Chapter 35 - Talent and Effort
The race would start from the south side of the ranch, near the town, and proceed counter-clockwise. It wasn't an oval course like a racetrack. Since the fence followed the terrain, most of the course consisted of left turns, but there were some right turns as well. There were almost no straightaways, except for a 200-meter stretch on the town side. In other words, the finish would be a straight-line battle.
At the starting line, from the inside lane out, were Fam, Mizuki, Aira, and Cecily. Cecily had yielded the advantageous inner lane out of pride and principle.
"I'm getting nervous."
Maira had been entrusted with the great responsibility of firing the starting signal. I stood next to her.
We were inside the fence, on the inner side of the starting line. Although parts of the course were obscured by slopes, we could see most of it. We had asked the trainers to stand at the seemingly dangerous parts of the course. The other spectators were horses, cows, and goats. Some farmers from the nearby wheat fields were also watching, wondering what was going on.
"Alright, here I go! Ready, set, START!"
The horses all broke from the start at once. Well, Aira was a little late.
The course immediately entered a corner. Fam was in the lead, followed by Cecily and Mizuki, with Aira a horse's length behind them.
"Who do you think will win, Mash?"
An excited Maira clung to my arm. Finally, the feel of those breasts I'd longed for.
"I, I think Maira is the best."
"Pardon?"
When Maira realized her chest was pressing against my arm, she let out a cry of "Eek!" and quickly pulled away.
"...So, who do you think will win?"
At this point, I couldn't care less about the race. Breasts would win, obviously. I wanted to hug Maira. I was desperately trying to suppress the urge. Fortunately, it was just the two of us. But the trainers and farmers were watching. I couldn't make a move on Maira.
As I stood there, acting completely suspicious, she timidly reached out her hand.
"I would still like to watch the race with our arms linked, if that's alright?"
"Y-...Yeah."
I nodded vigorously. Before the might of breasts, all men become boys. I could only manage a reply like a boy who was both pure and riddled with lust. Maira intertwined her arm with mine. I could feel the distinct sensation of the side of her breast against my upper arm.
This is what people call happiness. I didn't care what happened anymore. I wished this moment could last forever. I wished they would stop this ugly competition.
While I was lost in these thoughts, Fam was just reaching the opposite side of the course.
The order was Fam, Cecily, Aira, Mizuki. Aira had caught up to the pack. The four horses were running close together.
What was surprising was that Fam was also riding in the same jockey style as Mizuki. Her upper body swayed from time to time, and she seemed to lose her balance, but not enough to fall off. Her nimbleness might have been a good match for it. Mizuki, on the other hand, was riding with steady, unwavering form. Truly beautiful.
Fam kept glancing behind her. While leading the pack, she was likely varying the pace to try and wear out the horses behind her. The plan was probably to make Cecily and Aira use up all their stamina, and then Mizuki, who was conserving energy at the back, would overtake everyone to seal the victory. That would be impossible in a real horse race, but this was a two-on-two contest.
Still, it was amazing that the two beginners were controlling the race.
Mizuki was undoubtedly the one who came up with the strategy. A suspicion arose that she might have frequented racetracks. It also seemed similar to a cycling road race. I became convinced she had experience with that, too.
However, Cecily was also avoiding carelessly following Fam's changes in pace or trying to pass her. She was using Fam as a windbreak, conserving as much energy as possible.
"You know, I think Aira will win," Maira said.
"You think so?"
"Yes. Because Aira is a hard worker!"
It wasn't a prediction, just a wish.
"I think Mizuki will win." I had absolute faith in her.
"Not Cecily?"
That Maira. She didn't actually think Aira could win, did she? I gave her breast a little poke with my bicep.
"It looks like Fam and Mizuki have her boxed in and are controlling the pack."
The four horses, without changing their order, reached a part of the course that was hidden from our view at the starting line.
When they reappeared, the order was Cecily, Aira, Mizuki, and a slightly trailing Fam.
It seemed Fam had lost her balance. Her upper body was still wobbling. It was dangerous. Had she almost fallen?
"Mash, your hand is sweating..."
"Ah, yeah."
I was about to look for something to wipe it on, but Maira squeezed my hand tighter.
"Watching Aira makes me worried and anxious, too."
The order remained unchanged as they entered the straightaway of the first lap.
Cecily drifted to the outside, and Aira passed her on the inside. It looked like she had let her through.
The lead changed. Aira took the front and passed before us. Then came Cecily and Mizuki. Fam, having regained her composure, was running on the outside, looking for a chance to move up, but the straightaway ended.
It seemed Cecily and Aira's team planned to have Cecily be the one to make the final push.
"Airaaa!"
Maira was shouting, but I wondered if her voice was reaching her.
"See, I told you! Aira's in the lead! Aira's amazing!"
Maira said excitedly, but with Aira in the lead, the overall pace had dropped. She had the strength to keep up, but perhaps not enough to lead the pack. A pity.
