The end of the year is gradually, little by little, approaching.
With it being December, time is flying by. Nearly two weeks have already passed since Urara came in third in the Champions Cup, and the Arima Kinen, which Rice is scheduled to run in, is getting closer every day.
Lately, if you turn on the TV, it's all about the Arima Kinen. Read the newspaper, Arima Kinen; walk down the street, Arima Kinen; look on the internet, Arima Kinen... everywhere you go is colored by the Arima Kinen.
Last year was exciting too, but not as much as this year. In fact, I think this year is by far the most exciting in recent years.
As the Arima Kinen is a festive race to end the year, it's a genuine festival atmosphere... but it's not like Symboli Rudolf will suddenly appear in the club room, nope.
Well, speaking of the Arima Kinen, it's a special race where up to 16 horse girls are selected based on popularity, but of course, you can't run if you don't register.
Because of this, it's a bit of a problem...
"'The Mystery of King Halo's Arima Kinen Withdrawal! Is it a Favoritism to Rice Shower, Her Teammate!?'... It's not favoritism, you know."
I muttered while reading a magazine about horse girl races. Maybe because she's the only one in the turf classic grade who has won two G1 races, there's a lot of demand for King to run.
Since it became widely known that King hadn't registered, many reporters have been ambushing me to ask why she's not running. I've been caught by reporters several times on my way home from Tracen Academy, and even after announcing the reason was to "recover from accumulated fatigue," it was like a drop in the bucket.
To avoid being caught by reporters anymore—or rather, because they looked like they were going to follow me home—I've recently been entering and exiting the academy by climbing over the wall or cutting across the grounds instead of using the main gate. I've gotten permission from the chairperson, but to an outsider, I look like a complete weirdo.
On top of that, I've had to change my route home to be wary of being followed, which is a real pain. I thought I only had to do this in comics or movies.
At first, I thought about commuting on my motorcycle, but if they memorized the license plate or the model, I'd be screwed. The place where the motorcycle is parked is where I live. I could park it somewhere far away to throw them off, but it's too much of a hassle to do that every day.
And even without the King situation, there's Rice, who is aiming for her second consecutive Arima Kinen victory and her sixth G1 win.
Perhaps to get more material for their articles, or maybe to get some encouraging words like "Rice Shower will win the Arima Kinen!" from me, Rice, or our teammates Urara and King, reporters are lying in wait around the academy.
Rice and the others can shake off the reporters because their dorms are in front of the academy, but I can't. That's why I've been using other entrances, but I thought they wouldn't be there at this hour, so I came out the main gate around midnight and got caught by reporters, which startled me.
The public's enthusiasm is so high that I'm considering staying at Tracen Academy until the Arima Kinen is over. By the way, I tried applying, but Tazuna-san rejected it, saying I'd probably just end up working without a break.
This isn't just me; all the trainers who are raising a promising horse girl for the Arima Kinen are in the same situation.
However, Tojo-san and Mihono Bourbon's trainer are exceptions. Tojo-san is beautiful and has a strong presence, so unless a reporter is exceptionally reckless, they can't block her path. She's the great demon lord, so it can't be helped.
As for Mihono Bourbon's trainer, his appearance... well, you know. His sunglasses, tall stature, and exposed abs seem to be working to his advantage, making it difficult for reporters to approach him. He also has an enviably nice voice. When he refuses an interview with his impressive, low-pitched voice, reporters are said to obediently back down.
I can't change my voice, so maybe I should commute with my abs exposed too... but it's getting cold, so that's probably tough...
By the way, the fan poll results have already been announced. The names of the top horse girls are listed on the URA's homepage, where the fan poll was held.
However, a horse girl in the top ranks doesn't necessarily run. Many horse girls avoid the Arima Kinen to aim for G2 or G3 races held right after the new year, in early January.
And well, many horse girls also avoid it because they don't think they can win. Last year, the full gate was 16 people, but this year it's 14, and the full gate wasn't filled. And the lineup of those 14 people turned out to be something else.
