Aines Wind God—the team's first true horse girl—finally had hope of recovery.
Though Stardust Mirage had never met her and only just learned the name—
Hotoyama Scarlet's joy made it clear the two were close.
After hearing the news, Hotoyama apologized sincerely to the three and took a half-day off to go check on Aines's condition.
El Condor Pasa left as well to look after her own juniors. Stardust and Miho Bourbon trotted to a small out-of-the-way cafeteria.
That way they could both train and try the place Oguri Cap loved—highly recommended by Rokuhira Ginjiro.
They'd been told to roam free; it wasn't that they refused to visit Aines, but Hotoyama had declined.
She said the patient's condition wasn't stable—and there would be time to visit later.
"Say, Bourbon, do you know about Trainer and Aines Wind God?" Stardust asked her teammate.
"Do you require an overview of Master's relationship with Aines Wind God?" Bourbon replied in that AI-flat voice—no ripple.
"Let's hear it. I'm curious what kind of senior could make Trainer show that expression."
"Master originally worked at the local Ritto Academy. She passed the central trainer exam last year and came here."
"At first some horse girls were willing to join her team, but soon left due to the training volume, leaving only one: Aines Wind God."
"I want to ask—why does Trainer always set such heavy workloads? Honestly, though we can handle it, most horse girls couldn't," Stardust interjected.
"Because Master believes that if you can't win races, a horse girl loses her reason to exist. So you must turn your heart into a demon's and train, train, to become a horse girl who wins," Miho Bourbon said earnestly, then continued:
"Per most accounts, Aines Wind God's temperament is gentle, so she executed Master's plans diligently. Before her debut, they worked together for 84 days."
"Her debut had to be attempted three times for various reasons before it took, and then she immediately challenged the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes—won in a landslide—and tied the mark set by Maruzensky. She became an instant sensation."
"Results afterward were mixed, and when she went for the first Classic, the Satsuki Sho, Aines bungled the break and fell behind. In the end, although she clawed back to the front, she'd spent too much and lost by a neck."
"Even so, no one doubted Aines's strength. They blamed the loss on Master being a rookie trainer who hadn't brought out her full potential."
"The calls for Tracen to strip Master's license swelled. Aines, many times in public, stated she would never change trainers—and that it was precisely thanks to Master that she was strong. The loss was only because she hadn't done her best."
"But the tide only grew. Even the JRA had to step in. At their request, Master had to apologize publicly. Facing a sea of reporters, she took all the fault on herself."
"President Symboli Rudolf and Aines both attended. They asked everyone to grant Master one last chance—the Japanese Derby."
"Aines said to every camera: If you want to blame anyone, blame me. But at the Derby, I will prove with strength that my trainer has absolutely no fault—Japanese Derby, I will win—and then you'll have nothing to say."
"In that race, Aines ran wire to wire and beat all opponents—she even broke the record set by Sakura Chiyono O. She proved her combination with her trainer had no problems."
"In that race, her domain suppressed everyone. That domain was called—'Icarus Chasing the Sun.' Just like Aines Wind God's story."
The last line didn't come from Bourbon. Stardust and Bourbon turned.
Not far away stood a cool, handsome horse girl.
Stardust knew her. In the original game, players honored her as: Sixth Lord.
Mejiro Ryan—her name.
"I almost caught her in that race," Ryan waved with a smile. "Too bad I hadn't grasped a domain yet. Aines burned herself and smashed us all to take the win."
"After that, they found multiple leg problems, and she's been hospitalized since, right?" Ryan grinned, not hiding her own loss, and spoke to the two.
"Eh, Mejiro Ryan, you eat here too?" Stardust asked.
"I eat here? What are you saying—this is the Mejiro family's private training base," Ryan blinked, then looked back.
She pointed at the castle behind her—the massive "Mejiro" on it—and asked, baffled.
"Eh?!"
Stardust realized she'd been listening so intently to Bourbon's tale that she hadn't watched where she was going. She hadn't just missed the cafeteria…
She had no idea where she was.
The castle before her was vast—only a "city within a city" like central Tracen could hold it.
"Looks like you're lost—then, little strays, want to come into Mejiro Castle?"
Seeing Stardust's fluster, Ryan invited warmly. "I'm interested in the one who beat McQueen the other day too. And you can try the Mejiro cooks. How about it?"
"Bourbon, what do you think?" Stardust asked.
"Master left no specific command. Please decide, Stardust Mirage," Bourbon said, as always.
"Mm… then let's try?"
Though she felt a nameless resistance to the words "Mejiro Castle," Stardust's stomach was already hollow. She didn't want another step.
She'd bum a meal and ask directions back!
Thinking thus, she followed Ryan into the castle.
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