[Sorry for 1 chapter again but its 5k word]
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As Kitahara's question fell, silence filled the car.
A long while passed.
"Y-you… where did you learn about those two… no, I should say—where did you learn about that senpai?"
That senpai…
Hearing the hesitation in Maruzensky's tone, and noting her choice of words, Kitahara realized his prior judgment might have been off.
About Tazuna being Tokino Minoru—or rather, Arrogant Above All—he had assumed Maruzensky knew.
Up to now, he hadn't found a single trace of this in any public records. Even when he intentionally or unintentionally brought up race histories from that era, it always felt as if history itself had been edited—there was absolutely no evidence left behind.
Yet through many coincidences, he was almost certain his guess was correct: Tazuna truly was that legendary horse girl who won ten races out of ten.
He had even managed to piece together why that history had been hidden.
He had assumed that if even he could uncover this much, then an old-timer like Maruzensky must surely know the whole truth.
But the phrase "that senior" seemed to prove she wasn't quite that "ancient."
Perhaps through some student council records, or maybe through idle chats with Rudolf Symboli and the others, Maruzensky knew that there had once been an incredibly powerful horse girl—but didn't know what exactly had happened.
That wasn't hard to understand.
In the normal world, Maruzensky and Tokino Minoru were separated by twenty-six years. While horse girls in this world didn't have such short lifespans and there were some differences in aging, they were still undeniably generations apart.
And judging from common knowledge in this world, the vast majority of people—and horse girls—really didn't know anything about what happened back then.
Kitahara himself only knew because of parallel-world knowledge. Without that, he might never have figured it out either. It seemed he'd been taking too much for granted.
"By chance," Kitahara said after thinking it over, choosing a more reasonable explanation and concealing part of the truth.
"I happened to come into contact with the trainer who once trained that senior you mentioned. Little by little, I learned of her existence."
"As a trainer, I was naturally curious about such a powerful horse girl, so I investigated a bit more, and that's how I—"
He suddenly paused and glanced at Maruzensky through the rearview mirror.
"By the way… do you know who that senior actually was?"
He realized that if Maruzensky didn't know the truth of those years, then perhaps she didn't even know that Jun'gawa Teguna was the very senior she was referring to.
"...Not really."
She'd been listening to Kitahara's explanation, but the sudden turn made Maruzensky freeze for a moment before answering instinctively.
"Tokino Minoru… Arrogant Above All…"
"These two names are something Rudolf and I learned about by chance when we took over the student council."
"Oh?"
Kitahara's interest was piqued—this was something he hadn't known.
"That would've been a few years ago, right?"
"Even earlier than that. Rudolf hadn't even debuted yet back then."
Maruzensky smiled faintly, a look of reminiscence on her face.
"At the time, the student council president was Shinzan Senpai."
"The vice presidents were Takeshiba O and Speed Symboli."
Kitahara's eyes flickered.
In any world, Shinzan was a name you simply couldn't avoid.
To put it simply: if Rudolf Symboli ruled her era and was the 'Emperor' of her generation, then Shinzan was the previous 'Emperor.'
Nineteen starts, fifteen wins, four seconds. The second Triple Crown horse girl after the founding of the URA Association.
Her victories included the Satsuki Sho, Japanese Derby, Kikuka Sho, Takarazuka Kinen, Tenno Sho (Autumn), and Arima Kinen.
Excluding races stallions couldn't enter like the Oka Sho and Oaks, and aside from the Tenno Sho (Spring), Shinzan had swept nearly every one of the eight major races.
Calling her the 'Emperor' of her era was entirely justified, and it was only natural she had served as student council president before Rudolf.
So your student council runs on abdication, huh? Kitahara chuckled inwardly.
As for Takeshiba O and Speed Symbol, they too were peaks of their respective generations. Their dominance wasn't inferior to Maruzensky or CB.
Moreover, those two seniors had overseas expedition experience—pioneers even earlier than Rudolf and Sirius.
