"Oguri Cap! She's in the lead! Can no one catch up—wait?! There's an accident! She has stopped!"
"What happened? Her speed suddenly dropped! She's been caught! The Takarazuka Kinen, which she was sure to win, she's only in second place?!"
Suddenly, the screen showing her inexplicable defeat in the Takarazuka Kinen a month ago was turned off without warning. And with the now-lying-on-the-bed her slightly turning her head, she was met with the extremely bad-looking face of Tamamo Cross beside her.
"Oguri! I was gone for a little while, and I see you're repeatedly watching this race. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!"
"But I'm telling you now, if you want to return to the racetrack now, no way! You stay here and rest well until your illness is cured!"
At this moment, under her gaze, Oguri, who was lying on the bed, looked no different from usual at first glance, but her leg, which was in a cast, was particularly conspicuous.
Half a year ago, she would never have thought that she would have this day... she knew she had hit a low point in her life, but she had not expected that this low point would be more cruel than she had imagined, enough to make her feel as if she had fallen into a bottomless abyss, her whole body filled with a coldness that reached her bones, a feeling of powerlessness...
Just a month ago, she, who thought she had recovered successfully and could finally avenge her shame, had signed up for one of the most popular races of the first half of the year, the G1 Takarazuka Kinen, with his tacit permission. She had set her sights on this G1 race, which could decide the strongest horse girl of the first half of the year, hoping to make a successful comeback and break the unfavorable rumors about him from the outside world in the past six months.
Undoubtedly, the comeback "popularity king" Oguri Cap was pushed to the number one popularity position. She herself was also full of confidence. In the final straight, she was even leading the second place by a full seven lengths, which could be said to be an absolute advantage!
But in the last fifty meters, her suddenly weak leg made her sprinting speed plummet... she almost gritted her teeth and persisted, and with the advantage of the lengths she had pulled away before, she finally got second place by a narrow margin...
And after the race, accompanied by him and Tamamo, she was finally diagnosed with an injury to her leg—a fracture. Fortunately, the fracture was not serious and would not completely end her career.
But unfortunately, since her development, she, who could almost recover quickly the next day no matter what illness she had, and had an extremely strong recovery ability, was now helpless against this fracture. A month had passed, and her leg injury was recovering extremely slowly... much slower than most horse girls.
And this was not the most desperate. As the season gradually entered autumn, she, whose fracture had not yet recovered, fell ill again. And this time, the illness made her feel complete despair—periostitis.
This illness, for any horse girl, was equivalent to an incurable disease. Countless horse girls had eventually fallen on this devil-like disease and had to bid farewell to the racetrack, to training. This was equivalent to a death sentence for a horse girl's career.
Because the only way to delay periostitis was to ensure rest. This meant that a horse girl with this disease would not be able to participate in normal training. This, for an athlete, was equivalent to taking a step back for every day of training missed. Others were improving, but you were regressing. It would be even more impossible to win a race.
She had thus fallen into the lowest point of her life... if not for Tamamo and him, as well as her mother from her hometown who had called in time to comfort her, she felt that she might have given up on her dream of being a "horse girl" under this series of blows...
But she, who had not given up, still lived in anxiety and unease every minute and every second...
"...But... what can I do now..."
Clutching the bedsheet slightly, large tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes. This once-glorious "ash-haired monster" was now as dejected as a loser. Even if she gritted her teeth, she could not stop the scene of her bedsheet being wet by her tears.
"Tamamo... will I really... never be able to run again? My journey as a horse girl... is it... over here?"
"I... I'm so unwilling."
With her eyes lowered, she almost squeezed this sentence out from between her teeth. And Tamamo Cross on the side was now also silently listening to her friend's heartfelt words, but she could not say any more comforting words.
She knew better than anyone the impact of a disease like periostitis on a horse girl. Their contemporary, "Mejiro Ardan," had also completely bid farewell to the racetrack because of a similar disease. This was an incurable disease for a horse girl, and there was no way to cure it.
"I still want to continue running... I still want to see his smile... I still can, clear his name..."
"I... have disappointed him. I... can't run for him anymore..."
"—That's not the case."
And just as the atmosphere in the room fell into an unprecedented heaviness, a voice as if from heaven slowly sounded in the room. With the opening of the door, his slightly thin figure appeared in front of the two girls again, and with a gratified smile, he said, word by word:
"You have already done very well, Oguri. None of this is your fault."
"I have already received enough beauty from you. Everything you have given me is something that no one else can ever give."
"Kitano..."
He looked much more haggard than half a year ago. In her impression, his current appearance was not much different from when she had just won the Japanese Derby... in just half a year, she had watched his physical condition worsen little by little, until it became like this.
Finally, under the complete collapse of her emotions, she, who was unable to move on the bed, threw herself into his approaching arms. This "ash-haired monster," at this moment, threw herself into the arms of the only person she could rely on, and cried her heart out without any image...
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Kitano... I didn't do it, I still didn't do it..."
I still failed to live up to what Fujimasa had told me to do... I still couldn't share his worries.
From the day I met him, I have been making him worry. My deformed leg in my childhood, my poor family background, my huge appetite... now that I have become famous, I still can't help him at all when he needs help the most...
Clearly, everything I have was given by him. Clearly, all the happiness I have now was obtained from him... why, why does he still comfort me, saying that he has gotten everything from me?
