"I like running ahead of everyone else."
Silence Suzuka looked straight into Tojo Hana's eyes as she spoke, her voice calm yet unwavering.
"When executing Senko tactics, I understand that Trainer did it for my sake. After all, Senko is a recognized orthodox strategy—pressuring the pace-setter, then accelerating at the end to overtake. It's stable. It's safe."
She paused for a brief moment.
"But it doesn't suit me."
The carrot-haired Uma Musume said it decisively, without hesitation.
"Ever since I was little, I've loved running. Every time I run alone—every time I see scenery that only I can see—my mood improves. But once another Uma Musume runs in front of me, the thought that someone else is taking over the scenery meant for me makes my mood turn bad."
Her gaze drifted slightly, as though recalling distant memories.
"After entering Central Tracen Academy, during every test run, I would rush to the very front right after the start. Even if I lost in the end, the frustration felt lighter than if I hadn't led at all."
"In my debut race, I continued using the runaway tactic—and won decisively, pulling away from second place by 1.1 seconds."
As she said this, Silence Suzuka lifted her chin faintly.
"Before the Kaleido Flower Award, Trainer instructed me to run Senko. To be honest, I wasn't very happy. But as a member of Team Rigil, I knew I had to obey Trainer's instructions. So I suppressed my urge to lead and followed the Senko tactics honestly."
She puffed out her cheeks slightly. The usually aloof Silence Suzuka wearing such a pout created a striking contrast.
"I won…but this isn't the way I want to win."
"But you did win that way."
Before Tojo Hana could respond, Shuta An interjected calmly.
"With your current physical condition, Silence Suzuka, you can use runaway tactics on flat tracks. But once you enter the fiercely competitive graded races, strong opponents will pressure you the same way you pressured the pace-setter in the Kaleido Flower Award."
He spoke bluntly, without malice.
"With all due respect—Silence Suzuka as you are now cannot withstand that."
Silence Suzuka did not argue back. Yet the disappointment was unmistakable. To her, the man sitting across from her was someone she had always believed would understand her. And yet now, he stood on the same side as Tojo Hana.
—
After lunch, by unspoken agreement, Shuta An and Tojo Hana sent their respective Uma Musume out together.
Once the three Uma Musume decided to head to Ginza—with the clear intent of mercilessly draining their Trainers' wallets—only Shuta An and Tojo Hana remained in the living room.
"Oh. Shuta-kun," Tojo Hana finally spoke after slowly finishing her mug of mugicha, "you must be laughing at me."
"As a Trainer, I can't even control the Uma Musume I'm responsible for—Perhaps I made a mistake recruiting Silence Suzuka in the first place?"
"Do you regret recruiting Miss Suzuka?" Shuta An raised an eyebrow. "Is it because her ability isn't sufficient for the team?"
"No." Tojo Hana denied it without a moment's hesitation.
"You regret it because you can't control her," Shuta An said, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
"That's right." Tojo Hana closed her eyes, unaware of the subtle shift in Shuta An's expression.
"Then that's your problem, Miss Tojo." Shuta An pointed it out directly. "To be honest, I don't understand why you tolerate Miss Suzuka resisting you to this extent."
"I can't just stop her from racing because she argues with me." Tojo Hana's lips twitched. "No matter what, I can't let my emotions affect Suzuka's Twinkle Series career. That would violate a Trainer's professional ethics."
"That's true." Shuta An raised a finger and shook it lightly. "But if it were me, I'd arrange for her next race to be the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes."
He continued without hesitation.
"Let her see just how large the gap is between herself and the strongest horses of her generation. Only then will she truly settle down and listen."
"Miss Suzuka currently has two wins in two races. Even if she suffers a crushing defeat in the Yayoi Sho, she'll still cling to a sense of luck—thinking she simply wasn't in form."
"There's nothing to be done, then." Tojo Hana smiled helplessly. "You've seen me make a fool of myself, Shuta-kun."
Shuta An actually had another method in mind. But seeing her say this, he decided it wasn't appropriate to speak further and simply nodded.
—
That evening, all three members of Team Sadalsuud gathered in the living room, watching the popular Japanese drama Love Revolution they had recorded earlier.
"What did you buy in Ginza today?" Shuta An asked. After seeing Tojo Hana off, he had gone upstairs to nap and hadn't seen what Berno Light and Oguri Cap brought back.
"We didn't buy anything," Berno Light replied. "Oguri said window shopping was enough. And I thought Miss Suzuka has only won two races so far, so she probably doesn't have much savings. I agreed."
She smiled faintly.
"Otherwise, I would've wanted to buy Ann a winter trench coat."
"Forget it." Shuta An waved his hand. "I've got plenty of clothes. No need to spend extra money."
—
That night, upon entering the Dream World—
Although Berno Light hadn't bought him a trench coat, Yoshida Zenya made up for it. Yoshida Katsumi, his second son, personally delivered several sets of clothes.
"These are custom-made winter clothes from Shadai Farm," Yoshida Katsumi explained. "My father asked me to bring a few sets for Shuta-kun as well."
"That's very kind of you." Shuta An accepted the gift and bowed lightly.
He had planned to invite Yoshida Katsumi to a meal, but the latter declined.
"Breeding reservations for next year are about to begin. We're extremely busy right now, so I won't trouble you. I need to rush back to Hokkaido."
"You're working hard," Shuta An said sincerely. "I wish you smooth work—and may all your stallions be fully booked."
"Then I'll gladly accept those auspicious words." Yoshida Katsumi smiled.
—
On December 9th, the voting results for the Arima Kinen were announced.
As expected, Oguri Cap claimed first place once more.
This time—1.97 million votes.
