"Achoo!"
"You idiot! I told you not to stand there like that! What if you catch a cold?"
After hastily returning to the dormitory from a sudden downpour, Kitano's small room was instantly filled with drenched horse girls. However, judging by their breathless state, it wasn't just the run from the training grounds that had exhausted them.
The reason was that when the storm hit, Kitano's first instinct was to tell the horse girls to hurry back. But he quickly realized this was a perfect opportunity for Festa and the others to experience a "heavy track" (重馬場).
After all, Festa and Ship were about to enter their classic year, and no one knew what the weather would be like for the Triple Crown races. But Kitano knew very well that the main event of this year's Triple Crown, "Tokai Teio," was an expert on heavy tracks.
In actual history, Tokai Teio, in the G1 Japan Cup, had set the fastest heavy track record in the event's history under unfavorable conditions—a heavy track, the outermost lane, a field of international star horses, and just recovering from injury. That record remained unbroken until the day Kitano was transported. It was nothing short of terrifying.
Although Ship and Festa, with the inherent stamina of the Orfevre family, were also undisputed masters of the heavy track, Kitano knew that their talent was one thing, but their actual experience in such conditions was another.
Therefore, this sudden storm gave Kitano the perfect opportunity. He immediately proposed a quick training plan.
"Everyone, keep running three more laps around the track. This is a great chance to experience a heavy track. I'll wait here until you're finished. Whenever you're done, we'll head back to the dorm."
Yes, Kitano had also stayed out in the storm, quietly waiting for them to finish. And just as he expected, the sight of him, a patient with a frail body, being battered by the storm, immediately sped up their progress. As soon as they finished the three laps, his wheelchair was whisked back to the dorm by his tireless charges.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Your body just got a little better and you're already abusing it. That's not how you self-harm."
The moment they returned, Nakayama Festa, while cursing under her breath, pushed the soaked Kitano into the room. Her hands moved swiftly. She snatched a clean towel from Gold Ship and immediately started drying Kitano's wet hair, grumbling:
"We're horse girls, blessed by the Three Goddesses. A little cold is gone in a few days. How dare you stay out in a storm like us!"
"You better cherish yourself more. If you die, who will I find as a trainer—hey, is the ginger cola ready? Get him a bowl, quickly."
"It's almost ready," Mejiro Ardan called back, busy with a pot of bubbling hot ginger cola. Kitano, feeling Festa's less-than-gentle movements, couldn't help but smile.
Truthfully, it wasn't that he wanted to self-harm or that he had a death wish. As their trainer, if he set a heavy track training requirement for his charges, what would it look like if he, the coach, wasn't there? He'd be no different from those unscrupulous teachers who tell their students to "find inner peace to cool down" in the sweltering summer heat while they nap in a 24-degree air-conditioned office.
There were some hardships he could avoid, but some he had to share with his charges. This wasn't about their obedience or his authority; it was a "responsibility" he had to bear, a commitment he had to show them.
Besides, he wasn't unprepared. When he sensed the weather turning, he had sent Ardan, whose health was similarly fragile, back to the dorm to prepare ginger cola for everyone.
And... he figured he still had two years of life left. A single downpour probably wouldn't be enough to wash him away, right?
Thinking this, Kitano glanced subconsciously at his arm, at the numbers only he could see. Seeing that the rate of his life draining hadn't accelerated, he breathed a sigh of relief. Facing the scolding but deeply concerned Festa, he smiled faintly, instinctively grabbing her wrist.
"I won't die, Festa. I promise you."
"...You'd better not." Startled by his sudden touch, Nakayama Festa felt a little awkward under everyone's gaze and pulled her hand back. She then took the steaming bowl of ginger cola from Ardan and handed it to him, turning her head away.
"Alright, drink this down, then go take a quick shower! You—ah! What are you doing?!"
Suddenly, as she turned, Nakayama Festa felt a touch on her hair. Looking back, she saw that Kitano had, at some point, stood up from his wheelchair, placed the bowl aside, and was now using the towel to carefully dry her wet hair.
"Don't move too much, or you'll lose hair," Kitano said as he gently removed the soaked knit beanie from her head.
As the beanie, which she almost never took off, even when sleeping or showering, was removed by Kitano, Nakayama Festa offered no resistance. She simply lowered her head further and further, even her horse ears drooping obediently.
"What's the big idea... you should have told me first. It's not like I wouldn't listen to you."
"I have to do it when you're not looking, otherwise you'd resist, wouldn't you?" Kitano's gaze lingered on the beanie for a moment before he set it aside and focused on drying her hair. Of course, he didn't forget the others watching. "Everyone, dry your hair. If you can't do it yourselves, I can help."
"Haha, no need to trouble Trainer Kitano with such a small thing! Oguri, let me help you!" Tamamo Cross, who was also there as a training partner, immediately went to her friend. However, Oguri Cap just gave her a blank stare and said flatly:
"No need. I can do it myself."
"Suzuka-san, let me help you. And then you can help me, okay?" On the other side, Special Week unceremoniously plopped a clean towel on Suzuka's head and started rubbing with a smile before Suzuka could even react, leaving her no chance to ask Kitano for help.
