Before the Cicadas Fall Silent

The North Barn at Nishiken Farm had been purchased last year, but land development and construction had delayed its opening until this summer.

It was a little inconvenient, but the vast pasture would make a real difference to weaning and pasture rotation for a long time to come.

Especially now that the farm's stallion barn was complete.

Over the next few years, the South Barn would gradually become a separate site for rest, grazing, and housing stallions. The broodmares, foals, and yearlings that had yet to begin Training would all move to the North Barn.

For now, staffing remained a major problem, especially with Arian away from the farm studying at the Light-Breed Horse Association.

His current course would probably run until early April next year.

That meant another half year or so.

Even with the expansion plans on hold for now, if the staff shortage continues, maybe robots really are worth considering—

With that thought, I arrived at the stable, which looked a little empty after the move.

"How are you today, Noah?"

There was no answer.

Inside his stall, Noah had returned to the farm after his retirement ceremony and was doing his usual morning stretches. Only once his muscles had grown a little taut did he turn around at an unhurried pace and greet me calmly, as if to say, Oh, you're here.

When he had first come back after the Takamatsunomiya Memorial, the exhaustion from that hard-fought race had been obvious in both his spirits and his body. Once the decision to retire him was made, though, his training plan changed considerably. The fatigue he had built up gradually faded, and his physique returned to how it had looked at the start of the year, with the faint outlines of his muscles visible again.

Then it