kscans

Chapter 35 - Talent and Effort

The race started from the south side of the ranch, near the city, and proceeded counter-clockwise. It wasn't an oval course like a racetrack. The fence was set up along the terrain, so while most of the course consisted of left turns, there were also some right turns. There were almost no straightaways, except for a 200-meter stretch on the city side. This meant the final stretch before the finish line would be a straight dash.

At the starting line, from the inside out, were Famu, Mizuki, Aira, and Cecily. Cecily's pride and stubbornness had led her to give up the advantageous inner position.

"I'm getting nervous."

The important role of starter had been entrusted to Myra. I was standing next to her. We were on the inside of the starting line, inside the fence. Although parts of the course were hidden by slopes, we could see most of it. We had the trainers stand at what seemed to be the dangerous parts of the course. The other spectators were horses, cows, and goats. The farmers from the nearby wheat fields were also looking over, wondering what was going on.

"Alright, here we go. Ready, set, go!"

The horses all bolted out at once. Well, Aira was a little late. The course immediately went into a corner. Famu was in the lead, followed by Cecily and Mizuki, with Aira trailing a horse-length behind.

"Who do you think will win, Mash?"

An excited Myra clung to my arm. Finally, the feel of those legendary breasts.

"I, I think Myra will win."

"Pardon?"

When Myra realized her breasts were pressing against my arm, she let out a strange cry of "Hyaow!"

and quickly let go.

"...So, who do you think will win?"

The race didn't matter anymore. The boobs were destined to win. I wanted to hug Myra. I was desperately trying to suppress that urge. Fortunately, we were alone. But the trainers and farmers were watching. I couldn't make a move on Myra. She hesitantly reached out her hand to me, who was now acting completely suspicious.

"I'd still like to watch the race with our arms linked, if that's alright?"

"Y-...Yeah."

I nodded rapidly. Before breasts, all men become boys. I could only manage a reply like a boy, pure yet full of desire. Myra linked her arm with mine. I could feel the distinct sensation of her side-boob on my upper arm. This is what happiness is. I didn't care what happened anymore. I wished this moment could last forever. I wanted this ugly conflict of a race to just stop. While I was lost in thought, Famu had reached the opposite side of the course. The order was Famu, Cecily, Aira, Mizuki. Aira had rejoined the pack. The four horses were running close together. What was surprising was that Famu was also riding in the same jockey style as Mizuki. Her upper body wavered occasionally, and she seemed to lose her posture, but not enough to fall off. It might have suited her nimble body. Mizuki, on the other hand, was riding with unwavering stability. It was truly beautiful. Famu kept glancing back. She was probably leading the pack while varying the pace, trying to make the horses behind her use up their energy. The plan was likely to exhaust Cecily and Aira, and then at the end, Mizuki, who was conserving energy at the back, would overtake everyone to win. It would be impossible in a real horse race, but this was a 2-on-2 showdown. Still, it was amazing that the two beginners were the ones controlling the race. Mizuki was undoubtedly the one who came up with the plan. I began to suspect she used to frequent the racetrack. It also felt similar to a bicycle road race. I was convinced Mizuki had experience with that as well. But Cecily was also avoiding carelessly following Famu's changes in pace or trying to pass her. She was using Famu as a windbreak, conserving as much energy as possible.

"You know, I think Aira will win,"

Myra said.

"You think so?"

"Yes. Because Aira is a hard worker!"

It wasn't a prediction, just wishful thinking.

"I think Mizuki will win."

I had absolute faith in her.

"Not Cecily?"

Myra, you sly thing. You didn't really think Aira could win, did you? I poked her breast with my bicep.

"It looks like Famu and Mizuki are controlling the pack by boxing them in."

The four horses, without changing their order, entered a section of the course hidden from our view. When they reappeared, the order was Cecily, Aira, Mizuki, and slightly behind, Famu. It seemed Famu had lost her balance. Her upper body was still wobbling. It looked dangerous. Had she almost fallen?

"Mash, your hand is sweaty..."

"Oh, yeah."

I was about to look for something to wipe it on, but Myra squeezed my hand.

"I get worried and anxious watching Aira too."

The order remained the same as they entered the first lap's straightaway. Cecily swung wide, and Aira passed her on the inside. It looked like she'd let her pass. The lead changed. Aira took the lead and passed in front of us. Then Cecily, and Mizuki. Famu, having regained her posture, 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 closer.

