[Big Annoucement!]
[Hi, everyone!! months since I talked directly here xD, not really the best talker (maybe because I spend all day reading...) anyway! as how prices of everything is going up and everyday life is getting expensive I decided to reduce the price of my sub on P@tr30n.
I don't want to make my readers stop having a good time so this is the least I can do.
To coushion a little the lost of money I added a tier for people that want to support me and have access to the polls for new fanfics and incoming events. Just a 1 buck one xD.
The next event will be a poll to pick one of my fanfic to get 10 extra chapters!
Thanks for your support!]
Two days later,
inside an office at the Mejiro training grounds that had been temporarily cleared out and turned into an interview room,
Kuroha sat behind a broad desk with a thick stack of résumés in hand.
To his left, Aoi Kiryuin stood straight and proper, with several personnel files already placed before her, each stamped with a bold "Accepted."
"Ms. Tan Guanghe, correct?"
Kuroha looked at the retired Umamusume in front of him, a girl with a single ponytail and a visibly nervous expression, then gave her a warm smile.
"I've already reviewed footage from your past races. Your Front Runner pacing is very steady, and you clearly have a strong grasp of stamina distribution, especially around corners."
"Y-yes, Trainer Kuroha!"
Tan Guanghe straightened up so fast it was almost a snap, answering at full volume. Even her tail had gone stiff with excitement.
This was a living, breathing evaluation from the "number one trainer in Central."
Other than her old G3 victory back then, this was probably the proudest moment of her life.
"You don't need to be so nervous."
Seeing how excited she was, Kuroha could not help smiling. Then, right in front of her, he checked off her file.
"Your qualifications match our requirements very well. Starting tomorrow, you can officially report to Chasing Light."
"As for your schedule and pay details, Trainer Kiryuin here will coordinate those with you in a bit."
"Th-thank you very much! I'll do my best!"
Tan Guanghe bowed a full ninety degrees, then happily took her onboarding form and walked out of the office.
Over the next half hour or so, Kuroha interviewed several more retired Umamusume with experience in major races.
The moment these girls, who had already taken their fair share of hits from the real world, saw the high salary Chasing Light was offering,
none of them hesitated much at all. Every last one of them signed the employment contract on the spot.
"Whew... this is going pretty efficiently."
Kuroha stretched lazily and glanced at the teacup on the desk.
In just a few hours, he had already picked up four or five G3-level practice Umamusume.
At least Rice Shower and Nice Nature's training was no longer something he needed to worry about.
The only issue was that there were not even the faintest traces of any G2-level girls.
That G2 Umamusume who had said in the comments that she wanted the job still had not shown up.
It was probably just online posturing after all.
A girl at that level, and one who had only recently retired at that, was not likely to be so short on money that she needed to work part-time.
"Next!"
The instant Kuroha finished speaking, there came a soft knock at the office door, and then it was pushed open.
Along with the crisp sound of horseshoes lightly striking the floor, a tall, cool figure slowly walked in.
Her dazzling silver hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, curling slightly at the ends.
Those signature golden-red heterochromatic eyes looked especially captivating beneath the reflected office light.
The New Zealand girl was dressed today in casual clothes that looked relaxed at first glance, but in fact showed off her figure remarkably well.
And yet, if one looked carefully, it was easy to see that her expression was a little unnatural.
When she reached the desk, the silver-haired girl spoke softly.
"Hello. I'm Folkqueen."
"Ahem..."
Kuroha gave a light cough as he looked at the résumé in his hand, the one so ridiculous it practically blinded the eyes.
Then he raised his head, forcibly suppressing the wildly rising corners of his mouth, and greeted her in a perfectly formal tone.
"The next interviewee... hm, Ms. Folkqueen, correct? Please, have a seat."
"?"
Folkqueen's delicate body stiffened ever so slightly. She shot Kuroha a suspicious glance, then sat down rather stiffly.
Looking at the girl who had once dominated both the Atlantic and Central circuits, now acting this guilty, the amusement in Kuroha's eyes deepened.
