Chapter 100. Pragmatic
Originally, Shuta An had planned to let Silence Suzuka remain in Hong Kong for a few days of free activity, while he returned to Japan first.
However, Silence Suzuka firmly objected.
"Without winning this Hong Kong International Cup, I don't feel right staying here," she said seriously. "I'd rather return to the Academy with Ann and begin preparing early for next year's new training program."
Her unexpected eagerness for future training left Shuta An momentarily stunned. In the end, he could only nod in agreement—such motivation was not something he could deny.
Thus, on the evening of the second day after the race, the two boarded a flight from Hong Kong back to Tokyo.
The media was always pragmatic. When they arrived at Narita Airport this time, Shuta An noticed that far fewer reporters were present. The reason was simple: Silence Suzuka hadn't won the Hong Kong International Cup, and most outlets saw no value in making the trip.
Remembering Shuta An's prior instructions, Silence Suzuka initially intended to avoid interviews. Instead, Shuta An gently pushed her forward, placing her before the reporters.
"The race is over," he said calmly. "Suzuka can accept interviews now. Even if she didn't win, anyone who waited here surely hoped to hear from her, didn't they?"
Hearing this, Silence Suzuka nodded. "I understand."
She cleared her throat, bowed slightly to the gathered reporters, and spoke with composure.
"However, I hope everyone will only ask questions related to the race."
Shuta An stood off to the side, nodding in quiet satisfaction. Silence Suzuka was the focus today, and he remained silent throughout. Seeing him nearby, the reporters naturally restrained themselves and kept their questions appropriate, sparing Silence Suzuka any discomfort.
This allowed her to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
There weren't many reporters to begin with, so she simply took one question from each. Even then, the entire interview lasted barely ten minutes.
"That's all for today," Shuta An said, checking his phone before lifting his gaze. "I need to take Suzuka back to Central Tracen Academy. Thank you all for coming—you've worked hard."
The reporters' eyes brightened, and they nodded eagerly. Although this Trainer had only been in Japan for a few years, which outlet didn't want an opportunity to build goodwill with him? His predictions for each Classic Generation were almost uncannily accurate—any Uma Musume he favored would at least claim a major result.
Receiving even a brief word of thanks made the trip worthwhile.
As promised, Shuta An first sent Silence Suzuka back to Central Tracen Academy. At the academy gates, someone was already waiting—but at a glance, he could tell she wasn't waiting for Suzuka.
"Teio, why are you still standing here at this hour?" Shuta An frowned, reaching out to tug Tokai Teio's sleeve. "And you're dressed too lightly. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
"Because Oguri-senpai said you'd be back today," Tokai Teio pouted, explaining indignantly. "So I waited here after dinner. It wasn't cold at first—but when it got cold, I was afraid I'd miss you if I went back to change."
"I see…" Shuta An released her sleeve, rubbed her head, then gently covered her ears. "Thank you for waiting so long, Teio. I'll check your training progress in a few days."
"Mhm!" Tokai Teio squinted happily under his touch. "Trainer, you've worked hard too!"
She paused, then glanced toward Silence Suzuka. "I've been training seriously just like you told me! Because I don't want to lose any race!"
Silence Suzuka's lips twitched slightly. Tokai Teio's words sounded…odd. Still, she chose not to comment, quietly watching as Shuta An continued comforting Teio.
"Suzuka too," he said, turning toward her. "Go get some proper rest. I'm giving you three weeks off. Light training can resume in the second week of January. Your first race should be around the end of March."
"Mhm!" Silence Suzuka nodded repeatedly. "Ann, I understand."
She deliberately emphasized his name.
Tokai Teio's ears twitched, surprise flashing through her eyes. Since when?
But she didn't say anything.
"At least wait until I debut in the Twinkle Series—no, until I win a G1," Tokai Teio thought firmly. "Then I'll talk about it."
Instead, her resolve strengthened.
"I'll use this as motivation," she told herself. "I'll keep pushing forward… I'll definitely catch up. No—surpass the President."
Only after watching Tokai Teio lead Silence Suzuka through the academy gates did Shuta An finally turn to leave.
"It's already past nine," he muttered helplessly. "I won't get home until nearly eleven."
The most expensive part of this entire trip hadn't been lodging or flights, but the parking fees near Narita Airport. Starting the engine, he sighed, "After this, I really need Berno to get a driver's license."
Yet the moment he stepped into the living room and was pulled into Berno Light's embrace, the thought vanished entirely.
Berno hugged him tightly and sniffed carefully. "Mm…no strange smells."
"Stop sniffing," Shuta An rolled his eyes. "Let me take a bath and get some proper sleep."
"Mhm!" Berno Light grinned as she released him. "I thought Ann would bring Suzuka back too."
"How could I—" Shuta An gave a wry smile. "I sent her back to the Academy first, then came home."
"I know~" Berno Light said cheerfully. "Oguri wanted to wait up for you with me, but I figured you'd definitely want to check her condition tomorrow. So I told her to go to bed early."
"Well done," Shuta An pinched her cheek lightly. "That's exactly right. Oguri's retirement race is less than half a month away—she can't afford poor rest now."
He paused, then added, "So Berno, I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on Oguri's schedule during this period."
"If I go see her too often," he said helplessly, "she'll cling to me—and I won't be able to refuse."
"Hehe~"
Berno Light's cheeks flushed faintly. She wasn't naïve—she knew exactly what "can't refuse" meant.
—
The next morning, Shuta An reviewed the training data he had recorded for Oguri Cap and nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. Oguri's physical condition has recovered quite a bit."
