The True Winner's Stage

Chapter 38: The True Winner's Stage

After Kitasan Black's race ended, there were still five races remaining, but Anjing Zhen did not stay to watch them.

While the live broadcast and other spectators could tell that this race was significantly faster than similar events, he was even more acutely aware of it.

The moment the race concluded, he had calculated the data; compared to her debut, Kitasan Black's finishing speed had increased by 0.4 meters per second, which was a substantial gain in the high-speed competition of Horse Girls.

Furthermore, the course distance this time was 200 meters longer than her debut, naturally resulting in greater physical exertion.

Although he knew his Horse Girl possessed an extraordinary constitution, his concern drove him to head straight from the spectator stands toward the infirmary the moment the race ended.

Accompanying him were Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka.

The two of them had come specifically to cheer for Kitasan Black, and with their wealth of experience, they were equally aware that their junior's exertion in this race was likely immense.

However, upon arriving at the infirmary, the three were surprised to find that Kitasan Black was not there.

Just as they were feeling puzzled, a Horse Girl happened to walk out of the medical examination room.

"Senior Daiwa? Senior Vodka?"

She paused for a moment before quickly bowing.

"Greetings to both Seniors and to this gentleman. I am Sato no Takarazuka; it is a pleasure to meet you."

After the introductions, Sato no Takarazuka asked curiously, "Is there something you need at the infirmary...?"

"Ah, it's Takarazuka-san. That was a great race earlier; your Final Burst was quite sharp."

Vodka smiled first. "To be honest, it's a pity. If you had started your acceleration just a bit earlier, you likely would have overtaken Little Kita."

"Little Kita... Kitasan Black?"

Surprised, Sato no Takarazuka bit her lip and unconsciously clenched her hands, though she quickly relaxed them.

"Are the three of you... looking for Kitasan Black?"

As she asked, she couldn't help but glance at Anjing Zhen.

"Yes, I am her Trainer, Anjing Zhen. A pleasure to meet you."

Noticing Sato no Takarazuka's gaze, Anjing Zhen nodded and asked, "Has Little Kita finished her check-up?"

A flash of astonishment crossed Sato no Takarazuka's eyes.

He is Kitasan Black's Trainer... and he really is as young as Crown and Hikari-chan said?

"...Yes, the doctor said her physical condition is excellent, and there are no issues at all."

As she answered with lingering surprise, Sato no Takarazuka unconsciously clenched her hands again, quickly relaxed them, and then raised her arm to point toward the Rest Hall.

"After she came out, she took a phone call and then headed in that direction.

"I have some matters to attend to, so please forgive me for not being able to escort you three.

"Excuse me."

After a graceful bow, the Horse Girl departed in a crisp, efficient manner.

Watching her back, Anjing Zhen pondered for a moment and let out a low sigh.

At the Same Time, two sighs echoed from beside him.

He exchanged glances with Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka, who had also sighed, and immediately realized they were likely thinking the same thing as he was. He sighed once more and said nonchalantly:

"Let's go. We'll head in that direction and take a look."

Without a word, they nodded silently, and the two Horse Girls walked with Anjing Zhen toward the Rest Hall.

They had expected to search for a while upon arrival, but while they were still some distance from the hall's entrance, the three heard a familiar, high-pitched voice.

"Ah—the festival—ah—the festival—ah—the festival of the harvest year—hey-ya, hey-ya, hey-ya—"

Simple and plain lyrics, an ethereal and youthful voice, a resonant and powerful melody.

Generally, putting these three elements together might feel strange, but the singing they heard at this moment was filled with an uplifting, heart-stirring power.

This was naturally Kitasan Black's voice, and what she was singing was arguably the most famous song in Japan: Matsuri.

Anjing Zhen was very familiar with it; for the past dozen years, whenever he watched the Kohaku Uta Gassen with his parents during the New Year, this song was always the grand finale.

In a sense, the Kohaku Uta Gassen was somewhat akin to the Spring Festival Gala in Japan, and this song was undoubtedly the equivalent of Unforgettable Tonight.

After Kitasan Black sang a line, the next was not sung by her, but by an elderly man.

The elderly man looked to be in his seventies, yet the power he displayed the moment he opened his mouth was not at all what one would expect from an old man.

If Kitasan Black's singing was as crisp as an oriole, the elderly man's voice was as piercing and bright as an eagle.

Moreover, it wasn't just his breath control; even without a deep understanding of music, Anjing Zhen could feel that the latter's vocal technique was on a completely different level, far beyond what Kitasan Black could achieve.

He was not particularly surprised, for the elderly man was none other than the original singer of Matsuri, a titan of the music industry who had appeared on the Kohaku Uta Gassen for 50 consecutive years: Saburo Kitajima.

As Anjing Zhen recognized Saburo Kitajima, the two Horse Girls beside him recognized him as well.

"...Little Kita's grandpa?"

Daiwa Scarlet was stunned. "Why would he come here... Ah, that's right, Little Kita mentioned while eating that her grandpa was coming to watch her race today."

"That's amazing!"

Vodka exclaimed excitedly, "I've only ever heard this old gentleman sing on TV; I never expected to hear him live today. I'm so lucky!"

Hearing this, Anjing Zhen nodded silently as well.

When he looked up Kitasan Black's profile, he had also learned a bit about Saburo Kitajima.

It had to be said, even if he didn't know much about music, it didn't stop him from respecting this old man.

It was precisely because of this old man and many musicians of his era that "Enka," a form of Japanese folk song, was able to develop and reach the world, with "Festival" being one of its representative works.

Beyond that, the old man's life experience also deeply moved Anjing Zhen.

According to interviews, the old man was born in a poor little fishing village in Hokkaido, where his family made a living by fishing.

He had loved singing since he was a child, and in order to pursue his dream, he went to Tokyo all by himself after graduating from high school.

He never gave up, and step by step, he reached where he is today.

Even if the details weren't mentioned in the interviews, one could easily imagine the hardships involved.

In one interview, when asked about the secret to success and whether it was due to talent or genius, the old man said this:

"Me? I never thought I had any talent or gift, and I'm certainly no genius."

"There are too many people more talented and gifted than me; I've seen so many of them over the decades."

"Compared to those true geniuses, I just sang day after day, sang without stopping, sang with all my might."

"Sometimes I felt resentful—resentful that those with more talent, more gifts, more energy, and more time could be so lazy."

"Why couldn't they give those wasted things to me? Because I still had so many things I wanted to create through my singing."

"Then I realized that things like talent, gifts, and genius are, in the end, things you dig out bit by bit yourself; otherwise, even if you have them, they'll just be buried."

"So I started singing again."

"And then, perhaps quite by chance, I looked back."

"My former friends and rivals had disappeared, I don't know when."

"Only an old guy like me was left, standing at the summit of this so-called Japanese music industry."

"And a bunch of boring, lazy guys were just sitting at the foot of the mountain, pointing at me and muttering, saying:"

"'Who told that guy to be a genius?'"