Although Shuta An had secretly hoped that his dreamlike eight-win day would grant him a skill capable of directly boosting Oguri Cap's chances in the upcoming Japan Cup, the attribute viewer decided to play a small trick on him. This time, the reward was still a skill—
but one that could only be used by him in the Dream World.
"Fighting Spirit Infusion." Effect: After using a windmill whip, greatly boosts a Racehorse's fighting spirit.
At a glance, the effect seemed ordinary. Yet Shuta An, who had accumulated vast riding experience in the Dream World, immediately understood its true value. He had encountered far too many so-called "lazy dogs"—horses who would remain utterly indifferent to running no matter how fiercely he urged them on.
"With this," he thought, "I won't have to worry about running into those kinds of guys again."
But if only it worked in the real world, too—
Shuta An quickly cut off that line of thought. He had no interest in strange playstyles, nor any curiosity about exploiting loopholes. Some boundaries were better left untouched.
—
"The Japan Cup is this weekend," Shuta An said during breakfast, his tone calm but firm. "This week's training intensity needs to be slightly reduced. No chase work except on Wednesday."
"Oguri, no extra training. Your physical condition must be as close to perfect as possible."
"I understand," Oguri Cap replied while chewing her rice. Then she added flatly, "I know all this already. Ann's being verbose again."
"After all, this is Oguri's comeback race," Shuta An said as he lifted his cup and took a sip of barley tea. "It'd be impossible not to be nervous."
"Tomorrow and Thursday, Berno and Oguri—go out for a walk. Relax."
"Eh?" Berno Light blinked in surprise. "Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"Oguri said I was verbose," Shuta An pouted. "And her legs are trembling right now."
"This is excitement!" Oguri Cap protested immediately. "It's completely different from Ann!"
"Do you think I believe that?" Shuta An glanced down at the dining table, then shifted his gaze to Berno Light. "Berno, you're nervous too, aren't you?"
"A little," Berno Light admitted softly.
"It shouldn't be just a little," Shuta An pointed out calmly. "You've been stepping on my left foot ever since you sat down."
Berno Light's cheeks instantly flushed crimson.
—
The next day, just as Shuta An had arranged, Oguri Cap and Berno Light left early to stroll around central Tokyo, leaving him alone to watch the house.
Having learned his lesson—and swearing never again to be reduced to a bag-carrier—Shuta An decided to spend the entire day in the living room, watching TV. He also planned to handle part of tomorrow's workload in advance.
"Thursday's the Japan Cup pre-race press conference—I need to think about what questions the reporters will ask, and prepare my answers."
"Tomorrow's chase work has to be filmed at Tokyo Racecourse, too. I should decide what kind of data I want Oguri to produce."
"Folkqueen is definitely the biggest threat among the overseas Uma Musumes—but aside from marking her, I can't think of any special tactics yet. I'll rewatch the G1 races she lost in the Southern Hemisphere—there might be a pattern."
—
While Shuta An buried himself in research, the two Uma Musumes who had gone shopping arrived at Roppongi Shopping Center.
"Berno, is there anything you want to buy?" Oguri Cap asked curiously. "You brought me straight here after we got out of the car."
"Oguri, you'll be attending a banquet after the Japan Cup, right?" Berno Light said. "You need a new evening gown."
Her gaze drifted toward Oguri Cap's chest. "Oguri, your growth this year has been—way too obvious."
"Hmm—" Oguri Cap instinctively covered her chest. "Isn't that unnecessary?"
"It's very necessary!" Berno Light puffed out her cheeks. "This year's Japan Cup promotion is centered on you. We can't be careless even with basic attire."
"Then Berno should buy one too," Oguri Cap blinked. "And Ann as well. We're all attending, aren't we?"
"Ann's wardrobe has enough suits to bury both of us," Berno Light replied calmly. "I checked when I cleaned his room. No need to buy him anything."
"As for me—"
"I'll pay," Oguri Cap interrupted decisively. "I haven't raced this year, but I've done endorsements. I have plenty of money."
"The current Oguri isn't as naive as before," Berno Light covered her mouth, eyes curving into crescents. "Has the city finally 'baptized' you?"
"In Kasamatsu, my world was small," Oguri Cap said after a pause. "But over these two years…the road we've walked together is probably longer than what most Central Uma Musumes have experienced. It's only natural."
"France, then America," Berno Light nodded. "Not many can say that."
Just as Oguri Cap was about to speak again—
A voice sounded from behind.
"You're Oguri Cap, right?"
Instinctively, Oguri Cap stepped closer to Berno Light before turning around. Her eyes widened.
Although this was the first time they had met face-to-face, Oguri Cap had watched countless race videos featuring her.
It's Folkqueen.
"Oh—so it really is Oguri Cap," said Folkqueen, smiling brightly. "I've seen you on billboards."
The Uma Musume from New Zealand tilted her head slightly.
"You're Japan's strongest, right? Then let's have a proper showdown on Tokyo Racecourse."
"The Japan Cup will be Miss Folkqueen's first time at 2400 meters, won't it?" Berno Light replied coolly. "Are you really that confident?"
"Of course." Folkqueen pointed to herself. "What Ellerslie Pride couldn't do last year—I will. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to my postponed vacation."
"That's fine," Berno Light smiled faintly. "Miss Folkqueen can enjoy her vacation for now. Otherwise, she might not be in such a good mood after the Japan Cup."
"Heh." Folkqueen shook her head and reached out, ruffling Oguri Cap's hair.
"I heard you had a 'duel' with another Gray Uma Musume last year," she said casually. "So this year—let me be your opponent."