"So when you took over, Rudolf hadn't debuted yet… That suggests she'd been highly valued from a young age?"
Kitahara asked after a moment's thought.
"That also had something to do with Speed Symboli Senpai. She once said that the Symboli family had raised Rudolf from very early on according to the standards of a leader."
Maruzensky nodded, admiration evident in her voice.
"And she had the talent and strength to match."
"I completely agree," Kitahara nodded as well.
"Then you and Rudolf learned of Tokino Minoru because of Shinzan and the others?"
"Yes. At the time, we were following the senpais around, learning how to handle student council affairs."
Maruzensky recalled,
"You could say we were student council trainees—like Narita Brian and Air Groove are now."
"Oh right, did Rudolf ever tell you she's very fond of those two kids?"
Kitahara hadn't heard that from Rudolf Symboli, but it wasn't surprising.
Narita Brian was calm and composed, Air Groove dignified and authoritative—both were well-suited for organizational roles.
Their future race records would also be convincing enough; their talent guaranteed performances that could win people over.
So Kitahara shook his head, then nodded.
"I haven't heard it, but it doesn't surprise me. They have the potential."
"That, I also completely agree with."
Smiling as she echoed Kitahara's earlier phrasing, Maruzensky continued:
"One time, while organizing the archives—if I remember correctly, it was Rudolf—she found a document by chance."
"It was very old, the whole sheet yellowed. It was written in old-style ink, and many characters were blurred."
"It was found at the very bottom of the archive shelf, probably a page that had fallen out of a complete file."
"Rudolf initially wanted to discard it, since we were digitizing paper records at the time and a single loose page was hard to process."
"But then she noticed that among the barely legible writing were two unfamiliar names—'Tokino Minoru' and 'Arrogant Above All'—and one fragmented line of record…"
Maruzensky's expression grew serious.
"2 minutes 31 seconds 1… historical record… Japanese Derby…"
"Rudolf hurried to show me. We both thought it must be the record of a senpai who had dominated the Japanese Derby."
"But…"
Confusion returned to her face.
"Such an astonishing record, yet we'd never heard those names…"
"And when we asked Shinzan Senpai and the others, they looked strange for a moment, then told us not to worry—that it was probably just some useless erroneous record."
"After that, I don't know whether Rudolf still remembered it, but…"
Her expression dimmed slightly.
"But I never had the chance to run in the Japanese Derby, so things like that… stuck with me."
"I kept remembering it."
"Sometimes, before Derby registration, I'd even dream that maybe—just maybe—if I ran in the Japanese Derby, I could produce the same numbers as on that page…"
She smiled again, light and casual.
"Anyway, it's just an old story. I never thought I'd hear those names again—from you, of all people."
"Then… do you know about that senior?"
"Yeah. More or less."
Having learned more about the past from Maruzensky's account—and understanding that she didn't truly know everything about Jun'gawa Teguna—Kitahara didn't hide anything.
"I think you must be very curious about what really happened to that senior. But I think it'd be better if the people involved—and the horse girl herself—were the ones to explain it."
"I see… That does sound interesting—wait, hold on."
She'd been happy at the thought of hearing a senior's secret history, but suddenly realized something was off.
"You came out today… Wasn't it to find strong seniors as opponents for Oguri Cap and the others?"
"You just came to visit that senpai?"
"Huh?"
Kitahara froze.
"No—well, yes—but what I mean is, I am planning to raise the difficulty for Oguri Cap and the others. I mean, find some sufficiently strong senpais."
"I think you—and Rudolf and the others—are very strong, but Oguri Cap and them are already too familiar with you. It might not have much impact."
"So I wanted to find a 'fresh face.'"
As he said fresh face, Kitahara unconsciously curled his lips into a smile.
Not noticing the change in his expression, Maruzensky grew even more confused.
"But… let's assume that archive wasn't an error, and that such a powerful senior really existed."
