Afternoon Ladies' Gathering

The purchase application for the former site of Kanari Farm had officially been submitted.

Even with the new hires still being planned, this was not land they could handle before winter—

That was the conclusion reached after the on-site inspection.

Even so, the decision to purchase it was made after the discussion meeting at the farm.

Including the purchase procedures, filings with the agricultural committee, and various coordination efforts, the project was expected to officially begin next month.

Along with matters concerning the central racing owners, the yet-to-arrive July was already shaping up to be busy.

By the time the acquisition group, including the real estate appraiser, had completed its work, it was already afternoon.

He returned to his bedroom, opened the window, loosened his tie, and changed out of his suit.

The cool breeze against his sweat-dampened skin felt quite pleasant, and he let out a sigh.

Hokkaido had entered the most comfortable season of the year.

As usual, tourists and visitors coming for tours would probably start increasing around this time as well.

After changing into casual clothes for farm work, he suddenly remembered something while heading toward the lounge.

There was still an unresolved item on today's schedule.

The commemorative statue that had been decided on long before Sakuya's retirement.

Although it was visibly going to cost a considerable amount of money, the employees had rarely raised any objections.

He opened the refrigerator, poured barley tea into a glass filled with ice, then took out his phone.

Since he knew little about art and had even less in the way of connections in the sculpture world, he had originally considered commissioning a local Hokkaido craftsman.

Then an acquaintance among the horse owners recommended someone—

Yoshida Takashi, a renowned sculptor who had created statues of the Derby winner