Hanshin Racecourse.
"The cherry blossoms are gorgeous-"
Hitachi Yosuke sighed in admiration as he looked at the cherry blossoms around the racecourse.
The blossoms naturally opened in Kyushu first, then gradually worked their way north.
Hokkaido, where they lived, was the last.
"Let's get the work done first. We've got plenty of time on this trip."
Koichi jumped out of the car.
The first thing he did was stretch his somewhat stiff body.
They had spent another whole day traveling. After landing at Itami Airport, they had taken a car straight to Hanshin.
"All right, I'll go get Asho first, then. See you tonight."
Hitachi Yosuke thought that made sense.
His livelihood mattered more, after all.
He would go tend to His Lordship Golden Masterpiece first.
"Okay, I'll take a walk around the area. Just call if anything comes up."
Koichi waved and headed toward the river beside Hanshin Racecourse.
Most of these racecourses were built beside rivers, so he could go over there and shoot some cherry blossom videos for Mirai.
It had already been dark when they arrived in Kyoto last time, but this time it was only afternoon. He definitely had enough time.
He would have a look around first.
As for their accommodations, he had already looked up the location on his navigation app.
He wasn't Megumi Mitsumori, who could get lost even with navigation on her phone.
Neigh-!
Golden Masterpiece threw his front legs high into the air the moment he came off the vehicle.
Fortunately, Hitachi Yosuke hurried forward and caught hold of the reins.
"Asho, Asho, it's all right. I'm here."
Good thing he had quick reflexes.
He hadn't expected Golden Masterpiece to pull such a big stunt right after unloading.
If the staff nearby hadn't moved away quickly, he really would have crashed into them.
Snort-!
Only after hearing that familiar voice did Golden Masterpiece calm down a little.
Yet another unfamiliar place.
"Are you looking for Koichi? He just went out."
Seeing Golden Masterpiece looking around, Hitachi Yosuke asked quietly.
The two of them had seen each other when they got off the plane.
Neigh-
Golden Masterpiece indicated that he wasn't particularly eager to see his personal carrot dispenser.
"So you really are looking for him."
Hitachi Yosuke burst out laughing.
Even his previous jockeys had never received this kind of treatment.
Take this!
Golden Masterpiece showed him no mercy, lifting a front hoof and stamping toward his foot.
Did he look like someone who couldn't live without his carrot dispenser?
Fortunately, Hitachi Yosuke had long since mastered the art of dodging.
After getting out of the way, he let out a soft breath.
He knew Golden Masterpiece all too well.
The antics of the man and horse left the staff around them staring in bewilderment.
What a strange racehorse and groom.
No wonder Golden Masterpiece's jockey was even stranger, winning a Grade 3 race on his debut.
"Mr. Hitachi, let's head to the stables first."
In the end, a staff member couldn't help speaking up.
There were so many people waiting here.
"Sorry, sorry."
Only then did Hitachi Yosuke realize what he was doing, lowering his head apologetically.
"It's fine, it's fine. Let's get going."
Clip-clop, clip-clop-
Led by Hitachi Yosuke, Golden Masterpiece headed toward his temporary quarters.
Everything in the stall had already been prepared, so the racehorse could move straight in upon arrival.
The horses already in the stables all poked their heads out.
They were quite curious about their new companion.
"Let's get started."
Hitachi Yosuke rolled up his sleeves, then began filling Golden Masterpiece's water and grooming him.
"This place really is out of the way. There isn't even a convenience store."
After walking for a while, Koichi still hadn't found a single convenience store.
In the end, he could only buy a bottle of sugary happiness from a roadside vending machine.
Chilled drinks were available all year round.
Beep, beep, beep-
Koichi checked his phone and saw new messages in the Pipi Ship Chat Group.
The group had been set up after Ship began training.
Megumi Mitsumori: Arrived yet?
Koichi: Yeah, just got here. I'm out taking a walk. The Kansai dialect here does take some getting used to.
Megumi Mitsumori: You'll get used to it. You're only there to race anyway.
Mirai: Young master, young master, did you see the videos I sent you?
Koichi: Not yet. Give me a bit, and I'll film the cherry blossoms for you.
Mirai: Yes, please!
After walking a little farther, Koichi found that he had reached the riverside park.
Most of the videos Mirai sent him showed snippets of Gold Ship's daily life.
Of course, some also captured his goofy antics.
Although Miku Kuchiki wanted to post these videos on YouTube, she knew that Ship wasn't famous yet.
Even if she uploaded them, no one would watch.
After filming the cherry blossoms, Koichi found a bench in the park and sat down.
Quite a few children were playing on the little sandy beach with their parents.
"Are you a jockey, mister?"
Koichi had barely sat down when someone gently tugged at the hem of his clothes.
"Yeah, I am. How did you know?"
He turned around and saw the child beside him.
"I... I watched your race a few months ago. I... I wanted to cheer you on today."
The little boy holding a Deep Impact plush summoned his courage to speak.
He had only planned to come here and play with his friends today. He hadn't expected to meet Golden Masterpiece's jockey in person.
Golden Masterpiece's final sprint had been so cool!
"Thanks for your support."
Koichi crouched down and patted the boy's head.
He hadn't expected to have a fan of his own, even if the boy was only a middle schooler.
"Could I have your autograph, mister?"
After exchanging a few glances with his friends behind him, the boy took out an official Golden Masterpiece photo.
"Of course. I'll sign in the bottom-left corner, then."
"Yeah, that's fine."
Koichi naturally had no objections. He took the boy's pen and signed his name on the photo.
Merchandise like this was common, and it accounted for part of a racehorse's earnings.
He had to admit that some racing fans had impressive spending power.
Even railings damaged by a racehorse's kicks could be sold.
"Good luck in the Spring Championship, mister!"
After saying that, the boy grabbed his things and ran back to his friends.
Although his friends didn't think much of this jockey's chances,
he felt that Koichi had tremendous courage.
A newcomer winning a Grade 3 race under immense pressure was not something just anyone could achieve.
"I guess that makes him my second fan."
After watching the boy leave, Koichi sat back down on the bench.
His first fan was definitely Miku Kuchiki.
Although the boy was young, he was still quite happy to have met a fan out in the wild.
It looked like he would have to keep himself in line from now on, if only to set a good example for his two fans.
(End of chapter)
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