Chapter 4. Team Spica Comes Out
"Eh?!" Both Uma Musume exclaimed in unison.
"Ah~" Only after speaking did Shuta An realize the issue—Mejiro Dober would most likely return to the Mejiro ancestral home, while Tokai Teio would probably spend Christmas with Symboli Rudolf.
But in the very next second, it was the Young Trainer's turn to be surprised.
"No problem!" Mejiro Dober and Tokai Teio exchanged a glance, then spoke in unison once more.
"No problem, huh…" Shuta An nodded slowly. "Then when I go grocery shopping today, I'll prepare for five people. You both know where my house is now—should I pick you up, or will you come on your own?"
"My family will arrange a driver to send me," Mejiro Dober replied, waving her hand lightly.
"I'll go by myself!" Tokai Teio chimed in. "If I arrive early, I can help too! My home economics grades are excellent!"
"I'll do my best to get everything ready for tomorrow," Shuta An promised.
By the time he left Central Tracen Academy, it was already close to noon. He contacted Oguri Cap and Berno Light, and the two Uma Musume sent him selfies taken in the port area.
"Looks like they're having a great time shopping—" Shuta An puffed out his cheeks slightly and decided not to go home to cook for himself. "Since it's just me, I might as well grab something outside."
But before that, he needed to drive home. At this hour, nearly every restaurant near Central Tracen Academy was filled with Uma Musume, and given his current level of recognition, it would be difficult to eat in peace.
"Let's go."
He shook his head and drove out of the parking lot. "After eating, I still need to go to the supermarket for ingredients. Now that Oguri has retired from the Twinkle Series, she doesn't need to worry about eating too much for at least a month. The Dream Trophy won't start until April at the earliest—there'll be plenty of time for her to slim down then."
(In the first place, I don't think Fatty could get overweight with that many foods eaten from earlier till now. Moreover, her voracity is like a different circumstance with Spe-chan and McQueen. Spe can get fat till she loses one of her race, McQueen is too conscious to her image as a young lady. But Oguri, she eat a lot, the reporters report it, the classmates saw her, the junior saw her transformed after eating)
After a simple lunch at a port-side restaurant near his home, Shuta An didn't head straight to the supermarket. Instead, he returned home and rested in the living room for a while to let the food settle.
Meanwhile, Oguri Cap—wearing sunglasses—and Berno Light continued browsing through the port area with clear intent.
"So, Oguri, what do you think would make a good Christmas present?" Walking ahead, Berno Light turned her head back. "It feels like Ann doesn't really lack anything."
"I actually got some ideas while looking around," Oguri Cap replied. "The Arima Kinen prize money totaled 130 million. I was thinking…isn't it about time Ann replaced his car?"
"I don't understand anything about that," Berno Light stuck out her tongue. "If you dragged me out for this, all I can do is watch from the sidelines."
"I'm not good at judging Ann's preferences," Oguri Cap said, tugging lightly at Berno Light's sleeve and pouting. "Berno, please help me."
Unable to refuse, Berno Light sighed. "Alright~ I'm not sure what Ann likes either, but I'll do my best."
—
At that moment, Shuta An was sitting in the living room, watching television.
"I'm suddenly very idle…and next year's workload probably won't increase either," he muttered. "I turned down Symboli Rudolf's suggestion mainly because—even if I transferred teams—there wouldn't be another Uma Musume like Suzuka, right? I can't just poach from other teams. What kind of Trainer would that make me?"
With that thought, he shook his head. "As for the reward from the Arima Kinen—I'll stick to the original plan and deal with it next year."
He glanced at the time. "Once this news segment ends, I'll head out to buy groceries."
—
At Central Tracen Academy, Mejiro Dober hummed softly as she carried her drawing board, heading toward the academy courtyard to relax by sketching. After setting up, she glanced toward the fountain and the statues of the Three Goddesses nearby.
