"So, you already know about the school's decision?"
Yoshida swirled the wine glass in his hand, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Kazuo sitting opposite him.
Even he himself hadn't expected Kazuo to invite him out.
Kazuo had probably gotten his phone number from Hayakawa-san, and when Yoshida met him, he heard about Narita Taishin's recommendation for dismissal.
However, not a hint of surprise appeared on his face; instead, he was quite calm, responding flatly:
"Ah, that... I knew about that decision beforehand."
Just as Kazuo had expected... Yoshida did know about this matter... But—
"...Why didn't you stop it?"
Even though Yoshida would pick on him from time to time, Kazuo honestly didn't believe he would stand by idly, given his pure love for the Uma Musume.
Setting down his wine glass, Yoshida sighed softly: "Why didn't I stop it? I'm just a retired old man with no real power now; what do you think I needed to do? Or rather, what could I do?"
"Although Chairwoman Akikawa is the academy's Chairman, as the first Uma Musume Chairman, the pressure she bears is unimaginable... Hmph, do you really think... that some of the academy's board members making an issue of Narita-san is simply due to her own lack of ability?"
Yoshida sneered, a rare expression of disdain on his face.
The struggle for power, even in a place like a school, can breed such problems.
"I cannot agree with your view," Kazuo slowly shook his head, "In my opinion, Daijin is by no means an Uma Musume lacking ability; on the contrary, she possesses extraordinary ability and unparalleled talent."
"Hoo-oh..."
Hearing Kazuo say this, Yoshida uncharacteristically dropped his smile and seriously scrutinized the young man before him.
"Hmm... Finally looking a bit like a Trainer, are we?"
He leaned back in his chair, chuckling softly, but then looked at Kazuo again: "So, telling me all this is useless. This matter was a decision approved by an anonymous vote of most Trainers in the academy's training department, then submitted to the academy's senior management for deliberation. Neither I, nor Akikawa... can fully finalize things in this incident, can we?"
Saying this, he leaned forward: "If even the two of us can't do anything, then what can you, alone, do?"
But then he slowly shook his head again:
"Oh, no... Looking at you, it seems you've already thought of a way... haven't you?"
The expression in the young man's eyes sparked a hint of curiosity in him.
He wasn't even a Trainer, a newbie who hadn't even been employed for a month, a mere greenhorn—
But he displayed an indescribable quality.
"Very interesting, truly very interesting."
"Yes. I need your help, just a little bit of help to turn things around, and then—I will let Narita Daijin personally prove to you, show you the infinite possibilities within her."
"Interesting… interesting… It seems—you've already figured out what the relationship between a Trainer and an Uma Musume truly is…"
He put down his wine glass, a rare serious and arrogant expression on his face:
"Hmph, then I, this old man, will personally join in and play with you all."
Even if time had eroded everything he was, as the first Chairman, the one who guided the direction of Japanese Horse Racing, how could he be a mere nobody content to remain silent?
What was seen now was just like the powerful individual who once commanded the world with youthful vigor.
"Teacher Yamaji? It's me, Asama Kazutomi. Yes, that's right, things have been settled here. If possible, I hope you can come to the academy this Thursday. Yes, please, you must come here! Thank you, I appreciate it!"
"Miss Yuriko? It's Asama, who visited the other day. Yes! There's a chance for things to turn around… Hmm, that's right, besides that, I need you to help me with a favor. Hmm… like this… Yes, please do this… Thank you for your trouble!"
Sitting in the computer room, Kazuo put down his phone. Sipping a nutritional drink through a straw, he once again rallied his spirits and began typing on the keyboard.
Now, the entire script was written. As long as everything proceeded according to it—
He pressed the final Enter key.
Kazuo leaned back in his chair, gazing at the ceiling above, and couldn't help but murmur:
"Just a little more…"
"Xiao Hai Wan, are you free now?"
"Asama-kun!? What happened to you…? Your dark circles are so heavy! Your complexion is so bad! Did you not get enough rest?"
"Compared to that, I have something to ask of you right now."
"What do you mean 'compared to that'? What could be more important than your own health!?"
He had originally intended to call out to Xiao Hai Wan in the hallway, but now things had become complicated.
He hadn't expected Xiao Hai Wan to see Kazuo in such a state. The usually gentle Xiao Hai Wan actually got angry, and for some reason, an angry Xiao Hai Wan exuded an indescribable pressure. It forced Kazuo to quickly bow his head and apologize.
"I'm truly sorry! But, right now I have reasons why I must do this. I need your help, Xiao Hai Wan, so…"
"I'm not angry because of that," Xiao Hai Wan pouted slightly, acting a little unhappy, "I told you, didn't I? You can rely on me for anything, but now you've ended up like this… This makes me feel like I, as your partner, haven't been able to do anything… Even though we're already partners… you haven't sought me out even once since then…"
As she spoke, her eyes were already teary, on the verge of crying.
Seeing Xiao Hai Wan like this,
an indescribable sense of guilt arose, and Kazuo quickly took her hand and said:
"I'm sorry! I truly didn't mean to, but time was urgent, and I couldn't afford to wait for anything, so…"
"Then, you can't be like this again in the future, okay?"
Xiao Hai Wan cried softly, her head bowed.
Kazuo quickly and clumsily promised:
"Yes! I know I was wrong! We are partners, so—"
Xiao Hai Wan, who suddenly looked up, wasn't crying. Instead, she was looking at Kazuo with a smile, a girl simply joyful because she got what she wanted to hear from Kazuo.
"Okay! Then I forgive you!"
Huh?
Kazuo paused for a moment, and then—
The girl grabbed his arm.
"Then, please do rely on me a lot, Asama-kun~"
As for what happened next—
"Asama-kun! Did you really stay here for the past two days?"
Seeing the messy state of the computer room, Xiao Hai Wan's delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed.
"Uh… yes…"
Faced with the questioning, Kazuo could only nod repeatedly.
"Nutritional drinks… and cup noodles… You only ate these things? Your clothes haven't been washed either…"
Piles of cup noodles and empty bottles and cans everywhere, plus shirts and jackets thrown on chairs… various documents and manuscripts, and a stack of folders… "Well… since this classroom won't be used for a while, and I was in a hurry… so—"
"Asama-kun—"
For some reason, Xiao Hai Wan reverted to this address when they were together.
However, even though she was smiling with narrowed eyes, she gave off a terrifying feeling… "Yes!"
"Please kneel there and reflect properly."
"Yes…"
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