With the Tango Stakes for Urara and the Spring Tenno Sho for Rice over, a brief moment of peace arrived.
Urara's next race would either be the Aobajo Stakes in early May or the Hōshu Stakes in late May.
Or, maybe I could give her more time and try running her in the Tenpozan Stakes in early June, even though it would be a Senior-grade race.
The Aobajo Stakes is a 1600-meter mile race, and the Hōshu Stakes is a slightly longer 1800-meter mile race. However, the Tenpozan Stakes, while it's a Senior-grade race, is a 1400-meter sprint, which is Urara's specialty.
Is it just my bias as a trainer to think that the current Urara could compete on equal terms even in a Senior-grade race?
Rice's next goal, the Takarazuka Kinen, is in late June, which gives us nearly two months. It's a given that I'll train her as much as possible, but to keep her in race form, I'd like to put her in the G2 Meguro Kinen in late May.
The Meguro Kinen is a long-distance race of 2500 meters, so Mejiro McQueen would probably be there, and maybe even Toukai Teio. But that would also serve as a good rehearsal for the Takarazuka Kinen.
As I was thinking that, I was reading the sports newspaper I bought at a convenience store the day after the race in the Team Quasar club room. Lately, it had become a regular routine for me to relax and read articles about Urara's and Rice's races, but today I was reading it with an even brighter mood than usual.
Team Quasar Sets New Records in Tango Stakes and Spring Tenno Sho. A Smooth Start to the Year.
That's the headline of the article—or rather, the whole front page is a color article about us.
(Why? I guess because Rice won a G1... but for the whole front page... huh? Oh? The back page is also an article about us.)
The front page had a color photo of the moment Rice crossed the finish line, and the back page had a black-and-white photo of the moment Urara crossed the finish line.
(Wow... seriously... I should have bought the other newspapers too. If there are articles about them, I want to show them to Urara and Rice...)
Seeing the horse girls I'm in charge of in the newspaper like this brings out a hard-to-describe emotion in me. Pride, happiness, a sense of giddiness... something like that.
(The races yesterday were really exciting. Especially Rice's race, where the five top finishers were battling it out at the end... Oh? A feat not seen since Symboli Rudolf? What... The long-distance Triple Crown? Kikka Sho, Arima Kinen, and Spring Tenno Sho... Ah, it's true.)
It's not an official title like the Classic Triple Crown or the Senior Triple Crown, but winning all three long-distance G1 races in one year is apparently a feat not seen since Symboli Rudolf.
I wasn't even aiming for it, and I hadn't even noticed it. I had only been thinking that we missed the Senior Triple Crown because we lost in the Osaka Hai.
After thinking that, I suddenly felt like I had forgotten something, or rather, something was missing. I tilted my head.
(I feel like I'm forgetting something... I don't have any plans for today, and yet something feels incomplete...)
Did I leave something behind in Kyoto? It feels like something's missing after I got home and unpacked. But if I had left something, the hotel would have called, so it must be my imagination...
(Or maybe I'm just tired... I came back right after the races and Rice's victory live yesterday.)
Rice's live performance was a huge success, with three different colors of glow sticks for Rice, Mejiro McQueen, and Toukai Teio. I, who had been made to cry by Urara, cried again there.
Still, we moved from the venue to Kyoto Station after the live performance and took the Shinkansen back, and I got home a little before 10 PM after dropping Urara and Rice off at their dorms. So I went to sleep right away last night.
Well, I did get the best night's sleep I've had in a long time, thanks to the double records by Urara and Rice.
"Huh? Come on in."
As I was reading the article, the club room door was knocked. I immediately responded, and Tazuna-san peeked her head in.
"Good morning, Trainer. You must be tired from yesterday. Haru Urara-san and Rice Shower-san had wonderful runs."
"Good morning, Tazuna-san. And thank you. I'm very happy with the results myself."
Both Urara and Rice won. And with them setting new records, there's nothing more satisfying than that. In fact, it's almost too good to be true, and it's a little scary. I hope there won't be any backlash...
"Both of them won and set records... I have a favor to ask of the trainer who raised them."
"...I can't add any new team members. Especially since Urara is about to start her serious competition."
