Thank you for your Patreonage, Mr. LazYn!
Volume 4. Prelude to the Golden Generation
Chapter 1. Replicating Reality in the Dream World - Part 1
Shuta An turned around and instructed Berno Light and the two other Uma Musume to head downstairs and wait for Oguri Cap, while he himself still needed to keep a pre-arranged meeting with Symboli Rudolf.
"It's probably just to discuss some miscellaneous matters regarding my transfer to Central Tracen Academy next year. It shouldn't be anything urgent," he said.
Only then did Berno Light relax slightly.
Shuta An left the VIP box first, leaving behind only the three Uma Musume.
"So strong…Oguri-senpai." Tokai Teio gazed at the television screen. She didn't need to hear the broadcast—outside the soundproof glass, the thunderous cheers of "Oguri Cap!" still seeped in. Standing amid such an atmosphere, the envy in Tokai Teio's eyes was completely undisguised. "I want to receive cheers like that too…in my own retirement race."
"I know my limits," Mejiro Dober said calmly. "For me, it's enough just to not disgrace the Mejiro Family name." Unlike Tokai Teio, she was relatively content with her own position.
Berno Light listened as the two expressed their admiration for Oguri Cap, a brilliant smile blooming on her face. To her, Oguri Cap's achievements were also her own achievements—even the Gray Uma Musume herself would not deny that.
On the other side, Shuta An had only taken a few steps before reaching Symboli Rudolf's private box. He knocked lightly; before he could push the door open, Maruzensky pulled it open from inside.
"Congratulations, Shuta-kun! Miss Oguri Cap's farewell was truly spectacular, wasn't it~" Maruzensky said with a smile. "She won by seven lengths over second-place Mejiro Bright, right? That should be the largest margin in history."
"And she led the entire race," Symboli Rudolf added as she rose from the sofa. "Flawlessly. There was nothing to criticize."
"I was surprised myself," Shuta An admitted with a shrug. "I didn't ask Oguri to lead. It was probably her own decision." He then shifted the conversation back to its purpose. "But let's get to the main point. Miss Rudolf, you wanted to see me before the race—about what, exactly?"
Symboli Rudolf clapped her hands lightly. "It's about the Sadalsuud team."
"My team?" Shuta An thought for a moment, genuinely unable to find any obvious problems. "Is there an issue?"
"For next year's Classic Race season," Symboli Rudolf said, "your team doesn't currently have any Uma Musume who can compete, correct?"
"That's true," Shuta An admitted frankly. "Neither Teio nor Dober are fully developed yet." He then added calmly, "But even if we don't participate, that's fine. My focus next year will be Silence Suzuka. I've already planned her race schedule."
"Still," Symboli Rudolf said with a troubled expression, "next year will be your first year working in Central. If you don't enter the Classic Races at all, there will inevitably be rumors. I can suppress them within Tracen Academy, but once the URA gets involved, it's beyond my control."
"I don't care," Shuta An replied without hesitation. "Let them talk. I'm not recruiting Uma Musume who don't meet my standards just to avoid gossip."
"In that case, never mind," Symboli Rudolf said, abandoning her original plan. "I was considering recommending some candidates from Tracen Academy to you."
"Everyone already has their own Trainer," Shuta An waved his hand. "When Suzuka transferred, if it hadn't been her, I would have refused. If this is the same idea, I'll refuse again."
"That's why I said I wouldn't," Symboli Rudolf muttered quietly.
After leaving the room, Shuta An hurried downstairs. He had missed Oguri Cap's live victory ceremony, but he didn't miss the moment she emerged from the underground passage, wearing a brilliant smile.
"Oguri! Congratulations!" Shuta An stepped forward eagerly.
Oguri Cap opened her arms, trotted over, and embraced her Trainer. "Ann, thank you. I did it!"
"I should be the one thanking you," Shuta An whispered beside her ear. "I'm glad you were the first Uma Musume I trained on my own. I'm glad your Twinkle Series career was so smooth. Everything I have now, I earned with you." His voice softened. "You've worked hard. Rest well. Next year, on the Dream Trophy Series stage, it will all be up to you."
"I won't let you down," Oguri Cap replied firmly. "In the Dream Trophy Series, I'll be the brightest."
"I believe that," Shuta An said, tightening his arms slightly, feeling her warmth. "No matter what, I'll do everything I can to help you. I don't know everything about the Dream Trophy yet, but whenever you need me, come find me."
"Of course," Oguri Cap said matter-of-factly. "You'll always be watching over me, right?"
Berno Light glanced at the time and cleared her throat.
Shuta An released Oguri Cap, turned around, and said calmly, "Teio, Miss Dober—would you like to come along? We're having a celebration at my place tonight."
"Then I'll need to inform my family first," Mejiro Dober said, pulling out her phone.
Tokai Teio, on the other hand, raised her hand without hesitation. "I'm in! It's been so long since I've had Berno-senpai and Trainer's cooking!"
As the group made their way back, Silence Suzuka was enjoying fresh sashimi at a hot spring inn.
"Oguri-senpai's retirement race was amazing…" she murmured, recalling the Arima Kinen broadcast she had just watched. "She used leading tactics even more skillfully than I do. Could it be that the runaway style Ann wants from me…is something like Oguri-senpai?"
Suzuka knew there was still a significant gap between herself and Oguri Cap, but the power Oguri Cap displayed at Nakayama that day had deeply moved her.
