We Can't Let Them Down

On Monday morning, in the living room of Anjing Zhen's apartment, classical strings and avant-garde electronica filled the air as two youthful, ethereal voices drifted together.

One came from the recording, the other from Kitasan Black.

The song, of course, was Uchiage Hanabi, which Anjing Zhen had written a few days earlier.

Compared with the version in his memories, the backing track on the recording was perfectly fine.

The sound quality and rhythm were probably handled by professionals, too. The tone was clear and pure.

But the mixing and a few other details showed obvious signs of being rushed.

There was no help for it. Even with Kitasan Black's family members being top-notch professionals, expecting them to produce a flawless track in just over a day was asking too much.

The vocals, however, had a distinctive kind of perfection.

That wasn't to say Kitasan Black had reached some great level of singing ability.

Quite the opposite. The girl had only begun systematic vocal training after coming to Tracen; before that, she had simply learned by listening to her family.

That had given her a good ear for music, but her technique was nowhere near masterful. At best, she was a natural, thanks to her family's influence and her own talent.

But that youthful, innocent quality unique to a teenage girl was precisely what Uchiage Hanabi was meant to convey.

Something just out of reach, like a dream or an illusion. Before you touched it, it seemed almost clear, but the instant you reached for it or tried to recall it, it vanished like a bubble.

Even the most skilled singer couldn't imitate the dreamlike quality of that distinctive voice.

"...Our tangled feelings melt and join together / I wish this night would never end..."

When the song ended, the black-haired girl bowed with graceful composure, like a master performer taking her final bow onstage.

But the moment she opened her mouth, she was back to her usual loud, carefree self.

"Trainer, Trainer! How was it? How was it? Didn't I sound great?"

Clapping, Anjing Zhen replied, half joking and half serious, "You sounded wonderful. I owe Little Kita a concert ticket now."

"Hehehe, it wasn't that amazing!"

Grinning sheepishly, she carefully took the cassette out of the recorder, put it back in its case, and brought it over. Kitasan Black said excitedly, "If anything, it's your song that's amazing, Trainer!

"When I got home, I sang it for Dad first. I thought having him help would be enough.

"But after he heard it, he didn't say a word. He went straight to get Grandpa!

"Grandpa listened and didn't say anything either. He called the whole family over!

"At first, I had no idea what was going on. I wondered if there was something wrong with the song you'd written, Trainer.

"Then I found out Grandpa and Dad thought I'd written it. They thought our family was about to produce a musical genius.

"Hehehe, as if! I just like singing.

"If anyone's a musical genius, it should be you, Trainer!

"Then Grandpa and the others were really surprised...

"No, they were shocked. They kept asking if it was really true."

At that, the black-haired girl looked a little annoyed.

"They just kept doubting that you'd written the song, Trainer.

"They asked so many times I almost didn't want them to help record it anymore.

"But they didn't keep pressing me. It seems they checked with some friends and found out no one had released the song before. Only then did they believe me and record it.

"Trainer, if you think this demo is okay, I'll go record the finished version next week."

Anjing Zhen considered this.

It was no surprise that Kitasan Black's family had been so astonished by Uchiage Hanabi that they'd even questioned whether he had written it.

After all, the song's popularity and musical quality in his previous life spoke for themselves.

Two years later, it would top the charts and win a steady stream of honors as soon as it came out.

The most prestigious among them was the Gold Disc Award, Japan's equivalent of the Oscars for music. Another was an appearance at Kohaku Uta Gassen.

In other words, thanks to this song, he'd have a chance to attend Japan's most prestigious music event, just like Kitasan Black's grandfather.

He was only eighteen, and the youngest Central Trainer in history.

That level of talent was already hard to believe. Add in being a musical genius, and it was only natural that people would be suspicious.

But Anjing Zhen wasn't worried about that.

The song hadn't appeared in this timeline yet, so there was no way it could cause trouble.

More importantly, he'd only brought out a top-tier song to help his own racehorse girl attract enough fans to compete. He had no plans to pursue a career in music.

In his view, Kitasan Black might face a shortage of fans in both of her next two races.

There was nothing to be done about it. The industry placed great importance on a competitor's record before her debut, to the point that it was practically a prejudice based on pedigree.

In a sense, this all came down to how resources were distributed, a person's background, and luck.

Just as some people were born with every advantage, racehorse girls from wealthy, prominent families or Central Treisen Academy really did receive far more resources, given equal talent.

Those without senior racehorse girls in their family, those who grew up in the regions, or those from ordinary households could still be overlooked, no matter how talented or capable they were.

Anjing Zhen had no plans to change that way of thinking, though. He just wanted to make sure he'd prepared everything Kitasan Black needed.

Thinking ahead, perhaps he could prepare a few more songs after this race, in addition to Uchiage Hanabi.

So, hearing that Kitasan Black's family seemed to approve of the song, Anjing Zhen nodded.

"Recording it next week would be perfect.

"That'll be a week before your race. The Association usually gives you a little publicity and helps direct some traffic then.

"If we upload the finished recording to your Racing Account at that point, you'll definitely meet the fan requirement for the Condition Race."

"Mm-hmm! Grandpa and the others said the same thing!"

After nodding enthusiastically, Kitasan Black sighed with regret.

"It's a shame this method can only get me so many fans. I think they only count up to thirty thousand, right, Trainer?"

"Right. Anything over thirty thousand doesn't count toward your race's fan total. The Shining Series is still focused on racing, after all."

Anjing Zhen nodded.

"Still, that's enough for you. This is just a little help for your races."

"That's true." After thinking it over, Kitasan Black nodded, satisfied.

"Do you need me to help with anything when you record it?"

After a moment's thought, Anjing Zhen asked, "And I owe your grandfather and the others for their help. I should go thank them in person, but they must be busy lately, right?"

"They should be all right... I'm not really sure what Grandpa and the others do for work."

Kitasan Black shook her head. "They wanted to meet you, Trainer, but I was worried you'd be too busy, so I told them to come watch my race instead.

"It's a little disappointing they could only watch my debut on TV...

"But it's okay. I'm sure they'll be there in person next time to see me win!"

"Oh? Will your family come watch the race in person?"

After a moment of surprise, Anjing Zhen nodded.

"Then we'll have to work hard from now on. We can't let them down."