Yahagi Side
Yahagi: "Do I still have to wear these?"
Air Groove: "Yes. It's been a while, so just for today."
Yahagi: "Fuji, why'd you have glasses? Not a spare, right?"
Fuji: "Nope, not that. Hehe♪ Guess why?"
Yahagi: "No clue."
I'll drop it… But man, the stares are piling up. Probably these glasses, plus the three of them.
Yahagi: "Can we wrap up tea and head home? I don't want these stares outside the racetrack. Carrying Fuji to the waiting room is enough."
Fuji: "I-I'm not thrilled about those stares either! It's embarrassing! ///"
Yahagi: "Couldn't leave my Uma Musume stranded, barely able to move. Trainer's gotta step up."
Fuji: "…True, it helped me finish the Derby and Kikuka-sho smoothly. Thanks… for carrying me ///"
Yahagi: "No big deal now. Don't sweat it."
CB: "Hey, can you two not make it a private moment? There's four of us here, so don't forget me and Air Groove."
Air Groove: "Didn't expect to see a non-couple flirting in front of me. Save that for when you're actually dating."
Fuji: "I-It's not like that! And… I'm not planning to date!"
Yahagi: "Why's it going there…?"
Dating? No way I'd get involved with a student. I've heard of young trainers marrying years later, but me? No chance. Introduce a shady-eyed guy like me to parents? They'd object instantly. This is depressing—let's stop.
Air Groove: "Still, Yahagi, I didn't expect you to carry her at the Derby and Kikuka-sho. You never did that for me."
Yahagi: "Your only off-suit race was the Arima Kinen, and we trained for stamina, so I knew you could handle it. You walked fine after, right?"
Air Groove: "…True. I'd need a 3000m+ race for that chance. Hmph, unlikely."
CB: "Then I've got no shot!"
Yahagi: "Run a sprint at top speed, maybe. Off-suit at max pace might do it."
CB: "…Yahagi! My debut's a sprint—'It's set at 2000m.' Ugh!" pout
Fuji: "Haha… too bad?"
CB: "Fuji's so lucky~"
Lucky? It was unavoidable. She could barely walk.
Air Groove: "For now, Fuji's the only one with the privilege of being carried."
Fuji: "But others might get it! Like, Bakushin O's a sprinter, and Maurice has mile aptitude, so maybe!"
CB: "Hmm… Maurice, maybe, but Bakushin O? Nah. She'd probably yell 'Bakushin!' and sprint to the waiting room or do some weird dance in the circle."
Air Groove: "…Can't deny that. And Maurice's personality—she'd probably go to Yahagi for pets."
CB: "Right~ Mo-chan's so cute, you just wanna pamper her. Hard to do, though."
Mo… Mo-chan?
Fuji: "Yahagi-san seems to pet Maurice and Rice after races. Bakushin O's unlikely, but what about Altan?"
Air Groove: "…She's a wildcard. Scary."
CB: "True. She's close to Yahagi, practically his sister. How about we all get head pats after races?"
Fuji: "Yes! And we want rewards!♪"
Yahagi: "Why's this about post-race head pats? I'd do it for motivation, but not for your whims."
Air Groove: "Yahagi, make it a rule: only for wins. Doing it regardless cheapens it."
Yahagi: "I'm not doing it! Heads shoved at me after a race? No way. Don't you start either."
But that Mo-chan nickname's stuck in my head.
Yahagi: "What's with Maurice's nickname? Mo-chan? First I've heard."
CB: "What, it's cute! 'Maurice' felt stiff, so I thought 'chan' wasn't enough. Shortened it and added chan♪"
Yahagi: "Your call, huh…"
Note: I sometimes call Rice 'Rai-chan.'
Fuji: "Yahagi-san, don't just start using it like CB-senpai."
Yahagi: "I won't. I just wanna confirm if Maurice is okay with it."
Maurice = Mo-chan Rice = Rai-chan
------------------------------
If you like this story and want to read more, I've pre-posted 30–40 chapters on Patreon:
[pat*eon*com/DaoistRoeoNQ]
Your support means a lot to me.