"She'd be much older than me, older than Rudolf—even older than Senior Shinzan, wouldn't she?"
"Otherwise we wouldn't know anything at all."
"At that age… continuing to run would be kind of strange, wouldn't it? Kitahara, you're joking, right?"
Her words grew a little jumbled, but Kitahara understood her concern.
Even for powerful horse girls who mastered Domains and extended their peak years, biological decline was inevitable.
As age increased, physical deterioration and loss of strength were unavoidable realities.
From Maruzensky's perspective, such an 'elder' senpai really wouldn't be able to meet Kitahara's request.
However, Kitahara knew something subtle—that some 'horse girls' simply couldn't be judged by common sense.
Or perhaps horse girls themselves were, by nature, beyond common sense.
"Whether I'm joking or not—you'll know soon."
As he spoke, Kitahara slowly brought the car to a stop.
"Aren't you curious about that senpai, too? This is a good chance to understand the whole truth."
"And although my goal is to help Oguri Cap and the others, that senior—and another elderly person—also need help."
"That's the real reason I came today."
Only then did Maruzensky realize that without noticing, they'd arrived at a parking lot.
The lot belonged to a hotel. After getting out and looking around, she recognized it as the famous Royal Garden Hotel in Nagoya.
"A senpai… an elderly person… what exactly is this…?"
"I know you're anxious, but don't rush. You'll find out soon."
After parking, Kitahara smiled at her bewildered expression.
"And I suggest you prepare yourself mentally—because the truth of all this might shock you more than you expect."
Even though she was full of doubts, noticing that Kitahara clearly had no intention of explaining everything right now, Maruzensky suppressed her impatience and followed him with a faint frown.
The Royal Garden Hotel was a four-star hotel located very close to Nagoya Station and not too far from Chubu International Airport.
Several famous tourist attractions were nearby as well—Nagoya Castle and the Tokugawa Art Museum were both only about a ten-minute drive away.
It was currently the holiday season. From the parking lot to the main hotel building, tourists came and went constantly. Judging by their appearance, they were either checking in or heading out after already settling in.
There were simply too many people. The hotel staff seemed a bit understaffed, but the service quality itself wasn't an issue—at the very least, anyone who needed help could find someone.
After observing briefly, Maruzensky realized that Kitahara must have arranged this itinerary long ago.
Not long after getting out of the car, a staff member dressed as a hotel attendant came over to inquire, then personally led them into the hotel and up the elevator.
"Ms. Kurokawa and Mr. Kurokawa are already waiting inside," the attendant said.
Stopping in front of a guest room, the attendant bowed slightly and asked,"Is there anything else you require, Mr. Kitahara?"
"No, that's all. Thank you for your trouble," Kitahara replied.
After dismissing the attendant, he turned his head. Seeing Maruzensky's increasingly puzzled expression, he smiled faintly, did not explain, and knocked on the door.
The interior décor was primarily black and white.
The black walls were decorated with several postmodern line paintings, while the support beams and structural elements were pure white, creating a stark contrast.
The sofa and coffee table placed slightly away from the wall in the center of the living room followed the same scheme.The long sofa was entirely white, while the single armchairs had white seats with black wooden armrests.
The coffee table was black.
Coincidentally, the elderly woman and young man seated on the sofa were also dressed in sharply contrasting colors.
The elderly woman wore a white silk kimono, while the young man wore a black suit.
Maruzensky quickly recognized the young man—Kurokawa Masato, the current president of Saichin Corporation.
Recognizing the elderly woman didn't take much time either. She remembered that during many of her races with Rudolf and the others, it was often this elderly woman who accompanied Kurokawa Masato to watch from the stands.
That was Kurokawa Masato's mother—Kurokawa Miyu.
Maruzensky's confusion deepened.
She vaguely sensed that the "senior" Kitahara had mentioned must be connected to the Kurokawa family—otherwise, there'd be no reason to come here to meet them.