Rice is already a complete stayer. She won the long-distance Triple Crown, so all I need to do now is maintain her quality as a stayer while preparing her for races like the Takarazuka Kinen.
But even though Urara set a new record in the Tango Stakes, it was an open Classic-grade race. There were no strong rivals... No, Happy Meek was there, but she was in terrible condition.
For now, our next big goal is the G3 Unicorn Stakes, which is a dirt race for Classic-grade horse girls. So I can't let my guard down yet. It's her first graded race. If I add new team members now, I'm sure things will fall apart.
By the way, both the Unicorn Stakes and the Takarazuka Kinen are in late June, but they're on different weeks, so there's no problem. Rice can go cheer for Urara, and Urara can go cheer for Rice.
"You really can't add any new team members?"
Tazuna-san, who usually backs down right away when I refuse, said with a slightly troubled expression. Hearing that, I couldn't help but furrow my brows.
"Can I just pull an all-nighter?"
"That's not an option. But... even though we've explained that you're not accepting new team members, quite a few girls have been applying to join Team Quasar."
"Really? Now that you mention it, I'd like to meet them... How many are there?"
There are some quirky girls out there who would go out of their way to apply to my team. Huh? But you said "quite a few," right?
"We had 16 applications as of last Friday. Some of them still don't have a trainer, but would you like to meet them now?"
"...I'm sorry. That's not possible..."
If it were one or two, I might have considered it if they got along well with Urara and Rice. But a double-digit number is impossible. In that case, it's better not to meet them at all.
"But still, that many applications... You're not lying, are you?"
Last year, I refused all the scouts except for Urara. Is this my popular phase? Is this what being popular feels like? No, I guess being scouted as a trainer isn't really a popular phase.
Tazuna-san smiled wryly at my comment.
"Why would I lie? I've explained to them many times that Team Quasar just started and isn't accepting new members. But after seeing the results from yesterday's race, it seems like more are going to apply..."
Tazuna-san said with a troubled expression. As a trainer, I'm happy that my skills are being recognized, but the real credit goes to Urara and Rice.
However, the deadline for applications for trainers is the end of this month, so it's already over. Even if there are exceptions, like Rice's transfer, a new horse girl waiting until the deadline is impossible. She wouldn't be able to race.
There's a system where they can get training from someone called an instructor even if they don't find a trainer, but to race, they need a trainer who will at least lend them their name, like Rice did in the past.
There are some trainers who lend their names because they get a few tens of thousands of yen in income just from racing in the Make Debut or Maiden Race. But in my case, if I took on the responsibility of raising them, I wouldn't be able to half-ass it...
"Hmm... It's just not possible. I'm already swamped with Urara and Rice..."
"I understand. A year from now, when the team has been together for a while... Rice Shower-san will also be considering retirement, and at that time, will you be able to add new team members?"
"..."
At Tazuna-san's words, I fell silent. That's right... that's how it is. Rice and Urara will have to retire someday.
As the leader of a team, I should probably think about adding new members every year to replace those who retire—
"...So if it's not about adding new team members, what was the favor?"
I asked, as if to put a lid on my own thoughts. Tazuna-san brought her hands together adorably and smiled brightly as she said,
"We've received four requests for interviews and a request for merchandise sales for Rice Shower-san... I'll handle the merchandise sales to a certain extent, but I'd like you to accept the interviews as much as possible."
"...Are you serious? What kind of merchandise are they selling?"
"Keychains, stuffed animals, phone straps, calendars, bromide photos... all sorts of things. Oh, and of course, Rice Shower-san will receive royalties from the profits."
Rice's merchandise... Seriously... But she won three G1s, so I guess it's about time?
"What about the person's own wishes...?"
"You can refuse if you really don't want to, but URA handles the production of merchandise. In Rice Shower-san's case, there was talk of this a long time ago, but for various reasons, the plans have just now solidified."
Ah, this probably has something to do with the Kikka Sho, me taking on her training, and the formation of Team Quasar. Tazuna-san seems to have a hard time saying it, so I'm sure I'm right.
"Rice Shower-san is as popular as Mejiro McQueen-san and Toukai Teio-san now, so I'd really like you to accept..."
