"Norun… what happened?"
Rudi Lemo walked up with concern to meet Norun Ace as she came off the track, looking completely dejected.
"You actually lost to that mud bunny. That doesn't seem like you…" Lady Mini said as well.
In her eyes, Norun Ace should've been able to crush her opponent easily.
Could it be that something was wrong with Norun Ace's body?
Norun Ace's expression looked awful. She folded her arms across her chest, her small white teeth biting down on her lower lip.
"You don't understand…"
"She and us… we aren't even competing on the same level…"
During the race, Norun Ace had tried to overtake Oguri Cap. But the gap in their finishing kick was simply too huge. In just an instant, Oguri Cap opened up an enormous distance.
That feeling—one second the other runner is right in front of you, and the next she's already several lengths ahead—was the kind of crushing disparity Norun Ace couldn't accept.
Fight back?
Would fighting back even matter…?
"I invested in Oguri Cap because I saw value in her~"
In her low mood, Norun Ace suddenly remembered what Suluo had said to them earlier…
That guy… did he predict this from the start?
So he said that back then with the mindset of watching a joke—just waiting to see me make a fool of myself today?
Ghh…!
Damn it…!
Norun Ace turned her head, ready to glare hard at that investor who was supposedly here to laugh at her—
only to realize the situation wasn't what she'd imagined.
Suluo's mouth was hanging open, his eyes empty and unfocused, while Oguri Cap shook him by the shoulders. He looked like his soul had left his body. If you didn't know any better, you'd think he was Norun Ace's trainer—the one who'd just lost the race.
"?"
Norun Ace could only slowly produce a question mark.
—
"Kitahara… what's wrong with Mr. Suluo…?"
Oguri Cap kept shaking the shell-shocked Suluo while asking Kitahara beside her, genuinely puzzled.
"Uh… well…"
Kitahara stared at Suluo, whose mood had suddenly crashed, and couldn't figure out what was going on. He could only offer his best guess.
"Maybe… he's just too happy because he saw you win, Oguri Cap. After all, you're important to Mr. Suluo… uh, important…?"
"Important…?"
When Oguri Cap heard that keyword, the ears on top of her head instantly perked straight up.
Kitahara didn't know what to say. Originally, he'd meant "important project," but that sounded painfully cold, so he cut himself off, trying to find a better word.
Unfortunately, Kitahara wasn't exactly the silver-tongued type. In the end, he could only stammer out:
"Yeah. You're… an important person to Mr. Suluo!"
"An important person…!"
Oguri Cap's eyes lit up at once, and her tail behind her swished wildly.
Meanwhile, Suluo's mind was still storming.
At this point, it was already a fact that he'd judged Oguri Cap wrong. Regret wouldn't help.
Right now, Oguri Cap's strength at the local level was clearly outstanding—at minimum, she had the level to stand out in the region.
But there was no need to be too pessimistic!
Maybe Norun Ace's reputation didn't match her real ability, so Oguri Cap could beat her so easily.
And besides, things weren't at the absolute worst yet. Even if Oguri Cap was stronger than he expected, so what? As long as she wasn't strong enough to win major prizes in the Central circuit, it would be fine!
Oguri Cap was still a local horse-girl, after all!
Yes—Suluo had misjudged her.
He'd thought Oguri Cap would be a nobody who'd accomplish nothing locally, but now it looked like she had real strength even in the local scene.
But this was still the local scene!
As long as it didn't involve the Central circuit's big, high-stakes races, there was still room to turn things around!
My "money-losing ace"… still has a chance!
"Oooooh—!"
With a weird shout, Suluo snapped out of it—only for his head to be wobbling left and right from Oguri Cap shaking him.
"S-Stop… my head's gonna come off!"
"Oh. Oh."
Hearing his complaint, Oguri Cap finally stopped. She looked at him with an excited expression.
"Mr. Suluo, I won the race. Can I call you by your name now?"
"Uh… sure. Go ahead."
Suluo hadn't expected Oguri Cap to care this much about forms of address.
Well—if just letting her say his name made her happy, then fine. Let her.
"Suluo!"
"Mhm… Oguri Cap."
"No." Oguri Cap looked at him seriously. "Suluo should call me 'Oguri'."
"Alright, alright… Oguri it is…"
For some reason, Suluo had the strong illusion that if he didn't agree, Oguri Cap would tie him up and haul him away.
…That's probably just his imagination. Oguri was such a good kid—how could she do something that outrageous?
Imagination. Definitely.
Right—there was still one urgent thing!
"Kitahara."
With a solemn face, Suluo placed both hands on Kitahara's shoulders.
"This result today was very good."
"But I want you to pay more attention to training intensity—especially you. You're an important employee. Don't push yourself until you're exhausted!"
"Make sure you rest properly—both you and Oguri."
In other words: Go slack off properly!
Who told you to train like that?!
Don't mess up my grand money-losing plan!
Of course, Kitahara had no idea what Suluo was really thinking.
After hearing all that, he was deeply moved.
Mr. Suluo really is a good boss… He actually cares about the physical and mental health of his employee and his investment target…
He really… I'm gonna cry.
So Kitahara nodded seriously.
"Oguri Cap and I will make sure to rest!"
And then train even harder to repay your investment!
That's what Kitahara's eyes seemed to say.
Hearing his answer, Suluo nodded with satisfaction.
Good. Kitahara had understood the hidden meaning—he'd grasped the true essence of slacking off.
I'm paying you such a high salary! Just slack off and coast—don't work!
In a great mood, Suluo said, "Alright then—let's celebrate the victory. Later, I'm treating you both to a big feast!"
"Huh? We're doing a celebration dinner for a training match?" Kitahara asked, surprised.
"Of course!"
After what Oguri Cap just pulled today—nearly scaring him to death—he needed to lose a chunk of money to calm down.
"Oh right, Oguri—wasn't that your friend? Invite her to the celebration dinner too."
Suluo spotted Shiny Radiance and smiled.
One more mouth to feed meant he could lose even more money.
-------
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