At a riding stable on the outskirts, two gentle white horses had been led over by the staff and were obediently standing in front of Yukio and Sakayanagi.
Sakayanagi was still wearing her beret, though she was no longer leaning on a cane. Her outfit was understated and elegant, but the hint of excitement in her eyes could not be suppressed.
Unfortunately for her, Yukio, who had been carefully watching her, noticed it right away and poured cold water over her hopes. "Don't even think about horse racing. Today, we're just going to ride them at a walk."
"Hmph." Sakayanagi drew out a rare, slightly willful little hum to show her dissatisfaction, clearly trying to use a young girl's coquettish tactics to make Yukio change his mind.
She had already been very happy when he said they were coming to the riding stable. For Sakayanagi, who had once suffered from a congenital heart condition, being able to ride freely was basically something that could only happen in dreams.
In reality, if she dared to do something like that, her guarantee was that she would be on the horse for two minutes before she started throwing up white foam and was rushed to the hospital.
This was not something to joke around with. No matter how Yukio looked at it, he would not change his mind. "I've been giving you medicine for the past few years and slowly helping you adjust your condition. Your heart has gotten a lot better, but it still hasn't fully recovered. Something too intense would still be dangerous."
"Clearly, after all those times, no matter how intense you were, I still managed to digest it." Once Sakayanagi grew familiar with someone, the girl hidden under her calm, graceful exterior would reveal her mischievous, teasing side. When facing others, she was always so composed and elegant, able to handle everything skillfully and calmly. But the moment she faced Yukio, she immediately transformed like this, complaining and acting cute as if it came naturally.
Yukio could not tell whether her words were a complaint or a compliment. "It's no use flattering me. These two horses are the gentlest ones in the stable. Basically, as long as they're carrying a person, they've never once run off."
When Sakayanagi heard that, she no longer stubbornly insisted. In any case, there would still be plenty of time in the future. She would slowly adjust her heart until, someday, she could truly gallop across the riding grounds.
So Sakayanagi reached out and swept a glance over the white horse to her left. The horse, very affectionate, pressed its face against her hand and rubbed into her palm.
Sakayanagi startled slightly, even taking half a step back. But after seeing how close the white horse was, she smiled in relief and began carefully stroking its mane.
Then, under Yukio's guidance, she carefully braced her hands on the saddle, stepped into the stirrup, and tried to turn herself up onto the horse. The white horse was very patient and did not move at all, all to make things easier for Sakayanagi.
Still, Sakayanagi was not quite used to exerting herself this way. She could not get up no matter what she tried. Yukio laughed as his shoulders shook, then held her hand and helped her successfully mount.
Once she was up there, her entire field of vision became higher. It was as if the whole world had changed. Sakayanagi's eyes shone. "So this is the kind of world you usually see, Yukio-kun."
Yukio smiled and walked over to the other white horse. With practiced ease, he mounted it, prompting the horse to let out an excited snort.
This guest of his today was truly something. He had climbed on in an instant. Unlike the person next door, who had taken half the day to scramble up and then stayed frozen in place in a daze. Even a horse would sigh at the difference.
After getting on, Sakayanagi grew visibly excited. She tugged the reins nonstop, as if she intended to study them like flowers. Yukio watched for a moment, then gave a demonstration. "Just lightly squeeze the horse's belly with your legs. These horses are all very intelligent. They know when humans do that, they can move forward."
Sakayanagi tried it, and sure enough, once the white horse's belly was lightly squeezed, it leisurely stepped forward. It really was not much different from taking a stroll—slow, relaxed, and free.
The sound of the horseshoes landing across the flat riding ground was accompanied by crisp clip-clops. It was novel and interesting, making Sakayanagi grip the reins tightly while a bright smile appeared on her face.
Yukio urged his horse to follow, and the two of them rode side by side. Sakayanagi continued stroking her horse's mane while sharing her feelings. "It feels very much like the rocking horse I rode when I was little."
The kind she meant was the children's toy in the mall, where you put in a coin and the rocking horse started swaying back and forth while music played.
In theory, if someone said "riding a horse" meant "walking slowly instead of running," it should really feel quite similar. Although the pace was slow, the main priority was to keep Sakayanagi from getting too excited.
Yukio was a little surprised. "You rode those when you were little? It's hard to imagine."
Hadn't Sakayanagi told him before that when she was little, she had always stayed in Chairman Sakayanagi's study reading books? Because of her health, she rarely went out. Yet she had actually gone to the mall to ride a rocking horse? And she remembered it so clearly.
"What's so hard to imagine?" Because she was in a good mood, Sakayanagi's words carried a trace of sweetness. "It was when I was very, very young. Probably just a few years old. At that time, I'd only just begun studying different languages, and I hadn't even started reading many books yet."
"…Goodness." Yukio's face twitched. She had started studying different languages when she was just a few years old? What kind of absurdity was that?
Sakayanagi's story was not finished. "Speaking of which, Father was the one who took me there. He said that when Mother was pregnant with me, they went to buy baby supplies for the unborn me."
"When they entered the mall, they naturally noticed the rocking horses there. At the time, Father and Mother promised me that after I was born, when I grew up a little, they would bring me here to play together."
At this point, Sakayanagi suddenly stopped talking and did not continue. The first half of the story sounded both beautiful and warm.
But Yukio also knew that what happened afterward might not have been quite so happy. Sakayanagi's mother, Chairman Sakayanagi's wife, had later passed away after many years of frail health and illness.
Perhaps it was because of that promise that Chairman Sakayanagi only took Sakayanagi there when she grew up a little. In a way, it had been keeping the promise he made to his wife.
Thinking of this, Yukio instinctively reached down with his right hand, continuing to hold the reins while offering his empty left hand toward Sakayanagi.
Sakayanagi suddenly laughed softly. She mirrored him and reached out her right hand. Their ten fingers interlaced as they slowly walked through the scenery of the riding grounds.
Feeling Sakayanagi's jade-like fingers, Yukio also made a promise of his own. "Then, after our child grows up a little, we'll take them to ride one of those rocking horses too."
Sakayanagi's face flushed slightly. Her heart began to leap joyfully, and powerful blood pumped inside her, making her feel a little tired. "No."
"Hm?" Yukio glanced over, puzzled. Did she think a rocking horse was not enough?
Sakayanagi looked back at him with a meaningful, teasing gaze. "That will have to wait until my heart has been fully adjusted first."
"My heart has been more tired today. I may have to trouble you to use both hands to adjust me."
"???"
Yukio, covered in metaphorical dew, blinked in confusion. Then his face showed sudden realization.
Incredible. Adjusting her with both hands. How confident has Sakayanagi become…
...
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