Since it was ultimately his own carelessness that caused Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower not to eat properly at noon, Kitahara felt a bit of the guilt in his heart ease only after bringing them to a restaurant near Nagoya Station.
The shop had a long English name written on its signboard — when translated, it meant "Wakashachiya." It was famous for its signature curry udon and had more than forty branches all over Japan.
He hadn't chosen it because of its fame, but because ,compared to other similar restaurants, this place stayed open longer and served large portions.
Kitahara knew very well that although Mihono Bourbon looked slim and Rice Shower was small in stature, both of them were actually huge eaters.
Mihono Bourbon's case might not be obvious. Her quiet personality meant her classmates rarely noticed such things about her.
But Kitahara, having played the mobile game, remembered that she once had the "achievement" of eating fifty kinds of desserts in one sitting.
And with the kind of strength that let her lift her entire body using just her tail, she really didn't look like someone with a small appetite.
Rice Shower's ability to eat a lot, on the other hand, was quite famous.
She had only just entered Tracen Academy, so her reputation hadn't spread yet.
Once time passed — especially when another big eater, Special Week, also entered the academy — people would come to know that Oguri Cap, Special Week, and Rice Shower would firmly sit as the top three "big eaters of Tracen."
Perhaps that was why, in the game, the first two had the "Big Eater" trait while the last one had the "Nutritional Supplement" trait.
[The Skill, Hydrate, is somehow changed from Nutritional Supplement? Gourmand is Big Eater in Japanese]
"Order whatever you like," Kitahara said after finding a corner seat and letting the two girls sit down. He flipped through the menu and handed it over.
"I've been here before — everything's good. I especially recommend the curry udon."
"Or if you're not confident about choosing, just pick any set meal. Trust me — the chef here won't disappoint you."
"Thank you. Then I'll have the curry udon."
Mihono Bourbon replied immediately without even taking the menu.
Afraid of falling behind, Rice Shower hurriedly said, "T-then I'll have curry udon too… Rice isn't picky…"
After saying that, she shyly lowered her head.
The table fell into silence.
…It seemed both of these kids had some difficulty communicating.
Kitahara thought that he might need to spend a bit more effort guiding them — not necessarily to make them outgoing, just so they could communicate naturally with others.
After calling the waiter and ordering, he tried to start a conversation.
"First, I want to apologize to both of you. I was too focused on work today and didn't pay enough attention to you."
With a very formal tone, both hands on his knees, he bowed slightly.
"I dragged you around the traffic office without much purpose, and you didn't even get to eat properly at noon. That was my oversight."
"I hope you can forgive me."
Many people thought Kitahara was stiff and old-fashioned, like a strict father, based on his behavior, training style, and way of speaking.
He himself agreed — otherwise he wouldn't, like many fathers, end up ignoring things around him when working.
Even toward the horse girls on his team, he still unconsciously treated them like children.
But that didn't mean he put on airs or lectured them.
On the contrary, because he liked doing things properly, when he learned what they wanted, he would seriously think about it and try to help them realize those wishes.
And when he noticed his own mistakes, he would sincerely apologize.
Just like now.
However, while Oguri Cap and the others were used to this side of him, Mihono Bourbon and Rice Shower clearly weren't.
"Eh? Ah! N-no… th-this… It's not like Uncle Kitahara did anything wrong, right? A trainer focusing on work is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"
Rice Shower lifted her head abruptly, as if she herself had done something wrong. Her long, fluffy black ears stood straight up and twitched restlessly.
"O-or maybe it was just Rice's bad luck… I didn't eat much in the morning… um, actually I think I was already full then, maybe I just felt wrong…"
Rice Shower's ears were the longest among the horse girls in the game — and the same was true here.
Those long, fluffy black ears looked like they could almost reach her mouth if pulled down.
When they moved, the visual effect was obvious, making her anxiety even more visible.
"You're probably just not used to the training camp environment yet," Kitahara said gently.
"If that's the case, there's no fault or misfortune in it."
Seeing Rice Shower's reaction and Mihono Bourbon silently thinking beside her, Kitahara continued patiently:
"And this is a good time to explain — training camp is generally much more intense than daily training at school."
"At school, you have classes besides training, so it's hard to increase intensity unless you take leave for special training."
Taking leave for special training was common at Tracen.
For example, Sakura Chiyono O often did it.
In the anime, Rice Shower also did it before her Tenno Sho (Spring) match against Mejiro McQueen.
Bourbon witnessed that entire process.
After Rice Shower retired, both she and Bourbon helped train Kitasan Black before his own Tenno Sho.
This situation existed because the Japanese training system didn't include enough specialized training in the school curriculum and lacked sufficient resources.
So trainers had to arrange it separately.
In that sense, the team's parachute sprints, weighted training, and wind training were all special training.
"At camp, there's only training."
"Of course, we carefully calculate your physical limits and won't affect your development or health."
"And Kyoko — the doctor who introduced herself yesterday — will design your diet."
"So at meals, don't worry about anything. Just eat until you're full."
That last part was his real intention — hinting that they shouldn't be embarrassed about eating a lot.
Not many horse girls were like Oguri Cap, who ate freely without caring about others' eyes.
Most were like Creek, Ardan, Tamamo Cross, or Inari One — worried about gaining weight or being laughed at.
Mejiro McQueen especially struggled between loving sweets and fearing weight gain.
So perhaps Bourbon and Rice Shower had held back from eating in the morning out of embarrassment.
After the food arrived, they ate without hesitation, which relieved Kitahara.
Still, the table remained quiet.
Then Mihono Bourbon suddenly raised her head.
"Master Kitahara, have you already designed the relay race?"
"Yes. About three plans."
He explained them — Chikusa Ward streets, the seaside near camp, and Chukyo Racecourse — along with their pros and cons.
After finishing, he realized he'd talked too much.
"Sorry — I got carried away."
"It's fine. I like this way you speak."
Mihono Bourbon nodded, rare emotion in her eyes.
"It's very rare to find someone so logical and clear at the academy."
"I like this kind of communication. It's clear. It doesn't go wrong."
"Don't worry, Master Kitahara. No matter what kind of race it is, I will give it my all."
She stood and bowed formally.
"Especially this one."
"To race against triple crown/tiara winners, undefeated champions — I will definitely give it everything."
Rice Shower also stood up.
"I-I will do my best too…!"
"E-even if I'm not very useful…"
"I want to change that… I want to become a horse girl who brings happiness to everyone… so I'll do my best…!"
(End of Chapter)