You crossed Gold Ship and still think you can leave?

"Gold Ship, Gold Ship, come over and eat."

After sending Miku Kuchiki back with the bicycle, Koichi went straight to Gold Ship's private paddock.

Land in these outlying parts of Hokkaido was quite cheap. Little Gold Ship alone had a space the size of a small basketball court.

As for food, there was, of course, the mixed forage laid out on the snow.

Neigh, neigh-

Hearing there was food, Gold Ship ran straight over.

Although his owner wasn't much good, he could still make an effort when food was involved.

Seeing Gold Ship run over, Koichi opened the gate and went inside.

At one year old, Gold Ship already weighed over two hundred kilograms.

He really didn't look much smaller than the two-year-old Golden Masterpiece.

"Watch me do a magic trick for you."

Koichi circled his left hand in front of Gold Ship a few times, and a flash of light appeared.

A carrot he had won in the draw appeared in his left palm.

Utter shock!

Gold Ship really had been startled, his eyes widening.

What is that?!

"Haha. This carrot's yours."

Koichi chuckled, then held the carrot by its top and offered it to him.

Although horses were herbivores, their bite force was still terrifying. One bite could easily tear off a chunk of flesh.

Crunch, crunch, crunch-

Before long, Gold Ship had eaten the entire carrot.

Feed was their staple, while carrots like these were their favorite little desserts.

More.

Give me more.

Gold Ship thought today's carrot tasted especially good.

When Koichi still didn't give him another, he lowered his head and bit down on his clothes.

You think you can leave without giving me a carrot?

Gold Ship had turned into an equine bully.

"I really don't have any more. That was the only one."

Koichi also realized that the carrots drawn from the system seemed to have an unusual effect.

Neigh, neigh-

Gold Ship naturally didn't believe Koichi.

He had already smelled carrots.

"Gold Ship, let go of the young master! Keep this up and I'll get angry!"

Returning after putting the bicycle away, Miku Kuchiki saw this terrifying scene.

Gold Ship was biting the young master's clothes and tugging him sideways.

She couldn't help remembering an incident where a racehorse had dragged someone inside and beaten them up.

"It's fine. I'm just playing with him."

Koichi hurriedly stopped Miku Kuchiki.

The path was quite slippery. It wouldn't be good if she fell.

Snort-!

Seeing Miku Kuchiki approach, Gold Ship snorted, then let Koichi go after all.

He could still tell the difference between one full meal and regular meals.

I'm out of here.

"Gold Ship, don't you run! I'm going to teach you a proper lesson today!"

Neigh, neigh-

By the time Miku Kuchiki finished speaking, Gold Ship had already run to the center of the paddock.

He knew his groom quite well.

As long as he stayed out of her way for a while, he could still happily go back for dinner that evening.

"All right, let's head back. It'll be fine once the trainer gets here."

"Okay."

Koichi spoke as he looked at the young groom, whose face still showed traces of anger.

He had learned quite a bit from his visit to Gold Ship today.

He had originally thought the food drawn from the system was useless, but judging by Gold Ship's behavior just now, the things the system produced were highly appealing to racehorses.

Gold Ship had always been wary of him, yet a single carrot had made him bold enough to bite his clothes.

If carrots could make Golden Masterpiece behave, Koichi felt there would be nothing wrong with drawing more food.

Yawn-

Sitting on the sofa, Koichi Sasaki yawned.

He had taken care of his own work, but he couldn't neglect matters at the farm.

Now that his so-called father had run off, all these responsibilities had naturally fallen to him. Fortunately, it was winter, and there weren't any major changes at the farm.

They just needed to carry everything out according to the original plan.

"Young Master Koichi, would you like some tea?"

"Just make me a cup of instant coffee. I'm finally almost through these documents."

Koichi tossed another folder onto the coffee table.

The farm was still turning a profit, of course. After all, it had been passed down through his family for several generations.

Although his family was still in debt, he certainly needed to set aside some money for Gold Ship.

Even the strongest racehorse couldn't do without training and development.

Besides, Gold Ship's monthly feed bill was already substantial.

Another portion would naturally go toward repaying the bank loan. Once he earned some money, he would also put more than half his prize money toward it.

Fortunately, no employees had resigned after the former farm owner ran off. After all, they had worked here for so many years and knew the place very well.

The Kuchiki family, for example, had worked at this farm for generations.

Miku Kuchiki had joined the farm after finishing high school.

Unless something changed, the next generation would do the same.

"Of course. I'll get it right away."

Miku Kuchiki turned to make Koichi's coffee.

She distinctly remembered that tea used to be the young master's favorite.

Perhaps this was how living in a big city had changed him. After all, he had lived around Tokyo for so many years.

She, too, longed to visit that mysterious metropolis.

"Young master, your coffee is ready."

"If there's something you want to say, just say it. There's no one else here."

Koichi felt that Miku Kuchiki simply wasn't someone who could hide things.

One look at her face was enough to tell what she was thinking.

"Young Master Koichi, is that trainer easy to get along with?"

Miku Kuchiki was quite curious about her future immediate superior.

"Don't worry. She's pretty easy to get along with, and she's a friend of mine. If she bullies you, just tell me. Your young master will stand up for you."

Koichi winked as he spoke.

Put simply, his school and hers had only been a road apart, and they had met by chance. As for her dream, all he could say was that he hadn't thought much of her prospects back then.

But to his surprise, she had actually passed the licensing exam and become a JRA-certified racehorse trainer.

Of course, she had only obtained her license so far. His friend still had a long way to go before her career truly got off the ground.

Then, after he came home, all this had happened at the farm.

If Gold Ship was to enter JRA races after turning two, he would have to be placed under a JRA-certified racehorse trainer.

This would be a win-win for the two newcomers.

Koichi really couldn't think of any reason she would refuse.

"I'm not going to tattle."

Although Miku Kuchiki said that, she was delighted inside.

Sure enough, she still held an important place in the young master's heart.

"It's about to snow outside. Go bring Gold Ship back to the stable."

Koichi glanced out the window.

In the blink of an eye, pure white snowflakes had begun drifting down outside.

Fortunately, there was a small brazier indoors.

"Okay."

Miku Kuchiki turned and ran outside.

(End of chapter)