Unable to stand the slower pace, Mizuki and Fam started to overtake them from the outside. Cecily tried to block them by moving wider, but the two horses easily passed on her outer flank.
Fam and Mizuki swapped positions, with Fam taking the lead. This time, instead of trying to control the pack again, the two of them continued to accelerate, attempting to pull away from Aira and Cecily.
Unable to hold back any longer, Cecily swapped places with Aira and began to chase the two leaders, but far from catching up, the gap only widened. Four horse lengths, five, six—a hopelessly large gap was opening up.
Cecily's riding style was the standard one, sitting upright. Compared to Mizuki and Fam's jockey-like posture, she was more susceptible to wind resistance. Furthermore, her horse had carried both her and me that morning. It must have been tired. Yet, knowing these disadvantages, she had bet on her own victory.
"Aira! Keep it up!"
"Cecily, don't give up! Hold on!"
I realized I was shouting along with Maira. Cecily must have put in so much practice to be able to ride like she did.
As if our voices reached them, the gap between them and the two frontrunners began to shrink. No, the two in front were just resting their horses for a final acceleration. Clever.
"Cecily, don't lose! Take Mizuki down!"
Cecily managed to get right behind Mizuki. They were approaching the section hidden from our view.
After a short while, the first to reappear was Mizuki. The arrow aimed at the finish line had already been loosed. She must have made her move the moment Cecily caught up, just as they entered the blind spot. Mizuki was closing in on the finish line with incredible speed. The next to appear was Fam. Cecily tried desperately to keep up, but her horse seemed to have exhausted its stamina, and she was slowly being left behind by Fam.
"Cecily! It's not over yet!"
As I shouted, Mizuki galloped past, raising one arm in a victory pose. Then came Fam. Far behind them were Cecily, and finally, Aira. It was a complete victory for the Fam-Mizuki duo. Despite Fam's trouble, they had overcome it with ironclad teamwork. The two of them exchanged a high-five on horseback.
Cecily was genuinely crying. Her frustration pierced my heart. Aira was comforting her. No, it looked like she was apologizing. Aira was crying too. The scene looked distorted. For some reason, my own eyes were growing hot.
Fam and Mizuki approached the two of them. After saying something, the four of them shook hands and patted each other on the shoulder, praising each other's efforts.
Seeing that, I started to cry.
Maira, who had been linking arms with me, let go.
"I'm going too."
She started to run but quickly stopped. Then she turned back.
"I feel like I understand you a little better today, Mash. And it made me like you a little more."
After saying that, she ran with all her might toward Aira.
"Why were you cheering for Cecily while linking arms with Maira...? Didn't you say you were going to be neutral?"
Back at the ranch, Fam and Mizuki were making me sit in seiza.
"...I'm sorry."
I had no excuse. I could only apologize.
"Master, how was my riding?"
"It was amazing. I was surprised. It's incredible enough just to be able to ride like that, but you were even strategizing during the race. Unbelievable. But when you went from first to last on the first lap, I thought my heart was going to stop."
I wasn't just saying she was good because she was a horse. The proof was that Fam didn't laugh.
"I actually knew that riding style. The horses in my village didn't have saddles or armor, so I was taught to ride like that, too."
So that was it.
"But I couldn't ride very well. Then, Mizuki gave me some advice. She told me to think of the horse as you, Master. Strangely, I started to understand the horse's feelings. That must be what they call 'horse and rider as one.'"
I looked at Mizuki. She unnaturally averted her gaze.
"Mizuki said she also thinks of her horse as you, Master."
"Mmm? Mizuki-san?"
In the end, Cecily had dug her own grave with the very comment she'd used to put Mizuki down.
"So, how was I?" Mizuki asked.
"You were so good it scared me. I can't believe you can ride like that with just a little practice. You came up with the strategy, too, right?"
"You gave me the hint, Mash. I never would have thought of horse racing."
No, being able to ride like that as a beginner is what's strange.
"Have you watched horse racing before?"
"Yeah, on rainy days, my dad used to watch it, so I watched with him."
"Any experience with road bikes or motorcycles?"
"Yeah, with my dad when I was in elementary school."
She must have been quite a daddy's girl. The foundation for her talent to bloom was already there. Not that it would be any consolation to Cecily.
"So, why were you cheering only for Cecily?"
"No, on the first lap, I was cheering for you and Fam. On the second lap, Aira fell behind, and it became a battle between you two and Cecily. I could see the outcome was decided. I guess it was sympathy for the underdog. When I thought that, I couldn't help myself. ...I'm sorry."
I had wanted Mizuki and Fam to win, but I'd caught a glimpse of Cecily's fighting spirit.
"...I think I can forgive you," Mizuki said. In times like these, Mizuki always seemed to be lenient. But since it looked like I was off the hook, I kept quiet.
"Master!"
Fam threw her arms around me. I fell back onto the grass, my seiza posture breaking.
"Master, I was against it. But Mizuki said we should punish you, including for the incident where you went to the pond alone with Cecily..."
