"Okay, so the disinfection and bandaging are done. The wound is not deep, and the bleeding has already stopped. You don't need to go to the hospital for stitches. Just go for a regular check-up."
After the race, Nakayama Festa, who had been carried away from the track by him in a princess carry, was immediately met by the racecourse's medical team. After several emergency doctors had carefully observed the wound on her forehead, they had also treated her in a hurry, wrapping it in circles of bandages as if they were free.
There was no other way. The lesson from the collective injury incident of the horse girls a few months ago was really too impressive. Otherwise, in this race, even if McQueen had committed a foul and had run diagonally, it would not have been an unprecedented case of being demoted from second place to last place to serve as a warning. It was to show the fair and just attitude of the racecourse at this tense moment.
Unfortunately, this horse girl of the Gold Family, who would have thought she was so wild? Even if she was injured, she did not withdraw from the race. She even ran to the finish line without stopping her sprint despite the double debuff of being hit and injured, and she even won.
"In that case, you're even fiercer than that relative of ours, Soccer Boy." Stay Gold, who had followed everyone from the stands to the rest room, looked at her, whose face was already wiped clean of blood, and still couldn't hide her proud expression, couldn't help but praise her.
And her words had attracted the attention of Oguri and Tamamo on the side. It could be said that Oguri, who was fully responsible for forcing her into this state, after being reminded by her like this, also nodded in approval and said, "Now that you mention it... it is indeed very similar. Soccer-san, back then, had a showdown with me and Tamamo in the Arima Kinen. At that time, she hit the gate when she came out, and was bleeding. She even lost a tooth, but she actually ran to third place."
"So, Soccer-san is also a relative of the Gold Family? This is really the first time I've heard of it."
"But that also explains why she's so crazy in a race, right? That guy, Soccer Boy, also runs like a madman." Compared to her astonishment, Tamamo, after knowing this, showed an expression of "that's not surprising then." After all, in this race, her performance had really impressed everyone.
It could be said that even at her peak, she would not dare to say that she could definitely win against her in this state. Back then, when he was injured at the start, it had had a negative impact on her. But against a madman like her, who was even more excited when she was injured, she had no confidence that she could perform better than McQueen.
You know, her performance was already the most stable in her first encounter with the crazy her. And she herself was also a person who was easily provoked and got carried away. If even she was scared like this, she would not dare to say that she could do it.
And compared to the discussion on her side, the now-completely-vented-out-her had also returned to her usual unmotivated state. While touching the bandage on her head, she asked uneasily, "Is this really okay... will it leave a scar? Then I'll be disfigured."
"It's okay. You have all been blessed by the Three Goddesses. I think they wouldn't let the object of their blessing be disfigured." And he, who had been by her side all along, and had not left for a single step, also, after hearing her worried words, also ruffled her blood-stained knit cap and answered, "Even if there is a scar, this little scar will not change the fact that you are a beauty. Among the horse girls, your appearance is already considered very outstanding."
"...Who asked you to comment on this? Honestly."
And being praised for her appearance by him for the first time, she, after a brief moment of speechlessness, rolled her eyes at the him who was trying to please her.
However, Invincible, who was standing beside Ardan on the side, and Tokai Teio, who was beside Rudolf, both noticed her unnatural movement of her tail standing straight—clearly, she was tightly controlling the amplitude of her tail, so that her true feelings were not exposed.
"Hmph, it seems Trainer-san failed to please Nakayama-san. Remember to practice your sweet talk skills next time~"
And C.B., who had returned to his side, was completely unconcerned about his praise of her appearance. She just, as usual, stood very close to him, enjoying the gaze of everyone who wanted to say something but was used to it. She asked her on the side, "So, is there anything else you're not feeling well about? Now that you're in front of the doctor, it's better to say it all at once."
"...I just feel very weak and have no strength." For the default second-in-command of the team, the recovered her did not show any more resistance and honestly answered the second point she was most worried about after the race.
"Is it because I've consumed too much? I've never felt so tired in a race before. Until now, I still feel that it's very difficult to stand steadily. What's going on?"
