The next day—second to last day of Obon, and also the final day of Central Tracen Academy's summer camp. Today, Shuta An and Oguri Cap were scheduled to attend the camp's closing ceremony.
"Honestly, I still feel weird about it," Oguri Cap murmured to her lover with a small frown. "I'm just a local Uma Musume—yet all these Central Uma Musume who haven't even debuted have to sit there and listen to me talk."
"Who told you to be that outstanding, Oguri?" Shuta An shrugged lightly. "Two overseas Classic G1 victories. At this point, aside from Triple Crown or Seven-Crown Uma Musume, most multi-G1 winners don't even have your popularity or accomplishments."
"This must be the extra bonus from the French Two Crowns, right?" Oguri Cap blinked. "I've felt it again and again ever since coming back home."
"In the future, we'll achieve even more together. Oguri's popularity will only continue to rise," Shuta An said, rubbing the Gray Uma Musume's head gently. "Better get used to it little by little."
"Does that mean things like this will happen more often too?" she asked.
He immediately understood what she meant and nodded. "That's right. The more famous you become, the more promotional activities you'll have to take part in. This is something every idol Uma Musume has to face."
"Alright." Oguri Cap pouted slightly. "I'll do my best."
She knew well—treating these activities carelessly wouldn't show consequences right away, but it would definitely plant hidden problems for critical moments later.
'Ann's planning has brought me so much popularity. I can't afford to ruin it by being capricious' she thought, sitting beside him.
Her speech had been entirely written by Shuta An. It wasn't ground breaking, but solid and reliable. With her achievements, she didn't need flashy or provocative words—her presence alone held weight.
Symboli Rudolf, watching from backstage, quietly exhaled halfway through the speech. She was certain Oguri Cap wouldn't run into any problems. Instead, her words would serve as valuable guidance for the younger Uma Musume listening below. Even though Oguri Cap's race experience wasn't broad, having the honor of the French Two Crowns meant that when she spoke about training or racing, ninety-nine percent of the girls in Central Tracen Academy had no choice but to listen obediently.
After Oguri Cap finished, the audience was given a short break. Shuta adjusted the suit he had chosen for the event and slipped backstage. Sitting in a quiet corner, he closed his eyes for a momentary nap. Naturally, he wouldn't sleep for long. Within minutes, Tokai Teio found him and shook him awake.
"Trainer! This is the gift I prepared for you! Congratulations on winning the French Two Crowns!" she said brightly the moment his eyes opened, handing him an elegantly wrapped rectangular box.
The weight and shape alone told Shuta An exactly what was inside.
"A fountain pen, right?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yep!" Tokai Teio stuck out her tongue playfully. "As expected, Trainer figured it out the moment you touched it. I thought you might really need one."
Shuta An examined the packaging and read the logo. "NAMIKI… Maki-e fountain pen."
He knew of Maki-e—traditional lacquerware adorned with gold, silver, and mother-of-pearl before the lacquer hardened.
'This definitely isn't cheap' he thought silently.
The wood carving he had custom-made for Tokai Teio cost under 200,000 yen. Yet judging by the brand and craftsmanship, this pen she gifted him was very likely more expensive than that.
'Teio doesn't have races right now—so her allowance still comes from home, right?'
Shuta An frowned and took out his phone. "I can't accept this as a normal gift."
"It's fine, it wasn't that expensive," Teio said with a smile, shaking her head. "Trainer doesn't need to worry!"
And before he could say anything else, she spun around and darted away. Before heading on stage, Shuta An found Miss Symboli Rudolf and transferred a sum of money to her. "This gift definitely exceeds Teio's spending ability. Please give this to her later."
After settling that, he finally felt at ease. When he took the stage and scanned the audience, it didn't take long to spot Tokai Teio. Beside her stood a Uma Musume who seemed quite close to her.
That must be Mayano Top Gun—Teio's roommate she mentioned, he thought, quickly moving his gaze away.
Aside from those two, he recognized no one else—just as Symboli Rudolf had said. All the participants were pre-debut Uma Musume, each harboring hopes for their future.
All dreaming of shining in the Twinkle Series—perhaps even dreaming of becoming the next Oguri.
The crowd sat silently, brimming with questions, but not one whispered. After a long pause, Shuta An finally began.
"Honestly, being here today still feels strange. After all, Oguri is your idol. I'm just the person working behind the scenes."
