It wasn't much of a surprise to Kitahara that Oguri Cap and the others had noticed him.
He hadn't tried to hide in the crowd. Instead, he stood at the very front on the sides of the dance formation, just like the onlookers, craning his neck to watch.
The horse girls didn't come over directly. Instead, they waved at him in delight, greeting him with cheerful smiles, then continued forward with the dance troupe.
It looked like they intended to follow the troupe all the way down the route.
Looking ahead in the direction the troupe was heading, he saw that they would soon turn out of the park.
After estimating for a moment, he figured his horse girls had probably joined the troupe temporarily. Otherwise, they wouldn't look so unpolished.
Not that their dancing was unprofessional—in fact, thanks to Winning Live, their dance skills were quite good.
It was just that from the earlier noisy commotion, it was obvious that the other members of the dance troupe had rehearsed many times in advance.
His horse girls, on the other hand, seemed like they had just happened upon it and joined in for fun.
If that was the case, then once they danced close to the park exit, they should come out.
Thinking that, Kitahara followed the Awa Odori troupe along with the surrounding crowd.
As they approached the exit, just as expected, he saw the horse girls cheering as they ran out of the formation. Unable to help himself, he smiled and stepped forward to greet them.
"Whoa—! Kitahara, you finally finished your work! We thought you might not have time today either."
Like in a race, sprinting at top speed, Oguri Cap rushed over, grabbed his arm, and excitedly pulled him toward the park entrance.
"These past few days of the summer festival have been so much fun!"
"It's such a pity you've been working the whole time and didn't get to play… well, I guess it's not entirely a pity."
"Because if it weren't for all your hard work, we wouldn't have had the chance to be this happy."
"Anyway, let's go have fun together, Kitahara."
Caught off guard as he was pulled along, Kitahara quickly regained his gentle smile.
But when he heard Oguri Cap's words, his smile froze for a moment.
Instinctively, his gaze swept around.
Following Oguri Cap with him were the familiar horse girls.
Super Creek, Mejiro Ardan, and also Tamamo Cross and Inari One—those he had spent every day with since Kasamatsu.
Special Week and Oguri Cap had gradually become close later on—no, Special Week and Oguri Cap? Correction: Special Week and Good Omen? Wait. (But original text says Special Week and Good Opera—so:) Special Week and T.M. Opera O were ones he had gradually grown familiar with later, whom he had personally gone to Hokkaido early to scout.
Tokai Teio, Mejiro McQueen, and Narita Brian weren't originally part of that group, but they had trained with his team for a long time as well.
Seiun Sky and King Halo hadn't yet fully joined training and hadn't spent much time together, but they would likely grow close soon.
And whether those already close to him, or those who would eventually become so, all of them now gave him a different feeling.
At Japanese festivals in the height of summer, liveliness was always essential.
Just stepping out of the park, the road was packed with bustling crowds.
Passionate music wove through the people, making the already blazing festival even more boisterous.
Colorful lanterns and streamers swayed gently in the gradually falling night, shining with brilliant light.
Farther off in the sky, fireworks began to bloom.
The dazzling bursts reflected over them. The horse girls pulling him along, clustering around him as they walked through the noisy, celebratory street—their youthful vibrancy shone even brighter under the fireworks.
It was a scene Kitahara had never experienced before, and his heart filled with an unprecedented warmth.
He realized that whether it was his past desire to create a better world for them, or his recent thoughts about opening up and discussing feelings with them, those ideas and actions had been somewhat one-sided.
Training, racing, and even their thoughts, feelings, and wishes about training and racing—those were only one part of these pure, kind girls.
There was another part of them that he had never truly considered, that he had always overlooked.
That part was what he was seeing now.
Moving through the lively streets, they passed a yukata shop.
Even though they were already wearing beautiful, cute yukata, they still stopped at the entrance, laughing, shoving one another playfully before rushing inside.
They tried on outfits endlessly, praising each other, egging each other on, bickering noisily.
Afterward they went to a "clip game" stall.
It was a simple game, similar to a claw machine.
