Chapter 39. Expectations for Teio
When he turned toward the voice, he found Symboli Rudolf looking back at him, a knowing smile on her lips as she gave him a light wink.
"Miss Rudolf. I didn't expect to see you here." He pulled out the chair beside her and sat down naturally. "I assumed you'd be having lunch at the Academy cafeteria."
"And Shuta-kun isn't there either, is he?" she replied smoothly. "Maruzensky recommended this place—said it was quite good. After finishing my work this morning, I remembered her words and decided to try it."
"I left early today," he said frankly. "Didn't feel appropriate going back to the Academy for lunch, so I wandered around this area and ended up here."
"I know." Symboli Rudolf spread her hands lightly. "You didn't clock out last night and only left this morning. I've already received the report."
He clicked his tongue in mock admiration. "The Student Council President's reach truly knows no limits. Do you monitor Trainers' attendance in real time as well?"
"The Director is often going away," she replied calmly. "I mostly handle the actual work."
He briefly considered asking how many more years she intended to serve as Student Council President, but instinct warned him that such a question might invite an unpleasantly precise counterattack. He wisely chose silence.
The restaurant claimed to be famous for its Asia variety dishes, but the flavors were clearly adjusted to suit Japanese tastes. It was not inauthentic, exactly—simply localized. For someone traveling abroad, that might be welcome. For him, it was merely passable. Yet judging by the ease with which Symboli Rudolf enjoyed her meal, the localization had succeeded.
After finishing a plate of pork and beef, she set down her chopsticks and looked at him.
"For the Takarazuka Kinen this weekend—Silence Suzuka is ready?"
"Of course." His answer came without hesitation. "Her race strategy is finalized, her condition has been tuned through training, and she told me herself she intends to win."
"If she wins…will she go to America?"
There was something different in her tone.
He did not dwell on it. "Yes. That's the plan."
"And which race are you targeting?" she asked evenly. "The St. Louis Rey Stakes?"
His chopsticks paused midair. So that was it.
Symboli Rudolf's own Twinkle Series career had ended after a stumble at that very race.
He had no intention of stirring old wounds.
"I haven't fully decided yet," he replied honestly. "It will also depend on Mejiro Dober's next performance."
She seemed unconvinced, but she let it go.
"How has Teio been lately?"
The question carried a subtle weight. Knowing the connection between Symboli Rudolf and Tokai Teio in the Dream World, he couldn't help but feel as though a parent were asking a teacher about their child's progress.
He cleared the distracting thought and answered plainly.
"She's doing well. Just too eager to go full-maturation."
"A strong desire to accelerate is not a flaw," Rudolf said lightly. "She's wanted to catch up to my pace for a long time. The closer she gets, the more impatient she becomes. I leave her in your care. Under Shuta-kun's guidance, she can fully realize her talent."
"Teio's talent is among the strongest I've ever seen," he said, pressing his lips together thoughtfully. "I hope she can shine under my training. Since Oguri retired from the Twinkle Series, my goals as a Trainer differ from most of my peers. In my eyes, an ordinary multiple G1 winner is merely average. I want to personally cultivate world-class powerhouses."
"Does Silence Suzuka not count?" Symboli Rudolf lifted a brow. "Two overseas G1 victories, and her Dubai Turf Classic performance was remarkable."
"I don't think so," he replied evenly—and he would have said the same even if Suzuka were sitting across from him. "Her overseas wins were in America. And the level of turf competition there—"
He did not finish the sentence, but it was clear enough.
Rudolf's cheeks colored faintly. She had gone there herself—and had not won.
"What, then," she asked carefully, "is your definition of a world-class powerhouse?"
"Oguri qualifies," he answered without hesitation, meeting her gaze directly. "On turf, she contended with and defeated Europe's top-level Uma Musume. She beat Royal Academy at Gulfstream Park. That meets my standard."
"And Teio?"
"My vision for Teio goes further." His eyes sharpened with unmistakable ambition. "I want her to adapt to European turf. I want to see her win one of Europe's premier races—the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, or the International Stakes."
Symboli Rudolf shook her head slowly. "Those are extraordinarily difficult races. Especially the King George at Ascot. Ascot is even more demanding than Longchamp."
"Exactly." His smile did not waver. "That's why I hope she can adapt. If she cannot, then we simply won't go to Europe. We'll shift to Australia or America. The Cox Plate. The Breeders' Cup Turf. Even the Melbourne Cup."
She studied him quietly.
"It seems Shuta-kun has immense confidence in Teio."
He nodded once.
"Her talent is dazzling."
He finished the last of his noodles quickly and rose to his feet.
"I'll head out now. I need to pack—leaving for Osaka tonight."
"Goodbye, Shuta-kun."
Symboli Rudolf remained seated, a portion of roasted meat still untouched as she watched him settle the bill and leave.
"It sounds as though his aspirations for Teio are boundless," the Emperor murmured softly, eyes following his retreating figure. "Can Teio truly shoulder expectations of that magnitude?"
She imagined, briefly, those same words directed at herself.
If someone had spoken of her future with such intensity—would she have been able to respond?
She shook her head and turned her attention back to the food before her.
"Better to finish lunch first. Teio's path is her own. If she cannot meet Shuta-kun's expectations, then surpassing my result will be even more difficult."
With that, Symboli Rudolf calmly picked up her chopsticks once more.
After returning to the apartment, Shuta An did not linger. He folded the dried laundry neatly into the wardrobe, checked the room once more, and then prepared to head home to pack. This weekend, his place was at Hanshin Racecourse.
