (230 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (100 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (110 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (280 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (110 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (130 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (162 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (130 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (90 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (60 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (90 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (100 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (90 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (75 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (50 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (60 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (70 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (70 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (40 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (50 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (50 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.