The day after the Japan Cup.
Last night, I couldn't sleep, so I gave up on trying to. I went to a convenience store I don't usually go to, bought a bunch of sports newspapers, and headed to Tracen Academy.
"Ah... they're here again today..."
Recently, no matter which way I go, reporters are waiting for me, so I sighed and took a detour.
But since reporters were waiting for me on every route, I was wondering what to do when I made eye contact with a woman who lives near Tracen Academy. She's the person I often greet when I'm climbing over the wall.
She must have noticed I was in a bind because she gave me a wry smile and told me to go through her yard. I thanked her and took her up on the offer. By going through her yard, I could get out onto the road behind the reporters, and from there, it was a dash.
Maybe I should just buy a car and shake off the reporters who try to stop me... or maybe a motorcycle to dodge them... my sleep deprivation must be getting to me.
I hopped over the Tracen Academy wall and headed straight for the club room. It was only 7:30 a.m., which was quite early, but... oh well. There was nothing for me to do at home anyway.
I arrived at the club room... but wait? King was here.
Despite the early hour, she was properly dressed in her uniform, leaning against the club room door with her hands covering her mouth, exhaling. It was so cold at this time of year, with December approaching, that you could see your breath, so it must have been tough for her to wait.
But there was a sense of déjà vu about King waiting in front of the club room. Was it the day after she won the Takarazuka Kinen? I think she said she didn't feel like she had won G1s at all distances then.
When I got closer, King's horse ears twitched, and she turned to face me.
"Morning, King."
"Morning, Trainer."
After greeting each other, I unlocked the club room door. King followed me in, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She put her bag down on her desk and then headed for the coffee maker. It seemed she was going to make coffee for me.
"..."
"..."
We were both silent, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. I picked up one of the sports newspapers I had bought, sat down on the sofa, and started reading. But I was still curious about how King was doing, so I looked up, and she was looking at me, too.
"Did you... commute from somewhere other than the main gate again today?"
"Yeah... but it feels like reporters are waiting for me on every route. I ended up coming through a neighbor's yard."
"Isn't that trespassing?"
"The person who lives there saw that I was in a difficult situation and told me to go right ahead. She's the person I always greet when I climb over the Tracen Academy wall... It really pays to be friendly."
I shrugged, and King put a hand to her mouth and chuckled.
"Oh, you dummy. Be careful not to get hurt, okay?"
"You probably should have told me to stop..."
But if I got caught by the reporters, they would definitely bombard me with questions about yesterday's race.
If it was a normal interview, I'd answer, but some reporters were asking questions like, "What are your thoughts on King Halo losing to Special Week?" They were trying to get a slip of the tongue out of me by making me angry.
I had just answered that Special Week had run even more wonderfully than King.
(Hmm... the front pages of the newspapers are all about yesterday's Japan Cup.)
It couldn't be helped the day after a G1 race, but various headlines were plastered across the pages.
"Special Week Victorious at the Japan Cup!"
"Special Week Puts a Stop to King Halo's Dominance!"
"Special Week Wins! Is the Arima Kinen Next!?"
"Special Week Defeats the 'King of her Generation' and the Arc de Triomphe Winner!"
As usual, there were photos of Special Week crossing the finish line, a picture of her raising her fist to the audience with King's support after the race, and photos of her from the winning live.
"King Halo, a Disappointing 2nd Place"
"'King of her Generation' Fails to Secure 7th G1 Win"
"King Halo Fails to Tie Symboli Rudolf's Record"
Some newspapers had front-page articles about King's loss. However, the tone was more one of disappointment rather than criticism.
As I was reading the newspapers, King, who had finished making coffee, sat down on the sofa across from me. I took a sip of my coffee and let out a relaxed sigh. King chose that moment to speak.
"I lost."
"You did."
I responded to King, who spoke with a mix of frustration and a sense of clarity. For me, it was 70% frustration and 30% clarity.
