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After the interview, Sunday Silence's groom came to assist with dismounting. But when he reached out, Shuta An raised a hand weakly.
"Hiss—my right leg is done for. I can't get off properly."
The groom spotted the whip marks on his trouser leg and understood immediately. He bowed deeply.
"Mr. Shuta—you truly worked hard."
He hurried to Sunday Silence's right side and crouched. "Please step on me and dismount."
"No, no—don't." Shuta An waved him off and forced himself to jump down. His right leg buckled, sending him half-kneeling in an awkward heap.
But after a Triple Crown victory, even such a clumsy landing was met only with cheers. The crowd simply believed he was showing off. Standing again, Shuta An waved to the crowd with an easy, brilliant smile.
"Fantastic!" Charlie Whittingham rushed in, pulling him into a tight hug. "So strong! So insane! Absolutely unbelievable!"
He stepped back, rubbing his eyes. "I never imagined I'd become a Triple Crown trainer this year and it's all thanks to you, Shuta."
"This win belongs to Sunday Silence too." Shuta An walked to the dark bay and gently stroked its head. "Without that final burst, we wouldn't have won."
He paused. "2:26.0—an intense finishing time. After this, we should give Sunday Silence a full examination. Ideally, no races until the Breeders' Cup."
Charlie nodded. "Agreed. It needs a long rest."
He wasn't talking to Shuta An—but to Yoshida Zenya, who had just arrived.
"No problem at all!" Yoshida almost burst with joy. A newly minted Triple Crown horse—an American Triple Crown winner at that—was worth more than any treasure. If not for Whittingham's prior plans for the Breeders' Cup, and if breeding season in Japan hadn't passed, he would have shipped Sunday Silence back home immediately.
He nodded eagerly. "Rest! Let it rest well! We'll prepare for the Breeders' Cup!"
Shuta An only stayed briefly at the celebration before returning to the hotel to treat his injured leg.
The next morning, feeling refreshed, he didn't immediately open his attribute viewer. Instead, he checked the real Belmont Stakes results.
"Woaah—" His voice stretched in disbelief.
Easy Goer had crushed Sunday Silence by eight lengths. A proper redemption.
"No wonder Easy Goer in the Dream World was such a monster. This was the race it was meant to dominate."
But that only made his win feel even more satisfying.
He opened the attribute viewer.
"'American Triple Crown Path' quest completed. Reward: SS Creator."
"SS—?" The name alone made him raise an eyebrow. "Is this related to Sunday Silence?"
He sighed. "A bit of a waste—After Belmont, Sunday Silence and I don't really cross paths again."
Still, he checked the description—
"All Uma Musume with Sunday Silence genes will obey your commands—training effectiveness greatly improved—high initial intimacy—"
(If I'm not mistaken, Silence Suzuka and Manhattan Cafe was sired by Sunday Silence right?)
"Hiss—" The complexity of the skill made him gasp.
And the real-world effects were incredibly useful.
"There should be tons of Uma Musume with Sunday Silence bloodlines at Central Tracen—this is actually amazing."
He brightened considerably.
"It's just a pity that Oguri can't use it."
After the American Triple Crown series concluded, the Uma Musume of the American Classic Race year were far from finished. Unlike the Japanese Classic generation—who needed to conserve strength for the Kikuka Sho or the Shuka Sho (which, in this world, had always been the final leg of the Triple Crown and Tiara)—America's Classic Race Uma Musume still faced a gauntlet of G1-level Twinkle Series challenges: the Travers Stakes, Super Derby, Whitney Stakes, Jockey Club Gold Cup— the list went on.
But none of that concerned the Sadalsuud team.
On the very first morning of summer vacation, Shuta An woke up early, slipped behind the wheel of the used Mitsubishi Eclipse he had bought last month, and headed toward Los Angeles International Airport.