He cleared his throat in a calculatedly serious way and spoke in a steady tone.
"Then, Ms. Folkqueen. I have already read your résumé carefully."
"May I ask, as the only ruler among the South Atlantic Umamusume to hold seven international G1 victories..."
"what sort of career planning led you to choose our tiny little Chasing Light and apply for a practice-partner position that only pays 3,000 yen an hour?"
"..."
Folkqueen opened her mouth, her cheeks already beginning to flush.
"Also, do you have any specific requests regarding salary and benefits?"
"How is your pressure tolerance? During partnered runs, if you were to face unreasonable bumping from juniors, could you remain emotionally stable? And also..."
The more she listened, the hotter Folkqueen's already pink cheeks became, while her silver horse ears shook so hard from embarrassment they almost seemed to wobble in circles.
Smack!
At last, she could not take it anymore and slapped her own thigh.
"That's enough, you!"
Folkqueen glared at Kuroha, puffed up in irritation as she scolded him.
"Stop pretending over there. You obviously know why I sent in this résumé!"
"If you keep teasing me, then I'm not talking to you ever again. I'm never playing with you again!"
"All right, all right. I'll stop teasing you."
Seeing Folkqueen getting truly flustered, Kuroha finally could not hold back a laugh.
Still, he genuinely did not understand one thing she had just said.
What did she mean, he obviously knew why she had submitted the résumé?
He did not know.
It was not like she could possibly be short on money.
...
Shaking his head, he decided not to think about it further and instead spoke gently.
"Queen, it's been a while."
Folkqueen folded her arms and turned her head away.
"I saw you ten-something days ago at your wedding."
Looks like she really was a little mad.
Kuroha let out a helpless sigh, stood up, and walked around behind her. Then he casually pressed a hand onto her shoulders and kneaded lightly.
"Mnh~"
The silver-haired girl instantly let out a sound so embarrassing it seemed to escape her before she could stop it.
In the very next moment, she snapped back to herself and hurriedly shook her body.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
"Not here!"
Just like last year, she was even more sensitive than March and the others.
Kuroha withdrew his hands, a knowing smile curving across his face.
Back during Oguri Cap's overseas campaign last year, Folkqueen had spent a long stretch doing partnered run training with Oguri at the Hong Kong training grounds.
Naturally, she had also experienced Kuroha's "Sacred Path" technique.
This tsundere girl had entered the same state some of the Chasing Light girls like March and Sakura Chiyono O had at the start: embarrassed by it, yet clearly enjoying it.
And now, nearly ten months later, she had apparently not changed at all.
"..."
Standing nearby, Aoi felt as if she had just learned some sort of gossip she absolutely was not supposed to know, and her cheeks warmed slightly.
Even so, the girl still asked dutifully, "Sensei, should I interview the rest of the Umamusume in my room?"
"Yeah. Another two or so should be enough. Rice Shower and the others won't need that many for training." Kuroha nodded as he instructed her.
"Understood."
Once Aoi left, Folkqueen's somewhat rigid body finally relaxed.
Then, seeing that Kuroha was still standing behind her without doing anything, the New Zealand girl immediately clenched her teeth.
"Weren't you massaging pretty enthusiastically just now? Why did you stop all of a sudden?"
Behind her, Kuroha shook his head and let out a quiet laugh, then resumed pressing into her shoulders.
As a soft, restrained sound escaped her lips, Folkqueen's whole body completely softened. Her eyes narrowed as she slumped there like a silver-furred big cat being stroked the right way.
Watching her like this, Kuroha seemed to understand at last.
"So you came to interview just for the massage?"
"Uh..."
At those words, Folkqueen's eyes cleared up a little. Her fingers curled subtly as she answered,
"Y-yes!"
"Then you're really... something. You could've just come to see me directly. It's not like we're strangers."
Kuroha tapped her lightly on the head in resignation, then asked,
"How have things been for you in Tokyo lately? Are you getting used to living alone?"
(End of Chapter)
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