"Of course, some of you may already have Trainers. I don't know what you think of them, and I'm not particularly interested in how your relationships are going."
"I'm simply here to remind all of you—those aiming for your future—that the person you can trust most on your journey is your Trainer."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"A Trainer's honor and disgrace are directly tied to you. Only when you shine brilliantly on the track does a trace of that radiance fall upon us."
In the afternoon, Shuta An brought Oguri Cap and Tokai Teio to the training ground at Matsushima Bay. Symboli Rudolf followed as well—curious to see his reaction.
"Trainer said his honor is tied to the Uma Musume—I can understand that. But in order for us to earn more honor, we also need our Trainers' support, right?" Tokai Teio asked, walking ahead and drawing Shuta An's attention.
He walked in silence for a moment before replying. "The relationship between a Uma Musume and a Trainer can indeed be called interdependent. But at your stage, you're still easily shaped. You must never let yourselves become your Trainers' puppets. Otherwise—"
He didn't finish. Symboli Rudolf could only give a wry smile. His distrust toward Central Academy Trainers was unmistakable.
"In the first half of the year, many Trainers tried to recruit me," Tokai Teio said proudly. "But I rejected them all!"
"After all, we already made a promise!" She didn't even give him time to respond before smiling brightly. "I already chose Trainer. I'm not changing teams!"
"Let's not talk about that." Shuta An sighed. "Even if you say that, Teio, if your performance disappoints me during the inspection, I'll criticize you thoroughly."
"I knowww~" Tokai Teio puffed her cheeks. "But I won't disappoint Trainer. I'm confident in my six months of progress!"
After warming up, she stepped onto the training track. However, she didn't start running immediately—she turned, looking at Shuta An expectantly.
"Seventy seconds per kilometre as your baseline. Gradually increase speed. Give everything in the last two hundred meters," he instructed.
"Okay!" Teio flashed a thumbs-up. "Trainer, watch me closely!"
Shuta An raised his stopwatch. "Start!"
The 70s pace was deceptively harsh. In real Twinkle Series races, 70 seconds per kilometre would be extraordinarily slow—but only for fleeing types. For a forward runner like Teio, it translated into race-level intensity.
"Isn't this too intense?" Symboli Rudolf frowned. "For Teio, wouldn't this require several years before she can handle it?"
"After this training, I'll trouble you with something," Shuta An said, eyes fixed on Teio. "Please take her for a full medical exam afterward."
"Just send me the report when it's ready. I still have her previous report, so I can compare them."
"So, this high-intensity check was intentional?" Symboli Rudolf raised an eyebrow.
"If she aims to become the next Symboli Rudolf, she must withstand this level," he replied calmly. "If she can't handle 70 seconds per kilometer— many future plans will need to be scaled down."
"What kind of Uma Musume do you see Teio becoming?" she asked. "Her debut is still far off, and you're already planning her future?"
"What are your expectations?" he countered.
"Mine? I want Teio to become an undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume," she answered instantly.
"I want that too. And my expectations go even higher." Shuta An smiled. Beside him, Oguri Cap silently slipped her hand into his.
"I expect Tokai Teio to become the new Wall of Sighs standing before all Uma Musume in Japan."
Symboli Rudolf stiffened. As the current "Emperor," she immediately understood. The Wall of Sighs—herself—was undefeated Triple Crown plus seven prestigious G1 victories. A record unmatched.
Even Shuta An couldn't confidently say Oguri Cap could win five more G1s—especially high-prestige ones like Arima Kinen or Japan Cup. To surpass the Emperor, Tokai Teio would need either more than seven major turf G1s— or one monumental achievement Symboli Rudolf never accomplished.
Such as—
"What if Tokai Teio wins the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?" Shuta An smiled faintly. "If both of you have seven G1s— wouldn't she surpass you?"
"Of course, she would," Symboli Rudolf replied firmly.
"I want Teio to challenge the Arc once in her older-year season."
As his words fell, Tokai Teio finished her 1000-meter run. The stopwatch beeped. Shuta An's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh? This is impressive."
Symboli Rudolf leaned closer to look.
Shuta An showed the display to both her and Oguri Cap.
"1000 meters in 68 seconds" Symboli Rudolf frowned.
She was about to scold Teio for failing to control her pace—but then froze.
Because Shuta An wasn't angry at all. He looked almost— satisfied.