Kitasan Black Wants to Be More Proactive

"Mm, those things were indeed part of it."

Anjing Zhen did not hide it, but his reply retained his usual calm tone and concise wording.

Yet Kitasan Black keenly caught the unspoken pressure seemingly carried beneath that steady voice.

She immediately recalled that when she had first started racing, Anjing Zhen had seemed relatively "free," but over the past few months, he had clearly become increasingly busy.

Then Spring and Autumn Equinox's little face, filled with worry during the family dinner, surfaced in her mind.

Back then, she had patted her chest with full confidence and declared, "Absolutely not! A-Zhen is just too busy!" Looking back now, the pressure behind that "too busy" was probably far greater than she had imagined.

Her thoughts drifted further back, to the night after the family dinner, following the New Year's Shrine Visit with her family.

For once, Grandpa had solemnly called her into his study. Rather than asking as usual whether she had enjoyed going out or whether she was tired, he took a sip of tea and looked at her steadily.

"Little Kita, have you felt the burden on your shoulders getting heavier lately?"

At first, she did not understand why Grandpa was asking that. She instinctively replied, "I'm fine," before realizing that he was worried about her future in the Shining Series.

"Are you really fine? Or rather, worries about performance results, sponsors' expectations, the fans' enthusiasm, and all those watchful eyes from the Outside World—I've experienced all of them."

After saying that, Saburo Kitajima smiled faintly, his tone gentle yet full of strength.

"Listen, Little Kita. I'm not saying this to you as family right now, but as an old man who has spent decades struggling through the entertainment industry, sharing a little of what he has learned.

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