The Trainer With Little Time Left Just Wants to Live [14]

Oguri Cap’s words were very soft, and even her tone was gentler than it had ever been. Yet what she said made the hopes of everyone who had been brimming with expectation fall through once again. Their hearts sank all over again—though certain people also seemed to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

“Still missing a little? Is it not salty enough? Or was there not enough green onion?”

Tamamo Cross scratched her hair, unable to hide the disappointment on her face. Just now, she had clearly had a premonition that perhaps Kitano was the one who could save Oguri Cap. Yet this result left her deeply surprised. Oguri had looked so stirred up earlier too, as if success had been only one step away.

“I don’t think it’s a difference in those tiny details. Rather than a taste, maybe it’s more like a feeling?”

At that moment, Nakayama Festa, who had long since lost patience, stepped forward at just the right time. To be honest, when Festa saw Oguri silently savoring the food, even her brows easing, she had felt as if her heart were about to leap out of her chest. She had almost thought Kitano really was that miraculous—that not only had he hooked Mr. C.B. after only one day here, he could also instantly solve Oguri Cap’s long-standing knot in her heart.

Fortunately, the facts proved she had been overthinking things. Kitano was merely someone she and Aneki had picked up outside. It was just that no one had expected this guy to happen to be a genius capable of becoming a Trainer, that was all. Aside from that, there was nothing mysterious about him. He was completely ordinary, even a little pitiful.

If he really were that miraculous, why would he be so bad at judging talent and choose her, the Umamusume with the lowest potential in the Gold Family, as his trainee? Once she thought of that, Festa’s mood calmed down considerably. All the worries and faint fears from before vanished like smoke in that instant.

“If the feeling is different, then it’s different. In other words, this Kitano guy isn’t the person you’re looking for, right?”

“…I don’t know.”

After hearing Festa’s words, Oguri Cap had originally wanted to nod. Yet for some reason, a sense of crisis born from the heart stopped her. She sensed the “trap” hidden in Festa’s words and changed what she was going to say.

The flavor of Kitano’s cooking felt incredibly familiar to Oguri Cap. Although it was still a little different from the flavor she had always been searching for, there was no doubt that, right now, Kitano was the person with the greatest hope of resolving her confusion. At the very least, Oguri felt Kitano was definitely someone important to unraveling her doubts, and the only person she had encountered so far who could affect her.

No matter what, Kitano was important to her. Even if he was not the person she was looking for, he could absolutely provide an important clue. He was by no means an unrelated person, as Festa had said.

“The flavor Trainer Kitano made is the closest to the flavor in my dream. I think he must be very important to me.”

As she spoke, Oguri Cap turned her gaze toward Kitano, who sat in his wheelchair and still seemed a little dazed. After a moment of hesitation, she still asked softly, her tone tentative.

“If it is all right, could Trainer Kitano occasionally cook for me like this too? I feel like it is only missing a little. Although I do not know what that last bit of flavor lacks, I think if we try a few more times…”

“—Oguri Cap, I think you should consider Trainer Kitano’s physical condition first, you know?”

At that moment, Mr. C.B. could finally no longer sit by and watch. For the first time, a hint of anger that had yet to erupt surfaced in the tone of this senior who had always been so dashing. She kept a smile on her face as she looked at Oguri Cap. It seemed like a question, but her attitude was firm.

C.B. had watched the entire process of Kitano cooking for Oguri Cap with her heart in her throat. She could tell Kitano had been forcing himself the whole time. His legs had clearly been trembling so badly he had nearly been unable to stand, yet he had still stubbornly pushed through, even managing to make fried rice—a dish that looked simple, but was actually very physically demanding.

To be honest, in C.B.’s view, the flavor of that bowl of fried rice no longer had any meaning. It was proof of Kitano’s persistence and willpower. But C.B. would rather Kitano prove nothing at all and simply take care of his body.

And now, from what Oguri Cap’s words implied, she actually still wanted Kitano to drag around his sick body and force himself to work, all for the sake of her own knot in her heart.

C.B. knew this was not Oguri Cap’s true intention. She knew this junior was not very good at expressing her feelings. But deep down, she simply could not accept such behavior.

“Trainer Kitano already forced himself a great deal. Can you not see that? If the flavor you’re looking for is not the dish Trainer Kitano made, shouldn’t you start looking from other people?”

