In the blink of an eye, two days had passed.
...
Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture—Narita International Airport.
At the arrival gate in the first-floor lobby.
Other than Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, Kuroha and all the other horse girls in his team were waiting for the flight to arrive.
Originally, Kuroha had intended to come alone.
But Inari One and the others were far too curious about who this future teammate might be, insisting on tagging along.
Even Mejiro Ardan and Sakura Chiyono O pushed back their afternoon training sessions to join.
Unable to dissuade them, he had no choice but to bring them.
Of course, beyond that, Kuroha also thought ahead—since they'd all be training and living together in the future, introducing them early wasn't a bad thing.
Time ticked by as the terminal bustled with voices.
Announcements about flight arrivals and departures mixed with the chatter of travelers.
Inari One leaned excitedly over the railing, eyes locked onto the electronic display of flight statuses, muttering to herself:
"By the way, Trainer, how did you even meet that… um…"
She suddenly paused.
"You can just call her Amen."
Kuroha reminded her with a chuckle.
"Ah, right! Amen."
Inari nodded. "So, how did you meet her?"
"How we met…"
Kuroha thought briefly, then told them the general story of how he had first encountered Obey Your Master.
"I see… so it was back then."
Fujimasa March nodded knowingly.
Back when she herself had just transferred to Oi Tracen Academy, Kuroha often walked and chatted with her, sometimes sharing little stories.
He had even mentioned "that dirt-eating horse girl" in passing before.
Of course, this time he left out certain details.
Sakura Chiyono O nodded with a thoughtful hum.
"So, she'll only join after winning the Japan Cup? What a magnificent dream."
As the only one in Kuroha's team who had already captured a G1 title, Sakura understood exactly what it meant to add the word "International" to that prefix.
Especially since the Japan Cup wasn't limited to the Classic generation.
Classic Year horse girls, Senior Year horse girls… even those who had already completed their True Blooming, at the absolute peak of their form, could enter.
It would be a gathering of monsters.
Just as Sakura finished speaking, the announcement rang out:
The flight from the United States had landed.
Ardan smiled gracefully. "At last, it's here."
The girls quickly straightened their outfits.
After all, this was their first meeting with a future teammate—they all wanted to leave a good impression.
Kuroha stood at the front, eyes fixed on the arrival gate, a faint smile curling on his lips.
Soon enough, the crowd began to stir.
The sound of rolling suitcases and footsteps filled the hall as passengers emerged.
They didn't have to wait long.
A tall, beautiful blonde girl stepped out, pulling a suitcase behind her.
Her striking presence shone like a star even amidst the bustling crowd.
She wore a simple gray outfit layered with a light coat, her golden hair cascading down to her waist.
Obey Your Master scanned the crowd before her gaze locked onto Kuroha.
Her lips curved slightly upward as she quickened her pace.
She stopped before him and spoke softly:
"Long time no see, Trainer."
Kuroha took her suitcase with a warm smile.
"Welcome back, Amen."
"…"
Obey Your Master gave a small nod.
Her chest rose and fell sharply a few times, emotions welling up inside her that nearly burst free—but she steadied herself.
Only Ardan, with her keen eye, noticed the tremor and responded with a knowing smile.
After leaving the terminal together, Kuroha began the introductions.
"This is Fujimasa March—my very first horse girl."
"Then there's Inari One… Mejiro Ardan… and Sakura Chiyono O…"
After going through each name, Kuroha added with a smile:
"There are also two younger girls who haven't reached True Blooming yet. They're still in class, but you'll meet them later if you want."
Finally, he stood formally by her side and declared:
"And this is the horse girl from the United States, Obey Your Master.
After the Japan Cup, she'll become an official member of our team!"
"Everyone, let's welcome her."
At once, the four horse girls clapped and laughed.
"Welcome!"
"Please take care of us!"
"Amen, let's get along well from now on!"
"Welcome!"
The blonde girl stood frozen, staring at the warm faces before her.
Her long ears twitched, catching the sincerity in their voices.
It was so different from the biting sarcasm she had endured back in the States.
This pure warmth and kindness pierced straight through the icy walls she had built around her heart.
Already happy to see Kuroha again, she now felt her throat tighten, her nose sting.
A long-forgotten warmth—called "companionship"—rose quietly inside her.
The emotions she had been suppressing nearly spilled over.
After a moment of silence, she drew a deep breath, calming herself.
At last, she answered firmly:
"Yes. Please take care of me.
From now on, let's work hard together."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to every ear.
Kuroha watched, smiling in satisfaction.
With his team growing, he valued harmony more and more.
And seeing Obey Your Master start off on such a good note with Fujimasa March and the others filled him with a quiet pride.
Clapping his hands lightly, he said:
"Alright, enough chatting. Let's head back to the academy."
Then, something struck him.
"By the way, Amen… where's your trainer?"
"I came on my own."
She answered naturally.
"…?"
Kuroha raised a brow.
"This is your first overseas expedition, isn't it? They just let you come alone?"
Seeing his displeased expression, Amen gave a wry smile.
"Mostly because he knew you were here… Trainer.
Besides, with my record, I was never treated well in his team anyway…"
The United States—over there, the horse girl world was survival of the fittest.
Strength ruled, and races were wild and ruthless.
So very different from this distant island nation.
And that atmosphere had been shaped by the strongest horse girls of that land.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the Central Tracen horse girls were so harmonious thanks to Symboli Rudolf.
As the nation's "strongest" and its "role model," Rudolf had embodied what it meant to be a "perfect horse girl."
Her influence had shaped the culture itself.
Kuroha frowned, then relaxed again.
If memory served, in the original timeline, Obey Your Master's trainer only started accompanying her after she won the Japan Cup.
It wasn't that he didn't care—it was simply how their culture worked.
"…Forget it."
Kuroha sighed softly.
From today forward, Amen was his horse girl.
He wasn't about to waste time fixing another's bad habits.
"Alright," he said gently to the group, "let's go home."
Not long after, their car pulled out of the airport parking lot.
(End of Chapter)
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