The area was fenced with bamboo, filled with stuffed animals, blocks, rubber balls, and plastic buckets.
Using a long bamboo clip, you picked up the toy you wanted and dropped it into a bucket to win it as a prize.
Each attempt cost a small fee, but none of the horse girls were short on money, so they quickly played over a dozen times.
With their coordination, strength, and precision, it was easy for them to grab whatever toy they wanted.
Then they hugged their chosen prizes, smiling with adorable delight.
Goldfish scooping was similar.
In a shallow tank, colorful little goldfish darted back and forth.
They used small scoops made with special paper nets.
If soaked too long or used with too much force, the paper would tear, and the caught goldfish would slip away.
This time, not all the horse girls succeeded.
The game required careful control of strength.
In the past, Kitahara might have instinctively thought about turning this into a new training method.
Perhaps practicing goldfish scooping or toy clipping could improve their control over strength.
But at this moment, none of that crossed his mind.
When the horse girls suddenly suggested holding a goldfish scooping competition, he simply smiled and agreed to be the judge.
In the end, with amused inevitability, he declared Seiun Sky the winner.
As expected of a fishing enthusiast.
Anything related to fish was no challenge for her.
There were no real prizes—it was just for fun.
After that, the fun continued—and it still involved "fish."
Wandering, playing, eating, drinking, they eventually reached the riverside without realizing it.
Night had fallen. The clear river flowed slowly under the moonlight.
Farther out, the center of the river was tranquil.
Tiny lights flickered from small boats drifting on the water. The boats were brightly lit, and faint laughter carried over the yellow glow.
People leaned over the edges of each boat.
Pale yellow paper lanterns, like twinkling stars, were lowered one by one from the boats, drifting along the current and decorating the quiet river.
The riverbank was much livelier.
Shadows darted about. Many walked along the shore, but even more came directly toward the water.
With noise and laughter, people arrived holding lanterns of various sizes.
Like those on the boats, they gently set the lanterns on the water.
When the lanterns drifted away with the current, they quieted, still smiling, closed their eyes, and clasped their hands together.
Then the noise returned as they moved aside along the riverbank, making room for others to pray and make wishes.
The horse girls also placed lanterns into the water—though Kitahara had no idea when they had prepared or bought them.
Nor did he know when they had arranged for the small boat.
"Oh wow, right on time!"
Seeing the boat, Oguri Cap, still holding his hand, became excited.
"Let's get on, Kitahara."
And so they boarded.
Though he had encountered surprises all along the way, Kitahara gradually understood their intentions.
Perhaps Oguri Cap and the other two had proposed it first—or perhaps not.
In any case, he realized he had been worrying for nothing before. There had never been any dislike.
They must have thought a lot after that educational race—or even long before that.
About what training and racing meant to them. About future dreams. Even about life itself.
Maybe at that banquet, when they surrounded Hayakawa Tazuna, they were seeking advice from a senior.
Or perhaps they had asked even earlier.
There were many things that weren't about his worries as a trainer being unnecessary—it was simply that his horse girls had their own thoughts.
Completing their races, achieving their dreams, winning the championships they desired, responding to all expectations—
They had their own ideas about all of it.
The other horse girls likely felt the same.
And everything today—they must have wanted to tell him this in their own way.
They had put a lot of thought into it.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that he chose a place at random and happened to run into them?
Even if that was coincidence, what followed definitely wasn't.
They had visited nearly every stall along the way, playing through everything the festival had to offer.
Without planning, it would have been impossible to be so thorough.
And now, this boat must have been reserved in advance.
Didn't Oguri Cap say before boarding, "Right on time"?
He should have realized sooner.
Tamamo Cross, Inari One, and T.M. Opera O—if they hadn't planned it, how could they have left Nagoya so neatly and come to Tokyo together?
And once aboard, their movements were perfectly coordinated.
In the center of the boat was a fairly large cabin.
The front half was decorated like a restaurant.
After telling Kitahara to sit down there, the horse girls exchanged mysterious smiles and headed to the back half, leaving only T.M. Opera O with him.
The rear section was completely partitioned off.
