Chapter 39 – If She Hadn’t Conceived, I Might’ve Cried
â‘ Pregnancy Confirmation
“Yep, everything looks good.”
The veterinarian let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Thank you very much.”
Thank goodness.
Seriously, what a relief.
Standing before us was Stone.
The atmosphere today felt just a little more serious than usual.
We’d finally confirmed that there really was a foal growing inside her.
After all the chaos at Gold Farm, hearing, “Sorry, it didn’t take after all,” would have been painful in every possible sense.
Both for my wallet and for my sanity.
Stone let out a deep breath.
“Thank goodness. If we’d had to do it again, I might’ve kicked Custard this time.”
Don’t say terrifying things like that.
“Actually, I couldn’t afford another breeding fee anyway.”
I honestly responded to Stone’s strangely tired “buhihi” voice.
The veterinarian chuckled while packing up their equipment.
“Everything’s progressing nicely. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing.”
“Doing things normally is the hardest part.”
“Haha, true enough.”
As we watched the vet leave, I finally relaxed my shoulders.
Moments like this made me envy ranches like Gold Farm, where they had their own staff veterinarian.
For now…we’d cleared the first hurdle.
Yayoi nodded with a serious expression.
“But I’m so glad everything’s okay, Stone. Let’s both do our best for the next year.”
Apparently she liked the way Yayoi had put it, because Stone snorted proudly.
“This is my third time, so I’m used to it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Last year you said, ‘It’s my second time, I’m used to it,’ and then suddenly took off at full speed and Grandpa yelled at you.”
“That was just stress relief.”
“Your idea of stress relief is life-threatening.”
Stone gave another smug snort before suddenly growing more serious.
“But…”
“Hm?”
“I’m just glad it took.”
Her voice was noticeably quieter.
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
Even the greatest broodmares don’t have every pregnancy go smoothly.
That’s the reality of running a ranch.
Which is exactly why hearing, “Everything looks good,” is such wonderful news.
Naturally, the foals immediately destroyed the touching atmosphere.
“Sakuu! Is it good news!?”
“If it’s good news, do we get snacks!?”
“Celebration!?”
“Holiday!?”
“Why would it be a holiday?”
“Isn’t a holiday just a day with yummy things?”
“…You know, maybe you’ve got a point.”
That evening, everyone got slightly better-quality hay than usual.
And the humans celebrated with a slightly fancier cake.
â‘¡ It’s Been a While
Riiiiiing…
Every time the house phone rang, it felt like some kind of special event.
“Hello, Sakurai Ranch.”
“Ah, Saku, is that you?”
“Oh, Tenzan-san.”
It was a deep, calm voice.
It still carried the same quiet pressure as always.
“Sorry for calling out of the blue.”
“Not at all.”
“If you’d like, why don’t you come visit Tenzan Sakura at the ranch sometime?”
“Oh, really? Would that be okay?”
“Of course. Breeding season has settled down, and seeing how other ranches operate is valuable experience.”
Tenzan Sakura.
The gray horse born at our ranch, sold at auction, who went on to win the Asahi Hai before retiring.
Even setting aside enormous operations like Gold Farm, getting to see where a retired champion carried out his second career sounded like an incredible learning opportunity.
“Thank you. I’d love to.”
“Very well. I’ll arrange a day for someone to show you around.”
“I appreciate it.”
Click.
After hanging up the receiver, I paused for a moment.
This would be the first time I’d seen Tenzan Sakura since he left our ranch.
I was actually looking forward to it.
And so, a few days later, I arrived at △△ Ranch.
Since it was a ranch associated with Tenzan-san, everything was, unsurprisingly, first-rate.
The facilities were spotless, and every employee moved efficiently, without wasting a single step.
If Sakurai Ranch felt like a cozy family home, this place felt like the house of wealthy relatives who’d made it big.
As I was led toward the stable, a familiar gray face poked out from the back.
“Oh.”
“Long time no see… Is it okay if I just call you Tenzan Sakura?”
At that, Tenzan Sakura made a slightly awkward face.
“It feels weird hearing you call me by my name, Saku.”
“I get it.”
One man and one horse shared a small laugh.
What was this awkward feeling?
“You look well.”
“You too.”
“Winning a Grade 1 race… that’s incredible.”
I meant every word.
Tenzan Sakura proudly lifted his head.
“Guess I’m just talented.”
“Hey.”
“Didn’t I tell you before? ‘I’ll crush both that guy and you.’“
“…Well, you actually did.”
I remembered the day he sold for such an astonishing price at the auction.
“You really worked hard.”
“Thank you.”
After saying that, Tenzan Sakura fell silent for a moment and looked away slightly.
“…It was nothing.”
Ah. He was embarrassed.
But whether he realized it or not, he’d helped our ranch far more than he could imagine.
A horse born at Sakurai Ranch winning a Grade 1 race…
That meant everything to us.
Still looking away, he asked,
“How’s Crown doing?”
“Hm?”
“He couldn’t become a stallion, right?”
You really don’t pull any punches.
Still… he wasn’t wrong.
“Yeah. He’s working at the town’s riding center now.”
“…Bet he’s as loud as ever.”
“He is.”
“I can picture him being all smug and showing off in front of the kids.”
“He absolutely is.”
“I knew it.”
Once again, a man and a horse shared a laugh.
Oh, right.
“Golden Wing said you should all get together and hang out sometime.”
Tenzan Sakura immediately made a face like he’d just bitten into something sour.
“We’re all on different ranches now. How exactly are we supposed to do that?”
“…Fair point.”
“He’s still as strong as ever, but that guy is still an airhead.”
Tenzan Sakura kept grumbling.
Golden Wing, who had suggested the idea, probably wasn’t thinking about logistics like that.
…Wait. Was I supposed to figure this out?
After thinking for a moment, I asked,
“…Would you want to?”
Tenzan Sakura didn’t answer immediately.
He flicked an ear, looked away, and paused just long enough to make it seem like he hadn’t been thinking about it at all.
Finally, he muttered,
“…Maybe a little.”
Oh. He was a hopeless tsundere.
Still, just hearing him admit that somehow made me happy.
“Then maybe I’ll think of something someday.”
“Don’t actually start planning it. If you really managed to pull it off, it’d probably be a huge hassle.”
“Yeah… you’re probably right.”
Tenzan Sakura let out an exasperated snort.
But… he looked just a little happy.