Horse Girl, Your Friend is Fighting Her Way Out of the Horse Racing Track

Before arriving, she lingered at the dormitory entrance for almost ten minutes.

She wasn't sure how she should go in, what kind of mood Nansaka was in, or how she should start the conversation.

Based on her understanding of Minamisaka, this person has always placed the responsibility of "being responsible for the team members" above all else, and what happened in the Japanese derby...

'Eh~'

Poetry and Wine turned their heads and peered through the crack in the door.

In the large office, only one desk lamp was on, casting a dim, yellowish circular halo on the desktop.

Nanzaka sat in front of the desk lamp, head down, a thick stack of training schedules spread out on the table, covering most of the surface.

His pen remained resting on the paper, as if it hadn't been touched in a long time.

A few strands of the man's brown hair had fallen loose from looking down for a long time, obscuring his eyebrows and eyes.

The tea in the teacup in front of me had gone cold, with a thin layer of white steam floating on top.

He looked unusually listless.

Poetry and Wine fell silent as they looked at the scene.

She pursed her lips, raised her hand, and gently knocked twice on the half-closed door.

"..."

There was no immediate response from the room.

After a two or three-second silence, Nanban's voice finally came from inside.

"Please come in."

Poetry and wine opened the door.

"Nanban."

She stopped at the doorway.

"I am back."

The person in front of the desk lamp slowly raised their head.

The moment Nanzaka saw who it was, her purple eyes widened abruptly.

He stared intently at the poetry and wine standing at the door, remaining silent for a long time.

During the silence, Nanzaka's expression was incredibly complex.

"...How could you—"

He paused, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked the poem and wine over from head to toe.

"You...recovered your health?"

"The Miracle of the Three Goddesses".

Poetry and wine echoed Rudolf's symbolic words as she walked into the office, casually closing the door behind her.

She sat down in the chair opposite the table in Nanban and looked around at the person in front of her.

Nanban looked noticeably more haggard than before she left.

Although his clothes were still neat, the man looked dejected, and the thick stack of proposals on the table showed how much pressure he was under in the absence of poetry and wine.

Poetry and wine take in these details without saying a word.

"..."

Nanban put down his pen, placed his hands on the table, closed his eyes slightly, and took a deep breath.

"Poetry and wine."

"I'm so glad you're back."

Nanban paused for a moment, then continued.

"But before we talk about anything else."

P.S.: I'll try my best tomorrow.

Interval: Chapter 379 Could it be?

Nanban opened his eyes again and stared intently at the poetry and wine.

"I need to apologize to you first."

Poetry and Wine did not reply. She sat quietly in the chair, her gaze fixed on Nanban's clasped hands, listening to him continue.

"Before the Japanese derby..."

“The training plan I devised had serious problems. I was too optimistic in my assessment of your physical condition, and the pre-competition adjustments were not up to standard.”

He paused, his gaze shifting downwards to the training plan on the table, which had been repeatedly rewritten, before letting out a soft sigh of self-reproach.

"It was my mistake that pushed your body to the point of collapse."

"Nanban——"

Poetry and Wine frowned slightly, instinctively wanting to speak.

"Let me finish."

Nanban interrupted her calmly, then spoke gently.

"Don't worry about whether I'm saying these things because of pressure from the higher-ups at Central Tressen or from outside fans. I'm just stating the facts. As a trainer, protecting the athletes and ensuring they compete in peak condition is my most basic responsibility."

He took a deep breath and looked at the poetry and wine with determination.

"I failed."

The desk lamp in the office emitted a faint humming sound.

Outside the window, a gentle breeze rustled through the lush greenery of the college, causing the broad leaves to whisper softly.

"so,"

Nanban lifted his gaze from the table and looked directly into the eyes of Poetry and Wine.

“I think you have the right and the need to reconsider whether you still want to continue working with me and Canopus.”

"If you believe that changing trainers would be better for your career..."

