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I hadn’t considered how nice it would be, going for a ride while the birds chirped their sweet song so early in the morning.
I reached the paddock a little earlier than we were scheduled and found Mikazuki, already changed into his jersey, tending to the horses.
I rushed over to help, but he turned me down.
“Our school is rich, as you know, so we normally have employees to take care of the horses, but I like doing this, so really, it’s fine.”
He was patting Galileo’s neck gently and seemed to be enjoying himself.
“You said Galileo has a hard time with people, but the two of you seem comfortable together, Mikazuki.”
“Mm, well, that’s because I usually tend to him.”
For horses and humans, the more time you spent around someone, the more likely you were to get comfortable with them.
“In that case, let me help you,” I said, wanting to get closer to Galileo as well. “I’ll go get changed. Please teach me all you know.”
“You want to help? You can use the girl’s changing area over there then,” he said, a hint of admiration in his voice as he pointed at a little building on the other side of the stables.
A sleepy-looking Aritomo wandered over to us as I was helping Mikazuki in the stable, so we decided to go for a ride.
“...Urara! How are you such a natural at this?”
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“Um... Hey, Aritomo, you can’t be so timid!”
She was being so shy with her horse. Completely different from how she normally was.
After borrowing some of the equestrian club’s extra helmets, riding boots, and gloves, we went for a ride. It had been so long, and yet the moment I got on, that muscle memory resurfaced.
“Urara’s right. Straighten up your back, Shizuku.”
Because we were beginners, we each had a stable guide walking next to us. Mikazuki was giving us tips from atop a brown horse.
I was riding Galileo, and Aritomo had chosen a horse the same shade of brown as Mikazuki’s, with white hair around the hooves, named Roselila.
“Is it all right if we go a bit faster?” I asked the guide walking next to me, and after they made eye contact with Mikazuki and received his approval, they agreed.
“Galileo, let’s go for a little run.”
Grasping what I had said, Galileo began to pick up the pace, kicking up a bit of sand as he went.
It felt so good, and so nostalgic somehow: my body swaying, the wind blowing through my hair.
Kalelion and I used to run like this, the sun dappling through the trees on us.
Along with those memories, several emotions—feelings I could not simply do justice to with just one word—came flooding back.
Pain. Heartbreak. Happiness. Joy. And sadness.
I was completely absorbed by these emotions I hadn’t experienced since being reborn into this world.
I had cast off my nobility and wished to become a commoner and so had been reincarnated here. Everything since had felt like a blessing as I spent my days in relative freedom, but even so, it seemed the old me still lived on within me... How strange.
And I realized in that moment that the noble life I had hated hadn’t been all bad.
If I hadn’t been who I was, I would never have known my father, my mother, Kalelion, or all the others I had the opportunity to meet. Perhaps I had many painful experiences or times when things didn’t go as planned for me. But I had many happy experiences as well.
My previous life may have ended sooner than expected, but I had been happy.
As if noticing that my mind was elsewhere, Galileo slowed down. He looked back at me quizzically and I couldn’t help feeling guilty.
“I’m sorry, Galileo. Come on, giddy up.”
Galileo reacted to my words with a neigh and sped up.
I heard Mikazuki whistling. Aritomo was shouting, and it worried me, her getting so loud around the horses.
Hehehe, this really is lovely, I thought, realizing I felt much happier in this life than I had in the last.
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“...OWW...”
“That’s a pretty rookie mistake, Urara. Eh?” Mikazuki said with a grin, trying to suppress his laughter.
“Ungh...I can’t argue with that... Ow!”
“Ahh, ow... My butt and my thighs are killing me...”
Aritomo and I were both rubbing our backsides, trying to dull the pain. While my mind might have remembered what it was like riding a horse, my body naturally lacked the same experience.
“You looked so gallant when you were riding at a gallop, though.”
Thank you for the compliment.
“But you still don’t have the endurance you need.”
No argument there.
“So I suppose that means we need to start with strength training tomorrow, then.”
“Whaaat?!” Aritomo’s shout reverberated throughout the stable. I completely agreed, but there was no way out of this.
None whatsoever...