I... have clearly done nothing... it was he who made her, why can't she do even a little thing for him.
At this moment, her thousands of words were all turned into a series of "I'm sorry"... her wailing lasted for who knows how long, before she finally fell asleep exhausted, ending this extremely painful day for her.
He gently let the tired-from-crying her lie flat on the bed, silently covered her with a blanket, and then gave a look to Tamamo on the side. The two of them silently left the room.
"So... what now?" Tamamo, who had walked out of the room with him, also turned her worried gaze to him and asked abruptly, "Should we let her retire like this? It's still in time to stop the loss now. I think that after she retires, the scolding from the outside world will definitely be less..."
"—No, she hasn't given up. I think she can still win one more time."
And at this time, he, who had always prioritized his charge, made a different judgment from her. And just as she was a little confused, he shook his head solemnly and answered firmly:
"If she retires now, I'm afraid that in the future, she will have a hard time getting over this day of unwillingness. We have to let her overcome her inner demon, so that we can ensure that her future path can be smooth."
"But... her failure in the Takarazuka Kinen this time, and her injury, has already had a very bad impact on your reputation." And she also had a particularly worried matter, saying, "These reporters' propaganda all say that her injury this time is a sign that she has not recovered well. The whole of Japan is calling for her to retire. If you insist on letting her go to the race, it will only make your reputation worse and worse."
"—It doesn't matter. As long as you and Oguri can understand me, I think it's enough."
And he also gently shook his head. However, what he did not tell them was that he had actually already received a signal that was more dangerous than the outside public opinion—in his trainer's dormitory, a note of unknown origin had been placed yesterday. On it was a death threat to him written in red pen. It said that if he did not let her retire, a bomb would be placed in his dormitory.
He had been discussing this matter with Tazuna and the director today... however, during this period, her poor condition had almost become the most talked-about news in the Japanese horse girl world. There were constantly crazy news reporters who, after failing to break through from the front, had begun to sneak into Tracen to secretly film her daily performance.
Some of these people had already been taken to the police station, some were still under investigation. The director and Miss Tazuna, as well as the student council and the various security departments, were all having a headache over this matter...
The taciturn her could only speak her mind freely in front of him. And to outsiders, everyone's impression of her was always silent. And after she became famous, this personality was reflected as coldness and "the pride of a strong person." Her concise way of speaking in interviews, which always made the scene awkward, made her interview records very few.
Of course, he had also been deliberately avoiding her communication with reporters. And even the awkwardness was actually something he had deliberately let her do, in order to minimize the possible impact of reporters on her.
But now it seemed... this effect had not been achieved. Everything that should have happened seemed to have happened.
"But we can't go on like this... her illness can't be delayed. But the current environment at Tracen is not able to create a good rest for her."
Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind. In front of her, he made his decision and said, word by word:
"We have to let her sneak out of Tracen, without being noticed by the news reporters lurking in Tokyo and at Tracen. We have to send her to a place where she can recuperate, so that we can ensure her rest."
"This... is a good thing for her. But the problem is, where can she get some rest?"
"Iwaki." He said the place where she would be going for recuperation without any hesitation. But the reason why he chose that place, she also reacted the moment she heard the name of the place, and said in surprise, "I know that place. It's that, right? One of only two in all of Japan, a hot spring specially for horse girls to recover!"
"I heard that the hot springs there are particularly effective for the recovery of injured horse girls. It seems to be some kind of trace elements or something... you want to take her there to soak in the hot springs to heal her injuries, right?"
"Mm, although soaking in the hot springs for a long time might make her heart rate accelerate a little, and a horse girl's heart rate accelerating will make her stamina consume faster, which is not good for running long distances... but if the time can be controlled well, it might be effective." He also nodded and confirmed her treatment plan. He then turned his gaze to her and said softly, "I have to go to Iwaki first to find the location and discuss the matter of booking the entire place with the owner... I don't want her to be surrounded and questioned by other horse girls when she goes there. That would be even more troublesome."
"As for you, Tamamo... you can help me stabilize her and not let those lurking reporters disturb her. Can I ask you to do that?"
"Of course! I will definitely protect her well. I will absolutely not let those greedy guys touch a single hair of hers!"
And she, who knew her mission was very arduous, also patted her chest and guaranteed it. However, she was more worried not about her, but about him in front of her, who was getting thinner and thinner and whose condition was getting worse and worse.
"But I'm a little worried about you going to Iwaki alone."
"Don't worry, I've asked my former charge, Fujimasa March, to accompany me this time. She's also willing to help me." And he also smiled faintly. As an adult, he would naturally not let them worry. He said softly, "I'll go and check out the situation first. Then we'll sneak her out of Tracen. If the hot springs there are effective, that's for the best. But if they're not..."
At this point, his tone paused slightly, but he still forced himself to say in a light tone, "Then I have a backup plan. I believe it will definitely make her get better faster."
"That would be for the best~"
Outside the room, Tamamo's cheerful and light-hearted words, accompanied by Oguri's gradually slowing breathing inside the room, seemed to have slightly lifted the gloom that had been hanging over everyone's heads.
But neither of them had expected that this would be the last time they would see him standing.
Bad luck was far from gone. It was like when it rains, it pours. When your bad luck begins to fall, it will take away everything you have, and will only stop after it has made you feel heartbroken to the extreme... true despair was about to befall them.
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