After finishing his coffee, Koichi took Ayano Aoe to Gold Ship's stable.
It had been raining all day.
So Gold Ship had spent the whole day in the stable, wandering over to the window to look at the scenery outside whenever he got bored.
But compared with the morning, the rain had eased considerably. It would probably stop that night.
Even if it stopped now, though, it would not make much difference tomorrow. The moisture certainly would not all evaporate in time.
They had already prepared themselves for that, of course.
"Gold Ship, long time no see. Do you still remember me?"
Ayano Aoe greeted him first.
Compared with the Gold Ship she had seen before, he now looked much more imposing, and his muscles were firmer, too.
He really had grown quickly over the past few months.
Neigh-
Gold Ship, who had been watching the rain, turned to look at her.
Who are you?
He clearly did not quite remember her.
Meanwhile, Koichi had just finished folding up the umbrella.
This was his first time sharing an umbrella with the Young Lady. He brushed the rainwater off his shoulders.
"Would it be all right to give him a few carrots today?"
Ayano Aoe looked at Mirai as she asked.
It had been a long time since she had fed Gold Ship carrots. She felt that as long as she had carrots, he would still be willing to pay attention to her.
"No problem. He can have a little today."
Mirai spoke from beside the door.
A small snack would not cause any major problems, and Gold Ship had been maintaining very good condition lately.
"Good, then."
Ayano Aoe knew, of course, that Mirai was aware he had a race coming up.
Soon, Mirai brought over a small jar containing