"Ah... you're so unfair. Truly unfair. You were the one who was angry first, Fam!"
"I just thought you had broken your promise, Master."
What mattered most was that the two of them had grown closer through this ordeal.
I wondered if there was a way to get Cecily and Aira to join this circle, too.
Afterward, we held a stew party at the ranch, partly to thank the trainers. We also invited the farmers who had been watching the race.
I say stew, but there were no potatoes to be found anywhere. Even though they had tomatoes, I thought they'd have some kind of potato. Maybe they just happened to be sold out, or perhaps tomatoes were something a transferee had brought over. Beans and vegetables became the main stars in place of potatoes.
I wanted to add meat, but with the live cows and other livestock nearby, I somehow felt hesitant.
Just as I was thinking that, a farmer added some boar meat. Our stew turned into a boar hot pot.
We didn't have any kelp, so I used dried mushrooms to make the broth instead, but it turned out reasonably well.
We cooked white rice. It was a long-grain variety, like Thai rice, but the nostalgia won out. Mizuki and I ate ravenously. For some reason, Fam was also stuffing her cheeks happily alongside us.
Using the eggs I'd gotten from Aidan, I made a rolled omelet. The broth was the same dried mushroom stock as the stew, but I think it turned out pretty well, too.
"I love your egg dishes, Master. They're so fluffy."
Fam's praise made everything perfect.
Mizuki pulled out a five-liter wine cask from her Storage.
"Wh-what! Aidan-san told me about a good wine shop."
"...I didn't say anything."
Did she plan on becoming a heavy drinker in the future?
"I-I know. Until I turn twenty, I'll limit myself to one glass a day."
Did she plan on having a drink every night? Mizuki shared the wine with everyone, pouring it around.
I was handed a glass of wine, too. Fam was staring at it.
"Master. I will also refrain from alcohol until I am an adult. But, for today, may I have just one sip?"
I had a very bad feeling about this, but I handed her the glass.
"Gulp, gulp. Ahhh."
As I expected, it was a big sip.
"There's something I have to tell you, Mash," Mizuki said. Her gaze was fixed on Cecily, Aira, and Maira. The three of them were talking together around the pot.
"Tonight, you're staying with Cecily and the others."
"No way. I'm staying in the same room as Fam."
Wasn't the whole argument about which room I would stay in in the first place? Besides, when I tried to talk to Cecily earlier, her face turned bright red and she said, "Later. Don't come near me." It reminded me of the treatment I'd received from women in my previous world, and it scared me. Because of that, I hadn't been able to approach Aira either.
"...I had no choice. I promised them you wouldn't bother us for the next two days, tomorrow for shopping and our day off."
Was she talking about that plan she had unilaterally decided on for just the two of us? It had progressed even further without my knowledge.
"You sold me out! I thought you, of all people, would never do something like that."
"S-sorry. I'll give you a refill on your wine, so please forgive me."
The amount Fam had drunk was replenished.
"What's the real story?"
"Cecily and Aira were originally in the same party, and we'll be together all the way to Migul. So..."
"So you won and then yielded to them? That's not it, is it? You were moved by sentiment and then Cecily talked you into it."
"Ugh..."
She was soft-hearted, I thought, but that was also one of Mizuki's good qualities.
"What are you planning to do tonight, Fam?"
"Yessh, I'll shtay in the shame room ash Mizuki. We'll have a talksh."
"...You little drunkard."
I flicked her on the forehead.
I felt like today's race had rapidly improved the relationship between Fam and Mizuki.
Maybe it was a good thing for them to have time to talk to each other. They both needed friends of the same gender.
However, Fam already seemed incapable of holding a proper conversation. She leaned against me, looking sleepy.
"Mashter, I thought you didn't like Sheshily."
It wasn't that I didn't like her; I just found her difficult to deal with. I still found Aira difficult.
"That's true. But Cecily has a lot of good points, too."
"Ish that sho? Why did you change your mind?"
It didn't sound like she was blaming me.
"It's true for everyone, but people have lots of good parts, parts you like, and also lots of bad parts, parts you dislike. It's not a simple choice between 'like' or 'dislike.'"
"I want to be able to think like that, too..."
"You're the one who taught me that, Fam. You said you have many different emotions, and that they don't all point in the same direction."
It's easy to apply that to yourself, but difficult to apply it to others. You end up labeling them with a simple 'like' or 'dislike.'
That was the old me. I had constantly labeled people who approached me as villains and cut off all ties. But Fam never gave up on me; she always stuck by my side. She must have seen nothing but my bad points, yet she stayed with me.
"...Fam?"
I gave her a little shake, but she had fallen fast asleep.
Thank you for reading. To those who have liked, bookmarked, and rated this story, I am truly grateful. It encourages me. I'll do my best. Thank you for the typo reports. They are a huge help. I always thought '大艦巨砲主義' was '巨艦巨砲主義'. How embarrassing. Yamato, lend me your strength! Thank you for the comments as well.