"After all, it's my Twinkle Series retirement race soon," Oguri Cap replied. "Ann, have you heard the promotional slogan the URA Association came up with for this year's Arima Kinen?"
"I haven't paid attention to that side yet." The young man raised an eyebrow. "They even made a slogan this year? Is it because this is Oguri's retirement race?"
"Maybe?" The gray Uma Musume wasn't completely sure. "This year's slogan is 'Hero is coming.'"
"Hero?" Shuta An shook his head. "Then it doesn't sound like it was prepared specifically for Oguri. If it were tailor-made for you, it should be 'Idol.'"
"Perhaps everyone needs a hero right now," Oguri Cap said, meeting his gaze and calmly voicing her thoughts. "The unemployment rate has been rising recently."
"That has nothing to do with the Twinkle Series industry," Shuta An shrugged. "Though I did hear that some places are secretly holding betting races, and the URA Association is planning a strict crackdown."
"In the Twinkle Series—where competition is free of gambling and focused purely on honor—Uma Musume can already be subjected to online harassment. If financial interests were introduced—" He paused, frowning slightly. "I can hardly imagine what it would turn into."
He was firmly opposed to bringing gambling into the Twinkle Series. Even though racing in the Dream World was nearly inseparable from betting, the two worlds were fundamentally different and could not be treated as the same.
"I think so too," Oguri Cap agreed. "Neither the Twinkle Series nor the Dream Trophy Series should touch those things."
"The URA Association's stance is clear, so there's no need to worry." Shuta An shrugged again.
Indeed, there was no need to worry. Such matters didn't even require the URA Association to intervene directly. After reporting the situation to their superior department—the Ministry of Education—the Association continued its preparations for the Arima Kinen.
"The 'Emperor's' Arima Kinen a few years ago didn't require such a long preparation period, did it?" someone complained.
"Back then, we didn't expect that race to be her final appearance on home soil. Otherwise, the Association would've made it a grand event."
"This time, Shuta An has clearly stated that the Arima Kinen will be Oguri Cap's last race in the Twinkle Series. We have to be thorough. If we aren't, the media will sniff it out immediately and start causing trouble."
"It's hard to find a job these days. A lot of people envy positions like ours where income is still rising. We can't leave room for criticism. Everyone here has a family to support—let's stay focused and work hard."
—
Meanwhile, the final results of the Arima Kinen fan poll were released on the URA Association's official website.
"First place, as expected—Oguri Cap, with 2.9 million votes," Maruzensky said with a sigh after reading the top line. "I doubt any Uma Musume will reach this number again in the future."
"Hard to say." Symboli Rudolf shook her head. "Shuta-kun's team won't lack achievements going forward. He could replicate Oguri Cap's popularity on another Uma Musume—it just depends on who among the Sadalsuud team has that potential."
Maruzensky raised an eyebrow. "Do you think Teio has a chance?"
"Teio…" Symboli Rudolf pursed her lips and fell silent for a long moment. "Perhaps. I hope so. But I also feel it might not be possible. Not every Uma Musume has Oguri Cap's kind of fortune. To replicate Oguri's popularity, Teio would first need an injury-free Twinkle Series career."
"Injuries are low-probability events, Rudolf-chan. You should have more confidence in Teio." Maruzensky quickly tried to reassure her, sensing what she hadn't said aloud.
"I know—but…" Symboli Rudolf sighed softly. "Shuta-kun's training instructions for Teio show just how worried he is about her getting injured. I don't know what he's noticed, but I suspect Teio has some injury-prone traits we don't yet understand."
"That's true," Maruzensky said after thinking it over. "Shuta-kun has always been extremely careful with Teio's training plans, avoiding overexertion—as if he's afraid she'll get hurt if she pushes herself too hard. Teio even complained to me once, saying he treated her like a fragile child. I joked that she could secretly increase her training intensity, but she backed down immediately."
"Which is only natural." Symboli Rudolf gave a wry smile. "Teio trusts Shuta-kun deeply. She won't go against his instructions."
"That's a good thing. After all, her Trainer is Shuta-kun." Maruzensky chuckled. "If she were under a different Trainer from the Academy, wouldn't you be even more worried, Rudolf-chan?"
"Don't say that." Symboli Rudolf waved her hand. "It makes it sound like I look down on the Academy's Trainers."
"Well~" Maruzensky simply smiled, drawing out the sound.
She was certain that, deep down, her friend's trust in the Academy's Trainers truly did not compare to her trust in Shuta An.
—
"Another first place in the fan poll, and with a record-breaking number of votes." Shuta An remarked over dinner after seeing the final results. "Oguri's popularity keeps rising."
"Honestly, I feel a lot of pressure." Oguri Cap puffed out her cheeks slightly. "What if I lose…with nearly three million expectations resting on me?"
"Don't think about that." Shuta An reached out and pinched her cheek gently. "Just focus on giving it your all on the turf of Nakayama Racecourse."
He had already seen the entry list for this year's Arima Kinen. To be honest, the pressure was nowhere near as heavy as it had been two years ago, when formidable rivals like Tamamo Cross were present. This year, the strongest competitor was a representative of the Mejiro Family. (If it comes to Suzuka generation, it should be Matikane Fukukitaru, Mejiro Bright, and who else in 96-97?)
"No wonder the URA Association is reluctant," the young man thought. "After Oguri retires, the Twinkle Series will lose its most dazzling star."
"But that's fine," he continued inwardly. "I'll make Silence Suzuka shine as a completely different kind of star."
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