Chapter 102. The Goals of Two Uma Musume
The next morning, Shuta An was the first to wake up at home.
Yet after opening his eyes, he did not immediately get out of bed. Instead, he sat up and leaned against the headboard, quietly organizing his thoughts.
Last night's race replayed itself in his mind.
Tokai Teio's debut—clean, decisive, and finished with an overwhelming lead. It had also marked the first time Shuta An had claimed victory in a maiden race within the Dream World.
"Maybe there'll be some special rewards?" Because he hadn't participated in Dream World races for quite some time, the rewards he usually received upon waking had been rather mundane. This time, however, he had won decisively—naturally, his expectations rose.
"I hope it'll be something useful for Oguri," he thought.
After carefully checking the attribute viewer, Shuta An raised an eyebrow.
'Eyes Reflecting Glory'
Can only be set once per Uma Musume. In the next race, there is a small chance to invoke a miracle.
The probability increases with previously acquired honors.
"This doesn't seem necessary for Oguri yet."
The ability was not consumable, but Oguri Cap, at her current stage, simply didn't need it.
"But…should I still try?" he muttered.
After a moment's hesitation, Shuta An confirmed the ability and set it on Oguri Cap.
At the dining table, Oguri Cap blinked. She felt a subtle change ripple through her body, but after briefly checking herself and finding nothing out of the ordinary, she calmly continued eating breakfast.
"Maybe my retirement race is getting close, so I'm just overthinking things?" the gray-haired Uma Musume murmured.
After breakfast, Shuta An drove Oguri Cap and Berno Light to Nakayama Racecourse.
Upon arrival, he first escorted Oguri Cap to the drug testing area, where she waited for her pre-race inspection. Once finished, she would proceed directly to the waiting room.
Shuta An then returned to the parking lot with Berno Light to wait for Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober.
Today, Team Sadalsuud had its own private box at Nakayama Racecourse. Both Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober planned to watch the race from there instead of accompanying the Mejiro Family sisters and the Student Council seniors.
"Ann, Oguri will win today, right?" Berno Light asked as Shuta An settled into the seat.
"Of course." He answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Mm! She'll definitely win!" Berno Light clenched her fists and pumped them into the air. "Oguri's never lost in the Twinkle Series—there's no way she'll lose now!"
Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober arrived at Nakayama at nearly the same time.
"By the way, where's Suzuka-senpai?" Tokai Teio asked, looking around in surprise. "She usually arrives really early."
"She's on vacation," Shuta An replied with a shrug. "The team allocated some funds earlier. She's probably enjoying seafood and hot springs in Hokkaido right now."
"I wanna go to Hokkaido too~" Tokai Teio pouted. "But before my debut, I only get academy holidays. No way they'd approve post-race leave."
"There's no helping it," Shuta An said calmly. "You still haven't fully matured. Even if your talent is enough to win a debut race, your body might not withstand the intensity. If that happens, you'd only end up injured."
He looked straight at her. "For your future, I absolutely won't allow you to debut early."
His reasoning was sound, leaving Tokai Teio no room to argue—even if she was clearly dissatisfied.
"I'm still far from full maturity too," Mejiro Dober said quietly. "According to the family's examinations, it'll take at least a few more years."
"Then train during those years," Shuta An replied. "Accumulate experience, strength, and skill. When the time comes, all that accumulation will burst forth at once—and you'll find yourself on an entirely different level."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over both of them.
"So before that day arrives, I hope neither of you pushes yourselves too hard. Be patient. I believe the moment you unleash your true talents on the Twinkle Series stage will definitely come."
Both Uma Musume's eyes lit up.
Shuta An continued, "Since you trusted me and joined Team Sadalsuud, I promise I won't let your talents be buried. Of course, that also requires your cooperation."
"The relationship between a Trainer and an Uma Musume is like a three-legged race," he said. "If either side fails to cooperate, there's no progress. Since you chose this path, you must have races you want to win, right?"
As they headed toward the private box, he added, "Why don't you tell me about them?"
"Okay!"
Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober exchanged a glance and answered in unison.
Tokai Teio gestured politely. "Please, Dober, you first."
Though she didn't quite understand why, Mejiro Dober didn't hesitate.
"As for me—" She clenched her fist. "Trainer said my distance adaptability doesn't include long distances. That means I can't fulfill the Mejiro Family's dream."
Her gaze hardened.
"So the race I want to win most is an overseas Oaks. Nee-sama already won the Japanese Oaks—and even the Triple Tiara. I want to represent the Mejiro Family and win an overseas Oaks. Any one will do."
"I see." Shuta An already had a plan forming in his mind. "Then you'll need to strengthen your body further. European tracks aren't easy to handle."
As for the American 'Oaks'?
Most of them were dirt races—something he had no expectations for regarding Mejiro Dober's adaptability.
After Mejiro Dober finished, Tokai Teio stepped up a stair and spoke.
"As for me—I've always said I want to become an undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume like the President. But since Trainer asked about the race I want to win most…"
She stopped and turned back.
"Trainer, which race do you think holds the highest status among the world's middle-to-long distance turf G1 Twinkle Series?"
"The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe," Shuta An answered without hesitation.
"Then that's it." Tokai Teio lifted her chin, her eyes meeting his directly. "I want to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
"Alright." Shuta An gave no further comment.
—
At 3:00 PM, the sixteen Uma Musume participating in the Arima Kinen gathered one by one before the display stand.
Oguri Cap had drawn gate eight for this year's Arima Kinen, and accordingly, her turn to appear on stage was also the eighth.