But what kind of connection it was, she couldn't figure out.
Moreover, in her memory, although Kurokawa Miyu was deeply involved in the horse-girl industry and had directed many works on the subject, she didn't seem to enjoy appearing in public much.
Ah—now that she thought about it…
Although Ms. Kurokawa had watched many races in person…
She seemed to have never gone to Central Tracen Academy?
Or perhaps she had gone in the past, and later something made it inconvenient…?
"…Ms. Kurokawa, it's been a long time. You still look as elegant as ever."
Lost in thought, Maruzensky reacted a little slowly. Kitahara had already greeted the Kurokawas, so she followed a beat later.
"Mr. Kurokawa, you also look as spirited as always."
"There's no need to be so formal, President Maruzensky," Kurokawa Masato said with a smile, standing up and gesturing for them to sit.
"I still remember watching your races back when I was studying in Japan."
"After going abroad, I kept hoping that an outstanding horse girl like you would make a comeback."
"So this really is a wish fulfilled. The relay race was exceptional—thank you for presenting such a wonderful performance once again."
Only then did Maruzensky realize that the Kurokawa mother and son must have come to Nagoya specifically for the relay race—otherwise the timing wouldn't have lined up so neatly.
But Kitahara coming here on purpose… that clearly wasn't a coincidence.
Thinking that, she glanced at Kitahara.
"Since we can skip the introductions," Kitahara said calmly,"Brother Kurokawa knows my personality—I prefer to get straight to the point."
As he spoke, he nodded slightly toward Kurokawa Miyu.
"Ms. Kurokawa, you still haven't made up your mind to film Phantom Horse, have you?"
Phantom Horse?
Maruzensky froze.
Then she heard a soft sigh.
"You already know everything about what happened back then, Kitahara."
The sigh came from Kurokawa Miyu.
Although she wasn't truly elderly in age, at this moment she carried an unmistakable air of weariness. She sighed and reached her hand toward the coffee table.
"You're also a trainer. If you were the one who encountered something like that… how would you face your horse girl?"
…also?
Catching that word instantly, Maruzensky frowned and instinctively followed the direction of Kurokawa Miyu's hand.
Only then did she notice a thin book—no, a script—lying on the coffee table.
The cover was black, the same color as the table, which was why she hadn't noticed it at first.
Now that she looked closely, she saw a line of small, delicate characters printed on the cover:
Phantom Horse.
The same words Kitahara and Kurokawa Miyu had just mentioned—it seemed to be the title of the script.
The urge to flip through it was hard to suppress, but given that she still didn't understand the situation at all, Maruzensky worried that acting too directly might be disrespectful.
"Mother, why don't I take President Maruzensky to the next room and catch up a bit?"
Kurokawa Masato spoke up with a faint smile.
"It feels like before I went abroad, we were quite familiar. After coming back, I've only ever talked business with these familiar horse girls."
As he spoke, Maruzensky noticed that he casually picked up the script from the table and gestured subtly in her direction.
"Let's chat over there. My mother and Kitahara—well, it looks like they have quite a bit to discuss. We shouldn't disturb them."
After a brief thought, Maruzensky understood.
Kurokawa Masato had likely noticed her confusion and intended to explain things to her.
She'd already accumulated countless questions along the way. Now that an opportunity to resolve them had appeared, she didn't hesitate.
After exchanging a look with Kitahara and receiving his approval, she greeted Kurokawa Miyu once more and followed Kurokawa Masato into the adjacent room.
"Since Kitahara brought you here," Kurokawa Masato said as soon as they entered, handing her the script,"it means he believes you can handle this secret."
"Read this first. It's a script my mother wrote. Kitahara also helped revise it."
Kitahara even worked on a script?
She was briefly surprised, but curiosity quickly overwhelmed everything else.
Almost impatiently, Maruzensky took the script and flipped it open.