The soundproofing wasn't great—there was noisy chatter and the clatter of pots and pans.
"Hurry up! Didn't we already plan this?"
"Don't rush me! I'm doing it!"
"Where are my ingredients…? Oh, here…"
"Um, has anyone seen the ingredients for mine…?"
"Here, here! Yours are over here!"
"Mhm! Thank you very much! I'll do my best!"
"By the way… it won't go to waste, right…?"
"How could it? We have me here, don't we?"
"That's true… huh? Oguri, you're actually aware of your own appetite?"
"Shh—keep it down! If Kitahara hears, it won't be a surprise…"
"Oh, right… keep it down, everyone…"
"…He's already heard everything, you know…"
The last mutter came from T.M. Opera O in the restaurant area.
Suppressing a laugh, Kitahara withdrew his gaze from the back cabin and looked at her, almost asking why she wasn't helping in the kitchen.
From what he'd heard, the surprise was obvious.
They had brought their busy trainer to enjoy the summer festival, then planned to cook something for him.
Simple, but genuinely surprising.
He had never expected his horse girls to do something like this for him.
Of course, maybe he was being self-indulgent—it might just be something they found fun and happened to include him in—but either way, it made him happy.
Still, it was strange that T.M. Opera O stayed outside instead of helping.
But he quickly understood—she had likely been assigned a different task.
Although she had muttered earlier, she now stood with her back to him, making exaggerated gestures—clearly reenacting some opera.
So, they were really going to cook something for him, and he could eat while watching a performance?
Kitahara suddenly felt anticipation rise beyond anything he had imagined.
And before the awaited scene truly unfolded, he suddenly realized what he ought to give these horse girls in the future.
Not just training, racing, unprecedented competitions.
But something simple—life.
It didn't need to be complicated, nor did he need to lecture them.
Simply eating well, resting well, playing well, studying well, training well, racing well.
That was enough.
What he truly should give them was a simple, joyful life—not merely dazzling races under the spotlight.
Those races were only one part of the life they deserved.
He didn't think further.
Those reflections applied not only to the horse girls, but to himself.
Perhaps his previous work and life had been too tightly wound.
It wasn't wrong to want to accomplish things, but even if he felt fine about it, others might find it dull.
If only he himself were bored and fine with it, that would be one thing. But he was guiding horse girls in training—he couldn't let them become as monotonous as he had been.
So perhaps relaxing and enjoying moments like this when possible wasn't so bad.
The anticipated moment didn't take long.
The "kitchen" door opened quickly.
"Ta-da! Tamamo's special okonomiyaki—hey! Inari, what's the deal? Didn't we say I'd go first?!"
"But my takoyaki was done quickly too!"
Tamamo Cross and Inari One burst out first, each carrying a huge plate of snacks, already bickering as they emerged.
"Even if it's quick, just smell it! Your takoyaki doesn't even smell as good as my okonomiyaki!"
"Huh?! What are you talking about? Just the aroma of my takoyaki is enough to make anyone drool!"
"No way! Even if yours smells good, look at mine! Thin batter, lots of filling, fresh oil, delicious sauce—it's definitely better!"
"Absolutely not! And besides, here in Kanto, when you think of summer festivals, it's takoyaki, right? Okonomiyaki is your Kansai specialty!"
"Nonsense! I saw tons of okonomiyaki stalls outside earlier—you ate a bunch too!"
"Th-that's different! Theirs is definitely different from mine!"
The okonomiyaki and takoyaki were already on the table, but the two were still arguing face to face.
Kitahara was long used to this.
Suppressing his gratitude for the moment, he picked up the chopsticks already set on the table and was about to dig in when he paused.
"Come on, Opera O, let's eat together."
But T.M. Opera O didn't move. Instead, she suddenly stood up, dramatically raising one arm high, placing the other hand over her chest, tilting her head back in self-rapture.
"Ah—! Life wanders between two worlds, like stars hanging in the sky at the meeting of day and night."
"Ah—! Of what we are now, we know little; of what we shall become, we know even less."
"Ah—! Day and night without rest, the river of time flows on, carrying our foam-like lives into the distance."