Eight are from the Senior grade.
My Rice.
Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen from Team Spica.
Nice Nature, Machikane Tannhauser, and Twin Turbo from Team Canopus.
Though not on a team, Mejiro Palmer and Mihono Bourbon.
Six are from the Classic grade.
Grass Wonder from Team Rigil.
Then Seiun Sky, Oguri Cap, Biwa Hayahide, Winning Ticket, and Meeke.
Every single one of them is a horse girl I've judged to be a strong contender and have been especially watching. As long as there isn't a horse girl in exceptionally good shape this time, the marking strategy will probably be abandoned, just like in the Japan Cup. It seems it will be a race where Rice showcases the culmination of her previous runs.
(I didn't think Special Week and El Condor Pasa would withdraw... but Grass Wonder has finally come.)
I thought I'd run into King in a race, but I never imagined I'd run into Rice first.
I remember our conversation during the summer training camp. At that time, she had just returned from a long-term recovery and didn't participate in the mock race. She had run in two autumn races, but her results weren't great.
Even so, the aura that girl has. It's not something to be taken lightly. Of course, I don't think Rice will lose. That's not overconfidence, but due to the difference in their abilities.
However, you can never let your guard down, as anything can happen in a race.
"Whew... My second Arima Kinen, huh..."
After the Arima Kinen ends, a new year will come. To greet the new year with a smile, I want to win.
And since this is my second Arima Kinen, it means...
Interviews will also be held for the horse girls participating in the Arima Kinen, which will be the second one for me to be a part of.
Last year, I was wary of Tokai Teio, Daitaku Helios, Mejiro Palmer, Nice Nature, and Ikuno Dictus in the Arima Kinen.
However, every single horse girl in this year's Arima Kinen is a worthy rival. Top-class horse girls in both the Senior and Classic grades, with immense skill and popularity, have gathered.
Many of the participating members are G1 horse girls; there are fewer horse girls without a G1 title. This must be a rare occurrence...
Perhaps that's why, while last year about 50 reporters gathered for the interviews, this year nearly twice as many, about 100, had gathered.
(TV cameras, one, two, three... how many are there? There are more than 10... and so many photographers...)
Tracen Academy has many rooms. Classrooms, conference rooms, home economics rooms, science rooms—there are many of different sizes and for different purposes. However, there was no room large enough to accommodate the horse girls running in the Arima Kinen, their trainers, and nearly 100 reporters, so the interview venue was hurriedly changed to the gymnasium.
A large number of folding chairs were lined up for the reporters, and behind and to the sides were rows of photographers with huge TV cameras and single-lens reflex cameras.
Symboli Rudolf was brought in to MC, and student council members like Air Groove-san with a microphone for interviews, Hishi Amazon-chan, and Fuji Kiseki-chan were also there. Since the venue was the gymnasium, many students who came to watch the interviews also flocked there.
In addition to the horse girls running in the Arima Kinen, their trainers were also there. For those who lead a team, an interview of this scale is rare, so the team members were also present to get a feel for the atmosphere.
I also brought Urara and King. Urara is at a disadvantage in a long-distance turf race, but I want King to run the Arima Kinen next year if possible. So I wanted her to get used to the atmosphere from the interview stage.
(Hmm... seeing them all lined up like this, the members are really...)
The horse girls running in the Arima Kinen were wearing their special racing uniforms from the interview and smiling at the TV cameras pointed at them.
We trainers were lined up behind the horse girls, but the main stars were the horse girls. Most of the cameras were capturing the horse girls, and we were just an added bonus.
However, the camera flashes are dazzling... Tojo-san, the Spica senior, and I are squinting. The only ones who are fine are Mihono Bourbon's trainer, who is wearing sunglasses, and the Canopus senior. The Canopus senior is smiling with his eyes narrowed, so he's okay... is he? No, that logic seems strange... but he seems fine, so he can't possibly be narrowing his eyes every day as a flash countermeasure, can he?