The story began with a little girl who dreamed of becoming a trainer, but after graduating, was forced by her family—under the belief that "girls should marry and support their husbands"—to become a kindergarten teacher instead.
One evening after work, she happened to see a very small horse girl gazing toward the Tokyo Racecourse.
The little horse girl was incredibly ambitious. The moment she spoke, she declared:
"My top priority is to win the Japanese Derby."
As if the Satsuki Sho—the race before it—were already in the bag.
Perhaps it was that chance encounter that reignited the grown girl's childhood dream.
She made a promise with the little horse girl: they would meet again at Central Tracen.
For that promise, the once-obedient girl broke ties with her family and became a rare female trainer in an era dominated almost entirely by men.
They met again as promised.
And just as she had declared back then, the once-small horse girl—now fully grown—easily won the Satsuki Sho and conquered the Derby.
Moreover, she stood at the summit of her generation with an astonishing record: ten races, ten victories.
The story was accompanied by simple storyboards and illustrations, carefully colored.
In the scene where she conquered the Derby, the final panel showed ribbons filling the sky, an ocean of people raising their arms in celebration.
Even without sound, one could feel the overwhelming cheers and blessings.
The frenzy belonged to the background, the stage.
But the figure standing at the center of that stage felt oddly detached from the world.
A goose-yellow headscarf tied together long hair that reached her calves—an almost unimaginable hairstyle for racing, especially in the Classic Triple Crown.
Her hair was light brown, as was the ponytail flowing in the wind.
Also fluttering was her green racing outfit.
From her right shoulder to her left waist ran a deep red sash.
The sash and the long hem of the green dress rippled together in the wind.
It was an old-fashioned design.
Racing outfits for horse girls evolved with the times—this was said to be the will of the Three Goddesses.
At a glance, Maruzensky could tell this outfit belonged to a generation far earlier than her own.
The raised right arm did not sway like the hair or dress.
It was held high, steady, resolute—two fingers raised.
Beside the horse girl's back-facing figure were lines of dialogue, likely from the announcer, written directly into the panel.
"2 minutes 31.1 seconds! A historic record!"
"Ten races, ten victories! A truly 'perfect' run!"
"The undefeated conqueror of the Japanese Derby is—"
"Tokino Minoru!"
There were other lines as well, perhaps narration, perhaps inner thoughts.
"With this, the first promise between us has been fulfilled…"
"The next goal—the Triple Crown—is already within reach. An unprecedented, undefeated Triple Crown…"
"I believe in her strength… and from now on, I will continue to support her with everything I have…"
"I also believe that my decision to walk this path together with her was absolutely the right one…"
"Oh Three Goddesses, please—"
"Let all of our efforts thus far…"
"Reach a moment of harvest."
At that point, Maruzensky felt a sudden tightening in her chest.
She couldn't quite explain why.
From the beginning up to now, everything in the script had unfolded smoothly—so smoothly that it made her heart pound, especially as someone who had missed the chance to run in the Japanese Derby herself.
But now, her heart was pounding even harder.
Before, it had been excitement and passion.
Now, it was an inexplicable sense of dread.
So… what happens next…?
Suppressing the unease in her chest, she forced herself to keep reading—and soon, her eyelid twitched.
"…Tetanus?! In that era?!"
She cried out loud.
In the modern age, tetanus was no longer an absolute death sentence, but it was still a severe infection.
The bacteria entered through wounds, multiplied in oxygen-poor environments, and released toxins that attacked the nervous system—leading to suffocation, heart failure, abdominal complications, and other fatal outcomes.
The era described in the script was vague, but references to needing to take trains to the cinema, and to mobile phones and computers being rare, made it clear that it was quite a long time ago.
Even today, tetanus could be difficult to treat.
In that era, it was a death sentence.
Her unease was confirmed—that was why Maruzensky cried out.
In the script, the powerful senior who had gone ten for ten, broken records, and conquered the Japanese Derby undefeated, contracted tetanus after the race.
