After another round of polite bureaucratic small talk, Kuroha finally saw the French association board member off.
The hall quickly returned to silence.
"Kuroha…"
Fumino edged over, curiosity written all over her face. "You… you're not seriously thinking of having Oguri run the Arc, are you?"
"As if…" Kuroha turned around. Seeing the hopeful look on her face, he shook his head, equal parts helpless and amused.
"Didn't we decide this back in Hong Kong? Don't tell me you forgot."
"…Of course I didn't." Fumino scratched the back of her head, a little embarrassed. "It's just—you sounded pretty into it when you were talking to that guy…"
Kuroha chuckled. "It was just politeness. I can't exactly kick him out the door the moment he shows up, can I?"
"Fumino, don't let flashy titles and outside hype go to your head."
"Did you forget our real objective for this overseas expedition? You're the one who set it."
"Uh…"
Fumino's body stiffened for a beat. "The inaugural… Hong Kong Mile."
Kuroha nodded. "No matter how tempting the achievement of winning the Arc might be, you have to remember—it was never within our plan from the very beginning."
"Besides, the Arc's turf doesn't just clash with the adaptation training we've been doing. The distance is also a bit outside Oguri's effective range."
For a future Arc Umamusume, victory is something you can judge within 2,000 meters.
Oguri had struggled that much on the Irish course, yet she supposedly suited Longchamp's turf perfectly.
That could only mean one thing: the gap between Longchamp and the Irish track was anything but small.
Over this stretch of time, Oguri had trained only for Hong Kong and Ireland.
Even if Oguri really could rely on the two skills—[Turf Adaptation 713] and [Wet Conditions ◯]—to force her way into "barely passable" on unfamiliar tracks…
Kuroha still wouldn't let her go straight into the world's top-tier race.
At the end of the day, Oguri had only joined Chasing Light three months ago. There were still so many things he hadn't had time to teach her.
Running the Arc would be far too risky—and it was never part of the plan.
Kuroha continued, "Sure, Oguri won the Arima Kinen back in Central. With sheer physical strength, she brute-forced her way past Tamamo Cross's 2,500-meter long-distance."
"But fundamentally, her golden distance range has always been Mile races—at most stretching to around 2,000 meters of Medium distance."
"Beyond that, it gets… forced."
"That's why, aside from the Irish Champion Stakes, every race I scheduled for her is Mile."
There was one thing Kuroha didn't say out loud.
If Leopardstown in this season counted as an ultra-heavy track, then Longchamp would need an extra "ultra" slapped in front of that.
Ultra—ultra-heavy track!
That infamous nickname—"the Longchamp swimming pool"—wasn't for show.
Sending Oguri Cap, who'd only just gotten properly on track three months ago, into something like that… that wouldn't be courage.
That would be stupidity.
There are always trade-offs.
A greedy, impatient sprint for quick success is never the wise move. Taking solid steps, one by one, in the right direction—that's what growth is supposed to look like.
Staring into Kuroha's gentle eyes, Fumino had no idea why her cheeks felt warm.
She turned her head away on instinct, avoiding his gaze. "I… I got it."
What was going on with her lately?
Why did it feel like her resistance to this guy was getting lower and lower?
She bit her lip, furious at herself. Get it together already, Fumino!
Just then, the heavy thump of footsteps came down the hall.
Not far away, Haito Star came hopping over, a cookie pinched between her fingers.
The little girl's expression was still cool and subdued, but her eyes were sparkling. Like she was presenting a treasure, she lifted her hand high.
"Kuroha-nii. Here."
Kuroha smiled, crouched down so they were eye level, then ruffled her hair and accepted the cookie.
"Thanks, Star-chan."
He took a bite and smiled. "We're leaving. While I'm gone, you have to behave, eat properly, and grow up strong, okay?"
Haito Star blinked. After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked in a clear, crisp voice, "Can I go with you, Kuroha-nii?"
Kuroha paused.
He looked at the hope in her eyes and didn't brush her off. He actually thought about it—then shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because you're still too little. You still need your family with you." Kuroha explained patiently. "Central Tracen is very far from here. If you leave your parents and your sister now, they'll be heartbroken."
It was because of Haitoshi that Haito Star's parents had chosen to follow Mikazuki back home again.
And while they were at it, they planned to let her soak in the atmosphere of Umamusume training.
So there was no way they'd agree to let Haito Star go traveling alone—far away from them, far away from Haitoshi—off to that Far Eastern island nation by herself.
Or maybe that was just how parents were.
Who in the world would be willing to let their little kid—still in elementary school—run off alone to a foreign country?
Besides, Haito Star really was too young right now.
