The next day.
Late in the morning.
Kuroha finally sat up from the messy bed, one hand pressed to his slightly throbbing head.
Looking around, he saw several fair, slender arms casually draped out from under the quilt.
Feeling the soft, tender touch that still lingered on his body, he couldn't help picking up his phone from the bedside table to take a look.
"Already three-thirty in the afternoon…"
Staring at the time on the screen, Kuroha couldn't help recalling last night's spectacle.
After sending McQueen and Tokai Teio away…
He had been dragged straight into the room by his over-excited horse girls and forced into staging a heart-pounding "5v1" feat.
By the time the sky was about to brighten, his five girls were still brimming with energy, completely tireless.
That "battle" kept going until full daylight before they finally collapsed into sleep.
This was the closest he had ever come to "defeat" in his entire life.
"…Guess I really can't stop the medicine yet."
Kuroha shook his head, carefully slipping his body out from among those pieces of warm, fragrant jade, doing his best not to wake them.
Carrying his clothes, he tiptoed into the bathroom to wash up, then changed into a fresh, light outfit before quietly slipping out the door.
Although last night in the car, Inari One and Obey Your Master had spoken about retirement with an almost casual, indifferent tone…
Once the matter landed on Kuroha's shoulders, the procedures he needed to handle were anything but simple.
Especially Inari One. She had just completed an undefeated career and taken the Arima Kinen victory.
Announcing her retirement at a timing like this, the paperwork the academy and the URA Association would demand from him would probably pile up into a small mountain.
…
When Kuroha arrived at the Academic Affairs Office, the building was in the middle of its usual hectic bustle.
Many staff members, teachers, and even other trainers were hurrying back and forth, handing off documents. From time to time he could also see a few cute horse girls helping with the clerical work.
However, the moment Kuroha stepped inside, the noisy hum in the building noticeably quieted by a degree.
"Trainer Kuroha, good afternoon."
"Congratulations!"
"Yesterday's Arima Kinen was amazing!"
"Congratulations on the victory, Inari One was way too strong."
A few staffers and trainers who were more familiar with him took the initiative to greet and congratulate him. Kuroha smiled and answered them one by one.
Right after that, he walked straight over to the same staff member who had handled Inari One's provisional retirement paperwork for him last time.
"Hello, sorry to trouble you."
Kuroha spoke calmly. "For the Chasing Light team, I'll need the retirement application documents for Inari One and Obey Your Master."
As soon as the words left his mouth…
The office's conversations, which had just returned to normal, fell silent for a heartbeat once again.
Everyone's gaze, intentionally or not, focused in this direction.
"Eh?" That staff member froze for a moment.
Before she could respond, a capable-looking middle-aged female trainer in a sharp outfit hurried over from the side.
A probing look was on her face as she carefully asked,
"Trainer Kuroha… you mean, Inari One and Obey Your Master are going to retire?"
Kuroha shot her a sidelong glance and answered flatly, "It'll probably be sometime around now."
There was no way to hide something like this anyway. The news would spread quickly. Kuroha couldn't be bothered to keep it under wraps.
Upon hearing that, an undisguisable gleam of delight flashed through the woman's eyes.
She quickly pressed on, "Then… what about Fujimasa March and Mejiro Ardan? Are they also—"
"That has nothing to do with you."
Kuroha withdrew his gaze, his tone turning several degrees colder in an instant.
"…"
The middle-aged woman in front of him froze.
It seemed she finally realized how out of line and presumptuous she was being.
Her face flushed red. After a stiff apology, she quickly retreated.
From the corner of his eye, Kuroha glanced around at those people pretending to be busy yet clearly pricking up their ears to eavesdrop, and sighed inwardly in a way that was almost imperceptible.
So the entire Central really was hoping for Chasing Light's strength to drop, huh?
He had long since known this in theory… but having someone lay out that low-grade wish so eagerly right in front of him like today, this was only the second time he'd seen it.
"Trainer Kuroha?"
"Sorry." Kuroha turned his attention back to the staff member in front of him. "It's two people: Inari One and Obey Your Master. Please prepare both sets of documents."
"Mm, alright." The staffer nodded. "I'll get them ready for you right away."
She didn't pry further, and simply began working deftly on the computer.
Kuroha just stood there in place, calmly waiting.
He could feel the atmosphere of the entire front office growing strange.
Very soon, the staffer finished processing everything, printed out several sheets, and handed them to Kuroha.
"Trainer Kuroha, these are the retirement documentation requirements for the two race girls in your team. However, Inari One's situation is a bit special, so there may be a waiting period."
"I understand."
Kuroha nodded knowingly, took the file, and turned to leave.
He could feel the gazes behind him sticking to his back like something tangible.
Only when he pushed open the office door and the heavy door slowly closed behind him—
—did it feel as if a huge stone had been dropped into a calm lake; the long-suppressed roar of voices suddenly exploded behind him!
"Whoa! I didn't mishear that, right? Inari One is really retiring?!"
"An undefeated career Arima champion… and she's just retiring like that?"
"But if you think about the timing, this is her fourth year of racing. It's about time for retirement."
"But if that's how it is… then maybe…"
"Retiring three in one go… then won't Chasing Light only have McQueen left next year?"
"No, no, they still have Mejiro Ardan and Fujimasa March…"
"I remember they also have Tokai Teio, right?"
"She hasn't even truly bloomed yet. No need to worry about a little Classic-Year horse girl."
"So they'll still have two Senior-Year girls and one Classic-Year girl? That's still nothing to take lightly!"
Hearing the suddenly boiling chatter behind him, Kuroha's mouth couldn't help twitching.
They didn't work hard to improve themselves. Instead, they spent all day praying other people would get worse.
As for the trainers at Central…
The only ones Kuroha had any real respect for were the group of overseas campaign trainers headed by Hideto, and the more down-to-earth trainers led by Ginjirou.
The former, although it was hard to judge their true strength, at least had the courage to step out of their comfort zone and witness how vast the world truly was.
The latter focused on mastering their professional skills and specialized knowledge, not wasting their energy on pointless scheming and idle gossip.
As for all those other small fry…
Whether it was their knowledge, their vision, their breadth of mind, or even their way of thinking, Kuroha had nothing positive to say.
Damn it.
How are you supposed to build any kind of career when you're surrounded by bugs like this?
…Heh. Whatever.
It wouldn't be long before his sights were no longer fixed on this tiny little place called Central anyway.
(End of Chapter)
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