Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 74 After the Defeat
It broke through the center of the straight line with a speed that seemed to come from another world.

Gravel splashed under the hooves as the deer-colored figure strode in pursuit.

All that was left in sight was the black and shrimp color in front of me.

He raised and lowered the whip in his hand, completely forgetting the restrictions on whipping.

Only victory——

This is a game that cannot be lost.

"Fly!"

Ochiai clenched his teeth tightly, and some indescribable emotions exploded in his chest.

"Let's fly to a broader stage with everyone's dreams!"

A push with all his might.

Three horse bodies
Two horse bodies
A horse body

A terrifying force came from the armature, almost tearing off his arms.

"Chasing from behind is the eighth class, Mejiro Sakuya! Leading the way is Mr. Caesar! Mejiro Sakuya is coming! Can Mejiro Sakuya catch up?!"

The glass in front of me vibrated slightly.

Even in the owner's room, you can feel the enthusiastic atmosphere inside the venue.

Kitano and Dr. Kobayashi pulled each other's arms and let out inexplicable roars.

In front of the railing, Tanaka and Kobayashi, who were listening to the game progress on the radio, also raised their heads.

There is absolutely no energy left.

Sure enough, this level of pushing and riding is still too difficult.

The movements of his hands were severely deformed, and his thighs could no longer support him.

Thrilling forward—

Then, he fell onto the horse's back.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

The night sky and the sand formed blurred parallel bands of color on the retina.

A black shadow cut through the curtain of interwoven light spots like a razor.

"Mr. Caesar's move!"

"Mr. Caesar of the Sixth Division! His undefeated streak continues! On the saddle is the rider Sakai Rusei!"

"The two of you, Shiro Sakuya and Eighth Division, are on the line."

The moment the result was confirmed, my fingertips unconsciously pierced into my palm.

The afterimages of summer’s echoes finally vanished like bubbles.

His upper body mechanically maintained the riding posture, and Ochiai slowly lowered his head.

Summer is over.

In the horse owner's room, Kitano and Dr. Kobayashi sighed at the same time.

Rather than being depressed, I feel more regretful.

It’s clearly right in front of me.

I couldn't help but hold my head tightly and let out a long sigh.

Even without saying it, the expression on his face right now must be filled with regret.

I drank the rest of the coffee in the cup in one gulp. It seemed to become even more bitter at room temperature.

After saying goodbye to Dr. Kobayashi, I headed towards the measurement room.

Walking out of the owner's room, I met many supporters along the way, and there were also many horse fans wearing supportive T-shirts.

"Feel sorry."

"Thanks for the support."

Kitano kept repeating these words.

Although I was feeling a little depressed, I still tried to use a gentle tone to avoid conveying my bad mood to others.

"Don't cause trouble to others" is the most common ethics in the operation of this society.

When he met Tanaka at the door of the inspection room, he also had a distressed expression on his face.

"What a pity, it's just the last bit."

I have high expectations for the strength of this horse.

It’s not so much that they don’t want to fail, but rather that they don’t want others to see them fail.

Even if the opponent is of this level, I still maintain the thought that "maybe I can succeed" until the very end.

It is precisely because of this that when the results are laid out before their eyes, they feel a sense of frustration that is too luxurious for local horses.

Ignoring the reporters around him, he bent his waist into a 90-degree right angle.

"I'm very sorry that it didn't lead to a good outcome until the end."

"No, it's nothing."

Mr. Caesar didn't actually have a very clear sense of his own strengths and weaknesses. Even his understanding of his own racehorses was based on the system's vague and undefined evaluation criteria.

To this day, Kitano still doesn't quite understand what horse racing is.

At the moment of losing the game, I just felt, "Ah, this is what horse racing is like."

As for blaming the riders and trainers who have been working hard, I don't have such an idea.

"Thanks for your care all this time."

This time, it was Kitano's turn to be the one bowing.

After that, Kobayashi, the stable attendant, led Mejiro Sakuya into the inspection room.

Unlike the warm applause for Mr. Caesar before, the crowd now heard a voice of regret.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kitano."

After getting off the horse, Ochiai had a somewhat depressed look on his face.

This was the first time I saw this serious rider express his emotions so obviously.

"No, it's a very exciting match this time."

Kitano said, putting his arm around the rider's shoulders.

Judging the quality of the competition content——

It’s not really clear.

Most of the time, one can only tell whether a rider is good or bad through the opinions of others.

Despite this, it does not affect Kitano's mood at the moment.

I only feel gratitude towards the riders who silently contribute both in training and riding.

"After you go back, have a good rest."

Leaving these words behind, he left with his somewhat heavy body.

Ochiai stared at his back in silence.

"Cheer up, Genta!"

Tanaka's words hit him like a slap in the face.

That's right, now is not the time to stop.

"I'm sorry, Master."

He exhaled slowly and raised his head.

Both the stable and the horse owner have always trusted him.

It would be unacceptable if I couldn't help but instead caused trouble.

As for horse racing itself, there is still no sign of changing views.

But as a rider, if that's all he does, he'd be totally incompetent.

You have to cheer up.

Whether now or later.

Biting Tanaka's words, he pursed his lips and strode towards the inspection room.

It was as if a gust of wind was pushing on his back.

As he watched the backs of the man and the horse disappear into the distance, Tanaka seemed to have aged several years in an instant.

"Thank you for your hard work, Ochiai."

"Thank you, Sakuya."

He said silently in his heart.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter between man and horse.

Fate has come to an end.

When the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella from Hokkaido will become Her Royal Highness the Princess.

Sure enough, I still felt reluctant when it was time to say goodbye.

But rather than saying those embarrassing words out loud, it’s better to bury them where no one can see them.

He couldn't help but wipe his nose.

The phone vibrated in my pocket.

It's a call from Hokkaido.

"Master Tanaka, Pegasus used a hoof to send Takahashi-san to the hospital."

Lakshmi’s stumbling voice came from the other side.

Sighing, Tanaka pinched his nose, which had been slightly sore not long ago, as if he had a headache.

After confirming that nothing serious happened, he hung up the phone with a frown.

"He's really a troublesome guy."

(End of this chapter)