Choosing a Mitsubishi Eclipse in America had been Oguri Cap's idea. A car named after the legendary real-world Eclipse was, naturally, a magnet for Uma Musume goodwill. For Shuta An, though, any car that moved reliably was good enough. Once Oguri recovered, he planned to sell it back to a used dealer rather than pay a fortune to ship it back to Japan.
Upon arriving at the airport, Shuta An was quickly spotted by the West Coast Tracen Academy staff. They immediately approached him, urging him to wait with them for the guests they were here to greet.
The Young man refused without hesitation. "I'll sit in the café with some tea. I'm only here to pick up one person."
"One person—?" The staff exchanged glances but wisely refrained from asking.
A few minutes past ten, Shuta An stepped out of the café and joined the academy staff. Before anyone could speak, one staff member straightened sharply—having spotted the incoming group they were waiting for—and hurried forward. Naturally, Shuta An followed.
"He must be here to pick up someone from Japan Central Tracen Academy," the staff murmured among themselves. "But if they follow him—how are we supposed to report anything?"
Their concerns evaporated moments later. After greeting the delegation, Shuta An left with only one Uma Musume from the group, leaving the rest to the academy staff. No wonder he'd insisted he was only picking up one person.
Tokai Teio trotted behind him, wide-eyed as she surveyed her first glimpse of Los Angeles. Despite coming from a comfortable family, America was new territory for her.
"Trainer, where are we going?" Teio asked, luggage in hand, as they stepped out of the airport.
"Back to where I'm staying," Shuta An answered without turning around. "Then Oguri, Berno, and I will take you out for a meal to welcome you. After that, if you want to stay with Miss Rudolf's group or with us—Teio—"
"I want to stay with Trainer and Senior Oguri!" she declared before he could finish.
"Ah—" Shuta An stopped mid-step. He hadn't expected such an immediate, unwavering answer—but it wasn't a problem. The apartment Dr. Grace had arranged still had empty rooms.
Symboli Rudolf, along with the Student Council and Teio, had come to America to negotiate cooperation with West Coast Tracen Academy. The "Emperor" had long believed Japan's Trainer training system was lacking and sought to establish a program sending Japanese Trainers abroad regularly for advanced education.
Naturally, Teio cared little for inter-academy negotiations. Her goal was simple: meet her Trainer. For her, this summer vacation wasn't much different from the usual—except this year, she was spending it overseas.
For Teio's welcome dinner, Shuta An chose a Thai restaurant instead of the buffet they'd tried previously. After ordering, Berno Light cleared her throat, posture formal.
"Welcome to West Coast, Teio."
"Don't make it sound like we're never going back," Shuta An shot the girl a look. "Teio's just here for vacation."
"It's been so, so long since I've seen Trainer and the seniors," Teio said, bright smile blooming as she took the conversation. "I really want Trainer to see how much I've improved while he's been away."
Before he could respond, she continued earnestly: "Since Trainer told me not to race anyone without permission, I've only been quietly training. I haven't tried any simulated races."
"In a couple days, we'll get you a full check-up at the research institute," Shuta An said after a moment's thought. "If everything looks good—I'll talk to Secretariat and have her arrange a high-intensity private race for you."
"I absolutely won't lose!" Teio's eyes sparkled. Proving her talent to her Trainer was one of the reasons she came here. A private race was perfect.
"But America's Uma Musume mostly run on dirt, right?" Teio suddenly paused. "Wouldn't they be at a disadvantage on turf?"
"America has strong turf specialists too," Shuta An reminded her. "Didn't Miss Obey Your Master prove that last year?"
"Oh, right—Miss Obey Your Master was incredible." Teio nodded vigorously. "Then I'll make sure to prepare properly! I won't bring shame to the Sadalsuud team!"
"I'm not going to arrange any active Twinkle Series Uma Musume for you," Shuta An cut in, instantly reading her expectations. "Your opponents will be Uma Musume who—like you—are slated to debut in the Twinkle Series years from now."
"Ehhh~" Teio deflated like a disappointed fawn, her vision of a 'challenge beyond her level' immediately crumbling.
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