(A reminder, this chapter does not conform or relate to the Original Works. It is purely author ideas)
Shuta An was stunned.
Mejiro Ramonu was equally taken aback.
"Dober, what you told me earlier was—" Mejiro Ramonu began, then abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
Mejiro Dober clenched her hands and continued, forcing the words out in one breath, as if retreat were no longer an option. "Recently, when I've been drawing, I realized I can't draw young men properly. So I thought I really needed a model. And when I thought about it, the only person I could ask was you. If Shuta-kun doesn't agree, then I don't know who else to turn to, and I'll really be at my wit's end. So please—Shuta Trainer—be my model."
Her cheeks were burning red as she finished the long explanation without pausing even once. From her stiff posture and the fleeting glance Mejiro Ramonu cast her way, Shuta An could tell at a glance—this was not Mejiro Dober's true intention. The excuse about "needing a model" had clearly been improvised on the spot, born from embarrassment rather than careful planning.
But he had no intention of exposing her. If she wanted to hide behind that pretense, he would let her.
"I'm not a professional model," Shuta An said calmly, shrugging. "But I have appeared in promotional advertisements at the request of the Tokai-region URA Association. If Miss Dober doesn't mind, I don't have much scheduled for the next three weeks. Just contact me beforehand and come over."
"Okay."
Mejiro Dober nodded. Now that the words had been spoken, she couldn't retract them. As a member of the Mejiro Family, she couldn't suddenly admit that the whole thing had been a spur-of-the-moment excuse.
"Shall we start today?" Shuta An raised an eyebrow. "Other than hosting you, I don't have anything else planned."
"..."
Mejiro Ramonu was completely shut out of the conversation. Her thoughts spiraled wildly.
Didn't Dober say at home that she wanted to join Team Sadalsuud?Why did it turn into this the moment we arrived?
—
Being someone's model was a first for Shuta An, but Mejiro Dober's requirements were far from demanding. She didn't ask him to disrobe like an art academy model, nor did she require him to hold rigid poses for hours on end.
All she needed was for him to assume certain poses while she took reference photos with her phone.
After all, she drew shōjo manga, not academic realism.
As Shuta An followed her instructions, he gradually pieced things together. Watching Mejiro Dober—hands trembling slightly as she held up her phone, eyes fixed intently on him—he could more or less guess what kind of work she was creating.
Probably the kind of shōjo manga Berno loves reading, he thought. Oguri, on the other hand, would rather flip through cookbooks.
Of course, the gray Uma Musume didn't read cookbooks to learn how to cook—she stared at the photos, imagined the flavors, and waited patiently for Berno Light to make them for her.
By the end of the session, Mejiro Dober had gathered enough reference material to last her an entire month.
"T-thank you very much!!"
Only when Mejiro Ramonu grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward the door did Mejiro Dober finally muster the courage to thank him aloud.
Shuta An simply waved them off in silence. But once the door closed, a subtle doubt surfaced in his mind.
"At first, she seemed extremely timid—her arms were visibly unsteady while taking photos," he mused. "But looking at her expression—she wasn't weak at all. She really loves drawing. So much so that even a hastily made excuse revolved around it—liking it enough to push past her long-standing fear."
In the end, he decided not to think too deeply about it.
"She's just drawing shōjo manga, after all." With a soft pout, he turned toward the kitchen. "I should figure out what to eat for lunch."
—
On the way home, Mejiro Ramonu held Mejiro Dober's hand firmly in the car.
"Dober," she asked gently, "why did you suddenly change your mind?"
"I…" Mejiro Dober's voice was barely audible. "When I saw Shuta-kun, my heart started racing, and I just blurted something out without thinking."
"Then what do you plan to do now?" Mejiro Ramonu sighed softly. "You used up all the points you'd saved for so long."
As she spoke, she lightly tapped Mejiro Dober's handbag. Inside lay her phone—filled with the photos taken earlier.
"I think—it'll still be a long time before I truly run on the track," Mejiro Dober said, biting her lip. "So there's always another chance. And in my current state—I can't really train properly anyway."
"Honestly, I find this strange," Mejiro Ramonu shook her head. "I always thought it would take much longer for you to choose a Trainer. Even if you were interested in him, McQueen should have been the first to act. After all, Shuta-kun also trains Tokai Teio—and McQueen has always felt competitive toward her."
She squeezed Mejiro Dober's hand. "I never expected you to be the first."
"Did I make you unhappy, Ramonu-neechan?" Mejiro Dober asked softly.
"No," Mejiro Ramonu smiled. "On the contrary, I'm very happy that you were able to take your first step."
"I was just pushed by a friend at the academy," Mejiro Dober admitted quietly. "And even then—I didn't do it very well."
"That's fine. At least it's a start." Mejiro Ramonu released her hand and gently ruffled her head. "Didn't Grandmother also say she hoped the Mejiro Family could build a good relationship with him? What you're doing now is actually the closest to her expectations."
"Mm."
Mejiro Dober scrunched her delicate nose and nodded.
—
While the two Mejiro Uma Musume were still on their way home, Shuta An—having hastily cooked a simple bowl of noodles—received a call. Seeing the name on the screen, he answered instantly.
"Oguri? What's wrong?!"
Oguri Cap had left Tokyo for Kasamatsu that morning. By his estimation, she shouldn't have arrived more than two hours ago.
"Ann…can you come to Nagoya Central Hospital right now?"
The voice on the other end belonged to Berno Light—low, strained, and trembling.
"I'm on my way," Shuta An said immediately, already standing up. "What happened to Oguri?!"
