Chapter 5: The Lady and the Horse
HORSES!
They looked a great deal like the tuulies we used to ride in my past life.
I noticed they were a distinctively large breed, by this world’s standards at least, and had a wild disposition, but still, I quite liked these “tuulies.”
They were incredibly intelligent and would carry any rider who had earned their trust faster than the wind. There was really no other animal that could take a human as far as they.
Back when I was a child of the Ortegamo family, we owned three tuulies. I named mine Kalelion and would often ride away on her back for trips or excursions. Kalelion’s jet-black fur was gorgeous, and her form, whether standing or galloping, was magnificent. She would allow no one else to ride her, so she was mine and mine alone.
Ah, even though these look so much like tuulies, they are horses, so I suppose I should refer to them as such.
“Is it just me, or are you really excited? You really like horses, huh?” Aritomo mused.
“Yes! I adore them!” I answered with much more excitement than I intended to. “Um, would it be all right to get closer?”
My eyes were aglow looking at the horses.
“Of course!” Mikazuki said, flashing me a grin.
I never would have expected horses on the school grounds. When I mentioned this as we approached the stables, I was told they were for the equestrian club, who were scored on how they bred, raised, and trained them.
Students were allowed to join starting in middle school, and students all the way up to those attending a nearby college were allowed to use the facilities. All told, there appeared to be over fifteen horses being cared for here.
“Now that you mention it, I’m pretty sure I saw this place pictured on the pamphlet,” Aritomo said, taking a carrot.
“Yeah, I took that picture! Here, try giving them a carrot! Their reaction is so cute.”
So Mikazuki was skilled even at horseback riding.
I did as he suggested and grabbed a carrot, then headed for the stable. The horses all eyed me with great interest. They were likely cautious at the appearance of a human they had never seen.
I approached while slowly lifting my eyes to meet theirs so as not to spook them. One of the black horses took notice of me.
I stood in front of it, meeting its gaze. It blinked rapidly and gazed back at me. It seemed to be a gesture of goodwill, so I began speaking softly to it.
“Hello, good afternoon. I’m Urara Tendou. You’re quite beautiful, aren’t you? I would love it if you would accept this carrot.”
I slowly held out the vegetable, and the horse gently began to munch on it. It was so cute, the way that horse ate, and I couldn’t stop watching.
I started speaking to it again after waiting for it to finish chewing.
“Would it be all right to pet you?” I asked in as gentle a voice as possible. The horse obliged, lowering its head a bit for me. Taking that as a sign that it was okay, I got closer and began stroking its head.
Its silky hair felt amazing under my hands. Experiencing that feeling after so long made me break out in a smile.
“Oh, impressive. You got Galileo your first time.”
“I’m a bit surprised. To think Galileo would take to anyone this fast...”
Mikazuki and Shimozuru were surprised while watching me increase my rapport with the black horse.
“You said this horse’s name is Galileo?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet.
“Yup, that’s right. He used to be a racehorse and came here after he retired, but he’s got a reputation for being difficult.”
How could they say that when he so readily allowed me to pet him?
Galileo, huh? In spite of his massive size, I had already become smitten with his beautiful black coat, that intelligent look in his eyes, and the way his name sounded similar to my beloved Kalelion’s.
Galileo seemed to enjoy it as well as I began to stroke his back. His affinity for me continued to grow.
Watching the rapport between the two of us, Aritomo pursed her lips in exasperation.
“All right, we get it. Horses. So horseback riding, right? Why? And how can we really win that?” she asked Mikazuki.
“That all depends on you two, Shizuku. Though, with Galileo this smitten, the odds may just be in your favor,” he responded with a smile.
“So you say, but I’m sure Tsukuyomi’s already an ace at riding horses, isn’t she?”
“Eh, she can ride as good as anyone else.”
As good as anyone else.
Those words seemed awfully loaded.
“No, that won’t work. I mean, I’ve been horseback riding, but I’ve never practiced it as a sport,” Aritomo said, glancing at me as she chose her words carefully. “And, Urara, you might have a bond, but have you actually ever ridden a horse?
That was a natural concern. I can understand how they would suspect that a commoner who couldn’t even swim had likely never ridden a horse.
“Aw, come on, Urara’s at least got the hang of handling them. It’s almost uncanny,” Mikazuki said, his words hitting me right in the heart.
I mean, in my past life, I sort of...
No, I couldn’t. I needed to keep that to myself.
“That’s a great start for us. And we’ll be sure to get you both plenty of practice! And anyway, animals tend to hate Chouko!”
