What no one knew was that Kitano and Oguri Cap's first meeting had been much earlier than they had imagined.
At that time, she had not yet fully developed. She was just an ash-haired horse girl born in the countryside who didn't even know who her father was—and even as a horse girl, she had seemed ordinary in her childhood, even more miserable than most ordinary people.
The newborn her did not yet have the snow-white ash hair she would have after she grew up, but looked gray and dusty. In addition, from birth, her weight was lighter than most infants, making her look thin and bony, even more fragile than an ordinary infant.
And if her thinness from birth could not explain anything, then the subsequent diagnosis could be said to have almost cut off her path to becoming a horse girl.
After her mother had given birth to her child with great difficulty, at the cost of almost half her life, the doctor at the horse girl hospital diagnosed her with a congenital deformity of the right foot. The everted, deformed foot meant that she was destined to learn to stand even slower than other children.
And her mother was not particularly healthy either, nor was she a particularly outstanding horse girl. As a mother, she had a problem with poor lactation. This meant that she had to rely on expensive infant formula to raise her.
And this was undoubtedly a huge burden for a family without a father's support, who was not even in the delivery room when the child was born. However, even so, her mother still chose to raise this gray and dusty child, who had little hope of becoming a horse girl, with great maternal love.
"I will raise this child. She will be different from me. She will meet a child who will not abandon her, who will never leave her side."
"The suffering I have endured will one day pass. I hope this child will not have to experience the same pain as me."
—That being said, the expense of raising a horse girl child with the meager income and a little pitiful savings of a mother who was not a horse girl could be said to be an astonishing figure. Especially after this mother had worked hard to raise her on expensive formula until she was weaned, she found that the expenses spent on her child had not decreased at all, but had instead increased.
And there was only one reason for all of this. Whether it was because the crisis of hunger had been engraved in her bones since she was a child, or because her true "thousand-li horse" potential had begun to take effect, her appetite in her childhood was astonishingly large.
A horse girl who was gradually entering her development stage, just like a teenager entering puberty, with rapid growth, needed a large amount of energy to supplement her stamina, and thus felt hungry more easily. And for her, who had a deep sense of crisis about hunger and had never been full since she was a child, the large amount of energy she needed for her development, if converted into money, could definitely, in a literal sense, eat a family into poverty.
Although she was not a picky eater, even when she was extremely hungry, she could chew and swallow the weeds on the roadside and successfully digest them. But her mother would absolutely not allow her child to live like this. But the increasingly over-budget family expenses did indeed make this mother a little unable to afford it.
Many nights, the little her could hear her mother alone, with a small lamp on in the room, mending her ill-fitting old clothes for her, who had grown taller again, or from time to time, counting the few remaining banknotes at home and sighing...
Every time this happened, she also wanted to do something for her mother, but she was frustrated that she couldn't help with anything... she, who only caused trouble, couldn't even grow up faster, couldn't develop sooner.
Why am I so useless? Why can't I help my mother sooner? Why can I, a horse girl, do nothing?
She didn't understand. The young her couldn't figure out too many of her own problems. She didn't understand why she ate more than everyone else, and why she, who ate so much, was still weaker than an ordinary person. Why was she, a horse girl, so useless?
With such thoughts, the "Cinderella" Oguri Cap, on a certain day, welcomed one of the most important people in her life. And it was from that day on that she felt her life had completely changed.
She still remembered that on that day, it was her mother who had brought him home. This was the first time she had seen a guest at home, a man who was about ten years younger than her mother. And what impressed her about him was because that man was in a wheelchair and was pushed into the house by her mother.
"Trainer Kitano, there's nothing at home to entertain you... I hope you don't mind."
"It's okay, ma'am. By the way, can I see your daughter, Oguri Cap?"
"Of course... Oguri, come here."
