In the end, everyone managed to rescue Sakuraba Ryo from Norn Ace's iron-grip hold.
The rescue operation took so much effort that by the time he was finally freed, it was already late, and the Christmas party wound down in a rather hasty fashion.
Still, thanks to that little incident, Sakuraba Ryo got a very real taste of just how dangerous Umamusume could be.
So if they really put their backs into it, I can't move at all...?
My physical abilities have been enhanced by the System so many times already, too...
Umamusume as a species are just way too absurdly strong.
That said... being hugged by Norn Ace actually wasn't all that unpleasant...
That was some premium-grade "pillows." I approve of the quality.
All in all, that was how the Christmas party ended. There had been plenty to complain about, but at least it had been lively.
So Sakuraba Ryo ended up liking this Christmas party quite a lot.
For Norn, though, it probably was not nearly so wonderful.
After all, getting drunk and making a fool of yourself at a Christmas party you had carefully prepared was definitely the sort of thing that became a lifelong embarrassment.
It was only because Sakuraba Ryo was kind-hearted that he had not taken pictures of the humiliating way she had wrapped herself around him.
If it had been some ill-intentioned middle-aged creep instead, he probably would have snapped photos and blackmailed her with them.
"You wouldn't want these pictures getting out, would you?"
Then again, thinking about it more carefully, if anyone had really tried that, with Norn's physical abilities he probably would have just been beaten to his knees on the spot.
Yeah.
Trying to blackmail an Umamusume who was that much stronger than you was just too naive.
"Still, this year's Christmas was lively too~"
Thinking back on it, the girls had all given him presents last year, so this year Sakuraba Ryo had made sure to properly buy gifts in return.
For Oguri Cap, he had chosen an elegant lunch box.
For Belno Light, he had bought a pair of little flower-shaped earrings.
For March, he had picked out a good pair of running shoes.
For Mini the Lady and Rudy Lemono, he had brought back some local specialties from Tokyo.
As for Norn Ace...
Last year she had given him a scarf, so this year he had returned the favor with a knitted cap.
A beige knitted cap ought to suit Norn Ace's pink hair quite well.
It was just a shame that the girl had passed out after eating the liqueur chocolates. Otherwise, Sakuraba Ryo really would have liked to hear what she thought of it.
Well, they were late Christmas presents, after all.
He just hoped they would like them.
That was what Sakuraba Ryo was thinking as he walked back to the dorm.
...
Before long, New Year's Day arrived.
There came a knock on Sakuraba Ryo's door. Oguri Cap had come early to pick him up from the dorm.
The air on New Year's morning carried that sharp, bracing kind of freshness. When Sakuraba Ryo opened the door, he found Oguri Cap already waiting quietly outside.
The gray girl was dressed in thick, warm winter clothes today. Her long white ponytail swayed faintly in the morning light, and the usually calm eyes that turned toward him held a small glimmer of anticipation.
"Morning, Ryo."
She greeted him in her usual steady voice.
"Morning, Oguri. You're here pretty early."
Sakuraba Ryo smiled back, already thinking through what to do next.
Since he was going to Oguri Cap's house to welcome the New Year with her, showing up empty-handed did not feel quite right.
"Hey, Oguri," Sakuraba Ryo said after a moment's thought, "on the way to your place, should we stop and buy something to bring with us? Since I'm planning to stay over and all..."
"A gift?"
Oguri Cap blinked, as though taking a moment to process the word, then shook her head seriously.
"No need. Mom said she'd already be happy if you came, Ryo. So would I."
She said it simply and directly, without a trace of politeness or evasion—just stating exactly what she felt.
Warmth rose in Sakuraba Ryo's chest, but he still insisted.
"Even so, basic manners are basic manners."
"And besides, I want to bring something nice so your mom and I can share it too."
He rubbed his chin, thinking about what to get.
"Since it's New Year's... how about a seafood gift set? Maybe king crab or something. That feels pretty fitting."
At the word "crab," Oguri Cap's ears gave the tiniest twitch, almost too slight to notice. But she still pressed her lips together and tried once more to stop him.
"...It's expensive. You don't need to."
"It's fine. A little splurging once in a while won't hurt."
Grinning, Sakuraba Ryo made up his mind and took Oguri Cap with him to the biggest shopping center near Kasamatsu.
The holiday atmosphere inside the mall was thick in the air, and the fresh-food section was especially dazzling.
It did not take long for Sakuraba Ryo's eyes to lock onto a lavish king crab gift set with truly extravagant packaging.
The enormous crab, the vivid color, and the eye-watering string of digits on the price tag all screamed high-class.
"Let's go with this one."
He pointed at the set.
"Mm..."
The moment Oguri Cap saw the price tag, she sucked in a quiet breath and hurriedly tugged on his sleeve.
"Ryo, this is too—"
"Too expensive?"
Sakuraba Ryo finished for her. Looking at the way she clearly wanted to stop him while also seeming helplessly drawn to the giant crab itself, he suddenly felt like teasing her a little.
