Chapter 71
"Wooo! Kitasan Black! Kitasan Black!"
Under dazzling lights, a beautiful melody, and roaring cheers, the black-haired girl at the center of the stage wore a stunning performance outfit and launched into her song and dance.
"Wow! Kita-chan is shining so brightly!"
Waving the glow stick she had prepared earlier, Special Week bounced up and down with excitement.
"Seriously! No matter how many times I watch it, the Winner's Stage is always this thrilling!"
"Yeah, it really is…"
Yasui Makoto had barely gotten the words out before his voice was completely swallowed by the deafening cheers filling the entire venue.
He smiled softly to himself and started waving the glow stick Special Week had lent him, cheering toward the stage along with everyone else.
As he watched Kitasan Black dancing under the lights, the moment she crossed the finish line flashed through his mind again. The two scenes overlapped in an instant.
Ever since the race ended, that single moment at the wire was all he could think about.
Of course he felt happy.
But more than that… there was an emotion he hadn't expected at all.
Terror.
An indescribable, heart-stopping terror.
It had been way too close.
Far too close.
The gap between Duramente and Kitasan Black at the finish line had been terrifyingly narrow.
He had been standing dozens of meters away in the stands, and for a few long seconds the perspective made it look like the two horse girls had crossed the line together.
There was even a split second where he thought Duramente might have been faster.
After that blood-pounding scare, he suddenly realized something.
Over the past few months, while Kitasan Black had been growing step by step, his own view of the Glorious Series and horse girls had quietly changed without him noticing.
He used to just know that the Glorious Series was the most popular sport in this world and that horse girls could become global idols, but he had never really thought about why.
After the initial novelty of this strange world and its unique beings wore off, he had simply accepted it with a "well, I'm already here" attitude.
That was just how he was.
Born into a family of trainers and horse girls, becoming a trainer and living a steady life had always seemed perfectly fine.
So after moving to Tokyo and signing the contract with Kitasan Black, his only thought from the very beginning was simple: since he was her trainer, he would take full responsibility.
She wanted to become a miraculous horse girl like her seniors. She wanted to answer everyone's expectations. Whatever she wanted, he would do everything he could to help her.
But now, or rather the exact moment he saw her cross that finish line, Yasui Makoto finally understood what made the Glorious Series and horse girls so captivating.
They were too pure.
Too sincere.
On the track, every single one of them had only one thought in their hearts: give everything to win this race and answer every supporter with their whole being.
Before, he had only supported her out of a sense of duty. He hadn't truly realized what "support" really meant.
Or maybe deep down he had thought that studying hard every day, training seriously, and preparing for races was already enough support.
But that wasn't it.
After doing this day after day for months, something had grown inside him, not just out of responsibility or logic, but from the bottom of his heart.
He wanted to help Kitasan Black win every single race from now on with his own strength.
It was an almost impossible goal. No horse girl in Japan had ever done it.
But maybe… that was what wholehearted support really looked like.
…
The day after the Spring Stakes, at the Kitasan family residence in Hachioji.
Standing beside the massive garden lawn that stretched thousands of square meters, Yasui Makoto and several horse girls stared in stunned silence.
After a long pause, the tall silver-haired horse girl let out a loud cry.
"Are you serious?! Kita-chan, you said your house was pretty big, but…"
She turned to the black-haired girl who was scratching her head with an embarrassed grin.
"…this big?! You could run a whole Arima Kinen on this lawn!"
"Gold Ship-senpai, you're exaggerating again, and…"
Kitasan Black kept scratching her head with a silly laugh before answering seriously.
"I've never run at Nakayama before, but after going there the other day, I actually think this place is still quite different from the racecourse."
Gold Ship blinked, then waved her hand with a laugh.
"Haha, don't take it so seriously, Kita-chan. I was just shocked at how huge your house really is."
The horse girl they called Gold Ship-senpai was, of course, the one who had just won the Hanshin Daishoten yesterday.
After her own Winner's Stage, she had contacted Kitasan Black again.
She had been completely serious about the celebration party she mentioned before the race and had already booked a famous restaurant in Chiba.
But during the planning, Kitasan Black said that her seniors had helped her so much, and since Gold Ship-senpai had also won a big race, it only made sense for her to be the one to treat everyone.
After the race, her grandfather had gone backstage to congratulate her and suggested throwing a thank-you banquet for Yasui Makoto and all the seniors.
So why not have it at her house? Her place was pretty big, plenty of room no matter how many people came.
None of the horse girls were the type to overthink things, and they had all known Kitasan Black for a long time, so they agreed without hesitation.
Which led to the current moment of shock from Gold Ship and the others.
Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka recovered quickly.
"Come on, Gold Ship, when you really think about it there's nothing surprising here," Vodka said, patting her on the shoulder with a grin. "You already knew Kita-chan's grandfather is Japan's most famous musician, and her dad and uncles are all big names in the music world too."
"A family like that having a house this size is completely normal. Right, Daiwa?"
"Exactly. And when I was organizing the student files earlier, I took a quick look," Daiwa Scarlet added with a smile. "This is just one of the Kitasan family residences. Kita-chan only stays here because it's convenient for school and races."
"To put it plainly, no matter where she goes to race in the future, there will always be a place just like this waiting for her."
"You really underestimated our adorable junior, huh?"
Gold Ship puffed up indignantly.
"Underestimated?! I never underestimated Kita-chan! I just never imagined anything like this, okay?!"
After grumbling for a second, her eyes suddenly sparkled. She flexed her right arm, pressed her left hand on the bulging bicep, and stared excitedly at the huge lawn.
"Alright! Since we've got this massive field and it looks perfect for running, let's have a race right now!"
"I'll count to three and we all start together! Three…"
"Done! I'm going first!"
She only said the first number before dashing off with a mischievous grin.
"…Huh?! Gold Ship, that's so unfair!"
Vodka shouted in a mix of annoyance and amusement, rolling her shoulders as she chased after her without missing a beat.
"Don't run off like that! What's the point of starting so fast if you're just going to chase the horse at the front?!"