Staring blankly at Kitasan Black, Satono Diamond saw the concern and sincerity in her eyes. Her heart warmed, and she smiled helplessly.
"Just as I thought, I couldn't hide it from you, Little Kita... I guess I have been feeling a little down. I mean... after the Satsuki Sho, and after Crown returned from Hong Kong..."
"So that was it..." Kitasan Black's heart tightened.
"Mm... I did tell you about it before, Little Kita."
She looked away, watching the clothes spin beneath the washing machine's glass lid. Satono Diamond spoke softly, "My family... has very high expectations for G1 Horse Girls. My elder sisters all stepped onto the track for that reason too.
"But no matter how hard they trained or prepared, even going out of their way to hire all sorts of amazing Trainers, in the end... their best results always fell just a little short."
"So that was why, back in the dorm..."
Kitasan Black hesitated, recalling what Satono Diamond had said before. "That was why Diamond-chan said she wanted to take on more training...?"
"Yes, and..."
Nodding, Satono Diamond lowered her gaze to her feet. "I know I've already done enough of every kind of training I can do.
"But aside from training more, I... can't think of anything else I could do to break something that feels like a curse."
"A curse...?" Kitasan Black froze.
"Isn't it?"
Finally looking at Kitasan Black again, Satono Diamond's eyes were filled with helplessness as she gave a bitter smile. "Whether it's elder sister Crown, my other elder sisters, or my seniors, I've seen how hard they all worked.
"But even so, they couldn't win even a single G1. Other than a curse, I... can't think of any other explanation."
"This..." Kitasan Black hesitated.
She didn't believe in curses. Compared