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome me—T.M. Opera O, embodiment of 'splendor'—to present a magnificent performance for you!"
Kitahara nearly sprayed out the snack he had just put into his mouth.
Unable to hold it in any longer.
Beside him, Tamamo Cross and Inari One were still arguing over whose snack tasted better, while here, T.M. Opera O had already begun her performance as if she hadn't heard a thing.
Very much in line with her lofty, self-absorbed personality.
As for which opera she was performing—whether it was because this was her first time hosting herself and she lacked experience, or because she wanted to keep some suspense—she didn't say.
But that opening monologue, with its rising and falling cadence, sounded familiar. Kitahara thought back and vaguely recalled it seemed to be written by the British poet Byron.
Besides poetry, Byron had indeed written operatic works. The most famous among them was Don Juan.
Then it was probably that one…
How interesting, he thought—T.M. Opera O performing opera.
With amused interest, Kitahara ate his snacks while enjoying the performance before him.
Wearing a lavish blue embroidered yukata that stood out compared to the others, she performed a classic English opera. The subtle sense of incongruity somehow became charming under this monologue delivered by a horse girl.
With such a performance, Kitahara didn't even notice when the next dish was brought out.
"…Hm?"
Only when he sensed movement in front of him did he turn his head in surprise.
Then he saw a simple, earnest smile.
"Hehe… Uncle Kitahara, if it doesn't taste that good later, please don't mind too much…"
Scratching her head shyly, Special Week pushed forward an extra-large hamburger steak.
On top of the meat patty, there was a carrot coated in sauce stuck into it.
"Um… it's my first time trying to make carrot hamburger steak. I really like eating this—there's lots of meat, and it makes me feel really happy."
"So when Oguri-senpai and the others said they wanted to hold a banquet just for you to reward you for all your hard work, this was what I thought of…"
"Ah! Oh no! I let it slip…"
She suddenly gasped and covered her mouth, eyes flustered.
"…Sigh, Spe-chan's head really does have… well, let's say a lot of room for intellectual growth."
Following behind Special Week, also carrying a plate, Seiun Sky muttered teasingly and smiled lazily.
"Well, anyway, I feel like with Uncle's brain, it wouldn't have been hard to figure it out."
"Here—grilled saury."
"Got lucky today. When I slacked off in the afternoon—I mean, when I specially went to the riverside to fish—I just happened to catch it."
"You know, saury's actually better to fish at night. They really like bright lights. It's not impossible during the day, but at night if you use some light to attract them, it's even easier."
"Hey? Uncle, how about we go fishing at the bow later?"
The little fishing enthusiast's eyes lit up as she raised a finger.
"At your age… no, you're not actually that old. It's just your temperament is like an old man's—it always reminds me of my grandpa…"
"Ahem. Anyway, fishing is really interesting."
"Let's go later. I can teach you—"
She was interrupted.
"Fishing can wait, A-Ku!"
A dramatic voice cut in.
"Try this cream pancake, Uncle!"
"This is totally different from the stall ones. I specially used fresh cream."
"One bite and the crispy pancake with rich cream will give your taste buds a brand-new experience—ohohohoho—!"
Seeing King Halo nearly poke the cream pancake into his nostrils, Kitahara couldn't help but laugh and quickly reached out to take it.
Before he could even thank her, several more plates were shoved in front of him.
"Hehehe, Uncle, if you get choked, I've got honey special drink~ Hmph, the others were too careless. How can you have only food and no drinks? That's why you need me, Tokai Teio-sama…"
"Yeah, yeah, sure, only Tokai Teio-sama is the smartest… Um, Uncle, yakisoba… th-that's not that I didn't want to use expensive ingredients, it's just there were too many and I didn't know what to make. I ran out of time and could only do yakisoba…"
"Chicken skewers. You've gotta eat more meat, right?"
"Rice Shower… made some rice. Is that okay? Th-that way you can eat your fill. That's what Rice thinks…"
They must have prepared everything long ago—the horse girls were coming out of the kitchen faster and faster.
