"Sakuraba-san, you have a customer!"
He looked up and saw Norn Ace hurrying in with a guest. Her movements were a little rushed, and the flush on her face had not quite faded yet, though she looked far better than she had a moment ago, when she had seemed ready to vanish on the spot.
And the guest she was ushering inside gave even Sakuraba Ryo a slight pause.
She was an Umamusume with a very distinctive air about her.
Her light brown hair was neat and striking, her matching horse ears perked up with lively energy. Her blue-green eyes held a mix of curiosity and ease as they wandered over the furnishings in the shop.
She stood tall, and though her steps were casual, there was an unmistakable presence to her.
It was none other than one of the Triple Crown Umamusume—Mr. C.B.
"S-Sakuraba-san, this customer..." Norn Ace did her best to keep her voice steady, but her gaze still drifted a little, not quite daring to meet his. "Mr. C.B. has a reservation for a full-body relaxation massage today."
"Right. Sorry to trouble you."
Mr. C.B. shifted her gaze to Sakuraba Ryo and smiled brightly.
"I heard about this place from Rudolf. She said Boss Sakuraba's massage techniques are something special—enough to make a person relax all the way through. Training's had me wound up lately, so I figured I'd come give it a try."
"So Luna-san was the one who referred you. Welcome."
Luna-san...?
Mr. C.B. felt a flicker of surprise.
Rudolf doesn't let just anyone call her Luna...
So does this owner have some kind of special relationship with her?
By then, Sakuraba Ryo had already switched smoothly back into professional host mode and greeted her with a courteous smile.
"This way, please. We have a private room prepared for you."
"Norn, please take Mr. C.B. to the room and prepare the hot towels and the base oils."
"Y-yes!"
Like a soldier receiving orders, Norn Ace answered at once. She turned and made a polite gesture for Mr. C.B. to follow, her motions a little stiff but still smooth enough.
As she led Mr. C.B. down the hallway, her thoughts were already in an uproar.
Mr. C.B...
Even Mr. C.B. came all the way here?!
Was it President Symboli Rudolf's recommendation...?
Are Sakuraba-san's skills really that unbelievable?
It was not just students and nearby residents anymore—even top Umamusume from Central were coming here now?
She could not help stealing a glance at Sakuraba Ryo as he quickly adjusted the reservation sheet at the counter.
Just how did he get that good?
His technique made it all the way to President Symboli Rudolf, and now even Mr. C.B. is showing up in person...
...Should I try Sakuraba-san's massage sometime too?
Now that she thought about it, she had worked at his shop this long and never once actually experienced his service.
Maybe I should find a chance next time and have him give me a session...
"This is the room, Mr. C.B."
Forcing her thoughts back under control, she opened the door and put on a professional smile.
"Please have a seat for a moment while I get everything ready. S-Sakuraba... Sakuraba-san will be here shortly."
"Mm, thank you."
Mr. C.B. walked into the room at ease, seemingly unconcerned by Norn Ace's brief awkwardness. Her attention was more on the relaxing fragrance in the room and the soft lighting.
Norn Ace stepped back out, closed the door gently behind her, leaned against the wall, and quietly let out a breath.
Forget it. Work, work. This is no time to be overthinking things!
She patted her cheeks, then turned and hurried toward the prep room.
Watching Norn Ace leave, Mr. C.B. took a look around the room.
Nice place.
No wonder Rudolf speaks so highly of it...
Though whether the owner's actually any good is another question.
For Rudolf to brag about him this much, his skills had to be unusual.
"Well, since I came all the way to Kasamatsu, I may as well take the chance to relax properly."
Originally, Mr. C.B. had not planned on coming to Kasamatsu at all. She had only remembered midway through another trip that she could stop by and take a look at the place where Oguri Cap had first risen to fame.
After all, she really had been keeping an eye on the Regional Academies lately.
Not long ago, she had gone to Oi to inspect the situation there too.
Kasamatsu had produced a Gray Monster.
And at Oi, another Umamusume had appeared—one being called Oi's ultimate weapon.
"Compared to girls like those, Central feels kind of boring..."
A few minutes later, there was a soft knock at the door, and then Sakuraba Ryo stepped inside.
He had changed into clean work clothes, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and in his hands he carried a wooden tray holding various oils and warm towels.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. C.B. We can begin—"
Before he could finish, he met Mr. C.B.'s blue-green eyes, filled with amused interest.
Leaning back in her chair a moment ago, she now tilted forward slightly and gave Sakuraba Ryo a frank, lingering once-over from top to bottom. The corner of her mouth lifted into a playful smile.
