"How could I tell? Because you made it far too obvious, Anjing."
Picking up where Anjing Zhen had trailed off, Tokai Teio smiled and gestured toward the stands. "Come on, we can talk as we walk." Then she took the lead.
Anjing Zhen nodded and followed her instinctively, but then a thought suddenly struck him.
Could it be that the president... had anticipated how he was feeling and come specifically to comfort him?
As he was thinking that, Tokai Teio continued after they had taken a few steps.
"I was originally inspecting the racecourse with Deep Impact and the others. And after this, there's still a whole pile of things to do—interviews, press conferences, banquets, that sort of thing.
"It is the Arima Kinen, after all. Things like that can't be avoided.
"And since we were already here, we stopped by to cheer on the younger girls."
Turning halfway around, she pointed in the direction they had come from and looked at Anjing Zhen.
"So, we'd clearly passed right by you earlier, but you looked completely out of it. You didn't even react when we greeted you.
"Anyone could tell at a glance that you were nervous about Little Kita's upcoming race."
Hearing that, Anjing Zhen tried hard to recall it. Yet no matter how he thought about it, he could not remember anything of what Tokai Teio had said, so he could only apologize.
"Sorry. I... really was too nervous. I didn't notice at all."
"There's nothing to apologize for. If it were me, I'd be nervous too."
Smiling, she shook her head. Then, looking at him, Tokai Teio slightly emphasized her next words.
"I mean, during my Arima Kinen back then, I was so nervous that I wouldn't have noticed anyone else either."
Then, after that earnest statement,