"It's not Oguri—" Berno Light stammered. "It's Auntie…"
"White Narubi-san?" Shuta An climbed the stairs two at a time, phone pressed to his ear. "What happened?"
"She might not make it."
The words fell heavily from Berno Light's lips, thick with grief.
From Tokyo to Nagoya, driving would take more than four hours. After hastily changing clothes and grabbing his bag, Shuta An didn't even consider going to the garage. Instead, he rushed straight to the nearest JR station, his strides long and urgent. With only one transfer required, the Shinkansen would get him to Nagoya in under two hours.
'This is bad… this is really bad.'
An alarm rang relentlessly in his chest.
'White Narubi-san must have been taken to the hospital after Oguri returned to Kasamatsu. Was she already sick and just endured it at home? But that shouldn't be possible—A large portion of Oguri's prize money was transferred to her. Even if she was saving it for Oguri, she wouldn't refuse to see a doctor if she was ill—would she?'
Seated on the Shinkansen, Shuta An's face was grim, his jaw clenched tight. During the transfer at Shinagawa Station, he used the brief waiting time to send messages to both Oguri Cap and Berno Light.
Wait for me at the hospital. I'll get there as fast as I can. I need to know exactly what happened.
He muttered to himself as he typed, fingers stiff with unease. By the time he arrived at Nagoya Central Hospital, the hour hand pointed precisely at two. The moment he stepped into the lobby, his eyes locked onto Oguri Cap and Berno Light.
They're not in a ward, he realized at once.
He strode over and lowered his voice. "Is Auntie in surgery?"
"Yes." Berno Light answered for Oguri Cap, who stood with her head lowered, silent. "I called the ambulance. She was admitted under Level 3 emergency protocol."
Level 3.
Severe illness. ICU admission. Possible emergency surgery. White Narubi-san's condition was anything but optimistic.
"What happened?" Shuta An turned to Berno Light, pressing for details.
"After Oguri and I took the Shinkansen back to Kasamatsu, I stopped by the academy first and talked with everyone. I was planning to head home, but Oguri asked me to go to her house for lunch." Berno Light paused, her voice growing softer. "When Auntie opened the door…her foot slipped. She fell forward as she opened it. Her head hit the ground—there was blood everywhere. She fainted on the spot."
"…!" Shuta An's pupils shrank. The image struck him hard.
How could it come to this?
"It might be a cerebral hemorrhage," he said after a brief pause, forcing himself to think rationally. "Then—then it should be fine. It'll be okay. Nothing serious will happen. She'll recover after the surgery. She'll be fine."
He didn't notice that he'd repeated the same words over and over, as if chanting them might make them true.
"Should I…not have come back to Kasamatsu?"
Oguri Cap spoke suddenly.
Shuta An turned to her at once. His answer was firm, without the slightest hesitation.
"No. That's not it."
He would not—could not—allow her to shoulder this blame.
"This isn't Oguri's fault. Oguri didn't do anything wrong. No—no one is at fault here."
He stepped forward and half-crouched before her, gently rubbing her head before carefully tucking her sideburns back into place.
"But—"
For the first time in a long while, Oguri Cap's voice trembled during the day, breaking in front of the person she trusted most.
Before she could say more, Shuta An covered her mouth lightly.
"Don't say anything like that."
The three remained in the hospital lobby, hearts suspended in unease, waiting as daylight faded into evening.
Berno Light left briefly to buy food, urging Shuta An and Oguri Cap to eat something—otherwise, Shuta An might not even have been able to stand upright.
"It's a good thing no reporters have shown up," Shuta An muttered. "This hospital's privacy protection is solid."
"Yeah," Berno Light nodded. "I was worried about that earlier too. Looks like I overthought it."
What they didn't know was that reporters had already received the news and were preparing to rush over. Uma Musume and Trainers appearing at a hospital—no matter the reason—was always major news. However, every one of them had been firmly warned by the Tokai-region URA Association. If they still wanted to survive in the industry, they would have to think twice.
The waiting dragged on until 9 p.m., when a nurse finally approached them.
Shuta An stepped forward at once. Had he not been there, Berno Light would have gone instead—but there was no need for her to hear the first words now.
"Nurse, how did the surgery go?" he asked immediately.
The nurse clearly recognized him. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but her expression quickly returned to professional calm.
"The outcome can only be described as barely satisfactory. The patient's condition was already extremely severe when she arrived. Our Director initially did not want to operate due to the high risk. However, after learning the patient's identity, he agreed and said he would do his utmost."
"Thank you." Shuta An bowed deeply.
"The surgery is complete, but the next week will be an observation period. Family members need to stay with her, and the hospitalization procedures must be handled immediately."
"That's fine. I'll take care of the payment," Shuta An replied without hesitation.
"Then please follow me."
"Wait a moment." He stopped her. "I need to inform Oguri and the others first."
After explaining briefly and completing the procedures, it was already past 10 p.m..
As for the schedule of who would stay—there was no real need to arrange it. From the beginning, there had only ever been two people.
"Ann, include me as well," Berno Light said after hearing it.
But Shuta An shook his head.
"Berno, you need to rest. I'll ask for your help when it's necessary. But for this week—Oguri and I will handle it."
Seeing his resolve, Berno Light said nothing more. She nodded firmly. "Then I'll go home. I'll bring breakfast for you and Oguri tomorrow morning."
"Okay."
Shuta An watched her leave the ward.
Inside, Oguri Cap sat quietly by the bed, staring blankly at her mother—still unconscious, surrounded by the soft beeping of medical equipment.