When Tamamo Cross and Inari One came out, at least they could still watch T.M. Opera O's performance for a bit.
But by the time Special Week and the others arrived, and then this next wave, there was no time to look anywhere else.
He could only keep confirming who had come and what they had made.
Hmm…
Tokai Teio's honey special drink… well, that was just her personal hobby.
Uh, McQueen, why are you just like your grandson—whenever you cook, the first thing is yakisoba?
Brian, you really do love meat too much…
Rice Shower… rice… straightforward enough that it wasn't even surprising…
He didn't know what to say about their thoughtfulness.
At first, he had wanted to thank them. But as each one came forward, presenting their creation with shining eyes, Kitahara suddenly felt that any words of thanks would be too thin.
It felt like the only proper way to express his feelings was to eat heartily.
But before he could even show it that way, a few more horse girls came out from the kitchen.
"Don't worry, this order won't be wrong. First snacks, then main dishes, then desserts… it's just a bit rushed. Should've prepped some ingredients earlier."
"Mm… well, it's already like this. Let's just bring everything out… Wait, Oguri, are you sneaking a bite?"
"Nom nom… just a little, just a little…"
"Honestly, big sister…"
"Master Kitahara, chocolate banana. Please accept."
"Ah, Bourbon's so sly… Uncle Kitahara, this is the ice cream I made."
"I made donuts. Um… burp I just ate a tiny bit, just a tiny bit."
"Mr. Kitahara, this is the cotton candy I made."
"I made candied apples."
Small apples coated in translucent amber sugar.
Soft, fluffy, colorful cotton candy separated into little pieces.
Golden-brown donuts.
Snow-white ice cream drizzled with colorful syrup.
Chocolate bananas coated in dark chocolate and sprinkled with tiny sugar bits.
One by one, the horse girls brought them over with joyful smiles and placed them before Kitahara.
At a time like this, his feelings were complicated.
The first thing that rose to his lips was a phrase he almost blurted out.
What virtue or ability do I have…
What virtue or ability for what, he didn't know. The rest of the sentence was too complex to find an object.
Now he understood why award recipients and those being thanked often used that phrase in their speeches.
It truly was—what virtue or ability do I have?
From the moment he met these horse girls… no, even before that—back in Kasamatsu, when he decided to become a trainer—he had already thought of many things he wanted to do.
He felt that he had simply been methodically accomplishing what he wanted along the way.
In the other world—whether reality or fiction—what he saw was a cruel, dark world where hope and despair coexisted.
He could be moved and inspired by that world.
But after coming to this one, he only wanted hope.
Not even hope, really—he wanted to directly bring that final beautiful world into reality here.
That was his driving force.
He once thought that by doing this, he would understand what the horse girls were thinking.
For example, that they would feel joy, excitement, and anticipation for the approaching world.
That was true—but it wasn't everything.
What he hadn't expected was that because of what he had done, they would want to do something for him.
And not just in training or racing.
In fact, they had never slacked off in those areas.
Whenever there were mistakes in training, or failures in races, they would feel sadness, disappointment—even pain.
Thinking about it now, part of that might have been because they didn't want to disappoint him.
But what they wanted to do wasn't only that.
They also wanted something like this—simple—hoping that he, always busy, could be a little happier, a little more relaxed.
Actually… they didn't need to do this, Kitahara suddenly thought.
As long as I can see you running on the tracks of your dreams, stepping onto the stages you long for, I'm already happy and at ease.
So really… you didn't need to go this far.
If you do this… I really won't be able to say anything.
For the first time since becoming a trainer, he found himself unable to speak.
He raised his head almost evasively, suppressing the strange sting at the bridge of his nose, not wanting the horse girls beside him to notice.
It was ironic. He had been thinking about how to properly talk to them, how to express his feelings…
And now that they had given him such a perfect opportunity, he didn't dare let them see.
He didn't know whether they had looked at him while his head was tilted up, but he quickly found a moment when they likely weren't.
"For new births and old destructions rise within the waves of time."
"Mighty nations and ancient tombs, like vanished tides of the sea."
