The slowly passing afternoon streets were quiet. Only a few middle-aged women with shopping baskets and a handful of elderly people drifted by, and I couldn’t help letting out a sigh at the sight of what this time of day looked like on the street.
Like a balloon with all the air let out of it, I had been full of motivation, but the moment I put Oguri and Tachyon’s records in front of me, it felt like I’d slammed into a massive wall. Where was I even supposed to start? I thought back to the materials Tachyon had given me. I had to begin there.
For now, I needed to get the basics done. Find a place to live as quickly as possible, finish the insurance and other paperwork, and then focus on Oguri. I forced air into my lungs and looked up at the blue sky. It was a good day to be alive.
As I watched the scenery drift by at a leisurely pace, I spotted a girl with twin tails under the shade of a tree. Spring was everywhere, but there, autumn was blooming.
She seemed to be studying, her small hands moving busily as she wrote something in a book.
“Who are you waiting for, Scarlet-chan?”
“Eek—?! T-Trainer!?”
Scarlet let out a cute little squeak and hurriedly shut her book, hugging it to her chest as if to hide the contents.
“Hello.”
“Y-you’re already off work?! Isn’t that a little too fast?”
“Yeah. I had some things to take care of, so I asked my charge for permission and left early.”
Scarlet quickly grabbed her school bag and stood up.
“What things?”
“I need to find a place to move into. I’ve already contacted a realtor, but I have to go meet them and look at the place.”
“A-a house?! T-then I’m coming too!”
Scarlet, ears perked with excitement, was suddenly right beside me, grabbing my hand as if to drag me off. The whole sequence was so natural that I’d already taken a few steps before I realized something was off.
“Isn’t it time for an elementary schooler to be heading home?”
“There’s still time before dinner! I want to look around! Yeah, I want to see houses!”
“It won’t be fun.”
“No, no! I really want to see! Really! Really!”
I couldn’t escape the force of Scarlet’s grip as she squeezed my finger and shook my hand back and forth.
“I don’t mind, but... you should ask your parents first.”
“Agh, that’s unfair!”
Scarlet frowned at me, looking indignant. It seemed like an angry face, but it was so cute I couldn’t help laughing.
“Now, now, young lady. You’d better head home. Your mother will worry.”
“Don’t treat me like a kid!”
“Yes, yes, my lady. I’ve been rude to a fine lady. Would you be so kind as to return home?”
“Grr...!”
Seeing her tail swishing furiously, she really did seem properly angry. There happened to be a honey drink stand nearby, so I bought a decent-sized one and handed it to her.
“I’m busy today, so I’ll play with you next time. Can you let this slide just a little?”
“Play with me?! I’m only keeping you company because you looked lonely, Trainer!”
“Sure, sure. Today I’m going to be too busy to be lonely anyway, so that works out.”
Scarlet said nothing. She just looked up at me, then at the honey drink I’d handed her. After glancing back and forth a few times, she put the straw to her lips, sucked on it, and then pulled away. A small sigh escaped her.
“Trainer... I’m worried about you.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re always saying you’re fine. Because you don’t care about the things you’re lacking. No, because you’re looking away from them. That’s why.”
At Scarlet’s words, I stared blankly at the girl who was far younger than me. She was barely tall enough to reach my waist, and yet for some reason she felt like she was standing at my chest. I watched her silently kick a tiny pebble along the ground.
Even though she was Daiwa Scarlet, Class 4, Section 2, with a randoseru on her back, she strangely felt like an old friend standing beside me. My hand moved on its own and patted her head.
“Then I’d better do better from now on so our Scarlet-chan won’t worry.”
“Mm, I don’t believe you!”
Scarlet answered with a dazzlingly bright face, and I let my shoulders sag. Was I really that untrustworthy as an adult?
“That’s sad. I’ve got so little trust.”
“It’s okay! I’ll take care of you!”
Her red tail gently wrapped around my thigh. I’d been running around half out of my mind trying to save my charge, and I never expected I’d end up hearing a child tell me she’d take care of me.
“I’m fine now. My charge is a really good kid too... I’m fine. Yeah, I’m fine.”
I was talking about Scarlet, but I said it like I was reassuring myself. Scarlet blinked at me, then gave me a smile so gentle it didn’t feel like it could belong to a child.
“That’s why I’m worried. Because the Trainer always pushes himself. No matter how much you run, no matter how far you go, you’re the kind of person who keeps whipping yourself forward. You try to look fine even when you might collapse at any moment. And you yourself don’t care about that kind of situation.”
At Scarlet’s almost matter-of-fact words, I looked at her. There was clearly a child standing in front of me. But the warmth and sincerity in her words, which felt bigger than her tiny frame, made it impossible to laugh them off as something a child had said.
“...Have we maybe met before?”
I thought that. There was a strange prickling feeling. It felt like we had met. Even if I couldn’t remember, it was as if I somehow knew her already.
Scarlet looked up at me without saying anything. After taking several long breaths in and out, she slowly shook her head. Then she smiled.
“I just... fell in love at first sight. That’s all. Yeah, that’s right.”
With that painfully sad smile, I couldn’t say a word. What was I even thinking, looking at a child like that? I clenched my fist and forced down the sudden surge of something hot rising in my chest.
“So our Scarlet-chan fell for this old man~?”
I forced a smile and spat out that nonsense.
“Hah~?! What are you talking about?! I, I mean... ah, that was a mistake! There’s no way I’d say something like falling in love!”
The hand that rushed over to smack my thigh was so sharp it actually brought tears to my eyes.
“Honestly, if you’re nice to people, they just start climbing all over you!”
It might be a rude thing for a child to say, but for some reason I didn’t hate it. I just laughed. When I tried to pat her head, she snapped at me and tried to bite my finger, so I quickly pulled my hand back.
“I’m planning to enter Tracen.”
“You’ve already decided your future? Scarlet-chan, you’re quick to make up your mind.”
“Because I’m number one!”
She shouted brightly.
“I-if I go to Tracen... c-could you be my Trainer?”
“It’s hard to promise something like that lightly...”
“Why not~?! This is when you’re supposed to be manly and say, ‘Yeah, I’ll definitely be your Trainer!’ Or else, I’ll give you a Triple Tiara! You can do that, can’t you!?”
“No, but still... the timing of an Uma Musume’s full development varies from person to person. And I’d be taking on a lot of girls as a Trainer too... I can’t just make promises like that.”
“Trainer, idiot!”
Scarlet shouted with tears in her eyes and kicked my shin. When I dropped to my knees in pain and looked up, the twin-tailed girl was already sprinting far away. It was truly, absolutely, a magnificent first-place run.
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