And it wasn't just tetanus.
Post-race examinations revealed that she had been accumulating injuries long before.
She had issues with her right knee from childhood and often suffered knee pain.
After winning the Asahi Hai in heavy ground conditions, she had suffered an injury during recovery.
After the Satsuki Sho, a fracture appeared in a toe bone of her right foot.
Then, during preparations for the Japanese Derby, tendon swelling emerged.
It was precisely this accumulation of small injuries that led to a single moment of carelessness during the Derby—she scraped herself on a splintered railing, causing an external wound that led to tetanus.
"T-This… what was her trainer even doing?!"
"How could injuries this severe go unnoticed, and she was still allowed to run the Japanese Derby—?! Wait!!"
Before she even finished reading, Maruzensky was already furious.
She wasn't an impulsive person.
Rationally, she understood that even today there were technological limitations, and that some conditions truly couldn't be detected—let alone in that era.
But she was still angry.
She felt she couldn't forgive the trainer in the script.
As a trainer, doing everything possible to ensure your horse girl isn't injured—isn't that only natural?!
I've been with Team Eternity for so long, and I've never seen Oguri Cap or the others suffer injuries like that!
She was furious over these thoughts.
But in the midst of that anger, she suddenly realized something that shocked her.
She hurriedly flipped through the script again, scanning it several times at high speed.
After a long while, she lifted her head, staring at Kurokawa Masato in disbelief.
"This senpai… she won the Japanese Derby…"
"While having a leg injury?"
"And she did it while breaking records?"
"…Yes. She really was that strong."
Meeting Maruzensky's stunned gaze, Kurokawa Masato's expression was complicated—filled with respect, admiration, and bitterness.
"I think you've already realized it."
"This script… isn't actually fiction."
"It's something that truly happened."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"That horse girl—so powerful she almost felt like a dream—did exist."
"It's just that… because of my mother, all records related to her were concealed."
"Those who know the truth now… are probably only the people who lived through those events."
"Concealed? Why?"
Maruzensky had already begun to sense that the story in the script wasn't just a story, but a piece of erased history.
Some of the illustrated horse girls even felt familiar—yet she couldn't immediately recall who they were.
As for the act of concealment itself, she didn't find it particularly strange.
She understood the influence of Saichin Corporation—of the Kurokawa family.
Their companies focused heavily on film and media. If they wanted to hide something deliberately, it wouldn't be difficult—at least not on a public level.
As for procedures, whether it was the URA Association or government officials, many were funded or directly connected to the Kurokawa family.
This kind of power structure was common in Japan.
And with most people being forgetful by nature, hiding the existence of a single horse girl wasn't particularly difficult for them.
The real question was—
Why hide it…?
Before Kurokawa Masato could answer, Maruzensky's pupils suddenly contracted.
She began flipping through the script again.
This time, she didn't read the text.
She stared at the illustrations.
Page after page, over and over again.
After an unknown amount of time, she closed the script.
She stood there in silence, then slowly looked at Kurokawa Masato with disbelief and shock.
"So… the legendary senpai written in this script…"
"The one who once went ten for ten, undefeated with two crowns…"
"Is the current secretary to the chairman of Central Tracen Academy…"
"Ms. Hayakawa Tazuna…?"
She found it incredibly hard to believe.
But the familiar silhouette in the illustrations, and the unmistakable goose-yellow headscarf, left her no choice but to accept it.
And the moment she voiced the thought, countless subtle details snapped into place.
"So that's it…"
"The headscarf—Ms. Tazuna always wears it. She's never taken it off…"
"Her birthday—it's May 2nd. The same as Tokino Minoru…"
"Her right hand… I remember she's not left-handed. She's equally dexterous with both hands, but she wears her watch on her right wrist."
