"I knew you'd be fine, Kitano-chan. I was originally planning to go find Yuki no Bijin if things went wrong."
"Hm? Why Yuki no Bijin?"
"I dunno, but my Gold Ship Star Sense told me that to change the Director's mind, I had to ask Yuki no Bijin. She could definitely do it."
Gold Ship had somehow taken over Nakayama Festa's role, pushing Kitano's wheelchair around Tracen Academy. Along the way, countless horse girls noticed them, their expressions a mixture of shock and awe. Soon after, they would cast looks of utmost reverence at Kitano, as if he were one of the Three Goddesses.
All of these reactions stemmed from Gold Ship's reputation—a well-known and explosive oddball not just at Tracen, but throughout the entire horse girl world.
Gold Ship, an ash-haired horse girl known by everyone at Tracen. If Stay Gold had made a name for the Gold Family and let everyone know about their potential and bad tempers, then Gold Ship was the one who cemented the family's reputation as being "full of weirdos."
She was on the "blacklist" of several teams and departments at Tracen Academy, a designated target for the disciplinary committee, an occasional savior for trainers in distress, the only horse girl with seemingly no romantic desires, and the public enemy of graduating horse girls... All these deeds had given Gold Ship an "infamous" reputation at Tracen. She was someone no one dared to provoke, and even less wanted to approach.
No one knew when Gold Ship had enrolled, just as no one knew Maruzensky-senpai's age. In everyone's memory, she had been there for a long time, but many seniors had graduated without ever seeing her advance a grade.
Despite being the youngest member of the Gold Family, she enrolled earlier than several of her older sisters. Her figure was also a departure from the family's hereditary small stature—she was slender yet sturdy. If it weren't for the hat she always wore sealing her good looks, and her terrible personality, she would undoubtedly be one of the top ash-haired beauties.
In short, Gold Ship was an enigma, and no one knew the truth. Not even Stay Gold, the eldest sister of the family, was aware of many things about her.
And only Kitano—not that he completely understood the Gold Ship of the horse girl world, but only he could make her trust and rely on him without any reservations.
Even Kitano himself didn't know the reason for this. He didn't think he had done anything in his years with the Gold Family to make her "heart flutter."
He had no interactions with her in his previous playthroughs. It wasn't until the one where he became Stay Gold's trainer that he truly met her for the first time.
But at that time, Gold Ship had shown no interest in him. He had only caught a glimpse of her from afar. After their eyes met, she was the one who looked away first and ran off. He never saw her again in that playthrough.
"So is this a case of love growing over time? Or... can Gold Ship tell I'm a transmigrator? So she sees me as an alien like her?"
Kitano couldn't help but suspect this... but he didn't dislike Gold Ship. On the contrary, he was very happy and even longed for the affection she showed him.
In his previous playthroughs, knowing he was a dying man, even while striving to live, he had always been reserved in his interactions with his charges and others. He was always worried that his death wouldn't mean the end of that playthrough's timeline, and that the people he cared about would grieve for him.
That's why he always explained his situation clearly to his charges, only accepting those who could face reality or were more open-minded. But even so, he had always maintained a distance, controlling his desire to love and express his feelings.
And now, there was someone who, even after he explained everything, was still close to him without any reservations. And based on his understanding, she was definitely someone who had a carefree attitude towards death and wouldn't be troubled by it. The missing piece of emotion in Kitano's heart was filled in this way.
"But, I didn't expect you to actually choose Nakayama-nee as your charge, Kitano-chan."
Since Gold Ship had snatched the right to take care of Kitano, and Nakayama Festa was no match for her in a fight, Festa had no choice but to go to the dorms to get to know her roommate. Now, Gold Ship was expressing her undisguised confusion about Kitano's choice:
"Is this really okay? Nakayama-nee is strong, but her performance is super unstable. Among all the horse girls in our family, she probably has the biggest gap between her best and worst performances."
"If you want to achieve something in your lifetime, Kitano-chan, there are plenty of other choices in our family. Like Orfevre, or Dream Journey. If all else fails, I can even race myself."
"It's a good thing Festa isn't here, or she'd beat you up for saying that." Kitano found it amusing to hear this younger sister badmouthing her older one, but he knew she was telling the truth.
Kitano knew that the real-life Nakayama Festa's race record wasn't outstanding, with only one G1 victory in his life. But the reason he became one of the faces of the Gold Family was that he achieved one of Japan's best results in the race they most wanted to win, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, finishing second.
