While Kitahara was quietly reflecting on himself, Shirayuki looked at the photo on the cabinet with a regretful expression and spoke up.
"Actually, what I said earlier wasn't excessive at all—it's just the truth."
This mother continued her previous remarks with a sigh: "Mr. Kitahara, you're a trainer, and you've taken an interest in little Oguri-chan. As her mother, I shouldn't hide anything from you."
"This child... well, when she was born, there was a congenital problem with her right knee. The muscle stayed rigid, and when she was small, she couldn't even stand up."
"Later, fortunately, her leg gradually improved, but as you can see in that photo, she was always such a frail little thing. It's only been in recent years that she's gotten stronger."
"With a child like this, even as her mother, I find it hard to believe she could run any outstanding races..."
"No, I'd say it's precisely because I'm her mother that I know—if you as her trainer set your expectations too high, I'm afraid you'll end up terribly disappointed in the end."
As she said this, Shirayuki's expression was not only worried but also deeply honest. She was clearly a very straightforward horse girl who wasn't hiding anything from Kitahara.
"It's not just the child's issues," Shirayuki suddenly gave a bitter smile. She raised her hand and pointed to her own silver-gray hair. "As a trainer, you should know very well that both this child and I have gray horse bloodline, and this kind of bloodline..."
Her expression darkened considerably, and she didn't continue.
Kitahara, who had been quietly listening after his moment of reflection, understood exactly what she wanted to say.
This world, like that other world, also had the concept of bloodlines.
"Gray horses" were indeed a type of bloodline. The distinguishing characteristic of this type of racing horse girls was hair color that changed with age: born with blue-black hair, then changing to gray-black, then to silver-gray, and finally to silver-white.
Shirayuki's hair color was exactly the silver-gray characteristic of gray horses, while in the photo, young Oguri Cap's hair was gray-black, showing she hadn't yet matured.
What she hesitated to say was a common belief in this world's Japan that hadn't changed yet.
Gray horses can't run fast.
This belief existed in that other world's Japan too. Gray horses like Oguri Cap would even be contemptuously nicknamed "mud rabbits."
Quietly looking at this mother whose face showed hesitation and worry, Kitahara had different thoughts.
Perhaps this mother didn't know that in either world, one of the key figures who changed the Japanese belief that "gray horses can't run fast" was none other than her own daughter, Oguri Cap...
His thoughts returned briefly to that original world, but Kitahara didn't voice what he was thinking.
He had realized that he'd been thinking with the foresight of someone who had crossed worlds, forgetting that many things couldn't be understood or accepted by people in this current world.
For instance, Shirayuki's pessimism about her daughter's future and her reluctance to discuss bloodlines—these were things that couldn't be explained right now.
He could only try to convince her using methods suitable for this era.
"I completely understand your concerns," Kitahara thought for a moment:
"But as a trainer, I have great confidence in my eye for talent, and even greater confidence in my abilities. I believe that through my training, Oguri Cap will definitely achieve excellent results."
"Besides, while bloodlines certainly exist, don't miracles exist too?"
"You just said that when Oguri Cap was little, she couldn't even stand up, and she was very frail. But now she can not only run well, but she's also healthy, right?"
"So couldn't we think that Oguri Cap might just be a child who creates miracles?"
Having run a horse racing club before, Kitahara's persuasive skills were solid. He knew exactly what to say to different people to move them, and for a mother, the best approach was to give her hope.
And his words were clearly very effective. Shirayuki's worried face showed signs of wavering, and her tone took on a note of anticipation.
"Is... is that really so?"
The pair of fluffy silver-gray ears on top of her head twitched slightly, and Shirayuki's voice trembled a bit. "You... you really believe in little Oguri-chan that much? This is really... really..."
Kitahara smiled, his expression becoming even more gentle.
"I don't know how others see it, but I've always believed that every horse girl has her own unique talents. The only question is whether the trainer has the eye to spot those talents and bring them out."
"Horse girls' talents need to be nurtured. Even with outstanding natural ability, if training, nutrition, rest, and other aspects aren't properly arranged, even the most brilliant talent will go to waste."
This passage was actually Kitahara adapting from "On Horses" (a poem), though this world had no horses and therefore no such essay, but the principle was sound.
Because of this, Shirayuki nodded thoughtfully at Kitahara's words.
Kitahara wanted to continue, but then the sound of a door opening came from the entrance outside the living room.
Immediately after, there was a soft, gentle greeting.
"Mom, I'm back from my run. Is dinner ready?"
Hearing this voice, both Kitahara and Shirayuki in the living room were startled.
Shirayuki quickly broke into a warm smile, while Kitahara, after being stunned for a moment, suddenly thought:
"That must be Oguri Cap's voice, right?"
Although he'd never directly encountered Oguri Cap in this world, much less heard her voice, and the voice he was hearing now was somewhat different from what he'd heard in the game, Kitahara instinctively felt that it had to be Oguri Cap's voice.
Should he say it was just like Oguri Cap? The first thing she asked when she came home was whether dinner was ready—the same big eater setting as in the original work.
Thinking this, Kitahara couldn't help but look toward the living room entrance.
Soon, he saw a tall, well-proportioned girl with long, powerful legs and long silver-gray hair tied up.
The girl's features were quite striking. At first glance, she could definitely be called a beautiful girl, but unfortunately, she had no expression and gave off a cold, standoffish impression.
Her clothing was completely at odds with her beautiful appearance and aloof temperament.
She wore a set of light gray, worn-out athletic wear. The collar and cuffs of both the top and pants were badly frayed, covered in dust, and the pant legs were splattered with quite a bit of mud.
This outfit made her look unsophisticated and even a bit simple-minded.
Especially after she entered the living room and saw an unfamiliar young man, the way she looked over seemed a bit vacant, making her appear even more simple.
"Mom, this person is..."
She looked at Kitahara for a while, her gaze puzzled for a moment, then looked at Shirayuki with some confusion.
"You're back! Don't worry, dinner's almost ready."
After gently greeting her daughter, Shirayuki looked toward Kitahara beside her and began introductions. "This is Trainer Kitahara Yutaka from Kasamatsu Tracen Academy. He's here to invite you to join his team."
Hearing this, Kitahara stood up and bowed politely. "Hello, Oguri Cap. I'm Kitahara Yutaka. I hope you'll join my team. I believe you'll definitely show amazing brilliance on the racetrack!"
By the end, thinking of Oguri Cap's future achievements in that other world, he couldn't help but raise his voice a little.