Although Oguri Cap had answered that way, Zhou Tai'an still planned to have a good talk with Northan Ace's trainer back at the academy tomorrow. "As a trainer, when your own Horse Girl does something like this, you should at least give me an explanation."
But he didn't mention this out loud, just said vaguely, "Forget it. I'll think of another way. I won't trouble Miss Fujimasa March."
Fujimasa March could guess what Zhou Tai'an was thinking and could only nod silently.
"After we get back to the academy tonight, I should probably talk to them and have them apologize properly to Oguri Cap," she made a mental note.
Seeing the atmosphere turn heavy, Kitahara quickly spoke up. "This is my first time at this restaurant—in fact, my first time eating Chinese food in a place like this. Tai'an-san, you should know about these things, right?"
"I'm ashamed to say, I only stayed in my father's hometown for a while after I quit my job on the West Coast. I'm not very familiar with these things..." Zhou Tai'an scratched his head. "I feel like I've really let him down."
"Well—don't be so negative, Tai'an-san," Kitahara clapped his friend on the shoulder. "To be able to make a life for yourself in a foreign country, I'm sure your father would be proud of you."
"I hope so," Zhou Tai'an retorted, muttering under his breath, "Although even if he's not happy, there's nothing he can do about it now."
Kitahara didn't hear his friend's words clearly and didn't press.
But Oguri Cap, who was sitting close by, her ears twitched.
…
Although it wasn't a celebration, Zhou Tai'an and Kitahara still had a few drinks. Oguri Cap and the others had wanted to try Rian's specialty, baijiu, but were refused by the two trainers.
"You can't drink now. It really affects your competitive condition," Zhou Tai'an said righteously, swirling the glass in his hand. "Only people like us who don't have to compete can drink."
"And the academy explicitly forbids active Horse Girls in the local and Twinkle Series from drinking alcohol," Kitahara chimed in. "Even the 'Emperor' at Central only dared to endorse sake after she retired."
"Mm." Oguri Cap obediently gave up on her idea.
But what started as a few drinks ended with Zhou Tai'an, who wasn't much of a drinker to begin with, getting a bit tipsy.
At this point, he finally showed a side of himself he had never shown before.
Leaning back in his chair, Zhou Tai'an spoke to his friend. "I remember you were very curious about my family, Kitahara-san?"
"I am very curious. I don't think there's anyone at the academy who isn't, right?" Kitahara was also slightly tipsy now. "After all, Tai'an-san, you're a top student from America. There's no reason for you to come work at Kasamatsu. Even if you couldn't stay in America, you could have gone to Europe, right?"
At the table, the three Horse Girls focused their attention.
"I could have gone if I wanted to, but whether I could become a trainer after I got there is another question," Zhou Tai'an waved his hand. "No matter which country, they probably wouldn't have given me a trainer's license."
"Why?" Kitahara was even more curious. "Did you offend some big shot in America, Tai'an-san? I think your ability is completely fine."
"Europe's Horse Girl racing system isn't controlled by America. The reason they would refuse me is simply because they don't trust my bloodline," Zhou Tai'an took another sip of baijiu and continued. "Today, Oguri Cap ran the 800-meter dirt race in the 49-second range, which gave the Kasamatsu commentator and audience a huge shock."
"Ha—" His tone was tinged with sarcasm. "That kind of time... I can do that too."
"Huh?!" Oguri Cap's eyes widened. Her trainer's words clearly violated common sense. How could there be an ordinary person in this world who could run as fast as a Horse Girl?
Even Kitahara didn't believe it. "Tai'an-san, have you had too much to drink?"
"I... am not drunk!" Zhou Tai'an shook his head vigorously. "I'm telling the truth. If I were a Horse Girl, Kitahara-san, you'd probably only see me on TV."
"For example," he held up his index finger and pointed at the ceiling, "if the 'Emperor' at Central had a Horse Girl daughter, wouldn't all of you pay attention to her?"
"Tai'an-san, you mean..." Kitahara thought for a moment. What his friend said was true, but when he connected it to what he had just said, a shiver ran down his spine.
"If I were a Horse Girl," Zhou Tai'an paused, "it would probably be a situation like that."
"Then the European URA associations would have even less reason to refuse you as a trainer, right?" Brand New Shine muttered. "The child of a Triple Crown Horse Girl becoming a trainer... I think Europe would be begging for that."
"How could they," Zhou Tai'an, though drunk, still had sharp ears, and boasted proudly, "My maternal grandmother is Sea-Bird."
"Huh!?" Kitahara was instantly shocked sober. "The one with a Timeform rating of 145, the strongest Horse Girl of the century?!"
"That's right," Zhou Tai'an revealed everything. "The one who went 7 for 8 in her Twinkle Series career, winning the Arc de Triomphe and the Epsom Derby, the strongest of the century, is my maternal grandmother... though we've never met."
"No wonder you didn't go to Europe, Tai'an-san..." The now sober Kitahara shook his head. "If it were me, I wouldn't go either."
"Why do you say that?" Fujimasa March didn't understand at all. Oguri Cap and Brand New Shine looked like they wanted to speak but hesitated—clearly, they were also curious.
"The great senior, Sea-Bird, has already passed away..." Kitahara explained to his own Horse Girl, choosing his words carefully. "It's said that the cause of her death is not unrelated to the French URA."
"No wonder Tai'an-san studied in America. They probably moved there from Europe," he sighed, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "He can't go to Europe, and he doesn't want to stay in America, so it's either Australia or here."
Kitahara turned to look at Oguri Cap and Brand New Shine. "You two are really lucky."
"The child of a Fillies' Triple Crown winner becoming a trainer..." After Zhou Tai'an had revealed his grandmother's name, Kitahara had already guessed who his friend's mother was—the third Fillies' Triple Crown winner in French history, Allez France, who, like her mother, had also won the Arc de Triomphe.
He bit his lip, feeling sorry for his friend. "It's a pity Tai'an-san isn't a Horse Girl. The grand achievement of three generations conquering the Arc de Triomphe is impossible now."
"The Arc de Triomphe..." The name of this race was too distant for the three Horse Girls present.
-------
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