"And…there!" I smiled as I carefully took a few steps back, my crutches echoing as they clacked against the ground. "Man, that looks good~" I grinned. "Didn't know you were so good at woodworking Kitahara."
Kitahara grinned proudly as he pulled his cap down. "I know a little." He humbly said.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah." I then turned to Oguri, who was standing next to me. "And what do you think? She looks awesome, doesn't she?"
"Nn." Oguri nodded, her eyes sparkling. "She looks cool!"
"C-Can you not talk like I'm not here!?" Belno shouted, her face red with embarrassment. "And s-stop it! You've already seen it before!"
Of course, the thing we were talking about was the framed drawing Kitahara had just hung up on the wall of our team's clubroom. It was a stylized drawing of Belno's partial Domain, showing her dressed in her G1 outfit, wielding that yin-yang spear just moments before she threw it. The drawing was contained in a beautifully carved wooden frame, made by Kitahara himself.
Apparently one of the umamusume in the audience was a professional painter, and after she saw Belno's Domain, she was so inspired that she spent two sleepless nights perfecting this piece, which she then generously donated to us.
I rubbed my chin with a conspiratorial smile. I couldn't help but wonder how much money I'd get if I auctioned this off. The world had only just recently seen the Domain in its full force, so I didn't doubt that this impeccably drawn depiction of Belno's Domain would sell like hotcakes.
Not that I would, of course. All the prize money I got from winning my races was more than enough for me to coast through the rest of my life. And even if I did sell it, it wasn't as if I knew what to do with the money anyway.
I then huffed as I patted Belno's head. "But you really…" I smiled wryly. "If you're going to awaken a Domain, at least tell us first. I almost had a heart attack when I was watching the broadcast, y'know?"
Belno blushed slightly as she giggled. "I have to catch up somehow, Star-san."
"Yeah, yeah~"
It'd been a few days after Belno's victory at the [Champions Cup] by this point. Naturally, seeing Belno awaken her Domain—even if an incomplete one—had sent shockwaves throughout Tracen Central. Domains were already something only achievable by legendary umamusume, and now Belno had awakened it in her Classic Year? Not even Symboli Rudolf managed that!
Thankfully, barely anyone asked any questions about it. Partially because our reputation made us hard to approach, but it was mostly because Musaka acted as a deterrent against any further inquiries. Most people just assumed that it was some secret of the 'Fairy Godfather' that'd allowed Belno to awaken her Domain like she did.
And right now,
"Still, creating a spear like that…" He had a troubled smile on his lips as he stared at the drawing. "When did the genre change to a shounen?"
Belno blushed as she frantically began explaining. "I-It's not my fault! I just felt like I needed to do that, and before I knew it, I was already throwing that spear!"
"That just makes it sound even more shounen…" Kitahara whispered, much to Belno's embarrassment.
I subtly glanced at Belno. The [Champions Cup] had only happened a few days ago, but there was little time before Belno had to make an important decision.
As the year came to a close, there was one race that would take place. The race that could be said to be the peak of all races Japan currently offered. A race whose participants were chosen by a community vote, only allowing those who had garnered enough fans in their career.
The [Arima Kinen]!
Despite there not being much time left until the [Arima Kinen], Belno could easily join if she wanted to. Her recent victory at the [Champions Cup], combined with the dramatic reveal of her Domain, had catapulted her popularity. Not only that—running in the [Arima Kinen] would give her the opportunity to run against Tamamo Cross herself.
The problem was that there was another race she could run in; the [Tokyo Daishoten], another G1 Dirt race. It certainly wasn't as prestigious as the [Arima Kinen], but if she won, then she would've won all three G1 Dirt races Japan currently had. And while there wasn't anything like the Dirt Triple Crown, who was to say that Belno couldn't be the first to hold that honor?
Then again, maybe Belno would instead opt to run in neither of them. There was nothing stopping her from not competing.
We'd all agreed to leave the last decision to Belno.
"By the way, is that spear, like, real?" I couldn't help but ask after staring at the drawing. "I mean, I don't really know how Domains even work, but did you actually hold that thing? Like did you feel any weight?"
Belno opened her mouth, and then paused. She pondered the question over for a good few seconds, before her brows furrowed. "I…don't really know?" She tilted her head as she hummed. "I don't really remember that moment too well. I think I felt something, but I can't be too sure."
I hummed.
It kinda reminded me of the few Ultimates Skills in the game that showed the umamusume holding a weapon of some kind. Like, Rice Shower's knife was probably real since it was a part of her G1 outfit, but what about Zenno Rob Roy's sword? Or Symboli Kris S' glowing sniper rifle? Where did those come from?
No-, wait, why was Rice even allowed to have a knife in her G1 outfit in the first place? I know she had the 'Black Assassin' as her epithet and all, but come on. She could've literally killed a guy if she ran someone through with that!
…Eh. It was probably the Three Goddesses' influence again.
"Why do you ask, Star-san?"
"I mean, it just seems impractical, that's all." I smiled wryly. "I know my outfit looks all heroic and stuff, but creating a weapon mid-race would be a little too much, don't y'think?"
Oguri hummed. "I think it'd be cool."
I smiled. "Maybe~"
With Belno's drawing officially framed on the wall, Team Kitahara officially returned to its main objective: Resting.
Oguri and I sat on the couch we'd claimed as our own, and before long, I had Oguri's head on my shoulder, with her tail subtly wrapping around my waist. Since we were both still recovering from the [Japan Cup], there was little for us to do but rest.
Kitahara sat on a chair as he began flipping through different channels on the television. Since he'd just finished his End of Year exam, he was completely relaxed. Moreover, since Belno was still in her resting period, there was little for him to do as well.
And Belno was seated by Kitahara's desk, already deep into her notebook. She seemed to be trying to create new tactics that incorporated her recently awakened partial Domain, and she'd occasionally slip into her 'Tactician' persona here and there.
The only ones missing were Musaka and March, though that wasn't surprising. March's first G3 race—the [Turquoise Stakes]—was approaching, and Musaka was there to train her. Normally I'd also be out there to help, but I was still on medication, and it'd be pretty bad if I fell asleep out in the open.
Which meant all of Team Kitahara's original members,
Were all relaxing.
…
I truly am blessed.
To have come this far, to have met Oguri that fated afternoon, to have been there when Team Kitahara formed, to still be here despite everything that'd happened, to have my future expand into horizons I couldn't even imagine--
I was blessed to still be alive.
And I think it's time to stop hiding that.
"Ne, Oguri." I turned to her, forcing a relaxed smile onto my face. "Wanna come with me for a little bit?"
Oguri hummed, and then immediately nodded. "Okay."
After a small struggle, I stood up together with Oguri, before I then glanced at Kitahara. "Kitahara, we're heading out for a lil' bit." Kitahara returned a thumbs up as he continued flipping through channels on the television. And seeing his agreement, we made our way out of the clubroom.
Kitahara subtly glanced at us as we walked out, and he smiled as he saw the way both our tails wagged as we walked.