After viewing the cherry blossoms, the group headed into downtown Osaka.
But since they had only reserved a private room for two, Assistant and the driver would have to find their own lunch.
"Well then, Young Lady, we'll have a look around nearby."
Assistant glanced at Koichi Sasaki.
She had never expected Sasaki to book a Chinese restaurant, let alone reserve only two seats.
"Go ahead. Come back once we've finished eating."
Ayano Aoe was reading a Haidilao flyer.
She had never tried any of these dishes.
They had finished viewing the cherry blossoms that morning, and after lunch, she definitely wanted to visit Golden Masterpiece.
Of course, Dream Journey would also be coming over in a few days to start getting used to the track.
She would be working here during that time as well.
Assistant and the driver exchanged a glance.
In that case, they could only head out to hunt down some food themselves. Finding something good in an unfamiliar place was no easy task.
Time to go, time to go.
"Is the food here any good?"
"It's pretty decent. I've eaten here a few times in Tokyo."
Koichi nodded.
He had originally planned to come with Yosuke, but his companion had ended up being Ayano Aoe instead.
Fortunately, he had booked a private room this time.
"A table for two?"
"Yes, we have a reservation."
Koichi nodded, then took out his phone.
Meanwhile, Ayano Aoe looked around curiously at the decor.
It was her first time eating somewhere like this.
"All right, please follow me."
The waitress gave the two of them a quick once-over.
They seemed to be tourists.
They didn't look like Osaka locals, and she thought they might even be celebrities.
Ordinary customers wouldn't be wearing sunglasses in spring, after all.
"All right."
Koichi glanced at his Young Lady, then quickly followed the waitress.
The private room.
"I never knew a hot pot could be divided into so many little compartments."
Ayano Aoe was quite interested in food from other countries.
But she ate French cuisine more often.
"Young Lady, do you eat spicy food?"
"A little is fine. You can order everything else."
Ayano Aoe had eaten sukiyaki before, so she was somewhat familiar with this way of eating.
This time, she would just handle the eating.
"All right, I'll order the soup bases first. Is there anything you can't eat, Young Lady?"
Koichi picked up the ordering device beside him.
Apps in Japan were still rather slow to develop in this area. People generally ordered verbally or used an ordering machine by the entrance.
"No. Just order plenty of meat. You can't eat too much lately, though."
Naturally, Ayano Aoe was also here to keep an eye on her jockey.
Koichi Sasaki couldn't afford to gain any more weight.
"Uh, I've actually lost quite a bit of weight lately."
Koichi gave a dry cough.
With the skills he now possessed, he didn't have to live the hard life other jockeys did at all.
Those jockeys looked utterly content just eating a burger as a cheat meal.
He could indulge his stomach and taste buds to the fullest.
"I'm going to wash my hands first. No sneaking any of those snacks."
"..."
Although the hot pot hadn't arrived yet, Ayano Aoe had already taken a particular liking to the complimentary snacks.
Everyone liked sweet things.
Ayano Aoe was quite satisfied with her lunch at Haidilao.
Although Koichi had to teach her how to eat everything, she found it rather fun.
Her only regret was not getting to try the spicy hot pot. That could wait until her next trip to Tokyo.
"Young Lady."
Yosuke, who had already been waiting at the stables, hurried over at a jog.
After greeting the Young Lady, he turned a resentful gaze on his good friend.
He had spent yet another day with Golden Masterpiece, while Koichi had gone cherry blossom viewing and eaten delicious food at a restaurant.
"Yes, Golden Masterpiece really is in good condition."
Ayano Aoe was just about to reach out and touch Golden Masterpiece's nose when the horse dodged her hand.
Still the same as ever.
"Asho."
Seeing Golden Masterpiece's ears move, Koichi called out from the side.
It looked as though Asho was in a bad mood today because the horse hadn't been taken out for a walk.
Neigh-
Golden Masterpiece whinnied, then turned and walked toward the window at the back.
The horse didn't want to bother with anyone today.
"Still just the same as before. Let's leave it there for today."
With her horse refusing to acknowledge her, there wasn't much Ayano Aoe could do.
She certainly wasn't going to demand that a racehorse greet her.
As long as the horse ran well in this race, that was enough.
"Young Lady, Asho is just in a bit of a bad mood today."
As the groom, Hitachi Yosuke hurried to explain.
"It's fine. I won't take it to heart."
Ayano Aoe waved a hand and walked out.
Some other matters had suddenly come up, and she had no time to linger here.
She would leave the rest to Sasaki.
"Goodbye, Young Lady!"
Seeing that she wasn't staying any longer, Koichi waved from behind her.
She's finally gone.
"So, Koichi, how was the food today?"
Hitachi Yosuke nudged his friend with an elbow.
With Golden Masterpiece in such a bad mood today, he had suffered quite a bit too.
"Pretty good... I really didn't do it on purpose this time. Who knew the Young Lady would suddenly come to my room? I thought you were the one knocking."
Koichi offered another explanation.
With all the running around, the day was almost over.
Going to see the cherry blossoms now was definitely out of the question.
"It's not like I'm that petty."
Hitachi Yosuke rolled his eyes.
This really had been an unexpected turn of events, so they would have to wait until next time.
Next time would be the Satsuki Sho at the end of April.
Whether they could even compete without a hitch was still an open question. The last victory in Kyoto had already shocked him.
"Don't worry about anything else for now. Focus on training and getting ready for the race."
"No problem. I'll spend some more time studying our opponents tonight."
Koichi nodded.
That had also been the main thing Ayano Aoe talked about when she took him out today.
He certainly needed to take this more seriously. After all, the veterans who had been racing for so long were no pushovers.
Of course.
He felt that they hadn't taken him, a newcomer, seriously either. What they feared more was Golden Masterpiece's own ability.
That was a good thing for him too.
The more others underestimated him, the more opportunities he would have.
Neigh-
Once Ayano Aoe had left, Golden Masterpiece turned around again.
She's finally gone.
Then the horse glanced at Koichi a few times and started drinking water.
As for what exactly Koichi had gone off to do today, Golden Masterpiece had no interest.
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(End of chapter)
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