Hearing her mother's call, the young her timidly walked from her room to her mother's side. And as her mother grabbed her shoulders and made her look straight at the man in the wheelchair, who was looking at her with a gentle and surprised gaze, she introduced him, word by word:
"Oguri, this is Kitano Ryuichi. He is a trainer at the Kasamatsu local horse girl training center, a very outstanding trainer."
"Not outstanding, just an ordinary trainer in the local area." And he in the wheelchair also gently shook his head, and soon focused all his gaze on her. This time, he couldn't hide his joy and said to the young her, words that would influence her entire life.
"Oguri Cap, right? I think you have great potential to become a horse girl. If you're willing, can you let me be the first trainer on your journey as a horse girl?"
Become... a horse girl?
For a moment, she thought she had misheard. This dream she had never imagined, this existence that she had only seen on TV, so shining and dazzling. But she was just an ordinary, and even a little ugly, "Cinderella"...
Can I really become that kind of existence that is watched by thousands and shines brightly?
No, it's impossible...
"Don't rush to refuse me. I know you still have many doubts in your heart."
And as if noticing the change in her expression, he in the wheelchair did not show any anger or regret because she had not cherished the olive branch he had thrown. On the contrary, he took out a business card from his pocket and, with some difficulty, drove his wheelchair and handed the business card to her with both hands.
"This is my business card. It has my address and contact information. When you've thought it through, you can contact me anytime."
"I believe you will definitely become an outstanding horse girl. What you're lacking now... yes, you're just lacking a little bit."
After he left, he left her with such words. However, later on, she understood one thing—what he had said was not a joke with her. He really thought she could become a horse girl, and an outstanding one.
Because he was always looking forward to her accepting his invitation. For this, in the following days, she could often see him appear in her home.
At first, she found that whenever he appeared at home, the food at home would be more abundant and the portions would be larger than usual. She thought it was her mother who had spent extra money to entertain the guests, but she later learned that all of this was a "gift" brought by him alone.
"A horse girl who is nearing her development stage needs an absolute amount of energy. The reason why she is developing so slowly now is largely due to insufficient nutrient intake."
"This, just take it as a little something I, this confident trainer, am doing for my future charge."
Every time he came to visit with a large amount of meat and carrots, she would see her mother constantly bowing and thanking him. But every time she wanted to refuse, she was always unable to persuade him. In the end, she could only accept these gifts from him with a slight blush.
And every time her mother asked him how much the ingredients cost, she would always see him wave his hand and say with a light laugh:
"It's okay. Don't look at me in a wheelchair, but besides the money for my own treatment, I actually still have some spare cash."
He said this every time, but everyone knew that these ingredients must have cost him a lot. But even so, he would always come to visit with the same scale of ingredients the next day. He seemed to care more about her diet than anyone else, and also knew better than anyone else her bottomless appetite.
Over time, she and her mother also, through repeated contact, slowly got to know this person...
As he said, his living conditions were not bad. He, who was born with an incurable disease, had the last house and some savings left by his parents to support his life. And as a local trainer, although his income was not generous, he was definitely a leader among the local trainers.
The reason was simple. Almost every year, there would be a local horse girl in his team who would be recommended to the central league and become a horse girl who could participate in open races—although this was nothing special for a central horse girl, but for a local horse girl, participating in an open race was undoubtedly a dream!
Countless local horse girls had fallen at this hurdle, forever struggling on the muddy track and the poorly conditioned local races... but the horse girls of Kasamatsu, because of his existence, saw the possibility of stepping onto a broader stage...
This also made him a hot commodity in the local area. There was not a single local horse girl in Kasamatsu who did not want him to be their trainer. It's just that he almost only chose one horse girl at a time to be his charge. According to him, it was because he was afraid that his energy would be insufficient and would delay his charge.
And even, the central Tracen Academy had long since recognized his level as a trainer. In the years he had worked at Kasamatsu, Tracen had sent representatives to find him more than once, saying that they were willing to let him become a trainer at the central academy through special regulations.
And the same thing had just happened last week. However, faced with this opportunity that others dreamed of, he had once again婉言 declined.
