"Looks like we'll need to switch to a larger blanket again."
That evening, looking out over the Chestnut Coat moving somewhat clumsily through the pasture, I came to that conclusion.
Even without precise measurements, Sakuya's first foal, the little Chestnut Coat filly, was undoubtedly the largest foal born at the farm since it opened.
That record would probably stand for quite some time. Though it had indeed been a natural birth and the delivery itself had not been especially difficult, the standard blanket prepared for the little girl at birth had clearly been too small; once she put it on, even her rump was sticking out.
After that, we had no choice but to switch her into a slightly larger, looser style that should only have been needed in summer.
Though it would only last her a few days, anyway.
"If this keeps up, that child will probably be sharing blankets with Ata-chan by next year."
T
As he said this, the assistant manager standing beside me made an exaggerated sweeping gesture toward Sakuya and her daughter, like the straight man in a rakugo routine.
Sakuya, her head lowered as she diligently searched for grass, seemed not to notice at all.
Even the little girl stuck tightly behind her like an attendant merely raised her head and looked our way with some curiosity.
Then she quickly followed her mother onward again.
The other two, meanwhile—
The black-haired little girl who had been born almost at the same time as the Chestnut Coat sisters, yet was noticeably smaller than them.
At present, she was at an age when everything seemed new and fascinating.
Whether she was copying her mother and nibbling at the grass, or drinking the water brought over in a bucket—only to choke herself because she drank too quickly—every