Kuroha didn't wake again until the sun was already high.
The covers beside him were empty, leaving only a trace of warmth and a faint, lingering fragrance.
Water pattered softly from the bathroom.
Not long after, the door opened.
March rubbed her eyes and yawned as she shuffled out.
She was still loosely wearing the white dress shirt Kuroha had taken off before bed. The hem barely covered the tops of her thighs, and she'd only fastened a couple of buttons at random.
"Mmm… morning, Trainer~"
She looked like she still hadn't fully woken up, like she'd only gone to the bathroom in a daze and nothing more.
Last night had been a hard-fought battle for Kuroha. For March, it had been an earlier "promotion match" all on its own.
Without Mejiro Ardan and Obey Your Master and the others helping from the sidelines, she'd flat-out given up halfway through and gone limp.
Even now, her body still felt weak.
"It's not morning. It's basically noon…" Kuroha said with a helpless smile.
He watched her take slow steps over, then slip back under the covers.
After a bit of rustling, she poked out a small head and a pale arm, holding out Kuroha's shirt. "I wanna rest a little longer… Do you have anything to do this afternoon, Trainer?"
"Yeah. Rudolf asked me to come over for something."
Kuroha took the shirt and ruffled March's silver hair, nodding.
"Then I'll head back too."
She was clearly still sleepy, but March was considerate. Before long, the two of them washed up, tidied themselves, and left the hotel.
…
"I'm heading back to the dorm, Trainer~"
"Mm. See you later."
After parting with March at the gates of Central Tracen Academy, Kuroha watched her walk away, stretched his arms high with a long yawn, then turned toward the administration building and the student council room.
…
Central Tracen Academy, Student Council Office.
Inside, Rudolf Symboli sat upright behind a broad desk as always, dealing with a mountain of paperwork.
She somehow looked even more like an overworked corporate drone than usual…
Over by the sofa, Maruzensky was chatting with a rare guest—someone they hadn't seen in a long time.
"Well, well," the guest said with a light laugh, voice lifting as she cocked an eyebrow at Kuroha. "So our legendary trainer finally decided to show his face?"
Maruzensky was holding a cup of black tea. The moment she saw Kuroha step in, her pretty eyes curved into a smile.
"Good afternoon, Hane-kun~ Did you have fun last night?"
She blinked at him, a mischievous, knowing grin spreading across her face.
"..."
So March really had told the others. At this point it felt like every one of his girls knew.
Kuroha kept a straight face, took the tea Maruzensky offered, then looked at the horse girl seated across from her—brown hair, greenish-blue eyes, and a white little "CB" cap perched on her head, looking sharp as ever.
"It's been a while, Mr. C.B. Did you and Inari go out to have fun again?"
Mr. C.B.—a legend at Tracen, the previous generation's Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume—was famously impossible to pin down.
After the first few times she'd shown up because of Rudolf and the others, every appearance after that had basically been her dragging Inari out to go raise hell together.
Showing up in the student council room today was unusual.
"Hey, Kuroha."
Mr. C.B. lifted her hand and gave a small wave. "Yeah. It's been a while."
"As for Inari, we just got back from Hokkaido. She's probably at the dorm now."
She spread her hands and leaned back, teasing lightly, "That said… you made one hell of a splash overseas this time."
"I watched both the Ireland and France races from start to finish."
"Watching those European girls get run into the ground on their own proud turf? That felt amazing."
"…You really watched?" Kuroha sat down beside her, then couldn't help shooting back, "Because March and the others said those two nights even Rudolf and Tamamo Cross came over to watch—and you were the only one who didn't show."
"How dare you slander me like that?" Mr. C.B. snapped, brows lifting as she glared. "I watched, okay?"
At that, Rudolf finally paused her pen.
She lifted her head, looked at the three of them chatting, then glanced at the towering stack of documents on her desk. "You all look so free. Any of you want to help me with this?"
The "Emperor" on the track looked… a little pitiful right now.
"..."
Mr. C.B. stared straight ahead and began counting the air.
Maruzensky, meanwhile, smiled brightly. "Rudolf, didn't the Chairwoman say she needed to talk to you and Hane-kun? You can handle work later. Why don't you go with him first?"
Rudolf looked at Kuroha in silence—only to see him raise his brows and tilt his head toward the door.
A deep, tired feeling settled in her chest.
None of these people were dependable. Not one.
Maybe it really was time to pick a capable underclassman to help shoulder the load…
"Fine…"
Rubbing her brow, Rudolf closed the folder in her hands and stood.
"Since you're here, let's go. The Chairwoman is waiting."
Kuroha nodded, and the two of them left the student council office one after the other, took the elevator up to the top floor, and headed straight for a grand, imposing office.
Chairwoman's Office.
"Knock, knock."
Rudolf rapped on the heavy redwood door.
"Come in!"
A youthful voice answered from inside—so energetic it was almost overexcited.
Kuroha pushed the door open.
"Total victory—!!!"
Before he could even take in the room, a loud, full-bellied shout hit him head-on.
Behind a wide desk, the tiny Chairwoman Akikawa Yayoi was standing on a chair, snapping open an oversized folding fan emblazoned with bold characters that read Unrivaled Under Heaven. She stared at Kuroha with sparkling eyes, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Welcome back, Trainer Kuroha!"
She hopped down from the chair and ran over on quick little legs, waving that huge fan like it weighed nothing.