“Yeah, Oguri. You really can’t read the room.” This time, even Tamamo Cross did not stand on Oguri’s side. Like C.B., she had watched the whole process, and she too had been shocked by Kitano’s perseverance. She also knew Kitano had never needed to do this in the first place.

Strictly speaking, Oguri Cap’s psychological problem had nothing to do with Kitano, whom she had only just met. Kitano was willing to drag his sick body along and help out, but if Oguri kept asking for more, Tamamo felt that was somewhat impolite.

On the other side, the current Gold Ship was different from everyone else. She had not paid the slightest attention to what was happening with Oguri Cap. Her entire focus was on Kitano, whose complexion looked terrible. All of the playful mischief from before had long since vanished from her face. Clearly, Kitano’s current condition no longer allowed Gold Ship to be as carefree as usual.

“Kitano? Kitano-chan? Are… are you okay? Your face looks awful…”

“Cough, cough, cough… I’m all right. Just… a little tired.”

Yet Kitano, who could not stop coughing, merely waved a hand. To be honest, Kitano had been full of expectation, thinking the flavor Oguri Cap was seeking existed because of the influence of their loop. When he did not get the answer he had expected at first, his mood had truly sunk all at once.

Fortunately, Oguri Cap had corrected herself quickly, giving Kitano a small measure of hope again. Although he had not managed to untie Oguri’s knot as expected this time, at least he had found the right direction. The flavor Oguri Cap was searching for should be related to him.

Only… as for what that missing little bit was, Kitano himself did not know. Thinking of that, Kitano could not help feeling a little ashamed. He, Oguri Cap’s former Trainer, did not actually fully understand what flavor his own Umamusume loved most.

But Oguri Cap’s knot could not be left alone. It had to be cured as quickly as possible. It was just that Kitano’s current body truly could not support a second round of cooking in the short term. After a bout of coughing, Kitano gathered his thoughts and spoke softly to Oguri Cap in front of him.

“Looks like it didn’t meet expectations… But fortunately, it wasn’t wasted effort. At least we still have time to explore it slowly.”

“So for now, you’ll have to make do with this plate of fried rice of mine as a ‘substitute’… if you feel it can temporarily stand in for the flavor you’ve always been searching for. Someday, when my body is a little better, I’ll help you try again.”

“Kitano?!”

Kitano’s words startled Festa badly, but before she could explode, Kitano lifted a hand and cut her off. The instructions he wanted to give did not stop at all as he continued speaking to Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross.

“Also, during this time, you absolutely cannot binge-eat anymore—Tamamo, I’ll leave watching over Oguri Cap to you. Please don’t let her eat alone, so she doesn’t lose control again.”

“And, I…”

However, before Kitano could finish speaking, a sudden wave of dizziness struck without warning. Before he even had time to react, he felt his consciousness being swallowed. Everything before his eyes plunged into darkness.

Most likely, his heart had sped up earlier because of his excessive expectations, and then the unsatisfactory result afterward had created a huge contrast in his mood. Like a roller coaster rising and falling, that emotional fluctuation had left him increasingly relaxed afterward, and the delayed fatigue flooded in like a tide, eroding his consciousness.

In an instant, Kitano’s body visibly went limp. Before his consciousness vanished completely, he only felt as if a soft sensation had caught him, successfully preventing the tragedy of him falling headfirst to the floor.

“Kitano?!” “Trainer Kitano?!”

Terrified cries immediately echoed through the dorm. Before anyone could react, a white afterimage flashed by, instinctively catching Kitano’s collapsing body.

At that moment, Oguri Cap looked down at Kitano’s body in her arms. Even she did not know why she had reacted so quickly. The instant she saw Kitano fall, she had rushed forward like a reflex, despite the fact that her mind was clearly still in a daze.

Yes. Although Oguri Cap had caught Kitano, she had completely frozen. She felt as though her heart had stopped for a moment, simply because the scene before her had deeply stimulated her brain, causing fragments to appear before her eyes—fragments she had never even dreamed of before.

In that brief daze, Oguri Cap could not remember everything. But she remembered… countless blinding camera flashes lingering like a nightmare. Vaguely, she also saw steaming vapor, a mountain road… and flashing warning lights.

“All of you, all reporters, move aside! Move aside!”

“Oguri Cap’s Trainer has been in an accident! Everyone, please move aside! Ambulance! Medical staff, hurry!”

T/N: OHFOAHFIOSAOPFHASFBASIOASFHIOASHFIOASHIOFASHIOABOKAFBASKL

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!