Time slipped by, day after day.
A few days after the New Year's bells rang out, while the lingering echoes still hadn't fully faded, a wedding was held quietly in a downtown hall. It wasn't some headline-grabbing spectacle.
But at every table sat people Kuroha had forged deep bonds with over the three years since he came to this world. Old friends from Kasamatsu, tough characters from Oi, elites from Central Tracen Academy, and even close friends who'd traveled all the way from Tōkō and Ireland, all gathered under one roof.
The air was rich with intoxicating flowers and sincere blessings, and everyone was genuinely happy for the couple. When the bride and groom onstage smiled and exchanged their glittering rings, thunderous applause erupted through the hall, and the reception naturally surged into its peak.
The crowd celebrated together, cheering and laughing. Some raised their glasses in endless toasts, others shouted across tables mid-story, and the entire hall overflowed with uncomplicated joy.
…
At the Kasamatsu group's section.
Right now, several local trainers from Kasamatsu Tracen Academy, along with a few local Horse Girls Oguri Cap and Fujimasa March had known back before they headed to Tokyo, were sitting together in a warm, lively circle.
Noren Ace, Rudylemo, and Mini Lady obediently held their juice, looking helplessly at their own trainers beside them. The men were pounding alcohol and bragging like their lives depended on it.
"Hic… I knew it the first time I laid eyes on that brat Kuroha. I knew he wasn't normal!"
Shibasaki was red-faced drunk, slurring so hard his tongue barely worked, his whole vibe a chaotic blend of reckless and ridiculous.
"Just look. Handing March over to him back then. Wasn't that the smartest, greatest decision I've ever made in my entire life?!"
"Hah. Smart, my ass," Kitahara snapped from the side, equally plastered and not even pretending to be polite. "I handed Oguri over to that 'Six-Times Uncle.' Are you saying that wasn't smart too?"
"If I hadn't made the hard call back then, where do you think those three incredible overseas expedition girls would've come from, huh?!"
Back in the day, giving Oguri Cap away had been the one wound Kitahara couldn't touch without flinching.
But after Oguri's overseas campaign blew up into a huge success, that wound flipped completely on its head and turned into pure pride.
Because it's one thing to resent the top student you can almost reach.
But when you're staring at someone who's basically a prefectural champion, or a PhD-level monster completely outside common sense, what you feel isn't jealousy. It's reverence, and a kind of helpless, "Yeah, okay, fair."
"Tch." Shibasaki curled his lip in disdain. "Funny, coming from the guy who used to howl like a ghost in his room every day right after Oguri left."
"Huh? What'd you say?" Kitahara's neck snapped stiff. He fired right back without missing a beat.
"And you have the nerve to talk? When March was on that losing streak, who was it getting blackout drunk in a bar every few days?"
"March changing teams was because you decided you were trash. That has jack to do with your 'brilliant decision.' Trash is trash!"
Bang!
The moment the words landed, the two of them slammed together, stubborn as bulls, foreheads nearly colliding.
"Kitahara, you little punk, what the hell are you spouting?!"
"I'll say it, I'll keep saying it! What, you can't say trash is trash now?!"
"…"
Off to the side, the only woman among the four trainers watching the spectacle, Kawamura Hiyori, propped her chin on one hand and looked down at her colleagues like she was watching two stubborn donkeys lock horns.
"Honestly. Those two will never grow up, even if they live to a hundred."
Just then, she felt someone tug lightly at her sleeve.
She turned and saw a Kasamatsu gyaru with orange hair in a single ponytail, glancing around before asking in confusion, "Trainer Hiyori, where'd Oguri and March go?"
Noren Ace really couldn't figure it out either.
After the ring exchange, Fujimasa March and Kuroha had vanished.
And as for Oguri Cap, she'd barely been seen since the reception started.
Now that she thought about it, even the other Horse Girls who'd been in the audience earlier didn't seem to be in this hall anymore.
"Oh, March?" Hiyori thought for a moment, then pointed toward the corridor on the other side. "They probably went to the other banquet hall."