As he said those words, his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

"I will fully cooperate with you to complete all the handover procedures, and there will be no obstacles whatsoever."

A silence spread between the two.

The dim yellow light from the desk lamp fell on the thick training schedule on Nanban's desk, making the densely packed handwriting appear somewhat blurry in the light and shadow.

Poetry and Wine lowered their eyes, their gaze lingering on the papers for a moment before falling silent.

Then she slowly raised her head and calmly looked at the somewhat haggard-looking man in front of her.

"Nanban."

"Ah."

"I'm sorry for deliberately hiding my true physical condition from you during the previous match."

The sounds of poetry and wine don't reveal much emotional fluctuation.

"If it really is about changing trainers, I will fully respect your opinion."

Nanban's breath hitched slightly.

"but……"

The conversation shifted abruptly to poetry and wine.

"If you're worried that I'll cause uncontrollable problems again, like in the derby, then I can't give you any absolute guarantees. Mere verbal apologies and promises won't get you any real help, and that's not a true apology."

She looked directly into Minamisaka's eyes and spoke earnestly.

"So let's walk together until the day the classic treble ends. Then we can talk about these things."

Upon hearing this, Nanzaka was stunned for a moment.

A moment later, his tense shoulders relaxed, and a bitter smile appeared on his face.

"...That's exactly how you put it."

He loosened his clenched hands and extended his slightly trembling right hand toward poetry and wine.

"In short, welcome back, poetry and wine. Everyone in Canopus...misses you."

Poetry and wine reach out in response.

After letting go, the atmosphere in the room visibly relaxed considerably.

Poetry and Wine leaned back in their chairs, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked with some curiosity.

"By the way, during the week or so I was recuperating, did a lot of people come to see you?"

"Hmm~"

Nanban rubbed his temples with a wry smile.

"Yes, there are many. Various media outlets, high-level officials, and your fan representatives..."

"Who holds the highest position among them?"

“Acting Chairperson, Riko Kashimoto.”

Upon hearing the name, a hint of surprise flashed in Shi Yujiu's eyes; she hadn't expected that this matter would be related to the other party.

She had previously blocked Riko Kashimoto because Riko had paid her high medical bills without her consent.

According to normal human logic, shouldn't one feel furious and wish never to see themselves again after being inexplicably blocked by someone?

Thinking of this, Poetry and Wine couldn't help but ask further questions.

"Why...did she come to see you?"

"You know her philosophy, right?"

Nanban countered with a question.

"Ah."

“‘The condition of the racehorse girls is something that we trainers must absolutely guarantee, and the management and recording of their condition must be carried out with utmost accuracy.’”

Nanban recited the other person's famous quote fluently.

"..."

Poetry and Wine remained silent for a moment, their expressions shifting between light and shadow.

"So, she just happened to run into me because of my situation, and she wants to use me as a negative example to promote and prove her theory of thorough management to the entire academy?"

"Don't think so badly of the acting chairman."

Seeing the girl's guarded expression, Nansaka couldn't help but chuckle, and his originally gloomy mood lightened a bit.

"Why do you have such a strong prejudice against the acting chairman?"

Poetry and wine crossed his arms, turned his head away somewhat uncomfortably, and mumbled something indistinctly.

"A minor... contradiction. But after so long, I don't care about it that much anymore."

Nanban nodded thoughtfully, then his smile faded, and his expression became extremely serious and solemn.

"Actually, the acting chairman came to see me specifically because he was concerned about your safety."

"She said... she understands your physical condition and told me not to take all the responsibility on myself and not to blame myself too much."

Nanban paused, a deep respect appearing in his eyes.

"Furthermore, without knowing whether you could recover or even continue running, she proposed to me that you transfer your contract with me to her name."

Upon hearing this, Poetry and Wine turned their heads in disbelief.

"Transfer contract?"

What's the point of all this? To take a useless racehorse girl for himself?