The Trainer With Little Time Left Just Wants to Live [38]

What Mr. C.B. had just said was something no one except Kitano could understand—perhaps Rudolf could understand it too, but if the Rudolf of now heard those words from C.B., she would probably fly into a rage.

Because in Rudolf’s memories, Mr. C.B. had never been lonely. If anything, she was the “third party” who had stolen the childhood friend who should have belonged to Rudolf. Worse still, she had taken Rudolf’s childhood friend and then used his talent to defeat her in return. She had even fulfilled the promise between them in Rudolf’s place!

How was that loneliness? The lonely one was obviously Rudolf, wasn’t it?!

However, Mr. C.B.’s words in this cycle—one where Kitano had not guided her, and where she had not become the first to achieve an undefeated Triple Crown ahead of everyone else—made the reason painfully clear.

“Trainer Kitano… you should know, right? I’m an Umamusume who was born carrying ‘sin.’”

Sitting beside Kitano, C.B. spoke of a past Kitano had long known about, but had never heard from Mr. C.B. herself in previous cycles. Perhaps it was because C.B. at this moment was more vulnerable than ever, or perhaps it came from that inexplicable trust she felt toward Kitano, but she now shed all of her usual dashing composure and poured out her feelings like a little girl.

“My mom and dad’s relationship was criticized by the public at the time. Even my mother’s family opposed it, so they became husband and wife by eloping.”

“—Of course, I’ve never felt that their giving birth to me was a punishment. I love my parents. They’re the most important people in the world to me.”

“But… sure enough, sometimes I still feel helpless. Having to run alone, and all that.”

As if recalling everything she had gone through along the way, C.B. unconsciously bit her lower lip, revealing a hint of frustration. Clearly, this girl, who had stood at the peak of Japan’s Umamusume before Symboli Rudolf appeared out of nowhere, had not lived as gloriously as others imagined.

And Kitano understood that better than anyone. If he had not been involved in that cycle, Mr. C.B.’s future… perhaps could only be described as bleak.

Because of C.B.’s parents’ elopement, in an era when Trainer-Umamusume romance had not yet become famous, their relationship could be said to have fired the first shot in the matter of Trainers and Umamusume becoming romantically involved. In that more profit-driven era, their love was not acknowledged by most people, and that influence had continued all the way to Mr. C.B. herself.

From the moment C.B. debuted, she drew more criticism and expectation than other Umamusume. Because her parents had both been famous figures in their respective fields, and as the child they had cast everything aside and eloped to have, if Mr. C.B. won right from her debut, then the label of “product of sin” would probably truly be branded onto her for life.

But with Mr. C.B.’s talent, and with the education her parents had given her, winning her debut was still easy enough. The road after that, however, was one Mr. C.B. could only keep walking alone. Under the circumstances at the time, her father had fallen in love with his own trainee and eloped with her, so his Central Trainer license had long since been revoked. There was no way he could go to Tracen Academy to teach C.B.

“—Trainer Kitano, do you know why I still haven’t gone looking for a Trainer even now?” At that moment, C.B. suddenly turned her head and asked softly. Kitano, who could be said to know C.B. inside and out, smiled and nodded. Looking straight into this Umamusume’s gentle, breeze-like eyes, he answered softly:

“You don’t want a Trainer who will restrain you. You prefer acting at your own pace, and only want to find someone who will support you. Right?”

That was the answer C.B. herself had once given Kitano when he had asked a similar question in the past. C.B. was clearly surprised that Kitano understood her so well. After her pupils contracted slightly, that easy smile appeared on her face once again.

“How surprising. Trainer Kitano, you really do understand me. Are you sure you haven’t secretly investigated me?”

Do I even need to? You used to live with me every day. Hearing this, Kitano showed a somewhat subtle smile. However, what surprised him a little was that Mr. C.B. gently shook her head and answered with a hint of playfulness:

“But unfortunately, that’s only half right, Trainer Kitano. I’ve never told anyone the other half of the reason. Do you want to hear it?”

