While Suro wandered around Nishikino Academy by himself, Principal Nishikino found Tamamo Cross and struck up a conversation.
"Tamamo, besides you, has Mr. Suro invested in any other horse girls?"
"He has," Tamamo answered, though she had no idea why her old principal was asking. "Back in Kasamatsu he also invested in a horse girl named Oguri Cap. I heard she's a grey like me—and she's been winning nonstop… I just haven't met her."
"Kasamatsu…"
A sharp gleam flashed in Principal Nishikino's eyes.
"I see…!"
"What do you mean, 'I see'…? And honestly, you were the same earlier—ever since you met Suro, you've been all mysterious and weird. Are you sure you're okay, Principal?" Tamamo raised an eyebrow. She couldn't shake the feeling he'd been completely fooled by Suro.
After spending these past months with Suro, Tamamo had more or less figured out what kind of person he was.
He was serious when it mattered, but sometimes his mouth ran off in strange directions. Overall, he was a decent guy—a genuinely good person. And every now and then, she somehow felt a kind of… world-shaking wisdom wrapped in pure idiocy coming off him… though that had to be her imagination.
Right? Probably?
"Suro does whatever pops into his head," Tamamo said. "So you really don't need to take everything he says too seriously."
"Tamamo! Don't be disrespectful to Mr. Suro!" the principal barked.
"I may not have known Mr. Suro for long," he continued, "but in my view, everything he does has deeper meaning."
Then he looked at her with grave seriousness.
"Tamamo—have you ever thought about why Mr. Suro invested in you?"
"Eh…?" Tamamo blinked. "He said he was investing in my future…"
"Do you truly believe Mr. Suro invested in you for only that?" Principal Nishikino pressed. "He's spent a very real twenty million yen on you. After spending that much money, would it really be just for your 'future'?"
"Mr. Suro… if I'm not mistaken, he's plotting something big." The principal narrowed his eyes. "And you—and that girl from Kasamatsu—are likely pieces in his plan."
"I-Is that so?" Tamamo's composure wavered. Hearing the principal analyze things so confidently made her feel unsettled.
Could it be… Suro really did have some heavy, dark secret?
"Tamamo, listen." The principal placed both hands on her shoulders, solemn as a commander giving orders.
"Mr. Suro is likely trying to raise Nishikino Academy to the top of Hokkaido—and use that to oppose Central Tracen."
"I still don't know why Mr. Suro wants to oppose Central Tracen…" he said, voice low. "But when that day comes, you—the one Mr. Suro chose—will become the vanguard of the resistance! Your results will become Hokkaido's face! Its symbol!"
"That 'future' Mr. Suro spoke of—this must be what he meant!"
"Hokkaido's… face? Me?" Tamamo gaped.
Was that what he meant by "future"?
No—wait. Calm down.
If she thought rationally, that actually was the most plausible explanation…
Who would throw a mountain of cash at someone for a vague, intangible "future," for no reason at all?
But if that "future" was a concrete goal, then it was a different story.
"Still… why me…?" Tamamo couldn't understand it. When Suro found her, her results were a disaster. No—honestly, even now, her results weren't exactly good…
"Perhaps Mr. Suro saw potential in you," the principal said at once.
"Potential?"
"Yes. Even if your results aren't great, Mr. Suro must have seen something—a hidden talent. That's why he chose you!"
"And like you said, the first horse girl he invested in—Oguri Cap—keeps winning, right? Mr. Suro probably saw a similarity between you and her, some shared trait… and that's why he chose you!"
"So, Tamamo—believe in yourself!"
"Or rather… believe in Mr. Suro, who believes in you!"
"..."
Tamamo's mind went from confusion… to something far more complicated.
So… Suro had been believing in her all along…?
"I understand," Tamamo said at last, determination settling into her eyes.
— — —
When they left Hokkaido, for some reason Tamamo Cross no longer tried to chat with Suro.
Suro noticed she wasn't talking, but she looked strangely fired up, so he didn't bother asking.
They separated, and Suro immediately returned to Kasamatsu.
The very first thing he did after arriving was go check on Oguri Cap's training.
He remembered Kitahara had said he needed to talk to him—and it was on the way, anyway.
Familiar as ever, Suro walked back into the team's clubroom. Kitahara was at his desk, scribbling calculations. Oguri wasn't there—she was probably running on the training field.
"Oh! Mr. Suro!" Kitahara greeted him with a smile.
"What did you need?" Suro asked bluntly.
"Ah—about Oguri's upcoming race schedule." Kitahara picked up the sheet he'd been writing on. Suro looked closer and saw it was packed with planned entries for Oguri Cap.
"I want Oguri Cap to enter the Chukyo Cup! Our goal is the Tokai Derby, and if that's the goal, then entering the Chukyo Cup is mandatory."
"Chukyo Cup, huh…" Suro murmured. "How much is the prize money again?"
Compared to remembering race names, he cared a lot more about how much money this race was about to make him.
"3.2 million yen! The winning horse girl gets 3.2 million!" Kitahara beamed like sunshine. "That's a huge payout! Well, Mr. Suro—now you're interested, right?"
Kitahara's smile was bright.
Suro's soul, however, was dying.
Interested?
No.
Heartbroken.
That was 3.2 million…
Back when this all started, his first month's "lose money KPI" was only five million.
And now a single Chukyo Cup payout was already this much…
As for what the Tokai Derby would pay? He didn't even want to imagine it.
But now Suro was preparing to shift the focus of his investments to Nishikino Academy's side. Earning this little bit wouldn't make him panic too much.
"All right," Suro said with a wave. "You're entering the Chukyo Cup? I approve."
"Great!" Kitahara was delighted.
Now Oguri Cap would have the chance to race on an even bigger stage!
Perfect!
Everything was heading in the right direction!
…Assuming nothing went wrong.
-------
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