Wh-What? Really? They hate Lady Chouko?
“It’s kinda wild—even normal animals are hesitant to approach Chouko at first. Actually, most of them straight up run away from her.”
“...Ahh.”
So what would constitute an abnormal animal?
“I guess you could say they shrink away from her. Particularly animals that haven’t been well trained will...flee,” Shimozuru added, but I still had a difficult time believing this was true.
“But most horses used for competition are well trained, aren’t they?” Aritomo asked nonchalantly.
They hadn’t said anything about how exactly we would be using the horses to compete, but clearly we would need to train and practice with the horses, so I didn’t think that would be too much of a disadvantage for Lady Chouko.
“Anyway, if animals are involved, Chouko won’t have an overwhelming advantage. And honestly? Pretty much every other contest I can think of, she could win. This is the only thing I could come up with,” Mikazuki insisted.
It was easy to take him at his word. I knew quite well how incredible Lady Chouko was. She even excelled at cooking, which she came to with no prior experience.
In that case, having a contest with an irregular partner like a horse didn’t seem like a bad idea.
...Hm? Irregular partner? ...Now, where have I heard something like that before...? Ah well.
I exchanged glances with Aritomo. Both of us nodded.
We just needed practice. We could do this.
We decided to accept Mikazuki’s advice and were about to tell him when, suddenly, we caught sight of Lady Chouko charging down the pathway.
“Ui, I was wondering why you called me out here! Are you serious?” she asked, her eyes fixed on Mikazuki as she walked briskly over to us.
“If I wasn’t, why would I have asked you to come all this way?” he responded in a flippant tone, meeting her eyes, almost as if he were trying to agitate her.
“It’s reckless to put beginners on horses and have them compete,” Lady Chouko objected.
“They both seem like they’ll manage just fine. Trust me.”
I could understand Lady Chouko’s annoyance at Mikazuki’s laughter.
“Idiot. Who would ever trust you?”
Lady Chouko glanced at me and sighed. “Urara can’t possibly compete. She’s never ridden a horse. What are you going to do to keep her from getting hurt?”
Lady Chouko said it wasn’t possible for me. She didn’t even want to hear what I had to say. It was just: “not possible.”
In my present life, no, I hadn’t ridden a horse. So I can understand why she would assume that and why she’d be so concerned for me.
However, my blind devotion to Lady Chouko wasn’t so great that I could remain silent when she so firmly denied me the opportunity without asking me first.
After realizing the other day how much I longed to be an equal to her, I couldn’t continue to allow her to keep being so overprotective of me.
It was one thing, figuring that out in my conversation with Aritomo, but now she was right in front of me.
I turned to face Lady Chouko head-on. She pivoted and looked me straight in the eye, as if somehow relieved.
“Urara,” she said, reaching out to stroke my hair, but I pushed her hand away.
“I’m going to do it.”
“You’re what...?”
“I’m asking you to please agree to this challenge.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the words I spoke or the fact that I pushed her hand away, but she looked shocked.
“I’m so grateful you’re worried about me, but I’ve decided to accept Mikazuki’s help,” I said, doubling down on her.
“Oh, but, Urara, doing this so suddenly could be dangerous. Look, if you want to try horseback riding, I can train you some other time.”
Because horses are dangerous—
“Please don’t speak for me,” I responded instinctively.
Horses are wise, gentle creatures. If you open your heart and work with them, they can be tremendous allies.
I didn’t mind someone being concerned for me, but what I did mind was seeing something I loved being defamed. I told her as much.
“I don’t like you being this way, Chouko! Not at all!” I blurted out with a glare, leaving Chouko with a dumbfounded expression. My words probably seemed to come out of nowhere, but I was irritated with her. I averted my gaze.
I realized then that Mikazuki and Shimozuru looked just as astonished as Lady Chouko did.
“Um...sorry, Chouko.”
“Ahh, my bad, Chouko.”
For some reason, the two of them were apologizing to Lady Chouko. It was Aritomo who finally broke in and interrupted the silence.
“Anyway, we’ve already decided on horseback riding for the next challenge. So please... Uh, Tsukuyomi, are you listening?”
Lady Chouko’s face had gone blank.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said vacantly.
“Yeah. I don’t think she was listening, so we’ll talk it over later,” Shimozuru said.
“Right. Well, we’ll start tomorrow. See you in the morning. Five thirty sharp,” Mikazuki instructed.
“All right, we’ll see you then,” I responded.
“That’s too early!” Aritomo sputtered next to me, her face going pale.
Let’s give it our all, Aritomo.