Chapter 28: A Broken Mr. C.B., and Feelings Unspoken

"Huh? Big Sis entrusted all of us to Kitano?"

Finally, after the reporters had left, satisfied with enough news to dominate the headlines, Nakayama Festa and Gold Ship emerged from the public baths. Silence Suzuka, who had gone to find them, followed silently behind, lost in thought.

Soon, the two sisters learned the big news from Stay Gold and Kitano. Unlike Festa's serious reaction after her initial surprise, Gold Ship, after a brief pause, quickly processed it and cheered with delight:

"Does this mean Kitano-chan is my trainer now too? From now on, I can share him with Nakayama-nee, right?"

"Yay! I won! I lost the race but won at life!"

Gold Ship expressed her uncontainable joy. After all, her goal in this race was to be a "fail-safe." She wanted to ensure that either she or her sister won. Now, Stay Gold's news was the best possible outcome—she could now legitimately stay by his side, watch over him, and slowly learn everything she wanted to know.

More importantly, with her help, even if her sister's performance was unstable, there was nothing to worry about. She too could now carry his hopes.

For a moment, the smile on her disguised face widened, but in her narrowed eyes, a deep, complex emotion that no one had ever seen before flickered.

"Not just you, Golshi," Stay Gold said, her tone returning to its usual coolness. "Festa, Orfevre, even myself, and our future descendants—their only trainer will always be Trainer Kitano."

"I watched the race today. Your performance was excellent, even to my surprise. I am certain that you would never have unleashed such power if you weren't under him—that's why I made this decision."

She looked at Kitano again, a tiny smile appearing on her face. "Kitano... though we've said this before, the formalities can't be skipped."

"I have to continue my overseas expeditions. I rushed back this time, so I'll have to trouble you with these kids."

"I am their trainer. I will do my best." Having already agreed in front of the reporters, he certainly couldn't go back on his word now, not that he had any intention of doing so.

This was a great start for him. Unprecedentedly wonderful!

He had mentioned before that this was the second time Stay Gold had taken him in. But now, with Gold Ship, a six-time G1 winner in his original world, on his team, he didn't have to worry about his lifespan even if Festa performed erratically.

More importantly, he wouldn't have to worry about finding his next charge after their careers ended! This solved the awkward situation he had faced in his playthrough with C.B. This was what mattered most to him. Stay Gold's trust had essentially helped him get past the first thirty years of his life, a feat he had never achieved in N playthroughs! He had no reason to be unhappy.

However, as he accepted this wonderful start without any reservations, he failed to notice that this agreement, which essentially bound his life to the Gold Family, would cause some other familiar people to feel down.

"Congratulations, Trainer Kitano. To be entrusted with the future of an entire family of horse girls is an achievement that even many famous central trainers may not attain."

Just as he was thinking of C.B., she walked up to him. Her smile was as dashing as he remembered, still making his heart race.

And now, this horse girl, the first to ever make his heart pound, had lost all memory of their past and was sincerely congratulating him like a stranger. For a moment, even he felt a pang of melancholy, but he managed to force a smile and reply:

"Thank you for your congratulations, C.B.-senpai. Though I don't know if I'm worthy of such trust, I will do my absolute best."

"On that point, I believe in you, Trainer Kitano." Her smile showed no flaws, her tone light and cheerful. "In the future, you must take good care of the Gold Family's children. You are the only one who can unleash their potential. Don't let them think they trusted the wrong person."

"Well then, I'll be heading home now. I look forward to your future performances. Goodbye~"

With that, she waved at him and left without a hint of lingering, just like the freest of winds, kissing his cheek but taking nothing with her...

Thinking this, he couldn't help but smile self-deprecatingly. I really do have a 'heavy track' personality, don't I? Sincerely hoping she can move on after his death, yet secretly hoping he leaves a mark on her heart... how was he any different from the scumbags in those dark fanfics who wanted the heroine to regret them for a lifetime?

"Well then, we'll be taking our leave as well."

At this moment, Silence Suzuka, who had been standing with Special Week, also chose to leave with her companions. However, the moment the still-confused girl turned, both Special Week and Nakayama Festa simultaneously turned their gazes to her back.

"It's a bit sudden, but please tell me—Festa-san, how did you manage to win by taking such a huge risk?"

Festa remembered Suzuka blocking her path after she had left the bath, asking this very question. Understanding her meaning, Festa had replied coolly:

"What, captivated by my performance? If you want to know why I dared to bet my future, then I'll tell you."

"My only thought on the track was that I could not lose. I was running as that guy's only hope. That's why I dared to bet everything."

