A short while later, Shinji Kitahara and Rudolph met Miss Clover.
She lay in bed. Though she was in her forties, she looked barely older than Symboli Rudolph. Her expression and demeanor were so lively that they made her appear even younger.
But belying her vivaciousness was a tangle of medical equipment and IV tubes. The jump from over twenty years ago had damaged not just her legs, but also her internal organs and other parts of her body. If not for the support of Tracen's medical technology, she likely wouldn't have survived to adulthood.
And it wasn't just medical support. During the time Kazuya Kudo had yet to become a trainer, he had little income, and both their families were not wealthy, completely unable to afford the high medical expenses.
It was Tracen Academy that, after learning of their situation, had the then-Chief Director wave a hand and waive all fees, saying he could pay it back later when he had an income. That was how Clover was able to live to this day.
Clover wasn't alone in the room. Another horse girl, one who had also appeared in Kazuya Kudo's file, was sitting by her bed. It was the one who had once nearly forced herself on Kudo, his former charge.
When Shinji entered, they were chatting. They looked over when they noticed a stranger enter.
"Eh, President Rudolph?" Clover blinked, her gaze shifting to Shinji. "And Mr. Kitahara? What brings you here?"
Hearing Clover's address, Shinji was taken aback. Rudolph, he could understand. As the undefeated Triple Crown legend, she was often on television, so it was normal for Clover to recognize her. But him...
"Miss Clover, you know me?"
"Yes," Clover nodded, her face beaming. "Kazuya used to talk about you all the time. He recently said he was really happy to be your colleague, but it was a shame he was so busy and couldn't come see you... Did Kazuya send you?"
"...No." A slightly embarrassed smile appeared on Shinji's face. "We were just visiting another trainer who's also hospitalized here, and since Kazuya comes here often, we thought we'd drop by..."
Shinji's gaze swept over the medical equipment on Clover, finally resting on her face, which was filled with happiness and joy. He sighed inwardly.
Then, he sat down and began to chat with Clover.
Having just read Kazuya Kudo's file, Shinji knew a lot about him and used it as a topic of conversation. He wasn't too formal, joking and complaining about Kudo as if they were old friends. His conversation often made Clover laugh, and she would say that's just how Kudo was, always calling her an idiot when he was the bigger idiot.
After chatting for a while, Shinji told her that since they came without Kudo's knowledge, it felt a bit inappropriate, so he hoped she could keep it a secret.
Clover didn't think it was a big deal. Both Symboli Rudolph and Shinji Kitahara were people Kudo often mentioned and praised. That idiot definitely wouldn't mind such a small thing. But seeing the sincere expression on Shinji's face, Clover thought for a moment and finally agreed to keep their visit a secret.
Later, Shinji subtly steered the conversation, asking what Kudo had told her about him. The answer was his past achievements.
Finally, after about an hour of chatting, a medical staff member came in to give Clover her daily check-up and care, bringing the conversation to an end. Shinji took his leave.
But after leaving the hospital room, as they walked back, the smile on Shinji's face slowly faded, replaced by an extremely complicated expression.
Beside him, Rudolph also wore a grave expression.
"Trainer Kitahara, do you think..."
"Kazuya Kudo definitely has a problem. Even if he's not involved in 'that incident,' he definitely has other issues," Shinji said firmly.
Before coming here, he had many theories about Kudo's motive, such as being blackmailed with the person in the hospital, the person needing an organ transplant, or something else...
But now, after hearing his and Clover's story, he began to realize that this matter was probably not as simple as he had thought.
To be honest, if Kazuya Kudo was a scumbag, or even just an ordinary person, Shinji wouldn't think this way.
But the problem was, he was Kazuya Kudo.
The incredibly determined Kazuya Kudo, whose love for horse girls was far beyond ordinary, and who was extremely responsible.
Although through his conversation with Clover, Shinji could confirm that Kudo had taken good care of her after the accident. Even in her current state, every time she mentioned him, her eyes would shine with sincere and happy light, and the corners of her mouth would unconsciously turn up in a smile. She even seemed mentally very young.
But the problem was, he took good care of her, but what about himself?
No wife, no children, little contact with his family. He spent his days at school fulfilling his duties as a trainer, then went back to his dorm to call Clover and make her happy, and then took time out every week to visit her.
See the problem? This man was constantly giving, and he was very resistant to receiving anything in return.
If he hadn't heard his and Clover's story, Shinji might have thought he had some noble ideal or was a devout follower of the Three Goddesses.
But after hearing it, Shinji suddenly realized that the driving force behind Kazuya Kudo might be different from what he had previously thought.
Not because of faith, nor because of ideals.
It was guilt.
And, through the casual chat just now, Shinji also learned that the horse girl who was sitting by Clover's side, the one who had almost forced herself on Kudo, had more than once expressed her acceptance of his relationship with Clover, saying that the three of them could be together, and even actively took care of Clover.
And Clover was also very willing to share Kudo with that horse girl. After all, with her condition, and seeing that the other party genuinely liked Kudo, she had more than once persuaded Kudo to accept her.
But to both of their proposals, Kazuya Kudo always had only one answer.
"I've already ruined one person's life, I can't ruin another."
This answer caused dissatisfaction from both of them, and they even formed a united front, often deliberately ignoring him or making sarcastic remarks when he came to visit.
But even so, Kudo's attitude never softened.
