When Yugi had still been at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy, he had promised Oguri Cap that he would visit her home one day.
Since it was a proper home visit, he could not show up empty-handed.
That would have been far too rude.
But choosing the right gift for a middle-aged woman proved surprisingly difficult for the young trainer.
“Should I ask Sachiko-san?” The idea popped into his head and vanished just as quickly.
“If I ask her, Sachiko-san will definitely get the wrong idea,” he thought, shaking his head.
He stuffed another slice of bread into his mouth.
After thinking it over, Yugi realized there was no one at the inn he could comfortably ask.
“I guess I will just head out and look for inspiration once Oguri Cap and Berno Light go to the swimming pool later.”
===
Sapporo, the largest city and administrative center of Hokkaido, offered plenty of shopping districts.
Yugi took a JR train from Biratori Town and reached Sapporo after a little over an hour.
Although the city had many malls, most of the major ones clustered in two main areas.
One of them sat right around Sapporo Station.
That was exactly where Yugi planned to find a suitable souvenir today.
“Something small would be best.
If I buy anything large, I would not even know where to send it.” He muttered to himself.
After all, Oguri Cap had not yet given him her home address.
While riding the JR train, he had settled on cosmetics after careful thought.
If he was buying cosmetics, the most convenient spot near Sapporo Station was the Daimaru Sapporo Store.
After getting off at the station, Yugi walked three minutes and arrived at his destination.
The Daimaru Sapporo Store had seven floors, each with its own category of goods.
The first floor handled cosmetics and jewelry.
No stairs needed.
Yugi began browsing right away.
A young man shopping alone on the cosmetics floor stood out quite a bit.
Everyone else was either with a companion or a single girl.
In this setting, he felt completely out of place.
“I should just buy what I need and leave quickly.” With that thought, Yugi selected a Tiffany Gold Rose hand cream, asked the clerk to wrap it in an elegant gift box, and prepared to head out.
But the moment he slipped the packaged box into his bag and turned around, the corner of his trench coat was gently pinched by a hand as pale and smooth as ivory.
Yugi frowned, easily freed the fabric, and looked at the person who had stopped him.
It was a young gray Uma Musume holding the hand of an even smaller gray Uma Musume.
Seeing the panicked look on the little one’s face, Yugi’s tone softened at once.
“Sorry, I do not have any extra money right now either.”
He pulled a Hideyo Noguchi bill from his wallet and tried to hand the one-thousand-yen note to the girl who had tugged his coat.
Clearly, he had mistaken her gesture for a silent request for help.
To his surprise, the older gray Uma Musume shook her head and gently pushed the money back.
“I am not begging.
I just wanted to ask you something, sir.”
Her accent sounded familiar to Yugi.
“She is from America, just like me,” he realized.
Out loud he asked, “Is there something I can help with?”
The gray Uma Musume held out the hand of the smaller girl she was guiding.
“My name is Kurofune.
This child got separated from her family.
I have been trying to help her find her mother, but we still have not had any luck.”
Kurofune glanced at her watch.
“I need to meet my own family back at the station soon.
I heard your accent and it sounded familiar, so I took the chance to bother you.”
Yugi’s eyes flickered.
“Are you not worried I might kidnap her?
Would it not be better to ask the police for something like this?”
Kurofune turned her head slightly.
“I do not have the best impression of American police, so…”
“Sometimes it is similar here in Japan too,” Yugi replied, not denying it.
Even the Japanese media often criticized the situation.
“Actually, you could just use the store’s broadcast system to make an announcement,” the saleswoman behind the counter kindly suggested.
“Uh…” Perhaps he had been away from big cities for too long.
Yugi had completely overlooked the simplest solution.
Thanks to the store’s public announcement, the little gray Uma Musume was soon reunited with her mother.
“Hehe, thank you, big brother and big sister!” The petite Uma Musume spoke up for the first time.
Her voice was as clear and sweet as a lark, every bit as adorable as her appearance.
“I am glad you found your family,” Yugi said calmly.
Holding his bag, he gave her mother a polite nod.
“Madam, young lady, goodbye.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
With that, he turned and left the broadcast area.
To him, the brief encounter had not been much help at all and would probably fade from memory quickly.