Staying by Kuroha's side wouldn't mean much for her at this stage.
"…Okay." Haito Star's eyes lowered, a little downcast.
Kuroha smiled and held out his pinky. "But—let's make a promise."
"A promise?" Haito Star looked up.
"Yeah. A promise." Kuroha said, "Whenever I have time, I'll come visit you more—either in Ireland or in Tōkō (東煌)."
"And when you're old enough to enroll in Tracen's elementary division, I'll bring you over and let you join my team. How about it?"
No matter how talented this little girl was, right now she was still just a tiny kid—not even middle-school age.
Staying in Ireland, staying with Haitoshi and Lisi, staying with her family… that was the best place for her to grow.
Haito Star stared at his pinky in silence. After a moment, she suddenly hooked her small finger around his.
She looked at him with those beautiful eyes, serious and steady, and said each word clearly:
"Then I'll wait…"
"I'll wait for the day I can take over the world with you, big bro."
Take over the world.
Hearing words like that from such a tiny kid should've sounded absurd, but somehow, it didn't feel out of place at all.
Kuroha froze, then pulled the precocious little girl into his arms and murmured softly, "Yeah. Yeah."
In the end, everyone said goodbye to the Haitoshi sisters and Lisi, then boarded a plane bound for France.
After arriving in France, Kuroha went to the association in person the very next day—partly to avoid leaving a bad impression.
Citing schedule conflicts and Oguri's physical condition, he politely declined the Arc invitation.
They were reasonable about it. Not only were they not unhappy, they even hosted him warmly for a bit.
…
Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was October.
The air in France began to burn with excitement.
Not because of the weather, but because the world's most elite international G1—the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe—was about to begin.
All across Paris, promotional posters for the race were everywhere.
And in the middle of all that noise, Kuroha's group quietly packed their bags again, arrived at the airport, and prepared to leave France—returning to Hong Kong.
Yes.
Oguri Cap's second overseas G1—the Maniel Stakes—had already ended two days ago.
And in a way, it was thanks to the Arc.
Because the Maniel Stakes was less than seven days away from the Arc, the European Umamusume who truly aimed for the summit generally chose to skip it and focus fully on preparing for the Arc.
That dropped the intensity of the field—so much so that it was even lower than the Irish Champion Stakes.
France's turf really was sticky and heavy, and Oguri did have to work for it.
But once she activated [Domain: Miracle Sunstar], she still won with ease.
Under normal circumstances, headlines like "Shocking! The gray-haired monster from the Far East conquers France again!" would've flooded the streets.
But with the Arc so close…
That glory stayed hot for less than half a day before the global event's hype swallowed it whole.
Inside the airport lounge, the TV was playing a preview report on the Arc. Experts from every corner were analyzing who would take the title.
As for the winner from the Far East two days ago?
No one even mentioned her anymore.
"Do you feel like it's a waste?" Kuroha asked, watching the screen, then turning his head to look at Oguri—who was chewing on a baguette.
"Hm?" Oguri swallowed her mouthful, her big eyes visibly clear and innocent. "A waste of what?"
"…"
Right. He was the idiot for asking her that.
Kuroha laughed and pinched her cheek. "Never mind. Eat."
"Oh." The gray-haired girl's ears bobbed happily, and she dove right back into her food.
Just then, Fumino—seated beside them—spoke softly. "When are you going back to Central?"
"Once we get to Hong Kong and I've set Oguri's training plan in place," Kuroha said with a smile. "I'll be leaving things to you then, Fumino~"
With the Kikuka Sho and the Tenno Sho (Autumn) coming up, he wasn't worried about McQueen and Ardan with their current strength.
But he'd been away too long—there were still personal matters he needed to handle back home.
As for Oguri, her next race was a G2. It was basically a tune-up event for the G1 Hong Kong Mile, and the intensity wasn't actually that high.
Once he finished the overall plan, having Fumino execute it would be more than enough. He didn't need to be on-site every second.
Honestly, that was why he'd lured Fumino over in the first place—so she could handle exactly this kind of thing.
"So you do know you're dumping trouble on me," Fumino huffed, crossing her arms with a stubbornly tsun expression. "Fine. With me in Hong Kong, you can go wandering around without a care."
"Sure, I'm not some biiig-shot trainer like you, but basic work like this? No problem."
"Mm. I'm counting on you."
"..."
Seeing that smile—one she found harder and harder to withstand—Fumino lowered her head in silence.
Out of sight, out of heart.
…
A few days later—Tokyo, the Mejiro training grounds.
"Heh."
A suitcase came to a stop by the front gate.
Then a familiar figure, under the respectful gaze of the staff, strode in with an easy, light step.
(End of Chapter)
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