Even though more than twenty years had passed since that night, even though it wasn't his fault, even though he had done his best and everyone thought he had tried his hardest.
But only he himself remained in that night, still holding that battered figure in his arms, unable to escape the shadow of regret and self-blame.
He was just very good at hiding it, never revealing his true emotions to outsiders.
Even in this room, the only place where he could feel at ease, he would only reveal a little of his true thoughts when forced to answer.
He has already ruined one person, he can't ruin another.
After suppressing it for over twenty years and never opening his heart to anyone.
He even pushed himself to the point where, even though the other party had completely accepted him and Clover, and he himself had developed strong feelings for her over three years, and Clover fully agreed and even supported them.
When she tried to use the most radical method to break through the barrier in his heart, he punched his brother so hard he almost ended up in the factory.
Shinji refused to believe that someone like that didn't have some issues.
Especially after hearing from Clover that Kudo had been mentioning his name for years before he even joined, a somewhat outrageous conjecture arose in his mind.
Perhaps Kazuya Kudo wasn't blackmailed or tricked into participating in the horse girl hunts, but might have actively participated.
But he probably wasn't trying to profit from it, but for some other purpose.
Human traffickers and horse girl hunters, their natures are quite similar. They are all beings who have lost their humanity and profit by persecuting the weak.
Then, after joining the 'Black Market,' although he seemed to be leading the horse girl hunts on the surface, he was actually using the hunts as a pretext to send them to a predetermined execution ground, thereby alleviating his guilt.
And the person responsible for the actual execution might be Shinji Kitahara.
If this was true, then it could also explain to some extent why those horse girl hunters were like his shadow, because someone was deliberately targeting him, wanting to use his hands to deal with those people.
And further speculation suggests that there are probably more people like Kazuya Kudo in the 'Black Market.'
Because the operating logic of the 'Black Market' itself doesn't make sense.
As an intermediary, the 'Black Market' should only be a platform connecting sellers and buyers, earning profits by taking a cut from the middle.
But so far, according to the information Shinji has gathered, all sellers and buyers have been contacted unilaterally by the 'Black Market.' They are the ones in charge.
And in the previous sixty-eight horse girl hunts, they had not succeeded even once, so naturally they couldn't earn any commission. So profiting from it is out of the question.
But to this day, the shadow of the Black Forest is still behind them, indicating that they have not stopped their actions...
Shinji refused to believe they were doing it for money.
And if it wasn't for money, then it meant they had other purposes.
If Kazuya Kudo's situation could be confirmed, then his previous speculations about the 'Black Market' would probably all have to be overturned.
But that was the problem.
To confirm Kazuya Kudo's problem, he needed concrete evidence.
It wasn't that Shinji didn't have any evidence. For example, the time he left the school completely matched the time the little horse girls witnessed his appearance.
But that alone was not enough. He could completely say that he was bewitched, or find some other excuse to fudge it.
And in the end, all these inferences were just his own guesses. Without concrete evidence to prove that these guesses were true, they could be overturned at any time.
Things were getting more and more complicated...
Thinking of this, Shinji couldn't help but sigh.
He had thought that this trip would at least advance the investigation and answer some of his questions.
But he didn't expect that after the investigation, while the progress had been made, the doubts had increased.
"Trainer Kitahara, did you realize something?" Rudolph suddenly asked.
She was different from Shinji. She hadn't had much contact with horse girl hunters, let alone knew about the existence of the 'Black Market.'
But for some reason, looking at Shinji's face, she had a strange sense of familiarity and could vaguely perceive some of his thoughts.
"I wouldn't say I realized anything, just some guesses," Shinji waved his hand, his expression gradually becoming melancholic. "But this involves some of my personal situation, and I'd rather not say. But if you really want to know..."
"No need," Symboli Rudolph said directly, then added. "But if you encounter any related problems in the future, you can come to me. I will do my best to help you solve them."
Shinji was silent for a while, then spoke.
"...Thank you."
"You're welcome."
After returning from the hospital, Rudolph left.
Due to the recent number of transfer students, Rudolph's workload was already heavy. It was already impressive that she could find time to investigate and accompany him. Now that she was back, she naturally had to return to her work.
As for Shinji Kitahara, after returning to school, he didn't go to the training ground but returned to his dormitory. He sorted out the information he had gathered today, packed it up along with his speculations, and sent it all to that senior horse girl.
He knew that she probably wouldn't like such unconfirmed news, but the problem was that she was also investigating two suspected members of the 'Black Market,' and perhaps his speculations could give her some inspiration.
After sending the message, he lay down on the bed, and a certain black rice ball also climbed onto him.
He stretched out his hand, kneading the black rice ball in his hand, while thinking about what to do next.
After a long time.
He let out a long sigh, his expression gradually relaxing.
He was going to slack off.
Mainly because he had to.
The people from the 'Black Market' were always cautious, and Kazuya Kudo had been paying attention to him for several years. It was already a great feat that he had exposed a small flaw like the Black Forest. It was basically impossible for there to be more.
More importantly, so far, including the Black Forest and the sixty-eight horse girl hunts, the 'Black Market' had not accomplished a single thing. These were all unsuccessful attempts, so naturally there was no follow-up, and no way to investigate.
So now he could only wait, wait for the other party to make a move again, and then he would have the opportunity to take further action.
And while waiting, he could only slack off and wait.
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