Chapter 23. Perfunctory
Although Silence Suzuka had been granted a post-race vacation, Tokai Teio and Mejiro Dober clearly did not share that privilege.
On the third day after the Dubai World Cup Race Day concluded, Shuta An brought the two Uma Musume from his team—along with their companions—aboard a return flight to Japan.
Silence Suzuka had originally assumed that her Trainer would remain in Dubai a little longer and enjoy the vacation alongside her. She hadn't expected him to leave so decisively. When she learned the news after waking up, a deep sense of regret welled up inside her.
"If I'd known, I should've just gone back with them," the Uma Musume muttered softly. The plans she had carefully laid out in her mind suddenly lost their color, and her enthusiasm for continuing the trip evaporated.
"But this was a vacation Ann promised me—" she said, pressing a hand to her forehead as she sat up. "Going back early and having to explain it would only trouble him."
With that, Silence Suzuka made her decision.
"I'll just wander around Dubai for a week."
—
On the return flight to Japan, Shuta An and his party once again boarded a private jet provided by Emirates Airlines. The Young man was fully aware of what this arrangement implied.
"After landing, the reporters will already be waiting at the airport," he thought quietly, eyes closed. "I'll need to explain Suzuka's absence clearly, or they'll start spinning unnecessary speculation."
In another cabin, Tokai Teio and Mayano Top Gun were huddled together, sharing the "spoils" they had gathered during their stay in Dubai. During the trip, Tokai Teio had roomed with Mejiro Dober, while Mayano Top Gun stayed with Agnes Digital, so the two academy roommates hadn't had many chances to compare notes.
"Teio is so mean," Mayano Top Gun pouted as she held up a chibi-style Silence Suzuka figurine she had bought. "Sneaking off to the observation deck without me! If Digital-chan hadn't woken me up, I would've missed the Dubai night view completely."
"I thought Maya-chan was already fast asleep," Tokai Teio replied, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. "Besides, didn't we end up watching it together later?"
Mayano Top Gun's expression suddenly turned serious.
"Putting that aside—don't you think Suzuka-senpai has been acting strange lately, Teio?"
"I know, right?" Tokai Teio puffed out her cheeks. "But so what?"
She turned to meet her friend's gaze, her voice lowering slightly.
"To be honest…I even kind of hope she succeeds. Maya-chan understands, right?"
"It's complicated…" Mayano Top Gun sighed theatrically, then tilted her head with a teasing smile. "Sometimes Maya wishes she could be as simple as Teio."
Elsewhere, Mejiro Dober was enthusiastically showing Agnes Digital the landscape photos she had taken throughout Dubai.
"These will be perfect references for drawing," she said, clearly pleased. "I also found some local specialty pigments—I've already arranged for them to be shipped back to Japan."
"But once Dober-san makes her debut," Agnes Digital remarked casually, "won't it become hard to draw whenever you want?"
"Ugh—" Mejiro Dober slumped for a brief moment, then quickly straightened up and nodded. "That's true…but I think I can accept it."
"After all," she continued, "compared to becoming a true Uma Musume, drawing is still just a hobby."
Agnes Digital smiled knowingly. "I get it. I want to become a Uma Musume who makes a name for herself in the Twinkle Series too—so I can freely sign up for races where I can observe Uma Musume I'm interested in up close."
"No wonder Digital-chan wanted to try dirt training so badly," Mejiro Dober said, suddenly enlightened.
—
After the long journey, the Dubai expedition team—excluding Silence Suzuka—arrived smoothly at Narita Airport.
The reporters immediately noticed Suzuka's absence from the returning lineup. Shuta An did not evade the issue and openly announced that he had granted Silence Suzuka an additional week of vacation.
"I see," the reporters nodded. "So Shuta Trainer wanted Silence Suzuka to truly enjoy her trip to Dubai."
With that explanation, they stopped pressing the matter.
However, plenty of other questions followed.