Tazuna-san said that, but if URA is handling it, refusing might be a problem... But Rice's feelings are more important than URA's.
"Just to be sure, please confirm with Rice herself? Oh, but I'm supposed to be the one to confirm, aren't I?"
Now is... the break time. I took out my smartphone, opened a chat app, and sent a message to Rice. Click.
There's talk of selling merchandise for you because you're super popular, as popular as Mejiro McQueen and Toukai Teio. They're talking about making stuffed animals, keychains, and bromide photos. What do you think?
Huh? I usually get a response right away, but there's nothing... The message has been read, so she must have seen it.
That's strange, I wonder if she's still in class, I thought to myself when my phone started ringing. I thought it was Rice, but for some reason, it was Hishi Amazon-chan.
I told Tazuna-san that I was going to take the call—and as soon as I did, I heard a voice scolding me.
"Hey, you! Rice Shower is crying! What did you do to her!? Depending on what you did, this Hishi Amazon-nee-san won't go easy on you!"
"Woah... That's a bit sudden, Hishi Amazon-chan. And Rice is crying... How is she crying?"
"Huh? Well... she's crying... happily..."
When I asked, having no idea why Rice would be crying, Hishi Amazon-chan immediately cooled down and answered politely. Ah, so she's crying tears of joy...
"I just sent her a message about selling merchandise. I told her she's super popular, as popular as Mejiro McQueen and Toukai Teio. If she's crying, it's probably because she's happy... I guess I worded it poorly."
"Ah... Yeah, I'm sorry for scolding you without confirming anything. My bad. So it's about merchandise sales... I'll go console Rice Shower and then have her reply to you."
"Please do, Hishi Amazon-chan."
Good, there was an unexpected hiccup, but I can leave it to Hishi Amazon-chan. She's a bit of a hothead, but she's a good girl who can apologize honestly when she knows she's wrong, and above all, she's a caring and generous person.
"So I guess I'll wait for a reply from Rice... And, um... an interview? For me?"
I put the merchandise sales on the back burner and asked about the other matter. I sometimes give interviews before Rice's G1 races, but this must be different.
"Since you're not used to interviews, I'd like you to accept at least one of them... What do you think?"
Tazuna-san asked me with an upward glance. It's true that thanks to her, my work isn't too busy, and an interview wouldn't be a problem, but...
"By the way, which publishing company... or newspaper... is that one company?"
When I asked, Tazuna-san smiled brightly.
"It's Monthly Twinkle."
Monthly Twinkle—as its name suggests, it's a monthly magazine that specializes in articles and races about horse girls.
It has a large circulation, and many horse girls and trainers subscribe to it every month. I also subscribe to it.
For these interviews, Tazuna-san and the Chairwoman chose the ones they approved of from the applications. In fact, the reason they chose only one at first was that I wasn't used to it, and Tazuna-san said that out of the four companies, three were small publishers that frequently published gossip-like articles, and only one was decent.
So I was told that the interview would be the day after I accepted—
"Excuse me. You must be Team Quasar's trainer. I'm Etsuko Otonashi, a reporter for Monthly Twinkle."
The female reporter, guided by Tazuna-san, visited the Team Quasar club room and greeted me with a friendly smile.
She was wearing a white pantsuit, and her beautiful black hair and face, which was as pretty as a horse girl's, were very impressive. And this person...
"Ah... I was wondering who would be coming, and it's you, Otonashi-san. It's been a while."
When I said that, Otonashi-san's eyes blinked in surprise.
"You remember me?"
"Of course I do. You helped me out a lot during the Arima Kinen."
This wasn't my first time meeting Otonashi-san. It was the first time we had a proper face-to-face conversation, but I remembered her because she went on a huge rant against a reporter who was being critical of Rice during her Arima Kinen interview.
In fact, I remembered her because she got so heated that she was eventually kicked out, so I couldn't forget her even if I wanted to.
(Tazuna-san? You said only one of the four companies was decent, but is this person really okay? She's not just relatively decent, is she?)
I looked at Tazuna-san, who was present, with that thought in mind. She just smiled back at me. Is she really okay?