Although she phrased it as a question, C.B. had already begun speaking before Kitano could answer. Her originally gentle tone suddenly lowered, and she looked ahead as she said, word by word:

“Before my debut, I heard my mom and dad calling many Trainers they used to know at Tracen Academy. I heard them do everything they could to vouch for my talent, begging again and again for a Trainer to accept me.”

“But… without exception, every one of them refused. They weren’t willing to take on someone like me, someone born from a mistake. They weren’t willing to risk damaging their reputations by becoming my Trainer.”

“And after I won my debut race, they started regretting it and reached out to my parents on their own. By then, I had already made up my mind. I would prove my ability alone. I would use my talent and strength to stand at the very peak of Japan.”

“Only then would I be able to tell them that every accusation they made was wrong. I would be my parents’ most powerful ‘creation’ in Japan. It wasn’t that I couldn’t find a Trainer. It was that they weren’t worthy of being my Trainer!”

Mr. C.B., who had always dealt with the world in such a free and gentle way, spoke for the first time the words she had most wanted to say from the very beginning, yet had never told anyone. Even Kitano was hearing C.B. voice such thoughts for the first time, and he was slightly surprised.

Still, he was not surprised that Mr. C.B. would think that way. Although he, too, had only become C.B.’s Trainer after her debut, he had experienced that invisible pressure within the academy, as well as the slightly strange looks from the other Trainers.

At the time, almost every Trainer at Tracen Academy had heard that C.B. had personally nominated Kitano. When they saw Kitano himself—a sickly person who had not even passed the physical test, someone who had entered through the back door—they had all unanimously believed that Kitano was nothing more than a figurehead Trainer Mr. C.B. had chosen for herself, utterly useless.

Because of that, Kitano had also received some teasing, disregard, and even contempt from other Trainers… Although Kitano had not responded to any of it at the time, it was also then that he completely made up his mind to train Mr. C.B. into the undefeated Triple Crown Umamusume who would come before Rudolf.

It was not only a matter of pride. Kitano also did not want Mr. C.B. to repeat the historical record. Although she was likewise a Triple Crown winner, she had been mercilessly trampled beneath the undefeated Triple Crown winner Symboli Rudolf one year later. All her effort and achievements became the Emperor’s stepping stone, and from then on, she was reduced to the level of a background character. He could not bear to see C.B.’s future become like that. She deserved a better future.

“Running alone, winning races alone, taking the Triple Crown alone, and then being replaced by my own junior before I even had much time to be happy…”

“I could still endure all of that, you know. At the very least, I proved myself. I had my glory too. Even if it was only for an instant, I was satisfied.”

“—Until the day you appeared, Trainer Kitano.”

Suddenly, C.B.’s gaze turned back to Kitano. With eyes glittering like a starry sky, she could not help smiling as she said softly:

“You and your trainee, that child named Nakayama Festa, burst into my world. I saw you supporting each other and trusting each other. I saw her determination to stake everything on you on the track… I have to admit, I was moved.”

“And I finally understood what I had been missing all along… What I lacked was a Trainer like you. Someone worthy of my trust, someone who would support me unconditionally, someone like you… someone who could make me stake everything.”

“You know, right? Back then, I really did have a bold idea. Asking you to be my Trainer… or something like that.”

“Unfortunately, by the time I had that idea, you had already become the Gold Family’s one and only exclusive Trainer. Looks like that plan could only fall through. What a shame.”

The disappointment in C.B.’s voice was hard to hide, though on the surface, she still tried to force a smile. As she slowly voiced many of the things in her heart, C.B.’s mood also recovered quite a bit. After letting out a long breath, she belatedly realized that what she had just said seemed… a little strange.

Why did that atmosphere and conversation just now feel like I was confessing? Is my guard usually that easy to break through?

After realizing this, C.B. instinctively thought of standing up and making a joke to Kitano to brush this part aside. But the moment she moved, Kitano, after careful consideration, seemed to have made some kind of decision. After taking a deep breath, he tentatively asked:

“If you truly need a real supporter, C.B… then if you don’t mind, you can also think of me as your Trainer.”

