Hokkai Ranch, the stables.
"Are you heading out?"
"Yeah, everything's arranged over there. The car will be here soon."
Koichi looked at Gold Ship, who was lying asleep in the stall, as he spoke.
Although horses also slept standing up, they naturally lay down to sleep when they felt safe.
Sleeping standing up was mostly a way to stay safe in the wild.
"Did you like the present Mirai gave you?"
Megumi Mitsumori still wore a mask, but her cold had improved quite a bit.
Mirai had spent plenty of time discussing what present to give him, and in the end, they had decided on something with the most sentimental value.
"It must have cost quite a bit, right? It looks like she commissioned an artist specifically for it."
Koichi asked with a smile.
What he had received so far was a digital version. The finished physical piece would still take a while.
Golden Masterpiece stood on the left, Gold Ship on the right.
And he stood between the two racehorses.
Even his racing silks had been changed to the ones his family used to use.
"I don't know. Mirai found the artist herself and came up with the idea. Getting it drawn this quickly was pretty fast already."
Megumi Mitsumori shrugged.
She quite liked the picture herself.
"Yeah, the artist did a really good job. That manga style is pretty cute, too."
Koichi knew, of course, how much thought Mirai had put into it.
He would find somewhere to hang it when he got back.
"Then I won't keep you from your trip to Shadai Ranch."
Megumi Mitsumori glanced at her watch.
With Koichi helping out lately, her workload had eased considerably. After all, she used to handle many things alone.
Although Mirai always wanted to help, she didn't