Hokkaido Horse Racing Story

It was not until I arrived at the door of the inspection room that I finally calmed down.

He hugged the two riders who came out of the inspection room.

Then came Tanaka, Kobayashi, the other stable boys, and the training assistants.

Chapter 53: Things After the Victory

When I left the inspection room and walked through the area in front of the railing to the commendation ceremony venue, the horse lovers around me spontaneously applauded.

Under the guidance of the staff, Kitano walked out of the railing and looked up at the stands.

Most of them are young and unfamiliar faces.

He was bowing to the stands.

The applause, which had begun to subside, became enthusiastic again.

The sound of "Congratulations" kept coming to my ears.

Kitano had to stop again and again and bow in response to this enthusiasm.

When we arrived at the venue for the Kuchidori ceremony, there were already quite a few people waiting there.

Mejiro Sakuya stood in the center somewhat awkwardly, the braid on her neck swaying slightly as her head moved.

Further down is the shining victory flag.

"This way, Mr. Kitano."

Tanaka waved and pointed to the front position.

Lakshmi, the Indian stable boy, smiled at him and kindly handed him the rope.

After taking the rope, Kitano smiled at the camera.

At the same time, Hattori on horseback raised his right hand.

After the shutter clicked, Kitano thanked everyone involved one by one.

Then comes the occasion of the commendation ceremony.

Following the guidance of the staff, Kitano stood on the podium in a daze.

On either side are rider Hattori, trainer Tanaka, and production ranch representative Ogawa Takeshi.

Kitano stood in the middle like a student who had made a mistake, with an awkward look on his face.

The emcee seemed to say something, but all that came to my ears were fragments of broken sounds.

At this time, several staff members from the stadium came forward to present a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh, thank you!"

After being a little slow to react, Kitano hurriedly took the bouquet.

"Congratulations, Master Kitano."

The staff smiled.

Just as he was about to step down from the podium, he found that no one on either side moved.

The steps in my legs stopped abruptly.

"Congratulations, Master Kitano."

Another staff member brought a thin small box.

"Thank you."

Kitano and the staff member bowed at the same time, and their heads almost hit each other.

Then, the commendation ceremony seemed to have no intention of ending.

It was obviously not the case in the previous games.

I'm afraid this is what is called the trouble of happiness.

Holding the bouquet between his elbows, Kitano wanted to open the small box with some curiosity.

At this time, a staff member who had come around from behind said, "If you don't mind, please let me keep it for now, Mr. Kitano."

He had no choice but to hand the bouquet and the small box to the staff's outstretched hands.

Next, it was a member of the management of the Hokkaido Racing Association.

Although there had been several face-to-face interviews when registering as a horse owner, Kitano had long forgotten the other party's name.

It's a little bit bad.

"Congratulations, Master Kitano."

The other person took the medal handed to him by the staff with a smile and put it on Kitano, then handed him a rather small trophy.

"Thank you."

Kitano returned the gift feeling a little guilty.

Fortunately, the other party had no intention of continuing the conversation. He nodded politely and turned around to present medals to several other people.

"so close."

He had just breathed a sigh of relief, but then he raised the trophy in his hand in a somewhat flustered manner under the photographer's instructions.

The continuous sound of shutter clicks rang in my ears.

After confirming with his peripheral vision that it was okay to leave, Kitano took a step forward with confidence.

"Master Kitano!"

Behind him, the staff shouted.

Then she raised the bouquet and small box in her hands.

"Feel sorry!"

He apologized to the staff member somewhat embarrassedly.

"Nothing, we're actually looking forward to this day after seeing the list."

After the delivery was completed, the staff said with a smile.

Holding something in his hand, Kitano continued to accept photo requests from people he knew or didn't know.

In addition, he also left his signature on each 100-yen betting ticket.

The muscles on my face and hands seemed to become a little stiff.

"It's finally over."

After squeezing out of the crowd, I breathed a sigh of relief.

As if he suddenly thought of something, he suddenly changed direction towards the exit of the stadium.

Relying on his status as a horse owner, he returned to the reviewing ground smoothly.

"Mr. Kitano?"

Kobayashi, the stable attendant who was packing up the saddle, looked up in surprise. Ochiai, who was already riding a bicycle nearby, also looked back.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kitano."

Putting down his bicycle, Ochiai ran over and lowered his head guiltily.

"Pegasus has done his best. It was my fault."

"Nothing."

The bouquet and trophy in my hands are a little inconvenient.

So Kitano simply put them on the ground aside.

Then, he reached out and patted Ochiai's shoulder: "This tactic was formulated before the game. I also nodded at the time, so don't take it too seriously."

"Also, whether it's Master Tanaka, the rider Ochiai, or the stable boy Kobayashi, they've all done their best."

He suddenly bent down and bowed deeply to the two people in front of him.

"I can't thank you enough for your dedication."

At this time, Mudaiheima, who had been left aside for a while, let out a few dissatisfied snorts.

"Of course, I won't miss you."

After straightening up, he smiled and rubbed the still hot nose of the reed horse.

The originally heavy atmosphere suddenly eased.

"Okay, I won't disturb you anymore."

Kitano picked up the bouquet and trophy on the ground.

"If possible, please both of you be present at the celebration party tomorrow."

He raised his head and said.

"Hey, am I going too?"

Kobayashi, the stable attendant, pointed at himself in surprise.

Ochiai fell silent.

"Please don't refuse."

Kitano continued.

In the end, the two finally agreed.

Walking slowly on the road leading to the parking lot, Kitano hummed the tune he heard on the way here.

Because the commendation ceremony was delayed for a while, there were very few pedestrians on the road.

After the last game, even the most enthusiastic horse fans had to leave.

"Those who returned to the north were all silent. Only the sound of the waves echoed in their ears."

As he walked, Kitano continued to hum a tuneless enka.

"The Tsugaru Strait thing is a bit too old-fashioned, isn't it?"

Suddenly, a girl's voice came to my ears.

"How can I be old? Sister Ishikawa was still participating in the Red and White Song Festival until the Reiwa era."

Kitano retorted subconsciously.

At the edge of the parking lot, Ogawa Kana was leaning on the railing with her hands, looking over with a smile.

"Just being called 'Ishikawa-san' is old enough!"

The girl covered her mouth and grinned.

"'Ishikawa-san' is just a respectful title."

Kitano made a feeble defense.

"So Kitano-san likes older guys."

Ogawa Masaru nodded as if he had understood something.

From behind, Xuhe Zhang's helpless sigh was heard.

Thanks to Destiny Lingfeng for the 500 starting coins reward,

Thank you for your support

Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★

Chapter 54: Flower Basket from Related People

The next morning, Kitano got up as usual.

There was no situation where people were unable to sleep all night or overslept because of being too emotional.

Having said that, I still inevitably feel tired after getting up.