"Alright, that's all the strategizing for today. Everyone, head back and get some rest. Let's prepare for tomorrow's training."
"Okay, see you tomorrow, Trainer-san."
After helping his Tantou summarize their findings, Kitano had reached a simple conclusion: "Tokai Teio is not unbeatable." It might sound obvious, but there was little else he could do. His horse girls were competing against the most talented horse girl of their generation in Japan.
Especially in this era, defeating a Tokai Teio who might be even stronger than her historical counterpart was no easy feat. Aside from Kitano's team, this era boasted many powerful horse girls: the Mejiro sisters McQueen and Dober, Dai-Taku Helios, Nice Nature, and later, powerhouse names like Mihono Bourbon, Rice Shower, and Biwa Hayahide. How many of them could confidently say they'd beat Tokai Teio in the Classic Triple Crown?
Anyone aiming to defeat Teio treated her as the final boss. Victory required a combination of track conditions, distance, adaptability, and luck.
In their generation, Tokai Teio was the undisputed final boss. Kitano knew better than anyone the sheer dominance his proud daughter possessed in mid-distance races. And now, if she had been influenced by a past life and even overcome her weakness in long distances… she would be even more terrifying.
So, all Kitano could do now was to cheer on Nakayama Festa and Gold Ship, to give them the confidence to face Teio. In many things, if you don't even have the confidence to try, you will never succeed.
However, it seemed Kitano's encouragement worked for everyone except the one girl he most wanted to inspire, who remained hesitant.
After most had left and only Ardan, Chinami, and Invincible remained, Kitano walked over to Nakayama Festa, who was lingering. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and asked gently, "Don't be so down, Festa. Everyone loses. Even Rudolf and Tokai Teio have lost before. Losing one race is nothing."
"...Kitano, do you think I can really beat Teio?"
Before Kitano could answer, the dejected Nakayama Festa added, "I want you to tell me honestly. Good or bad, at least… I want you to be honest with me."
Seeing her so despondent, Kitano felt a pang of helplessness. The one he wanted to encourage the most was the most discouraged. Clearly, this head-to-head competition had shown Nakayama Festa the vast gap between herself and a true genius.
It wasn't because she performed poorly. In the Hopeful Stakes, Nakayama Festa had truly given it her all. Her start was clean, she conserved energy in the mid-race, looked for opportunities, and her final sprint was timed perfectly. She was so by-the-book she hardly seemed like a wild horse from the Golden Family.
To lose to Tokai Teio even then couldn't be blamed on the Golden Family's infamous unpredictability. It was a genuine difference in skill and talent… and that was the most disheartening thing of all.
When you've done everything perfectly but still can't match your opponent's raw ability, your only hope is for them to make a huge mistake. But for the technically flawless, school-trained Tokai Teio, that was next to impossible.
After冷静ly analyzing the situation, Nakayama Festa, who had given her all, could see no path to victory, which is why she was so dejected. Especially after Kitano's analysis revealed that her sister, Gold Ship, had a better chance of winning, her despondency and a touch of inferiority had crushed her spirit.
"—Honestly, it will be very difficult."
Hearing Festa's plea, Kitano answered truthfully. As he gently ruffled her hair through her knit cap, he quickly added, "It will be difficult with your current, by-the-book state."
"...What do you mean, 'by-the-book'?" As expected, Kitano's words caught Nakayama Festa's attention, and a hint of dissatisfaction crept into her tone.
But in her fragile state, even her dissatisfaction sounded more like a petulant whine. She mumbled at Kitano, "Weren't you the one who wanted us to be less troublesome, like the others?"
"I meant that during training, I wish you and Goldie could be as cooperative as Suzuka and Invincible, training when I say so instead of making me chase you down every time." Kitano rubbed her knit cap a little faster, but his voice held no complaint. "But on the racetrack, when have I ever told you to run by the book? At the Hopeful Stakes, I almost thought I had the wrong horse. I was thinking, 'My Tantou should be Nakayama Festa of the Golden Family, not a well-behaved girl like Special Week or Oguri Cap!'"
At this point, a helpless Kitano finally patted Nakayama Festa on the head, hoping to wake up the horse girl born into the Golden Family, a family famous for "not playing by the rules."
"You silly girl, what were you thinking? Competing in fundamentals against a genius like Tokai Teio, who has received professional training from her family and Tracen Academy since she was young?"
"...I just wanted to know if I could beat her fair and square with my current abilities."
This time, Nakayama Festa didn't react with her usual embarrassment at being patted on the head. Instead, her voice grew even quieter. "Now I know the answer. Under the same conditions, I can't beat her."
"But, I think someone in our family could beat her… Kitano, what if we brought Orfevre in…"
"Silly, Orfevre hasn't fully matured yet. You want her on the track?" Kitano found it amusing. A powerhouse like Orfevre could probably beat Tokai Teio, but she wasn't ready. In her current state, she might not even perform as well as Festa.
Honestly, if Kitano had a choice back then, he would have definitely chosen Orfevre. But now, he didn't want to think about her. He had placed his bet on Nakayama Festa. No matter how bad the hand he was dealt, he had to play it.
Besides, Kitano didn't think Nakayama Festa was a "bad hand" at all. If played right, she was a horse girl who could challenge the T0 tier, with a potential ceiling no lower than Orfevre's.