Faced with C.B., who was slightly stunned by this sudden request, Kitano steeled himself, took a small gamble, and continued:

“Although I wasn’t able to accompany you through the hardest part, if you feel that I can make you feel a little less lonely, then I should be able to help.”

“My team happens to be lacking an excellent Umamusume who can ease some of my worries and give Festa and Gold Ship a little guidance too. If you could lend me a hand, C.B, I’d also be very grateful.”

Kitano had thought this through very clearly. Teaching Nakayama Festa alone could already be called difficult for him. Now Stay Gold had made him the designated Trainer for the entire Gold Family. Although he did not need to worry too much about where to go in the future, his current condition was not exactly good either. Teaching two Umamusume at the same time was still too much of a strain.

If he was careless and some accident shortened his lifespan again, that would be bad. For that reason, Kitano had always wanted to find an assistant. Unfortunately, before this, he had not had a good candidate, nor had there been any abnormal Umamusume who could also convince Festa to accept her help.

Now, however, C.B. truly was a very good candidate. During the period when Kitano was hospitalized and recuperating, C.B. had taught Festa in his place for a while. Nakayama Festa was very clear on C.B.’s abilities, so there should not be any problem.

Of course, more importantly… Kitano also did not want the C.B. he remembered to continue sinking into gloom like this. Since she had now brought up this idea herself, Kitano naturally would not refuse the Umamusume who had once been closest to him, and who had once put him most at ease.

Facing Kitano’s invitation, C.B. fell into a brief silence. Then, in the next moment, the easy smile that appeared on her face, so familiar to Kitano, made him understand that his choice this time had unquestionably been the right one.

“…Do you really think you can guide a gust of wind as free as me? I should say, you’re even bolder than I imagined.”

“Isn’t that right, Trainer-san?”

That extremely natural change in address represented the choice Mr. C.B. had now made. She took the initiative to extend her little finger toward Kitano, and Kitano immediately understood, likewise extending his own little finger and making a simple pinky promise with C.B.

But at that moment, C.B.’s eyes shifted slightly, and she made another small request of Kitano.

“There’s one more little thing. Although Kitano will be my Trainer, I won’t sign a Trainer-Trainee Agreement with you, okay? I’m worried it might alarm Rudolf over there, and if everyone in the student council starts asking questions nonstop, that would be troublesome for me.”

“No problem, C.B. You only need to know that I am your Trainer, and that I will support your thoughts.”

Kitano agreed to this request readily. In truth, he had also been rather troubled over how to bring this matter up with Rudolf. Now that C.B. had taken the initiative not to sign a Trainer-Trainee Agreement, and since she had retired long ago, C.B.’s suggestion could be said to suit him perfectly.

And seeing that Kitano truly supported her thoughts just as he had promised, C.B.’s eyes curved slightly. As if some knot in her heart had finally been undone, she smiled from the heart, breathtakingly beautiful.

Kitano had seen this smile before—back when he had helped Mr. C.B. achieve the unprecedented feat of an undefeated Triple Crown, when Mr. C.B. had taken the initiative to embrace him for the first time. It was a smile he had only been able to see in the future.

“Then… I’ll be in your care from now on, Trainer-san.”

…

At the same time, at some point, C.B.’s parents and Tamamo had moved from the staircase between the first and second floors to the front of Mr. C.B.’s bedroom door, and they had heard the conversation between the two of them perfectly clearly. From the moment C.B. and Kitano reached their agreement, both parents showed subtle smiles of mutual understanding.

“Dear, do you think C.B. is…”

“Mm. If my guess is right, then that child C.B. should be…”

Although the couple did not say anything clearly, Tamamo Cross beside them had already understood perfectly. Tamamo, apparently the only normal person here, showed a twisted expression as though she had eaten a sour plum, and retorted in despair:

“So why the heck did it turn into this? Why does it feel like C.B. set this whole thing up as a trap for Trainer Kitano, all so she could reel him in?!”

“Is there any saving Tracen Academy anymore?! Isn’t there a single normal Umamusume like me who doesn’t have designs on her Trainer?!”

This is a fan translation of 时日无多的训练员只想活下去 by 许氏子谦 Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!