In the Name of Mejiro

Green sleeves, white with a single green hoop—

Though the colorful silks were light as air, they felt as heavy as Mount Akan in his hands.

They carried countless glories and dreams—the figures that had raced across the track in the name of "Mejiro."

Today, a story whose ending had long been written opened a new chapter.

His breathing unconsciously grew a little heavier.

"Nervous?"

In the preparation room, Hattori, dressed in the same style of silks, asked with a smile.

"No... I was just looking forward to it."

Ochiai gently shook his head.

Looking forward to a race—such a feeling would have been unimaginable in the past.

It was not as though he had disliked it, but he had only ever treated it as an ordinary job.

An ordinary amount of effort had been enough.

As for winning or losing, he had never felt much about either.

And so the years had passed.

When had things begun to change?

He could no longer really remember.

"Thank you, Hattori-senpai."

He spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.

Using the owner's racing silks for this race had initially only been a unilateral suggestion.

Even the owners themselves had been surprised by the sudden proposal.

Yet Hattori, the senior jockey, had supported it without hesitation.

"Haha, as long as it helps you relax."

Seemingly misunderstanding something, Hattori smiled and scratched the back of his head with his crop.

Then he went over to chat with the other jockeys.

Besides supporting a junior from the same stable, there was also his yearning for the history of the past.

That was probably why Hattori, as the senior, had changed into these silks as well.

And what about himself?

He had no particular attachment to that special racing prefix.

Yet in that moment, the suggestion to change silks had slipped from his mouth without him even realizing it.

Probably because he was looking forward to it too.

That unexpected expression of thanks in the paddock;

The cheers from the stands, offered without regard for victory or defeat;

And the gray-white figure giving everything on the track.

He was looking forward to what such a team could do.

It felt as if somewhere that had once withered was beginning to sprout again.

"Good luck, Hattori-senpai."

"You too, Genta."

Fastening their helmets, the two men in identical silks stepped forward at the same time.

Under the lights, the paddock looked much the same as usual.

The clicking of cameras rose and fell, showing no sign of stopping.

Outside the paddock railings stood more reporters than at an ordinary graded race.

Without much effort, Ochiai found the gray fellow posing proudly for the cameras.

Draped across Pegasus's back was the highly conspicuous number one saddlecloth.

"Do your best, Genta!"

As Ochiai swung into the saddle, Kobayashi, dressed in a black suit for the graded race day, encouraged him.

Holding the reins, Ochiai nodded silently.

On the other side, Hattori had found Mejiro Sakuya as well.

He patted the bay mare's head, then mounted with the help of the stablehand.

His gaze lingered briefly on the delicate braids woven through her mane.

They were Ogawa Masaru's handiwork from a few days ago.

In addition, amulets obtained from Monbetsu Shrine had been hung in front of both stalls.

Though Ogawa Kanna had mocked it as pointless effort, they had done it anyway.

At the racecourse, the boy watched the two horses from afar through the railings.

"Please... come back safely."

Ogawa Masaru prayed silently.

Once the jockeys had all mounted, the parade began.

The two racehorses in matching silks approached one after the other.

"I'm counting on you both."

Kitano bowed deeply, offering his respects to the two jockeys.

Ochiai responded with practiced ease, while Hattori smiled and nodded.

The two figures gradually moved away.

Only after both horses had left the paddock did Kitano withdraw his gaze.

He slowly let out a long breath.

Then he headed toward the stands.

On the way, he ran into Ogawa Masaru, who was likewise wearing a suit in the sweltering heat.

"It seems A-Sheng has quite a bit of confidence in Pegasus and Sakuya."

He said it with a smile.

"O-Of course! I watched them grow up, after all—"

Ogawa Masaru answered casually, though his arms and legs had unconsciously begun moving in sync.

"Don't be too nervous."

Kitano patted the boy's slightly trembling shoulder.

"I-I'm not nervous!"

Ogawa Masaru immediately retorted, a faint blush coloring the tips of his ears.

"Oh, right, Brother Kitano, the performers today are from the industrial high school!"

The boy stiffly changed the subject, then lowered his voice in a sneaky whisper. "I heard the girls in that school's brass band are all really cute!"

The moment he finished speaking, Ogawa Kanna, who had caught up from behind, grabbed him by the ear.

"While I'm not surprised that your brain is stuffed with filthy nonsense, at least try to restrain yourself a little on an occasion like this."

The girl in the black formal dress wore a rather frightening smile.

"Ow, ow, ow—"

Ogawa Masaru looked toward Ogawa Joe with an aggrieved expression. "Dad, hurry up and do something about this violent woman!"

"Ha... The track condition looks pretty good today, Mr. Kitano."

Ogawa Joe put an arm around Kitano's shoulders and pointed toward the white dirt track.

"Yes—"

Kitano nodded along, the muscles in his face twitching slightly.

Behind them, the Ogawa siblings quickly began another round of open and covert sparring.

At the starter's stand, the starter in a white suit raised the small flag in his hand.

The sound of trombones, sousaphones, bass drums, and other unidentifiable instruments followed.

"Excuse me, please make way."

It took a little effort to squeeze through the crowd holding up their phones in front of the railings.

By the time they reached the stands, a round of applause had just broken out.

The supposedly adorable girls from the brass band had already left the field.

Though he had not cared that much, he could not help feeling a little disappointed.

"President Kitano!"

Several members of the cheering squad beneath the "MEJIRO" banner in the stands recognized Kitano.

"May today's race go smoothly too!"

"Pegasus will definitely win—"

"Make sure they both finish safely!"

Kitano raised a hand and waved in response to their support.

By the time he finally sat down in the stands, his back was already soaked with sweat.

Still, he was gradually getting used to this experience.

"Twelfth race at Monbetsu Racecourse, today's featured event: the third Monbetsu Future Star, a Hokkaido Grade One race. Twelve horses will contest twelve hundred meters."

The announcer's voice sounded much more serious than usual.

"The paddock reports sunny weather, and the track is listed as good."

"Both Mejiro entries are wearing the white-and-green racing silks."

Looking toward the track, both Mejiro Tenma and Mejiro Sakuya entered the gates without issue.

"Alright, number three, Mistlight Ascension, has also entered the gate smoothly."

"All horses are loaded, and the staff have cleared the track—"