"Ha~ hahaha! Thank you all for your appreciation! From me—T.M. Opera O, embodiment of 'splendor'—presenting Don Juan, a grand curtain call!"
"So? So? It was amazing, right? Hahaha! Of course it was amazing, because this is a program I carefully prepared for so long!"
Thunderous applause erupted, along with lively chatter.
"Whoa! I didn't understand a thing, but it felt amazing!"
"Mm-hmm! Me too! Didn't understand at all! But if Oguri-senpai says it's amazing, it must be!"
"Oguri, honestly…"
"Big sister…"
"Spe-chan too…"
"But—anyway—T.M. Opera O's performance… um… her voice was really loud! Yes, yes, very loud!"
"It was quite good. Though only a monologue, the abundant emotion of the opera came through clearly. If there's a flaw, perhaps the portrayal of the cruel, sinful, shameless era in the original work wasn't deep enough—performance-wise, I mean."
"Big sister, Opera O's experience is still limited. I didn't really understand those meanings either. I think she did very well already."
"Agreed."
"Um… Rice also thought it seemed very wonderful…"
For a while, the boat's topic shifted to evaluating T.M. Opera O's performance.
Though some clearly hadn't understood a thing, and others gave mixed reviews, it didn't affect her mood at all.
"Ha~ hahaha! To receive such reactions already far exceeds my expectations. I thank you all sincerely!"
After laughing grandly and offering thanks, she gave an elegant bow.
"My performance was somewhat rushed. If we want Uncle Kitahara to be even happier, then let's follow the original plan—after dinner, let's go to the festival venue."
"The performances these past days have been wonderful. It's just a pity we couldn't find a suitable piece to rehearse ourselves."
"But that's fine. Taking Uncle Kitahara to watch others perform should be okay too."
As soon as she said that, all the horse girls looked toward Kitahara—except Oguri Cap, who reacted a beat late.
"Huh? Wait, weren't we going to tell Kitahara later?"
She scratched her head. "If we say it now, won't it be less of a surprise…?"
"No, I'm already very surprised. How should I put it…"
Taking advantage of the earlier distraction, Kitahara had quickly rubbed his face and steadied his emotions. Now, hearing Oguri Cap, he couldn't help but smile.
"I thought for a long time. There are many things I want to say, but in the end there's really just one thought…"
"Thank you for preparing this surprise for me. I'm truly very happy."
He nodded firmly, looking over their expressions as surprise turned into joy, his smile deepening.
"What I just said… wasn't me being self-indulgent, right? I mean, that all of this was specially prepared for me."
"Of course not. It was always for you. When we were in America, I was already discussing it with Super Creek and Ardan."
Without hesitation, Oguri Cap shook her head. "Actually, I originally said we should just tell you directly."
"But later when talking with Spe-chan and the others, someone said it wouldn't be surprising enough that way."
"I don't really get the whole 'surprise' thing, but since everyone said so… Anyway, sorry for hiding it from you, Kitahara."
Kitahara laughed helplessly.
"What's there to apologize for…"
Shaking his head, he suddenly realized something. "So this surprise… you were the one who thought of it first, Oguri?"
The horse girls' gazes shifted from him to Oguri Cap.
"Yeah. I thought of it after hearing what Tazuna-san said."
She nodded matter-of-factly. "That time we lost by such a huge distance, remember? Everyone saw how long it was."
She stretched her arms wide to demonstrate. "That distance… during the race, I almost felt despair."
"It felt… painful. And then I thought of you, Kitahara."
"I thought if we had asked you more from the start, maybe that race would've gone better."
"After that, I wanted to ask Tazuna-san why she was so amazing."
"But she said losing to her wasn't something she needed to explain—she was just strong. Something like that."
"Anyway, she told me to ask you instead… Oh, and Super Creek and Ardan too."
She pointed at her companions, then scratched her head again.
"But I don't know why. About that race… at that moment, I didn't want to ask you, Kitahara."
Kitahara froze.
"Didn't want to ask me…?"
"Mm." Oguri Cap nodded. "I suddenly thought—about that race, and all the previous races and trainings—you were always the one working hardest and doing the most."
