After applying the medicine and wrapping the bandage, Chiya returned to the track.
One of the few perks of being a trainer was being able to look at a Horse Girl's feet without it being weird. His mind was still replaying the image of Rice Shower's small toes curled up nervously as he wrapped her ankle. It made him want to tickle the soles of her feet just to tease her.
But that would probably lower her affection level...
He was terrified of the day Rice Shower might suddenly avoid him and say in a disgusted tone, "Onii-sama, I hate you..."
That would inflict ten thousand points of true damage on him. Better not to risk it.
Through Shirayuki, Chiya saw how the training session was going. First, Gold Ship. She had bolted before Shirayuki even gave the signal to start, and then immediately started slacking off once Rudolf and Brian caught up.
She just wouldn't accelerate!
Yes, knowing she had no chance, Gold Ship had decided to just jog leisurely at the back, with no intention of overtaking her opponents.
This was an obstacle training exercise, the goal was to overtake! Shirayuki had given her the signal to accelerate, but she acted as if she hadn't seen it, maintaining the same pace.
After the run, she had said, "No good, no chance. Brian's block was too tight. I couldn't have passed even if I wanted to."
You didn't even try to accelerate, how would you have a chance!
Grumbling internally, Shirayuki could only nod and say, "It certainly was very difficult."
She wasn't a trainer; she couldn't say what Chiya was thinking. She could only agree as a classmate.
As for the other one, Meisho Doto's performance was even harder to watch.
Before the race, her shoelace had mysteriously come untied. By the time she bent down to tie it, the training had already started, and Brian and Rudolf were already dozens of meters ahead.
The two of them had to hurry back and restart the training with her. But just as they started, the shoelace on her other foot came untied. So, Brian and Rudolf, who had just started running, had to come back again.
This was followed by nearly a minute of apologies from Meisho Doto.
Rudolf was good-natured and comforted her with a smile. Narita Brian, on the other hand, was not pleased and kept a cold expression.
When she finally finished tying her shoelaces and was ready to start, after just a few steps, her horseshoe fell off and got stuck in the ground.
Looking at the shiny horseshoe on the ground, Shirayuki couldn't help but facepalm.
Why wasn't her horseshoe even nailed on properly?!
What was even more ridiculous was that Meisho Doto hadn't even noticed.
She was running with an uneven gait. After Shirayuki gave the signal to accelerate, Doto took a sharp step to the right. But that one step caused the sole of her shoe to split, and she slipped and rolled to the side.
Fortunately, Doto's body was incredibly sturdy. Besides getting her clothes dirty, she didn't have a single scratch on her.
This was perhaps one of her few strengths.
"Having Rice Shower around... is truly a blessing," Chiya couldn't help but sigh. That little girl was the pillar of the team.
"Eh... Onii-sama?" Startled by his sudden remark, Rice Shower lowered her head and stammered, "Rice also thinks... it's a blessing to have Onii-sama around."
These were her heartfelt words.
Because she admired the shining Horse Girls, she had come to Tracen Academy, hoping to become like them. However, she soon realized her mistake.
Those Horse Girls shone because they were amazing, unlike her, who lacked talent. In the mock races, they were chosen by trainers for their excellent results, while Rice Shower could only remain in the instructor's group for training.
The kind instructor kept saying that one day, a trainer would discover her. And she believed it.
By the time almost everyone in her group had left, her group had to merge with another.
New students came and went, training alongside her.
But as the days passed, the new students were also signed by trainers one by one, leaving only Rice Shower behind.
The instructor still comforted her, saying that a trainer would definitely accept her. But by then, she no longer held much hope.
She knew she wasn't special. She wouldn't shine.
That day, Rice Shower sat alone in a corner, staring blankly at the sky.
Maybe... I should try hard just one more time... she thought.
Try to get a good result in the next mock race and make the trainers notice her.
If still no trainer was willing to sign her...
Then it probably meant she really couldn't become a Horse Girl.
Just thinking about that scene filled her heart with darkness. As she was forcing herself to cheer up, a voice called out to her.
"Excuse me, would you be my Horse Girl?"
From that day on, Rice Shower's world brightened.
She had her own trainer and her own team.
Unfortunately, the good days didn't last long.
"It's your fault I lost!"
"I'm sorry, if I had been a bit more stable..."
"Stable? Could being stable have gotten me from seventh place to first?! You're always saying 'listen to me, listen to me,' but what was the result!"
"I..."
"In the end, you're just a rookie. I shouldn't have signed with you in the first place. What a waste of everyone's time. I'll apply to the student council to change trainers. Let's just part ways."
With that, the Horse Girl left without a second glance.
Leaving Chiya standing alone and dejected in the hallway.
At that time, Rice Shower, who had just finished baking cookies and wanted to give them to him, happened to witness this scene. In that moment, something in her mind shattered.
She turned away, pressing herself against the corner wall, clutching the box of cookies to her chest.
She didn't give them to him. She left alone.
The next day, Chiya announced the member's departure. His eyes were filled with sadness, but he still forced a smile to train everyone.
But tragedy didn't spare him.
As if a fuse had been lit, a second Horse Girl requested to terminate her contract with him.
"I understand why Sato left you now," that Horse Girl said, scratching her head. "As a trainer, you're not skilled enough. You're far behind the others. I'm sorry, but I don't want to waste my time here either. Could you please handle the termination procedure?"
She not only left him without a second thought but also rubbed salt in his wound.
Rice Shower, who was secretly following nearby, clenched her fists.
Chiya said nothing, just nodded silently.
After she left, Rice Shower saw him sitting dejectedly in the hallway.
What kind of expression was on his face? Full of self-blame and helplessness, sadness and pain. Seeing him like that, Rice Shower felt her heart break.
She knew what a good person the trainer was. Because of those girls skipping class, he always had to change the training plans, working late into the night. The training schedules he made for everyone were meticulously prepared.
He was very serious and responsible. In every word he wrote, Rice Shower could see how much he valued her.
But those people didn't appreciate it.
It wasn't the trainer's fault; it was theirs!
Rice Shower ran over, comforting the dejected Chiya and helping him get back on his feet.
Onii-sama would always be Onii-sama. He was the one who had saved her from the darkness.
And she would become his support as well.
On the track, Rice Shower looked at the white figure giving instructions.
Shirayuki-san... when Onii-sama needed help the most, where were you?
-------
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