Watching Yugi’s hurried departure, the petite gray Uma Musume pouted.
“Curren did not even get big brother’s name.”
“Indeed,” Kurofune narrowed her eyes as she watched him disappear into the crowd with the others.
“Is he also traveling from America, just like me?”
Curren’s mother reached out and gently ruffled her daughter’s hair.
“If it is meant to be, you will meet again someday.”
“Mm!
Curren understands!” The small gray Uma Musume nodded vigorously.
Yugi put the short interlude at Daimaru Sapporo Store out of his mind.
He took the JR Hokkaido train back to Biratori Town and walked to the hot spring inn.
At that moment, Sachiko-san was directing the staff as they set up the dining room for the evening rush.
“Yamoto-kun, did you go shopping in Sapporo?” Sachiko-san spotted the bag in his hand at a glance.
“Yes, I picked up a few things,” Yugi answered vaguely.
Sachiko-san did not press him.
She simply smiled and nodded.
Once Oguri Cap and Berno Light returned from the swimming pool, they changed back into casual clothes and sat across from Yugi, who was enjoying a plate of the inn’s special fried fish.
After his two Uma Musumes had settled down, Yugi spoke up slowly.
“Tomorrow’s daytime training is canceled.”
“Eh?” Both Oguri Cap and Berno Light looked confused.
“Did I not mention it back at Kasamatsu?
We are going to visit Oguri Cap’s family,” the young man explained.
“Oh, right.
You did say that,” Oguri Cap realized.
“So tomorrow, Oguri Cap, I will need you to show us the way.” Yugi turned to the gray Uma Musume on his team.
“I am looking forward to meeting your mother.”
“Mm.” Oguri Cap nodded softly.
Yugi could hear a hint of shyness in her voice, but he did not think much of it.
It seemed perfectly normal.
Oguri Cap came from a very ordinary family.
This was probably the first time she had ever brought friends and her trainer home, so a little embarrassment made sense.
“I wonder what kind of person Oguri Cap’s mother is,” Yugi thought to himself.
“I remember it is a single-parent household.
Maybe she is quite strict?”
Without realizing it, the young man projected some of his own experiences onto the mother he had never met.
===
The next day, Yugi and Berno Light followed Oguri Cap on the trip to her family home.
There was no public transportation from Yukara Hot Spring Inn to Oguri Cap’s house in the Hidaka District, so Yugi borrowed a car from Sachiko-san.
That way, the drive would take just a little over an hour.
“It is a good thing the trainer has a driver’s license.
Otherwise we would have needed a taxi,” Berno Light said, relieved.
“That would have cost a fortune.”
“Probably well into six figures,” Yugi replied casually.
“Prices are not cheap these days.”
“That would be too much,” Oguri Cap thought to herself from the passenger seat.
As they approached the Hidaka District, Yugi glanced at the gray Uma Musume beside him.
Her expression looked visibly tense.
She was clearly nervous.
“Everyone feels anxious when heading home,” he thought.
“If we had come right after winning the Hokkaido Yushun Himba, Oguri Cap would probably feel a lot more confident.
But then again…”
He glanced at his wallet, then focused back on the road.
When the three of them finally arrived at Oguri Cap’s house, Yugi was stunned.
Even though he had known her family situation was difficult, he had not expected it to be this bad.
“Even if they tore the whole place down right now, it would not feel like a waste at all,” he thought, the words slipping out under his breath.
Yugi glanced at Oguri Cap and saw that she looked just as shocked.
“I clearly mailed all the prize money home…” Oguri Cap mumbled.
“Why did Mom not get anyone to repair it?”
Yugi did not know the answer either.
But he knew he could not just stand there.
Clearing his throat, Yugi took the neatly packaged gift box from his bag, held it in one hand, and stepped forward to knock on the door.
“May I ask who it is?” A rather weak voice came from inside.
“Hello, madam?
This is Oguri Cap’s home, correct?” Yugi answered clearly.
Today I have brought Oguri Cap and another Uma Musume under my care.
Sorry for the sudden visit.”
“Eh?
Is this the trainer Oguri mentioned?” The woman inside sounded surprised.
She quickly opened the door.
What greeted Yugi was a tired, haggard face.
It was obvious the woman had been doing heavy labor for a long time.