With that, Folkqueen strode past them and disappeared into the shopping center.
Throughout the entire exchange, Oguri Cap had not said a single word. Her eyes were unfocused—dim, distant.
"Oguri…?" Berno Light called out anxiously, waving her hand in front of her friend's face.
Oguri Cap blinked, regaining herself.
"That person," she said slowly, "gives me the same feeling as Miss Miesque."
Her gaze sharpened.
"As Ann said…Folkqueen really is the most noteworthy opponent I'll face in the Japan Cup."
On November 22nd, the gate positions for the Japan Cup were officially announced.
Oguri Cap drew gate 3.
Folkqueen drew gate 2.
Super Creek was assigned gate 6, while Obey Your Master ended up in gate 14.
"This is an excellent draw," Shuta An said after confirming the results, turning his gaze to Oguri Cap. "It's right on Folkqueen's outside—perfect for marking her."
"And being close to the rail makes it easier to secure a good forward position," Oguri Cap added calmly. "This time, though, my positioning will need to be more aggressive. I can't risk being boxed in by the outer lane and losing room."
"The pace of this Japan Cup is destined to be fast," Shuta An said, his tone serious. "Even though I'm asking you to run closer to the front, Oguri, don't let the tempo drag you along."
"Let the runaway Uma Musumes fight it out among themselves. Stay just behind Folkqueen—let her break the wind for you."
"I understand," Oguri Cap replied without hesitation.
That same day, Shuta An also scheduled Oguri Cap's chase-work video recording. On the way to Tokyo Racecourse, he reminded her of the specifics.
"For today's recorded chase work, control the timing to 6F in 85 seconds, 3F in 37 seconds, and a final 1F around 12 seconds."
"That doesn't sound very slow," Oguri Cap muttered.
"But for you, Oguri," Shuta An raised an eyebrow, "you can hit those numbers without much effort. The intensity isn't high."
"Of course," the Gray Uma Musume said confidently. "I can manage that while holding back."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Shuta An patted her head lightly. "Make it look like you're going all out during the chase work."
"Oh…" Oguri Cap immediately caught on. "Ann wants to disguise my condition. Miss Nase Fumino and the others won't be fooled."
"It doesn't need to fool the local Trainers," Shuta An replied casually. "As long as it slightly misleads the overseas ones, it's enough."
—
November 26th. Sunday. Japan Cup Day.
"To be honest," Shuta An said after arriving at the VIP box, glancing at the bustling racecourse below, "I've always felt that Japan Cup Day should be more like the Breeders' Cup Series in America."
"After half a month of grand promotion, there's only one G1 race today. Doesn't that feel a little… underwhelming?"
"It does feel that way," Berno Light agreed softly as she stood beside him. "But the prize money is enormous, and the pre-race spectacle is grand enough that the oddity isn't too noticeable."
"Forget it," Shuta An waved it off. "These things have nothing to do with us. We don't work for the URA Association."
"What does that mean?" Berno Light tilted her head.
So, for a brief moment, Shuta An took on the role of a language teacher, explaining his meaning.
—
Elsewhere, Symboli Rudolf was busy entertaining overseas URA Association executives. At the same time, she had to respond to the Trainers of foreign Uma Musumes while constantly coordinating between Tokyo Racecourse and the Japan URA Association.
Before the day's first race had even begun, she was already drenched in sweat. When she finally found a moment to breathe, she looked up—and saw Shuta An leaning leisurely against the floor-to-ceiling window of the VIP box, calmly surveying the track.
"Shuta-kun looks awfully relaxed," Symboli Rudolf muttered. "I really want to find something for him to do."
—
Unaware of the trouble being plotted for him, Shuta An watched the Uma Musumes stepping onto the turf for the opening race and suddenly raised an eyebrow.
"Did Ann notice something?" Berno Light asked, catching the subtle change in his expression.
"Wait here," Shuta An said, already turning away. "Berno, stay put. I'll be right back."
"Okay," she nodded obediently.
Shuta An hurried down to trackside. Before the race began, he crouched down and grabbed a handful of turf from Tokyo Racecourse.
"Just as I thought," he murmured, rubbing it between his fingers. "It's even drier than I expected."
As he turned back toward the VIP box, his thoughts sharpened.
"Folkqueen's threat just increased another level. In the Southern Hemisphere, her win rate on dry turf like this was extremely high."
Then he chuckled softly.
"But I should have absolute confidence in Oguri, too. After all…her win rate in the Twinkle Series is one hundred percent."
—
Before returning, Shuta An stopped to buy several bags of snacks.
When he entered the box, Berno Light took them from him and asked, "What did Ann go to check? I saw you crouching by the track."
"I checked the grass condition," Shuta An replied honestly. "It's far drier than I expected."
"Then that's good for Oguri," Berno Light said with visible relief. "Her chances just went up."
"It's also good news for Folkqueen," Shuta An added quietly. "So I'm not relaxed at all. This is Oguri's comeback race—I want her to win beautifully. For her fans."
"I understand," Berno Light said firmly. "I hope Oguri announces her return with a decisive victory too."
—
In the lounge, Oguri Cap sat on the sofa.
She wasn't watching the television broadcast of the track. Instead, she was listening intently to the radio, where the announcer was describing the turf conditions at Tokyo Racecourse.
"Extremely dry—"
Oguri Cap raised her eyebrow slightly.
"So it's a high-speed track."
She clenched her right fist and pressed it against her chest.
"Then, combined with Ann's analysis…" she murmured, eyes sharpening. "The pace will be even faster than I imagined."
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