Hokkai Ranch without Koichi

"Ship, stop messing around."

Megumi Mitsumori was at a loss over Gold Ship's refusal to cooperate.

They still had laps to run that afternoon, but Gold Ship was becoming increasingly unruly, refusing to cooperate no matter what they said.

When a racehorse threw a tantrum, there really was nothing the two of them could do.

Even if they brought in more people, it would be pointless as long as he refused to run.

No matter how hard Miku Kuchiki pulled, Ship remained as immovable as a mountain.

In terms of weight alone, he was more than four times heavier than his Stablehand.

Not to mention, if a racehorse kicked you during a tantrum, you could very well end up in the emergency room.

"Miku, stop pulling. Go put on your protective gear first."

Megumi Mitsumori sighed.

If Koichi were here, this problem would be easy to solve.

Gold Ship sometimes threw tantrums, but whenever Koichi was around, he could quickly sort things out.

Unfortunately, at this hour, he was probably doing laps at the training grounds.

The upcoming race was crucial for Koichi, so they certainly couldn't just call him and ask him to come back.

"All right, Megumi."

Miku Kuchiki nodded, then handed the reins to Megumi Mitsumori.

Then she jogged off and put on the heavy protective gear.

This is so heavy!

Protection came with weight.

"Be good, Ship. Our training will be over soon."

Megumi Mitsumori continued trying to coax him.

Ship's ears weren't pinned sideways either; they hadn't turned into Airplane Ears.

Simply put, he just thought this was fun. It wasn't that he didn't want to train.

"."

Clearly, these verbal appeals had no effect on Gold Ship.

He wanted a carrot from Koichi.

No carrot, no cooperation.

After all this time, he had grown familiar with everyone around him. These two definitely couldn't handle him.

"How about we have a little carrot first?"

Megumi Mitsumori suddenly had a new idea.

Koichi often gave Gold Ship a carrot as a reward.

Perhaps they could try that too.

"I'll go get a carrot."

Miku Kuchiki ran off again.

She was already used to Ship behaving this way. He had always liked teasing people, even when he was little.

Of course, Ship still knew where to draw the line.

Only when he encountered something he particularly disliked would he lash out with a flying kick.

"Want some?"

Miku Kuchiki offered the carrot directly to Gold Ship.

These carrots came from their supplier, and the ranch's other animals ate them too.

"Ship, you have to cooperate with training after you finish this."

To her, both Ship and the young master were important.

But with their ranch carrying so much debt, Gold Ship was their only hope of paying it off quickly.

Halfway through, Gold Ship realized the carrot didn't taste right.

But seeing the pitiful look on his Stablehand's face, he quickly finished it anyway.

After finishing the carrot, Ship rubbed his face against Miku Kuchiki.

In his eyes, his Stablehand was naturally the best two-legged creature in the world.

"Be good, Ship. Our race is coming up soon. Once you finish running, we'll go rest right away."

Miku Kuchiki reached out and stroked Ship's big face.

Ship really was a good boy after all.

Megumi Mitsumori didn't interrupt the two of them.

Ship really was remarkably intelligent, even if he had been a little mischievous earlier.

"Shall we get started, then?"

This time, Gold Ship didn't resist.

With Miku Kuchiki leading him, he walked straight toward the track.

If he refused, even two more people wouldn't have been enough to budge him.

"Miku, go bring all the training aids over."

Megumi Mitsumori certainly put a lot of effort into Ship's training.

Each time, she had to wear a substantial amount of added weight to match Koichi's weight.

In horse racing, the rider's weight was an important factor too.

Koichi's afternoon training mostly focused on achieving greater speed, while theirs was intended to correct some of Gold Ship's bad habits.

"I'll go right now. Ship, wait here for a moment."

Miku Kuchiki quickly took off her protective gear, then ran to fetch the equipment.

Although she had been a little tired lately, every day felt full of life.

After running for a while, Gold Ship began to protest.

But with the tack keeping him in check, he gradually adjusted to the rhythm.

Megumi Mitsumori was also steadily raising her expectations of Ship.

After the Ability Test, she wanted all the more for Ship to prove himself.

The assessments those judges had given had genuinely angered her. She felt Ship was more than capable of competing on a bigger stage. At the very least, aiming for Grade 1 should be no problem.

If Ship's bad habits went uncorrected and became ingrained, they would also place an enormous burden on Koichi.

On the racetrack, one small mistake could cost them the entire race.

As a trainer, she had to do this even if it made Ship dislike her.

Beside the track, Miku Kuchiki took out her phone to record it all.

I wonder how the young master is doing over at Aoe Ranch.

Snort!

Snort!

After two laps, Ship had lost some stamina, but he was still maintaining his speed.

Megumi Mitsumori was actually quite nervous. What if Ship suddenly got upset and threw her off...

Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.

Horse and rider successfully completed that afternoon's trial run.

Compared with their morning training, the afternoon session was indeed more tiring.

As her trainer, she had also taken on the role of exercise Jockey.

"Ship, you were amazing. Let's go back and give you a bath."

After Gold Ship had walked around the grounds for a little longer, Miku Kuchiki came over to meet them.

That brought the day's training to an end.

Fresh straw and water had already been put in his stall, and dinner would be ready in a little while.

Compared with other racehorses, Ship was certainly among the biggest eaters.

Those five hundred-plus kilograms hadn't come from nowhere, not to mention the considerable amount of training he did every day.

Gold Ship shook his head, then started walking sideways like a crab.

Nothing made him happier than being done with work.

"You did very well today."

Megumi Mitsumori wanted to stroke Ship too, but he quickly dodged her hand.

Sigh...

She sighed, then hurried after them.

Although she felt a little disappointed, she had already braced herself for it.

"Megumi, would you like to help give Ship a bath?"

Walking ahead, Miku Kuchiki suddenly turned back to ask.

She felt Megumi Mitsumori was a very responsible trainer, even if Ship might not understand that.

But at a time like this, she felt she ought to do something.

"Sure."

Megumi Mitsumori answered with a smile.

Although these tasks weren't really part of a trainer's duties, she certainly wouldn't complain about suddenly having more work.

I hope Ship won't hold a grudge.

(End of chapter)