Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live

Gold Ship: "Speaking of which... I'm quite curious. Kitano-chan, how did you manage to come back to life after your breathing and heartbeat had stopped?"

"..."

Kitano, recovering in the hospital, was unaware of the conversation between Rudolf and Palmer. He was even more unaware that his life's countdown, a secret not even Nakayama Festa knew, had now been shared between them, and that this would cause an unpredictable butterfly effect in the future.

He was currently recuperating quietly under Gold Ship's care. Festa was not by his side; he had told her to stay at Tracen Academy to train and get into top condition for her upcoming debut race.

With the goddesses' guidance, he had made many amends to Festa, and it proved very effective. Although she still refused to open up like she had by his "deathbed," he could feel their distance closing. She could now feel that he was paying attention to her, trusting her abilities, and not just pressuring her.

And now, with Gold Ship taking full charge of his care, all he could do was wait for the good news of Festa's debut race. When his lifespan extended, he could escape his current predicament of being unable to even get out of bed.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Kitano—Trainer? May I come in?"

Just as he was wondering how to answer Gold Ship's sudden, soul-searching question, a knock on the door broke the awkward silence, followed by Oguri Cap's slightly pleading voice.

Inside the room, Gold Ship's face immediately darkened at the sound of Oguri's voice. But before she could speak, Kitano reacted first:

"Please come in, Oguri Cap."

"Also, Golshi, could you do me a favor and get me a drink? I'm a bit thirsty."

During this time, Gold Ship had taken on the main responsibility of caring for him. However, Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross, feeling an undeniable responsibility for his collapse, had also been visiting frequently, bringing meals or supplements.

However, Gold Ship's attitude towards the two was completely different. Towards Tamamo, she was all smiles, saying she was just here to "atone." But towards Oguri... perhaps because she saw her as the main culprit, her attitude was always wary, even a little hostile.

Therefore, to avoid a conflict between the two ash-haired horse girls he cared about most, he always asked Gold Ship to step out when Oguri visited. She clearly understood his meaning, and though a bit displeased, she left without another word.

With Gold Ship gone and the door slowly closed, the gazes of Kitano and Oguri met in mid-air. The usually indifferent Oguri surprisingly couldn't meet his eyes, instead holding up the bag she was carrying:

"Trainer Kitano, I brought you lunch—I made it myself."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Oguri Cap." He was a little surprised to hear she had cooked herself. Just as he was about to get up, the nervous Oguri rushed forward and pressed down on his shoulders.

"Don't move." Her voice was tinged with panic, her eyes trembling. Her hands held him firmly, leaving no room for resistance. "I don't want you to faint again... I don't. So please, don't move."

"..." Pinned down, he could only nod helplessly. Seeing the panic in her eyes dissipate, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had to admit, only Oguri pinning him down like this could still make him feel at ease. If it were any other horse girl, even his most trusted charges from past playthroughs, he would feel a sense of crisis... wondering if he, like other trainers, was about to be forced into some physically draining activity by his irrational charge.

Such things had happened before. For some trainers, the hospital was not a safe house but their next battlefield. Many determined horse girls understood that taking care of their trainer during his illness was a way to rapidly advance their relationship, even to an extraordinary level.

But he had never experienced such treatment. Otherwise, with his personality, once he found mutual love, he would pursue the same person through every playthrough. He knew himself—a lonely person who had lacked love since childhood due to his illness. If he knew someone truly loved him, he would shamelessly cling to them like a lifeline.

...Come to think of it, in a way, I have a "heavy track" personality myself, don't I? This self-deprecating thought flashed through his mind before he quickly snapped out of it. By now, Oguri had taken out the lunch she brought. But when he looked at it, he froze for a moment.

"...Isn't this the fried rice I made?"

"No, I made it myself." Oguri shook her head, opening the bento box in front of her. Inside was indeed fried rice that looked almost identical to his. If not for the clear mark of a bite taken from her box, it would be hard to tell the difference.

"I followed your method and made it again. Tama tried it too. She said... it tastes almost exactly the same as yours."

"...This is the first I've heard you can cook." Hearing this, he subconsciously took a bite of her fried rice. Although his sense of taste had degenerated, he could still tell her cooking was surprisingly good. And if Tamamo, the most housewife-like of horse girls, gave it such high praise, it must be true.

But he remembered clearly that in their playthrough, he had tried to teach her to cook. Considering her huge appetite and the fact that he couldn't always be there for her, he wanted to pass on his skills so that one day, even if he wasn't around, she could replicate his cooking.

But unfortunately, while she was an impeccable horse girl, she was clueless in other areas.

He had spent at least two years trying to teach her, but it was as if she was deliberately making mistakes. Every time she tried, she would either mix up the seasonings or add too many ingredients, to the point that the wok couldn't hold it all. He was just short of calling her a lost cause.

But in this playthrough, her superb skills, enough to replicate his cooking, made him curious. Who had taught her?

"...Someone who cared for me like a father taught me."

After a moment of silence, a rare, warm smile appeared on her usually placid face as she said softly:

"I was unwilling to learn before, but after he left, I started to slowly learn his cooking. Only now have I managed to become his equal."

"Respected like a father... It seems he must be the person you care about most."

Hearing this, Kitano nodded with a slightly strange expression. From her words, he could guess that the person she was talking about was likely her trainer in this playthrough, the one who had taken his place. And hearing her praise for that unknown trainer, he felt a mix of relief and a hint of jealousy.

But he quickly forgot this little pang of jealousy, smiling at her and saying softly:

"Well, in that case, you can replicate my cooking yourself in the future. I probably won't have to drag my sick body to cook for you anymore."

"Ah, I was worried I might get beaten up by Festa and the others if I did it again. But it seems I don't have to worry now."

"—It's not the same."

However, Oguri stubbornly shook her head. Her eyes stared intently at him as she said, word by word:

"The flavor of the dish can be replicated, but the food I make myself... is not the flavor I'm looking for. That flavor... no, that feeling, only one person can create it. If anyone else tries to replicate it, it's not the taste I'm pursuing."

As she spoke, a faint smile appeared on her serious little face. She made no attempt to hide her thoughts and feelings, saying softly to him:

"So I think... that flavor, only you, Trainer Kitano, can create it. You are the one and only person who can help me find that taste. Only the food you make with your own hands can let me savor that feeling."

"No one but you can satisfy me like this again. So please let me take care of you for a while longer, until your body is healthy again."

"I want to taste the food you make with your own hands a few more times. If one day in the future, you can be healthy, please allow me to stay by your side and receive the satisfaction that only you can give... okay?"

"...I see."

However, looking at her serious expression, saying words he had never heard before, he was momentarily stunned and then found himself uncharacteristically looking away. If it weren't Oguri, who had no idea of the deeper meaning of her words, he would have thought this was an invitation to cook for her for the rest of her life.

And what he didn't know was that as he brushed off her words as a joke, a flash of disappointment crossed her intense gaze. But she quickly rekindled her fighting spirit, along with a look of dependence that was hard for others to detect.

She knew that she no longer cared about that "flavor"... because she had already found it.

She had found the person she was looking for, the one who could create that unique taste. Although she hadn't recognized him at first, when she saw him collapse in weakness, she understood what that missing little piece was...

The "seasoning" didn't come from him, but from herself. Only when her flavor and his merged would it become the perfect, dream-like taste she was searching for.

And this time, I won't let it happen again... I must change my trainer's fate... my dear, my one and only Trainer-san.

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