The day before the Satsuki Sho.
On the sunny track, Celestial Weave was gulping down water. The sweat from her training trickled down her throat, soaking her collar. Not that it mattered; at this point, the only dry place on her body was probably her throat.
"Cough... cough, cough!"
A sudden coughing fit forced her to bend over, her hands on her knees. The back of her training uniform was completely soaked, clinging to her skin and outlining her shoulder blades.
Just then, a hand in a black, fingerless glove gently patted her back. The force was just right, not aggravating her discomfort, but with a gentle yet firm touch.
"I've never seen you look so worn out, Yume."
"It seems this is putting a lot of pressure on you."
A familiar female voice came from behind her. She turned her head and saw a horse girl who looked ninety percent like Saint-King Halo, but with a more mature face and figure. She wore a beige trench coat over a neatly tailored shirt, looking more like she was heading to a business meeting than visiting her daughter.
This was the winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the undisputed legend, the world-class horse girl, Isami Mai.
"Why is everyone showing up now..." Seeing the culprit who had made it impossible for her to find a trainer, Celestial Weave didn't show any annoyance. The argument with her sister had been days ago; she had long since calmed down. And with things having progressed to this point, with the Satsuki Sho tomorrow, none of it mattered anymore.
"Was there anyone else besides Halo?" Isami Mai asked, taking a handkerchief from her small leather bag and wiping her daughter's sweat.
"Narita Top Road, my friend. How did you know Halo came to see me?" Celestial Weave subconsciously turned her head to avoid the handkerchief.
"The whole of Tracen knows about it. It was Okita who called me back."
Celestial Weave was speechless. The commotion she and her sister had caused on the track a few days ago had naturally spread throughout the academy. But she hadn't expected her mother to come because of it. Was that Trainer Okita some kind of gossip?
As if reading her mind, Isami Mai chuckled. "Don't speak ill of others in your mind. I was the one who asked him to."
"You certainly asked a lot of people for favors."
"If there's nothing else, I'm going to train." Celestial Weave nodded, indicating she understood, and turned to continue her training.
"One more day won't matter, will it?"
"You've already hit your limit anyway, haven't you?"
But the moment she turned, the shocking words from her mother's mouth pulled her attention back. She looked at the smiling Isami Mai in surprise, squinted her eyes, and asked, "You knew all along?"
"A mother is a world-class horse girl, after all. I have at least that much insight." Isami Mai's smile was like a mask, preventing anyone from reading her emotions. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't decipher the meaning behind her words.
"Curious?"
"Then let's talk. You know that coffee shop near Tracen? Mom is a VIP there." As she spoke, she took a small, dark gold card from her bag and waved it at her.
Just as her mother had said, her stats had already reached their limit. No amount of training would improve them. So, after a brief hesitation, she nodded in agreement.
She followed her mother out of Tracen Academy and to the coffee shop she had mentioned. It was a cozy place, with green vines entwined around a bronze sign, and various potted flowers decorating the windowsill. When her mother pushed open the door, a clear wind chime rang. A middle-aged woman in a brown apron saw them and greeted them with a smile. "Oh my, it's been a while."
"Don't be like that. I was here just a few months ago."
Watching the two chat happily, a hint of confusion crossed Celestial Weave's eyes. But before she could ask, her mother answered for her. "Although Mom raced in Europe, I was an exchange student at Tracen before. This coffee shop was already here back then."
"With your ability, you still needed to come to Tracen?"
"Don't underestimate this place. If it weren't for its real merits, why would I have let you and Halo study here?"
"Is that so? I thought it was because neither of us had any talent."
As they spoke, they had reached a table by the window. Isami Mai didn't answer her sharp question. Instead, she snapped her fingers, winked at the owner, and then said to her, "What would you like to drink?"
"Iced Americano is fine." Her mother was avoiding the topic, but she didn't get angry, calmly placing her order.
"Still as mature as ever." Isami Mai smiled. For some reason, Celestial Weave felt that there was an emotion in her eyes that she couldn't understand.
"Compared to someone who is unbelievably bad at housework, perhaps so," she said flatly after taking a sip of the iced coffee the owner had brought.
Hearing this, Isami Mai's hand, which was stirring her cappuccino, froze for a moment. "I thought you weren't angry anymore."
"I'm not angry." She put down her coffee, her expression unchanged.
"Then what's with all the sarcasm?" Isami Mai drew out her words, her tone making it hard to believe she was a world-class horse girl.
"Let's just say I speak my mind."
"So direct. That part of you hasn't changed either."
"Let's not beat around the bush. You didn't drag me here just to say these things, did you?"
"Are you in a hurry?"
"I just don't want to waste time."
"I suppose..." Isami Mai's tone gradually softened. She tapped the edge of her coffee cup with a finger, the porcelain making a clear sound.
"After all, your time is indeed running out."
The words were like a blunt knife, slowly and heavily cutting through the silence between them. The background noise of the coffee shop seemed to fade away, leaving only the faint hum of the air conditioner.
"Although I don't know what method you used to fix your body's condition."
"But this state can't possibly last forever, can it?"
As expected of a world-class horse girl, she had seen through her current state at a glance.
"After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
"I've been prepared for a long time."
Hearing this, Isami Mai sighed, her voice suddenly hoarse. "If you forcibly try to activate a Domain in this state..."
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (140 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (158 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (120 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (100 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (50 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (60 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.