He bent down closer to her and asked in a low, amused voice:
"Oguri... aren't you at least a little curious what a super high-end king crab like this actually tastes like?"
"..."
Oguri Cap fell silent.
Her gaze drifted uncontrollably toward the majestic king crab behind the glass, and her throat seemed to bob faintly.
For someone like her, with appetite written into her very genes, the question of what top-tier ingredients tasted like was just too irresistibly tempting.
The struggle lasted only a few seconds.
In the end, her instinctive curiosity toward unknown deliciousness defeated her concern over the price.
She lifted her head and looked at Sakuraba Ryo. Her eyes were now clear and resolute, all trace of her earlier attempts to stop him gone, replaced by nothing but pure anticipation for food.
"..."
She nodded, admitting it plainly.
Then she stepped aside without another word, no longer trying to stop him—though her eyes remained locked firmly on the king crab gift set that would soon be theirs.
Sakuraba Ryo could not help laughing as he paid for it without hesitation.
At this rate, I feel like I could trick this silly girl into bed with food alone...
As he walked out of the shopping center carrying the heavy, outrageously expensive gift set, he glanced at Oguri Cap beside him, who already seemed to be silently imagining different ways to cook it and what it would taste like.
Suddenly, the splurge felt pretty worth it.
Before long, led by Oguri Cap's steady, faintly lightened steps, Sakuraba Ryo arrived at the apartment building where she lived.
The building's exterior was plain and tidy, the sort of ordinary residence you could find anywhere, carrying the peaceful, settled air of everyday life.
That let Sakuraba Ryo relax a little.
At least from the outside, Oguri Cap's home looked about like what he had imagined—ordinary and warm.
Oguri Cap stopped in front of an unremarkable door and raised a hand to knock with practiced ease.
Knock knock.
No sooner had the sound faded than a gentle, clear female voice answered from inside.
"Coming—"
A moment later came the sound of the lock turning, and the door opened inward.
Standing behind it was an Umamusume who looked strikingly like Oguri Cap.
She had the same signature gray hair, though hers was a shade darker, and it was gathered into a soft bun at the back of her head.
Her features carried a little more maturity and softness than Oguri's. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes and the warmth in her smile spoke of years gone by.
She was dressed in a knit sweater and a long skirt for home wear, with a clean apron tied around her waist—she looked as though she had been busy just moments before.
Anyone with certain particular tastes would probably have said something highly inappropriate at a time like this.
Unfortunately, Sakuraba Ryo had no interest in married-woman types.
(T/N: ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)
Her gaze fell first on Oguri Cap, full of unreserved affection. Then it moved past her daughter's shoulder to Sakuraba Ryo, who stood there with the giant gift box in hand, looking a little stiff.
"Oh my, so you're the Sakuraba-san Oguri is always talking about?"
Oguri Cap's mother's face immediately broke into a warm, sincere smile, and she dipped her head slightly.
"I'm Oguri's mother, White Narubi."
"Welcome, welcome! Please, come in! It's cold outside, isn't it? Honestly, Oguri should have brought you back earlier, Sakuraba-san."
As she spoke, she stepped aside to make room for them. Her eyes paused for a moment on the conspicuous king crab gift set in Sakuraba Ryo's hands, a flicker of surprise passing through them before it melted into even deeper warmth and a faintly helpless smile.
"Mom, I'm home."
Oguri Cap greeted her calmly, then looked back at Sakuraba Ryo and motioned with her eyes for him to come in.
"Pardon the intrusion, ma'am."
Sakuraba Ryo quickly bowed in greeting, set the king crab gift set down by the entryway, and stepped into the warm, ordinary home that belonged to Oguri Cap.
White Narubi's hospitality far exceeded Sakuraba Ryo's expectations.
She bustled back and forth, bringing him hot tea, setting out snacks and fruit she had prepared beforehand, and treating him almost like an honored guest.
"Please, have some tea, Sakuraba-san. It's a rather good local one... Ah, and these are just some simple sweets, so please don't be shy."
Still smiling, White Narubi pushed the tea and snacks toward him.
"Oguri really has been in your care every day. She mentions you all the time in her letters, says Sakuraba-san is a very good investor."
"No, no, you're too kind, ma'am."
The whole display left Sakuraba Ryo a little flustered, and he waved his hands repeatedly.
"Really... Oguri's the one who works incredibly hard, and she's very talented too. I haven't done anything all that special."
"You're too modest."
White Narubi shook her head and cast a gentle glance at her daughter, who sat quietly beside Sakuraba Ryo, nibbling at the sweets her mother had brought over.
There was gratitude in her voice, and a hint of emotion as well.
"I know my own child well enough. Sometimes... she can be a little simple and straightforward, and her way of thinking is very pure. She must have caused you quite a bit of trouble in Kasamatsu, hasn't she?"
"Mmfm..."
Oguri Cap lifted her head as if to protest that she was not trouble, but with her mouth full of sweets, all that came out was a muffled noise.
There was a trace of dissatisfaction in her eyes at having her secrets exposed like that, but even more than that, there was delight at being the focus of both her mother's and Sakuraba Ryo's attention.
