Kuroha looked at the slightly puzzled Mejiro Ardan and let out a small sigh.
No matter how strong these horse girls were, at the end of the day, they were all still girls who hadn't even reached twenty.
When they ran into things that couldn't be solved just by running—
A lot of the time, even they didn't know what they were supposed to do.
"Finding your starting point doesn't mean you'll never stray into a dead end."
Kuroha spoke softly.
"It's more like, on a pitch-black sea, someone lighting a lighthouse for you, so that from then on, you at least know which way to go."
"But even during the journey, there will still be storms, still be fog, still be huge waves that push you off course."
Kuroha's voice was quiet, yet it carried a kind of power that could put people at ease, echoing gently through the still bedroom.
"The hunger to win, the obsession with growing stronger, the pressure of not wanting to disappoint others… those are the storms and fog banks along the voyage."
"They'll temporarily cover up the light of your lighthouse, making you unknowingly drift off your route, even forget why you chose to sail out in the first place."
Kuroha paused for a moment, then smiled and gave an example.
"Ardan, think of it like this: say next year, a Uma Musume can't run in the spring Tenno Sho because of injury."
"After that, you lose to some horse girl at the beginning of the year."
"Then, the week before the spring Tenno Sho, that girl enters another race. At that point, all of Central is saying your loss back then was just because your condition wasn't good, and everyone is hoping you'll go and get revenge."
"Ardan, would you choose to take that revenge—or would you choose to stay focused on taking the glory of the spring Tenno Sho?"
"…The spring Tenno Sho."
Mejiro Ardan fell silent for a moment before answering.
"You hesitated, didn't you?"
Kuroha shook his head and gave a small, amused laugh.
"That's the weight of 'everyone as one'."
"A Uma Musume doesn't just carry her own wishes. She carries everyone else's too."
"Even you would hesitate for a second when faced with that kind of question. So how could Oguri, who's been under that weight for a whole year, possibly not feel lost?"
"That's why, ever since the Mile Championship, after her injury got better, even though she's been training with you five for almost half a month… you've all felt like she's gotten weaker instead."
"Because right now, her heart is walking in the opposite direction from the starting point she found when she awakened her Domain. That power that comes from the deepest part of a Uma Musume's soul is no longer answering her properly."
"…"
After listening to Kuroha's explanation, Mejiro Ardan fell silent again.
She quietly leaned against Kuroha's chest, quietly digesting every word he had just said.
"The weight of everyone as one…"
She whispered the phrase under her breath.
Yeah.
She herself had only imagined that situation, and even then, a bit of wavering had budded in her heart.
Let alone Oguri, who had really been bearing that expectation for a whole year.
From "Grey Monster," to the almost deified being she had once been made into, then to the way that twisted image had been broken and questioned by the outside world.
The pressure Oguri carried was something they could hardly imagine.
Mejiro Ardan suddenly understood.
Why, during training in the afternoon, that gray figure who usually only thought about running and eating good food would show such a lost and troubled expression.
Because she was trapped in the fog of "I must win" and "I must answer everyone's expectations."
The more she longed to be strong, the more she strayed from the path that should have been paved with "happiness."
And the power of a Domain came from the purest core of a Uma Musume's soul.
When her heart and her soul were at odds with each other, that power would naturally fall still.
And with her Domain power quieted, when all of them were already in their peak years, and there wasn't a lot of room left to grow the team's basic capabilities—
In the eyes of the five of them, Oguri's strength had naturally "become weaker."
Ardan gave a tiny shake of her head.
She tossed those thoughts out of her mind.
Today, even Obey had clearly realized that much in her own way.
And as Oguri's friend, Fujimasa March definitely wouldn't want to see a half-broken rival standing at the Arima Kinen either.
Those things didn't need Ardan to worry about.
Today, she had only been unable to understand this "change of the starting point," that was all.
With everything finally clear in her mind, Ardan's heart felt completely refreshed.
Just when Kuroha thought the girl in his arms was about to drift off to sleep with that newfound peace, he felt her move slightly.
He lowered his head, and his gaze met a pair of sparkling eyes glowing in the darkness.
Those glasslike eyes had completely shed their earlier confusion, now filled instead with a foxlike, mischievous smile.
"Hey, Trainer."
The girl's voice was soft and sugary.
"Who do you think is going to win this year's Arima Kinen?"
"Cough…"
The sudden question almost made Kuroha choke on his own breath.
He looked down at the girl in his arms—who had just been seeking comfort and in the next instant had revealed her little fox tail—with an expression caught between a laugh and a cry.
This question was basically a "death flag."
Within the team, the core members—Fujimasa March, Inari One, Obey Your Master, Sakura Chiyono O, and Ardan herself—were all powerful contenders for the Arima Kinen.
No matter whose name he said, it would look like he was playing favorites.
"You…"
Kuroha reached out a helpless finger and gently scratched the tip of her perky nose.
"You have me help you solve one hard question, then turn around and throw an even harder one at me, don't you?"