"After all, from beginning to end, you have always been opening your [Domain]. It's normal to feel weak after the race." Symboli Rudolf also came forward. For this charge of his, who was the most unfavored but had now really created a miraculous victory, she had to re-examine her ability once again.
In the past, she had not planned to get along well with the charges around him. After all, she was the president, and her daily affairs were very numerous. Besides, every charge around him, whether they were still running or not, was eyeing him covetously. Although she did not consider them as rivals in her pursuit of him, she would not befriend them.
And among them, she, this nominal "first charge" of his, had always been looked down upon by her. As for his declaration that she could create miracles, in her opinion, it was entirely because she was his only charge at that time, so he had to say good things to encourage her. In the team, her status was definitely not the type to be valued.
But in this Tennō Shō (Autumn), she had to admit that he still had a better eye than her. And now it seemed that she was by no means an "unvalued" existence as she had thought. She was the one he was really particularly concerned about in this life.
And this also made her, who had made up her mind to win him over, find an entry point—if she could start with her and have a legitimate reason to have more contact with him, it might also be a good thing.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, although she seemed to have some feelings for him, she, like Ardan of the Mejiro family, did not seem to be clear about her own feelings, which was a great help.
Having figured all this out, she also seized this opportunity and wanted to show off her knowledge of [Domain], a talent that only "epoch-making" horse girls might have. She said to her, "[Domain] has a great effect on a horse girl. Although the expression and improvement are different, maintaining [Domain] for a long time is a great consumption of your mental strength."
"And from your performance, Nakayama-san... it's obvious that your [Domain] also has something special." She said this and couldn't help but turn her gaze to him on the side and smiled gently, "So that's how it is. I've heard more than once that he calls you a one-shot wonder. I only now understand that he sees much further than me when it comes to horse girls."
However, faced with her and him smiling at each other, Invincible on the side also had her mouth twitch a few times. However, she, who wanted to do something, looked at Ardan on the side, who had no action at all and was just thanking the medical staff who had already left the field one by one. Her thousands of words couldn't help but turn into a long sigh.
However, the fact that she had no action did not mean that the other daughter had not. Especially when she felt that there was some secret between her and him, and the object of her praise was her long-time loser, her little jar of vinegar was immediately overturned, and she asked sourly, "What does this mean? President? [Domain] or something, you've never taken the initiative to mention it to me, have you?"
Good assist, Teio. Originally wanting to go deeper into this topic and, in the name of her identity as a "[Domain] powerhouse" and "guiding her to consolidate her domain," to increase her contact with him, she also secretly gave her a thumbs up in her heart. But on the surface, there was no flaw at all as she immediately answered, "That's because I didn't think you would come into contact with an opponent of this level so early. But I didn't expect that in the same era, it was actually her who touched this realm first."
"It's no exaggeration to say, Teio, if this race was the Satsuki Sho or the Japanese Derby, you might not be able to win against her."
"President..."
However, for the first time being denied by her, her heart also couldn't help but skip a beat. Her azure blue eyes darkened for a moment, and the two souls in her body both showed a hint of panic.
In a panic, for some reason, she turned her gaze to him at the first moment. However, faced with him, whose attention was all on her now and had not even cast a glance at her, her heart couldn't help but start to beat faster again.
Undoubtedly, she had inadvertently hit her most feared point in her heart, making her feel that her "status" was threatened.
And even, this was not just her own thought. Even the other "Teio" in her body had the same reaction at this moment. When she, this first charge of his, had clearly shown a place that surpassed her, they both felt that their status was wavering.
In the past, the reason why the two of them were at ease was because she was very confident that his several charges were no match for her. Whether it was her undefeated Triple Crown, or the position that "Teio" had always wanted to take back, they would not feel threatened by a few people.
But now, they both really felt... when they were not the strongest, the attention they had once taken for granted would be divided...
But now, she had not become the focus of this discussion. And she, who had heard of [Domain] for the first time, was naturally also very curious and continued to follow her script, asking, "Then what's so special about my [Domain]?"
"This..." She smiled slightly, and just as she was about to open her mouth, Stay Gold on the side silently rolled her eyes at her and interrupted abruptly, "The special thing is that your [Domain] burns not only your mental strength, but all your abilities as a horse girl as fuel."