"But the result will still be first place." Shuta An sat on the sofa, eyes fixed on the television screen where Oguri Cap's figure appeared, muttering softly to himself.
"Oguri-senpai will definitely win, right?" Tokai Teio tilted her head slightly. "I honestly can't imagine someone as strong as Oguri-senpai losing a domestic race."
"She wouldn't lose overseas either, would she?" Mejiro Dober countered. "Oguri-senpai is undefeated in her entire career, and she's won all four G1 races she's competed in abroad."
"That depends on the circumstances," Shuta An interjected calmly. "For the French Two Crowns, one reason was that the Uma Musume of the same generation in France were, frankly speaking, mediocre in talent."
He continued, his tone steady.
"Looking at it now, those French Uma Musume of Oguri's generation haven't performed particularly well on the senior circuit either. If Oguri had encountered an Uma Musume like Miss Miesque in the French 2000 Guineas, she wouldn't have stood much of a chance. Local Uma Musume simply have far better adaptation to French tracks."
He let out a quiet sigh.
"Leaving Chantilly aside, just talking about Longchamp Racecourse—" Shuta An paused briefly. "Teio said this morning that her goal is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. But do you know what kind of race that is?"
"Longchamp's turf is extremely heavy, completely different from anything in Japan. The race pace is also vastly different—often ultra-slow by Japanese standards. To challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, you have to overcome turf conditions you can't experience domestically, adapt to pacing rarely seen in Japan, endure fierce position battles comparable only to the Japan Cup—and even then, the Japan Cup is slightly gentler in comparison."
"And on top of that," he added quietly, "you'll face every top-tier Uma Musume of your generation in Europe, all on a 2400-meter turf course."
Shuta An pursed his lips.
"People often say the fastest Uma Musume wins the Satsuki Sho, the luckiest wins the Derby, and the strongest wins the Kikuka Sho. But the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe demands all three—speed, luck, and strength. Only an Uma Musume who possesses all of them can win."
"It's not just France's most prestigious Twinkle Series race," he said. "It's the pinnacle of middle-to-long distance turf racing in Europe—no, in the entire world."
"So when Teio said she wanted to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe this morning," Shuta An concluded softly, "I didn't say anything about how she should train in the future."
"Is it because Trainer thinks I can't do it?" Tokai Teio turned her head and stared straight into Shuta An's eyes, trying to read his thoughts.
Shuta An remained silent, he can't answer it.
"I will do it." Tokai Teio's voice was calm, unwavering. "Trainer, just watch. I will do it. Because I am the 'Teio'—the Monarch who will surpass the 'Emperor.'"
"I will help you." Shuta An extended his hand.
Understanding his unspoken intent, Tokai Teio reached out and grasped it firmly.
"Trainer, just watch!" Tokai Teio beamed with confidence. "Even if it's the end of the sky, I will catch up!"
Mejiro Dober pouted slightly. At this moment, she felt like an outsider.
Berno Light, however, paid it no mind. No matter how much training she underwent, her role as a support Uma Musume remained unchanged.
And while Shuta An and Tokai Teio were discussing the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Oguri Cap had already finished her turn on the display stand.
As the gray Uma Musume stepped down, thunderous cheers and encouragement erupted behind her. Across the entire grandstand of Nakayama Racecourse, countless voices were shouting her name.
At the edge of the display stand, the other participating Uma Musume watched with mixed emotions. Faced with such a scene, it would be dishonest to say they felt no envy.
"Even my final Arima Kinen didn't receive this kind of reception," Symboli Rudolf said quietly in the VIP box, shaking her head.
"I never even got to run in the Arima Kinen," Maruzensky shrugged. "And when I retired, not even I knew it would be my final race."
"Me too." Symboli Rudolf forced a faint, bitter smile. "I truly envy Oguri Cap—to be supported so wholeheartedly by her fans."
"She deserves it," Maruzensky said, smoothly shifting the topic. "And Teio has joined her team. Who knows—maybe one day, Teio will receive the same treatment."
Thinking of her most cherished junior, Symboli Rudolf's mood gradually softened.
"You're right, Maruzensky." The former "Emperor" nodded gently. "If Teio can receive support like Oguri Cap someday, it will mean her Twinkle Series career was truly successful."
"It definitely will be," Maruzensky said without hesitation. "Teio has exceptional talent and trains diligently. All that remains is luck."
She smiled faintly. "And compared to you and me, isn't meeting such a great Trainer itself a form of luck?"
Symboli Rudolf nodded in agreement. "When I asked Shuta-kun to train Teio, that was exactly what I had in mind."
After the display segment concluded, Oguri Cap straightened the hem of her racing uniform and stepped onto the turf of Nakayama Racecourse.
Though it was called turf, the grass introduced by the URA Association had withered under December's winter chill. Yellowed blades lay flat, exposing patches of hardened soil beneath. For the Uma Musume, the 2500-meter Arima Kinen track under such conditions was a true test of strength.
And when it came to strength, Oguri Cap—who had trained and raced overseas—held a clear advantage. None of the other competitors had experienced European turf like she had.
This was one of the reasons Shuta An was so confident in today's outcome.
With the track listed as good, unexpected developments were unlikely. As long as Oguri Cap maintained a steady leading pace, the most perfect result was virtually guaranteed.
In fact, the gray Uma Musume herself thought the same.
"My opponents in this race…only Yaeno Muteki remains from my generation."
"Everyone says this race marks a generational shift—that the new generation is ready to take over."
Oguri Cap opened her eyes and calmly scanned the Uma Musume whom the media believed might succeed her.
"No." Her gaze sharpened. "Even if this is my retirement race, no junior on this track will stop me from achieving a beautiful finish."
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