"Maybe it's because of the right knee issue from childhood—needing the right hand for support, or to avoid impact…"
"She loves movies, but always prefers old films…"
"She's always calm and reliable—except when students get sick or need medical supplies. Then she sometimes loses composure…"
"If none of this is coincidence…"
Staring blankly at Kurokawa Masato, then lowering her gaze to the script, Maruzensky murmured:
"Ms. Hayakawa Tazuna… is Tokino Minoru."
"And her trainer back then was…"
"…Ms. Kurokawa Miyu."
The room fell silent.
After a long while, Kurokawa Masato's sigh broke the stillness.
"It seems you really are very close to Ms. Tazuna. You noticed all of that…"
"Uh, well…"
Still in shock, Maruzensky suddenly felt awkward.
"It's just… because I often drink with Ms. Tazuna at bars, and then trick—uh, I mean, drive her home."
"So over time, I ended up noticing a lot of details…"
This time, Kurokawa Masato was the one who was shocked.
"You… drove after drinking?"
"…Yeah. So the traffic police fined me thoroughly, and after that, Ms. Tazuna never got into my car again."
The atmosphere turned awkward for a moment.
But Maruzensky quickly exclaimed again, dragging the conversation back.
"Oh—right!"
She said, both shocked and delighted.
"No wonder! No wonder I could never figure that out!"
"That thing…?" Kurokawa Masato asked, puzzled.
"Yeah. The new semester after New Year's."
Maruzensky's expression softened with memory, a smile unconsciously forming.
"I ran into Ms. Tazuna in the hallway by chance and noticed she seemed to have gained a little weight from eating too much during the holidays."
"So I joked about it, and then—"
"And then she chased me all the way down the corridor."
"At the time I just thought it was funny, but now…"
Memories, surprise, shock, and realization intertwined as she sighed.
"Of course…"
"If she was once a horse girl who went ten for ten and broke records in the Japanese Derby, it would only make sense for her to chase me down that badly…"
"And she was wearing a skirt and high heels, too…"
As she uncovered more and more details—that Hayakawa Tazuna was Harvest Moment, that her past had been concealed—Maruzensky felt she had almost pieced everything together.
But one question still remained.
"So if Ms. Tazuna really was a horse girl back then…"
"Why does she now look completely like a normal human?"
Her brow furrowed again as she flipped through the script.
"No long ears… those could be hidden under a hat."
"But…"
"The tail…?"
She searched the script for an explanation.
Then Kurokawa Masato spoke.
"The later part of the script is no longer about what actually happened."
"Of course, in a sense… the ending of the story and the truth aren't all that different."
With a hint of sadness, he sighed as Maruzensky looked up at him in surprise.
"In the script, that legendary horse girl eventually dies without treatment."
"That was the fate of tetanus in that era—ninety-nine percent of the time."
Maruzensky's eyes widened.
"How could that be…?! But—but Ms. Tazuna is still alive!"
"Doesn't that mean that in Ms. Kurokawa's era… there actually was some way to deal with tetanus?"
"…Yes. That's right. My mother's era."
After a brief silence, Kurokawa Masato nodded.
"You're correct. My mother was Ms. Tazuna's trainer back then."
Then he shook his head.
"But tetanus still had no real cure."
"Do you remember what I said earlier?"
"In a certain sense, the story and reality aren't that different."
"Just like in the story, Ms. Tazuna—or rather, the horse girl known as Tokino Minoru—did indeed die after contracting tetanus."
"My mother remembers it clearly."
"The ECG… everything stopped."
"But miraculously…"
"Ms. Tazuna 'came back to life.'"
"Ms Tazuna… came back to life?"
Repeating the words, Maruzensky suddenly felt that every word Kurokawa Masato had said was something she understood individually—but when put together, they stopped making sense.
"Perhaps it was the blessing of the Three Goddesses," Kurokawa said, wearing an expression just as perplexed as hers.
"Perhaps they were unwilling to let Ms Tazuna go to their world so early. So after her vital signs stopped for a period of time… they appeared again."