Although he didn't win, this result was the closest Japan had ever come to winning the Arc. Because of this, Nakayama Festa's huge performance fluctuations made him one of Japan's "what if" horses, and it was universally acknowledged as his strongest performance.
But Kitano didn't think one best performance could represent a horse girl's true strength. Human effort has its limits; it's impossible to be at your best every time. Besides, on the racetrack, a loss is a loss. There are no excuses, and a completely fair match doesn't exist.
But Kitano still chose Nakayama Festa from all the Gold Family horse girls. He had his own considerations.
"Dream Journey and Orfevre are indeed very good, but... Dream Journey is too hot-tempered and clumsy. She herself isn't ready to race, so I can't force her."
"Orfevre is timid and very sensitive to emotions and her surroundings. Remember when I first told you all that I had a serious illness and might not have much time left? She was the first among you to cry."
At this, a bitter smile appeared on Kitano's face. Although Gold Ship couldn't see it, she could read his emotions and didn't interrupt, quietly listening to his monologue.
"...I'm worried the pressure would be too much for Orfevre, and she wouldn't be able to perform at her best. And if one day I'm gone, she would have a hard time accepting reality."
"But as for Festa, she's more mature than Orfevre and knows how to control herself better than Dream Journey. Most importantly, she can face my situation with an open mind. I don't have to worry too much that if one day I really leave, she won't be able to accept it."
"So, when Stay Gold introduced her to me, I immediately agreed. Because she was the only one I could think of who could live her life calmly even if something unexpected happened."
"As for you, little Golshi..." The wheelchair-bound Kitano looked up slightly at Gold Ship's face reflected in his eyes and showed a relaxed smile, explaining softly:
"You're the one I'm least worried about. In the future, if something really happens, you have to remember to cover for this irresponsible trainer who could drop dead at any moment."
"—Heehee, of course I will! I'll see you again on Mars in a hundred years, so you can go without any worries! I'll definitely find you then!"
After a moment of blankness, Gold Ship replied with her familiar, slightly exaggerated smile. Her dramatic tone made it hard to tell if she was joking or expressing her true feelings in jest, but the one thing Kitano was sure of was that she wouldn't let him down.
This feeling... was very subtle. Kitano felt that it wasn't just because of his pre-transmigration knowledge of Gold Ship that he came to this conclusion. He also had a deep, intimate trust in her that he couldn't describe, but he believed it wasn't a delusion.
"Ara... is that... Gold Ship?"
At this moment, not far away, two contrasting, beautiful figures noticed the intimate scene between Gold Ship and Kitano. One of them, shorter and slightly more well-built, an ash-haired horse girl, couldn't hide her surprise and said to the older horse girl beside her:
"She's being so intimate with a stranger? That man... doesn't look like her father. Could he be her brother? But I've never heard her mention one."
"Palmer-nee-san, do you know who that person is?"
"—Are you concerned, McQueen? While I understand that a certain flawed beauty can easily evoke pity, you'd best not get caught up in such a distorted aesthetic."
The horse girl called "Palmer" was much more slender than McQueen beside her. Her height stood out among women, and her nearly flawless, perfect figure, combined with her exquisitely carved face and a perfectly maintained smile that felt as cold as an iceberg, made her seem less like a student and more like a noblewoman.
But she was indeed a Tracen horse girl, and the eldest daughter of the Mejiro family currently enrolled, Mejiro Palmer. At this moment, she stood beside the Mejiro family's next rising star about to hit the track, Mejiro McQueen, quietly observing the figure of Kitano, who was being cared for even by Gold Ship.
Although she was verbally warning her younger sister, Palmer's gaze never left the wheelchair-bound Kitano. Watching him get along so intimately with the infamous oddball of Tracen, this "lofty flower" of the Mejiro family showed a rare, interested smile.
"But... it is indeed beautiful. A delicate flower desperately trying to bloom its last splash of color. It's truly moving."
And perhaps this radiant perseverance was exactly what their family needed right now?
"Well then, let's observe for a while, shall we? First, let's gather some information on this Venus de Milo." Mejiro Palmer thought to herself, now also becoming interested in the aesthetics of imperfection.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (63 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (172 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (180 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (60 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (57 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (227 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (65 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (37 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(35 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.