Chapter 98.
The week of the Tenno Sho (Autumn) had arrived, with the Kikuka Sho following immediately after. Shuta An's workload had instantly skyrocketed. Sending his trained Uma Musumes into Grade 1 races for two consecutive weeks was grueling enough, but devising completely different daily training menus—targeting Tokyo's 2,000-meter turf for Mejiro Dober and Kyoto's 3,000-meter marathon for Rice Shower—was only half the battle.
Off-track responsibilities were piling up just as fast.
There were relentless reporter interviews, coordinating the URA Association's production of Mejiro Dober's retirement commemorative merchandise, and scoring the major domestic races. Then, there was the administrative nightmare involving the other team evaluators.
"There are way too many overseas Uma Musumes registered for the Japan Cup this year!"
Tojo Hana groaned, slumped in her chair in the cafeteria.
"We only have ten international slots available, and we have to score every single one to decide invitations based on their IFUA ratings. The workload is insane, and you just dumped a huge chunk of it on us, Shuta-kun!"
"Who told you I was the supervisor?" Shuta An shot back with a pout. "I need to focus on Dober's training right now. You can always dump some of your work on Nishizaki, Tojo. After all, Team Spica only has Mejiro McQueen temporarily participating this year."
"Don't even remind me. The Mejiro family didn't even bother communicating with me about McQueen's temporary transfer." Ryu Nishizaki sighed, looking utterly defeated. "I feel completely ignored."
"Then you should find a reason to penalize her." Shuta An suggested bluntly. "Making major decisions without discussing them with your Trainer completely undermines your authority. I wouldn't tolerate it."
"I have to tolerate it because I don't have a choice." Nishizaki shrugged helplessly. "I don't have much real authority in my team anyway; I mostly just rely on being approachable."
"Even so, you need to establish boundaries with the Mejiro family. Otherwise, one day they might just announce her retirement without even giving you a heads-up."
Shuta An warned. The hypothetical scenario made Nishizaki visibly shudder.
—
On Wednesday, keeping in mind that the weekend's race would be at the Tokyo Racecourse, Shuta An decided to have Mejiro Dober focus on an explosive one-furlong sprint during her oikiri—her final fast gallop before race day.
"6 furlongs in 80 seconds, 3 furlongs in 37 seconds, and a final furlong sprint in 11 seconds."
This intensity was a notch higher than the final gallop Rice Shower had run a week prior.
"Is this to condition me for the final 200-meter sprint?"
With her wealth of experience, Mejiro Dober immediately grasped her lover's intention behind the specific rhythm.
"Exactly. Sunday's race is at the Tokyo Racecourse, after all." Shuta An explained. "Drilling your explosive acceleration for that final 200-meter stretch will give us a huge advantage."
"Understood!"
Dober agreed readily and began her warm-up routine.
"6 furlongs in 79.6 seconds, 3 furlongs in 35.8 seconds, final furlong in 10.9 seconds…"
Staring at the stopwatch data Dober had just produced, Shuta An frowned.
"Dober, did you hold to the rhythm I gave you?"
The young man asked, handing her a fresh towel as she stepped out of the data room.
"I did." Dober replied, blinking in confusion. "Is there a problem? Aside from that final furlong, I barely even pushed myself."
"It's nothing." Shuta An said, waving a hand and dispelling his own doubts. "You performed perfectly."
Dober would never lie to me, the young man thought to himself. Which means her 'Honkakuka'—her true peak maturation—must have fully developed.
This realization massively boosted their chances of victory. Now, it all hinged on the gate draw.
I just hope she draws a middle gate. Anything but the far outside. An outside lane for a 2,000-meter race at Tokyo is just too brutal of a disadvantage.
On the Tokyo 2,000-meter track, the runners hit a turn almost immediately after leaving the starting gates. For an Uma Musume starting on the far outside, this practically guaranteed a massive loss of stamina and ground just trying to cut inside compared to the inner lanes.
Thursday arrived—the day the Tenno Sho (Autumn) gate draw results would be officially announced.
Mejiro Dober arrived at the Team Sadalsuud clubroom early in the morning, choosing to wait for the noon announcement alone with her lover. Shuta An had deliberately told the other team members to stay away for the morning, allowing Dober to comfortably snuggle into his embrace on the sofa.
"There are only a few days left until the race." Shuta An murmured, gently rubbing Dober's lower abdomen. "Is your cycle going to be an issue?"
"It finished a few days ago." Dober blinked up at him, shifting closer. Her voice dropped to a soft, teasing whisper. "So... if we did it right now, there's a very high chance we'd make a baby."
"That would be incredibly troublesome for your racing career right now, Dober." Shuta An replied, rolling his eyes fondly. "Even if it's true, we are definitely holding off for now."
"Ugh—I bet you're only saying that because you're thinking about Oguri-senpai, aren't you!"
Dober pouted playfully.
Honestly, the young man never could have imagined that the once-shy Mejiro Dober would grow comfortable enough to tease him so boldly.
She's really changed so much, he mused affectionately.
Dober reached up and intertwined her fingers with his.
"An... I really want a middle gate. But if I do end up getting an outside draw, you'll still have a plan to win, right?"
Shuta An squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"Of course. Even if we draw the absolute worst outside gate, I already have a strategy to neutralize the disadvantage."
"I know you do."
Dober closed her eyes, refusing to let go of his hand. His warmth gave her an immense sense of security.
Shuta An remained perfectly still, letting her rest peacefully against his chest as they waited in comfortable silence for the URA Association's email.
When the notification finally chimed and Shuta An opened the message, both the young man and the Triple Tiara Uma Musume in his arms froze.
Mejiro Dober's name was sitting right on the very first line.
"How did this happen? Gate 1?"
Dober muttered, her brow furrowing deeply.
In theory, Gate 1 is a highly coveted inner position. But because Mejiro Dober was a Sashi runner who preferred to bide her time in the middle of the pack, starting on the rail made her incredibly vulnerable to being boxed in and crushed by the surrounding runners right out of the gate.
"It looks like holding back isn't an option this time." Shuta An concluded, his mind already racing. "Dober, you're going to have to push forward as aggressively as possible right out of the gate to avoid getting trapped."
"Push forward to where? Am I supposed to run as a front-runner? I've never used a Nige tactic in my life!"
Dober said, her anxiety spiking.
"Don't panic."
Shuta An said, scrolling down the roster page. He tapped a finger against the screen, highlighting the name assigned to Gate 3: Twin Turbo.
"Look right here. Isn't there an Uma Musume who is one hundred percent guaranteed to kamikaze her way to the very front of the pack?"
Seeing that legendary name, a wave of profound relief instantly washed over Mejiro Dober.