With his life now relatively secure, Kitano was making a big gamble on Nakayama Festa. A victory for his Tantou in a race against a formidable opponent would grant him a massive lifespan bonus.
Surpassing historical achievements, facing strong rivals, the grade of the race… all these factors greatly influenced his lifespan bonus. Kitano's expectation for Nakayama Festa was something akin to Daiwa Scarlet's "strongest one-shot wonder"!
"Festa, I need you to stop thinking about Orfevre, Goldie, or any outside help. I want you to defeat Tokai Teio with your own strength."
"You have a power you haven't tapped into yet. The power of belief."
Kitano started to point a finger at Nakayama Festa's heart, but halfway through, he realized the gesture might be inappropriate. Under the watchful eyes of Festa and the other girls, he awkwardly redirected it to his own chest and said, "The determination to never give up, even in a desperate situation, is the key to your victory. Your potential hasn't been fully unlocked yet."
"But I already gave it my all. That was my limit…" Nakayama Festa murmured.
"—Then break your limit. I think that's what you're best at."
Under the gazes of the other girls, Kitano gently patted Nakayama Festa's hair again. He suddenly felt like the sage Bodhi from Journey to the West giving Sun Wukong a hint. Though he wasn't asking Festa for a late-night private lesson, he genuinely hoped his Tantou would have an "epiphany" soon.
"I will not abandon you. You were my first supporter, the first card that earned me a seat at the table. So don't think about anything else."
"No matter how strong another horse girl is, she can never replace you. No one can replace you, understand?"
"...Oh."
After Kitano finished speaking, Nakayama Festa's mood seemed to lift a little, though she only mumbled a reply with her head down. This made Kitano feel a bit helpless; this Tantou of his was really hard to console… harder to figure out than Air Groove or Gold City. Compared to her, even Gold Ship seemed manageable.
However, Kitano had no idea that Nakayama Festa, who now had her head lowered and dared not speak, was hiding a nearly uncontrollable expression of joy. If she hadn't lowered her head to hide it, the smile on her face would have stretched from ear to ear.
This was the first time Nakayama Festa had heard her position confirmed by Kitano—she would never be replaced. Even horse girls with more talent like Orfevre, Gold Ship, or Invincible could not take her place.
She was Kitano's "first card." Even if she was a "bad hand," she would do everything in her power to defeat the "good hand" that was Tokai Teio!
Nakayama Festa knew that her barely concealed joy might fool Kitano, but it wouldn't fool Ardan, Chinami, and Invincible, who were watching from the side. She could tell that these three were, in some ways, the most devoted to Kitano…
Though she didn't know the reason for their devotion, Nakayama Festa would not stand by and watch if anything happened to Kitano. No matter who tried to do what to him, she would be his last line of defense!
"S-So, have you thought about where you're going for New Year's?"
In a pinch, Nakayama Festa blurted out the question. Kitano was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly saw through her desperate attempt to change the subject. He smiled without pointing it out and answered softly, "That's right… another year has passed. I don't really have anywhere else to go. I'll probably go to the Golden Family's place."
"New Year's" in Japan was different from his previous understanding; it aligned with Christmas. As a homeless person, Kitano considered the Golden Family's home his own. It was the only place he had to go.
"I'll bring some gifts and go see Dream Journey, and Orfevre and the others. It's been a while since we all got together."
"Then Gold Ship and I will call Nagayama Komachi back too." Hearing that Kitano would be returning to the Golden Family's home for New Year's, a smile bloomed on Nakayama Festa's face. "Komachi misses you too. It's a shame she's still too young; she probably can't stay in Hokkaido much longer."
"Yeah…" Kitano nodded. Feeling the warmth of family for the first time in a while put him in a good mood. He turned to Chinami and Ardan. "So, Chinami, Ardan, what are your plans for the New Year?"
"—I was originally going to invite Trainer-san to spend New Year's with my parents, but I won't impose this time." Chinami Representative smiled faintly, giving up on her initial idea. She knew she had to respect Kitano's choice in this situation, but she hadn't given up completely.
"But after New Year's, my parents and I will probably come visit. If there are any gifts you want, Trainer-san, you have to tell me in advance."
"Thank you for your concern. As for me… I will be returning to the Mejiro estate with Li'l Invincible."
Mejiro Ardan smiled elegantly, but Kitano could still feel a strange sense of distance behind her refined demeanor.
Lately, Kitano had clearly felt that Ardan was not as close to him as she had been when she first arrived from the Mejiro estate. Whenever he tried to close the distance, Ardan would unnaturally pull away, as if she couldn't get used to being with him.
Kitano had no solution for this. Fortunately, his relationship with Invincible seemed to have quietly improved… at least she no longer stared at him so coldly. That was a good sign.
But… why did he have a feeling that this year's New Year's wouldn't be so peaceful?
For some reason, Kitano's intuition was sending him such signals. And what he didn't know was that on the other side of campus, Mejiro Ramonu, having left the student council office, had already made a phone call and obtained some of the information she wanted.
"...Alright, I'll bring him back to the family. Then we'll know if all of this is true."
Hanging up the phone, Mejiro Ramonu exhaled a puff of white mist into the quietly arriving winter air. At this moment, she was trying to verify a crucial conclusion, one that concerned the future of her family.
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