In Hiikawa's office, the ceiling fan that looked like it couldn't handle the heat was spinning lazily. This place had the slightly sour smell of an old house that hadn't been lived in for half a month, mixed with a unique personality.
He sat on a folding chair, legs crossed, lazily leaning back. The chair, unable to bear the weight, let out a creak as he stared at the ceiling. A pile of documents on the table was a chaotic mess, the red and black ink scrawled across them a dizzying sight.
"Ugh…"
Hiikawa grunted, his gaze finally falling upon the hellish schedule laid out before him. From the system's race interface, he had chosen the [Mental Purge] option, and then sorted the races by location.
What came up was daunting. The highlight was a series of OP (Open Class) races. This kind of race was held almost every month throughout the year. More importantly, every single one of them was a turf race.
He couldn't go to the Central Racecourse and just "casually" win a G1 with a dirt horse. That would just attract unwanted attention. There were also some branding considerations; he had to build up a record first.
He scratched his head, pulling out a schedule from a pile of junk. His eyes glazed over as he looked at it.
"What kind of joke is this…"
He let out a groan. There, in a corner, he saw a small note with two words written on it: "Pay rent."
Just then, the office door creaked open with two soft knocks.
"Trainer, I'm coming in."
It was Maruzensky.
Hiikawa didn't move, but his breath caught in his throat. A silver-grey shadow entered the room. She closed the door and put on a pair of indoor sports shoes that had been washed white. There was a layer of mud on them that hadn't been cleaned off, but other things were also stuck to them, making the whole person look different.
She wasn't a ghost, but just by looking at her, you could tell she was in a bad way. In her eyes were some things that weren't there before.
"Trainer…"
Maruzensky walked forward. She wasn't wearing any makeup, and her face was pale. She looked extremely weak.
"Huh? Hiikawa…" Her eyes weren't even focused.
Her feet twitched slightly on the ground, trembling restlessly. It was as if she wasn't on a flat cement floor, but on a piece of shattered glass. Her brows were furrowed, her face showing no signs of disgust or pain, and her gaze was fixed on the ground at her feet.
A few seconds later, she slowly raised her head, her gaze passing through the office window and landing on the other horse girls who were slowly jogging outside on the training field.
Her eyes… changed.
No longer clear or resolute, but a look Hiikawa had never seen before, mixed with extreme annoyance and cold aggression.
Those eyes seemed to be saying:
You, what right do you have to run under the same sky as me?
Why haven't you all gotten the hell out of my sight yet?
He jotted down two event names on the memo pad, circling them twice.
[June OP race, turf 1800m, Koma Kusa Sho]
[August OP race, turf 1500m, Mitsu Kashiwa Sho]
Those were the ones. Open races, the prize money was decent, and the timing was just right. In a month, after Sapporo, the expedition could be settled. Most importantly, it was a turf race. Maruzensky had gone out to run on dirt, so he had to take this opportunity to adapt her to the turf rhythm.
Hiikawa looked at the new whistle blowing on the corner of his desk, several families couldn't afford it. "It seems her family situation really is dire."
He had a plan and immediately called the system in his mind. "System, exchange for a finished potion. Give it to me, now."
A familiar blue light unfolded before his eyes, and a test tube filled with a glowing rhomboid-shaped potion floated quietly.
[Leg Strength Enhancement: Emerald Dragon], with some playful meaning from the system. These finally settled on two brand new names.
[Green Duckweed Dragon]: Turf Adaptability. Side effect: "Touch of Numbness".
[Special Technique]: Leader (Great Escape). Side effect: "Tendency to run alone".
Turf was the best body. "Okay."
Hiikawa didn't want to think about it and exchanged for it directly. He stood up and walked to the door, and just outside was a bang.
"Maruzensky, come back!"
Without a second's delay, Maruzensky, who was running with a heated passion, came back with a trace of confusion on her face.
"Trainer?"
"Hand."
Hiikawa said one word. In his hand were two syringes filled with green and starry liquid. His expression was indifferent, but there was an undeniable command in his tone.
Hiikawa stood expressionless, gently holding her hand. With one hand, he stuck the two needles in, and with the other, he fiercely plunged them into her still vein. The icy liquid instantly flowed into her bloodstream.
Maruzensky's body stiffened for a moment, then relaxed completely. "Starting from today, this is your new training plan." Hiikawa let go of her hand, and the voice was as cold as ice. "We're going to Hokkaido."
"Get the prize money from both races, and we'll come back."
He said, then turned back to the office, grabbed a training menu he had painted on a whiteboard on the way, and didn't look back. He also didn't see Maruzensky, who was behind him, undergoing a change. A cold and extreme temperament was rising from her body.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Please give me a new training regimen," Maruzensky said, her words clear and concise, emphasizing "higher intensity training." The pale hand was still trembling, as if it was a ghost from a nightmare. Her pearl-like eyes were fixed on Hiikawa's face, unblinking. The silver-grey long hair was also clinging to her cheeks. She was not a pitiful ghost, just a ghost that had been polished.
Hiikawa's eyes followed hers down and he froze. Why was her leg still like this? Was it flooded? Her head was bowed down, her hair a mess, and she was digging at the ground with one hand, looking for something. Had she lost her mind?
"My body…" She looked up and shook her head. "Trainer, you have to help me… I… I must quickly get back to good condition!" Her voice was laced with a pleading tone, something she had never shown before.
That night, she had looked at the contract she had bought on the street, and how she had paid off the debts of those two gentlemen, Kitahara and Sugisaki. She had even told a half-truth to Hiikawa and sold her small apartment. From that moment on, in a sense, everything had changed.
He looked at Hiikawa, who was now showing a look of "I'll kill you," and his heart was clear. He let out a "tsk," and reluctantly brought out a new contract. His tone was still gentle. "I'm selling my house. Are you interested in being my tenant? I'm happy to rent it out cheaply, isn't that great?"
"Trainer…"
"I'm doing this in my current capacity. There's no turning back." Hiikawa waved his hand nonchalantly. "Think of it as me being kind. You can stay out of the public eye and I'll take you in under my roof."
Maruzensky was stunned by this straightforwardness. She understood now. This was his plan. Her expression slowly turned resolute, and the deep doubt that had been floating on her face vanished. This man in front of her was thinking about her story, and he was also looking out for her. Another part… was probably the "thought" he had for her that was at work. In her heart, she was burning with a fighting spirit, and her fighting spirit had reached its peak. She wanted to fight, to win.
It was a good thing, but also a bad thing. He had to use the sharpness of a mountain-opening axe, but not to use it, but to first sheathe the sword that was about to kill him.
"Troublesome choice." Hiikawa sighed, and his gaze fell back to the information pile. That day, his head was stretched out, and he had to properly sort it out. Otherwise, he would be sorry for this "觉悟" (awakening/resolve). His fingers moved on a map of Japan, finally stopping at the northernmost piece of land. Hokkaido. His gaze finally fell on the several horse racing tracks in the cold place.
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