Noticing that everyone's eyes were on him, Kuroha finally smiled.
He casually ruffled the fluffy hair of Inari One, who was still spacing out with her head on his lap, earning a dissatisfied little grumble from the girl.
"First,"
Kuroha said softly, "it's Inari and Chiyono O's retirement applications."
"The Academy has already approved them. In other words, as of today, you two are no longer active racehorses."
"..."
Silence fell over the living room.
Tokai Teio and McQueen, the two young girls who had yet to begin their own brilliant careers, could only stare at their seniors, looking a little at a loss.
Beside Mejiro Ardan, Sakura Chiyono O brushed the hair at her temple back and was the first to break the silence. She smiled gently.
"Even though I'd already made up my mind long ago, actually hearing it said… it's still impossible not to feel at least a little sad."
"But," she let her gaze sweep around her teammates, "my racing career was wonderful. I think I can say I have no real regrets."
Inari One, still using Kuroha's lap as a pillow, also put on an unconcerned expression. The corner of her mouth tugged upward as she spoke with a hint of scorn.
"I ran the full four years and retired with honor as 'the strongest currently active.' Retire, don't retire… doesn't bother me."
Even so, in those seemingly calm eyes, Kuroha still caught a flicker of indescribable complexity.
He said nothing. He just kept gently stroking her small head.
Sensing that quiet comfort, Inari One didn't resist. She simply let her eyes fall shut and surrendered herself to that special gentleness.
Retirement, huh…
With her eyes closed, Inari One murmured to herself in her heart.
Four years… is that really a lot for me?
She had asked herself this question countless times over the course of the holidays.
But even now, from beginning to end, there was only ever one answer.
Far too little…
I want to keep running, and running, and never leave the stage.
I've only just pushed open the door to the third step of my Domain. I haven't even managed to step fully inside yet…
I still have to conquer the world abroad and spread the name of "Inari One the Great Climber" across the entire globe…
I still have… far, far too many things I haven't done…
In the end, Inari One quietly let out a sigh of acceptance in her heart.
No one's life is truly perfect.
An undefeated career, Tenno Sho (Spring & Autumn) back-to-back, and a glorious retirement in the Arima Kinen…
Looking back on that road, she felt that she had already done more than enough. She'd earned the right to be called "excellent," hadn't she?
During the New Year holidays, among her friends, neighbors, and juniors back home in Ōi, there wasn't a single person who wasn't genuinely proud of her from the bottom of their hearts.
Those pure and sincere feelings made Inari One understand something.
This is enough.
She hadn't betrayed anyone's expectations or hopes…
So maybe… retiring really wasn't such a big deal.
…
Once the girls present had had time to digest that slightly bittersweet news, Kuroha turned to Obey Your Master.
"Amei, I've already officially submitted your retirement paperwork as well."
"As for the race, we'll do what you said last year: pick a G2 graded race with a nice-sounding name and use it as your retirement race."
As he said this, Kuroha paused, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.
"But you'll need to be mentally prepared. Since it's not a G1, there's a pretty high chance you'll scare the other girls so much they won't even want to enter."
"…Too scared to enter?"
Obey Your Master froze for a moment, then her gaze instinctively drifted toward a nearby room with its door left open.
Inside, a brown-haired speed-demon onee-san was sitting there. Noticing her gaze, Maruzensky smiled brightly and gave a little wave in their direction.
Since this was an internal Chasing Light team meeting, Maruzensky had decided that until she came clean with Symboli Rudolf, it was better not to play the third wheel.
So before the meeting started, she had quietly slipped off to the room by herself.
"Like… Maruzensky-senpai, right?" Obey Your Master asked.
Kuroha followed her gaze, then chuckled. "Mm… probably about the same."
Come to think of it, when Maruzensky was active, she was so overwhelmingly strong on her own that, in a lot of the races she entered, other Uma would straight-up withdraw to avoid facing her.
"Isn't that fine? Saves me the trouble." Obey Your Master calmly closed the book in her hands as she spoke.
If she wanted to chase some so-called "glorious retirement," she certainly wouldn't be choosing an ordinary graded race.
For her, only international G1 races were worthy of being called her stage.
Aside from the Japan Cup, the domestic G1 and G2 races in this country were all more or less the same to her.
But with the way Obey Your Master's body was now, there was simply no way she could hold out until this year's Japan Cup.
Kuroha understood that all too well.
After the "Blessing of the Three Goddesses" disappeared, her physical stats dropping was only one of many side effects.
Far worse was that she could no longer even open her Domain properly. Even her Unique Skill, Triumphant Pulse, that personal, ever-present running technique every Uma possesses, had become hard to maintain.
It was a comprehensive, sheer drop-off across the board.
In this condition, even if her raw physical ability had only fallen by around 10%, her actual strength on the track might have dropped by more than 30%.
"In that case, pick a race when the time comes," Kuroha nodded. "Once you've decided, let me know."
"OK~" Obey Your Master replied with a playful wink.
…
"All right, that wraps up last year's loose ends. Now, it's time for the team's schedule for this year."
Once he had finished dealing with the retirement matters of the three Chasing Light girls, Kuroha finally picked up a file from the table. The atmosphere in the living room grew serious again.
"First, March."
Kuroha's gaze shifted to the gray-haired girl sitting quietly to the side.
"Since you beat Oguri Cap in the Mile Championship last year and took second in the Arima Kinen, Central now officially rates you as 'the strongest currently active.'"
"What do you think about that label, March?"
Fujimasa March's delicate brows knitted slightly. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "I don't like that title."
"Mm."
Kuroha nodded. "You're going to be under a lot of pressure for a while. If anything feels off in your day-to-day, make sure you come to me right away."
Looking at that sincere concern on Kuroha's face, March felt a warmth rise in her chest. She nodded solemnly.
"Yes, team leader."
As he spoke, Kuroha spread out the papers in his hands so March could easily see the detailed list of planned entries.
"In addition to these two key Mile G1 events, I've already pre-registered you for two Short G1 races: the Takamatsunomiya Kinen in late March and the Sprinters Stakes in late September."
(End of Chapter)
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