"There are just too many guests today. When they did the vows, Oguri came out with the Chasing Light girls to watch. Once the ceremony ended, she probably went back over there."
The instant Hiyori said that, Noren Ace and the two girls beside her, Rudylemo and Mini Lady, both die-hard fans of "Oguri and March," lit up with expectation.
"Then can we go find them…"
"…I really recommend you don't," Hiyori said, a bead of cold sweat sliding down her forehead as she looked at her three innocent 담당 Horse Girls.
"Why?" the three of them asked in unison.
"Because over there… is probably where all the top-tier monster-class Horse Girls from Central Tracen gather…"
Then Hiyori paused, her eyes sweeping past the Oi group's table like she'd noticed something.
"Hm? Inari One's over at the Oi table. If you really want to go, why not ask her where Oguri is, and have her take you over?"
The trio followed Hiyori's gaze.
There, sitting beside a female trainer from Oi, was a small figure with an overwhelming presence, chatting about something and laughing with carefree arrogance.
"Uh…"
The three of them exchanged looks for a few seconds. Then, in perfect sync, they sighed and quietly shrank back into their seats.
"Let's just eat."
Sending them to play with Oguri Cap and March came with zero psychological burden.
But if you asked them to go face Inari One, Obey Your Master, or even legends like Rudolf and Kyuzen-ski, they'd probably stumble over every single word.
Watching the three finally settle down, Hiyori nodded in satisfaction.
She lifted her glass, sipped her fruit tea, and let her gaze drift toward the direction of the other banquet hall.
"But seriously, Kuroha's got unbelievable guts. He actually went and married a Horse Girl…"
Her mind flashed to her own three hopeless girls, and the terrifying bench-press numbers they'd been putting up at the gym just a few days ago.
Then she thought of Fujimasa March, who'd once been hailed as "the strongest active runner," a title that carried real weight.
Just imagining what kind of absurd strength was hidden under March's build made her scalp prickle.
If someone like that sat down wrong, wouldn't it shatter a man's pelvis?
After mulling it over, Hiyori's eyes filled with a strange mix of respect and awe. Inside her heart, she gave Kuroha a silent thumbs-up.
Kuroha truly was a hero.
…
Compared to the ruckus of the Kasamatsu section, the other banquet hall was an entirely different world.
The room was full of bright chatter and sparkling smiles, a sea of youthful, beautiful Horse Girls.
Nearly everyone seated here was a friend or classmate March had met over the past two years during her time at Central Tracen Academy.
And at a round table in the corner of the hall, several Central Tracen trainers who clearly didn't match the lively vibe of the Horse Girls around them had gathered together.
"This really is youth…" Naise Hideto murmured, watching the energetic scene. For once, nostalgia surfaced on his usually expressionless face, as if something had come back to him.
Beside him, Ginjirou Musaka shoveled food into his mouth and cut his eyes at Hideto, roasting him without mercy.
"Give it a rest. At least you can still pretend you've got a shot at it. You're not so far gone you'll never taste 'youth' again."
Hideto froze mid-bite, tilted his head, and asked with perfect seriousness, "If I remember right, Ginjirou, aren't you quite a bit older than I am?"
"…"
Ginjirou rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't fall out. He couldn't be bothered to respond. Instead, he turned and said, "This guy. I can't tell if he's doing it on purpose or if he's genuinely that dense. Right, Kuroha?"
"Haha."
Before the last word finished, a bright, easy laugh came from beside the table.
Kuroha stood there with a wineglass in hand, looking like spring itself had found him, though no one knew when he'd arrived.
And behind him, a tall, slender figure with silver hair followed close.
March had changed into a pure white wedding dress.
The sharpness and authority she carried on the track were completely gone.
The delicate skirt traced her graceful shape, her long silver hair pinned up with care, and the face that usually held a hint of cool distance was now tinted with a soft, embarrassed blush.
She looked pristine, gentle, and breathtaking.
(End of Chapter)
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