"Heehee…"
Mejiro Ardan let out a satisfied little giggle, rubbing her cheek against his chest, clearly very pleased with her trainer's flustered reaction.
"I'm just curious."
She tilted her little face up. There was none of the elegant, dignified young lady about her at all—if anything, she sounded completely justified as she said:
"Trainer has the best eye for things, so you must have your own guess, right?"
Looking at that "I just want to hear it" expression, Kuroha's heart softened, but he still refused to fall into the trap.
He cleared his throat and answered in a mock-solemn tone:
"My judgment is—"
"—whoever, on race day, can answer their fans' support the best, and show their own running to the fullest… that girl will be the champion."
"..."
The answer was so textbook and official that Mejiro Ardan puffed her cheeks out, gave his chest a light punch, and grumbled.
"Trainer is so sneaky! That's the same as not answering at all!"
"Hahaha."
Kuroha finally couldn't help laughing out loud, and pulled the pouting girl tightly into his arms.
"Alright, that's enough teasing. Go to sleep."
"Hmph…"
Ardan snorted softly but didn't press the question any further. She just shifted into a more comfortable position and quietly closed her eyes.
Even though she hadn't gotten a clear answer, deep down, she felt more at ease than before.
Because she knew that in her trainer's heart, each and every one of them had the chance to become champion.
That alone was enough.
"…Ardan, if you're going to sleep, then sleep. Stop wriggling around."
…
Tonight's "counseling session" was just a small interlude.
As the days until the Arima Kinen ticked by, the atmosphere on the training ground became more and more intense.
In their training breaks, the six adorable horse girls would sometimes gather together to chat happily, sharing bits of their daily lives and their own approaches to the upcoming race.
Thanks to that, even this tense preparation period felt relaxed and harmonious.
… …Please, flowers…
Kuroha stood at the edge of the track, his gaze sweeping over every one of his team members.
These days, he'd noticed that the deep frown of worry on Oguri's face had gradually faded with the passing of time.
She no longer spaced out by herself like before, and during training, she had once again become focused.
But Kuroha understood that this didn't mean the problem was solved.
A crack that came from within the heart was something that ultimately had to be faced—and broken through—by the person themselves.
Especially for someone like Oguri Cap, who was so natural and easygoing in general, yet surprisingly stubborn when it came to certain things.
The effect of "treatment" was actually quite limited.
What she needed wasn't someone else's guidance, but a chance—
A chance that would make her "figure it out" on her own.
Kuroha had been quietly waiting for that chance to arrive.
Until that day.
The midday sun shone warmly on the training ground.
Kuroha stood at the finish line with a stopwatch in hand, his expression stern.
"March, Oguri."
He called out, his voice clear and firm.
The two girls who had been named immediately stepped onto the starting line. Their eyes met, and invisible sparks leapt between them.
"For the next thousand meters, I want you to use everything you've got."
...
No extra instructions.
Only the simplest—and purest—of demands.
"Yes!"
"Oh!"
The two figures shot forward the instant Kuroha pressed the stopwatch, like arrows loosed from the string!
On the track, their speed rose to the limit almost instantly.
"Boom—!"
Fujimasa March's speed was as overpowering as ever, every stride brimming with explosive force.
A storm raged across the track, silver-white flames trailing behind her in a gorgeous arc.
Oguri, meanwhile, gritted her teeth and stared at the finish line ahead.
In Kuroha's eyes, he could clearly see a dense gray aura coiling around her body.
It wasn't just the power of her Domain. It was also the confusion, obsession, and frustration she'd been building up this whole time.
She clung stubbornly to Fujimasa March's heels, refusing to give an inch!
Accelerate! And accelerate again!
The finish line was right in front of them!
Their speed climbed yet again, almost perfectly matched!
At the very instant the two of them crossed the line—
In Kuroha's pupils, the gray aura of the Domain flickered.
He keenly sensed that, right at the very peak of that head-to-head clash—
Beneath Oguri's feet, inside that gray-tinged domain area, a faint, almost imperceptible chill of extreme cold spread out from the ground under her.
It flashed by in an instant!
The aura was very faint, yet in that brief brush, Kuroha didn't feel thunderfire's edge or cutting coldness from it.
Instead, it carried a hint of warmth and joy.
A new power of the Domain…
Your starting point isn't carved in stone.
As time passes and experiences pile up, a Uma Musume's understanding of running, and her understanding of her own heart, will keep deepening and changing.
There's nothing strange about that.
The only thing that really matters is whether she herself notices and accepts this new heart, the one quietly reshaped by all the different people and things she's come into contact with.
Seeing this, the tight line of Kuroha's lips finally eased.
A relieved smile surfaced on his face.
He lowered the stopwatch and looked toward the two girls in the distance, who were now breathing heavily, and thought to himself:
"So in the end… neither of you needs me worrying at all, huh."
...
December 24th, light rain.
Nakayama Racecourse.
The grand finale of the biggest Shining Series race of the year—
Arima Kinen.
Is about to begin!
(End of Chapter)
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