In Tokyo in December, the ginkgo trees lining the streets had already shed their last trace of gold. Bare branches swayed lightly in the cool morning breeze.
Thankfully, it was not snow season yet, so the streets were still lively.
Forced to wear a mask, Kuroha strolled through a bustling shopping street, several elegant bags hanging from his hand. Inside were wedding candy samples and a few mock-ups of custom invitations.
For a man with multiple "brides-to-be," wedding preparations were complicated enough to make your head hurt.
Even so, he found himself enjoying it. This kind of busy happiness made him feel like he was truly living in this world.
As he walked, he unconsciously slowed to a stop in front of a familiar dress boutique.
Through the bright floor-to-ceiling window, he saw a scene that felt oddly familiar.
Inside, a silver-haired girl with heterochromia was trying on a lavish Gothic gown woven in black and dark gold.
It was not as pink and frilly as last time, but the dense lacework framed her like an exquisitely tailored masterpiece, the fitted silhouette making her look like a queen carved from precision.
"Oh wow, this 'Obsidian Dream' is perfect for you, Queen. It totally matches the dignity of a Japan Cup champion!"
Ellesley Glory circled her little sister with a delighted grin, clutching a hairband inlaid with black pearls.
"…Ellesley-onee-chan, I really think we should go back."
Folkqueen's voice carried a deep, exhausted helplessness. "Right now, I just want to find somewhere quiet and rest properly."
"No way. This is your victory reward!"
Ellesley grabbed Folkqueen by the shoulders and turned her. "Before the race, we agreed. You could train however you wanted, but after it was over, you had to stay in Tokyo with me and actually have fun."
"…Yeah, yeah. I know."
Faced with Ellesley's earnest gaze, Folkqueen surrendered. She clicked her tongue and let her sister do as she pleased.
Seeing her sister finally accept her fate, Ellesley's face brightened with a satisfied smile.
But when she turned back to browse for more dresses, a hint of gloom and worry crept into her expression.
She was not the type to toy with her sister just for fun.
It was because in the stretch leading up to the Japan Cup, Folkqueen's training intensity had been outright insane.
Ellesley did not know what her sister had sensed, but she had trained as if consequences did not exist, as if injuries were impossible, running herself into the ground day after day.
And yet, Ellesley could feel it, that scorching obsession and iron will burning inside Folkqueen.
So she had not stopped her.
Instead, she had made one condition.
After the race, they had to stay in Tokyo for a while.
The strange part was that Folkqueen's almost deranged drive before the race had vanished completely afterward.
She let Ellesley drag her around anywhere.
That obedience made the last few days go smoothly, but it also made Ellesley feel something was off.
Just then.
"Yo, Queen. Congrats on ruling the Japan Cup. Looks like your life in Japan is still… pretty 'colorful,' huh?"
Kuroha stood outside the window, watching the familiar dynamic, and could not help letting out a soft chuckle. Then he pushed the door open and walked in.
At the sound of that familiar voice, Folkqueen froze, then snapped her head around.
The impatience in her eyes melted in an instant, replaced by the startled joy of reunion, even if she quickly covered it with a tsundere little snort.
"Kuroha? You… when did you get back?"
She lifted her skirt slightly and walked up to him, movements a little stiff. Her gold-and-red mismatched eyes flickered with complicated light.
"I landed a couple days ago."
Kuroha looked her up and down, then gave an honest assessment. "This look is no less impressive than that Lolita-style outfit you wore last time."
"…You talk too easily. Also, stop saying things like that in a place like this." Folkqueen's cheeks reddened. She tugged at her sleeve, visibly uncomfortable.
"Kuroha Trainer."
Ellesley stepped over with graceful poise and offered him a polite greeting.
"I did not even get the chance to congratulate Oguri Cap, and now you return with three straight wins on your overseas campaign. It was practically a miracle. Right now, you're the hottest name in all of the Far East."
"It was just good luck," Kuroha said modestly, then asked casually, "So you're staying in Central until New Year's?"
After all, it had been more than ten days since the Japan Cup. It was already nearing mid-December. If they had not gone back yet, it probably meant they were ringing in the new year here again, same as last year.
"Mhm."
Ellesley nodded, her gaze softening as it fell on her sister. "It's rare for Queen to say she wants to watch the Arima Kinen. So I'm staying with her a little longer."
"I see."
Kuroha nodded in understanding.
After chatting with Ellesley for a bit, she trotted off again to help Folkqueen pick out more outfits.
That left only Kuroha and the silver-haired girl with the gold-and-red eyes.
Folkqueen watched her sister's back for a moment, then said flatly, "This is probably the last time we'll spend New Year's here."
Kuroha's eyebrows lifted slightly as he looked at her.
"You're retiring and going back home?"
"…Yeah."
Folkqueen lowered her head and stared at her toes, speaking as if it were something trivial.
