Chapter 96.
After quietly concluding the reburial ceremony, Shuta An boarded his return flight to Japan, leaving behind a singular, heavy promise: he would eventually bring one of his trained Uma Musumes to challenge the Kentucky Derby.
"Do you think Shuta can actually pull that off?"
Miesque asked her friend once the news broke.
"I'm highly skeptical that Japan can produce a dirt runner qualified to challenge the Kentucky Derby. But then I remembered he already trained a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner."
Secretariat shrugged, her tone perfectly pragmatic.
"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if he trained an Uma Musume who could conquer Churchill Downs. I wish him good luck."
"Then we can only wish him luck." Miesque chimed in. "I just hope America doesn't produce a generational monster in the Classic year he decides to invade, otherwise he is going to have a massive headache."
Secretariat remained silent.
If such a nightmare scenario occurred, she certainly couldn't stop local American Uma Musumes from defending their home turf in the Triple Crown. Shuta An would just have to figure out a solution himself.
—
Back in Tokyo, Shuta An bypassed Central Tracen Academy entirely, taking a taxi straight home to sleep off the brutal jet lag.
Silence Suzuka, currently holding down the fort alone, deliberately avoided disturbing her resting lover. Instead, she quietly slipped out to the supermarket, determined to showcase the culinary skills she had been practicing during his absence.
"So... is this massive pot of stewed yellow peaches and snow pears supposed to be the main course?" The young man, groggy after waking up in the evening, pointed at the furiously bubbling clay pot on the dining table. He looked back at Suzuka, who stood proudly behind him.
"Yes, it is." Suzuka nodded earnestly. "I didn't add a single piece of rock sugar, so it should perfectly highlight the natural fruit aroma."
"Suzuka, can this actually fill a stomach?"
Shuta An stared at the entirely liquid, fruit-based dinner in profound doubt.
"The portion size is quite large." the carrot Uma Musume tilted her head, her ears twitching with absolute confidence. "I think it will be perfectly fine."
The young man ate it.
Consequently, thanks to consuming a massive volume of warm, fibrous fruit soup right before bed, Shuta An woke up to use the bathroom four or five times throughout the night.
—
After finally dragging his internal clock back to Japanese Standard Time, Shuta An returned to Central Tracen Academy. His immediate priorities were locked in: adjusting Mejiro Dober's regimen for the Tenno Sho (Autumn), and launching a specialized training camp for Rice Shower's upcoming Kikuka Sho.
Excluding the chaotic era decades ago when the Japanese Twinkle Series system was entirely incomplete, not a single Uma Musume had ever managed to win both the Japanese Derby and the Kikuka Sho. If Rice Shower could seize the Kikuka Sho this season, she would literally rewrite the history books.
Fueled by the prospect of etching her name into legend, Rice Shower was in exceptionally high spirits, attacking her training menus with an infectious, buzzing excitement.
Mejiro Dober, conversely, was terrifyingly calm. She no longer required Shuta An to deliver any pre-race motivational speeches. The toxic chatter of the internet had already done the job, burning itself directly into her retinas.
"I genuinely believed that by sweeping the Triple Tiara and conquering numerous overseas G1s, I had finally earned everyone's respect." Dober told him, her eyes cold and sharp. "But it seems the critics still believe I lack a decisive, major victory against the Uma Musumes on home soil."
There was absolutely no battlefield more suitable to silence those critics than the Tenno Sho (Autumn), the absolute pinnacle of Japan's middle-distance turf championships.
Mejiro Dober resolved to violently kick away every lingering doubt about her legacy at the Tokyo Racecourse. She was going to prove that Uma Musumes on the Triple Tiara route weren't just relegated to shining in mixed mile and sprint races—they could absolutely dominate the middle-distance division, too.
On Thursday, Shuta An received an unexpected call from Tojo Hana. The rigorous Trainer from Team Rigil pitched a staggering proposition: she planned to run Air Groove in both the Tenno Sho (Autumn) and the Japan Cup.
"Isn't that turnaround brutally tight? That race schedule is going to put a massive amount of physical and mental pressure on Air Groove."
Shuta An said, his brow furrowing instantly.
"This is Air Groove's own stubborn insistence." Tojo Hana replied, a heavy sigh filtering through the receiver. "She desperately wants to race Mejiro Dober again in the Tenno Sho. And adding the Japan Cup was entirely her suggestion."
"You know Mejiro Dober is running the Tenno Sho and the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, right? And Tokai Teio is locked in for the Japan Cup." Shuta An warned. "Do you actually have confidence?"
"Not an ounce." Tojo Hana's mouth twitched on the other end of the line. "Tokai Teio is an opponent Air Groove fundamentally cannot defeat right now. She is a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-winning monster, after all."
"Well, there's no harm in experiencing the sheer pressure of a world-class Uma Musume firsthand." Shuta An chuckled, feeling deeply delighted hearing Hana praise Teio. "Besides, with Air Groove's ironclad mental resilience, she definitely won't break under the strain."
"I can only pray you're right."
Tojo Hana sighed in defeat.
—
The very next day, Shuta An understood exactly why Tojo Hana had given him the heads-up.
The URA Association dropped their aggressive marketing campaign for the Tenno Sho (Autumn). The promotional tagline was plastered everywhere:
"The Queens' Rematch: Mejiro Dober and Air Groove's reunion. Rivals on the turf, friends from the same generation. Both seek to validate the Triple Tiara Route by claiming the Tenno Sho—a race no Triple Tiara Uma Musume has ever conquered."
"Prove themselves, huh?" Shuta An narrowed his eyes at the promotional poster. "It's never that easy."
The young man understood the grim reality. Even if Mejiro Dober shattered the record and won the Tenno Sho, the archaic voices questioning the overall caliber of Triple Tiara Uma Musumes wouldn't vanish overnight. Eradicating that deep-seated, systemic discrimination wouldn't just take the brilliant performance of one or two stars. It would require the blood, sweat, and dominance of generation after generation—dozens of Triple Tiara runners constantly proving their worth against the boys.
"However, the next few recruits lined up for Team Sadalsuud aren't planning to go the Triple Tiara route anyway." Shuta An thought, mentally reviewing his future roster before shaking his head. "I'll just leave the heavy lifting of that particular crusade to Team Spica, Team Rigil, and Kitahara."
Meanwhile, Symboli Rudolf had been incredibly busy operating in the shadows. True to her ironclad promise to Shuta An, the Student Council President had pulled every political string at her disposal.
The results were flawless: the Imperial Palace officially accepted her formal invitation.
On Saturday, under the convenient guise of celebrating Central Tracen Academy's founding anniversary, the Central URA Association dropped a bombshell announcement. This year's Tenno Sho (Autumn) would be designated as a Tenran Keiba—an Imperial Palace Viewing Race—the first of its kind in over a decade.
"Miss Rudolf really knows how to deliver on her promises."
Shuta An smiled, entirely unsurprised by the headline.
The Mejiro family's reaction, however, was bordering on absolute pandemonium.
"Grandmother is practically at her physical limit, but the second she heard it was an Imperial Viewing Race, she demanded to go to the Racecourse in person." Mejiro Ramonu complained via a Line message to Shuta An. "And to make matters worse, she formally requested that McQueen, Bright, Ryan, and Palmer all attend as her entourage."
"It's perfectly fine. Dober will win in the end, so your grandmother won't have any reason to be angry."
Shuta An typed back, deliberately teasing her.
"Are you really that confident?"
Mejiro Ramonu replied, practically raising an elegant eyebrow through the screen.
"That is exactly how much I trust Dober's ability."
The young man hit send, his absolute certainty vibrating through the text.