"You did it! You did so well!"
"The Irish Champion Stakes! And that… the Prix de Niel! Two overseas wins! Two overseas G1s!"
"This was my—no, Central Tracen's—longtime dream! And you actually made it happen!"
Kuroha smiled at the Chairwoman who looked ready to start jumping up and down.
"You're too kind, Chairwoman. Oguri Cap earned it with her own hard work."
"Ahh, don't be modest!"
Akikawa Yayoi threw out a hand like she meant to pat his shoulder, tried a couple of times—and quickly realized she couldn't reach. In the end, she slapped her own knee, then spun around and pointed at a small cart beside the desk.
"Look! To celebrate your triumphant return, I prepared a victory feast!"
Kuroha and Rudolf followed where she pointed.
The cart was piled into a glorious little mountain of…
Special carrot hamburger steaks.
"..."
Kuroha fell silent for a beat. "Chairwoman, Oguri Cap is still at the training grounds in Hong Kong. She didn't come back with me."
"Huh?"
Akikawa Yayoi froze mid-fan-wave.
She blinked, looked at the hamburger mountain, then looked back at Kuroha, her face going blank.
"N-not… back?"
"No. She's preparing for the next race."
"Ugh…"
Akikawa Yayoi looked genuinely troubled. "I miscalculated… I didn't think about that."
Still, she straightened up almost immediately.
"Fine! If Oguri Cap isn't here, then Trainer Kuroha, you can pass along my congratulations!"
She climbed back behind her desk, expression turning a little more serious.
"The results of this expedition—this isn't just the academy praising you. The URA Association is giving you extremely high marks as well."
"You broke the 'Central Uma can't win overseas' curse. For raising Central Tracen's standing internationally, the impact will be immeasurable."
As she spoke, Akikawa Yayoi looked to the side, toward Hayakawa Tazuna, who'd been smiling quietly the whole time.
"Tazuna."
"Yes, ma'am."
Tazuna stepped forward, took a document folder, and handed it to Kuroha.
"Trainer Kuroha, this is a special approval regarding 'Chasing Light's' future overseas campaigns."
"In recognition of your and Oguri Cap's outstanding performance, the board has decided to unconditionally support all of your future overseas race plans."
"Logistics, funding, and personnel arrangements—you will have top-priority authority across the board."
Kuroha took the paperwork and flipped through it, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The authority really was enormous.
It was basically an imperial edict in paper form. From here on out, taking the team abroad wouldn't require wading through the same tedious approval process as before.
His clearance now outstripped even most of Central's veteran trainers—almost to the level of the Chairwoman herself.
And for him, it would have three very tangible benefits.
A thought popped into Kuroha's head.
So… does this mean I can order Fumino around directly now?
…
At that moment, far away in Hong Kong—
"Achoo!"
A violet-haired beauty suddenly sneezed, then rubbed the bridge of her nose, looking around in confusion.
"Trainer, what's wrong?" Super Creek-chan hurried over, anxious. "Did you catch a cold?"
"No, no," Fumino said, blinking, still puzzled. "I just… suddenly felt a little chilly for some reason."
She pushed the thought aside and refocused on Oguri Cap training in front of her.
…
"Thank you, Chairwoman." Kuroha closed the folder and bowed his head in earnest.
"No need! This is the treatment a hero deserves!"
Akikawa Yayoi threw her fan up with bold enthusiasm. "I only have one wish! I want the whole world to see the brilliance of Central's Uma Musume!"
"You've already taken the first step. Now keep going—without fear!"
When they left the Chairwoman's office, Kuroha held that weighty approval document in his hands, his mood noticeably lighter.
With this support, the road ahead would be much easier.
As they walked, Kuroha spoke quietly to Rudolf, "Rudolf, there's one more thing. I might need your help."
"What is it?" Rudolf tilted her head.
"This month's Mile Championship—I'm planning to treat it as March's retirement race."
"..." Rudolf's brows knitted. "Why?"
Her reaction was the same as Kuroha's had been yesterday.
March could still keep running. So why force her to stop?
"It's what March wants."
"...Understood."
After a moment of silence, Rudolf let out a long breath and didn't press further.
"Yeah."
The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped inside.
Then Rudolf spoke softly, almost to herself.
"Next is the Kikuka Sho."
"McQueen's been in frighteningly good form lately."
"…Yeah." Kuroha nodded. He understood what Rudolf was implying.
After Inari and Obey Your Master and the others retired, it became Super Creek's era.
And now, even that era was coming to its final page.
Soon—if Ardan and Oguri Cap and the others retired as well—this brilliant, dazzling age would officially end.
But…
This might be their finish line.
For the new age, it was the opening bell.
"From here on out, the newer generation will shine even brighter."
Kuroha lowered his gaze to Rudolf. "As long as I'm here, this glory won't fade so easily like it did in your time."
Rudolf's eyes flickered, and then she snapped back to herself, rolling them at him. "Are you praising me, or taking a shot at me?"
"How could I be taking a shot?" Kuroha winked, a light laugh in his throat. "You're the invincible Emperor-sama."
He stepped out of the elevator and walked ahead.
Behind him, Rudolf stared at his back for a moment—then a small smile tugged at her lips.
Maruzensky's eye for talent…
Was pretty good, huh…
"Hey. Wait up."
Calling softly, she hurried after him.
(End of Chapter)
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