Oguri Cap didn't understand why her first reaction upon hearing that Fujimasa March had feelings for Kitano was anger. It was only after she made the bet with her that she belatedly realized that her behavior didn't seem quite like someone who revered him as a father.
From a common sense point of view, she didn't think she should be so malicious towards those who had feelings for her "father." After all, his weak appearance really needed someone to take care of him. And Fujimasa March, in these two years, had been willing to take care of him with all her heart, even giving up her dream of entering the central league several times for him. Her care and feelings for him should not be inferior to her own.
After all, even he himself had admitted that he was worried about her. To be honest, if from a bystander's point of view, if he had a new love and abandoned his old love who had given up her dream and accompanied him in the local area for two years, she would also be very angry.
But this time, she had lost control. Especially when she heard him say that he might stay in the local area for her, she could no longer bear the impulse in her heart. She, who couldn't keep things in her heart, chose to go and confirm this matter with him.
"Huh? I was just about to tell you. It turns out you already know?"
And he, who had finished talking with Symboli Rudolf and was still thinking about how to explain this matter to her in his office, said without any concealment to the visiting her:
"Yes, you are about to enter the central Tracen Academy. The few races I arranged for you have indeed attracted the attention of the central league. The horse king, Symboli Rudolf, has personally talked to me about the transfer. She is willing to be your guarantor."
"Congratulations, Oguri. If it goes smoothly, you only need one race to prove your strength. At that time, when you are in the central league, you only need to win one more major prize, and if there are no accidents, the Japanese Derby will become the first G1 race you step on."
"The most popular Japanese Derby, a once-in-a-lifetime race for all Japanese horse girls. As long as you win, your position in the central league will be unshakable."
He was genuinely happy for her. Because all the current conditions were almost as if he and Rudolf were paving the way for her future. With her strength and talent, as long as she followed the steps, her future achievements would definitely not be low.
A "Cinderella" who had come from the local area to the central league, but had won the Japanese Derby, which was watched by thousands in Japan, and had become a "Derby horse." Such a story, such a script, he could already imagine how much her popularity would skyrocket.
However, what he did not expect was that she, who had come to him, was not at all interested in this path that had been paved for her. She just looked at him, and after a long, long time, she said coldly:
"Kitano, I heard that you are not going to the central league with me. Is that true?"
...Actually, "coldly" was not an accurate description. Or rather, it was more like the image she had imagined for herself. She wanted to appear stronger, in the image of a grown-up adult, to verify this news with him.
And the fact was that the moment she had just asked this question, with a tightening in her heart, the tears that had burst out with the choked voice were like a flood, completely uncontrollable, and instantly blurred her vision.
At this moment, he, who had been happily announcing this news to her, after witnessing the teardrops from her, was also silent for a long, long time, and did not say another word. With her body slowly leaning towards him, he also accepted her into his arms as before. After her intermittent sobs came, she said断断续续:
"Didn't you say... you would take care of me like a daughter..."
"Why... why does Dad still have to be separated from me... is it, is it because I didn't do something well enough?"
"That's not it at all."
Accepting this "daughter" whom he regarded as his own, he was always extremely patient. He knew what she was missing, that part of love. The reason why he could now receive her respect, as if for a father, was because he had truly implemented the positive performance that a father should have.
He felt that what she was missing was not a "strict father." Having lived with her hardworking mother for so long, the always-so-strong Oguri needed a shoulder to lean on, a shelter where she could show her unexpressed side without any cover-up, without worrying that the other person would dislike her.
It's just that... he seemed to have underestimated the deep feelings he and she had cultivated over the years, and her dependence on him. And this time, faced with her rare crying, he also, as always, wanted to give her confidence.
"You have already done very well, Oguri. It's just... if I just abandon Fujimasa like this, it would be unfair to her. At least, at least I want her to enter the central league too."
"Then let her enter the central league first this year!" And she, in his arms, also answered in a sulky voice, "It's only a year's time. I can still wait."