From the short time I spent with her at the Arima Kinen interview, I thought she was a bit... no, quite eccentric. Tazuna-san, why do you look away with a smile when I stare at you?
"Thank you for your time today. I was so excited to hear that I could do an exclusive interview with the up-and-coming Team Quasar's trainer!"
"Ah, yes... Thank you."
It was no use looking at Tazuna-san forever. I offered Otonashi-san a chair and began the interview.
"In the recent Tango Stakes and Spring Tenno Sho, Haru Urara-san and Rice Shower-san showed wonderful runs. As their trainer, how did you feel?"
"I was so happy that words can't describe it. Their hard work paid off... As a trainer, there is no greater joy than that."
But contrary to my expectations, the interview itself was very normal.
She started with questions about the recent races, then moved on to impressive moments from past races, memories of Urara and Rice, and which horse girls they were paying attention to from their generation. It might be rude to say this, but the questions were all very normal.
By the way, for the impressive moments, I mentioned Urara's first win and Rice's victory in the Arima Kinen, where the live performance was dyed blue.
For their rivals from the same generation, I mentioned Smart Falcon for Urara's dirt races and Toukai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Palmer, and Nice Nature for Rice.
I wanted to mention Oguri Cap as a rival for Urara, but I held back because I thought she might react with, "So you're going to push her into the turf track like Oguri Cap!?"
"Next question... I hear that Rice Shower-san calls you 'Onii-sama.' Is that true?"
"If you're asking if it's true or not, it's true... But what's the point of that question?"
"Is it possible that you and Rice Shower-san are siblings?"
Oh, she's digging deeper without even waiting for my answer. But why would she ask such a question?
"We're not siblings. She just calls me that because she wants to..."
We're not siblings, but I don't see any problem with it. It's what Rice wants, and I'm her Onii-sama. Wait, what am I saying? I'm not her brother... but I'm her Onii-sama. There's no problem with that, nope.
Something feels wrong, but nothing is wrong, I thought to myself, when I noticed Otonashi-san was trembling. Even if it's what my horse girl wants, it's not good to have her call me Onii-sama... No, I'm her Onii-sama, so there's no problem, right?
"—That's amazing!"
Huh? What is?
"Accepting your horse girl's wishes, even if the public might look down on you for it... Is that the secret to being a trainer!?"
"No, I don't think so."
"If you accept everything, the horse girl will feel safe and trust you... and the bond you've created led to the long-distance Triple Crown! That's amazing!"
"Please. Can you listen?"
Looking at her trembling uncontrollably and almost rolling her eyes back, I couldn't help but think.
(Tazuna-san? Is this person really decent? Is this okay? Will she write something weird in the next issue of Monthly Twinkle?)
I stared at Tazuna-san with that thought in mind, and she mouthed something. What? She'll check the draft before it's published, so it's okay? Really?
"Next question! What's the meaning behind the name Team Quasar!? Is it a personal fetish!?"
"Fetish, you say..."
Ah, I just dropped the politeness and called her "you." But Otonashi-san didn't seem to mind at all.
"Quasar... it's the star in the Little Horse constellation, right!? Do you have a preference for small horse girls!? Is there a height restriction to join Team Quasar!?"
"Tazuna-san, isn't this person a lost cause? Weren't the other three companies better?"
Gossip reporters are easier to deal with. But what's difficult about her is that she doesn't seem to have any intention of putting me down; she's just genuinely curious.
"I don't recall setting a height restriction for the horse girls on my team... I'm a rookie trainer, so I was hesitant to name the team after a first-magnitude star like Rigil, Spica, or Canopus. I chose a star from the Little Horse constellation because I wanted to raise even the weakest and most inexperienced horse girls to be strong and great."
I ignored her strange comments and explained why I chose the name Quasar. Otonashi-san started trembling as if she was in a localized earthquake.
"—That's amazing!"
"Eek..."
Otonashi-san shouted with such force that it seemed like she was foaming at the mouth. Her intensity and pressure were frightening, especially since she was so pretty.
Otonashi-san took out her notebook and started writing something with such force that it seemed like she was stabbing the pen into the paper.
"You won't abandon a weak horse girl and will believe in her to the end! You will raise her with your own hands and make her wear the crown of victory! A trainer should be like that! Am I right, Sukikawa-san!?"
