**Chapter 46: An Afternoon in Summer**
August, a somewhat hot afternoon on the day of Chushu.
Kitano skillfully parked the car in the open space in front of the ranch.
Before getting out, he casually grabbed a baseball cap and put it on his head.
Pushing open the car door, the heat and humidity of the summer afternoon immediately wrapped his body in an invisible, heavy film.
In such an environment, even the most precise machine would likely become sluggish.
However, he still had to cheer up.
As he thought this, Ogawa Masaru from the ranch side had already come to greet him.
"Good afternoon, Kitano Ge!"
After greeting him, the young man looked at the jumping horse logo on Kitano's baseball cap with some surprise.
"So Kitano Ge is also a Tifosi?"
He became a little excited.
It seemed they shared a common hobby.
"Something like that."
Raising a hand to adjust the position of his baseball cap, Kitano said somewhat vaguely.
This year, his Horse Owner career could be considered smooth sailing.
However, his luck as a car fan was not so smooth.
A significant part of Kitano's good temper and ability to remain calm in any situation was due to his identity as a Tifosi.
Occasionally, he would reflect on whether he had committed some heinous acts in his previous life to be reincarnated as a Ferrari fan.
"At least Charles is only two points away from returning to the top four in the driver standings."
Ogawa Masaru patted him on the shoulder, showing a sympathetic expression.
Charles is Ferrari's number one driver.
Hearing Ogawa Masaru say this, Kitano's expression became even more sorrowful.
"Forget it, let's not talk about that."
Waving his hand, Kitano walked towards the back of the car.
"Let me do it, Kitano Ge."
Ogawa Masaru took a step ahead and picked up the heaviest TENS electrotherapy device.
"Are you sure?"
Kitano asked.
Unlike the more compact household models, the one he used was a specific model for large livestock.
Naturally, it was much heavier than the household type.
"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
The young man showed a confident smile that said, "No problem at all."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Nodding, Kitano picked up the remaining tools.
With his free hand, he also picked up a cardboard box containing hay.
He looked a little strained.
He placed the tools on the cardboard box and used both hands to lift it.
This made it much easier.
The two walked towards the stable, one after the other.
Today, Mejiro Sakiya still needed to receive treatment from electrostimulation therapy.
Although the course of treatment had been ongoing for three weeks since it started, her gait had shown some improvement.
However, out of caution, Kitano did not immediately reduce the frequency of treatment.
Of course, relying solely on TENS was far from enough.
Other therapies such as hot compresses, hydrotherapy, and stretching exercises were also playing a role.
Arriving at the stable, Ogawa Kanna was already waiting with the dark bay horse in the wash stall.
While Kitano performed the limb assessment, Ogawa Masaru soothed Mejiro Sakiya's emotions.
In fact, even during her first treatment, she was very calm.
It even made Kitano wonder if he had forgotten to turn on the power.
Wiping Mejiro Sakiya's skin with an alcohol swab, the cleaning and skin preparation process was quickly completed.
The dark bay horse had a calm expression, its lips slightly parted in a relaxed state.
After this, the electrode pads were placed.
The abnormal nerve points were already familiar, so there was no need to re-locate them.
The sciatic nerve path along the hip to the posterior side of the hind limb was quickly covered with electrode pads.
Then, the outer side of the hind limb, the gastrocnemius muscle area.
One pad was placed at the origin of the spasmodic muscle, and the other at the insertion point, attaching the electrode pads symmetrically, with some medical conductive gel added from time to time.
Throughout the entire process, Mejiro Sakiya remained quietly standing.
Before the official start, Ogawa Masaru rested the dark bay horse's head on his shoulder and repeatedly stroked her.
Mejiro Sakiya's eyelids were slightly closed, and her furry ears drooped loosely to both sides.
"It's all set."
With his back to Kitano, Ogawa Masaru made an "OK" gesture with his other hand.
After confirming that preparations were complete, Kitano turned on the instrument.
First, a strength of 5mA.
The muscles on the dark bay horse's body began to twitch slightly, but there was no overly aggressive reaction.
He began to slowly increase the current.
Mejiro Sakiya finally let out a somewhat frightened whimper.
"Don't be scared, it will be over soon—"
Ogawa Masaru used his palm to block the dark bay horse's eyes, which were trying to look behind her body.
Ogawa Kanna followed by offering carrot pieces.
With the cooperation of the two, Mejiro Sakiya's attention was quickly and successfully diverted.
The treatment proceeded very smoothly.
While recording the parameters, Kitano closely monitored Mejiro Sakiya's reactions.
If a horse showed actions like kicking or tail-swishing during electrostimulation therapy, it was highly likely due to burns or discomfort caused by excessive current intensity.
In such cases, it was necessary to adjust the current promptly based on the horse's reaction.
However, until the fifteen-minute treatment ended, Mejiro Sakiya did not make any similar movements.
It was hard to say if it was due to being too dull.
Of course, it was also possible that her attention was diverted by Ogawa Kanna's carrot offensive.
Kitano always had this concern.
He slowly lowered the current to zero before turning off the instrument.
After removing the electrode pads, he applied aloe vera gel to the corresponding areas.
Although there were no signs of redness or swelling during the previous treatments, he still did this to reduce skin irritation.
At this point, Mejiro Sakiya finally swallowed the thoroughly chewed carrot pieces in her mouth.
Releasing the buckle of the lead rope, the dark bay horse walked unhurriedly towards the water trough.
While she lowered her head to drink, Ogawa Masaru picked up a rag and helped wipe the sweat from her body.
Outside the stable, the somewhat intermittent chirping of cicadas could be heard.
Unbeknownst to them, summer was already coming to an end.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Kitano."
Ogawa Kanna said, pulling her gaze away from the man and the horse.
"No, it's I who should say that."
Kitano, who was packing up the medical equipment, raised his head.
"You've been taking care of these three children all this time."
He responded softly.
"Mr. Kitano is a very gentle person."
Suddenly, the young girl covered her mouth and laughed.
Was he being friend-zoned?
Kitano showed a somewhat confused expression.
He suddenly remembered an aria from Verdi's opera 'Rigoletto':
"La donna è mobile, qual piuma al vento"
Translated, it means "Woman is fickle, like a feather in the wind."
At this moment, he reached a consensus with Verdi.
Stepping out of the stable, large patches of cumulonimbus clouds, dyed red, hung above the green field.
Leaving the ranch, Kitano still hadn't figured out the meaning of Ogawa Kanna's words.