King was in perfect condition and top form. But Special Week surpassed her. The difference was small, but it was a definite loss.
Losing was frustrating. I probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, and maybe not even tomorrow night. But at the same time, I had praise and respect for Special Week, who had beaten my King.
She wasn't being arrogant or careless. She had competed with all her might and lost. That's why she felt a sense of clarity—but still, it was frustrating.
"In the very end... during our final sprint, I felt her obsession to win against me. After meeting you and winning 6 G1s, I wonder if my obsession with winning has faded?"
King said that from across the way, and it felt more like she was seeking confirmation than complaining or being vulnerable.
"That's not it... It was simply that Special Week's feelings were stronger than yours. I think that's all it was."
I didn't think King's obsession with winning would ever fade. At the same time, I didn't think she had gotten used to winning, either.
It was just that Special Week's obsession with winning had surpassed King's. And the smaller the difference, the more frustrating it was.
King must have understood that, too. She looked at the newspaper on the table, her beautiful face twisted in frustration.
In times like this, if it were Urara or Rice, I would spoil them or encourage them, but this was King. Sometimes she wants that kind of response, but today, she seemed to want something different.
To prove it, King sat across from me instead of next to me. When she wins, she seeks affection, but when she loses, she disciplines herself.
I couldn't help but smile wryly at King's behavior.
"Well, in a way, you've tied Symboli Rudolf's record."
"What do you mean?"
King tilted her head in confusion. In response, I pointed to the newspapers with articles about King's defeat.
"It means you've become a horse girl who is talked about for her defeat, not just her victory."
Symboli Rudolf only lost three times before moving to the Dream Series, but as a result, she was sometimes called a horse girl who was more talked about for her losses than her wins.
King lost this Japan Cup, but there were several newspapers that were not only writing articles about Special Week, who won, but also about King's second-place finish.
This wasn't King's first loss, and she's lost more than Symboli Rudolf has. But the fact that her defeat was written about like this felt like proof that she had become a horse girl on par with Symboli Rudolf.
"I... see. I suppose that's one way to look at it."
King looked confused by my words for a moment, but then a relaxed smile spread across her face.
That afternoon, after school.
The Champions Cup was scheduled for next Sunday, so it was in the middle of a crucial training period for Urara. The race would be held at Chukyo Racecourse in Aichi Prefecture, not Oi Racecourse, so it would be on a Sunday, not a weekday.
Since King had a race yesterday, she was on a light training schedule. Rice was helping Urara while also doing some relatively intense training. Then, my phone in my pocket vibrated, signaling a call.
(A call... from Tadana-san?)
I rarely get calls during training hours. So I thought it was unusual and answered the phone.
"Hello, Trainer-san? I apologize for the suddenness, but someone who would like to meet King Halo has arrived at Tracen Academy..."
"That's sudden. Is it a journalist?"
I wondered if a reporter who had gotten permission from the URA after yesterday's race had come. Or maybe a TV station. But if the URA gave permission, no one strange would come... although there was one exception.
However, against my expectations, Tadana-san spoke with a wry smile.
"The person who came to Tracen Academy is Broyé-san. She said she wanted to meet King Halo in person before returning to France... What would you like to do?"
"Just a moment... King!"
I covered the mouthpiece of the phone with my finger and called out to King. I told her what Tadana-san had said. She gave a small wry smile and nodded.
"I don't mind. She came all this way to see me. It's not something a first-class horse girl would do to turn her away."
"All right... I understand."
I uncovered the mouthpiece and resumed my conversation with Tadana-san.
"I heard you. I'll bring Broyé-san there now."
Oh, so she could hear our conversation. I thought I had covered the mouthpiece well, but was I speaking too loudly? Or does Tadana-san have good hearing?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Tadana-san came with Broyé in just a few minutes. Broyé was in luxurious casual clothes, but I thought she was a striking girl no matter what she wore.
