Hokkai Ranch.
After finishing work, Koichi headed home in a cheerful mood.
Although he had run into quite a few problems at work, none of them had really affected him.
Over the remaining month and a half, the most important thing was to speed up the process of getting in sync with Golden Masterpiece.
As soon as he reached the entrance, Koichi saw Gold Ship eating grass in the snow.
One look was enough to tell him that Miku had put the grass on top of the snow.
A horse's coat might look thin, but it was actually very dense.
And Gold Ship was even wearing a little white coat.
Hokkaido's temperatures were not particularly cold for horses.
"Gold Ship, I saw your big brother, Golden Masterpiece, today."
Still in a good mood, Koichi went straight over to say hello.
Although the two horses shared a father, they certainly had never met, since they had been born at different ranches.
But they had both inherited that traditional golden spirit.
Gold Ship glanced at Koichi, then took a mouthful of grass and walked toward him.
Naturally, the horse still remembered yesterday's carrot.
"Are you offering me some?"
Koichi had never expected Gold Ship to pull a move like this.
As a human, he did not eat grass, but he appreciated the gesture.
Want some?
Hmph-
You can't have it!
When there was only half a meter between them,
Gold Ship tossed its head and ate all the grass in its mouth.
"..."
Pipi Ship certainly lived up to the name.
Koichi had not expected Ship to trick him.
Gold Ship had clearly wanted to tease him, then eat every last bite right in front of him.
"So you're saying you don't want any carrots?"
Naturally, Koichi was not about to take that lying down.
The carrots he had drawn from the system were an irresistible weapon against racehorses. Even Golden Masterpiece could not resist their allure.
Whoosh-!
At the mention of carrots, both of Gold Ship's ears shot straight up.
Those big eyes suddenly lit up, too.
"Hmph, you can't have any!"
Koichi copied the horse's act, then turned and headed toward his room.
Those carrots were now an important weapon in his dealings with Golden Masterpiece.
How could he just give them away to a prankster like Ship?
Of course,
if the horse behaved a little less mischievously around him, he could consider it.
Hrrmph-!
Gold Ship snorted heavily as it watched him walk away.
The horse was clearly annoyed with Koichi.
Although it had eaten two carrots that day, neither had tasted anywhere near as good as the one Koichi had given it.
"Young Master Koichi, did work go smoothly today?"
Koichi had only just returned to his room when Miku Kuchiki came in carrying coffee.
"It was all right. I'm still getting used to the horse, and with my uncle helping me, there's not much pressure."
Naturally, Koichi did not mention that the senior jockeys wanted nothing to do with him.
After all, the person he had offended was a racehorse trainer.
Of course, there was nothing he could do about that now. As long as Ayano Aoe was willing to back him, he would be fine.
"Oh. Have some coffee and take a break, young master."
Miku Kuchiki dutifully set the coffee on the table.
Since she was now Ship's groom, she did not have much work to do each day.
The main reason, of course, was that Ship had not begun training yet.
Her daily tasks were to clean the stable, groom Ship, and take the horse out to pasture.
There was still other work to do on the ranch.
But compared with this racehorse bought for 200 million yen, the ranch staff clearly considered Ship more important.
"Mm, how has Ship's health been lately?"
Koichi took a sip of coffee before asking.
The trainer he had found for Ship still had not replied to him.
"Ship is very healthy right now and eats plenty every day."
Miku Kuchiki lifted her head slightly and looked at the ceiling as she spoke.
"..."
"Oh, and Ship is still gaining weight. I don't think reaching 250 kilograms would be a problem."
"Mm, I saw Ship when I got back today. Definitely full of energy."
Koichi felt that he had asked for nothing.
They really could not do without a racehorse trainer.
If that person still did not reply, he would only have one choice left.
Would I really have to send Ship over to Aoe Ranch?
As for the other trainer in Miho, he did not really know where that person stood.
Although the trainers were competitors, that did not mean one would offend someone else for a newcomer like him.
Beep, beep, beep-
While Koichi Sasaki was thinking about all this, LINE suddenly chimed on the phone in his hand.
Speak of the devil.
He had only just been thinking about it, and now she had replied.
"Young Master Koichi, I'll head back, then."
Miku Kuchiki could tell that he seemed to have something important to deal with.
She might as well go find Ship.
"All right. Dress warmly. The temperature's about to drop."
"Okay~"
Koichi picked up his phone and immediately had a "friendly" exchange with her.
After going so long without a reply, he had thought something might have happened to her.
Megumi Mitsumori: ?
Koichi: I thought you were too embarrassed to reply to me.
The one good thing about LINE as a messaging app was that you could see whether the other person had read your messages.
Megumi Mitsumori: If you need something, just say it. I've still got a lot to do!
Koichi: I'm planning to have you come build your career in Hokkaido. I've got a racehorse I'd like you to train, and I'll provide the facilities, too.
It was hard to find a licensed trainer he knew.
Not to mention,
she was a rare breed among racehorse trainers: a woman.
As a woman just starting out, she was bound to face hostility in the racing industry.
And nobody would be willing to entrust their racehorses to her.
To get people to send their horses to you, you needed results at the very least.
Megumi Mitsumori: Didn't you go back to Hokkaido to be a ranch owner? Before you left, you even said you'd never touch this industry again.
Megumi Mitsumori: Confused cat.
Koichi: Things have changed. You should count yourself lucky to have a boss like me!
Naturally, he would not admit that all this was because he was too poor.
If he had money, he would definitely send Gold Ship to a famous racehorse trainer!
Megumi Mitsumori: All right, let me get back and think it over. Besides, New Year's is almost here, and my parents want me to spend it with them.
On the other end, she glanced at the sky outside.
She did trust the resources of Koichi Sasaki's family.
She had actually been trying to get started in Kyoto for a while now, but she had met with nothing but rejection.
Hokkaido really was a paradise for horse racing.
With an opportunity like this in front of her, she genuinely wanted to give it a try.
She could not let the license she had worked so hard to earn go to waste!
Koichi: By the way, I remember your hometown is Kyoto, right? I happen to have a race in Kyoto in January.
If the race went well, he could bring her back with him afterward.
Megumi Mitsumori: ???!
What on earth had happened while she had been out of touch?
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(End of chapter)
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