Farm and Green Grass Season

"...So it really is remarkable. Tifton 85 has an NDFd as high as 65%, and its fructan accumulation is at least 40% higher than domestically produced forage. That's what you call naturally gifted!"

In the laboratory, the excited old man waved the test reports in his hand as he rambled on, while Kitano followed close behind him.

"This one should be Oxbow Equine Elite. Their freeze-drying technique is very easy to recognize."

Professor Ota pulled out one of the reports and slapped it into Kitano's hand.

"Freeze... what was that again?"

A clear look of confusion appeared on Kitano's face.

He had never even heard most of the terms the other man was using.

"Freeze-drying. Those Americans treat forage with vacuum drying at -18°C. They say it preserves no less than 97% of the natural vitamin D3."

Professor Ota shook his head and continued, "As for the Bermuda Grass sample, it should have come from Lucerne Farms Bermuda Gold in Australia."

"After analyzing the chemical composition, every sample you brought had magnesium levels steadily maintained between 0.35% and 0.4%... Hmph! It really does match their advertising."

Apparently unconvinced by his Australian counterparts, Professor Ota added, "But something like the Moonlight Harvesting Method, which has no scientific basis, can only be used as a gimmick to fool people who don't know the field."

"So... there's nothing wrong with either type of forage, right?"

Kitano asked cautiously.

"Of course there isn't. They're both like Valentine's Day limited-edition strawberry parfaits for two—things you don't usually come across."

After handing both reports to Kitano, Professor Ota accepted an ice-cold cola from a student nearby.

"Putting aside that strange comparison, Professor, is it really okay for someone your age to drink iced cola?"

Kitano had no idea what expression he was supposed to wear.

"Heh heh. Cola is the secret to my longevity."

After a crisp pop from the can, Professor Ota took a huge gulp of cola.

Letting out a satisfied sigh, he raised his head curiously.

"Why are you still standing here? Have Hokkaido's veterinarians become so idle already?"

Just as Professor Yamazaki had said, his old friend was not actually an easy person to get along with.

Still, Kitano could finally put his mind at ease.

Although it was packaged like some suspicious unlicensed product, the forage produced by the system was actually quite high-end.

Kitano bought another box of forage.

It was a precaution.

According to information from Ogawa Masaru, Mejiro Tenma seemed to be rather picky about food.

Even though the system description said [Makes Horses Ravenous], he still could not be sure the forage would earn Mejiro Tenma's approval.

After deciding to send the newly arrived forage and the test reports to Nishiken Farm tomorrow, Kitano set the matter aside.

Devra Zack had said that trying to do too many things at once was foolish; only single-minded focus could produce results.

Kitano knew his talents were limited, so after temporarily wrapping up his duties as a horse owner, he once again focused all his energy on veterinary work.

He drove to the farm where he had an appointment.

Today's two cases were both ruminal acidosis caused by excessive consumption of high-sugar forage.

The treatment involved administering a 5% sodium bicarbonate solution orally, flushing the rumen, then injecting 5% glucose saline intravenously.

The first patient put up quite a fuss and kept struggling during the stomach wash.

Kitano and the livestock owner had to put in considerable effort before they could barely restrain it.

By the time they finished, it was already close to noon.

Although he was hungry, he had no appetite at all.

He made do with an energy bar for lunch.

It did not have any particularly complex flavor, but as an emergency food for filling his stomach and replenishing energy, it was more than sufficient.

Kitano was not picky about food.

After chewing down the energy bar in just a few bites, he hurried to the next farm.

The afternoon was another hard battle.

After finishing his house calls, he posted an educational tweet on X about preventing common livestock illnesses during the green grass season.

It seemed to be reposted by quite a few people almost immediately.

After returning to the clinic, he took stock of the medicine inventory.

They were running low on sodium bicarbonate solution.

They also needed to stock up on methylene blue solution and triclabendazole in advance.

For the next two months, they might need to extend their nighttime business hours a little.

With that thought, Kitano pulled down the clinic's power switch.

Then he officially ended his day's work.

Once home, he immediately took off the clothes that reeked of sourness.

His nose, which had been assaulted since morning, was finally free.

Dinner was curry over rice.

Its similar color easily brought to mind the rumen contents he had seen during the day.

Food in the refrigerator would not refresh itself automatically—this was common sense Kitano had understood long before becoming a working adult.

So with insufficient preparation, his options were extremely limited.

Besides, curry was not actually as bad as he had imagined.

With just a little heating, even someone bad at cooking could enjoy a steaming hot meal with a rich texture in a short amount of time.

Convenience alone was enough to make up for its unappealing appearance.

After filling his stomach, he hurried through a shower and climbed into the bathtub that he had filled with hot water beforehand.

The tub was somewhat cramped, and its design was not especially ergonomic.

Apparently, it was meant to prevent users from becoming too comfortable while bathing and suffering carbon monoxide poisoning or drowning.

Although there were plenty of other explanations, Kitano thought that was probably the real reason.

Just lying in such an uncomfortable bathtub was already enough to make him drowsy.

He patted his slightly heated cheeks and stood up from the bathtub without hesitation.

Throwing on a bathrobe, he opened his phone while waiting for his clothes to finish washing.

An important race that would soon be held was already drawing considerable attention on X.

"The Derby, huh..."

Kitano had heard that resounding name long before he ever came into contact with horse racing.

Opening the topic, he looked through the discussions below.

Most of the discussion revolved around two horses named Northern Cross and Museum Street.

[Even on Nakayama's relatively short straight, Museum Street still unleashed an astonishing finishing burst. With Tokyo's longer final straight, it might even set another record.]

[The other horse's physical development seems to have been going poorly for several months now. Or is Northern Cross really the type that matures early and declines early?]

[Isn't it completely Lotto Heart Plus? (laugh)]

"Physical development has been going poorly?"

It seemed Mejiro Tenma was facing a similar problem.

Although he believed the system's assessment of [Late Maturing], he felt that he ought to do something.