Ship and Asho

Neigh-!

One-Way Passage grew even more excited when it saw Gold Ship.

There really was a gray horse!

Neigh-?

Gold Ship showed no fear when the other horse walked straight over.

It had never been afraid of anyone in its life.

This one just seemed a little strange.

Sniff-

One-Way Passage came closer and took a deep sniff.

Life with Gray Coat around was simply wonderful.

It would be even better if this gray horse could live in the stall next door.

"If everything's all right, we'll be heading off."

Seeing the two horses at a standstill, Koichi took hold of Gold Ship's reins.

This had been nothing more than a chance encounter.

Neigh-

After taking a few steps, Gold Ship glanced back at the other horse.

One-Way Passage had left it with a fairly good impression.

"We'll be off, then."

Ayumu Kusakawa naturally didn't want anything to happen between the two racehorses, either.

Whichever one got into trouble, it wasn't something he could afford to take responsibility for.

The two of them chatted as they walked.

"I didn't expect you to know about One-Way Passage."

Ayumu Kusakawa still sounded a little surprised.

Judging by its recent training, this new two-year-old really was quite capable.

"I'd heard about it from someone. I didn't expect to run into it today. Quite a coincidence."

Koichi stroked Ship's nose.

Perhaps.

This was a kind of fate, too.

"It's good that you're thinking along those lines. You can't focus on just one racehorse, after all. Getting more experience now is a good thing."

Ayumu Kusakawa continued.

In his view, Golden Masterpiece was strong, but it couldn't keep looking out for his nephew forever.

As a professional jockey, Koichi would certainly have to keep looking for his next mount.

"For now, I still need to focus on Ship. It'll be taking its Ability Test soon, then preparing for the two-year-old Newcomer Race."

Riding other people's racehorses paid well, but ultimately, it meant working for someone else.

Once he had paid off his loan, Koichi would definitely ride other racehorses.

As someone who had transmigrated, he remembered all the outstanding racehorses of the next few years.

For a jockey, that knowledge was an invaluable asset.

However good a jockey was, there was only so much he could do if the horse itself lacked ability.

"I'll keep an eye out for you at the ranch, then. If there are any good racehorses, I'll let you know."

Ayumu Kusakawa could feel that the boy in his family had grown up.

They hadn't talked much, but he could tell Koichi already had clear goals and plans.

Those years away really had helped him mature.

"Sorry for the trouble, Uncle."

Neigh-?

As they walked on, the two of them ran into Golden Masterpiece, which was just heading out to pasture.

The two brothers came face-to-face.

Neigh-

Gold Ship began sizing up the other horse.

It really had met quite a few fellow horses today.

This one, though, gave it a distinctly intimidating feeling.

"Koichi, did you come to get your horse shod?"

There were only so many reasons he would bring his own racehorse over.

"Yes. We were just about to head back."

Koichi waved to Golden Masterpiece.

It had been a while since they had seen each other.

He had been busy training Gold Ship at Hokkai Ranch, while Asho had been happily resting.

It's put on quite a bit of weight.

Neigh-!

The moment Golden Masterpiece saw Gold Ship, it adopted a threatening stance.

It couldn't stand anything bigger than itself!

Snort-

Gold Ship looked at the smaller chestnut horse, making it clear that it couldn't be bothered with the other horse.

This fellow wouldn't stand a chance against it.

"Asho, this is your little brother. This is your first time meeting."

Hitachi Yosuke pulled hard on the reins.

Golden Masterpiece was particularly fond of intimidating other horses.

Of course.

If it failed to scare the other horse, it would turn cowardly.

"Asho, I'll come see you again in a few days. Get plenty of rest until then."

Koichi gave it a quick once-over.

It had certainly gained plenty of weight, though it had also put on quite a bit of muscle.

In his original world, Gold Ship and Golden Masterpiece had indeed faced each other once, and that race had ended in an overwhelming victory for Golden Masterpiece.

In the final stretch, Golden Masterpiece had left Gold Ship eight lengths behind.

Neigh-

Seeing that the other horse was ignoring it entirely, Golden Masterpiece lost interest in Ship.

Clip-clop-

It pawed the ground a couple of times. Time to get back to resting.

As for Koichi, all that mattered was that he kept the carrots coming.

"We'll be off, then."

Seeing Golden Masterpiece grow impatient, Hitachi Yosuke didn't linger.

He couldn't afford to upset this demanding fellow.

"Bye!"

Koichi nodded.

Today really was a lucky day for chance encounters.

First he had met One-Way Passage, and then he had run into Golden Masterpiece on the way back.

Hokkai Ranch.

"Young Master Koichi."

"Take Ship back to the stable first. It still has a training session this afternoon."

Koichi swung down from the horse and handed the reins to Miku Kuchiki.

Today had given Gold Ship a little break.

Their recent training had indeed been fairly intense, but it was all preparation for the qualification test.

"All right. Ship, let's go back and rest."

After studying on her own for so long, Miku Kuchiki could now be considered a reasonably competent stable hand.

Neigh-

Gold Ship glanced at Koichi, then headed toward its stall.

Today had been quite an unusual day.

Although there were a few horses at their ranch, it had never interacted with them.

With Gold Ship taken care of, Koichi went to find his trainer.

"Still working on the data?"

As soon as he entered, Koichi saw Megumi Mitsumori typing rapidly.

"What do you think? This data gives us all a useful reference."

She rolled her eyes at Koichi.

Still, she had to admit that the suggestions Koichi had given her were pretty much on the mark.

Based on her experience, there certainly wouldn't be any major problems with developing Gold Ship in the direction Koichi had suggested.

But how it performed on the track wasn't something she could decide.

Racehorses had tempers and minds of their own, too.

"Its shoes have been changed, and its training is pretty much there. Why don't we sign up for an Ability Test and see how it goes?"

Koichi asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Over the coming days, he would still need to keep working on his partnership with Golden Masterpiece. He certainly had plenty of shortcomings when it came to experience.

But that experience book really had given him quite a few new ideas.

"Let's wait a few more days. It needs some time to get used to its new shoes, after all."

Megumi Mitsumori opened the registration website for the upcoming Ability Test.

Each test generally involved two racehorses.

That would certainly be a challenge for Ship, since it had never run alongside another horse before.

(End of chapter)