"Was Silence Suzuka's wire-to-wire victory in Dubai due to an abnormal growth spurt in recent months?"
"Will you consider entering the Spring Tenno Sho?"
"What races are planned for the first half of the year?"
"Do you believe Silence Suzuka can inherit Oguri Cap's mantle as the backbone of Team Sadalsuud?"
"How was your experience in Dubai? Do you plan to challenge it again next year?"
Some of these questions made Shuta An's head ache. Others merely made him feel that the reporters' level of inquiry left much to be desired.
Even so, he answered each one earnestly.
"Growth is certainly part of it, but we also implemented new, targeted training methods," he said. "The details won't be disclosed for now—we're still evaluating the results. It will likely take until the end of the year to assess their effectiveness and general applicability."
"The Spring Tenno Sho is too long for Silence Suzuka and is not under consideration. We will not pursue long-distance races—neither the Spring Tenno Sho nor the Melbourne Cup. As the Trainer of Team Sadalsuud, I am responsible for the safety of the Uma Musume under my care."
"Our primary goal for the first half of the year is the Takarazuka Kinen. We may run one additional race beforehand, but nothing has been finalized."
"Oguri Cap is Oguri Cap, and Silence Suzuka is Silence Suzuka. They are both exceptional Uma Musume, but that is where the similarity ends. Their tactics, racing habits, and training precautions are entirely different. Silence Suzuka does not need to inherit anyone's mantle. Team Sadalsuud doesn't require one—we will remain Japan's top team through the combined efforts of all our Uma Musume."
"As for Dubai," Shuta An added with a relaxed smile, "personally, I thought it was wonderful. The Uma Musume felt the same. The hosts were warm, and the city's infrastructure is excellent. You see—our hero in Dubai, Silence Suzuka, wanted to explore the city properly, so I gave her an extra week off."
The natural ease of his smile further convinced the reporters of his sincerity.
"What an honest man, that Shuta Trainer," some of the newer reporters murmured among themselves.
In the first week after returning to Japan, Shuta An brought Mejiro Dober and Tokai Teio back into their familiar training rhythm. Perhaps Dubai truly possessed some inexplicable quality—after their return, both Mejiro Dober, who had already entered full-scale training, and Tokai Teio, who was still some distance from it, showed a noticeable improvement in their training results.
This phenomenon caught Shuta An's attention. However, the Young man had no intention of pursuing the matter further. In the end, he was not a scientist—he was a Trainer. Since nothing about it was illegal or in violation of regulations, and since the results were positive, he was far too busy quietly celebrating to concern himself with the underlying cause.
After Silence Suzuka returned to Central Tracen Academy, Shuta An first granted her two days off to recover from the time difference. Then, on her first day back on the training ground, her performance immediately drew the attention of her academy classmates training on the same field.
"So fast—" Special Week, the Kisaragi Sho winner from Team Spica who was preparing for this year's Classic Races, stared in Suzuka's direction and murmured softly, "Is this what a G1-winning Uma Musume is like? She won so dominantly in Dubai by several horse lengths—yet she couldn't win in the Classic Race."
The country Uma Musume from Hokkaido pursed her lips. "Compared to Suzuka-senpai, I'm still much weaker. If I don't train harder now, the Satsuki Sho victory will only drift further and further away."
She shook her head, then turned to her teammates training alongside her. "Please run a few more laps with me! I want to do extra training!"
"No problem!"
Both Daiwa Scarlet and Vodka gave her a thumbs-up. For the two Uma Musumes who were still far from stepping onto the Twinkle Series stage, helping a teammate preparing for the Classic Races was also a way to experience them indirectly.
Four days before this year's Oka Sho—after Silence Suzuka had completed her first day back in training—Shuta An received a commission request from Twinkle magazine upon returning home. This URA-affiliated publication invited him to evaluate the popular Uma Musumes competing in this year's Classic Races.
This was hardly his first such request. Shuta An didn't need to rack his brains; by reviewing footage from the warm-up races and key open races, he could already form a fairly accurate evaluation.