"Oh?" Mr. C.B. let out a light little sound of appreciation, her horse ears flicking cheerfully. "Now that I get a proper look, Boss Sakuraba's actually pretty handsome."
Sakuraba Ryo paused, looked back at her, and kept the same polite, professional smile on his face.
"You flatter me. Please lie down on the massage bed first, and we—"
"No need to rush into work."
Mr. C.B. cut him off. Not only did she not lie down, she actually stood up and slowly circled him for half a turn.
"And you've got a nice clean-cut air too... mm, very nice, very nice. Definitely my type~"
Her tone curled upward, full of unmistakable teasing, mischief glinting in her eyes.
As a Triple Crown Umamusume who had once dominated the track, she had always been the sort who was free-spirited and drawn to anything interesting. Now that she had met this young investor Rudolf had singled out—one who also happened to suit her tastes at first glance—the urge to toy with him came naturally.
Sakuraba Ryo kept the tray perfectly steady, his expression unchanged.
"It's an honor to be your type, Mr. C.B."
He answered neither humbly nor arrogantly, then stepped aside and gestured toward the massage bed.
"But being someone's type starts with being well-rested and relaxed, doesn't it? Please lie down first and let me ease the fatigue from your training. That is, after all, the main reason you came today."
He deftly sidestepped the teasing and guided the conversation back to business, his tone gentle yet unmistakably professional.
Mr. C.B. blinked, and somehow his response only seemed to pique her interest even more.
She did not keep making trouble, merely laughed softly and finally obeyed, walking over to the massage bed and reclining onto it with graceful ease. Resting her chin on one hand, she kept smiling as she watched Sakuraba Ryo prepare the tools behind her.
"You've got a point~ Then I'll leave it in your hands, Sakuraba-san."
That teasing lilt still lingered in her voice.
"I'm very much looking forward to your 'technique.' Let's see whether it's really as magical as Rudolf says~ Don't disappoint me."
"I'll do my best."
Sakuraba Ryo laid a warm towel over her shoulders and neck, dipped his fingers into the oil, and spoke in a steady, reassuring tone.
"Then let's begin. If the pressure is too much, or anything feels uncomfortable, please tell me at any time."
"Mm-hm~"
Truth be told, Mr. C.B. was more interested in Sakuraba Ryo himself than in the massage.
A massage was just a massage—no matter how good it was, how good could it really be?
It could hardly compare to a handsome man.
That casual thought had barely faded from her mind—her lips still carrying that faintly playful smile—when Sakuraba Ryo's hands moved to the backs of her thighs.
That was one of the areas where an Umamusume's muscles were most heavily concentrated, and one of the easiest places for fatigue to pile up after intense running and training.
His palms were warm, the oil making the first contact smooth, and at first the pressure felt ordinary enough.
Then, in the very next instant—
His thumbs found a deep knot with perfect precision. The other fingers followed with steady, penetrating pressure, kneading inward, pressing through, then giving a light, deft flick in a strange rhythm.
"Mm—!"
A short, involuntary sound escaped Mr. C.B.'s throat.
It was not pain, but an explosive surge of tingling ache and numbness that burst through her in an instant.
It was like a current that had been gathering in her body for ages suddenly being ignited—erupting from the point beneath his hands, racing madly along muscle and nerve, shooting straight for the crown of her head.
Her whole body jolted faintly on instinct. The arm that had been lazily propping up her chin gave way, and her upper body sank into the softness of the massage bed.
Her blue-green eyes flew open wide. All the easy teasing in them was washed away in an instant, replaced by stunned disbelief and a rapidly gathering sheen of moisture.
"W-wait... this... haa..."
Her words broke apart.
Sakuraba Ryo's hands had not stopped.
It was as though he understood her body's every response. His hands traveled along the grain of the muscles, each press, each push landing precisely on the points where fatigue and tension had settled the deepest.
That shuddering release that followed, woven together with the stimulation, rose in wave after wave and battered through her last defenses.
In only a few minutes, Mr. C.B. had lost all the composure she had started with.
Her long legs drew tightly together on instinct, toes curling as though trying to brace against the overload of sensation.
An unnatural flush spread across her cheeks, and her breathing grew shallow and unsteady.
Worst of all were her eyes. Moisture had already gathered there beyond her control, a thin watery sheen clouding those eyes that normally looked so bright and sharp. Her lashes had dampened and trembled faintly.
"..."