"No, Oguri, you are different from her." And when he talked about this problem, his attitude suddenly changed a lot, his expression particularly serious as he answered softly:
"This sentence, I only say to you, Oguri... in my heart, you and her... no, you are different from anyone else. I don't want to delay your future. I don't want to tie you to my side. To be able to watch you spread your wings and fly to the pinnacle of Japan is my biggest dream and achievement in this life."
"Besides, it's only a year, Oguri. It's not that I won't go to Tracen. We can still see each other again. The only difference is that you are in the central league and I am in the local area. We will still meet again in a year."
"It's only a year, Oguri. I hope you can become stronger... to learn to run firmly even without my existence there."
"After all... no matter what, one day in the future, I may still leave you after all. You must get used to it in advance..."
"I don't want to!!"
However, just as he was spitting out the fact that "he would eventually leave her" with a bitter expression, she, as if triggering some trauma in an instant, reflexively, almost in an instant, broke free from his embrace, her hands tightly grabbing his shoulders, her pupils trembling as she looked at him.
"I forbid it. I forbid you to leave me... Dad..."
"I don't want to be strong. I don't want to grow up. Dad, I must have you by my side, every moment, not a second less!"
"What Japanese Derby, what standing at the pinnacle, I don't care—I don't care about all of this at all!"
"Everything I have now, my ability to run now, was all given to me by Dad and Mom. I forbid it. I forbid any of you to leave me!"
Faced with her first expression of extreme dependence, even to the point where she had lost all reason, a completely willful performance, if not for her now grabbing his arms, her performance would probably be like a child in a shopping mall, because her parents did not agree to her willful request, crying and making a scene in the crowd.
But for her so willful request, there was not a trace of annoyance on his face. Faced with this Oguri, who, after her strong breakdown, had once again thrown herself into his arms and was sobbing, after a long, long time, he finally let out a long sigh and answered with a bitter tone:
"...Silly child. How can there be a person who can grow up without leaving their parents? And how can there be parents who will not leave their children's side?"
"You can't be so greedy, Oguri. This request, even for me, is very difficult to agree to."
...She knew very well that her request was very willful. In fact, she had never expected that he would really agree to her request.
This conversation, in the end, was just to vent her emotions, to vent the sense of urgency she had felt from Fujimasa March. She had done a wrong thing. She had made her realize that her "father" actually never belonged to her alone.
She also clearly realized that she thought she treated him as a father, but in fact, her feelings for him were definitely not just as simple as for a "father"... after all, even if she imagined her own mother and him truly becoming her parents, her level of acceptance would not necessarily be much better than her reaction to Fujimasa.
As for how she really saw him, she couldn't figure it out. But the calmed-down her, the only thing she was clear about was that she had to follow what he said, step by step.
He... had already arranged everything for her. Only by listening to him could she not disappoint him, and could she keep him by her side for a longer time.
So, whether she was in the local area or in the central league, she had to listen to him... this was a creed she was determined to follow in her heart—as long as she was as before, always listening to him, he would like her more and would not be separated from her.
Therefore, since it was he who wanted her to win the race... then she would go and win!
Fujimasa March was the first strong enemy she had encountered. As a horse girl also taught by him, she, who had been in the local area for two years, had a very strong ability to exert her power on the dirt track. As Rudolf had evaluated before, even in the local area, her current level was not a big problem to challenge the major prize.
But unfortunately, the opponent she encountered was Oguri Cap, and one who had no hesitation, no doubt, and was single-mindedly wanting to win this race according to her father's wishes. On the dirt track, she showed her talent bonus, which was a cut above the local horse girls—you know, before enrolling, the successfully operated-on Oguri had nearly two years less training time than her.
Talent, sometimes, is such an unreasonable existence. It can let a genius defeat a mediocre person with a short period of effort, and let a person with the determination to win experience a gap as big as the sky and the earth.
A month later, in the race, she, according to her inner decision, ran towards the finish line with all her might. The Oguri, who was praised as a "monster" by Rudolf in the stands, at the last second before crossing the finish line, noticed the familiar figure standing not far away.