"I believe so."
"That's amazing... it's amazing! For the sake of your horse girls! No! For the sake of horse girls who aren't even on your team, you will help, save, and guide them, working yourself to the bone! Through fire or water! You are a dedicated trainer who doesn't care about your own well-being! That's amazing!"
"I believe so."
"Tazuna-san? Are you secretly getting annoyed?"
How can I stop Otonashi-san? What? It's impossible? No way.
Besides, helping other horse girls besides Urara and Rice is impossible. I'm sure I'd burn out if I did that.
"I see! That makes sense! I've looked into Haru Urara-san's past, and it all makes sense now! She was at the bottom of the barrel as a horse girl in her hometown, but you brought her to the center and made her win! And even set a new record! Amazing! You've delivered on what you said you would do!"
"I never said I'd do that when I first made her win... Can you please listen to me? This is an interview, right?"
What is an interview? Maybe this is how fake news is made...
"This will be an amazing article! I'll send you the draft when it's done, so please check it over!"
"Ah, okay..."
Otonashi-san left like a storm. I could only watch her go in a daze.
Later, the draft she sent was surprisingly normal, leaving me feeling a little confused.
And on a Friday morning, a few days after that interview, I walked into the trainers' common area and approached the person I was looking for.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Ah... H-hello..."
The person I called out to was Kiryuin-san. Her face lit up for a moment, but then she immediately looked down and her eyes darted around.
"D-do you need something?"
"Something? I told you the other day. It's the weekend, so do you want to get a drink tonight? It's on me, of course."
Thankfully, my wallet is warm... No, it's so warm that it feels like it's going to melt, but that's fine. I'll put that aside.
I almost popped my eyes out when I checked my bank account and saw that the prize money from the Tango Stakes and the Spring Tenno Sho had been deposited, but it's better to have money than not. Yeah.
"Huh!? T-tonight!?"
Kiryuin-san let out a surprised cry. My colleagues looked over at us, wondering what was going on, but when I made a gesture of holding a sake cup, they seemed to understand and went back to work.
"Is tonight not good? Do you have plans?"
"N-no... But don't people usually decide on things like that a month in advance?"
"...I think that's for year-end parties."
If you're organizing a year-end party, you have to book a restaurant and decide on the number of people a month in advance. A lot of people have the same idea at the end of the year, so if you try to do it at the last minute, it'll be a disaster.
But this time, we're just going for a drink after work so Kiryuin-san can vent. I'm an adult, and so is Kiryuin-san. There's no problem with us going for a drink.
"But... I didn't bring any clothes that would meet a dress code..."
"You don't need that. We're just going to a bar in the nearby shopping district, so there's no dress code."
Huh? Is she hinting that I should take her to a fancy place that requires a dress code? Or has she only been to places that require a dress code?
(Now that I think about it, her family is a prestigious trainer family... But Kiryuin-san is a young lady her age, so besides bars, she must have been to karaoke and bowling alleys... right?)
No way, I thought, as I continued to talk to Kiryuin-san.
"What about a reservation...?"
"It's a place I always go to, so I'll take care of it. I'll ask for a private room so we can talk easily."
It must be tough for Kiryuin-san to vent with other people around. I said that, and Kiryuin-san's eyes blinked in surprise. And her cheeks turned a little red?
"A-a private room...?"
"Yeah. Oh, if tonight isn't a good time, we can do it another day. Next week or..."
"N-no! Tonight is fine!"
When I tried to confirm the schedule, Kiryuin-san nodded with a lot of force. I smiled wryly at her reaction and looked at my colleagues in the common area.
"If you're not comfortable talking one-on-one, I can call a few other people? There aren't many of us, but should I call some of the female trainers?"
There are other female trainers among my colleagues besides Kiryuin-san. The ratio of male to female trainers is about 7 to 3, but if I offer to treat them, they'll probably come... Wait, when I looked at them, they all made an "X" with their arms above their heads. They must have plans for today.
"I-it's okay... Just the two of us, please."
"Understood. Then let's meet up after work."
And just like that, a drinking session with just Kiryuin-san and me was decided.
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