"If I could run a lead like that," she murmured softly, "at least I wouldn't disgrace the name of the Sadalsuud team." Her gaze hardened. "After the holiday, when I return to Tracen Academy, I have to train harder—and meet Ann's standards as soon as possible."
In the evening, after dropping off Mejiro Dober and Tokai Teio at Central Tracen Academy, Shuta An returned home. Oguri Cap and Berno Light had already gone back to their rooms to rest.
He shook his head lightly and returned to his own room. As he lay down, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Tonight…in the Dream World, should I let Oguri try leading as well?"
At first, Shuta An dismissed it as a momentary impulse. But the more he thought about it, the more reasonable it became.
"It's no secret that Yukio Okabe wants to target me and Oguri in this Arima Kinen. If I run with conventional tactics, his inside gate position gives him plenty of opportunities to box me in. But if I take the lead—Yukio Okabe would never risk following closely in second with Yaeno Muteki sitting right behind Oguri. In that case, he won't be able to interfere at all."
His fingers slowly clenched.
"Then let's try it. Even if we lose—Oguri already has seven G1 titles. That's more than enough."
Having made up his mind, Shuta An closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
—
In today's Dream World, Shuta An was once again racing at Nakayama Racecourse. He had accepted only three riding invitations that day, one of them being the final race—the one following the Arima Kinen.
"Honestly, Ann-san," Yutaka Take said with a wry smile while riding Osumi Shadai, trained by his father, "is it really fine to warm up with just one race? I've taken six mounts today."
"No problem," Shuta An replied confidently. "With Oguri Cap, even if I didn't ride for a year, I'd still coordinate perfectly with him."
That confidence spread through the waiting room. Several jockeys glanced over.
Yukio Okabe's gaze flickered briefly. He said nothing, only tightening his reins.
"For Symboli Rudolf's honor—not to be surpassed," he murmured under his breath.
There were slight changes among the participating Racehorse, but the gate positions remained unchanged. As for the substitutions, Shuta An could easily guess the reason—minor divergences between reality and the Dream World's timeline.
"By the way," Yutaka Take said as he guided Osumi Shadai alongside Shuta An, "Mejiro McQueen actually skipped this race. How did you convince Trainer Ikee?"
"I didn't," Shuta An shrugged. "Trainer Ikee just felt McQueen needed rest after winning the Kikuka Sho, so he avoided the race. But even if McQueen had run, I would still have chosen Oguri Cap."
"That's only natural," Yutaka Take nodded. "Any jockey would. Maybe Trainer Ikee avoided the race to make sure you'd continue riding McQueen?"
"I don't think I have that much influence," Shuta An replied, shaking his head. He was well aware that the Mejiro Family's matriarch had only a lukewarm impression of him—and he had no intention of worsening it with careless remarks, especially after having ridden Mejiro McQueen to defeat Mejiro Ryan in the Kikuka Sho.
Yutaka Take realized his slip and laughed it off.
"I'll give everyone a surprise this time," Shuta An said quietly as he squeezed Oguri Cap's side, leaving Yutaka Take behind.
"A surprise?" Yutaka Take raised an eyebrow, remaining in place with Osumi Shadai. The latter visibly relaxed once Oguri Cap moved away—the pressure from the Gray Racehorse had been intense enough that, without restraint, Osumi Shadai might have bolted.
After entering the gate, Shuta An first confirmed Oguri Cap's condition.
"As the ranch said—only about eighty percent of her peak," he thought calmly. "Looks like I'll need some unconventional tactics."
He tightened his grip on the reins, shutting out all external distractions and focusing entirely on Oguri Cap as they awaited the start.
Click.
The instant the gate sounded, Shuta An drove forward with both hands.
As if responding directly to his intent, Oguri Cap exploded out of the gate with astonishing speed, immediately pulling clear of Mejiro Ardan and Kyoei Tap on either side. Within fifty meters, he surged straight to the front.
"All sixteen Racehorse have broken cleanly—are they cautious because of the 2500-meter distance? Aside from Osaichi George… wait, Oguri Cap is taking the lead!" The commentator hastily corrected himself. "What is he doing?!"
Yoshida Zenya was stunned. Setoguchi Tsutomu was no less so.
"Leading?!" Setoguchi Tsutomu exclaimed. "Shuta-kun never mentioned this! I told him the tactics were his call, but he never said he'd try leading!"
"We can only hope he's prepared and not acting on impulse," Yoshida Zenya sighed. "Even if Oguri Cap isn't at full condition, this is a bold risk for a retirement race."
"All we can do is ask him afterward," Setoguchi Tsutomu said helplessly. "Let's hope for a good result."
"Forget it," Yoshida Zenya shook his head. "It's just one G1. Even if he loses, no one can blame Shuta-kun. Every one of Oguri Cap's achievements was ridden by him. Without him, whether he'd have seven G1s at all is still an open question."
Meanwhile, riding Yaeno Muteki in third place, Yukio Okabe calmly assessed the pace.
"Shuta An's opening 200 meters are probably around thirteen seconds. Osaichi George has already moved up to apply pressure. Yaeno Muteki's stamina over 2500 meters is still uncertain—I'll leave the pressing to Osaichi George for now. I'll stay mid-pack, conserve stamina, and wait."
Though he had taken it upon himself to "prevent Oguri Cap from surpassing Symboli Rudolf," Yukio Okabe knew his true priority in this race.
He absolutely could not afford to act on impulse.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For anyone interested, or just want to support me. Hit the membership button to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ModerateCitizens