Bidding Under Everyone's Gaze

"Ocean Fleet 2024's sire, Kobayashi Rikki, had won the G1 February Stakes for two consecutive years. In addition..."

As the female auctioneer calmly stalled for time, several horse owners cast curious looks toward the entrance to the passageway.

It seemed things were not going smoothly.

"Ha-ha, she'd been hard to get into the gate since she was little!"

The middle-aged man behind him even cracked a joke.

Kitano lowered his head to glance at the pedigree chart in the booklet, and his somewhat restless mood immediately calmed again.

Although the influence of bloodlines had weakened somewhat in recent years, a Toraiben 3×4 pedigree was not something a small owner who could only look at reserve-price horses could lay hands on.

"Then, the opening price is six million. Does anyone bid six million yen—"

At that moment, Kitano raised his head.

Normally, even when a horse went unsold, reserve-price horses rarely appeared on the first day.

Like the other owners, he turned his gaze toward the entrance.

Then, the reason was quickly revealed.

"Isn't that basically a mule?"

"Is it really okay for her to be that tiny?"

"Last year, I think there was also a Kobayashi Rikki foal..."

The horse owners could not help whispering among themselves.

Compared to the many yearlings that had appeared earlier at the Select Sale, Ocean Fleet 2024 had been born relatively early in March, yet she was only the size of a foal—

No, perhaps even smaller than a foal.

Had she contracted some illness that affected her growth—

Quite a few people immediately had that concern.

Ocean Fleet 2024's behavior afterward completely dispelled what little desire they had to bid.

Even as the staff continuously tried to soothe her, the chestnut mare's back remained tense, and her tail, tucked between her hind legs, showed no sign of loosening.

She looked like an extremely timid type.

Compared to simply having a bad temperament, a case like this was even more troublesome.

"Six million—how about six million yen?"

The auctioneer was still energetically calling out her lines, but an eerie silence suddenly fell over the venue.

"This filly... she's completely unsuited to becoming a racehorse, isn't she?"

Ogawa Masaru voiced the thoughts of many horse owners.

Ocean Fleet 2024 showed intense resistance toward the staff member holding her lead.

Yet even so, the chestnut mare had not even pinned back her ears.

In many people's eyes, that was precisely a sign that she lacked fighting spirit.

"What do you think, Dad?"

Although he had already quietly concluded that Ocean Fleet 2024 had no future as a racehorse, Ogawa Masaru still wanted to hear whether his more experienced father had a different opinion.

"Her body and legs are both pitifully short, her rump muscles look rather weak, and she's far too tense."

Ogawa Joe could not help shaking his head.

With such a tiny frame, even transitioning Ocean Fleet 2024 into a broodmare would be extremely difficult.

"Still, at least her loin looks like it should be on the stronger side."

He still put in a good word for the chestnut mare before them.

"She's basically Ren with chestnut hair—"

Ogawa Kanna lowered her head and played with her transparent fingernails, paying little attention to what was happening in the ring.

For a tiny filly like this who could neither run nor enter breeding, her ending was already obvious.

It was precisely because she understood that clearly that she deliberately put on an indifferent front.

On the other side, Kitano tiredly rubbed his temples.

Throughout the entire Select Sale, he had been repeating the same thing over and over.

He examined the horses' bodies, then silently gave them his assessment in his mind.

Rather than hoping for some unknown chance of finding a bargain, he might as well use this opportunity to properly train his Horse-Sense Eye ability.

Outside horse markets, there were not many chances to closely examine so many different horses.

Still, he was nearly at his limit.

Observing more than a hundred horses in one go was no small drain on his energy.

Then this would be the last time today.

After stretching, he began examining Ocean Fleet 2024's conformation.

"Her coat is glossy, and her nutritional condition is good. Her hoof walls are smooth, without cracks."

"When standing, her fetlocks and hooves are naturally positioned, and her bone structure shows no deformities."

"Her shoulder muscles are thin, the connection between her hindquarters and loin is sunken, her muscles are slightly tense, and her body is not ideally supple."

[Horse-Sense Eye: C+ → B-]

The moment his observation ended, that line appeared before his eyes.

Rather than joy or excitement, Kitano only felt his head throbbing painfully.

Though he had not placed a single bid, he was probably the most invested owner at this Select Sale.

"Is there really no bid? Six million yen—Toraiben and Prospector bloodlines! Only six million yen—"

The auctioneer was still making her final attempt.

Would someone really bid?

With a temperament like that, she probably would not even qualify as a riding horse after being bought home, right?

As if to confirm his guess, Kitano used the Detector on Ocean Fleet 2024 in the distance.

The next second, his eyes, which had been slightly narrowed from exhaustion, abruptly widened.

[Ocean Fleet 2024 (Unnamed)]

[Filly, 2]

[Chestnut]

[Distance Aptitude: ?]

[Track Aptitude: ?]

[Running Style: ?]

[Growth Type: ?]

[Temperament: ?]

[Personality: ?]

[Speed: ?]

[Stamina: ?]

[Competitive Grit: ?]

[Explosiveness: ?]

[Power: ?]

[Health: S-]

[Wisdom: ?]

[Mental Strength: ?]

[Flexibility: ?]

An S-rank ability—this was the first time he had ever seen one.

"Her dam won the Kawaramachi Stakes for horses under sixteen million in 2013. What do you think of six million?"

The auctioneer sighed.

"Then, unfortunately..."

"Oh—"

Kitano, who had remained silent throughout the entire sale, suddenly spoke up.

Every gaze in the venue focused on him at once.

Even a wealthy man throwing money around and repeatedly buying the Select Sale's top-priced horses would probably receive no more attention than this.

"Good, six million yen! Any other bids? Six and a half million—"

"Brother Kitano, have you gone crazy?"

Ogawa Masaru anxiously tugged at Kitano's sleeve.

"Perhaps."

Kitano did his utmost to suppress the trembling in his facial muscles.

Then he used the Detector twice more.

[Speed: D+]

[Personality: Timid, solitary]

"No matter how much you pity her, she still can't become a racehorse!"

Ogawa Masaru sighed, his gaze constantly moving between Ocean Fleet 2024 and Kitano.

"That's true."

After closing the panel, Kitano sighed as well.

"But I still want to try."

Ogawa Kanna shifted her attention away from her nails and could not help clicking her tongue.

What a strange guy.

"Six million yen! Thank you for your bid, guest number seventy-nine!"

With a crisp strike of the gavel, the deal was sealed.