“Onii-chan…
are you really going back to Rice’s hometown with me?” Rice Shower asked anxiously, looking up at Kouki who was standing beside her.
“That’s right.
I want to pay my respects at the grave of the kind old gentleman who brought Rice into the racing world,” Kouki replied with a warm smile.
Kouki and Rice Shower were currently standing outside a bus terminal near the train station.
As for why they were here—Hokkaido was Rice Shower’s hometown.
The two of them had taken the Shinkansen for several hours to reach Hokkaido, then transferred to local buses to make their way out here.
After waiting for about ten minutes, Kouki and Rice Shower boarded the bus.
As they rode along, they chatted casually.
Yet Kouki could clearly sense that returning to her hometown hadn’t brought Rice Shower the typical joy or nostalgia of a student coming home.
Instead, she seemed increasingly tense and nervous, keeping her head lowered much lower than usual.
If Kouki hadn’t been observing her so closely, no one else would have picked up on these subtle details.
This made Kouki sigh inwardly.
Indeed, Rice Shower’s soft, insecure personality had been heavily shaped by the environment she grew up in.
About half an hour later, Kouki and Rice Shower got off at a stop near the school.
Tobei Academy—the largest training school in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido.
This was where Rice Shower had lived and studied since she was a little girl.
“Rice’s father…
is a teacher at this school, and my mother is a former local Umamusume…” Rice Shower explained softly as she led Kouki through the campus grounds.
“Mom said that because Rice was born on the exact day my aunt got married, I was given the blessed name ‘Rice Shower’—a wish for endless blessings and happiness.” “At first, Mom and Dad hoped Rice would grow up to be a wonderful Umamusume.” “But Rice has been skinny and small ever since I was little.
Even though Rice’s training results were always very good, the other Umamusume were always chosen by Trainers first, leaving Rice as the one nobody wanted to recruit.” “So Mom had no choice but to train me herself…
but even though she used to be a strong runner, her coaching skills were very poor.” “She could only make Rice grit her teeth and endure brutal training through sheer willpower.
There were several times when Rice could barely get out of bed the next morning…” The two of them strolled slowly toward the hillside behind the school campus.
Most of the time, Rice Shower did the talking while Kouki listened quietly.
The hill behind the school was a tranquil cemetery.
Rice Shower mentioned that many people from the school were laid to rest here, including several Umamusume alumni who had competed in Tracen Central.
Her old mentor was buried here as well.
Rice Shower and Kouki eventually found his tombstone, which bore his name and a simple epitaph: *”My grandest dream was to nurture a legendary Umamusume—and half of my dream has already come true.”* — Kiyoshi Iguchi Rice Shower and Kouki wiped the dust from the tombstone and lit incense to offer their respects.
Rice Shower continued sharing memories of her past in a soft, quiet voice.
“One day, an old gentleman saw Rice running while he was walking around the school grounds.” “When Rice sat down to rest, he walked over to talk to me.” “He asked: ‘Who taught you such a dangerous way to train?!’ After Rice told him the truth, he scolded Mom severely.” At that memory, a faint, nostalgic smile touched Rice Shower’s lips.
That moment held a very special place in her heart.
“He shouted things like: ‘Harsh, reckless training like this will ruin this child’s body!’ and ‘Just because you know how to race doesn’t mean you know how to coach!’…” “When Mom explained that no Trainer was willing to take Rice, the old gentleman flew into a rage.
He even swore he would march into the principal’s office and demand that those ‘incompetent Trainers’ be fired on the spot!” “After calling the principal out and giving him a thorough scolding, the old gentleman declared that he would become Rice’s Trainer himself, and promised he would personally send Rice all the way to Tracen Central…” “Later, Rice found out that the old gentleman was actually a famous retired local Trainer.
He had only been visiting the school that day.” “But Rice made him change his mind.
He told me that Rice would definitely grow up to become a magnificent Umamusume…” “Because Rice has a big heart!” Rice Shower raised both hands high above her head, swinging her arms wide to demonstrate just how big her heart was.
Kouki couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her adorable gesture.
“Having finally found a Trainer who believed in me, Rice was so happy and worked as hard as I possibly could.” “Grandpa Trainer also said that because Rice had such a skinny and small frame, I had to put in more effort than others during daily practice.” “So while other runners trained for eight hours a day, Rice trained for twelve!” “While others ate normal meals, Rice forced herself to eat even more!” “In the end…
Rice passed the qualifications to go to Tracen Central, but…
Grandpa couldn’t come with me.” “Grandpa told me that after he passed away, Rice should bring my new Trainer back to his grave and share all of Rice’s stories with him.” “That’s why…
on that day…
Rice went looking for Onii-chan…” As Rice Shower spoke, reminiscing about that fateful day, tears began to pool in her eyes.
Rice Shower loved Kiyoshi Iguchi deeply, and she loved Kouki just as deeply.
Apart from her parents, these two men were the most important people in her life.
Yet on that exact same day, one had passed away, and the other had gotten angry at her.
For Rice Shower, that had been the single worst day of her entire life.
It hurt far more than any bullying she had experienced from other girls in her childhood.
Kouki let out a gentle sigh, repeating an action he had done countless times over the past month.
He gently wiped the tears from Rice Shower’s eyes with his thumb, stroked her head, and spoke soft words of comfort.
Over the past month, this simple gesture had always worked to cheer Rice Shower up, earning him her affection and trust.
But this time, Rice Shower couldn’t hold it together.
Her tears poured out even harder, and finally, she buried her face into Kouki’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Rice…
Rice is so scared…” “Afraid that Onii-chan will disappear just like Grandpa…
and leave Rice all alone…” “Rice can’t make anyone’s dreams come true at all…
Rice is just…” “…a skinny…
weak…
useless Umamusume…” “Rice is just a klutz who makes everyone unhappy and can’t even clean properly…” “Why…
why were Grandpa and Onii-chan…” “Why were both of you so gentle with Rice…
and so willing to believe in Rice’s future?!” “Even when…
even Mom and Dad…
didn’t believe in me!” “Rice doesn’t understand!” Crying out at the top of her lungs—this was the very first time Kouki had ever seen Rice Shower lose control of her emotions like this.
Even back when Kouki had scolded her firmly during training, Rice Shower had only quietly wiped her tears in her dorm room after practice.
Her roommate had secretly told Kouki about that.
Learning how sensitive she was, Kouki had immediately stopped scolding her during practice, choosing instead to patiently guide her until she mastered each drill.
That approach slowed down training progress, but Kouki didn’t care—if he didn’t cherish and protect his own Trainee, who else would?
Looking at the sobbing girl trembling in his arms, Kouki realized that the emotional pain and insecurity she had carried all these years were far heavier than he had ever imagined.
Kouki could only wrap his arms tightly around her small, fragile body, letting her pour out all her accumulated grief and tears into his embrace.