"So, how're you doing today, Kitahara?"
"Mrghrg…"
"Had a bad sleep? I mean, the floor couldn't have been the best for your back!"
"Ngmrhf…"
"Mhm. Yeah, I got you. But hey!" I grinned widely. "Looks like Musaka got you back into shape!"
"Nghmrg…!?"
It took me all I had to not immediately burst out laughing. "Hey, hey! Don't blame me! I'm completely innocent!" I pointed a finger towards him. "You're the one who fell asleep first! It's your fault you didn't stop Belno from taking that beer without us noticing! I was busy keeping Oguri from eating everything!"
Kitahara just glared at me. Or at least I assumed he did. It was kinda hard to see, considering his face looked more like misshapen putty from all the bruises he'd sustained. He was also sitting on the floor in a seiza position, with his legs and arms cuffed together as punishment.
And man, what a punishment this was! Didn't think Musaka was capable of something like this or where he even got these cuffs from, but I wasn't going to question it.
The cause of this was obvious;
Musaka was obviously pretty mad at seeing the clubroom completely thrashed due to yesterday's party, but he was already expecting that. What he got especially angry at was the fact that Belno Light had drunk herself drunk. She'd woken up with a painful hangover, which forced her to stay at the infirmary.
Musaka then brandished his cane like a sword, and Kitahara's messed up face was the end result.
I was there to watch it all go down, and I have to say, Musaka's age did not slow him down in the slightest. His cane moved with the intent to kill, and he probably would've genuinely knocked Kitahara out cold if I wasn't watching.
And somehow, through all that chaos, Oguri Cap remained asleep on my lap.
I glanced at her. She seemed peaceful as she slept, occasionally mumbling something related to food. My eyes softened for a moment, my smile slipping away.
I found myself talking.
"Kitahara." I began. My solemn tone caught his attention, and though he could barely talk, he immediately began listening. "It's going to sound a little conceited, but I think Oguri can win the [Kikuka Sho]." I gently patted her head. "She's just that strong. She can't be compared to everyone else."
"With it, she'll be the next bearer of the Undefeated Triple Crown. That's not an easy burden to bear. Everyone in Japan will be watching her." I glanced at him. "I'm guessing you can tell what I'm saying, right?"
"Nghm." He nodded.
I chuckled softly, before I sighed. "She's still a kid, Kitahara." I said with something akin to sorrow. "So much pressure, and for what? Glory?" I sighed. "What does glory matter if it turns you into a husk?"
It was one of the things I genuinely hated about umamusume racing. As the top sport in this mystical world, the prestige it carried was massive. Winning even a single G1 placed you on a pedestal, elevating you into something beyond human. And sure this world was impossibly kind in some ways, but it didn't change human nature.
Expectations. Anger. Envy.
They were all inevitable for someone like Oguri. I constantly worried that she would succumb one day and lose the spark that pulled me along for this ride in the first place. It was why I was always so adamant about reminding her to have fun—I had to ensure she remembered why she started running at all.
"You're a-, kid too."
I blinked, and looked up to see Kitahara staring right at me. His face was still as disfigured as before, but it seemed he'd recovered enough to at least talk. "Don't-, forget. You're-, also running-, for the-, Tiara."
I smiled helplessly. "Well, you're not wrong."
But the difference was that I'd lived another life before. I was already an adult before I passed.
Not that I could tell anyone, of course.
"Just remember to keep supporting her-, us, yeah?" I said, quickly correcting myself when Kitahara glared. "We love running and all, and getting attention's pretty cool too, but we're people too." I bowed to him. "Keep her safe, yeah?"
Kitahara managed a weak chuckle. "I'm-, your Demon King-, right?" A grin broke through his swollen face. "We're stuck-, together 'til-, the end!"
I smiled fondly.
"Yeah." I said. "We are."
…
I smiled teasingly. "Anyway, you're recovering pretty fast. You sure you're not an actual demon in disguise?"
Kitahara groaned. "I just-, recover a little-, fast."
I nodded with a hum. Honestly, Kitahara's healing seemed superhuman. The man often slammed his face into something whenever he got distracted, but the nosebleed that'd follow would last only a few minutes before going away.
Maybe it had something to do with umamusume genes? Surely Kitahara had some of that in his genome, even if he himself wasn't an umamusume.
Or maybe it was just a blessing from the Three Goddesses. Who knows?
"Ah, and how's Belno, by the way?" My brows furrowed slightly, my concern genuine. "I hope her hangover isn't hitting her too hard. Maybe get her some honey-flavored tea to help soothe the pain." I paused for a moment. "Though you probably shouldn't get her that famous honey drink that's becoming trendy lately. That's just pure sugar."
Kitahara managed to flash a thumbs up even with his cuffed arms. "Will-, do!" He then paused, his eyes narrowing. "Wait, how do-, you know-?"
I just smiled.
"Star."
I continued smiling.
"Star-, you didn't-?"
"Of course not~" I eventually said, and I wasn't even lying! I genuinely hadn't touched alcohol since I came into this world. I knew full well that I was still too young, and my body was still maturing. And besides, it wasn't as if I liked drinking alcohol all that much. I only drank it whenever I went out with my coworkers in my previous life. "I just know a little, that's all~"
"That's-, not convincing."
I pointed a finger to my face, still smiling. "Does this look like the face of a liar?"
"Yes." He said immediately.
I clutched my hand over my chest with fake pain. "How cruel~" Kitahara chuckled at my exaggerated response, and I joined in soon after.
We then talked for a while longer after that, mostly about mundane things. Kitahara complaining about his increasing pile of homework, gossiping about a few rumors circulating around the racing scene, wondering just how many copies of that Hawaiian shirt Musaka actually had in his closet—all sorts of mundane things.
Kitahara didn't ask about the upcoming [Japanese Oaks], and I didn't bring it up either. Our conversation flowed right around it, not even bothering to acknowledge the upcoming event. Perhaps, had this been him from months ago, he would've worried himself to a seizure about it.
But he'd grown since then. He was still an apprentice trainer, but there was a calm confidence in his gait now. He had reviewed the umamusume I would be up against, and he truly believed I could defeat them all.
To know that someone wholeheartedly believed in me,
It filled a hole in my heart that'd long scabbed over.
Of course, I didn't spend the entire day just relaxing in the clubroom. Once Kitahara's face had healed enough that he didn't look like a malformed basketball, I gently extracted myself from the couch, covering Oguri with a spare blanket before Kitahara and I left the clubroom.
Normally I'd be heading out to train under Kongo, but yesterday he'd told me to take it easy for today. After all, it wouldn't be long before my own race would take place, and I couldn't risk the possibility of an injury.
So I spent the rest of the day lightly training, swimming in the pools and jogging around Tracen Central to slowly build up my Stamina.
.
.
.
Then, just a day later,
A symphony of trumpets sounded, followed by the excited cheers of a massive crowd that'd gathered in the stadium of the Tokyo Racecourse. The skies were dark and covered in clouds, and a light rain gently drizzled down onto the track, causing the turf to become muddy.
But though the weather was dark, the enthusiasm of the audience only grew to new heights.
Because it was time!
"Welcome back to the Tokyo Racecourse!"
"A light rain has fallen onto the track, but the show goes on!"
"It's time for the [Japanese Oaks]!"