Aside from my pregnancy, life moved quietly until September, when we headed off to Niigata for Rice-chan's makeup debut.
Classes had resumed, so originally it was just going to be Rice and me. But Thank You insisted on coming along—"If you two were alone, who knows what kind of intangible nonsense Rice-chan would pull." Rivera joined too, saying, "Document work will be easier if I'm there." Honestly, a blessing.
Remote classes were a bit tricky, but I helped explain anything confusing. The team was solid.
Rice's motivation? Not a concern.
If anything, she was too motivated.
"Hmph!!"
Blue flames flickered in her eyes.
"There's a fire of motivation!!"
I didn't think that was physically possible—but it was happening. I decided not to douse it. Let her burn.
By the time we reached Niigata, everything was smooth.
I'd gotten used to the procedures, and Rivera handled most of the paperwork. She's practically a trainer already.
Training went well. Rice won her makeup debut—by a wide margin. But that's not always ideal. Winning without resistance can leave you floating, unfocused. It affects recovery and rhythm.
Rice-chan was still glowing. And she stroked my stomach every day, beaming with joy. But maybe that joy was a little too distracting.
Then came the Niigata Junior Stakes.
Rice was the most popular pick in the GIII race.
But on the final straight, she stalled—completely overwhelmed—and finished 13th in a short 1200m sprint.
"Yes, let's hold a reflection meeting. Let's figure out why we lost."
"Yes."
"Yes, thank you."
"Too much flirting. I've never seen Rice not excited on this team."
"I'm sorry…"
"Eh? Was it really that much?"
"What are you talking about? You're literally doing things that make babies."
"Eh? I thought that was… normal…"
"Viola's too swept away by Rice, too."
Even I felt depressed. Was I really that swept up?
"At this point, Rice will cut off Viola until she wins her next race."
"Oh no… Rice is going to die."
"No, you won't die."
Rice looked devastated at Rivera's bluntness.
But "cutting off" probably just meant no flirting. I didn't think it was lethal.
"No flirting until the next race. Viola, please be careful."
"A-yes."
Thanks to Thank You's firm declaration, I was officially banned from anywhere near with Rice-chan.