The massage room door closed softly.
The lighting inside was gentle, and the faint scent of mugwort lingered in the air.
A massage bed sat quietly in the center of the room.
In the corner, a humidifier released delicate white mist, making the whole space feel peaceful and warm.
At that moment, Oguri had already taken off her Central Tracen Academy uniform jacket and was lying obediently on the massage bed.
Kuroha stood by the bed, his hands resting lightly against her pale shoulders and back.
Her waist was slender, her skin fair and smooth.
Perhaps because she had kept up high-intensity training even after retirement, her body still retained a breathtaking athletic beauty, even though the blessing of the Three Goddesses had faded and the peak of her condition had gradually passed.
Those long, shapely thighs had smooth, springy muscle lines, full and powerful at the same time.
Every inch of her skin was toned to perfection, as if it held energy ready to burst forth at any moment.
Following the line of that slim waist upward, the moderate fullness of her chest was pressed beneath her by the way she lay on the bed.
From the side, it traced a soft, striking curve.
It was not nearly as dramatic as Obey Your Master, Maruzensky, or Super Creek.
But it suited the beauty of her overall figure perfectly.
"Mmh…"
By now, though, Oguri was already used to this.
Unlike the first time, when she had gone stiff with embarrassment, now she looked completely relaxed, fully enjoying it.
Her head rested limply on her folded arms, and her whole body seemed to melt into softness.
Like a tiny little Oguri.
Every now and then, a comfortable little hum slipped out through her nose.
A clear sign that she was feeling very, very good.
...
The massage room was quiet.
The only sounds were the faint rustle of hands against skin and the occasional comfortable hum from Oguri.
As Kuroha continued massaging her with focused care, he looked at the relaxed expression on the girl beneath him and smiled softly.
Without pausing his hands, he asked in a quiet voice, "Oguri."
"Mmm…"
"How have you been lately?"
"…What do you mean?"
Oguri's voice was muffled.
"I mean… have you had something on your mind recently?"
At that, the girl's body tensed slightly, but quickly relaxed again.
"…No."
Her voice was still muffled.
"I've still been going running every day lately. There's nothing I'm unhappy about."
Hearing that, Kuroha felt a little helpless.
At some point, this girl had apparently learned to bottle things up whenever something was bothering her.
During this period after retirement, unlike Ardan, who had been happily running back and forth between Chasing Light and the Mejiro household every day while preparing for the wedding, Oguri's mood had been visibly low.
It was obvious she had something on her mind.
His hands continued moving along her slender waist and abdomen, feeling the firm, supple elasticity unique to a girl in her youth.
Looking at Oguri, who still clearly didn't want to talk, Kuroha's lips curved into a mischievous little smile.
Then he lightly pressed a certain pressure point with one finger.
"Eek...!"
The silver-haired girl's whole body jolted violently.
Holding back a laugh, Kuroha continued, "Really nothing, Oguri?"
"…"
Oguri fell silent for a few seconds, then reached out and pulled the pillow into her arms before answering in a muffled voice.
The pillow hid the lower half of her face, leaving only her slightly shy eyes visible.
A few seconds later, she finally spoke softly.
"…There is a little."
"Mhm."
Kuroha's hands slid from her waist to the center of her back, pressing down gently.
Oguri buried her face deeper into the pillow.
"A while ago… I really was feeling a little bad…"
"After retiring, I didn't have to race anymore, and I didn't have to train as much anymore either… Every day, I just went running on my own and watched the other girls at the academy train…"
"Sometimes I'd think…"
She paused, fell silent for a moment, then continued.
"If only I could keep running… If only I could race those girls again… If only I could win one more time…"
Kuroha listened quietly.
The skin beneath his hands was warm and soft, and through her fair back he could feel the steady, powerful beat of her heart.
"But… later, I slowly figured it out."
Oguri paused, then turned her head and looked at Kuroha with those clear, cool eyes.
"After retiring, I had a lot of time to calm down, watch the other girls at the academy, and think about the races I ran before."
"And then I realized… I've actually already been luckier than most Uma Musume."
"From Kasamatsu to Central. From nobody to somebody."
"I ran so many races, met so many incredible rivals, and won so many honors…"
Oguri's voice was still soft, but there was a rare seriousness in it as she quietly said,
"Some girls go their whole lives without ever winning a graded race. Some get injured and retire right after debuting. Some give everything they have and still can only keep circling around the local scene."
"But I not only made it safely all the way to the end, I met you, Trainer, moved into Chasing Light, and get to eat delicious food every day…"
She blinked.
"So I'm already very satisfied."
"No one's life is completely perfect, right, Trainer?"
After saying that, she simply looked at Kuroha, her eyes shining, as though waiting for his response.
"…"
Kuroha was silent for a few seconds. Then his hand moved again, drawing a soft whimper from Oguri and making her arch her waist.
"Mmh… Trainer…"
Oguri let out a protesting sound.
"Haha."
Kuroha laughed. As he continued massaging her, he teased,
"That was really well said. I never thought I'd hear something so sensible come out of your mouth, Oguri."
"That's honestly incredible."
At that, Oguri puffed out her cheeks a little.
She buried her face deeper into the pillow and muttered,
"Hikaru said the same thing before… and now you're saying it too, Trainer…"
"I'm not dumb."
Hikaru?
So some of Oguri's newfound insight had Berno Light's influence behind it too.
Now that he understood, Kuroha smiled and continued working his hands down along her spine, carefully massaging every inch of muscle.
Although the girl beneath him complained with her words, her body honestly reveled in the comfort, and every now and then she let out a few satisfied little hums.
Watching Oguri like that, something soft stirred in Kuroha's heart.
Oguri had grown too...
When they first met, her world had consisted of nothing but running and food. She had barely any complicated understanding of anything else.
But now, little by little, she had shed that initial innocence and simplicity.
She had come to form her own understanding of herself, and of the world.
In a way, she was gradually beginning to carry that same composure that belonged to Oguri in the anime and game from his previous life.
Though...
In front of him, most of the time, Oguri was still just an adorably airheaded glutton.
(End of Chapter)
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