"Airaaa!"

Myra was shouting, but I wonder if her voice reached her.

"See, I told you! Aira's in the lead. Aira's amazing!"

Myra said excitedly, but with Aira in the lead, the overall pace had dropped. She had the strength to keep up, but probably not enough to lead the pack. A shame. Mizuki and Famu, unable to stand the cruising speed, started to overtake from the outside. Cecily tried to block them by moving out, but the two horses easily passed on the even wider outside. Famu and Mizuki swapped positions, with Famu taking the lead. This time, they didn't try to control the pack again; the two horses just kept accelerating, trying to pull away from Aira and Cecily. Unable to hold back any longer, Cecily swapped places with Aira and started chasing the two horses, but instead of catching up, the gap only widened. Four horse-lengths, five, six—a hopeless gap was opening up. Cecily's riding style was the standard one, sitting upright. Compared to Mizuki and the others' jockey-like style, she caught more wind resistance. Also, her horse had carried both her and me this morning. It must have been tired. However, she had bet on her own victory, knowing these disadvantages.

"Aira! Do your best!"

"Cecily, don't give up! Hold on!"

Before I knew it, I was shouting along with Myra. Cecily must have put in a lot of practice to be able to ride like she does now. As if our voices reached her, the gap between her and the two horses ahead started to close. No, the two in front were just resting their legs for the final acceleration. Clever.

"Cecily, don't lose! Take Mizuki down!"

Cecily somehow managed to get behind Mizuki. They were now entering a section hidden from our view. A little while later, the first to reappear was Mizuki. The arrow aimed at the finish line had already been released. She must have started her sprint the moment Cecily caught up, just as they entered the blind spot. Mizuki was closing in on the finish line at a tremendous speed. The next to appear was Famu. Cecily tried desperately to keep up, but she seemed to have used up all her energy, and Famu was pulling away from her.

"Cecily! Not yet!"

Just as I shouted, Mizuki, with one arm raised in a victory pose, galloped past. Then Famu. Far behind were Cecily, and finally, Aira. It was a complete victory for the Famu-Mizuki combo. Despite Famu'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 hit me in the chest. Aira was comforting her. No, she seemed to be apologizing. Aira was crying too. The scene looked distorted. For some reason, my own eyes were getting hot. Famu 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 cried. Myra, who had been linking arms with me, let go.

"I'm going too."

She started to run, but quickly stopped. She turned back.

"Today, I understood a little more about you, Mash. And I came to like you a little more."

After saying that, she ran with all her might to where Aira was.

"Why were you cheering for Cecily while linking arms with Myra...? Didn't you say something about being neutral?"

Back at the ranch, Famu and Mizuki were making me sit in seiza.

"...I'm sorry."

There was no excuse I could make. I could only apologize.

"Master, how was my riding?"

"You were amazing. I was surprised. It's incredible just to be able to gallop like that, but you were even making tactical moves in the race. Unbelievable. But when you dropped 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 on a horse. The proof was that Famu didn't laugh.

"Actually, I 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.

"I couldn't ride well at first, but Mizuki gave me some advice. To think of the horse as you, Master. Strangely, I started to understand the horse's feelings. That's what they call 'horse and rider as one,' isn't it?"

I looked at Mizuki. Mizuki unnaturally averted her eyes.

"Mizuki also said she thinks of the horse as Master."

"Hmm? Mizuki-san?"

In the end, Cecily had shot herself in the foot with the comment she'd made to belittle Mizuki.

"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 weird.

"Did you watch horse racing?"

"Yeah, with my dad on rainy days."

"Any experience with road bikes or motorcycles?"

"Yeah, with my dad when I was in elementary school."

She seemed to be quite the daddy's girl. She had the foundation to let her talent blossom. 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 Famu. On the second lap, Aira fell behind, and it became a battle between you two and Cecily. I knew the outcome was decided. It's that thing, rooting for the underdog, I guess. When I thought that, I couldn't help it. ...I'm sorry."

I had wanted Mizuki and Famu to win, but I caught a glimpse of Cecily's fighting spirit.

"...I think I can forgive you,"

Mizuki said. In times like these, Mizuki always seems to be soft. But since it looks like I'm off the hook, I'll keep quiet.

