Problem Child

"Koichi, you really need to be careful. Golden Masterpiece has a terrible temper."

Ayumu Kusakawa looked worried.

He had no idea what the young lady was thinking. His nephew had barely escaped the wolf's den before walking straight into the tiger's lair.

When Koichi had gone to rescue the Young Lady earlier, he had nearly been scared to death. An ordinary person couldn't stop a racehorse running wild.

"Uncle, I know what I'm doing."

Koichi Sasaki smiled faintly as he changed his clothes.

He really hadn't realized earlier that this racehorse would one day become a Hall of Fame Horse in Japan.

He would earn 1.3 billion yen in prize money in Japan, along with a considerable sum in France.

The "gold" in his name naturally marked him as part of the Gold Ship Family. He shared a sire with their own Gold Ship.

But this future Hall of Fame Horse was currently in a slump, having finished tenth in that Grade 2 race in Tokyo.

Both the trainer and the ranch were deeply dissatisfied.

They had very high expectations for Golden Masterpiece.

First prize in a Grade 3 race was forty million yen, and Koichi could receive five percent of that, plus a share of the bonuses.

If he could pull it off, this would give his finances a huge shot in the arm!

"I know you're under a lot of pressure right now, but this horse is notorious for his temper. If you can't handle him, just give it up. I've already spoken to a trainer who'll give you a decent horse."

Ayumu Kusakawa naturally had no idea what his nephew was thinking.

One careless mistake could land his nephew in the hospital courtesy of Golden Masterpiece.

Besides, a Grade 3 race was far too much for a rookie jockey's debut.

"I'll head over, then. The young lady is probably waiting already."

Koichi waved and walked toward the track.

Clearly, she wanted him to give it a try first. If he performed well, he would most likely be the one riding in the upcoming race.

Let's do this!

Riding a future Hall of Fame Horse—as long as he could keep Golden Masterpiece happy, wouldn't he steamroll the competition?

"Ah..."

Ayumu Kusakawa sighed, but he could only follow him.

These young people really had never learned the hard way.

Training Center.

"Young Lady, they're here."

The bodyguard in black bowed slightly and spoke softly.

That boy had saved their lives, too. If anything had happened to the young lady, they would have been finished for good.

As the head of a business conglomerate, her father was hardly a merciful man.

"Mm, I see them. This jockey looks pretty good."

Ayano Aoe turned toward the passage beside her.

In his training clothes, Koichi Sasaki looked noticeably more handsome than he had in his casual clothes.

He wasn't heavily muscled, but the overall definition of his muscles was pleasing to the eye.

"Have them get ready."

"Young Lady, how could you let a rookie ride Golden Masterpiece?"

A middle-aged man in casual clothes strode over, looking furious.

To him, Golden Masterpiece was a horse who would someday contend in Grade 1 races.

The young lady was being utterly willful!

"Trainer Kudo, you aren't the only trainer at Aoe Ranch. After that race in Tokyo, plenty of people were unhappy with you."

Ayano Aoe made no attempt to spare his feelings.

Their ranch had two racehorse trainers from Miho. If he wasn't up to the job, she could simply hand Golden Masterpiece over to the other one.

"Young Lady, last time was just an accident."

After that blunt rebuff, Keigo Kudo lowered his head as he spoke.

There was no arguing with her position. She was the ranch's young lady, while he was merely a trainer.

If he offended her, he would never get another good horse in the future.

"Let's watch first."

Ayano Aoe turned her attention back to Koichi Sasaki.

She hoped this new jockey could give her a pleasant surprise.

"Those muscles really are incredible..."

Leading Golden Masterpiece, Koichi murmured in admiration.

No wonder people called him a racehorse who was legendary from the neck down.

Compared with Gold Ship, Golden Masterpiece wasn't particularly imposing. At 228 kilograms, he was already on the small side for a racehorse.

But as a closer, his sprint in the final stages of a race was unparalleled.

"I'm counting on you from here on out."

Koichi patted his shoulder.

His future happiness rested on this horse.

He could practically see two million yen in race winnings beckoning to him.

Neigh-

Golden Masterpiece gave him a sidelong glance.

This human actually wants to ride me? Just watch how I take him down later.

Golden Masterpiece

Age: two years

Coat: chestnut

Specialties: turf, long-distance races.

Running style: forward runner

"The track is ready. Come on over."

A staff member jogged up and waved to Koichi Sasaki.

He honestly felt bad for the boy, but there was nothing he could do.

Golden Masterpiece had sent staff members to the hospital before.

"Thank you."

Koichi vaulted into the saddle and gave the reins a shake.

Let's try a lap first.

He did know the basics of riding a racehorse.

What a polite boy.

The staff member shook his head regretfully.

For rookie jockeys, they would normally start by finding a horse with a gentler temperament.

Yet this relative of Kusakawa's was starting straight off on hell difficulty.

"Golden Masterpiece, just follow my rhythm."

When Koichi reached the starting point, he spoke softly beside the horse's ear.

Neigh-

Golden Masterpiece only wanted to run however he pleased.

Then Koichi turned his head and spotted Ayano Aoe standing nearby.

They exchanged a smile.

Serious Mode!

Koichi breathed out softly, then activated his skill.

He had known all along that Golden Masterpiece wouldn't obey. One look at his ears made that clear.

A horse's ears were fairly easy to read.

"Three, two... one, go!"

At the command, Golden Masterpiece shot forward with Koichi on his back.

Although their future races would be on turf, most of the Training Center's tracks were dirt because turf facilities were far too expensive.

It took a little more stamina, but that wasn't a major problem.

Naturally, Koichi checked Golden Masterpiece's speed as soon as he got moving.

As a horse who could both run near the front and close from behind, he had a very balanced set of abilities.

Starting too fast would only burn through too much of Golden Masterpiece's stamina.

"That was a very good start. Has he actually watched Masterpiece's races?"

Ayano Aoe called Ayumu Kusakawa over.

She genuinely hadn't expected that.

Things looked quite promising so far. If he performed well this time, letting the pair train together for two months might really produce a miracle.

"Young Lady, Koichi's father is a fan of both Stay Gold and Masterpiece. A little while ago, he even spent two hundred million yen on one of Stay Gold's offspring..."

Ayumu Kusakawa gave a bitter smile.

That incident had made his brother-in-law famous throughout Hokkaido's horse-racing industry.

Spending two hundred million yen on one of Stay Gold's offspring struck everyone as utterly absurd.

Even at tens of millions, there was a strong chance of losing money, let alone with an extra zero tacked on.

If the man hadn't run away, he really would have given his brother-in-law a thorough beating.

"I actually did hear about that."

Ayano Aoe immediately recalled the incident from a little while ago. News like that traveled quickly within the industry.

She hadn't expected this young Mr. Sasaki to be that ranch owner's son.

Then they both turned their attention back to the track.

(End of chapter)