"As for you... if you don't have the courage to bet everything, why not try finding someone you absolutely cannot betray first? Then you will definitely be able to run again."

Festa knew about Suzuka's career-ending fracture. But from her question, she felt Suzuka hadn't given up hope of returning to the track.

But after saying that, seeing Suzuka lost in thought, Festa felt something was off. But she hadn't seen her act strangely familiar with Kitano like the others, so she couldn't figure out what was on her mind.

"I'm probably overthinking it... Honestly, am I getting paranoid? Why would every horse girl be interested in this guy..."

Festa shook her head helplessly. But at that moment, the image of her embrace with Kitano flashed in her mind again. After a moment of silence, she once again pulled down her knit cap to hide her expression.

But the uncontrollable smile at the corner of her mouth revealed her true feelings... This gambler's heart was truly, slowly, being pried open...

Ah, it's starting to rain. In a daze, Festa felt raindrops falling from the gloomy sky. It seemed it would soon turn into a downpour.

Lightning flickered behind the dark clouds, the wind began to howl, and the heavy rain fell, like the sky shedding endless tears, or like a certain girl's heart, which, after hitting rock bottom, was finally collapsing in a delayed wave of sorrow...

...

Mr. C.B. ran out of the racecourse. But what no one knew was that the moment she was out of sight, her jog turned into a full-on sprint.

She didn't care about the rain soaking her body, nor the cold wind. In fact, this was the perfect weather for her to run in.

She loved to run wild in the rain, as it made her feel like a carefree wind, allowing her to forget all her troubles.

But this time... it didn't seem to be working. The rain could wash the earth, but not her heart. The wind could blow away dust, but not the sadness and unwillingness welling up inside her.

And what pained her the most was that she didn't even know the source of her sadness... Just hearing the news of Kitano being "hired for life" by the Gold Family, what was this emotion that surged from her heart?

She wasn't blind. She had seen Stay Gold's provocation of Rudolf and understood why Rudolf had stormed off. In their eyes, Stay Gold's possessiveness over Kitano was barely concealed.

It was obvious that Stay Gold's purpose in bringing him into the family was not pure from the start. And to make it even more certain, she had entrusted not just the current generation, but all future generations of the Gold Family to him.

The meaning was painfully clear—Stay Gold had invited him with the intention of having descendants with him!

And now, he had stepped into the demonic den of the Gold Family, and he could never get out! This scene had been recorded by countless reporters. Tomorrow, it would be all over the headlines. Once everyone knew he was their exclusive trainer, it would be too difficult to change anything.

Have I... completely missed my chance with the man from my dreams?

Without realizing it, she had run on muscle memory, stopping in front of a Western-style house with a large ginkgo tree in the yard—her parents' home in Tokyo.

Perhaps a sad girl's subconscious had led her to her only support. Exhausted from running, she was once again plunged into an endless void. Like a walking corpse, she opened the door and stepped inside.

Click.

"Who is it—C.B.?! Why are you back? And you're soaked!"

The door had just opened when a horse girl mother who looked eighty percent like her came over, her face lighting up with joy at the sight of her proud daughter.

But soon, her mother's intuition told her something was wrong... It wasn't strange for her to run in the rain, but what was strange was that after doing so, there was no joy on her face, only a pale complexion and... a cold expression as if her heart had been stolen.

"C.B., are... are you okay?"

"...I'm fine, Mom. Can you make me a cup of hot tea? I want to stay with you for a while."

Having returned home and felt her mother's care, C.B. seemed to have recovered a little vitality, but only a little.

As she dragged her body towards the bathroom, her mother wisely said nothing more, instead looking at her husband, who had also gotten up from the sofa, feeling that something was wrong.

"...What's wrong with C.B.?"

"I don't know, but from her expression, it doesn't look good," her mother said worriedly, guessing from her intuition, "She gives me the same feeling I had the day before I eloped with you, when I tried to break up with you."

"You mean... someone deceived our C.B.?" Her father immediately understood his wife's meaning, his eyes turning sharp. He realized the seriousness of the problem.

"...It seems we need to make a trip to Tracen Academy. To see just who this person is that has broken our daughter's heart."

-------

Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!

Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA

I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (110 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (210 Chapter)

Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (210 Chapter)

MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (100 Chapter)

BLEACH: Blade of Purification (90 Chapter)

Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (250 Chapter)

My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (100 Chapter)

The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (80 Chapter)

Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(70 Chapter)

Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (50 Chapter)

Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (60 Chapter)

Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (50 Chapter)

Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (30 Chapter)

Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (50 Chapter)

If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.