From beginning to end, Seiun Sky, who had been silently drying herself off, kept her gaze fixed on Kitano and Nakayama Festa. Her deep eyes glinted strangely, at times flashing with a sharpness like a knife.
And next to her, surprisingly, was Tokai Teio, the very subject of Mr. C.B. and Rudolf's earlier discussion.
Teio was here for Seiun Sky. The last time they had bet on a 2400-meter race, the result was clear. Teio, being better adapted to the Japanese tracks and with a better sense of rhythm, had won handily, leaving Sky far behind with her signature "Teio Step."
But after that, a triumphant Teio had immediately challenged Sky to a second and third race... Finally, in the fourth race, Teio had collapsed from exhaustion, and Seiun Sky, with her superior stamina, had taken the victory.
Although Teio had been at a stamina disadvantage, she had sensed Seiun Sky's talent. She realized Sky was adapting to the Japanese tracks and the 2400-meter rhythm at an astonishing rate.
No, it was more like she was "imitating" Teio's rhythm, using her own powerful stamina for trial and error. The gap between them shrank with each race, and by the fourth, Sky had essentially mastered Teio's "front-runner" style.
This incredible adaptability made Teio feel threatened, but it also ignited a fire of competitiveness in her heart. So this time, she had been waiting for Kitano's group to arrive, eager for a rematch.
Unfortunately, before she could challenge Sky, the weather had turned, and a storm had erupted. When Kitano gave his training order and she saw that none of them were stopping, her competitive spirit took over, and she joined them, getting soaked in the process.
But... now she seemed to be witnessing something unusual. Sensing a bit of gossip, Teio leaned over to the silent Gold Ship and whispered:
"Gold Ship, the relationship between Trainer Kitano and Nakayama-san seems a bit... subtle, doesn't it? What's the deal?"
"Huh? That? Isn't it simple? Festa-nee really likes Kitano-chan."
Gold Ship, who had been keeping her distance from Kitano since the Mile Championship, didn't even bother to lower her voice. She said it with a deliberate cheerfulness that landed like a thunderclap in the ears of the other horse girls.
"Cough!" Even Nakayama Festa, who was sipping her ginger cola and using the heat to hide her blush, choked. Her face turned beet red as she snapped at Gold Ship:
"Don't say such unnecessary things! I don't have any 'extra' feelings for Kitano!"
"Oh? But if Festa-nee doesn't like Kitano-chan, why would you listen to him so obediently? You even let him touch your hair and legs~"
Gold Ship, however, was not afraid of Festa at all. She continued her teasing, and under the increasingly pointed stares of everyone around them, a flustered Festa offered a weak explanation.
"Kitano and I are partners! He's my comrade-in-arms! Don't tarnish our bond with that kind of nonsense!"
"Heehee, just be honest, Festa-nee. Liking him is liking him. Besides, there's nothing shameful about liking Kitano-chan~"
Faced with Festa's pale defense, which was practically a confession, a feigned smile appeared on Gold Ship's face. However, driven by a strong impulse, she pursed her lips and finally said in the same playful tone:
"After all, Gold Ship-chan likes Kitano-chan the most too Otherwise, I wouldn't be so obedient"
"...Hey, why do you all look so relieved? Can't Gold Ship-chan like Kitano-chan?"
As soon as Gold Ship said this, the tension surrounding Nakayama Festa dissipated. Everyone seemed to relax—clearly, Gold Ship's "like" was not the same kind of "like" they were thinking of... After all, being liked by a strange alien horse would be a bit of a torment for anyone.
...But this was exactly the effect Gold Ship had hoped to achieve. Seeing everyone's guards go down, she maintained her playful demeanor, but her eyes were fixed on the beanie Kitano had treasured and placed aside.
Aside from Kitano and Festa, only Gold Ship knew that the beanie on Nakayama Festa's head was a gift from Kitano, given to her on the second day of her formal debut, when he was staying at the Orfevre family home.
From that day on, the beanie became Nakayama Festa's signature item. No matter where she was, she almost never took it off. Even when it needed washing, she would choose the fastest method possible, once even sending just the beanie to the dry cleaners to pick it up the next day.
All of this was proof that what Gold Ship had said was not baseless... But, even though she had said it, Gold Ship didn't want to admit it.
But she said it anyway. And though she ended with a joke to ease the mood, she had also tacitly confirmed Nakayama Festa's feelings for Kitano... and now, the world was "approving" of her decision.
Gold Ship nonchalantly shook her head of ash-grey hair. It was even more lush than during the Mile Championship. Even damp, it didn't look messy. It was a beautiful coat of hair that anyone would praise.
...This was the world "approving" of her actions. As long as she knew her place, then whether as the individual named "Gold Ship" or as another, unknown identity... she could continue to exist in some form.
As long as... she knew her place. Gold Ship believed she could do it... She had to.
-------
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 (270 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (240 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (110 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (120 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (290 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (120 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (140 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(70 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (180 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (140 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (100 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (70 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (100 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (120 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (120 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (85 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (60 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (110 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (110 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (60 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (80 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (80 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (60 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (60 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (60 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.