Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 22 Watching Day

"Hey, Mr. Kitano is here!"

Holding up the somewhat empty beer can, the man said drunkenly.

"Good evening, Mr. Takashima."

Kitano nodded slightly at the drunk man and walked to the top of the bleachers.

They don't have a very close relationship, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to even call them strangers.

However, in the stands with very few seats, the faces of regulars are particularly easy to distinguish.

Especially a guy like Kitano who comes every game day.

After greeting several people in succession, he sat in an empty seat in the stands.

Although you can also watch the race from the owner's exclusive seats, even there, the only difference from the open-air stands is an extra fence that is better than nothing.

Occasionally, when the number of spectators increases, even those without proof of horse owner registration can easily sneak in.

The so-called owner's seat is actually such a casual thing.

More importantly, the view from there isn't much better than from the bleachers.

"I knew that Chuan Liu Bu Xi wouldn't be so easily defeated!"

"But if you ask me, I have to say Rock Bridge Rider. An is just too young."

After the warm-up of the previous few games, the atmosphere in the stands has become quite heated.

The horse racing fans talked about their opinions on the competition, with confident looks on their faces.

Some of them are about to wail.

The other part will start celebrating with joy.

This scene was repeated thousands of times in this small stand.

Soon, large amounts of horse racing tickets were scattered into the sky.

Various indistinguishable sounds intertwined together.

Standing up, Kitano walked down from the stands.

Sure enough, it is still a bit difficult to see the situation clearly in the ever-changing game, at least for now.

"Mr. Kitano!"

As I passed Chairman Ma's seat, which was painted blue, I heard a slightly unfamiliar voice.

It was Kimura, whom I had met once before, and he was the only one sitting alone in Chairman Ma's position.

Kimura had an obvious smile on his face.

It turned out that it was his horse that won just now—

"Congratulations, Mr. Kimura."

Kitano said.

"Nothing, it's just luck."

Although he kept speaking modestly, Kimura could no longer suppress the smile on his face.

"Is Mr. Kitano's horse racing today?"

He asked with a grin.

"No, I just came to watch the game."

Kitano shook his head to deny it, and Kimura looked slightly surprised.

"Haha, I didn't expect Mr. Kitano also likes horse racing so much."

After saying that, Kimura tugged at his tie and said, "By the way, the weather is really hot. Let's go to the preparation room for a cup of tea later."

As a member of the Hokkaido Racing Club, you can always use the preparation room to watch the race with a better view and less distractions.

The refrigerator in the preparation room is always stocked with unlimited oolong tea for horse owners.

"Let's forget about today."

Kitano waved his hand and pointed to the clothes he was wearing.

"It would be extremely rude to enter the preparation room wearing this."

He came to the stadium after finishing his medical work.

Although the smell on his body was not disgusting, the shorts and short-sleeved shirts worn for the sake of convenience were not suitable for formal occasions.

"I see. I didn't think it through."

After saying that, Kimura patted Kitano on the shoulder and said, "But if you have the chance, please come to Xinsheng Ranch. My wife's lobster soup is absolutely delicious."

"Of course, of course."

Kitano nodded repeatedly, somewhat absentmindedly responding to Kimura. By the time he came to his senses, Kimura had already walked quite a distance towards the commendation area.

Thinking of the lobster soup just mentioned, Kitano touched his empty belly.

Although I ate two energy bars in the afternoon, I was already feeling noticeably hungry.

"Let's just solve it here."

Like other racecourses, Monbetsu Racecourse also has restaurants serving food.

One is a Hokkaido-style Genghis Khan barbecue restaurant, and the other is a snack bar selling simple fast food dishes.

Kitano chose the latter.

It's not because of financial constraints or ascetic self-torture.

It's simply because the free vegetarian meal at Genghis Khan BBQ is bean sprouts.

Being picky about food is an adult's right.

This is true even when choices are limited.

"A dine-in curry rice."

After entering the snack bar, Kitano found a seat near the door and sat down.

Then, he turned his eyes to the broadcast screen on the wall.

"Please enjoy your curry rice!"

Even before the next race list scrolled to the bottom, the hot curry rice was served.

From this point of view alone, this "Katsuma Curry" is worth the 620 yen price.

Pick up the matching plastic spoon, scoop up a mouthful of curry and put it into your mouth.

It really tastes like 620 yen.

While Kitano was munching on curry rice, Ma Min, who was sitting next to him, was calmly stirring the raw egg liquid.

Then, pick up the still sizzling Korean beef and roll it in the egg liquid.

The game started.

The moment the sound of the gate opening rang in their ears, almost all the guests in the snack bar were put on pause.

It was as if all sounds had completely disappeared at this moment.

Kitano took another mouthful of curry with an expressionless face.

Ma Min, who was sitting next to me, rolled the beef in the egg liquid again.

"The herd has now reached the third bend. The fifth-ranked Hokuriku and Wakoku horses have opened up a clear gap with the horses behind them!"

On the screen, the live speech speed is getting faster and faster.

Only a small part of the edge of the curry rice was left in front of Kitano.

The beef on the chopsticks of the guy sitting next to me has been rolled back and forth in the egg liquid several times.

“Hiss—so spicy!”

Although I didn't feel it at first, I can now feel a faint tingling sensation on the tip of my tongue.

"It's actually Indian curry. The boss is really too cunning."

After silently adding the two stores in Monbetsu Racecourse to the blacklist, Kitano hesitated and took the last bite of curry.

"Boss, a glass of ice water."

He said in the quietest voice possible.

At this time, Ma Min, who was sitting next to him, finally raised his chopsticks.

"The third avalanche, the avalanche is coming from behind! There are only the last hundred meters left in the straight line. Can we successfully arrest the avalanche?"

Then, the chopsticks stopped abruptly in mid-air.

"Hokuriku Wakoku! It's Hokuriku Wakoku from the fifth division! A very beautiful escape cut to win!"

All sorts of noises suddenly erupted in the snack bar.

"What a pity! We were so close to catching up."

At this time, the roast beef covered with egg liquid was finally put into the mouth.

Putting down the empty cup, Kitano slowly stood up from his seat.

He pulled a Kitasato Shibasaburo note from his wallet, paid, collected the change, and left.

"Next time, let's wait until we get back to town to eat."

He thought so.

(End of this chapter)