She saw that he was smiling at her with relief. He was encouraging and supporting her choice, and was firmly watching her walk the next path strongly.
He seemed to be telling her that no matter where he was, he would, just like today, always be watching her. They had never been separated.
"Kitano..."
"I'm going to win."
As if hearing her windy voice, he, who had been silently applauding his daughter, also showed a relieved smile and replied softly:
"Go and win. You are a horse girl who can win the world."
...
Oguri Cap, who had won her last race in the local area, gathered with her friends at her home for a grand and touching party. All her good friends in the local area, on this day, together with her mother, celebrated and bid farewell to her, who was about to enter the central league.
This should have been an extremely moving scene, but she seemed a little absent-minded throughout... all her gaze was focused on the only empty seat on the side.
At this farewell party, everyone came. Norun Ace, Rudy L'Amour, and Mini Lady, who had become friends with her after being enemies, and the ever-helpful Brand New Radiant, and even her defeated opponent, Fujimasa March, all came to congratulate her generously.
But only... he did not appear. The one who should not have been missing the most failed to attend this celebration.
Her mother told her that perhaps it was because he also found it difficult to accept the fact that she was going to the central league alone. He was emotionally unacceptable, so he did not come. But she had always believed that he would definitely come and see her one last time.
But this time, she was completely disappointed. She waited from the bustling crowd to the silence, from night to dawn... this time, he never appeared again.
The unwilling Oguri even waited for another week in the local area, but in this one week, he seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. No one had seen his figure. Even Fujimasa March did not know where her trainer had gone.
If it weren't for the fact that he would regularly send them some messages, saying that he had been very busy recently, they would probably have really treated him as a missing person... but the fact was that he had not disappeared.
He just simply felt that he was not suitable to see her now.
With such regret, under the urging of the central league, her spirits were not high as she bid farewell to everyone, bidding farewell to the hometown that had raised her for more than ten years, and slowly headed for the central Tracen Academy.
And as she stepped into this academy, which symbolized the pinnacle of Japanese horse girls, all the birdsong and fragrant flowers, the bright sunlight around her could not attract the slightest attention of this ash-haired horse girl. She just silently pushed her suitcase and stepped into this completely strange academy step by step.
But gradually, not far away, a particularly conspicuous figure made her slowly stop... she saw a horse girl in a Tracen uniform, who looked very much like Fujimasa March, pushing a thin man in a wheelchair and a suit. The moment the two noticed her figure, they both smiled at her.
Am I dreaming...
For a moment, under the reflection of the sunlight, the dazed her seemed to feel that everything she saw was just a hallucination... but the him in the wheelchair, who was getting closer and closer to her, and the face of Fujimasa March, who was pushing him, became clearer and clearer in her eyes.
"Clang." Carelessly, the suitcase in her hand was ruthlessly thrown on the ground. And faced with the long-dazed her, he also used his gentle voice to call back her thoughts.
"—At this time, should I say it's a surprise? But I think a more formal self-introduction might be more suitable for our current relationship."
Saying this, he also placed his palm on his chest. There, a golden badge with the words "JRA Certified A-level Trainer" printed on it was so dazzling in the sunlight.
"My name is Kitano Ryuichi. A trainer who used to work at Kasamatsu, and am now honored to be recognized and become a central-level trainer. My most proud contracted horse girl is the former local horse girl, and now the central horse girl—Oguri Cap."
"So, Miss Oguri Cap, are you still willing to accept the invitation of a former local trainer and become his official contracted horse girl?"
The moment his words fell, under a moment of silence, the ash-haired figure rushed into his arms like a gust of wind. The ash-haired horse girl, who was evaluated as a "monster," at this moment, in his arms, with her nestling and unconcealable joy, responded to his question.
"...I don't want to."
"I want to be Dad's charge... I can only be Dad's charge."
The bright sunlight, she felt the temperature again. The cheerful sounds of the trees and birds became pleasant to hear again. She only discovered from the moment she saw him just now... it turned out that this academy was so beautiful.
Only in a world with you does all of this have meaning... only in the days when you are with me can I notice the beauty of this world.
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