"My wish is fulfilled. I beat my rival. I won the Japan Cup. Everyone in New Zealand is waiting for me to return."
"My goals are all met. There's no reason to keep running."
When she mentioned "everyone in New Zealand," a trace of indifference flashed through her eyes, only to vanish again in the next breath.
"…I see."
Kuroha fell silent for a moment, his voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.
Through the lens of Body and Breath Perception, the once vibrant aura around Folkqueen's slender body had become impossibly thin.
In its place was a dense, near-tangible flow of pitch-black light.
The fading of the Three Goddesses' blessing meant the end of her return to the peak.
She should have been unable to run long ago.
What carried her through the Japan Cup was probably the last warmth of her soul, and a deep obsession carved into her heart.
"Speaking of which, since we ran into each other, here."
As if remembering something, Kuroha pulled a sample wedding invitation from his bag.
He had made a few extra, and now they came in handy.
"Next month is my wedding with March. If you haven't left yet, bring Ellesley with you and come have a drink."
"Huh? Oh…"
Folkqueen took the invitation blankly, dazed for a long moment before the meaning finally hit her.
"W-wedding?!"
She stared at Kuroha with widened eyes. "You're going to marry a horse girl?"
"…Is it really that surprising that I'm marrying a horse girl?" Kuroha shot back, at a loss.
Folkqueen hesitated, then sighed.
"Honestly… you are kind of a monster."
Back in Hong Kong, she had gotten bored and tried to jog and chat with him.
Somewhere along the way, it turned into a full sprint.
And then, as the strongest active racehorse girl across the Atlantic, she still lost.
If there was any human alive who could withstand a horse girl's physicality, it was probably only this guy.
"Then if you marry March, will Obey Your Master and the others really agree?"
Now that she had accepted the premise, Folkqueen's tone shifted. She eyed Kuroha suspiciously.
Then she caught the slightly odd look in his eyes.
In an instant, as if they understood each other without a word, Folkqueen grasped exactly what he meant.
"…You're the real overlord. I'm just an ordinary little horse girl."
Folkqueen deadpanned.
"…You flatter me," Kuroha said, lips twitching, not sure what else to say.
They talked for a while longer. When Ellesley returned with a chosen outfit, the silver-haired beauty waved a hand, putting on an air of forced nonchalance.
"Alright, alright. I'll go to your wedding. Just save seats for me and my sister."
"Of course," Kuroha said with a smile, nodding.
He watched quietly as Folkqueen and Ellesley walked away.
A thought flickered through his mind. The blessing power inside him, now ten times stronger, gave a faint pulse.
"…"
After a moment of silence, he still did not call out to stop them. He simply turned and left.
…
After saying goodbye to the New Zealand sisters, Kuroha crossed the street and made his way to a spacious riverbank nearby.
It was empty, no one in sight, only the distant rumble of cars drifting over.
Kuroha stood at the edge, inhaled the icy air deeply, then slowly raised his right hand.
A low hum filled the space.
With a ripple in the air, a huge rainbow sphere bloomed in his palm, nearly seventy centimeters across.
Yes. Compared to the sixty-centimeter size from not long ago, the power had grown to seventy.
The energy it radiated was enough to visibly warp the surrounding air.
He stared at this force, a might that should have belonged to a god, and Folkqueen's pitch-black glow flashed through his mind.
"This much Blessing Power… if I do what I did before and pour it straight into a horse girl's body… is that really safe?"
Kuroha hesitated.
[Host: Kuroha]
[Rank: National-Class Trainer]
[Stamina: G1-Class+++] (Possesses stamina several times greater than an international G1 champion-level racehorse girl.)
[Abilities:
Body and Breath Perception (Discerns a horse girl's physical condition, running form strengths and weaknesses, and breathing rhythm.)
Sacred Path (Unblocks meridians, eases injury and pain, and uses specialized techniques to stimulate bodily potential.)
Blessing Power (Holds the authority to grant a "divine blessing" to a target. A power of the heart. Continues to rise as the mind changes.)]
Perhaps because the strengthening of this power had not gone through the system, or perhaps because it increased every day, the system panel still had not fully updated the description of this new Blessing Power.
It only gave one line.
"Continuing to rise."
That unknown made Kuroha feel genuinely conflicted.
"Forget it. For now, I'll stick to the older blessing, the one about the size of a tennis ball…"
"As for this enhanced power, I need to research it thoroughly before I use it on my own girls."
With that thought, he began to curl his fingers, preparing to forcibly suppress the power.
Then.
"Ah, there you are. There you are. My luck is pretty good, huh? I didn't think I'd be the first to find you."
An extremely gentle, spring-water-clear voice spoke without warning from the very center of the rainbow sphere.
"?!"
Every muscle in Kuroha's body snapped tight. He almost reflexively flung the Spirit Bomb in his hand.
(End of Chapter)
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