Two days later, in the afternoon.
"Got everything packed?"
"It's not my first trip. Don't worry."
Koichi glanced at his small suitcase.
Unfortunately, Mirai wasn't here this time. She was probably looking after Gold Ship at this hour.
"All right, then. Here's hoping you take first place in the Kobe Shimbun Hai."
Megumi Mitsumori nodded.
All the talk on the racing website was about how Golden Masterpiece would perform in this prep race.
After all, it was an important step toward claiming the third crown.
"Don't worry. I'm pretty familiar with Hanshin Racecourse."
Koichi spoke.
It wasn't as though he and Golden Masterpiece had never raced on the Hanshin track.
Once he knew a track, racing there became much less stressful.
"Off you go. Don't miss your flight."
"Just call me if anything comes up."
Koichi waved, then turned and climbed into the taxi he had booked.
Naturally, the Assistant had bought his plane ticket for him. He would arrive at the nearest airport around seven or eight that evening, then head straight to his accommodation and start training first thing tomorrow.
The Assistant really was excellent at scheduling.
If he had taken a morning flight, he wouldn't have been able to train at all that day.
The trip went very smoothly, without any delays.
During the flight, Koichi also had an airline meal.
By the time he arrived at the airport, Hitachi Yosuke was already waiting for him at the arrivals gate.
"Welcome to Osaka."
Hitachi Yosuke strode over and gave Koichi a hug.
They hadn't seen each other in a long time.
The last time Koichi had come here, they hadn't even switched to autumn clothes yet.
Time really flew.
"Aren't you tired? You even came all this way to pick me up."
Koichi followed Hitachi Yosuke toward