Tadana-san excused herself, as she still had to guide her, but she stayed nearby. Broyé bowed to Tadana-san... a bow that showed a strange amount of respect. Broyé's expression was respectful.
Even so, Broyé turned to King and said something to the interpreter.
"She says thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule. She says she wanted to talk to you like this before returning to France."
"That's fine. I have a light training schedule today, so I have plenty of time."
"Merci beaucoup."
Broyé must have understood what King said from her tone and expression. She smiled faintly and said the familiar words of thanks... but when the interpreter told her something, she looked at King with a shocked expression, then at me.
"She's worried about King Halo. She's asking if it's okay for you to be training when you had a race yesterday and if you shouldn't be resting today."
Broyé was looking at me with a critical gaze. It felt like the kind of concern you'd have for a high school pitcher who was pitching back-to-back games in the Koshien. "Are you kidding me?" kind of look.
"Don't worry. This is what the King's trainer decided, after all."
King stood in front of me and puffed out her chest. I couldn't see her expression, but I bet she was very confident.
Broyé heard what King said from the interpreter and shrugged as she looked at me and King's faces. But she immediately changed her expression to a serious one and said something to the interpreter.
"She says she never thought she would lose to any other horse girl but you. But she says there are many other strong horse girls in Japan, and this time, she was the one who was weaker."
"Oh, I always think that. The horse girls around me are all strong, and if I let my guard down, I'll lose. There's not a single opponent I can be careless with."
King responded to Broyé's words directly. Broyé smiled wryly at what King said through the interpreter.
"She says it's not something you'd expect to hear from a horse girl with 6 G1 wins."
"It's precisely because I have 6 G1 wins. A day will come when you'll understand, too."
Was that King's way of encouraging her? Saying, "A day will come when you'll understand," meant that she believed Broyé would continue to win G1s.
She was already the Arc de Triomphe winner as a classic-class horse girl and showed that kind of running. She would definitely get stronger.
Broyé looked confused when she heard the words from the interpreter, but she must have understood what King meant. She smiled and extended her right hand.
"Merci beaucoup King Halo."
"De rien."
King took her hand. Broyé nodded with satisfaction, then looked at me and said something.
"She says you shouldn't let go of her. She says that whether you win or lose, there's no other horse girl like her."
"She's my King. I'm not going to let her go. Please tell her that."
I answered with a gut reaction, "What are you talking about?" Win or lose, King is King. As her trainer, I'll do anything for her as long as she doesn't let go of my hand. No, even if she did, I'd hold on tight, talk to her, and if it still didn't work, I'd let go... and then maybe grab her hand again anyway.
"Oh, you dummy! This is not the time to be saying things like that!"
"It is, too. Oh, please tell her that King is the best horse girl, so it's only natural that there's no one else like her. And also..."
King's cheeks were flushed, and she was a little angry, but I wasn't going to let go of her hand.
"I know what you're trying to say, but from the perspective of a trainer, it's a given that there's no one else like her. That horse girl is the only one of her kind. Just as you, Broyé, are the only one of your kind. You had a great run yesterday. I pray that you will have good fortune in your future races."
I looked at the interpreter, wondering if she could translate that, and she gave me a wink. It seemed like it was fine.
Broyé listened to the interpreter's translation of my words, smiled, and extended her right hand to me, too. When I shook her hand, Broyé kept her smile and turned her back to me.
"Thank you for your time. I'll be guiding Broyé-san to Special Week's place now."
As soon as we finished talking, Tadana-san said that. It seemed she was going to talk not only to King but also to Special Week, who had won. I wonder if they had some kind of connection?
"Haru Urara!"
"Whoa! So high!"
As I was thinking that, Broyé, for some reason, grabbed Urara, who had just finished running on the dirt course and was running toward us, and lifted her high in the air.
Her face was so happy... it was the biggest smile I had ever seen on her.
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