"I've sent so many local children to the central league. If I leave, it will take who knows how many years for another person from these local areas to go to the central league... I want to take advantage of the time when I can still do these things and let a few more children realize their ideals."
"Also... I also want to find a child that I can't rest assured about and have to follow to the central league. I think I should be finding her soon."
The child he was talking about... was it me? The longer they spent together, the more she could feel his obsession with her, that stubborn belief that she could definitely become a horse girl.
It was as if he knew her abilities and talents better than she did herself. This made her very confused, but it also really made her reap the joy of "being believed in" from the bottom of her heart.
She knew that she had actually already agreed to his request... from the bottom of her heart, she wanted to become his contracted horse girl.
But the problem was... although she had grown a little in these days, she still had not fully developed, and... her deformed leg had still not been cured. Her dream of being a horse girl was still a distant dream...
But how long could he hold on? How long could he continue to give without asking for anything in return? She and her mother both dared not to tell him about her deformed leg. They were both worried that if they told him this, it would make him, who had been very optimistic about her, suddenly lose confidence in her, and let her completely lose this opportunity to realize her dream...
But how long could such a concealment last? Until the day she developed? To this day, they had already received too much grace and help from him. The words of refusal were already impossible to say.
"We can't go on like this, Oguri... we can't deceive him like this anymore. We have to... tell him the truth."
"Oguri, I hope you can understand me... Mom really doesn't want to destroy your dream... but... what is obtained through deception will eventually be lost one day."
Finally, on her 14th birthday, after her mother had prepared the most lavish celebration for her, her mother had also made this mental preparation, planning to tell him everything about her situation at her birthday this time.
And for this decision that her mother had been struggling with for so long, she was also very clear—she was a little silly, but she was not stupid. She knew that her mother had dragged it out until now to let her get through the most difficult period.
Without his help, she would not have been able to grow up so healthily in these two years. Everything her mother had done was for her... for this, she could even be cheeky and accept everything she had gotten from him through her own concealment and deception.
But in the end, she could not escape the condemnation of her own conscience. She also understood her mother's choice very well, but she was more worried about another thing...
"Mom, will he... really forgive us? What if he doesn't forgive us?"
"Will I never see him again?"
She had to admit that she had gotten used to the feeling of him being by her side. Since his arrival, she felt that her life had changed color... she was no longer tormented by hunger, her mother no longer complained, and her life had the first person who firmly believed that she could achieve great things.
For her, he was already her trainer, her teacher, her brother... and even, he was like her father, whom she had never met, who had been protecting this family all along.
She regarded him as her closest relative, even no less than her own mother... she really did not want to never see him again.
"—No, he is not that kind of person."
However, as a mother, she was also comforting this ash-haired horse girl who had found her missing fatherly love from him. In fact, how could she hope that all of this would be completely shattered?
But she had already made up her mind. She wanted to protect her dream and maintain this relationship. Then there was... only one way left.
Why not just make all of this an unchangeable reality? With her last resort as a horse girl... to let her still have a fatherly role, to let her child have a safe harbor.
"...Trainer Kitano won't be here for a while. You go back to your room and rest first, Oguri."
"Remember, no matter what happens outside, you must not come out before I let you, understand?"
The blushing mother also, after a deep breath, made what she considered to be the most unregrettable choice in her life. This was also her last resort, the way to keep her daughter's happiness.
Time passed, minute by minute, second by second. The sky gradually darkened, but his figure was surprisingly late. The 14-year-old Oguri, from her initial eager anticipation, to her gradual disappointment, and then to her silently falling asleep on her bed...
But from beginning to end, she believed he would definitely come. Her fourteenth birthday, he would absolutely not miss it... he should just be held up by something. He should just be too busy. After all, a while ago, she had heard that a horse girl named "Fujimasa March" had newly joined his team. He should be busy with these things.
The deeply sleeping her, when she opened her eyes again, the sky outside the window was already completely dark. And outside her room, at this moment, it was still silent...
