Chapter 45 – Being a Ranch Owner Is Starting to Warp My Sense of Money
“Well now, you had some promising horses last year… but it looks like you’ve got another good one this year.”
The man sitting in front of me was a horse owner who stopped by every so often.
Last year, he’d bought one of our yearling fillies.
Next to me, Yayoi-chan was serving tea.
She’d completely gotten used to handling visitors like this.
Honestly, she’d become so dependable lately that there were times I felt like I couldn’t hold my head up around her anymore.
“I’m really happy to hear you say that.”
I meant it.
But I also knew exactly what was coming next.
“That bay yearling in particular, I heard he’s Custard’s offspring. How about ¥——– for him?”
Beside me, Yayoi’s hand froze for just a moment as she set down the teacup.
Yeah…
No surprise there.
But—
“I’m sorry.”
I bowed my head.
“I have no intention of selling that colt.”
After seeing off the owner—who ended up buying a different horse instead—I found myself holding my head in my hands.
“…This is terrifying.”
Talking about money.
“You okay?”
Yayoi offered me a glass of barley tea with a wry smile.
“Thanks… No, seriously, this kind of thing scares me.”
“I understand.”
“You do?”
“I mean… ¥——– is…”
“…Yeah.”
The two of us stared off into the distance for a moment.
Yes, Rudolf, now one-year-old, apparently looked really good through the eyes of professionals.
He had good bone structure.
His walk was good too.
Even the way he ran somehow looked unusually dignified.
Even I, a complete amateur, could tell.
“Yeah… he’s different.”
So naturally, the experts saw far more.
As a result…
“If you ever decide to sell him, let us know as soon as possible.”
“We’d like to secure him while we still can.”
“I think he’ll be a very interesting horse.”
“Has an owner already been decided?”
I’d been smiling through every one of those conversations, but they were absolutely terrible for my mental health.
Of course they were.
Just then—
Brrrrrrrm…
The unmistakable sound of an expensive car pulled in.
I instinctively rubbed my forehead.
“…I have a bad feeling.”
“Who is it?” Yayoi asked.
“The person who’s probably willing to offer the highest price.”
When we stepped outside, it was just as I’d expected.
“Ah, young ranch owner! I trust you’ve been keeping well!”
“I knew it’d be you.”
Kanemochi.
“Hmph. I heard there’s a yearling colt here with the scent of greatness.”
“Word travels way too fast.”
“It’s a very small world!”
Don’t sound so proud of that.
Without waiting for me, Kanemochi marched straight to the pasture fence.
Then he saw Rudolf.
He stopped dead.
Several seconds passed.
“…Hmm.”
Oh.
That was his serious face.
“What do you think?” I asked.
Without taking his eyes off Rudolf, he replied,
“That’s Custard’s colt, isn’t it?”
“You can tell?”
“Of course.”
That made sense.
He silently watched Rudolf for another moment before turning back to me.
“Sell him to me.”
“No.”
“I’ll negotiate the price. I’m completely serious.”
“I’m not selling.”
“That was immediate!?”
“Of course it was.”
Kanemochi looked genuinely frustrated.
“If he comes to my ranch, he’ll have the best facilities, the best environment. From a training standpoint, we’d be far superior.”
“You’re probably right.”
“You’re admitting it!?”
“I am…but I’m still not selling.”
I knew perfectly well. Their facilities. Their staff. Their information. Everything was better than ours.
But that wasn’t the point.
“He’s our horse.”
After I said that, Kanemochi fell silent.
Then he scratched his head awkwardly.
“…When you make that kind of face, it makes this difficult.”
“Not my problem.”
“Very well.”
“I’ll back off this time.”
“Appreciate it.”
He was surprisingly sincere in moments like this.
Just then, I glanced over at Rudolf and—
…Huh?
Why was he running toward the fence—
Oh.
He jumped.
“…WHAT!?”
Rudolf leapt clean over the pasture fence.
“RUUUUDOOOOLF!!”
Yayoi took off running after him, absolutely furious.
Rudolf visibly flinched, then hastily backed up for another running start— You idiot.
He jumped the fence again, this time back into the pasture.
…Yayoi almost never got that angry, so he’d probably panicked and tried to escape.
Unfortunately, jumping the fence twice was only going to get him in twice as much trouble.
“…Did you see that jump?” Kanemochi asked.
“I didn’t see anything.”
“You absolutely saw it!”
“I saw nothing.”
For the sake of my mental health, there were some things I chose not to witness.
Kanemochi let out an exaggerated sigh.
“I have to admit, that horse would probably make for a much more interesting story if he stayed at your ranch.”
““Interesting” is your deciding factor?”
“Of course it is. This is horse racing, you know.”
Kanemochi grinned.
…Well.
He wasn’t wrong.
I left Rudolf’s punishment to Yayoi and went back to work.
Then—
“Hello.”
Tenzan-san showed up.
“…Hello.”
Does nobody around here know what an appointment is?
He narrowed his eyes with amusement.
“Can I see it?”
“…Go ahead.”
Just do whatever you want.
Standing outside the pasture, Tenzan quietly watched Rudolf for a while.
“Hmm.”
Just that one word made me feel as though Rudolf’s price had gone up another fivefold.
“You have no intention of selling him?”
“I don’t.”
“That answer came quickly.”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
He nodded.
“Then may I ask why you’re keeping him?”
“…Will you promise to keep this a secret from everyone else? Humans and horses alike.”
“Of course.”
“I promise it will remain between you and me.”
“…Because I want to see it.”
“See what?”
“How far this guy can go at our place…”
“…Here.”
Tenzan-san smiled faintly.
“I understand how you feel.”
The scary part was that he said it as though he genuinely did.
“If someone piled enough money in front of me…”
“…I’d definitely waver.”
“You’re honest.”
Well, yeah.
Anyone would.
Whether I’d actually sell him or not was another matter entirely.
After thinking for a while, Tenzan finally spoke.
“I think that’s the right decision.”
“…Huh?”
“If that’s what you’ve decided, then that’s enough.”
That surprised me.
I’d expected something like, “Let us train him.” Or, “He’d do better with us.”
Instead, Tenzan-san simply smiled.
Then quietly added,
“I don’t know how far that colt will go.”
“…Right.”
“But there are horses that you’re simply meant not to sell.”
Leaving me with only those words, he walked away.
…What was that?
He just showed up, said something incredibly cool, then left.
That evening, after everything was over…
I sat down in front of the stable and let out a long sigh.
“I’m exhausted…”
Mentally.
Just then…
The troublemaker himself wandered over.
“Saku, Yayoi got really mad at me. She was scary.”
Rudolf. Of course.
“Why did you jump over the fence?”
“I thought you were going to sell me, so I was securing an escape route.”
“I’m not selling you.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Hearing that, Rudolf nodded with obvious satisfaction.
“Then that’s fine.”
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he pressed his muzzle against my shoulder.
His way of being affectionate was… rough.
Yayoi chuckled beside us.
“He’s really selfish, isn’t he?”
“Yeah.”
“But deep down I think he understands.”
“He’s saying, ‘Yayoi-chan was really scary.'”
“Well, of course I was!”
Yayoi puffed up proudly.
Meanwhile, completely ignoring our conversation, Rudolf continued rubbing his muzzle against my shoulder.
“Saku.”
“What?”
“Apple.”
“Not today.”
“Cheapskate.”
“Fine by me.”
I decided not to scold him for jumping the fence this time.
…
If he did it again, though, then he’d definitely get an earful.