She tried to say something, anything, to salvage a little dignity, but when the sound came out it carried a soft nasal tremor and a quiver she could not hide, making it wholly unconvincing.
Th-this isn't some normal relaxing massage at all!
Are this guy's hands enchanted or something?!
Or is he secretly some kind of interrogation specialist who knows exactly how to break people at their weak points?!
Mr. C.B. screamed inwardly, but her body sank more and more honestly into that bizarre blend of ache and pleasure, as though even the strength for token resistance had been drawn away by those hands.
Sakuraba Ryo seemed not to notice the violence of her reaction at all. In the same calm, professional tone, he asked,
"Is this level of pressure all right, Mr. C.B.? If it's too intense, I can adjust it."
"..."
Mr. C.B. bit down on her lower lip. A faint breath slipped from her throat, and in the end, as if giving up entirely, she buried her face in the crook of her arm, leaving only the tips of her ears exposed—red enough to look ready to drip blood.
How am I even supposed to answer a question like that right now, you idiot?!
Seeing that Mr. C.B. had only buried her face in her arm, her ear tips burning red, but had still not answered his question, Sakuraba Ryo felt a slight shift in his thoughts.
It seemed this Triple Crown Umamusume had even better tolerance than he had expected.
A standard massage technique had already produced a reaction, but apparently it still had not reached deep enough...
Perhaps years of high-intensity training had left her muscles with more wear and tear than usual. Maybe she needed firmer stimulation on the key acupoints for the best relief.
Acting in the spirit of professionalism, Sakuraba Ryo decided to adjust his method.
He drew a slow breath. The force in his fingers changed quietly, shifting from even, soothing pressure to something more focused and penetrating.
His thumb found the exact location of the Chengfu acupoint at the back of her thigh.
It was one of the key points governing the muscle groups along the back of the leg, and also one of the places most prone to stagnation and fatigue in Umamusume who ran themselves too hard.
Then, without hesitation, he gathered all his focus and skillful force into his fingertips and pressed down, steady and decisive—
Right on it.
"Oooouuuuouuuuu—!!!"
A bright, sharp cry burst straight out of Mr. C.B.'s throat, completely unexpected, slicing through the quiet room where only breathing and the whisper of fabric had filled the air moments before.
That cry carried the full shock of being struck by an overwhelming flood of tingling ache, swelling pain, and something else that was impossible to describe.
A second later, her tightly drawn legs kicked reflexively, and her upper body arched up as though hit by a current. Then, as if every bone had been pulled out of her at once, she collapsed limply back onto the massage bed.
Those blue-green eyes that had still held a watery effort at staying conscious lost focus completely. Her eyelids drooped, heavy and powerless, and her long lashes settled over them.
She had fallen into a brief faint brought on by the sheer force of the stimulation. Her breathing turned light and even, while a flush still lingered on her face along with a trace of blank daze.
The room went instantly quiet.
Only the faint fragrance of the oils and Mr. C.B.'s softened breathing remained.
Sakuraba Ryo's hands stopped at once.
Looking at the customer who had suddenly gone so completely still, he blinked.
"...Eh."
He slowly withdrew his hand, looked at his fingertips, then looked back at Mr. C.B., who now seemed to have sunk into an unexpectedly sweet sleep.
Did I... go a little too hard?
Sakuraba Ryo lowered his head and looked at his own hands.
Could it be because of that Trait the System gave me...? Is my strength way higher than before?
Thinking back to that spectacular scream and how instantly she had blacked out, he found himself hesitating in a way he rarely did.
He had been trying to help her relax completely, yes...
But knocking the customer unconscious in the process was perhaps a little too much for service quality.
He reached out and lightly checked Mr. C.B.'s pulse. Once he confirmed it was only a temporary faint and nothing serious, he finally let out a small breath of relief.
"...Looks like even a Triple Crown Umamusume has about the same 'weak points' as anyone else in certain respects."
He murmured it under his breath, sounding half helpless, half amused.
He pulled a light blanket from nearby and draped it gently over her, deciding to let her rest like that for a while first.
As for himself, he quietly gathered up the tools at hand, already wondering whether, once she woke up, he ought to continue the rest of the massage—or switch to something gentler instead.
Yeah... next time I should probably ask in advance how much pressure the customer can take.
Thinking that, Sakuraba Ryo let his gaze drift to Mr. C.B.'s face. Even unconscious, she still seemed to be faintly frowning, like someone unwilling to admit defeat.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Well.
She won't blame me when she wakes up... right?
---
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