"That's 270,000 more than last year." Berno Light stared at the screen in disbelief. "Oguri only ran the Japan Cup this year, yet she received even more support."
"It's probably because of the record-breaking comeback in the Japan Cup," Shuta An said quietly. "She's broken the Arima Kinen fan vote record again."
He exhaled slowly.
"We can't afford not to aim for victory."
"Yes." Oguri Cap replied calmly.
As she spoke, her right toe tapped lightly against the floor.
On December 13th, Oguri Cap's training officially entered the race adjustment phase.
From this day onward, the final one-week countdown to the Arima Kinen began, and the intensity of training rose sharply. Yet even under the increased load, Oguri Cap's condition during training remained flawless. Her breathing rhythm was steady, her stride clean and powerful, her recovery astonishingly fast.
"Is this because of her mother?"
Watching from the sidelines, Shuta An couldn't help but think so.
"Oguri's training performance during this period is even better than before the Japan Cup."
That realization steadily reinforced his confidence.
The Arima Kinen would feature sixteen Uma Musume, filling every gate. Among them, the names that caught Shuta An's attention were clear: Super Creek, Inari One, Sakura Hokuto O, and Dyna Carpenter.
"But strictly speaking…" he narrowed his eyes slightly, "the greatest threat is still Inari One."
Even though Inari One had suffered a crushing defeat at the Japan Cup, Shuta An never underestimated her. Thus, when Berno Light prepared to head to Central Tracen Academy to film the opponents' training footage, Shuta An gave her explicit instructions.
"Focus on Inari One. Pay special attention to her."
He paused, then added a final warning.
"You can ease up on Super Creek. Nase Fumino has sharp instincts—if he notices you, she might deliberately mislead you."
"I know!" Berno Light replied without hesitation, committing the advice to memory before setting off.
—
After finishing training, Oguri Cap had no time to rest.
The URA Association had sent over concept designs for new racing outfits, and she needed to make her selection.
"I'll choose this one." Oguri Cap pointed decisively after a brief glance. "The silver-white set."
Shuta An leaned closer to look.
"A Christmas-style design," he evaluated calmly. "It suits you."
"This one, then." Oguri Cap closed the sketchbook. "How long until it's ready?"
"You'll definitely be wearing it for the Arima Kinen," Shuta An replied with certainty. "The URA Association won't miss such a perfect promotional opportunity."
"Alright." Oguri Cap nodded, then added, almost casually, "Ann, I'll leave all the pre-race preparations for the Arima Kinen to you."
It was the first time she had proactively said something like this. Shuta An froze for a brief moment.
"Of course." He quickly recovered, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips. "I always prepare the most detailed plans for you."
—
In the Dream World, Shuta An briefly checked on the situation of Oguri Cap's parents.
Both were well.
Only then did he truly set his heart at ease.
Setoguchi Stables' next—and only—objective was clear: the Arima Kinen.
At the first strategy meeting, Shuta An attended as an observer, yet he raised a crucial point.
"Breaking the Japan Cup record proved Oguri Cap's strength, but it also caused significant wear and tear. The top priority should be eliminating accumulated fatigue. Fine-tuning her condition comes second."
"Exactly." Trainer Setoguchi Tsutomu nodded. "For the next two weeks, I plan to have her focus on swimming at the Ritto training pool."
"Oh, that's an excellent idea." Shuta An grinned in approval.
—
Around the same time, another major development shook the racing world.
The JRA announced the results of the first round of this year's Central Jockey License Examination.
Shuta An's name was there.
Undeniably so.
The second round—the practical exam—would take place in January, with results announced in February. If he passed, he would officially transfer from local to Central.
Naturally, the NAR was reluctant to let him go.
But Shuta An's determination was firm, and public opinion overwhelmingly supported his transfer. The NAR simply didn't have the courage to block him.
Though he hadn't amassed as many local G1 victories as some senior jockeys, no one disputed one fact—
Shuta An was the top local jockey.
Of course, that title had an expiration date.
Most likely, February.
—
With the Arima Kinen fan voting results released, insiders could already infer the final entry list.
Shuta An was among them.
Yet, just as before, only a handful of names truly mattered to him.
Berno Light delivered Inari One's training footage in full—including her warm-up sessions.
The short Uma Musume was unmistakably furious.
Every movement brimmed with pent-up anger, and her Trainer wore a strained smile, clearly aware that the Japan Cup strategy had failed catastrophically.
"Inari One is carrying a heart full of vengeance," Shuta An commented softly, then frowned. "And…there's a familiar scent."
He knew exactly what that meant.
"If nothing unexpected happens, she's awakened her Zone because of the Japan Cup loss."
Even so, Shuta An remained calm.
"Oguri isn't afraid of that."
Tamamo Cross. Obey Your Master. Folkqueen.
No Uma Musume who attempted to suppress Oguri with a forced Zone had ever succeeded.
"With guts like hers," he thought, "how could something like that pin her down?"
Setting aside the matter of the Zone, Shuta An analyzed Inari One through colder metrics—running style, stamina distribution, and adaptability to Nakayama's 2500-meter turf.
His conclusion was clear.
"On the Nakayama course, Oguri will inevitably face Inari One's pursuit in the final straight."
Which also meant—
"Oguri holds the initiative. If she secures the right position early and opens the gap in advance, then as long as she endures until the finish, she can shake off Inari One's chase."
Simple in theory. Extremely difficult in execution.
"Oguri must adapt," Shuta An murmured. "From being the pursuer in the Japan Cup—to becoming the one being hunted in the Arima Kinen."
Having made his decision, he pulled out his phone. The screen lit up. And he dialed Symboli Rudolf.