"Would it be disrespectful to draw the Three Goddesses?"
After a moment's thought, she decided to use the fountain as her background instead.
Just as she began forming a rough concept, a voice sounded from behind her.
"Miss Dober, are you planning to sketch here?"
Mejiro Dober turned around to see several unfamiliar Uma Musume standing behind her.
"Who are you?" She instinctively became cautious, though her expression remained gentle and her tone soft.
"Hello, Miss Dober. We're Uma Musume from Team Spica," one of them explained. "We were planning to have a picnic here to welcome our newest member. We noticed you seemed to be sketching and were worried we might disturb you."
"I see…" Mejiro Dober's guard lowered considerably. Their consideration alone suggested they meant no harm. Still, she had to admit that she wouldn't be able to focus if there was noise nearby.
"It's fine. You can have your picnic here," she said promptly. "I don't have to sketch in this spot."
"Thank you, Miss Dober!" The Team Spica Uma Musume bowed in gratitude. Even the "rustic" Uma Musume—whom Mejiro Dober immediately recognized as a transfer student—followed suit.
"It's nothing. I hope you all have fun." Mejiro Dober waved lightly as she packed up her drawing board.
After she left, the tallest Gray Uma Musume spoke softly. "By the way…I heard from McQueen that Miss Dober has a team now? I hadn't heard anything about that before."
"That's none of our business," another Uma Musume quickly cut in. "Gold Ship, don't even think about pulling something like before and stuffing Miss Dober into a sack, okay?"
Gold Ship waved her hand dismissively. "I know the difference. If she has a team, how could we do something like that? Right, Vodka?"
"No." Vodka pouted. "We've never done anything like stuffing someone into a sack. Is Daiwa Scarlet's memory acting up?"
Daiwa Scarlet froze, then rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "I'm really fed up with the two of you."
Caught in the middle, the newly joined Uma Musume muttered quietly, "How can you say you haven't? Am I not the latest 'victim'?"
She didn't yet have the courage to say it out loud.
"Forget it. I'll go lay out the picnic mat first." Seeing her new teammate's expression, Daiwa Scarlet decided to change the subject.
"I'll help too!" The newly joined Uma Musume quickly followed after her.
After Mejiro Dober left, Team Spica's Uma Musume began their picnic. Although it was meant to welcome the newly joined Uma Musume, Special Week, the initial conversation did not revolve around her at all.
"After Oguri Cap-senpai's retirement, there's no longer an officially recognized strongest active Uma Musume in the academy," Daiwa Scarlet opened the topic.
"That's only natural," Vodka pouted. "To be acknowledged by everyone, you need to prove yourself across many races. It's not just about winning as many G1s as Oguri Cap-senpai. Next year's Twinkle Series hasn't even started yet—who knows who'll step into her place?"
"Strongest…"
Special Week's eyes flickered slightly. This discussion still felt distant to her. Yet before arriving at Central Tracen Academy, she had watched a race broadcast back home in Hokkaido. What left the deepest impression wasn't the winner, but the Uma Musume who had led the race.
She regretted that the other party hadn't held on until the end. Still, she had a vague sense that the Uma Musume named Silence Suzuka could continue to grow—and that once she did, she would become frighteningly strong.
With that thought in mind, Special Week spoke up. "Has everyone…heard the name 'Silence Suzuka'?"
"Of course."
Gold Ship immediately took over. As the academy's walking repository of "miscellaneous intelligence," there was no way she wouldn't know.
Clearing her throat, the gray Uma Musume said, "She was originally from Team Rigil—the team you wanted to join, Special Week."
"O-Originally from Team Rigil?!" Special Week's eyes widened. "What does that mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like," Gold Ship shrugged. "No one outside knows the reason, but some time ago, Silence Suzuka left Team Rigil and transferred to Team Sadalsuud."
"Sadalsuud…?" Special Week looked even more confused. "I saw that team on the academy list, but the Trainer column was blank?"