Last year, reporters were let into the conference room until it was full, and the horse girls took turns for the interviews, but this time was different. The horse girls lined up in a single file in front of the reporters, and each one was introduced by Symboli Rudolf to answer questions and talk about their aspirations.
By the way, the one who got the most votes in the fan poll for this year's Arima Kinen was my Rice. She's on the verge of winning the autumn senior triple crown and is aiming for her second consecutive Arima Kinen victory, so it's probably to be expected.
In this world, horse girl races are a national pastime, so Rice, who was in first place, received over a million votes. The total number of votes... well, I forgot the exact number, but it's a crazy ratio where one out of every ten citizens voted. However, it wasn't this high last year, which shows the public's level of attention for this year's Arima Kinen.
(There are so many reporters... and I recognize a few who have interviewed me before... Oh, Otonashi-san is here too. Well, of course, she's Otonashi-san.)
While checking for a few familiar reporters, I listened to Symboli Rudolf's introduction.
"Now, we would like to hear the aspirations of the horse girls participating in the Arima Kinen. First, the first place in the poll, from Team Kitalfa, Rice Shower."
"...Yes, hello."
Rice is usually full of fighting spirit no matter who her opponent is in a race, but an interview with so many reporters surrounding her is clearly a different matter. She goes up to the microphone stand in the middle of the line of horse girls with an obvious look of tension... If I'm not mistaken, her right hand and right foot are moving at the same time...
Well, not only Rice, but I have to go with her. Rice will be answering most of the questions, but there's a possibility I'll get asked something too.
Rice stands in front of the microphone stand with the movements of a rusty robot. Hmm, it's been a while since I've seen Rice like this. In fact, it's been a long time, yep.
"I-I'm Rice Shower. It's a pleasure to me... Ow!"
Rice tried to bow but bumped her forehead on the microphone since she was too close to the stand. A shrill howling sound echoed, and the microphone fell to the floor from the impact of Rice bumping into the stand—so I caught it before it hit the ground.
"I'm the trainer of Team Kitalfa. I apologize for Rice Shower's interrupted greeting. It seems she gets nervous when she's in front of so many reporters... Go on, Rice."
I gently patted the back of Rice, who was frozen in the position she was in when she bumped into the mic. Rice finally came to her senses and smiled with a look of relief when she saw my face.
"Oh... yes, brother! I'm Rice Shower. Thank you for all the votes. I'm sorry I got nervous... When I thought about so many people voting for me, I was so happy and got all tense..."
Rice said, smiling shyly. Seeing Rice's reaction, the older reporters relaxed their cheeks. Of course, I did too.
"Now, if anyone has a question, please raise your hand."
When Rice introduced herself, camera flashes went off, and the sound of cameras clicking echoed. When that settled down, Symboli Rudolf began to check for questions.
And well, hands shot up. With a pop, over 20... no, close to 30 hands went up.
"This is Otonashi from Monthly Twinkle. Please tell us, what is Rice Shower-san's goal for the Arima Kinen? Is it first place, of course?"
The first reporter chosen was Otonashi-san. Or rather, Symboli Rudolf probably chose Otonashi-san on purpose. He trusts that Otonashi-san won't ask any weird questions. Even if she doesn't ask weird questions, there's a possibility she might say something strange.
However, as the first person to ask, her question was a very reasonable one. Many of the reporters who had raised their hands a moment ago were nodding, as if they had wanted to ask the same thing.
However, this question is a bit odd to ask a horse girl; it's more for the public watching on TV.
When a horse girl is asked about her goal in a race, unless she's a special type like Urara was when she first entered Tracen Academy, the answer is always the same.
"Yes... I'm aiming for first place."
The way they answer changes depending on their personality, but most horse girls answer this way. They train hard every day to get first place in a race. The only horse girls who would set a goal other than first place would be those who are humble or those who have a different goal, like wanting to beat a specific person instead of just winning.
In other words, the real question is what comes next.
"Then, which rival are you paying attention to, Rice Shower-san?"
This question delves a little more into Rice's inner thoughts. Rice lowered her eyes for a moment in response to the question. And then, she answered with a voice filled with strong will.
