Chapter 42 – Sorry to Keep You Waiting… Here Comes the Amazing One

I felt like I had been dreaming.

Or rather, it wasn’t exactly a dream—it was more like a game screen.

Spring.

A foal was born.

Lightning.

A narrator speaking like a race commentator.

“An incredible bolt of lightning struck the ranch.”

…That’ll start a fire!

Just as I panicked—

“Saku!!!“

My eyes snapped open.

The ceiling.

A dark room.

My futon.

Reality.

Then another shout came flying in.

“Sakuuu!! Big Sis is giving birth!!“

It was Crown.

“You’re so loud!”

I sprang out of bed, kicking the blanket away and nearly tangling my legs.

From beyond the sliding door came Grandpa’s voice.

“Let’s go!”

I dashed into the hallway, and Yayoi hurried after me, throwing on her jacket as she ran.

“Is it happening!?”

“Looks like it!”

Grandpa was fast.

Way too fast for an old man.

Maybe “working on a ranch” was some kind of job class that boosted your stats.

The moment we stepped outside, the cold March night air hit us in the face.

Cold.

But it wiped away every trace of sleep.

When we rushed into the stable, the atmosphere had completely changed.

“You made it! See? My alert was perfect!”

“I’ll admit—you were loud, but good job!”

Ignoring Crown, I went straight to Stone’s stall.

Stone already had that look on her face.

The look that said the moment had come.

“Saku.”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

“Open the window for me. I want to see outside.”

“Leave it to me.”

The moment she asked, I reached for the narrow wooden-framed window beside the stall.

Normally it stayed shut at night.

I undid the latch and pushed it open with a creak.

A thin stream of icy night air drifted inside.

“How is it?”

“…Yeah.”

Stone let out a short breath.

“It helps… distract me a little.”

“Glad to hear it.”

I could see Yayoi-chan quickly gathering everything we’d need.

She’d become pretty experienced at this by now.

From the neighboring stalls, the broodmares whispered among themselves.

“It’s time.”

“Doesn’t the kid look awfully pale?”

“This is his fifth year. Pathetic.”

“Yayoi’s calmer than he is.”

They were so noisy.

But hearing the ranch’s usual voices actually helped me feel a little calmer.

Stone let out a deep breath.

“…Kid.”

“Hm?”

“Later… tell Custard… ‘I’ll let this one slide.'”

“Now!? You’re bringing that up now!?”

“Because it’s now!”

Even as we joked, I could feel the atmosphere changing.

Grandpa adjusted his position and spoke quietly.

“Good. Don’t rush. Everything’s going well.”

At those words, I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.

Going well.

Before I knew it, I’d been clenching my fists.

Stone was obviously in pain, but she remained composed.

Meanwhile, encouragement kept coming from the other stalls.

“Go, Big Sis Stone!”

“You can do it…”

“Should we cheer quietly?”

“Yeah, like that.”

“Come oooout, baby!”

That last one was pretty simplistic.

But somehow… it was sincere.

Grandpa spoke again, his voice calm but firm.

“Saku, support her there.”

“Got it.”

“Yayoi, the light.”

“Yes.”

From that point on, time became strangely distorted.

It always did.

If you looked at a clock, it probably wasn’t all that long.

But when you’re standing there, it feels endless.

Even though I was only doing what Grandpa told me to do, for some reason every muscle in my body was tense.

Stone didn’t say another word.

It was coming.

No matter how many times I witnessed this moment, the world always seemed to shrink.

Grandpa’s voice.

Stone’s breathing.

The rustling straw.

Yayoi moving around.

My own heartbeat.

Everything sounded unbelievably loud.

“…Good.”

Grandpa muttered.

Then—

Slurp.

For an instant, the air stood still.

The next moment, everyone breathed again.

In my field of vision was something tiny, something still wet and slender, but unmistakably the shape of a brand-new life.

“…Wow.”

The words escaped me.

Stone breathed heavily, her sides rising and falling, but her eyes never left the foal.

“…What does he look like?”

“Right now? Like… a newborn.”

“Well, obviously!”

Stone barked.

The foal was breathing properly.

Grandpa gave a brief announcement.

“It’s a colt.”

A bay colt.

It was always the same with newborns: they looked impossibly skinny.

Yayoi sighed with relief.

“Thank goodness…”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

Getting this far meant we’d cleared the first hurdle.

But the foal wasn’t interested in resting; he was already trying to stand.

“Huh? Already?”

I blurted out.

Even Grandpa raised an eyebrow.

“That’s fast.”

He braced his front legs.

Slipped.

Tried again.

His hind legs wouldn’t cooperate.

So he tried again.

“Oh…”

“Go for it!”

“Stand up!”

“You can do it!”

The foals and yearlings cheered enthusiastically…

Even though it probably wasn’t helping in the slightest.

Stone simply watched.

She didn’t say a word.

The colt stretched out his forelegs again.

This time he managed to lift his chest.

He wobbled.

Collapsed.

Then immediately tried again.

“Hey, hey… don’t rush.”

I couldn’t help saying it.

Yayoi looked at the clock in surprise.

“It hasn’t been that long yet, has it?”

“No.”

“Isn’t this incredible?”

“It is.”

Finally, somehow gathering his hind legs beneath him, the colt staggered upright.

He was standing.

Naturally, he was wobbling all over the place, looking like he’d collapse at any second.

But he was standing.

On all four legs.

“OOOOOOOH!!”

Crown shouted.

“A future champion racehorse!!”

“Will you be quiet!?”

But honestly…

I felt the same way.

Fast.

Really fast.

It couldn’t even have been twenty minutes yet.

The colt, looking as though he still hadn’t accepted just how long his own legs were, took an unsteady step forward.

That single step looked dangerously unstable.

But then—

The light outside the narrow window suddenly seemed to change.

“Hm?”

Almost instinctively, I looked out the open window.

“…Ah.”

The word slipped out.

One.

Then another.

And another.

“What is it, kid?” Stone asked.

I pointed outside.

“Shooting stars.”

“…What?”

“It’s a meteor shower.”

Yayoi-chan followed my gaze.

“Wow…”

Grandpa didn’t say anything. He simply glanced outside for a moment.

Across the night sky, streaks of light flashed one after another.

They weren’t spectacular.

But they were unmistakable.

“…That’s almost too perfect.”

Outside the window…

Shooting stars.

Right in front of us…

A newborn colt already standing on his own legs.

What was this?

A dream?

A game?

No.

This was real life.

Because I could still hear Crown yelling.

“Junior!! You’re gonna conquer the world!!”

Simple as ever. That was just how Crown was.

At that moment, the colt turned his face toward us, still swaying on unsteady legs.

His eyes were unfocused.

His movements uncertain.

And yet…

Somehow, he already looked strangely dignified.

“…”

No…

Was I imagining it?

No. I probably wasn’t.

He’d literally just been born, but…

He had an aura about him.

“Grandpa.”

“Hm?”

“Let’s keep this one.”

“That’s a quick decision.”

“I’ve already picked his name.”

“Suit yourself.”

Come on, at least play along a little.

“What are you going to name him?” Yayoi asked.

That’s it, Yayoi. Keep feeding me those perfect cues.

“The name is…”

I would borrow the name of the legendary Emperor.

“Sakurai Rudolf.“

Translator’s note: The name is a play on Symboli Rudolf, the famous Japanese racehorse nicknamed “the Emperor.”