"Stringhalt can be overcome."
Rising from his computer desk, Kitano made that declaration.
The next moment, he couldn't help yawning.
After returning from Shinsei Farm, he had spent the entire night looking through materials related to Stringhalt.
Then, he reached the conclusion above.
Through comprehensive regulation of the "nervous system-muscles-environment," Stringhalt's impact on Racehorse could be completely transformed from a "devastating injury" into a "controllable condition."
As early as 2023, eleven Racehorse with Stringhalt in Kentucky, United States, had successfully completed full racing seasons after being managed under this combined treatment plan.
With cutting-edge neural repair technology, afflicted Racehorse had a chance of recovering 85% to 90% of the competitive condition they would have enjoyed while healthy.
Of course, anything involving advanced technology became extremely expensive.
Moreover, during everyday training, Racehorse with Stringhalt required their teams to invest far more money and attention than ordinary Racehorse.
Therefore, for the overwhelming majority of Racehorse, Stringhalt remained something akin to a "terminal illness."
Turning off the computer, Kitano lay down on his bed.
He opened his social media platform and posted a notice that the clinic would be closed for a day.
Then he closed his eyes.
Make a choice while his mind was as clear as possible. That way, when regret came, there would be one less excuse for deceiving himself.
That was the thing Kitano had always adhered to over the past twenty-six years, something that could barely be called a philosophy of life.
Once the hormones faded, the exhaustion from staying up all night immediately flooded through his body like a tide.
When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside had already grown quite dark.
Unlocking his phone, he found no missed calls.
Only after letting out a sigh of relief did he slowly make his way into the bathroom.
After taking a cold shower, he immediately felt much more alert.
But he was a little hungry.
As he heated up some food in the microwave, Kitano began to think.
What he thought about was not the choice before him, but a question that had always troubled him.
How did one become a qualified horse owner—
Or rather, what kind of horse owner did he want to become?
Today, he had vaguely found the answer to that question.
As a breeder, one should take good care of the foals and conscientiously complete their Training;
As a Jockey, one should diligently prepare for races, ride with all one's strength in every race, and strive to bring out the Racehorse's ability to the fullest extent;
As a Trainer, one should promptly grasp the Racehorse's condition, adjust its training and race schedule, and offer the owner advice based on one's professional expertise when necessary.
But as for horse owners, with the money in their hands and their ownership of Racehorse, they could easily interfere with training, alter race schedules, or even directly determine the course of a Racehorse's fate.
In that situation, if they acted recklessly based on their own preferences, everyone in the stable would likely be put in a very difficult position.
So—
Do what ought to be done, not what he wanted to do.
That was Kitano's answer.
As for the other question—
In truth, he had already made up his mind.
Whether it was for profit or out of sympathy—
If he was going to buy Resistance Queen, then no matter what, he had to fulfill his responsibilities as her owner.
Just then, the microwave gave a "ding—" alert.
He took out Kimura's business card and entered the phone number printed on it.
"Hello, Shinsei Farm. This is Kimura, the representative."
After several rings, a somewhat weary voice came from the other end.
"Hello, this is Kitano."
"Mr. Kitano! You... have you made up your mind?"
He sounded excited for an instant, but Kimura quickly calmed himself and asked cautiously.
"Could I bring a friend to visit the farm again tomorrow?"
"A visit? Of course, that's no problem."
Though somewhat disappointed, Kimura still forced himself to answer energetically.
"By the way, is 1.2 million the final price?"
Kitano suddenly asked.
"No... no, that's not right! If Mr. Kitano is truly interested in Resistance Queen, then a lower price can still be discussed!"
Kimura instantly jumped up from the tatami. His wife and daughter, who were watching a variety show beside him, gave him startled looks.
"That won't be necessary. Let's stick with the original price."
Kitano smiled and shook his head.
"Sorry for the trouble, but please prepare the contract on your end, Mr. Kimura."
Since the coin had not landed yet, he would use the same chip in exchange.
It was not yet time to decide the outcome so easily.
He carried the slightly cooled pasta to the dining table. As he stirred the noodles with his fork, he took out his phone and opened LINE.
He sent a greeting sticker to the contact whose ID was [My Goal Is to Be the World's Best Trainer—Go A-Sheng!!!].
After some time passed, the message was still unread.
So Kitano put down his phone and focused on eating his pasta.
Not only did overnight noodles taste much worse, but even the flavor seemed to have turned more sour.
As he concentrated on dealing with a few stragglers stuck along the edge of the plate, the phone on the table vibrated lightly.
[?]
A-Sheng had replied with a question mark.
[I bought a new horse. If you're free tomorrow, could you come help me take a look?]
Then he added another line.
[Also, this horse may be sent to Nishiken Farm for boarding.]
He tapped send.
This time, the message immediately changed to read.
[No problem (｡•̀ᴗ-)~]
[Leave it to me!]
[I'll talk to Dad about the boarding too!]
Right after that message, a smug little devil sticker popped up.
Though he found Ogawa Masaru's somewhat unusual tone strange, Kitano did not pay it much mind.
After all, he was part of the new generation born in the 2000s.
Maybe this was simply how young people chatted online these days.
Then he called Teacher Tanaka.
Putting down his half-eaten Miso ramen, Tanaka curiously answered the call from horse owner Kitano.
Among the owners he had dealt with, Mr. Kitano was not the overly proactive type.
Of course, that might have been because most of the pressure had been shifted to the breeding farm.
Thinking that, Tanaka received the other party's request to enter the stable.
"A lame horse, huh—"
It was a somewhat troublesome situation.
If the horse entered the stable only now, it was already a little late in terms of timing.
Still, he quickly gave an affirmative answer.
"Leave it to our stable!"
Though it might have sounded a little boastful, as a regional Trainer, he did not have many honors left worth pursuing.
Even the two thousand victories he had yearned for in his early years would soon be achieved.
Taking this opportunity to build a good relationship with Kitano, a horse owner who was also a veterinarian, was undoubtedly well worth it.
However—
Lame horses were not easy to manage.
"Like Mejiro Tenma, then? Of course, no problem!"
Hearing the proposal offered proactively by horse owner Kitano, his first reaction was relief.
After hesitating for a moment, he still could not help advising, "With lameness, there's a good chance she won't achieve much. Mr. Kitano, would you like to think it over a little more?"
Though he could have remained silent, Teacher Tanaka offered a very reasonable suggestion.
Whatever his motives, Kitano would not overlook that goodwill.
Only after sincerely thanking Teacher Tanaka once more did he hang up.