Her calm face did not show much change, but anyone who knew her well would have been able to tell that she was in a very good mood right now—so good, in fact, that it almost felt like she might start bubbling over.
If emotions had been visible, little flowers of contentment probably would already have been floating above her head.
White Narubi turned her gaze back to Sakuraba Ryo. Her expression softened further, and there was now a deeper sincerity in the way she spoke.
"It's not only the everyday care... Sakuraba-san, I'm very grateful that you were able to discover and acknowledge Oguri's talent."
She paused, her voice turning a little quieter, touched with memory.
"To be honest, when I first decided to send her to Tracen Academy, I never expected her to achieve any astonishing results, or become some remarkable Umamusume."
"As her mother, my greatest wish was simply that she could do what she loved, find happiness in running, and stay safe and healthy."
"She's been a little different from other children ever since she was small. She's always had an unusual degree of focus and stubbornness when it comes to eating and running."
"When she went to Central... sometimes I worried. I wondered whether a place that competitive would put too much pressure on her, whether she might lose herself there. But..."
White Narubi's gaze fell on Oguri Cap again, full of love and pride, before she looked back at Sakuraba Ryo.
"But every time she wrote home and talked about life with the team, about racing, about you... I could tell that she was truly enjoying running. That makes me happier than any championship title ever could."
"So, truly—thank you very much, Sakuraba-san."
White Narubi bowed to him again, solemnly.
Faced with such sincere, heartfelt gratitude, Sakuraba Ryo found himself briefly speechless.
He looked at Oguri Cap beside him, her eyes faintly stirred by her mother's words, then back at the woman before him who had poured all her love into her daughter, and a complicated warmth welled up in his chest.
He scratched his head and smiled—a little embarrassed, but utterly open.
"You're praising me too much, ma'am."
"Meeting Oguri, moving forward together with her and everyone else on the team... that's been something very lucky and very happy for me too."
"If anyone should be saying thank you, maybe it ought to be me."
"Sakuraba-san, please make yourself at home here tonight and welcome the New Year properly with us~" White Narubi said with a gentle smile, though there was an unmistakable firmness to her careful hospitality. "I'll make sure to take very good care of you."
Over the hours that followed, Sakuraba Ryo gained a profound appreciation for the weight of those words.
From preparing a lavish New Year's Eve dinner, to tidying the guest room and laying out the bedding, to bringing out steaming hot New Year's Eve soba, to setting out snacks and hot drinks for staying up to see in the New Year...
White Narubi moved lightly and efficiently through the little apartment.
It was almost as if she had three heads and six arms, arranging everything in neat, perfect order.
Though she was doing everything herself, somehow she still managed to look after both Sakuraba Ryo and Oguri Cap so comfortably that they barely had to lift a finger.
Several times Sakuraba Ryo tried to help, only to be gently but firmly sent back to his seat by White Narubi.
"Sakuraba-san is our guest. How could I let you do any work? Please rest properly and just keep Oguri company."
As for Oguri Cap...
Well, she accepted her mother's care with perfect naturalness, sitting beside Sakuraba Ryo and focusing on the delicious food that her mother kept replenishing in front of her. Every now and then, she would look up at him, her gaze clear and content.
Holding the hot tea White Narubi had just poured for him, Sakuraba Ryo watched the figure in the kitchen—busy, yet never flustered, a soft smile on her face the entire time—and could not help feeling deeply impressed.
So this is the strength of White Narubi—the woman who raised Oguri Cap all by herself as a single mother...?
Not only had she made their home warm and orderly, she could also host guests on an important holiday with such effortless ease, thinking of every detail and putting everyone completely at ease, without leaving the slightest fault for anyone to find.
The strength hidden behind that toughness, care, and gentleness was far greater than it looked at first glance.
White Narubi... you're incredible.
Silently, Sakuraba Ryo gave this remarkable mother his heartfelt approval.
At the same time, he felt he understood a little better where Oguri Cap's purity and focus came from.
Maybe only when someone was wrapped in this kind of powerful, gentle love could they run straight toward their goal without a single worry holding them back.
"Ma'am, you're really going to too much trouble."
When White Narubi once again set an elegant plate of sweets on the table, Sakuraba Ryo said it with complete sincerity.
"It's no trouble at all."
White Narubi wiped her hands and smiled, the lamplight making her expression seem especially warm.
"Seeing Oguri and Sakuraba-san happily spend the New Year here together is what makes me happiest. Please wait just a little longer—I'm going to warm up the last soup."
With that, she turned lightly and headed back into the kitchen.
Sakuraba Ryo and Oguri Cap met each other's eyes. In Oguri Cap's calm, faintly shining gaze, he saw the same feeling of reassurance reflected there.
This New Year was being spent in a simple little apartment, and yet, because of this mother's care, it was filled with a warmth and completeness that could hardly be put into words.
---
T/N: WHAT????????????????????????????????????? NOT INTERESTED IN MARRIED WOMEN TYPES????????????????????? I EVEN HAD TO BUT IN MID CHAPTER TO ?????????????????????????????????????????????????