Sitting on the train heading to Fuchu Racecourse, the two continued to discuss recent Horse Racing events.
Daijin and Xiao Hai Wan, on the other hand, sat a little further away, curiously observing their situation.
Xiao Hai Wan kept curiously peeking at Kazuo's situation. They hadn't seen each other for a few days, but she still suppressed her longing and watched him from the side.
Daijin's expression was a bit strange. Although she appeared to be looking down at her phone, she would occasionally glance at the two people in the distance.
She couldn't help but look at Xiao Hai Wan. She had expected Xiao Hai Wan to react strongly when she saw this, but Xiao Hai Wan remained calm and composed.
This made her a little puzzled herself.
"I say, Xiao Hai Wan... Don't you think they're acting strangely?"
"Eh...? Strange?"
Xiao Hai Wan tilted her head naturally and thought for a moment, "Is it? I don't think so...?"
"...You don't feel uncomfortable inside, do you? Isn't he your Trainer?"
Daijin asked again, refusing to believe it.
However, Xiao Hai Wan hummed and asked somewhat confusedly: "Asama-kun is my Trainer... But what does that have to do with Miss Hayakawa? Asama-kun and Secretary-General Hayakawa are good friends, aren't they? As far as I know, they're also neighbors. If they're good friends... why should I feel uncomfortable inside?"
This stumped Daijin. She stammered for a long time but couldn't articulate why.
This truly was natural overcoming tsundere; Daijin couldn't find a breakthrough.
"Then why did you follow them?"
Xiao Hai Wan thought for a moment and said, "Hmm... I did it subconsciously?"
"Embarrassment"
However, perhaps Daijin's words had a tiny effect. Xiao Hai Wan looked at the two people in the distance, chatting and laughing, pondered for a moment, and then took out her phone.
---
Beep.
Creek: [Asama-kun~ What are you doing right now?]
Kazu: [Oh, Xiao Hai Wan, I'm currently heading to Fuchu Racecourse with Miss Hayakawa to watch a race.]
Creek: [Eh? Asama-kun, is your injury not serious anymore?]
Kazu: [It's fine, it's almost fully recovered. But speaking of which, Xiao Hai Wan, have you ever been to Fuchu Racecourse?]
Creek: [No, because I'm always at school...]
Kazu: [Then I'll go and scout it out thoroughly for Xiao Hai Wan today!]
Creek: [Good luck! Pay attention to your body, as you've just recovered. Also, Asama-kun, you should remember what I said, right?]
Creek: [I have a surprise for you these next few days?]
Kazu: [Really? Then I'll eagerly await it~]
Creek: [w]
---
Some things are understood even without detailed explanation.
Kazuo looked at the message from Xiao Hai Wan on his phone, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
"Asama-kun, did you remember something happy?"
Seeing Kazuo take out his phone and chat with someone just now, Miss Hayakawa was also a bit curious.
"Yes."
Kazuo put his phone back in his pocket and said seriously, "It's a message from Xiao Hai Wan. I told her we were coming to Fuchu Racecourse today to watch the race."
In his subconscious, he was friends with everyone, so there was no need for any reservations.
Hayakawa also showed a gentle smile.
"Speaking of Super Creek, I remember... she chose Asama-kun as her Trainer, right?"
"Mm..." Kazuo adjusted his glasses, nodded, and said, "Yes, I should say it's because she gave me a push from behind that I'm now putting all my effort into getting my Trainer's license."
"Reverse nomination... While rare, it's not unheard of. To be honest, I have high hopes for Asama-kun and Xiao Hai Wan."
Hayakawa smiled sweetly and said, "People whose hearts are connected can unleash power far greater than one plus one equals two."
"It's not as exaggerated as Hayakawa said... Xiao Hai Wan and I still have a long way to go..."
"But, Asama-kun, the potential you've shown also says a lot, doesn't it?"
"Potential..." Kazuo couldn't help but smile bitterly and shook his head, "Such a conceptual thing is too mysterious to talk about. I don't think I have any potential..."
"You are truly too modest, Asama-kun."
Hayakawa paused her words deliberately, looking at Kazuo with a mischievous gaze.
"If you hadn't helped Daijin, she wouldn't have been able to qualify for a comeback so quickly, would she?"
How did she know about this... Kazuo was slightly startled, then calmly shook his head and said, "That's an overstatement. I only did what I could. The part that was left to Daijin was actually the most crucial. Rather than saying I helped her, it's more accurate to say she pulled herself up at the end."
"A Trainer and an Uma Musume are like a lighthouse and a ship. At most, I guided her a bit; what was unleashed was merely her original strength."
He was just a rookie back then, a rookie who had crammed a lot of video material temporarily. He drew a blueprint and formulated a plan, but it was Daijin who truly understood and executed it.
Kazuo never felt he had done anything worth thanking for.
Hayakawa, however, seemed very composed. She smiled and shook her head, "Mm... that's enough. For a Trainer, that's enough."
These words seemed to have another layer of meaning, but just as Kazuo was about to ask her, she changed the subject:
"Asama-kun, if you haven't been to Fuchu Racecourse, you must visit the Musashi Kuni Hachimangu Shrine in the park nearby today."
"Eh, really? Is there something strange or a legend there?"
When it comes to shrines, it's always associated with wishes.
"Although it's just a small shrine, many Uma Musume and Trainers have left their footprints there. It also holds memories of the era of change at Fuchu Racecourse."
"I think there, perhaps Asama-kun might gain something new."
Hayakawa said.
PS:
Look at Pippa Boat, West Region Rose is used like this!
PS:
It seems the Fuchu Racecourse arc might take five to six chapters. This is the last part of the first half, and many foreshadowings will be laid here, with subsequent plotlines slowly introduced.
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