But just as she was about to despair, just before the clock was about to strike 12, a knock on the door finally broke the peace of her home.
"Trainer Kitano, you're finally here?"
"Sorry, I was delayed by something."
Soon, under her pricked horse ears, her mother's and his voices appeared one after another, making this horse girl, who had just been like an abandoned puppy, almost jump up from the bed and revive on the spot.
She almost immediately rushed to the door, but she remembered her mother's instructions and forced herself to resist the urge to open the door directly and rush into his arms. She chose to silently prick up her ears and listen to the conversation between him and her mother in the living room.
"Ma'am, please take this."
In the living room, a few years had passed, and there had been no major changes overall. It was just that he, who looked a little weaker, was sitting in a wheelchair. And under her mother's gaze, he handed her a box that he had been holding on his lap.
"Trainer Kitano, this is..."
"—This is the medical fee I have collected to treat Oguri Cap's deformed leg. I have calculated that this money should be enough for her to receive treatment and the subsequent rehabilitation fees. If there is any left, just give her some more nutritious meals."
He said, in an extremely calm tone, words that shocked both mother and daughter. The her in the room also heard a very obvious sound of a box falling on the floor. Clearly, the "gift" that the late him had brought for her birthday this time was so heavy that no one could afford to receive it.
However, all of this seemed to be irrelevant to him. And even, his tone had a hint of a smile as he said softly:
"The rest was originally not just this much money, but the rest of the money... I bet on another very promising horse girl I met, so I can only help you with this much."
"But this is your life-saving money!" In the living room, her mother answered almost on the verge of a breakdown. "How can you expect me to accept this money? This is all... all your only hope of curing your illness!"
"...Ma'am, my illness is incurable." He said, with a hint of helplessness but also very plainly, this cruel reality for himself. But his tone did not have a trace of loneliness. On the contrary, it was full of hope and longing that did not match his tragic life.
"This money, just take it as my bet on the future hope. For me, whether she can go further is a more important cause than my own life."
"Also... Mrs. Oguri, please allow me to sincerely invite your daughter to be my contracted horse girl once again."
"This time, I have thought for a long time. What kind of posture should I have to make you feel at ease to entrust your daughter to me? And now, I think I have found the answer."
"Please rest assured, ma'am. I will take care of her as a father would treat his own daughter."
"Believe me, she is a horse girl who can win the world. What I can get from her is something far more important than money."
...What happened after that, she did not know. She only heard in the living room the sound of her mother's wailing, as if all her long-suppressed emotions had burst out at once. She heard her mother constantly sobbing and intermittently saying "thank you" to him again and again... but could not form a complete sentence.
And now, in the room, she was also, without knowing it, already in tears. But she did not, like her mother, after the great pressure was eliminated and she had tasted the feeling of bitterness turning into sweetness, release her emotions. What she felt was a feeling that warmed her heart to the point that she couldn't help but cry...
She knew that she was no longer the "Cinderella" who could only rely on her mother... she had her own trainer, her own mentor... her own father.
In her heart, at this time, he had truly become her nurturing father... the "fatherly love" that had been missing in her heart was finally completely made up for on this day.
He was her father. From now on, she was no longer just responding to the expectations of her hometown, to her mother's expectations... what supported her forward was also the trust of her father who was by her side.
With all of this, she believed that she would be fearless and move forward bravely. As long as she had all of this, she would no longer be afraid of any challenges.
Because Dad had told her that she was a horse girl who could win the world!
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (261 Chapter) (Ending)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (130 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (130 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (78 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (189 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (135 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (145 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty…then Who Am I? (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (65 Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (90 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (70 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (90 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (75 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (75 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (105 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (65 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (90 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (40 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (40 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (40 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (40 Chapter)
Arknights : Yandere Game: The Operators Have Come Knocking (70 Chapter)
Arknights: This Dating Sim Is Seriously Wrong! (70 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it