"Master!"

Famu hugged me. I fell over onto the grass, breaking my seiza posture.

"Master, I was against it. But Mizuki said we should punish you, including the incident where you and Cecily went to the pond alone..."

"Ah... you're so unfair. So unfair. You were the one who was angry first, Famu!"

"I just thought you might have broken your promise, Master."

What mattered most was that the two of them had become closer because of this. I wished Cecily and Aira could join this circle too. I wonder if there's a way.

Afterwards, 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 taro potatoes sold anywhere. I thought since there were tomatoes, there would be some kind of potato, but apparently not. I wondered if they just happened to be sold out, or if tomatoes were something a transmigrator had brought over. In place of potatoes, beans and vegetables were the main ingredients. 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. The stew became a boar hot pot. We didn't have any kelp, so I used dried mushrooms for the broth instead, but it turned out pretty well. I cooked some white rice. It was like Thai rice, but the nostalgia won out. Mizuki and I ate ravenously. For some reason, Famu was happily stuffing her cheeks along with us. Using the eggs I got from Aidan, I made a rolled omelet. The broth was the same dried mushroom one as the stew, but I think it turned out pretty well too.

"I love your egg dishes, Master. They're so fluffy."

Famu's praise made everything worth it. Mizuki brought out a five-liter wine cask from her storage.

"Wh-what! Aidan told me about a good wine shop."

"...I didn't say anything."

Does she plan on becoming a heavy drinker in the future?

"I-I know. I'll stick to one glass a day until I'm twenty."

Does she plan on having a drink every night? Mizuki shared the wine with everyone, pouring it around. I was also handed a glass of wine. Famu was staring at it.

"Master. I will also refrain from drinking until I'm an adult. But, may I have just one sip today?"

I had a bad feeling about this, but I handed her the glass.

"Gulp. Phew."

Yep, it was a big sip.

"There's something I have to tell you, Mash,"

Mizuki said. Her gaze was on Cecily, Aira, and Myra. The three of them were talking together around the pot.

"Stay with Cecily and the others tonight."

"No way. I'm staying in the same room as Famu."

Weren't they arguing in the first place about which room I would stay in? Besides, when I tried to talk to Cecily earlier, her face turned bright red and she told me, "Later. Don't come near me."

It reminded me of the treatment I'd received from women in my previous world and scared me. Because of that, I hadn't been able to approach Aira either.

"...I had no choice. I made a promise that we wouldn't interfere for the two days of shopping and our day off."

Was she talking about that matter they'd decided on without me, about me being alone with her? It had progressed even further without my knowledge.

"You sold me out! I thought you, of all people, wouldn't do something like that!"

"S-sorry. I'll give you a refill of wine, so please forgive me."

The portion Famu 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 Miglutt. So..."

"So you're saying you won and then yielded? No, that's not it. You were moved by sentiment, and then Cecily talked you into it, didn't she?"

"Ugh..."

I think she's soft, but that's also one of Mizuki's good points.

"Famu, what are you going to do tonight?"

"Yesh, I'll be in the shame room as Mizuki. We'll have a talk."

"...You little drunk."

I flicked her forehead. It really did seem like Famu and Mizuki's relationship had rapidly improved after today's race. Maybe it was better for them to have time to talk. They both needed a friend of the same gender. But Famu already seemed incapable of having a proper conversation. She was leaning against me. She looked sleepy.

"Mashter, I thought you didn't like Shecily."

It wasn't that I disliked her, but I found her difficult. I still find Aira difficult.

"That's true. But Cecily has a lot of good points."

"Ish that sho? Why did you change your mind?"

It didn't sound like she was blaming me.

"It's the same for everyone, but they have a lot of good points, things you like, and a lot of bad points, things you dislike. It's not a choice between liking and disliking."

"I want to be able to think like that too..."

"You're the one who taught me that, Famu. You said you have lots of emotions, and that they don't all point in the same direction."

It's easy to apply that to oneself, but difficult to apply to others. We tend to judge people with a simple like or dislike. That was the old me. I would constantly label people who approached me as bad and cut ties with them. But Famu never gave up on me and always stayed by my side. She must have only seen my bad points, yet she stayed.

"...Famu?"

I shook her, but she had fallen asleep.