"I think everyone is a formidable opponent... But if I have to name some, it's Tokai Teio-san and Mejiro McQueen-san."
They are the two she has competed with numerous times in the Senior grade. It's only natural for Rice to mention their names.
And it was also only natural for a reporter with a bad personality to decide on the next question after hearing Rice's response.
"Is Mihono Bourbon-san not a rival?"
A middle-aged male reporter asked. It wasn't a mean-spirited question, but probably one to draw out Rice's genuine feelings. But well, Rice isn't the same as the old Rice.
"Didn't Rice say that everyone is a formidable opponent?"
Rice said, smiling sweetly. The male reporter seemed somewhat satisfied with Rice's reaction. I could almost hear him say "Oh..." in a voice of admiration.
He might have sensed that Rice's mental state had been strengthened compared to last year and thought that this would make for a good article. Or maybe he was using it as a reference for an article predicting the order of finish for the Arima Kinen.
After that, the questions were all pretty normal. How confident she was, who she was paying attention to among the Classic-grade horse girls, and so on... I felt a certain radiance from Rice as she answered without any problems, other than her initial blunder from being nervous. I thought, She's grown so much, she's become so respectable.
The questions for Rice were about to end... or rather, since there are 14 members participating, they have to move on quickly, spending less than 5 minutes per person. So I thought this would be the last question, but...
"A question for Team Kitalfa's trainer. I assume it's a given that Rice Shower-san is participating, but why isn't King Halo-san running? Many fans want to see her run in the Arima Kinen, you know."
Oh, a question for me at the very end. And I've answered that question dozens of times in the last two weeks...
"She hasn't been injured, but she's preparing for next year."
"Is it not favoritism towards Rice Shower-san?"
"Why would I show favoritism to Rice? Even if King were to run in the Arima Kinen now, she couldn't beat Rice."
Rice is the strongest stayer currently running. No matter how good King is, the odds are against her; her chances of winning are too slim right now.
"If it's not an injury, couldn't she have participated? Are you betraying the fans' expectations?"
In response to that question, I instinctively looked at Tazuna-san, who was also here as the site manager. I stared at her, as if to say, You let this type of reporter in again this year?
I thought that maybe a little controversy makes for better viewership, but again this year, after last year?... just then.
"This is Otonashi from Monthly Twinkle!"
Otonashi-san stood up without raising her hand. The reporters around her flinched. Without a microphone, Otonashi-san turned to the reporter who had just asked the question and spoke with a clear voice.
"It's certainly a shame that King Halo-san isn't running! It's a shame, but! Isn't our mission as reporters today to interview the horse girls participating in this Arima Kinen!?"
"Well... yes, that's true, but..."
Once Otonashi-san gets like that, there's no stopping her. And she's going all out for my Rice again this year... I'm sorry.
"And look at those horse girls!"
However, Otonashi-san had even fewer brakes than usual today. Rather, she was on full throttle with no brakes.
"It's WONDERFUL! In recent years, no, in all of the Arima Kinens that have been held in the past! There has never been an Arima Kinen where such a group of champions have gathered! It's a shame that King Halo-san isn't running, but when I think about how these horse girls will compete in the Arima Kinen, I... I!"
Otonashi-san's body trembled as she spoke, and she looked like she was about to ascend to heaven... From a distance, she was frankly terrifying. And even more so because she's a beautiful woman.
Otonashi-san, are you okay? This interview is being broadcast live nationwide, you know?
"Whew... In other words, there are plenty of horse girls we should be covering. Understand?"
"Yes... My apologies..."
Otonashi-san, who had suddenly become as calm as a roller coaster after a drop, seemed to have taken the wind out of the reporter's sails, as he apologized. It wasn't so much that the wind was taken out of his sails, but that he probably decided it was better not to get involved any further.
I thought to myself that I hoped the actual Arima Kinen race wouldn't be as chaotic as this interview.
I watched Hishi Amazon-chan escort Otonashi-san out, and that's what I thought.
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