After giving Super Creek some stern advice, Kitahara noticed the anxious look on her face but did not slow his tone.
He had led teams before and knew very well that different subordinates required different approaches and attitudes.
The relationship between a horse girl and a trainer isn't exactly that of superior and subordinate, but in essence, it's not much different.
For someone like Super Creek, who had a habit of keeping things to herself, Kitahara's experience told him that he couldn't just let it slide. This personality didn't just hide minor matters—it hid serious issues too.
In fact, such a personality is often called "the nice one." They don't like to trouble others and take on all the bad situations themselves. On the surface, it looks like they're doing a good deed, but in reality, they're just concealing crises, which can eventually cause big problems for themselves and everyone around them.
Kitahara had encountered such situations before.
In one of his teams, there was a subordinate with a personality very similar to Super Creek. Her husband was an absolute scoundrel, yet she never complained or spoke of it. She even helped hide it, always speaking highly of him to parents and friends, giving everyone the impression of a happy marriage.
The result: during a business negotiation, her husband caused a scene at the company over domestic issues, almost turning the entire negotiation into chaos.
If Kitahara hadn't prepared thoroughly and immediately directed security to remove and control both the subordinate and her husband, the company could have suffered losses of over 10 million yen.
This style of handling matters had stayed with Kitahara until now. Previously, Oguri Cap and Belno Light were obedient, so he hadn't had to show it too obviously.
But facing Super Creek, this side of him began to surface.
"Since I've noticed it, I can't just let you continue like this."
"Do you know that if you keep going like this, you might not only fail to heal the inflammation, but could even fracture your foot, develop more serious illnesses, and ruin your entire career?" His tone grew even sterner.
"S-Sorry, Kitahara-san…" Super Creek's eyes glistened with tears again.
Kitahara furrowed his brow, about to clarify that he wasn't attacking her personally—he was just addressing the issue.
But Super Creek really did start crying again.
"…You don't want me, do you…"
She silently wept:
"I… I know, as a Uma Musume like me, I'll only cause trouble for you, Kitahara-san. Sorry… forget what I said about practice and joining the team…"
"Wait, just wait a moment."
Kitahara's head ached. He sighed and pressed a hand to his temple. "I suddenly realize it seems like we're not even on the same wavelength."
"Don't be anxious—you're making me anxious first…"
"No, I need to organize my thoughts." He rubbed his temple, thinking.
"…Oh." Tears glinting in her eyes, Super Creek nodded obediently, staying silent.
Kitahara didn't ponder for long.
He could never abandon Super Creek.
Even ignoring her future potential, knowing about her injury alone made it impossible to ignore.
He quickly realized that what Super Creek lacked wasn't just professional training—she didn't even have a professional mindset.
Or, in other words, the heart of a racer.
By comparison, Oguri Cap often got minor scrapes and bumps during training. Small injuries were normal.
At such times, Oguri Cap wouldn't worry about troubling others. She'd either treat it herself or ask Belno Light or Kitahara for help.
She knew that if she truly wanted to avoid inconveniencing others, the most efficient way was to solve the problem herself.
Likely, Tamamo Cross was similar—her in-game character often appeared with bandages on her nose bridge, suggesting minor injuries were common during training.
But Super Creek clearly hadn't reached this understanding. To her, hiding injuries meant risking expulsion, disappointing her parents, and troubling others.
It looked like her future training would require much more careful attention…
"Why didn't you realize that hiding your injury would prevent you from competing?" Kitahara asked, frowning.
Super Creeks eyes widened. She seemed to agree and nodded subconsciously.
But her expression soon wavered. "But if I tell someone about my injury…"
"Though it's impolite to interrupt," Kitahara raised a hand, "I prefer a straightforward, issue-focused way of talking."
"What I want to say is that your talent, Super Creek, is incredible."
"And because of that talent, I believe you should reveal your injury sooner rather than later… Don't rush—listen to me first."
Halfway through, tears threatened to speak again, but Kitahara raised his hand to stop her.
For someone like Super Creek, too used to enduring everything alone, the issue had to be clarified immediately, or unpredictable trouble would arise.
"You don't want to trouble others, your parents, or the school—I understand that."
"But have you considered that if your foot injury worsens and ruins your career, preventing you from ever competing, that's the real trouble?"
"So I intend to take you to a doctor—a highly skilled one, an elder of mine—who can fulfill all your needs."
"Is that alright?"
He looked at Super Creek with determined eyes.
"A highly skilled doctor…"
Her eyes briefly sparkled with hope, only to fade quickly.
"B-But I'm a Uma Musume with no achievements, haven't even passed a debut race. Why would a great doctor treat me?"
"And even if such a doctor agreed, I don't have much money. My scholarship and trainee stipend are spent on training equipment and medicine…"
"If I asked my family… they'd also…"
Kitahara realized he'd interrupted her too many times today. Normally, he wouldn't be so rude, but facing Super Creek's long-standing stubbornness, he had no choice.
He interrupted:
"You're injured and still thinking about training? Your previous trainer—"
He had meant to say, "What was your trainer thinking?" but remembered that Central had no one to take her, and hurriedly revised: "Train after your injury heals. That's what your trainer—me, Kitahara—says."
"Kitahara-san, this…" Super Creek froze.
Before she could continue, Kitahara firmly said:
"Don't worry. Your injury and future training—all of it is entrusted to me."
"I'll find the best doctors for you."
"I'll cover the costs for treatment and training."
"You want to run freely on the track like the other girls, right? I'll help you achieve that dream!"
(End of Chapter)