Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live

"Trainer Kitano... you really scared us all today. From now on, may I expect you not to do anything that puts such a heavy burden on your body?"

A day later, after receiving treatment and meticulous care at the Mejiro family's private hospital, Kitano had finally recovered some strength. However, his condition had worsened, and he was now in a worse state than before he collapsed, even finding it difficult to sit in his wheelchair.

He took a moment to check his remaining lifespan—18 days.

Just as the goddesses had said, his act of forcing himself to cook for Oguri had cost him a week of his life. If Nakayama Festa couldn't win her debut race in a few days, he would probably have to go back to see the goddesses and start his next twenty-year life.

Fortunately, they had helped him adjust his mentality. He was no longer as anxious about his potential death as before. He would take things as they came. If his life was exchanged for restraining Festa's true nature and preventing her from running freely and happily for her entire life, he would rather not have it.

Now, before him, the arrival of two figures surprised him. Symboli Rudolf and Mejiro Palmer, two horse girls he was familiar with but didn't quite dare to face, appeared in his hospital room together. And Rudolf, his "childhood friend" from a previous playthrough, spoke to him with an unprecedentedly serious expression:

"This will make us all very worried. Don't joke with your own life."

"...I understand. Everyone, I'm sorry for making you worry."

Although he was surprised to see Rudolf and Palmer, who should have no connection to him in this playthrough, he nodded under the watchful eyes of all the horse girls, indicating he had listened.

"—Well now, let's not be so tense. Trainer Kitano is okay, that's the most important thing, isn't it? The atmosphere is too serious."

At this moment, Mr. C.B., who had been guarding the hospital room all night without sleeping, became cheerful again after seeing him out of danger. As if to liven things up, she shot a teasing glance at Rudolf and said:

"Trainer Kitano, you don't know, do you? You scared everyone yesterday. Especially our President. She rushed over from the academy, and when she saw your heart had stopped..."

As she spoke, C.B. noticed the slight stiffness in Rudolf's expression and her obviously excessive sadness from before, becoming even more certain of something. But her teasing tone didn't change:

"Honestly, that was the first time I've ever seen Rudolf cry. If I didn't know you two had only met two days ago, I would have thought you were some long-lost childhood friend of hers~"

C.B.'s "casual" words made everyone, now calm after his recovery, belatedly realize something was off. Rudolf also immediately noticed that everyone's gaze was focused on her—especially the gazes of Nakayama Festa and Mejiro Palmer, which were particularly piercing.

In fact, Rudolf herself was just as confused. She had only known him for two days. Even if she felt a one-sided guilt towards him, she shouldn't have reacted like she did yesterday... At that time, when she heard the news of his death, she had felt a heart-wrenching pain.

That pain had made it difficult for her to even stand. If she hadn't left the room immediately, she probably would have collapsed on the floor, overwhelmed with grief.

—But none of this made sense. Now that she had calmed down, she recalled these events and found her reaction unbelievably excessive. She was now more and more suspicious that there was some secret hidden within Kitano Ryuichi.

Combined with Palmer's behavior the day before yesterday, acting as if she knew a secret about him... all of this made her wonder what kind of connection there was between them.

"...You weren't much better yourself, C.B. I remember you were completely stunned."

However, despite her confusion, Rudolf's verbal skills were not inferior. Maintaining her usual authority, she retorted without looking away:

"If I didn't know you had also just gotten to know him a few days ago, I would have thought one of your family members had passed away, to be so unable to accept it."

"Rudolf?!"

"—You two, you're seniors. Can't you restrain yourselves a little?"

Just as they were about to argue, Mejiro Palmer, who had been maintaining her cool and perfect smile, finally couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted them. The Mejiro family's treasure turned her interested gaze to Kitano, the smile on her face widening as she said softly:

"But, it's a blessing that you're okay, Trainer Kitano. This is our family's private hospital. If you have any needs, just tell the attending doctor. They will meet all your requests."

"Thank you, Mejiro-senpai." Kitano nodded solemnly, but his eyes, looking at her, were filled with complex emotions. Seeing this treasure of the Mejiro family again, this being he could never be worthy of, his feelings were extremely complicated.

Yes, he and Palmer had also been a pair before... but compared to his other charges, he tried his best not to recall that brief time with her... Every time he did, the blow to his self-esteem was too great.

A trainer "transferred" by his own charge... just thinking about it was humiliating. If not for another Mejiro sister "taking him over" later, he felt he would never want to set foot in the Mejiro household again.

Fortunately, in this new playthrough, Palmer didn't seem to have a similar situation to Oguri Cap... But that made sense. The time he spent with her was far shorter than with Oguri. He and Oguri had a great understanding and a deep bond, whereas with Palmer... he always felt that while she was dissatisfied with him as a trainer, she also had some personal issues with him.

But it was good that he had no contact with her in this playthrough. He wouldn't give her another chance to look down on him.

"...Then, please rest well."

Palmer's beautiful eyes keenly noticed the complex emotions in his gaze. Her heart couldn't help but flutter. In that instant, she felt as if she were naked before his eyes, all her perfect exteriors seen through by this man.

However, she was, after all, a horse girl groomed to be the next head of the Mejiro family. She quickly controlled her emotions, bowed slightly to him, and then turned to Rudolf:

"President, could you please come out with me for a moment? I have something I'd like to talk to you about privately."

"...Alright."

Rudolf watched Palmer's back, and after some thought, seemed to understand something and immediately followed her out of the room.

The two, with a tacit understanding, walked to a deserted corner of the hospital. Finally, as Palmer slowly turned around, Rudolf crossed her arms and asked with an incredibly solemn tone:

"Palmer, I'll ask you one more time—what do you know? How much do you know about Trainer Kitano?"

"...Rudolf, you've felt it too, haven't you? That Trainer Kitano is very special. He seems to have countless connections with many people, to the point that C.B., Oguri Cap, and the others are drawn to him like planets orbiting the sun."

This time, however, Palmer didn't beat around the bush. Perhaps Kitano's trip to death's door had completely convinced her of everything recorded in the notebook, and at the same time, made her understand that he was far more fragile than she had imagined. Many things could no longer be delayed.

And now, his secret might need to be shared with another person. She felt that Rudolf, who seemed to have some connection with him, might be the one to help him escape his deadly countdown.

"None of this is baseless, Rudolf... Perhaps, after you read this book, you will understand why I wanted you to choose a more outstanding horse girl for him."

"These are stakes that even if I can afford to lose, you, C.B., and Nakayama Festa cannot."

With that, Palmer took the lost notebook from her bag and handed it to Symboli Rudolf. Staring at this notebook, which held a part of Kitano's secret, Rudolf didn't know that from this moment on, she would begin a journey to find her own lost past.

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