By the time Principal Kitano left the conference room, her head was still spinning.
Sakuraba Ryo's proposal sounded far too good.
So good that she didnt want to accept it.
What if it was just bait on a hook?
It might look irresistibly tempting, but the moment she opened her mouth and swallowed it, she could end up doomed beyond redemption.
If she alone fell into that abyss, that would be one thing. But she represented Hokko Academy.
If something went wrong, she could not shoulder that responsibility by herself.
That was why she had to think much more carefully about this matter...
So in the end, the meeting between her and Sakuraba did not actually result in any immediate agreement.
Sakuraba himself did not mind.
For something this important, it really was not the sort of decision anyone could make in a short time.
Letting her go back and think it over was a good thing.
That was what would make long-term cooperation between the two academies possible.
Sakuraba had no interest in doing business with them once and calling it a day.
If Hokko Academy kept sending students to Nishikino for special training in the future, the losses he could rack up over time would be quite considerable.
And more importantly, if Hokko's Umamusume produced results, that would belong to Hokko. What did it have to do with his Nishikino Academy?
There was zero risk!
And that made it a good investment!
So in truth, Sakuraba valued this investment project quite highly.
That said, it would not matter much even if Principal Kitano turned this cooperation down. He had plenty of other ideas for how to keep losing money.
Whether this partnership happened or not was ultimately up to Principal Kitano.
After stepping out of the conference room, Principal Kitano turned back and took a long, deep look at the door that had just closed behind her. The doubts in her heart simply would not clear away.
She turned to Principal Nishikino, who had not said a word since earlier, and asked,
"Just what kind of person is this Sakuraba-san? His ideas are so... unconventional."
"Don't tell me he's just some ordinary investor. I'm not so far gone that I'd mistake someone like that for ordinary."
"You're right. Sakuraba-san is no ordinary person."
Principal Nishikino said that with heartfelt conviction.
As one of the old guard who had watched the academy grow step by step into what it was today, Principal Nishikino already followed Sakuraba's lead in all things.
Everything Sakuraba-san says is right!
If there's ever anything wrong with what Sakuraba-san says, then it can only mean there's something wrong with my thinking!
I'm still not progressing fast enough!
Like just now in that conference room—he had been every bit as shocked by Sakuraba-san's decision as Principal Kitano had. It was downright disgraceful for a veteran like him!
You could never judge Sakuraba-san's actions by surface appearances alone!
He had to think several layers deeper!
"Sakuraba-san's ambitions are not something people like us can hope to fathom. But there is one thing I can say for certain: there is not the slightest falsehood in his words."
Principal Nishikino looked earnestly at the older woman before him, a fellow principal of a well-known academy in Hokkaido, and spoke from the heart.
"If Sakuraba-san chose to work with you for the sake of strengthening Hokkaido's Tracen academies as a whole, then naturally his sights cannot be fixed on the small amount of profit in front of him. He must be looking at something much farther ahead..."
"As for what his true objective is, someone in your position should not find it difficult to figure out..."
Hearing Principal Nishikino speak in such a solemn tone, Principal Kitano felt her heart sink slightly.
To raise the overall strength of Hokkaido's Academies...
If that was really the premise of Sakuraba's actions...?
Then what kind of goal would require him to strengthen all of Hokkaido just to stand against it?
Could it be—?!
All at once, a thought struck Principal Kitano's mind like a bolt of lightning.
His target was... Central!
"Mm...!"
Seeing Principal Kitano's face suddenly change, the Nishikino principal raised a finger to his lips.
"Some things do not need to be said aloud. Think it over carefully once you return to Hokko Academy."
During the walk to the school gate, as the Nishikino principal escorted her out, Principal Kitano's expression kept shifting.
Finally, just before leaving at the gate, she asked one last question.
"Who else is working with you right now?"
"On the Hokkaido side, there's your Hokko and Daikō... Versailles has been hard to get in touch with."
"Heh. If you people are planning to make a move against that side, how could the people at Versailles possibly agree?"
"Who knows?"
Principal Kitano took one last deep look at the gates of Nishikino Academy.
By now, Nishikino Academy was unquestionably a regional powerhouse.
Over on the regional side, these people's influence had probably already grown into something massive...
Still, judging by Principal Nishikino's tone... it seemed that no one had actually entered into deep cooperation with them yet.
In other words, if Hokko Academy accepted this partnership now, then the resources they could obtain from today's Nishikino Academy would far exceed what Daikō Academy could get.
Forge a deeper relationship. Make the academy stronger...
And in the end, challenge Tracen Academy..?
Heh heh heh...
At first, Principal Kitano had thought Sakuraba's proposal was just some pie-from-the-sky windfall.
But now, it seemed she finally understood what Sakuraba was really thinking.
This was not some easy gift falling out of the sky.
What Sakuraba was planning was a huge investment—one of those bets that could turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.
Of course there was risk, but the rewards were rich enough to justify it.
Maybe this was Hokko Academy's chance to rise in a single bound!
Principal Kitano felt she could not afford to remain so rigid and old-fashioned.
"Principal Nishikino, help me pass along a message."
"?"
"Tell Sakuraba-san this: Hokko accepts his investment."
After tossing out that line, the older woman stepped into the car that would take her back to Hokko Academy.
Watching the sedan's retreating silhouette, Principal Nishikino smiled.
"Looks like we all have our grievances with Central."
...
A few days later, Sakuraba received a call from Norn Ace.
"Hello, hello, Sakuraba, Sakuraba."
"What's up?"
Hearing the noisy background on the other end of the line, Sakuraba asked.
"Well, a few Umamusume came by the shop. They say they know you and came to support the business?"
"Who?"
"It's Maruzensky from Tracen Academy!"
"Her, huh... Anyone else with her?"
"There's also Sakura Chiyono O and Mejiro Ardan..."
Come to think of it, Maruzensky had said something before about wanting him to help take care of a junior...
"All right, then."
These past few days had been pretty peaceful for Sakuraba. Going in to work once in a while did not sound too bad.
"Oh, right—have them eat more fruit while they're there, and don't let them pay!"
"Seriously, don't let them pay!"
"Uh... okay..."
After hanging up, Norn Ace's mouth twitched slightly as she recalled how worked up Sakuraba had sounded.
Why did it feel like asking Sakuraba to take money was the same as asking for his life...?
Norn Ace looked over at the three Umamusume seated in the shop and could not help but sigh.
"Our place has really made it, huh? We actually got top Japanese Derby contenders coming here..."
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