Although a flight from Tokyo to Osaka took barely over an hour, he had already decided on the Shinkansen.
At first glance, flying seemed faster. But once he calculated the transfer time from Kansai Airport to Takarazuka City—nearly two hours after landing—the advantage evaporated. The Shinkansen would take a little over three hours door to door, direct and predictable. Less hassle. Fewer variables. More control.
And despite the name, Hanshin Racecourse was not located in Osaka City at all. It stood in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, about thirty minutes away from Osaka's center. The "Takarazuka" in Takarazuka Kinen referred to the place—not the revue.
He left at four in the afternoon and checked into his hotel around seven-thirty in the evening.
After placing his bag down, he exhaled slowly.
"I'll take a bath, then go over the race details with Suzuka on Line," he murmured. "This time we're using the 3D Hanshin model and that West Coast simulation program. No one here has implemented this properly yet."
A faint smile appeared.
"Time to demonstrate what applied technology actually looks like."
He had absolute confidence in the race plan he had built for Silence Suzuka. The pacing simulation had been run repeatedly. The margins were calculated. The pressure points identified.
"With Suzuka's execution, this Takarazuka Kinen won't be a problem."
He had reviewed the field carefully. Mejiro Bright stood out as the only truly significant rival. The rest of the entrants—on paper, they felt underwhelming.
"If you hid the race name, it'd be hard to believe this is the Takarazuka Kinen," he muttered. "Some debuted after six starts. Some have only won a two-win class race—"
And yet, when he actually began explaining the tactics to Silence Suzuka, he discarded all complacency.
He analyzed every opponent meticulously. Because unpredictability was always the greatest threat.
Silence Suzuka could sense his seriousness even through text and voice. She absorbed every detail, as if determined to engrave her opponents' data into memory.
"Mejiro Bright has never handled an aggressively fast tempo," Shuta An explained calmly. "If you maintain your standard rhythm, you can disrupt her cadence entirely."
He paused, emphasizing the numbers.
"First 1000 meters at approximately fifty-nine seconds. Don't go faster. If you dip too far below that, you risk inviting a late surger from the back. But if you're slower, the leaders will compress the field and apply pressure."
"Understood. I'll run exactly as Ann instructs."
Her reply was immediate, obedient.
Once, Silence Suzuka had been stubborn, almost reckless in her independence. Since joining Team Sadalsuud, that edge had softened into disciplined trust. Shuta An believed her when she said she would follow the plan precisely.
"Also, note Stay Gold—the Spring Tenno Sho runner-up. Temperamentally unstable, but her long-distance stamina is undeniable."
He continued evenly.
"Tomorrow, no training. No gym work. If you feel restless, meditate. We can't afford even a minor strain before the race."
"Okay."
She agreed without hesitation. Both of them understood what even a trivial injury could cost.
"If we win this Takarazuka Kinen," he added, "our primary domestic objective for the second half of the year becomes the Autumn Tenno Sho. If you secure both, you'll be the strongest middle-distance Uma Musume in Japan right now."
He did not say middle-to-long distance.
Her record at 2400 meters remained less than convincing, and he had long abandoned the idea of forcing that adaptation. There was no shame in specializing. The 1800–2200 meter bracket suited her physiology and stride pattern perfectly.
While he spoke with Silence Suzuka, beneath the dim lights of Hanshin Racecourse, another figure wandered leisurely along the track perimeter.
A dark bay Uma Musume walked with her hands clasped behind her head, posture loose, expression openly dissatisfied. Behind her trailed a middle-aged Trainer whose fatigue showed plainly in his eyes.
"I've already lost here twice," she complained. "Why sign up for the Takarazuka Kinen again? I have zero good feelings about this place."
"Because at this time of year, it's the most appropriate target," her Trainer replied patiently. "You were second in the Spring Tenno Sho, Stay Gold. There isn't a more suitable G1 option right now. G2 and G3 races are beneath your trajectory. You're chasing a G1 title."
"Yeah, yeah~" Stay Gold scratched her head irritably. "But racing against that green-earmuffed carrot…even watching the replays feels unpleasant."
Her Trainer's tone remained gentle.
"If she sets a very fast pace, doesn't that play into your strength? Your closing burst is your greatest weapon."
Stay Gold's eyes brightened instantly.
"Exactly!" She slapped her thigh, grinning wide. "My legs are unbeatable in the final stretch. I'll shock her so hard she won't even know what happened!"
The Trainer quietly released a breath of relief.
He knew her temperament all too well. In her third race after debut, she had simply stopped trying in the final turn because she found the race boring. The URA Association had reprimanded him. Stay Gold had been placed under a month-long observation period.
For thirty exhausting days, he had coaxed and reasoned, coaxed and reasoned, until she passed evaluation and returned to the Twinkle Series.
Many Trainers would have abandoned such a volatile Uma Musume.
He had not.
Because he had witnessed it—the terrifying late acceleration she displayed in internal academy trials. When she committed, her closing speed was devastating.
"If that kick appears on a G1 stage—" he murmured softly, glancing at the shadowed expanse of Hanshin. "Victory isn't impossible."
The night air hung heavy over the racecourse.
"Will the Takarazuka Kinen be that stage?" he whispered to himself.
(It seems Air Groove was gone from the rooster. Meanwhile Mejiro Dober was changed to Mejiro Bright. In addition, just a FYI, at first, I am a little confused with how Air Groove title come about, she is Empress right? I thought she won Triple Tiara or won many races like Symboli Rudolf Seven G1. However, as I searched about it, I found that was because she was a mare who defeated a colt in G1 Race Autumn Tenno Sho.)