Perspective: Hachiman
Having gone to the Chairwoman's office to accept the photo shoot request, I watched as Hayakawa-san immediately relayed our acceptance to the other party. My request to schedule it for the second week of December was approved with surprising ease. With that, the photo shoot arrangements were settled. All that was left was to send an email to the team.
"Thank you, Hayakawa-san. And I apologize for making you go to such trouble on our behalf."
"No, please don't let it weigh on you. We are the ones asking the favor, so this much is only natural. Besides," she added with a knowing look, "you are always being inconvenienced by us, Trainer Hachiman..."
"Well, that's hardly your fault, Hayakawa-san. If anything, the root cause is the Chairwoman's abnormal behavior... From my perspective, all I can offer you are my condolences."
"A-Apologies...! I shall be more careful henceforth!" The Chairwoman stammered.
"Well, it's unclear to what extent she actually understands that concept, but let's believe her for now. If she exceeds the tolerance threshold, your cheek-stretching punishment awaits her, after all."
It really is a shock, though. You open the door and find Hayakawa-san stretching the Chairwoman's cheeks with full force. Strangely enough, whenever I see that sight, my anger completely evaporates... It's also amusing how the Chairwoman flails her limbs around, offering zero effective resistance.
"Now then, since the request is settled, I'll be taking my leave."
"Umu!! Gratitude!! Good work!!"
"I must return to my duties as well, so excuse me."
"I'm counting on you!!"
Clack.
"Phew... I'm just glad it wasn't a sudden demand this time. If it had been like before, I might have been the one pinching the Chairwoman."
"Ahaha... Indeed. However, Trainer Hachiman, you really pursued an aggressive overseas strategy this year. Four races in total for the team? There aren't many who do that. Few trainers seriously look at challenges abroad."
"True. Keeping things domestic is certainly one valid method. Even I wasn't thinking about going overseas at the start of the year. But," I paused, considering the path we'd taken, "when I received the offer for the Irish Triple Crown from Pilsudski, I thought it would be a waste to let such talent remain buried domestically. As proof, C.B. and Arrow not only won the Irish Triple Crown and the BC series, but they also proved they are universally competitive. I actually regret how shallow my initial thinking was."
"But since they won, isn't it all well and good?"
"Just 'winning' isn't enough; it doesn't connect to what comes next. I'm looking at Dubai for C.B.'s schedule after the Japan Cup. If she wins in Dubai, C.B. can make it known that she possesses true, world-class ability. And Maurice... she has a rare talent for the mile. I can state with certainty that she is going to transform into something incredible. I believe she is exactly the type of racer who should be challenged overseas."
"...…"
"People of the past came up with a good saying: 'The frog in the well knows not the great ocean.' Someone else later added, 'Yet it knows the blueness of the sky.' If I had refused Pilsudski's offer back then, I would have remained just a frog. I would never have known the world. That's why I'm glad we challenged Ireland. The things we gained were substantial—like bundles of cash raining from the sky."
Honestly speaking, I really hadn't given a single thought to overseas racing before. And look at me now. Now I'm choosing foreign soil as our next stage. That just shows how much there was to gain. Even if the results had been dead last, I'm sure I would still think it was worth coming here.
"...Trainer Hachiman, I think you should rate yourself a little higher."
"...…What brought this on all of a sudden?"
"You are a truly wonderful trainer who thinks of the Horse Girls first. It is precisely because a trainer like you is leading the team that they are able to build such an impressive track record."
"You're giving me way too much credit. I'm just a trainer; I do nothing more than assist them. The ones who are truly wonderful are the girls."
"Let us leave it at that, then."
"No, it's a fact, though... Well, I'll just work hard so they don't abandon me."
"I don't think that would happen in a million—no, a billion years. Oh, we've arrived."
"Then, Hayakawa-san, excuse me."
"...Trainer Hachiman. We have spent a not-insignificant amount of time working together, so won't you call me by my given name soon? You are actually the only trainer who still refers to me by my surname."
Eh, really? Sure, everyone calls her Tazuna-san, but... wait, am I seriously the only one using her last name? Why is everyone else so friendly?
"...Understood. But I'm not used to it, so I think I'll be a bit awkward for a while. Please tell me if it sounds off."
"Understood. Then, why don't you try calling me by my name right now?"
"...Tazuna-san."
"...…Fufu, that's a little ticklish. ♪"
"Shall I stop?"
"No, leave it as is. From now on, please call me by my name, Trainer Hachiman."
It turned into a weird flow of events where I'm now calling her by her first name, but I didn't have any reason to refuse, so I guess it's fine.
(Author's Note)
The world is a wide place, after all~.
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