Standing in front of the vending machine outside the Racecourse, Kazuo suddenly stood there, unsure of what to choose.
"Ah, I forgot to ask him what kind of coffee he wanted..."
Someone like Trustee Yoshida probably likes bitter coffee, right?
Kazuo couldn't help but recall the promotional MV [answer] co-produced by Sumika and JOB that was playing on TV. "Anyway, I'll just choose Suntory Craft Boss Latte, right?"
He didn't really like bitter coffee. If it were for him, he'd choose something like MAX.
As the saying goes, "Life is so painful, so coffee should at least be sweet."
Although it was a symptom of his chuunibyou phase, the general meaning wasn't far off.
If condensed milk could be added to coffee, that would be the Best Match in his eyes.
Thinking this, Kazuo took out another coin and bought a can for himself.
Just as he was thinking, Kazuo was walking back with two brands of coffee when, just after turning the corner, he bumped head-on into a small person.
"Oh!"
A delicate presence couldn't help but let out a cute gasp.
Kazuo took half a step back, and upon closer inspection, he found a long-haired girl sitting on the ground.
Small, like a little animal, her bangs covered half her face, but her exquisite features couldn't help but stir Kazuo's memories.
It seemed he had seen her before—at the new student entrance ceremony... "Rice Shower... uh, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Are you okay?"
"Guh-woo..."
She let out a whimper like a small animal, looking a bit dazed and somewhat cute.
Kazuo remembered that this girl was the one who had been scared away by him during the entrance ceremony (at least that's how it seemed to him).
Rice Shower instinctively reached out to grasp Kazuo's outstretched hand, but in an instant, realizing what had happened, she sprang up from the ground like a startled small animal.
"Wah ah ah ah—I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been looking down and thinking. It's all my fault, I'm really sorry!!!"
"Ah, no..."
Before Kazuo could finish his sentence, the girl had already darted away and disappeared.
Leaving Kazuo alone, frozen in place.
Like a little bunny... By the way, does she dislike me—
Picking up the coffee that had fallen to the ground, Kazuo couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh.
Trainers are supposed to be the Uma Musume's support, but he was still feared by others. Was he truly qualified to stand behind them and support them... Kazuo couldn't help but doubt himself.
Just as he was thinking, another person's voice appeared, as if by coincidence.
"Hmm... you seem to be troubled?"
A familiar voice, a strange sense of déjà vu... as if it had happened before, the person who appeared before Kazuo was still the same person.
The gentle girl gazed at Kazuo with her watery eyes, those reassuring azure eyes.
The girl, as if by coincidence, appeared before Kazuo once again.
"Super Creek..."
Kazuo softly uttered her name. Xiao Hai Wan smiled and nodded, saying, "Mm, that's delightful. It seems we both remember each other, don't we?"
Eh, speaking of which.
Realizing this, he quickly took out the handkerchief that he had folded and kept in his pocket.
"I'm sorry, thank you for your help last time. I haven't had a chance to return this to you."
Although Kazuo had always wanted to return it and express his gratitude, honestly, he had been swamped lately and, despite carrying it, never found the opportunity.
Now that they had met by chance, Kazuo took the opportunity to hand over the carefully washed handkerchief.
Seeing Kazuo produce it, Xiao Hai Wan couldn't hide her surprise and covered her mouth, "Oh my... how thoughtful, thank you."
She was clearly surprised, but one could feel that she was genuinely happy that Kazuo remembered these things. She accepted the handkerchief from Kazuo.
With a burden off his mind, Kazuo couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Xiao Hai Wan looked at Kazuo and asked curiously, "I've wanted to ask this before, but are you a Trainer at the academy, Teacher?"
Uh,
Kazuo was a bit awkward. He scratched the back of his head, "You don't have to call me Teacher. I'm not much older than you all. Asama Kazutomi, and how should I put it... I guess I'm a Trainer?"
Kazuo admitted that in front of such a beautiful girl, he did have a tiny bit of vanity at play, so he couldn't help but boast in his reply to her.
"Asama-kun? Then I guess we've formally met."
The serene smile the girl showed when she clapped her hands made Kazuo sigh in appreciation of her beauty.
"Speaking of which, Xiao Hai Wan, why are you here? If I'm not mistaken, the race is about to start, isn't it? Didn't you sign up for the race?"
Listening to the broadcast from inside the venue, Kazuo couldn't help but ask in confusion.
"Um... this..."
The girl, uncharacteristically, looked a little embarrassed: "Actually... I was too tired yesterday and didn't sleep well, so I only just woke up."
There seemed to be some hidden reason, but the problem at hand was—
"No way? The registration time for the morning race has already passed... Now, registrations are all for the afternoon's middle to long-distance races, in advance..."
"Um... yes, um... then I can only run in the afternoon race..."
Xiao Hai Wan was probably still wandering around because of this, right?
However, she clearly didn't care too much about these things; instead, she seemed to remember something.
With a sudden clap of her hands, she exclaimed, "Ah! That's right! If possible, could Asama-kun come to watch my afternoon race? I plan to sign up for the 2000m turf race."
"Eh? Is that alright? Then I'll cheer for you from the sidelines."
Seemingly delighted by Kazuo's encouragement, the girl smiled sweetly and nodded gently in response: "Hehe... thank you, I'll do my best!"
Saying that, she even made a double-arm cheering gesture.
He was clearly cheering for her, but for some reason, he felt a great sense of reassurance from her words, actions, and smile.
-------------------------
🚀 Want to read extra chapters and exclusive content? Support me on Patreon and let's explore more together!
👉 [[email protected]/TripleCrown07]