Just where
Leg strength? Endurance? Race strategy? The final burst of speed?
Where… where exactly did I lose, Kitahara…?
No—no, wait. I already thought about this during the race. I can't keep tiring Kitahara out. I have to learn to analyze this by myself.
So today, when I raced against Tama, Inari, and Creek, I don't think I made any mistakes, and yet…
Why didn't I win…?
Did I misjudge something? Did I fail to do something right? Is that why I lost…?
So this is what losing feels like… It's kind of sad, and it makes me feel like I let Kitahara down.Hmm… and now I'm even hungrier than usual…
And also… I'm so unwilling to accept this.
Unwilling, unwilling, unwilling, unwilling—
So this is that burning unwillingness after losing.
I… I really wanted to win, didn't I.
I… Huh? It hurts
She didn't know how long she had been walking with her head down when Oguri Cap suddenly stopped, dazed, and slowly lifted her hand.
Her pale fingers had somehow clenched so tightly into a fist that, between the creases of pressed-together fingers, bright, sharp red seeped out—her own unwillingness bleeding through like it couldn't be contained.
"It hurts"
"Sigh, honestly. You gripped your hand that hard"
"Oh, sorry, Kitahara—eh? Kitahara? When did you get here?"
Hearing that familiar voice, catching the faint reproach in its tone, Oguri Cap instinctively apologized in a daze—only to realize that, at some point, Kitahara had already appeared beside her.
Kitahara had been following her for a while. During that time, he'd been thinking about how to comfort her.
Oguri Cap had never lost before. From her debut race until now, she'd only ever known victory.
Today's match had just been a training race, but the opponents were all her familiar friends—and all extremely strong. No one would have doubted it if you'd called it an official race.
To lose in such a race—this was an experience Oguri Cap had never had before.
Kitahara didn't know exactly what that felt like. All he knew was that at a time like this, he should say something.
He'd been waiting for the right moment, but when he saw Oguri Cap unconsciously clench her hand so hard she'd actually torn her skin, he couldn't keep waiting. He sighed and walked over.
"Losing must feel pretty awful, huh? Well, no wonder—you"
As he spoke, Kitahara gently took her injured hand, intending to check the wound—and abruptly met Oguri Cap's eyes.
In those eyes flickered a strange light.
Like flames—those eyes burned with longing, fighting spirit, and unwillingness. That longing, that fighting spirit, that unwillingness burned so fiercely that even if someone doused them with water, they would surely flare back to life from the embers.
It was like being scorched just looking at her—Kitahara couldn't help but take a step back.
I…
I was being ridiculous, wasn't I—worrying that a monster like this could be broken…
But still… comfort is comfort.
He let a faint smile curl his lips. Without deliberately addressing her emotions, Kitahara shifted his gaze to her palm, inspecting the wound, and spoke softly:
"According to the training plan, tomorrow just happens to be a rest day."
"You don't have anything planned tonight, right, Oguri Cap? How about we grab a bite to eat? Fried chicken wings, maybe? If I remember right, you're pretty fond of those."
A good meal—probably the best comfort for Oguri Cap, Kitahara thought.
"Oh! Fried chicken wings! That sounds great, let's go right now—"
Hearing food mentioned, Oguri Cap did indeed perk up, but unusually, her excitement lasted only a moment before she calmed down.
"Hmm… maybe let's wait until tomorrow. That way, we can all go together with Creek and the others, have a proper meal then."
Meeting Kitahara's surprised gaze, Oguri Cap said seriously:
"Kitahara, if you have time to go eat right now, that means you're free, right?"
A bit confused about what she was thinking, Kitahara nodded.
"Then… hmm, I was trying not to bother you too much, but right now…"
She scratched her head a little sheepishly.
"Kitahara, could you maybe tell me why I lost this time?"
"My head's not as quick as yours. I've been thinking for so long and still can't figure it out, so I have to trouble you for this one…"
"Was it something I didn't do well enough? Or compared to Tama and the others, is there something I'm lacking…?"
So that's what you've been brooding over.
Kitahara laughed softly—because what Oguri Cap was asking was exactly what he had just been discussing in the office with Taro and the others.
"I wouldn't say it's something you're missing—more like an unstable factor. At least, that's how it seems for now."
Thinking over what his team currently understood about "Domains," Kitahara explained:
"Tama probably entered a special kind of state at that time. We call that state a 'Domain.'"
"Domain…"
Oguri Cap echoed thoughtfully.
Kitahara nodded.
"Yeah. That's what Tōra, Komiyama, and I are thinking at the moment, but the specifics—we'll need Kyōko's medical data to analyze further."
As for Domains, they currently knew very little. International research hadn't produced stable results—at least not on the surface.
They planned, on one hand, to find an opportunity to consult legendary racehorses like Symboli Rudolf, and on the other, to analyze the data from Tamamo Cross's race to see if they could discover some leads—or even a breakthrough.
With the many monitoring devices Kyōko had set up at the training grounds, maybe—just maybe—they really could find something.
After a brief explanation, Kitahara glanced at Oguri Cap's hand and changed the subject.
"Anyway, this wasn't your fault. I'll explain more later. For now, let's get you to the infirmary."
After taking Oguri Cap to the infirmary to bandage her hand, Kitahara had already explained everything he knew about Domains in detail.
And then—
"Sorry, Kitahara… I didn't really understand." Oguri Cap scratched her head, embarrassed.
As expected.
Kitahara chuckled and patted her head.
"It's fine if you don't get it. Honestly, to tell you the truth, I don't really understand Domains either."
"Even you don't understand it, Kitahara?"
Oguri Cap's eyes widened in surprise, then she muttered under her breath:
"If even Kitahara doesn't understand it, then it must be something really difficult. Hmm"
Seeing her start to look thoughtful again, Kitahara smiled once more, just about to tell her not to overthink it, to get some rest tonight and prepare to relax properly tomorrow—
"Feels kind of like the Three Goddesses' blessing" she suddenly murmured.
"The Three Goddesses'… blessing?"
The words he'd meant to speak turned into a stunned question.
"Yeah."
Oguri Cap nodded, as if it were obvious.
"I remember either you or Komiyama said before that in our world, most things can be explained. The only ones we really can't explain are the things related to the Three Goddesses."
"I think that makes a lot of sense."
"Because, even though everyone says we Uma Musume are blessed by the Three Goddesses, we actually don't really understand what the Goddesses are all about either."
(End of Chapter)