"Of course it's blank," Gold Ship snorted. "Because the Trainer hasn't officially joined Central yet. You saw the note, right? That team doesn't recruit Uma Musume."
"I did see it…I just thought it was because there wasn't a Trainer," Special Week laughed awkwardly.
Gold Ship sighed. "There is a Trainer. He just hasn't joined the academy yet."
"You can lead a team without joining Central?!" Only now did Special Week realize something was off.
"That's because Team Sadalsuud's Trainer is Oguri Cap-senpai's Trainer," Daiwa Scarlet interjected. "Talented people naturally enjoy certain privileges. Silence Suzuka's transfer definitely had his approval."
"I also heard something from McQueen," Gold Ship raised an eyebrow. "Back then, the Student Council President personally helped facilitate Suzuka's transfer. Looking at it now, it was a win-win. Suzuka achieved results she couldn't get in Team Rigil, and Team Sadalsuud gained a core force for the Twinkle Series after Oguri Cap's retirement. Otherwise, they wouldn't even have an active Uma Musume right now."
"Team Rigil isn't any better," Daiwa Scarlet added, shaking her head. Her chest heaved slightly, causing the others to instinctively avert their eyes. "They don't have anyone eligible for next year's Classic Race either. El Condor Pasa and Grass Wonder are both barred because they're returning children."
"I still think the URA Association's rules are unreasonable," Vodka said. "We're all Uma Musume studying at the academy—why can't we run in the Classic Race? A few years ago, a similar rule even sent Oguri Cap-senpai overseas. If Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa manage results overseas this time—"
She suddenly stopped.
Only then did Vodka remember—Special Week would be participating in the Classic Race next year. Continuing would only place unnecessary pressure on her.
She didn't want to do that.
—
Shuta An glanced at the completely packed back seat and couldn't help shaking his head. "Considering Oguri's appetite, I bought a bit too many ingredients. This car's also a bit small."
He wasn't particularly interested in cars and viewed them purely as tools. But once a tool became inconvenient, he wouldn't hesitate to replace it.
"Let's count it as a Christmas present to myself. I'll store everything first, then swing by a used car dealership in Koto Ward."
After finalizing his afternoon plan, Shuta An drove away from the supermarket.
With Oguri Cap retired from the Twinkle Series and Silence Suzuka still on vacation in Hokkaido, the Young man felt—for the first time—that he was about to have nothing to do.
"After Christmas comes New Year's…then I'll handle the procedures at Central Tracen Academy. After that, I'll start giving Dober and Teio the 'right medicine,' and then focus on Suzuka's first year as an older Uma Musume…"
The work seemed continuous, yet he felt inexplicably hollow.
Driving along, Shuta An let out a silent sigh.
He understood this unfamiliar "sage mode" feeling. Oguri Cap's brilliance had been too dazzling—and now, he had lost the sensation of holding onto that light.
"Then I'll just make Suzuka shine just as brightly," he muttered.
After parking, Shuta An carried ingredients back and forth between the garage and the kitchen, filling the refrigerator and pantry. Just as he prepared to make his final trip, his phone rang.
He hurriedly placed the drinks inside the refrigerator and pulled out his phone.
"Miss Ramonu?" Recalling that he had met Mejiro Dober earlier that day, his tone turned cautious. "Is something wrong?"
"It concerns Dober-chan," Miss Ramonu replied, just as straightforward as ever.
"Miss Dober?" Shuta An's heart sank.
"Our Mejiro Family conducts regular medical check-ups. The December report just came out," Miss Ramonu said calmly. "Normally, I wouldn't disturb you—but there's a line in Dober-chan's results that I feel you must know."
"Please tell me." Shuta An was already bracing himself.
"Dober, she—" Miss Ramonu deliberately stretched her pause, waiting until his anxiety spiked—
"She has entered her Full Bloom Stage (Maturation), Honkakuka period."
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