35. Talent and Effort
The race started from the south side of the ranch, facing the town, and looped around counterclockwise. It wasn't an oval track like a horse racing circuit. Fences had been set up along the terrain, so most of the course consisted of left turns, though there were a few right-hand curves as well. There were hardly any straight sections, except for about 200 meters on the town side—which meant the finish was a straight-line sprint.
Lined up from the inside at the starting line were Fam, Mizuki, Ira, and Cecily. Cecily had insisted on yielding the advantageous inner position out of pride.
"I'm getting nervous now."
The honor of firing the starting gun fell to Myra, with me standing right beside her.
We were positioned inside the starting line, on the inner side of the fence. The slope hid parts of the view, but we could see most of the course. I'd asked the trainers to stand at the trickier spots along the track. The rest of the spectators were the horses, cows, goats—and some nearby wheat farmers who'd wandered over out of curiosity.
"Here we gooo. On your maaaarks... GO!"
All four horses burst forward at once. Well, except Ira, who lagged a bit.
The course curved right away. Fam took the lead, followed closely by Cecily and Mizuki, with Ira a full body length behind them.
"Who do you think will win, Mash?"
An excited Myra clung to my arm. Finally, I could feel those legendary tits of hers pressing against me.
"M-Myra's gonna be number one, I bet."
"Pardon?"
She noticed her boobs squishing into my arm and let out a weird yelp—"Eek!"—jumping back.
"...So, who do you think will win?"
Screw the race at this point. Boobs win every time. I just wanted Myra to hug me again. I was fighting every urge not to grab her. Luckily, we were alone—but the trainers and farmers were watching. No way I could make a move.
I must've looked like a total weirdo because she tentatively reached out again.
"Still... would it be okay if we linked arms and watched together?"
"Y-...Yeah."
I nodded like crazy. All men turn into boys in front of tits. I could only give a pure-yet-pervy-kid response. Myra looped her arm through mine, and the soft swell of her sideboob pressed firmly against my bicep.
This was happiness. Screw everything else—I wished this moment could last forever. Ugly contests like races could go take a hike.
While I was lost in that bliss, Fam had reached the far side of the course.
The order was Fam, Cecily, Ira, Mizuki. Ira had caught up to the pack. The four were running neck-and-neck, no gaps between them.
What surprised me was that both Fam and Mizuki were riding in true racehorse style. Fam's upper body wobbled a bit now and then, threatening to throw her off-balance, but it never got that bad. Maybe it suited her nimble build. Mizuki's form was rock-solid and flawless. Stunning.
Fam kept glancing back. She was pacing the group, varying her speed to wear out the horses behind her. The plan was probably to exhaust Cecily and Ira, then let Mizuki—saving her energy at the rear—blow past everyone at the end. Impossible in pro racing, but this was a 2v2 showdown.
And the fact that the newbies were controlling the race? Insane.
Mizuki had to be the mastermind. I was starting to suspect she'd frequented racetracks back home. Or maybe road biking—it felt similar. Yeah, she probably had that experience too.
But Cecily wasn't falling for it. She wasn't blindly following Fam's pace changes or trying to surge ahead recklessly. Using Fam as a windbreak, conserving as much as possible.
"I think Ira's going to win," Myra said.
"You sure?"
"Yes. She's such a hard worker!"
Not a prediction—just wishful thinking.
"I pick Mizuki. Got absolute faith in her."
"Not Cecily?"
Oh, Myra, you think Ira can't win too, huh? I poked her boob with my forearm.
"Looks like Fam and Mizuki are sandwiching the pack to control it."
The four vanished into the blind spot from the start line, still in formation.
When they reappeared, the order was Cecily, Ira, Mizuki—with Fam lagging a bit.
Fam must've lost her balance. Her torso was still wobbling. Dangerous—she'd nearly fallen.
"Mash, your hands are sweaty..."
"Oh, uh."
I fumbled for something to wipe with, but Myra gripped tighter.
"Watching Ira makes me so worried too."
Order unchanged, they hit the first lap's straight.
Cecily drifted wide on the outside; Ira slipped inside to take the lead. Yielding it on purpose.
Lead swapped. Ira charged past us first, then Cecily, Mizuki. Fam, recovered, tried pushing up the outside to gain ground—but the straight ended.
Team Cecily-Ira was positioning Cecily as the closer.
"Iraaa!"
Myra's shout probably didn't carry.
"See? Ira's in front! She's amazing!"
Myra was thrilled, but Ira's lead slowed the whole pace. She could keep up, but not pull the pack. Too bad.
Unable to stand the cruise speed, Mizuki and Fam surged outside. Cecily bulged to block, but they effortlessly overtook farther out.
Fam and Mizuki swapped leads, Fam now pulling. No more controlling—they accelerated hard, gapping Ira and Cecily.
Cecily swapped with Ira to chase, but the lead only grew: four lengths, five, six. Hopeless.
Cecily rode standard upright—more wind resistance than Mizuki's pro-jockey crouch. Plus, her horse had carried both her and me that morning. Exhausted for sure. But she'd bet on herself anyway.
"Ira! Keep going!"
"Cecily, don't give up! Hold on!"
Before I knew it, I was yelling with Myra. Cecily must've trained endlessly to ride like that.
The gap started closing—nah, the leaders were just easing up to save for the final sprint. Clever.
"Cecily, don't lose! Crush Mizuki!"
Cecily latched onto Mizuki's tail. They hit the blind spot.
Mizuki emerged first, arrowing for the finish. She'd kicked into overdrive the moment Cecily closed in, in the dead zone. Blazing speed. Fam next. Cecily clawed after but was spent, drifting back from Fam.
"Cecily! Not yet!"