Oguri Cap, who had easily won the Dream Trophy qualifiers in Hokkaido, had returned to Tokyo the day before. Standing behind him, she glanced at the computer screen. "Ann, are you preparing evaluations and predictions for this year's Classic Race Uma Musumes again?"
"Yes. I just received the request," Shuta An replied as he watched the race footage. "I need to finish the Oka Sho piece quickly, then I'll make time this weekend to write the Satsuki Sho one. When is Oguri's next race?"
"The second race will be in a month. This time it's in Niigata," the gray Uma Musume answered flatly, as if stating a simple fact. "You definitely won't be able to watch it live, Ann."
"Why do you say that?" Shuta An was puzzled. "I can just take a day off and go to the venue."
"Because that day is Japanese Derby Race Day," Oguri Cap spread her hands helplessly. "It's also one of the rare occasions when the Twinkle Series' popularity surpasses even the Dream Trophy."
"Japanese Derby—"
Shuta An could only admit that his lover was right. Unless something unexpected happened, he would be invited to participate in commentary for the Japanese Derby this year. Teleporting to Niigata was clearly not an option.
"And then…" Oguri Cap paused. "I also need to go to Central Tracen Academy tomorrow to take care of some matters."
"Matters?" Shuta An didn't dwell on it. "Twinkle Series-related, right? I'll drive you there tomorrow."
"Mm." Oguri Cap leaned against his back, stretched out her arms, and gently squeezed his shoulders. "Thank you, Ann."
"What's there to thank?" Shuta An paused the video, reached out with his right hand, and pinched her cheek. "There's no need for us to talk like that."
After submitting the Oka Sho manuscript, Shuta An went up to the third floor, took a quick shower, and went to bed.
That night, in the Dream World, he did not visit Tokai Teio as a jockey. Instead, he had to meet his partner for the Oka Sho—Scarlet Bouquet.
Shuta An did not believe this filly possessed the strength to dominate the Classic Race circuit. Still, she was the best three-year-old filly he could secure at the moment.
And for the sake of having Shuta An in the saddle, Scarlet Bouquet's camp was more than satisfied.
Looking across all of Japan, there truly was no jockey stronger than him.
Although Scarlet Bouquet's trainer, Ito Yuji, openly admitted that her ability was not top-tier among this year's Classic generation, with Shuta An joining, he still harbored dreams of conquering the Oka Sho.
Shuta An himself, however, was far less optimistic. He still regretted failing to snatch that filly from the Higashi family away from other jockeys—
After completing Scarlet Bouquet's training ride, Shuta An arrived at the entrance of the Ritto Training Center, where he was promptly surrounded by reporters. Everyone wanted to know how the jockeys competing in this weekend's Oka Sho assessed their mounts' current condition.
Shuta An responded honestly, offering straightforward praise.
"Her spirits are very high, but her controllability remains excellent. Her movements are fluid, and the feel while running is also very good. I believe she can achieve good results in the Oka Sho."
Very official. Very formulaic. Very shrewd.
The reporters smiled as they recorded his answer, quietly complaining among themselves that this top jockey was truly unwilling to reveal anything more.
The next morning, Shuta An drove Oguri Cap to Central Tracen Academy, watched her enter the campus, and then hurried to his office.
"Ann-san, aren't you not supposed to come in today?" Kitahara, who had arrived earlier, glanced at his friend in surprise.
"I brought Oguri over," Shuta An explained as he took his seat. "I might as well wait here for her to finish her business so we can go back together."
With that, he prepared to open his computer and idle away the time.
However, Oguri Cap did not head to the Student Council office to meet Symboli Rudolf, as Shuta An had expected. Instead, the gray Uma Musume walked to the edge of the training ground. Before long, her target appeared within her sight.
She approached and spoke calmly. "Suzuka, could I trouble you to come with me?" (Oguri-sann!!!?)
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