"Your [Domain] will not only burn your grit, but also all the stamina, strength, and speed you have trained to exchange for a victory that subverts cognition. The reason why you have no strength now is because your [Domain] has almost burned away all your training success."
"Eh?! Then aren't I finished?!"
As the head of the Gold Family, she naturally knew the special characteristics of her several younger sisters better than her. And even her big sister had said so, so she would of course believe it. At that moment, she shouted in astonishment, her face instantly turning pale!
And the Suzuka and the others on the side were also startled by her remarks. After all, for the training results to be burned away as fuel, and everything to return to the initial state, this, for a horse girl, was too great a blow. None of them could imagine what would happen if the speed, strength, or stamina they were proud of were to be dissipated after a race... no horse girl could face all of this with ease.
And it was precisely because of this that they understood his evaluation of her as a "one-shot wonder."
"A one-shot wonder... after one victory, to burn away everything you have? Even if it's a big gamble, the stakes are too high."
This kind of ability, for a horse girl, I really don't know if it's a blessing or a curse... however, she was not flustered at all. Faced with the shocked her, she just said calmly, "What are you worried about? It's not like you can't train your results back. Even if you rest for half a year after a race, if you can still win a G1 steadily like today, you might have three or four G1 championships when you retire. What are you not satisfied with?"
"Besides..." as she said this, her gaze also couldn't help but fall on him. Her lips curled slightly as she answered, "I think this victory of yours will bring him a surprise that is far greater than anyone else's."
"—Journey is right. Festa, your victory is a miracle." And he also nodded solemnly. Faced with her "Seven Injuries Fist" [Domain], he did not feel too surprised. On the contrary, he felt that this was probably the most reasonable explanation that the horse girl world could give for her record.
And what she had said was also not wrong at all. Her unexpected victory this time had given him a really big "surprise." Not only had she broken her historical record, but also, among the opponents she had defeated were the three strong enemies, McQueen, Ryan, and Suzuka. In this race, the time she had won for him had really created a historical peak!
He looked at the four years of time that had surged on his arm. And counting the time he had consumed before, her victory this time had successfully extended his lifespan by nine years! He looked at this abundant time that he had not seen for a long time, and his mood was also extremely good.
However, what he was more concerned about now was not his own lifespan, but her "Seven Injuries Fist Domain." He once again looked up at her and asked tentatively, "But I'm more curious... if her [Domain] has burned away her grit and all her other training results, if the [Domain] is not closed, then what else will it burn?"
And faced with his deliberate inquiry, she also understood what he was worried about. In front of her, her plain tone carried a heavy warning as she said, word by word, "—Then perhaps, what it will burn is her life force."
After her words fell, the scene also fell into a silence because of these particularly heavy words. Almost in an instant, everyone focused their gaze on the dazed her. She even more seriously said her warning, "So, Festa, every time you open your [Domain] to race, you have to remember to spend a lot of time resting to restore your state to the best. If you don't want to run on your life, then you'd better remember this, understand?"
"...Honestly, this is really a troublesome ability."
And she, faced with her big sister's particularly solemn warning for the first time, also nodded cautiously... but for some reason, she always felt that everyone's worry was not just because of her [Domain], but also because they were worried that because of her, he would do something out of line.
However, she did not intend to race on her life. She still had a great youth to enjoy. She also had to keep her life to buy him a little more time. As long as her IQ was still there, where would she do such a thing as exchanging her life for a G1?
To exchange my life on this side, and for him to extend his life on that side, she doesn't think her character is so great as to sacrifice herself—that's more like what that guy would do.
But he shouldn't be able to do such a thing, right? He doesn't have much of his own life left, and he's still giving it to others. He shouldn't be so stupid, right?
She also made up her mind in her heart. This kind of life-exchanging [Domain]... on a daily basis, if it's not a big gamble, if it's not a race that "absolutely cannot be lost," then it's better not to use it.
....
My Patreon : patreon/RuneA
If you want to read the novel in advance, you can subscribe for early access. I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length. If you're following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it