Chapter 31 – Autumn Skies and Well-Fed Horses
October in Hokkaido was already getting pretty cold.
The tires had been switched over to winter ones, and it had even started snowing up in the mountains.
The seasons really did change fast.
Especially on a ranch, where every single day was packed with work and the routine never really let up.
And autumn brought one event unique to ranch life.
Weaning.
“Yayoi-chan! Let’s race!”
“Saku! I pooped!”
“Carrots! Parsley!”
“Hey, hey, hey! Look! I’m doing Crown-nii’s pose! ‘Hmph!'”
“Hmph!”
“Hmph!”
…
…Aren’t you kids supposed to be sad?
Well, every now and then one of them would call for its mother.
But overall, they were unbelievably energetic.
If anything, too energetic.
Wasn’t getting separated from their mothers supposed to be an emotional experience?
Or did it depend on the horse?
Maybe our foals were just unusually noisy.
Listening to all the commotion behind me, I sat inside the stable staring down a mountain of paperwork.
The small TV played quietly in the corner of a stall while I spread out some documents across my lap.
On the TV, they were broadcasting horse races.
The papers covered this year’s yearling auction sales, private transactions, feed expenses, and plans for the months ahead.
In other words…this was where reality had gathered in one place.
“…Hmmm.”
Too many numbers.
Too many words.
Wasn’t being a ranch owner supposedly just patting horses and saying, “There, there, good girl”?
…Apparently not.
If that were enough, ranches everywhere would be a lot more peaceful.
“Saku-san.”
When I looked up at the sound of my name, Yayoi peeked in through the stable entrance.
There was just a hint of sweat on her forehead.
“The horses are finished with turnout.”
“Thanks. That really helps.”
When I thanked her honestly, she smiled a little shyly.
“It’s nothing.”
It had already been almost two months since she’d started helping us.
She didn’t come every day, but the foals in particular had become very attached to her.
I was incredibly grateful.
Anyway…
Yayoi glanced toward the pasture.
“They’ve only just been weaned… I guess they’re feeling lonely?”
That would be the natural assumption.
But judging by what I could hear…
“…I don’t think they’re actually that lonely.”
She blinked in surprise.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m sure it depends on the horse, though.”
“Huh…”
She nodded honestly, then looked back at me.
“…You really can hear them, can’t you?”
I understood why she’d ask.
“Maybe I’m just imagining it.”
“No, are you trying to be vague?”
“I have to. Otherwise even I’d get a little scared myself.”
“…Well… I suppose that’s true.”
Yayoi nodded with complete seriousness.
She really was straightforward in the strangest ways.
I stacked the papers neatly on my lap before pulling a small envelope from my pocket.
“Oh, right. Here—your wages. Thanks for all your hard work.”
“Thank you very much.”
Yayoi accepted it carefully with both hands.
She really was earnest.
“…Sorry I can’t pay you more.”
I couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.
I’d thought the same thing when I first asked her to help, but our ranch simply wasn’t in a position to spend generously on labor.
Yayoi immediately shook her head.
“No, it’s been a great learning experience.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“It’s also through the school, and besides…”
She looked down at the envelope and smiled.
“Second place? It’s not easy to win.”
“I’m actually getting paid more than I expected.”
“How much were you expecting?”
“…One carrot.”
“No way.”
Well…maybe if she were a horse. If you paid a human with a carrot, though, they’d have every right to be angry.
Just then, the TV commentator raised his voice.
“And into the final stretch! Golden Gigant still in front! Mister Crown charging on the outside! Mister Crown is coming! But the leader won’t give way! Golden Gigant wins! Mister Crown finishes second!”
“Oh!”
I couldn’t help blurting it out.
It was an open-class dirt race.
Not a graded stakes.
But…
He was healthy.
He was still out there running.
“All right! Crown, you did great again today!”
On the screen, Crown was walking back after the finish line with a slightly sulky expression.
He was probably shouting, “Daaaamn it! Second again?!”
Yayoi looked between me and the television.
“So he got second. He just can’t quite win, huh?”
“I know.”
I nodded.
“Honestly, that’s what I used to think too.”
“Isn’t it true?”
“It’s not that it isn’t…”
I thought for a moment, trying to find the simplest way to explain it.
It wasn’t that Yayoi-chan knew nothing about horse racing.
So, to put it as clearly as possible.
“The horse earning the money for your paycheck… was Crown.”
She blinked.
“…Oh.”
“Exactly.”
That was the easiest way to put it.
“For a small ranch like ours, he’s honestly earning us an incredible amount.”
“I guess that’s true…”
“When you think about it, making it to Open Class is amazing all by itself.”
And it really was.
Crown talked as though he were destined to become a future G1 champion, so it was easy to lose perspective.
But simply reaching Open Class was an impressive achievement.
And on top of that…he stayed healthy, he kept racing, and he kept bringing home prize money.
That alone made him more than deserving of praise.
“He seems to be doing his best to avoid getting injured, too.”
When I said that, Yayoi-chan looked at the envelope in her hands, then at the television, and after thinking for a moment…
“…Then…”
“Hm?”
“…Should I thank Senior Crown?”
“Senpai?!”
So we’re applying the senior-junior hierarchy to horses now?
“I mean… if he’s earning for my wages…”
Just then, Stone poked her head into the stable.
“Don’t praise that brat too much. It’ll just go to his head.”
“Haha, you’ve got a point.”
As I laughed and answered Stone, Yayoi looked at her curiously.
“What did Stonebreak say?”
“Hm? She said, ‘Don’t praise Crown too much or he’ll get carried away.'”
“I see. I’ll be careful.”
She smiled before growing thoughtful.
“…You know…”
“Hm?”
“Horse racing isn’t just about dreams, is it?”
“No.”
“But maybe… that’s exactly why he has dreams.”
“…Yeah.”
That might be true.
It wasn’t just a dream.
But that didn’t mean the dreams disappeared.
Maybe that was just how this job was.
I smiled softly as I watched Crown on the television.
He was probably over there right now yelling,
“Daaaamn it! I thought I’d finally win today!!”
“My legendary stride was just a little too short!!”
…
But you know what? You really did great.
“Oh, Yayoi-chan.”
“Yes?”
“There’s some fancy jelly in the refrigerator that Tenzan-san brought over the other day.”
“Huh?”
“It probably costs a few hundred yen each.”
“Can I really have one?”
“Go ahead and eat one before you head home.”
“This ranch is amazing.”
“Just one.”
If she ate more than that…
I’d be the one crying.