Mizuki thundered past, one arm raised in victory. Then Fam. Cecily way back, Ira last. Total domination by Fam-Mizuki. Despite Fam's stumble, their teamwork was unbreakable. High-five on horseback.
Cecily was bawling for real. Her frustration hit me hard. Ira comforted her—no, apologizing? Ira crying too. The scene blurred. My eyes stung for some reason.
Fam and Mizuki approached them, said something. The four shook hands, patted shoulders, praising the fight.
Watching that, I was in tears.
Myra unlinked our arms.
"I'll go to them."
She started running, then stopped and turned.
"Today, I understood you a little better, Mash. And I like you a little more now."
With that, she sprinted full-tilt to Ira.
"Why were you cheering for Cecily while arm-in-arm with Myra...? Weren't you supposed to be neutral?"
Back at the ranch, Fam and Mizuki had me kneeling seiza-style.
"...Sorry."
No excuses—just apologize.
"Master, how was my riding?"
"Amazing. Blew my mind. Just keeping a horse going straight is hard enough, but race tactics too? Unreal. But when you dropped to last on lap one, my heart stopped."
Not flattery—Fam didn't smile.
"I already knew that style. Our village horses had no saddles or stirrups, so they taught us that too."
Ah.
"But I couldn't get it right at first. Mizuki advised me: think of the horse as Master. Suddenly, I understood its feelings. That's 'horse and rider as one,' huh?"
I glanced at Mizuki. She averted her eyes unnaturally.
"Mizuki says she thinks of her horse as Master too."
"Huh? Really, Mizuki?"
Cecily's trash talk had backfired on herself.
"So, how'd I do?" Mizuki asked.
"Too good—freaked me out. Mastering that in a quick practice? Insane. You planned the strategy too, right?"
"You gave the hint, Mash. Never crossed my mind till you mentioned horse racing."
No, pulling that off as a newbie is the crazy part.
"You watched races?"
"Yeah, with Dad on rainy days."
"Road biking or motorcycles?"
"Yep, with Dad in elementary school."
Total daddy's girl. She had the foundation to bloom her talent. Not much consolation for Cecily, though.
"So why cheer Cecily the whole time?"
"Lap one, I was rooting for you two. Lap two, Ira fell off pace—became you vs. Cecily. I knew it was over. Underdog sympathy, I guess. Couldn't help it... Sorry."
I wanted them to win too, but Cecily's grit shone through.
"...I think it's fine. I forgive you."
Mizuki's mercy was sweet as always. I'll shut up and take it.
"Master!"
Fam tackled me. We toppled into the grass, seiza broken.
"Master, I was against it at first. But Mizuki said to punish you for the pond thing with Cecily too..."
"Ugh... sneaky. Way sneaky. You were the one mad first, Fam!"
"I just thought you'd broken a promise, Master."
At least those two were bonding now. Great.
If only we could pull Cecily and Ira into the circle...
Afterward, we threw an imo-ni hotpot party at the ranch as thanks to the trainers. Invited the farmer spectators too.
No actual potatoes anywhere—taro or otherwise. Figured tomatoes meant some tuber equivalent, but nope. Maybe transferred folks brought tomatoes. Beans and veggies starred instead.
Wanted meat, but with live cows and livestock around, felt wrong.
Then a farmer tossed in wild boar. Imo-ni became boar pot.
No kelp, so dried mushrooms for dashi. Decent result.
Cooked white rice—sticky like Thai, but nostalgia won. Mizuki and I devoured it. Fam joined in, beaming happily for some reason.
Used Aidan's eggs for tamagoyaki. Same mushroom dashi—pretty good.
"Master's egg dishes are so fluffy. Love 'em."
Fam approved—all good.
Mizuki pulled a 5-liter wine cask from her storage.
"Wh-What?! Aidan told me about a great wine shop."
"...I said nothing."
Future boozehound?
"I-I get it. Just one glass a day till I'm 20."
Daily drinking planned? She poured for everyone.
I got a glass. Fam stared.
"Master. I'll skip booze till adulthood. But... one sip today?"
Bad vibes, but I handed it over.
"Glug. Pwah!"
Huge swig, as expected.
"Gotta tell you something, Mash."
Her gaze drifted to Cecily, Ira, Myra—chatting over the pot.
"Stay with them tonight."
"No way. Rooming with Fam."
Wasn't this fight about whose room I'd pick? Cecily'd gone beet-red earlier, snapping "Later. Stay away!" Revived old Earth girl traumas. Kept me from Ira too.
"...No choice. Promised no interference for tomorrow's shopping and two days off."
That solo date scheme? She'd steamrolled ahead.
"You sold me out! Thought you were better than that."
"S-Sorry. Refill for the sip Fam stole?"
Topped off.
"What's the real deal?"
"Cecily and Ira were old party mates. We'll be together till Migurutto anyway. So..."
"Conceding victory? Nah, sentiment got you, then Cecily guilted you."
"Urk..."
Sweet, but that's Mizuki's charm.
"What about Fam tonight?"
"Yesh, roomin' with Mizuki. No funny businesh."
"...Drunk mess."
Flicked her forehead.
The race really bonded those two.
Maybe give 'em girl talk time. They need same-sex friends.
But Fam was beyond chatty. Leaning on me, sleepy.
"Thought Master didn't like Cecily..."
Not like—avoided. Still do with Ira.
"Yeah. But Cecily's got tons of good sides."
"Really? Wha' changed?"
No blame in her tone.
"Everyone's got good and bad, stuff you love and hate. Not just like or dislike."
"Wanna think tha' way too..."
"You taught me that, Fam. Said we have lots of feelings, not all aimed one way."
Easy for self, hard for others. Binary like/dislike judgments.
That was old me—labeling people villains, cutting ties. But Fam stuck by despite seeing my worst.
"...Fam?"
Shook her. Out cold.