Chapter 45
More than half an hour later, in the Tresen Academy cafeteria.
"…So that's what happened. Good thing I didn't say that in front of Trainer Yasui. It would have been way too rude."
Sitting at the dining table, Ines Fujin sighed with emotion:
"When I was delivering the package, I had no idea he was already a trainer at such a young age, and that he's led Kita-chan to win two races in a row.
"Kita-chan, you're really lucky to have met such an amazing trainer."
"Mhm mhm! I feel really lucky too!"
Kitasan Black said excitedly and gratefully, "I only came to the academy this year, so I haven't taken many classes yet. There's so much I don't know, and my training results weren't great either.
"But Trainer never looked down on me at all. He's been really patient with me in both training and races.
"I'm so glad I met a trainer like him!"
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, who were also sitting at the table, smiled.
"It's not entirely luck, you know."
Daiwa Scarlet reached out and gently patted Kitasan Black on the head.
"It's also because of your kindness and warmth."
"Kindness… and warmth?"
Kitasan Black blinked in confusion. "Why do you say that, Daiwa-senpai…?"
"I think so too."
Picking up from Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka smiled and said:
"I only found out a few days ago when I chatted with Daiwa that you and Yasui-kun first met because you ran into each other."
Kitasan Black's face instantly turned bright red.
"Senpai… why are you suddenly bringing that up…?"
"Don't worry, I'm not making fun of you, Kita-chan."
Vodka waved her hand with a smile.
"After confirming with Daiwa, I learned that both of you were trying to save a little child and accidentally collided.
"By the way, Yasui-kun's body is surprisingly tough — he was fine even after getting hit by you like that.
"But the main point is that you're really kind and warm-hearted, Kita-chan.
"Think about it. If you hadn't rushed to save that child, you never would have run into Yasui-kun.
"And if you hadn't dragged him to the hospital for a check-up, you never would have found out he was a trainer, and the whole contract thing never would have happened.
"I think Yasui-kun was probably moved by your enthusiasm and that's why he decided to become your trainer."
Kitasan Black nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah… When Teio-senpai said she'd have Trainer guide me, I thought he'd turn it down like the other trainers. I never expected him to agree right away."
Summing it up, Vodka smiled and nodded.
"So in the end, it's a mix of luck, kindness, warmth, and a lot of little things that created the connection between you two."
Then she paused, looking thoughtful.
"But speaking of luck…
"Kita-chan, meeting Yasui-kun really was pretty lucky.
"Looking at it that way… the Japan Derby…
"You might actually have a real shot."
The topic suddenly jumped to the Japan Derby. It sounded a bit abrupt, but none of the four horse girls at the table found it strange.
The fastest horse girl wins the Satsuki Sho.
The luckiest horse girl wins the Japan Derby.
The strongest horse girl wins the Kikuka Sho.
This was a well-known saying among trainers and horse girls.
It also had solid reasoning behind it.
The Satsuki Sho was 2000 meters — the shortest of the Triple Crown races — and placed extremely high demands on both pace and finishing sprint.
The Japan Derby had been called "the race that decides the strongest of the generation" since its creation, and in reality it carried even greater weight than the other two.
Any horse girl with the chance to challenge it would never pass it up.
That made the pre-race selection and competition for the Japan Derby incredibly fierce. The horses that actually made it to the starting gate were without a doubt the strongest group of the classic generation.
And since it was the classic year, the competitors' experience wasn't yet at its peak. Combined with the 2400-meter distance — a full 400 meters longer than the Satsuki Sho — a lack of luck could easily cost them the championship.
The Kikuka Sho was much simpler in comparison.
Not everyone could even finish 3000 meters, let alone fight off a field full of powerful rivals. The difficulty was obvious.
"The Japan Derby, huh…"
Hearing the name of the race, Kitasan Black's eyes filled with longing and excitement, but she quickly took a deep breath and shook her head.
"I'm definitely looking forward to that race.
"But Trainer keeps telling me that instead of worrying about the future, I should focus on completing every training session and running every race properly.
"Besides, luck… Trainer doesn't really care about that kind of thing. He puts more importance on things he can see and touch.
"If it were up to Trainer, he'd rather spend time figuring out all kinds of new training methods than rely on luck.
"Like that… that whatever-machine… wait, what was it called again?"
"Drone. It's a drone," Vodka added with a chuckle.
Beside her, Daiwa Scarlet and Ines Fujin both looked amused. Daiwa Scarlet then said thoughtfully:
"Yeah, Yasui-kun really does seem like a very practical person… Looking at it that way, Kita-chan has always been the down-to-earth type too. You two really are a perfect match."
"Mhm! I think so too…"
Kitasan Black had just started nodding excitedly when Vodka suddenly shot to her feet.
"They're a perfect match?!
"Daiwa?! What are you even saying?!
"That kind of thing is still way too early for Kita-chan!!"
Before anyone else could react, the usually bright and straightforward horse girl's cheeks flushed bright red as she frantically covered her nose.
A moment later, a streak of fresh red slowly seeped out between her fingers — she was getting a nosebleed.
"N-no good… this topic is too stimulating… Daiwa, what the heck are you thinking…?"
"S-senpai?! Wh-what's wrong?!"
While Kitasan Black panicked at Vodka's sudden nosebleed, Ines Fujin and Daiwa Scarlet both looked pained.
"…Vodka, you still haven't fixed that habit?"
"You're the one who needs to watch what you say."
One of them handed Vodka a tissue while the other explained to Kitasan Black.
"This senpai of yours has always been like this. She can't handle romance topics at all — the moment she hears one she gets so worked up she gets a nosebleed.
"We took her to the hospital for check-ups several times back when she was still at the academy, but she's still the same…"
After explaining, Daiwa Scarlet shook her head helplessly and leaned over to Vodka with concern.
"Hey, Vodka, are you feeling any better?"
Meanwhile, Kitasan Black was completely stunned.
Romance? They hadn't been talking about romance at all…
Ah! Could it be that when they said…
"a perfect match"?
H-how could that possibly lead to romance talk?!
We were clearly just saying that Trainer and I have really similar personalities…
Vodka-senpai really thinks in the weirdest ways… huh?
Kitasan Black had been quietly laughing at her senpai's ridiculous leap in logic when something suddenly stirred in her chest.
Without thinking, she glanced nervously at the seniors around her.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she quietly lowered her head and looked down at her own feet, her toes curling slightly.
Come to think of it… on the day of her debut race, with so many people watching, Trainer helped her change her shoes like no one else was even there…
He… usually doesn't seem to mind that kind of thing, so…
He probably wouldn't think about romance stuff like the seniors do… right…?
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