He paused briefly, then continued.
"But resurrection seems to have come at a price."
"The price was that Ms Tazuna lost all the characteristics of a horse girl—long ears, a tail, all of it."
"And she also seemed to have lost her memories. I don't fully understand this part either, but according to my mother, when Ms Tazuna woke up, the way she looked at her was… unfamiliar."
"…The Three Goddesses, huh?"
Maruzensky fell silent for a moment.
"If you put it that way… then maybe that's the only explanation."
"Yes… and then…"
Kurokawa nodded, then shifted his tone.
"My mother believes that if this truly was the will of the Three Goddesses, then perhaps they were also telling her that she had been wrong."
"That she should never have let Ms Tazuna—no, at that point, she should be called Tokino Minoru—continue racing. Or at the very least, that she should have discovered her injuries earlier."
"If that had happened, she wouldn't have had to 'die' once."
"To be allowed to live again… perhaps the Three Goddesses were telling her to let go. To let her live the rest of her 'life' in a completely new form."
"That was how my mother understood it."
"So, in order to ensure that Ms Tazuna's future life would not be disturbed, she spent an enormous amount of effort concealing everything that had happened."
"But…"
Kurokawa suddenly let out a bitter smile.
"At first, I understood the Three Goddesses' will the same way. I believed Ms Tazuna had truly forgotten everything."
"But then she chose to become the secretary to the chairwoman of Central Tracen Academy, and that… it feels like…"
"It feels like she hasn't forgotten at all."
He looked at Maruzensky.
"What do you think? You're very close with Ms Tazuna. Do you think she remembers what happened back then?"
Maruzensky didn't answer right away. Instead, she looked down at the script in her hands, then suddenly gazed outside the room.
"…She wants to apologize."
"…Huh?" Kurokawa didn't understand.
"I mean, Kurokawa-san wants to apologize—to Ms Tazuna."
Holding the script tightly, Maruzensky looked back at him, her eyes filled with reflection and emotion.
"If Kurokawa-san believed Ms Tazuna had lost her memories, then no matter what she wanted to say, she couldn't say it to her."
"As a trainer, when something like that happens to your horse girl… no matter what, you owe her an apology."
"But Kurokawa-san had no way—no opportunity—to say those words."
"And after all these years, whether by chance or by some other intention, she wants to finally say that apology."
"Otherwise, there would be no reason to write a script like this—and then hesitate for so long without ever filming it, right?"
She lifted the script slightly, showing Kurokawa the title printed on it.
Phantom Horse.
Smiling softly, she continued.
"Even if it's just a dream. Even if it's only fantasy. Whether it's luck or something else—if there's a chance…"
"Words that were once left unsaid should still be spoken aloud."
"Don't you think?"
As she quietly shared her thoughts, Maruzensky noticed Kurokawa deep in contemplation. Her smile widened slightly, and then her tone shifted.
"As for the question of lost memories…"
"I don't think Ms Tazuna forgot everything."
Still thinking about his mother's feelings, Kurokawa looked up, startled and hopeful.
"She didn't forget? Did Ms Tazuna ever tell you something, Maruzensky?"
"No—she didn't."
Maruzensky shook her head, smiling.
"But I can be certain of this."
"Because I'm a horse girl too. And Ms Tazuna is as well—at least, she once was."
"I just said it earlier. Even now, she has speed no less than mine. She chased me all the way from the student affairs building to the teaching block."
"That means she can still run. And if she hasn't forgotten how to run—"
"Then she hasn't lost everything connected to running."
"That's just how we horse girls are."
Her smile grew brighter as she began walking toward the door.
"I finally understand what Kitahara meant."
"I'll admit it—if the goal is to put pressure on Oguri Cap and the others, I'm not the strongest opponent anymore."
"But now, I want to see it too."
"When a legend buried beneath guilt and regret steps back onto the track once more…"
"Just how strong she really is."
(End of Chapter)