Taking his time, Teruizumi Shinji made his way to the Polaris lounge. It was his first time coming here, and just before pushing the door open, he felt a faint stir of excitement.
Back when he had just passed the trainer qualification exam, he had fantasized about how quickly he would claim his first graded race win, even a G1, and how young he would be when he finally built a team of his own.
At the time, he had never imagined that the road to this point, in a career that was not even especially long, would end up being so full of deep and bitter setbacks.
He looked at the lettering on the door. By the academy's naming conventions, the team ought to have been called Polaris II, but the system's translation suited his tastes better, so in his heart he had always thought of it this way.
He pushed the door open.
There was none of the dust or clutter he had half expected. Someone had clearly cleaned and arranged the place. The room was wide, open, immaculate, and fully furnished, with a meeting table and everything else one might need. Having been to Team Spica's lounge before, even Shinji had to admit the academy had been unexpectedly generous this time.
This room far exceeded his expectations. Even with ten runners under him, he felt it still would not be cramped.
He threw himself onto the sofa.
The soft texture and astonishing resilience swallowed him into its cushions. He could feel the coolness of the material against him, though he had no idea what it was made of.
The location of the room itself also meant it stayed warm in winter and cool in summer. Even without the heat on, it retained a pleasant warmth.
At last, Shinji smiled openly.
It was rare for him to grin so freely, but a dream he had nearly forgotten entirely in the midst of those hard days had now finally come true. It was only natural that he could not suppress his joy.
[You got a team starter pack. Remember to open it!]
For once, the system did not ruin the mood. Usually it excelled at pouring cold water over things or making snide comments, but this time it only brought good news, widening the smile on his face.
Thanks.
Shinji's politeness seemed to make the system uncomfortable. Listening to it hem and haw in embarrassment, he could practically picture it twisting awkwardly in place.
Knock, knock.
The sudden sound from the doorway pulled him out of his happiness. He turned toward the entrance.
Hayakawa Tazuna stood there prettily, smiling brightly. She had obviously caught his little moment of "self-entertainment."
"You were here already, and you didn't make a sound?" Shinji asked, a little embarrassed, though his voice remained clear.
"Beep."
There was a sly glint in Tazuna's eyes. Shinji could only sigh helplessly and sit up straight on the sofa.
Only then did she walk in fully and close the door behind her.
"Remember to shut the door next time. Someone might see everything."
"I'm not doing anything shameful. Let them look."
He said it stubbornly, though he knew full well he had simply been carried away by his joy and forgotten.
Tazuna did not argue. She reached out and lightly tapped his forehead with a finger, making him raise a brow and lean back out of range.
"So what did you come for?"
"To see how long it would take you to come have a look at this place," Tazuna said with a laugh. She was not about to tell him that for the past few days she had stopped by whenever she had time, just to see whether he had moved his office over yet. "I honestly thought you'd come the very same day I told you."
"I've been a little busy. Besides, I still don't have that many runners, and we need time to settle in. There's no need to rush."
As he said that, Tazuna nodded.
Her fitted work uniform already outlined her flawless figure, and the way she sat now made the sofa sink even deeper beneath her, the curve at its edge tracing the roundness of her hips. Shinji and Tazuna were seated close enough already, and the shriek that rang out in his mind from the system made him glance over on instinct.
He quickly looked away.
He saw, very clearly, a flash of danger in her eyes.
Pressing his lips together, he averted his gaze.
What are you doing?
[What, I'm not allowed to look?]
Then why are you yelling at me?!
[And I'm not allowed to yell?]
Defeated by the system's disgusting logic, Shinji took a deep breath and decided to change the subject.
"Tazuna—"
They both spoke at the same time. Shinji cut himself off first, but he had already caught the moment of hesitation in her expression.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The woman before him had grown uncharacteristically shy. She definitely had not come here merely to "take a look." There had to be something else.
"Go ahead," he said.
"Do you remember what I told you before? That I might need you to help me with something?"
Shinji nodded, but his expression gradually turned serious. For even Tazuna, who always carried herself with effortless grace, to hesitate like this, the matter clearly would not be simple.
At least not for him.
"The real reason I came today," she said softly, "was to talk to you about that."
As she spoke, Tazuna turned her gaze toward the door of the lounge.
The door, which had just been shut, opened again.
The horse girl who stepped in from behind it was Narita Brian.
Shinji's eyes widened in stunned disbelief. He looked at the determined expression on Brian's face, then turned back to Tazuna, equally shocked. His thoughts felt hopelessly tangled, and he could barely process what was happening in front of him.
Everyone knew Narita Brian was Tōjō Hana's runner. On top of that, she had the glory of a Triple Crown and the status of student council vice president—she held a position at the academy that the overwhelming majority of horse girls could not compare to.
"Sorry," he said slowly, "I don't think I quite understood…"
"It means exactly what you think it means," Tazuna replied. "I want to ask—no, I want to request—that you become her trainer."
"Then Hana-san…"
Shinji murmured, and as he spoke, things finally started to click into place.
The smile that had been lingering at the corners of his mouth flattened. The joy that had flickered across his face gave way to a strange stillness.
Narita Brian knew she had not imagined it. Shinji had already grown a little irritated, a little distant.
"You should know Hana's situation too," Tazuna said with a sigh. "Right now she's focused on training El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder. She still has older-generation runners to see through the final year of their Twinkle Series careers as well. This wasn't just some private decision we made behind her back. Hana knows about all this. I talked it over with her, and she has a very clear understanding of her own circumstances."
The man in front of her showed no change in expression. His face was so flat it felt eerie, and Tazuna even had the urge to push him and tell him to at least show something.
"Brian, she…"
"I want one more shot at a G1," Narita Brian cut in, gritting her teeth. "I've never won a G1 in my older-horse years. I don't want to keep wasting away like this."
Shinji did not really empathize with her desperation.
The horse girl before him had already reached the summit once. Even if her later career had been full of difficulties, she had still known what it meant to stand at the top.
The road down from the mountain was never going to offer a better view than the one from the peak.
He looked into Brian's eyes, and the emptiness in his own began to sharpen into something more focused.
"I don't take on other people's runners," he said. "Tōjō Hana is the one who brought you to the heights you stand at now."
A trace of bitterness welled up in his chest. Unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind, and only strengthened the conviction he now held.
"If she no longer has the energy to walk that road with you again, then that can only be called your—"
"What if I'm the one asking you?"
The sudden voice cut off what he had been about to say.
Startled, Shinji turned toward the doorway.
The shock he felt now was no less than when Tazuna had first brought this whole matter up.
He saw that woman standing there, wearing an expression too complicated to name, looking straight at him as she waited for his answer...
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter155)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter172)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 158
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 144
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 165
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 140
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 120
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 95
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 80
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 50
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 40
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 50
Still playing traditional Honk 30
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