"Assistant, what are you doing here?"
Hitachi Yosuke had just stepped outside when he spotted Ayano Aoe's assistant.
"Obviously, the young lady has something to discuss with Sasaki."
The assistant standing by the door glanced at him.
Wasn't her reason for being here obvious?
The young lady had finished her latest work and come over to see Golden Masterpiece.
Of course, her main purpose was still...
"Oh, I see."
Hitachi Yosuke stole a glance at the room next door.
It looked as though their trip was doomed again.
With the young lady here, there was no way the two of them could go out and have fun.
Plans really couldn't keep up with changes. The travel itinerary he had put so much effort into was finished, just like that.
"Let's go. We can take a look around Osaka while we're here."
Ayano Aoe emerged from the room next door, dressed in casual sportswear and sunglasses.
The business negotiations had gone quite smoothly, so she could take this opportunity to get out for a while.
After considering her options, she still found Koichi Sasaki the most agreeable company.
She had never seen the cherry blossoms in Osaka before.
"Young lady, shouldn't we go see Golden Masterpiece first?"
Koichi, who had been all set to enjoy his time off, felt rather helpless.
No one had expected Ayano Aoe to arrive so suddenly.
He had thought it was Hitachi Yosuke knocking on the door. Given the circumstances, he could only apologize to his good friend.
"We can see Golden Masterpiece when we get back. If we don't leave now, all the spots will be taken."
Ayano Aoe shook her head.
Cherry blossom viewing was generally first come, first served. There was only so much space, and she was determined to claim a good spot.
As for everything else, she could leave the preparations to her assistant.
"Then shall I go get everything ready, young lady?"
"Yes, go ahead. Get it done as quickly as possible."
"Yes!"
The assistant turned and ran off.
She didn't dare delay the young lady's orders for even a moment.
"Yosuke, looks like we'll have to leave it until next time."
Koichi took the opportunity to sidle up to his friend and whisper in his ear.
If things went smoothly, their next chance would be in Tokyo.
"Understood."
Hitachi Yosuke knew what mattered most.
It looked as though he would be spending another day with Golden Masterpiece.
"Young lady, I'll go check on Golden Masterpiece at the stables, then."
"All right. Keep a closer eye on things for the next little while."
Only then did Ayano Aoe notice that someone else was standing nearby.
The race was coming up soon, so naturally, Golden Masterpiece needed to be kept in peak condition.
Koichi waved goodbye to his friend.
He had even booked a table at Haidilao yesterday for today. Was he supposed to go eat hot pot alone?
"Let's head out too. We'll take my car."
Ayano Aoe checked her watch as she spoke.
She felt there was quite a lot she needed to discuss with Sasaki about this race.
Compared with the jockeys last time, this lineup was clearly far more star-studded.
The one they needed to watch most closely was the second favorite, Soaring, whose jockey was none other than the famous Yutaka Take.
"Okay."
Koichi was already used to this sort of thing.
Back at the ranch, Ayano Aoe would come chat with him whenever she had nothing to do.
By the time the two reached the entrance, the assistant was already waiting there.
"Morning, sir."
"Good morning, Sasaki."
Koichi had become familiar with Ayano Aoe's driver, too.
The driver greeted him, then bowed and opened the rear door.
Although the door was automatic, the proper formalities still had to be observed.
"Get in."
"Okay."
Koichi looked at the black sedan.
It was exactly the same, that was all he could say.
By the time Koichi arrived, most of the spots really had been taken.
Ayano Aoe finally found a place on the outskirts.
Then she sent her assistant off alone to buy food. They had only brought a picnic blanket and hadn't bought anything to eat.
"I'm sure you've gathered all the information for this race already, but the one I want to discuss is still the second favorite, Free Flight."
Ayano Aoe picked up a fallen petal from the ground.
Cherry blossoms were most beautiful not in full bloom, but in the instant they fell and scattered on the wind.
"I'll keep an eye out during the race."
Koichi nodded.
The famous offspring of Deep Impact-Yutaka Take.
If Ryuji Wada was a shooting star, then Yutaka Take was a jockey who consistently ranked near the top.
He was a veteran of the golden age, after all.
"Naturally, we won't demand too much of you this time. A top-three finish will be enough."
Ayano Aoe narrowed her eyes.
There were simply too many formidable opponents this time. If Koichi Sasaki could still finish in the top two, it would mean that choosing him really had been the best decision heaven could have granted them.
As for public opinion, she was naturally working behind the scenes to manage it.
But Sasaki didn't seem to pay much attention to any of that. He spent all day training with Golden Masterpiece.
"If possible, I'd still like to take first."
Koichi still hoped he and Asho could seize first place.
The fifty-five million in prize money and ten lottery draws were simply too tempting.
He certainly wasn't willing to give them up easily.
Still, the young lady didn't seem very optimistic about their chances this time.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have said something like that.
"Very good. Let's have something to eat first."
Ayano Aoe smiled faintly.
People had to have some ambition.
She had initially thought she was putting too much pressure on him.
Just then, the assistant returned with the snacks she had bought.
Naturally, everything she bought was something her young lady liked.
It seemed the young lady and Sasaki were enjoying their conversation.
"This snack is delicious. When I was little, I always had someone secretly buy it for me."
Ayano Aoe began recommending her favorites.
Good things were always meant to be shared.
"I happened to run into Wada a few days ago, so we had a run together."
After finishing their food, the two naturally continued chatting.
"Ryuji Wada? He is competing in this race."
Ayano Aoe thought back.
She had indeed seen his name on the entry list.
When Ryuji Wada first debuted, he hadn't been as composed as Sasaki. In quite a few races, he had lost first place because he accelerated too early.
But in 2000, they had been the strongest pairing.
"Yes. I originally thought I wouldn't meet him until the race."
Koichi spoke as he watched the drifting cherry blossoms.
He was quite eager to experience competing against him on the same stage.
"This is practically a major fan meetup."
Ayano Aoe found that sort of scenario rather interesting.
Wada, I'm your fan.
But in terms of ability, the Racehorse Ryuji Wada was riding wasn't even among those she was watching.
"Oh, young lady, I booked a table for lunch. Would you like to come along?"
Koichi checked the time.
Japan had hot pot too, but the style was completely different.
It wasn't often that he got to have it, so naturally, he didn't want to pass up this opportunity.
"That's fine with me. I'm free all day today."
Ayano Aoe stretched languidly.
She did give Koichi Sasaki quite favorable treatment.
(End of chapter)
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