"I've always known you're busy. Probably very tired too."
"Suddenly I felt that instead of asking you things, maybe what I should do is make you happy. Make you cheerful. Make you feel blessed."
"Because about training and racing—even if we don't ask—you'll take care of everything."
There wasn't a trace of doubt in her voice.
"So I thought about what would make Kitahara feel happy… um, I didn't ask you, I just went with what I thought."
She scratched her head again.
"I remembered something McQueen said once."
"She said she might have gained weight recently and wanted to know how to lose it."
"She also said eating makes her happy."
"And staying in shape makes her happy too."
"But eating brings a moment of happiness, while being slim brings a lifetime of happiness."
"So that's why she wanted to slim down."
"I thought she was right, but…"
She paused thoughtfully.
"If eating brings a moment of happiness…"
"Then wouldn't you just keep eating?"
"So I wanted to hold a banquet just for you."
"How is it? Everyone thought the idea was good and made what they're best at."
"Kitahara, what do you think?"
All the horse girls' eyes returned to him—more expectant than ever.
Is it delicious?
He sensed that meaning first.
Mine must be the best, right?
Then he quickly caught that meaning too.
At least better than that person's.
Several horse girls exchanged looks—unexpected yet expected—and he saw that meaning as well.
"It's definitely delicious. No exaggeration—this is absolutely the best food I've ever eaten, and the best banquet I've ever attended."
He answered firmly, without exaggeration.
Though simple, the dishes were all carefully made.
Even without the warm atmosphere, they would taste good.
With it, even more so.
But after praising them, he quickly changed the topic.
He felt he had to. Otherwise someone might actually demand he rank them—and that would be troublesome.
Praising one side would hurt the other. Giving identical praise would seem perfunctory.
Best to shift subjects.
"By the way, you mentioned the festival performance earlier—and wanting to rehearse something…"
A thought flashed through his mind, remembering something T.M. Opera O had said.
"How about this? I happened to think of a song that's perfect for festivals—and perfect for horse girls."
"Maybe you can try it. If it works today, you could perform it at the festival later. If not, maybe in a few days."
"Anyway, I think it's pretty interesting."
"As for the title…"
"'Tracen Ondo.'"
"How about it? Want to try? It's pretty simple."
Looking at their surprised expressions, and at the colorful yukata they wore, Kitahara couldn't help but smile.
When you think of summer festivals and horse girls…
How could you not have Tracen Ondo?
Saying he had just thought of it earlier was just a cover.
Tracen Ondo was an original horse girl song—cheerful and popular, always ranking near the top on charts.
It didn't exist in this world yet.
And in this moment, he didn't mind letting it be born early.
Though the song and dance were simple, they still needed practice. So when they finally performed it at the festival, it was a few days later.
During those days, Kitahara didn't follow through on his earlier plan to have serious talks with them.
After finishing work, he simply stayed in the academy dance hall, smiling as he watched them rehearse.
Even on the day of the official performance, he kept that relaxed mindset—smiling, appreciating.
It was after nightfall.
Crowds in gorgeous yukata and casual clothes, with beautiful hair ornaments, holding round fans or folding fans, gathered expectantly before the tall stage.
Colorful neon lights illuminated the three-tiered stage, as well as the lively youthful faces of the horse girls above—and the vibrant koi patterns on their yukata.
Kitahara stood among the crowd, just like them, gazing at the stage with anticipation.
As if he had never heard or seen the upcoming performance before.
Soon, the incredibly familiar melody reached his ears, accompanied by the horse girls' light steps, the rhythm of taiko drums, and swaying neon lights.
"Come on everyone~ It's starting~"
"One~ Two~ Three~ Hey~"
"U—ma—ma—ma—ma—ma—ma—ma—ma—"
The moment he heard the familiar "Uma," Kitahara couldn't help but laugh.
And when he saw Oguri Cap singing her heart out as the lead vocalist, he cheered and waved just like the rest of the audience.
Simple, relaxed, kind, pure—that should be their true colors…
As he cheered and waved, he smiled to himself.
(End of Chapter)