“Hello, madam!” Yugi bowed deeply in proper Japanese fashion.
“I am Oguri Cap’s trainer.
My name is Yamoto Yugi.”
He then handed over the gift he had prepared for Oguri Cap’s mother.
“Oguri she—” After accepting the box, Oguri Cap’s mother nervously started to ask about her daughter, but before she could finish, Oguri Cap stepped out from behind Yugi.
“Mom!” Oguri Cap waved and rushed forward, throwing herself into the woman’s arms.
After Berno Light introduced herself, Oguri Cap’s mother introduced herself as White Sapphire and invited all three of them inside.
The interior was only slightly better than the outside.
At that moment, the most elegant thing in the entire house was probably the gift box Yugi had just given her.
“I am sorry our home is so simple.
It must be embarrassing for you, Yamoto-kun,” White Sapphire said with an apologetic smile after serving them cold water.
“It is alright,” Yugi grinned and took a sip from the cup.
“I grew up and studied in America, so I am used to drinking cold water.”
White Sapphire looked relieved.
She knew the young man in front of her was now responsible for almost everything in her daughter’s life at Kasamatsu, and she did not want him to form a bad impression.
Most of the conversation between Yugi and White Sapphire centered on Oguri Cap.
From her birth and the diagnosis of stiff legs, to the many doctors they had consulted, and finally the daily massages recommended by a trainer in Hokkaido that had gradually eased the problem over the years.
After that, she had attended regular school until a teacher suggested applying to Tracen Academy.
She had chosen Kasamatsu because the tuition was the most affordable, which was why she had traveled all the way from Hokkaido.
“It is Oguri’s good fortune to have met you, Yamoto-kun.
And to trouble you with this visit… I truly hope you will continue to look after her.” White Sapphire stood up, ready to bow.
Yugi stood as well and gently stopped her.
“Mrs.
White Sapphire, there is no need for that.
To me, Oguri Cap is a very important part of my team.
I also need her success to establish myself in Central.”
“And during this trip to Hokkaido, Oguri Cap and I have something very important to do.” Yugi paused, took a ticket from his wallet, and handed it to her.
“This is…” White Sapphire looked at the Monbetsu Racecourse staff pass valid until early September.
“On August 30th this year, Oguri Cap will challenge her first major race at Monbetsu Racecourse,” Yugi explained to the puzzled woman.
“With this pass, Mrs.
White Sapphire, you can enter and leave the racecourse freely.
I hope the person who matters most in her life can be there in person to watch Oguri Cap’s first big challenge.”
“Will it really not cause any trouble for Oguri?” White Sapphire asked nervously.
Although she had a wonderful daughter, she had never had the chance to watch a race at the track before.
“It will not,” Oguri Cap spoke up.
A strong flame of determination burned in her eyes.
“I will give everything I have so Mom can see it.”
“Then I will go.” Since it would not affect her daughter negatively, White Sapphire had no reason to refuse.
After that, Yugi found a polite excuse to step outside, leaving the indoor space to Oguri Cap and her mother.
Berno Light was thoughtful enough to follow him.
“The trainer really thinks of everything,” the chestnut-haired Uma Musume complained lightly.
“I am starting to wonder if he even arranged Aunt White Sapphire’s accommodation back in Kasamatsu.”
“No, not that,” Yugi said with a small pout.
“I do not think Mrs.
White Sapphire would necessarily want to move to Kasamatsu.”
She had even redirected the prize money Oguri Cap sent for house repairs.
Yugi sensed there was more to the story.
Meanwhile, inside the house, White Sapphire handed Oguri Cap a handmade wallet.
“Here are the deposit slips for the two prize monies you sent me, Oguri.”
“Mom… did I not tell you this money was for repairing the house?” Oguri Cap frowned, unwilling to take the wallet.
“Anyway, I am used to living here.
What is the point of repairs?” White Sapphire waved her hand.
“Compared to that, you need this money more, Oguri.
Take good care of yourself.”
“Mom…?” Oguri Cap tilted her head, her face full of confusion.
“Opportunities that should be seized must be seized,” White Sapphire said earnestly, patting her daughter’s shoulder.
===
After leaving Oguri Cap’s house, Yugi noticed that Oguri Cap’s expression looked a little strange.