"Okay!" Oguri Cap agreed without hesitation.
"I first paid attention to Material when I was researching Miss Symboli Rudolf," Shuta An began. Only after confirming that Oguri Cap's expression remained unchanged did he continue, "Material and Symboli Rudolf are from the same hometown. They even went to the same school since childhood."
"This part is easy to verify." He shook his head lightly. "But I dug a little deeper. Material's mother and Miss Symboli Rudolf's mother are cousins."
"Eh?!" Oguri Cap covered her mouth in shock. "Then, they're cousins too? Their family ties are so close!"
"That's right." Shuta An gave a firm nod and continued, "For a young Uma Musume dreaming of entering the Twinkle Series having an undefeated Triple Crown—no, a Seven Crowns—cousin— Oguri, if it were you, wouldn't you look up to her?"
"Of course." Oguri Cap nodded naturally. "With such an incredible cousin, it's impossible not to admire her, right?"
Then she tilted her head. "But, there might also be someone twisted enough to get jealous?"
"Let's not talk about extreme cases." Shuta An waved off the thought and guided the conversation back. "Material genuinely admires Symboli Rudolf. That's the starting point."
"She sounds just like Miss Tokai Teio," Oguri Cap remarked.
"Indeed, that was my first impression as well." Shuta An sighed. "But after looking into Material's training patterns at Central Tracen Academy, I must say—my evaluation of her is lower than that of Teio. In terms of admiration for Miss Symboli Rudolf, Teio isn't as intense as Material. Not even close."
"How so?" Oguri Cap blinked, puzzled.
"After entering Central, Material began modeling every single part of her training after Symboli Rudolf. One hundred percent imitation. No adjustments. No personalization." His tone carried a faint exasperation. "I don't know if Symboli Rudolf has tried to persuade her, but this training method is unquestionably wrong."
"Still, despite blindly copying Symboli Rudolf's regimen, Material did win her maiden race. She lost to Sakura Rotary in the next Fuchu Stakes—which is understandable. The opponent ruined her own racing career in the process."
"Then, in her third race, the one-win class Hanabusa Sho, and afterwards in the G2 Spring Stakes, Material secured consecutive victories. With those results, she became the top favorite for the Satsuki Sho."
"But the winner was Sakura Star O" Oguri Cap muttered. "And she didn't win the Derby either."
"Exactly," Shuta An sighed. "Material finished third in the Satsuki Sho, unable to catch up. In the Japanese Derby her weight management completely collapsed, and she ended up last."
"Maybe because of that setback," he continued, "Material fell into a slump—and that slump is still ongoing."
"She continues to rigidly follow Symboli Rudolf's training plan as if that alone could bring her closer to her idol." He snorted softly. "I don't know what her Trainer has been doing, but clearly it isn't enough."
"That's… really hard to believe," Oguri Cap murmured.
"And as for Miss Symboli Rudolf," Shuta An tightened his hold on her hand, "this is the reason you must not tell anyone. I have no idea what she's thinking. If she just talked to Material properly, made even a little effort, I am absolutely certain she could guide her back onto the right path. But the 'Emperor' simply watches from afar."
"Unbelievable—" Oguri Cap whispered, fully agreeing.
"Alright, let's continue with the opponent list." Shuta An gently squeezed her soft hand. "Next is Sirius Symboli."
"Derby Uma Musume," Oguri Cap added.
"Yes, but right now she's a shadow of her former self," Shuta An said with sympathy. "Two years of European races completely ruined her competitive condition. Realistically, she is no threat to you—even if she just won the Mainichi Okan. Reporters will hype your rivalry, but Oguri, don't let it get into your head."
Oguri Cap simply hummed softly in acknowledgment.
"Next is Bold Northman. Two races ago, she beat Sirius Symboli by 0.3 seconds, but in the recent Mainichi Okan, Sirius Symboli returned the favor. In short, their current strength levels are about equal." Shuta An pouted. "For Bold Norseman, the pressure of challenging a G2 right now is huge."
He then pointed to another name: Running Free / Free Runner.
"To be honest, while her results are plain, her rankings keep improving. You can feel she's developing well—but this Autumn Tenno Sho might be too soon for her. Still, Oguri, watch her early positioning; she might fight you for the front."
"I'm going to use a aggressive pace-chaser strategy this time?" Oguri Cap caught the important point.
"Yes. This time, I want you to set the pace," Shuta An affirmed.
"But Tamao uses the chase strategy. If I go up front, won't she just mark me easily?" Oguri Cap furrowed her brows.
"She may not chase this time," Shuta An countered. "Tamamo Cross knows you're familiar with her usual tactic. This is your first direct clash—so if she wants a surprise attack, a front position would be the perfect way. If I were her, I would choose a front-runner strategy in this Autumn Tenno Sho and run ahead of you."
"Really?" Oguri Cap still looked unsure.
But now wasn't the moment for in-depth tactics, so he resumed the introductions. After skipping Tamamo Cross and Dyna Actress, Shuta An pointed to the final entry—
Road Royal.
His expression grew more serious. "Besides Tamamo Cross, this is the opponent you must pay attention to. Last year, she finished an impressive second in the Autumn Tenno Sho using a Front -runner strategy. Her condition this year is also good. She was scratched from the Mainichi Okan due to a gate incident, but since she's entered here, the issue isn't serious. She likes a 59s pace at Tokyo—a fast pace for this course—and she will surely aim for that again."
"A G1 lead at Tokyo for second place— I'll take note," Oguri Cap said earnestly.
Among the 12 Uma Musume besides herself, Oguri Cap now had a clear picture of the real threats. Having decided on an aggressive Senko strategy, her training shifted more heavily toward endurance to raise her cruising speed.
"I need Oguri to raise her base pace," Shuta An reminded. "You don't have to think about marking Tamamo Cross. Just run your own race. If she chooses the same Senko, she won't beat you. Her previous attempts at front-running were— disasters."
Hearing his confidence, Oguri Cap's tension eased. "Even though I've never faced Tama on the Twinkle Series stage, with Ann supporting me, I definitely won't lose!"
—
Meanwhile, Tamamo Cross had just finished morning training.
Her Trainer, Miss Komiyama, approached with a wet towel. "Tama-chan, you should reduce your training intensity. It would be terrible if you got injured."
Tamamo Cross took the towel, shaking her head. "I won't get injured."
"That's not something Tama-chan can decide," Miss Komiyama said firmly. "There have been a lot of injuries lately due to overtraining. I don't want Tama-chan to be next."
"It's fine." Tamamo Cross wiped her sweat. "I know my body. And Trainer, you know—"
With a confident grin, she declared, "Before I can give everyone at the ranch a better life, I absolutely won't collapse!"
"But your physical limits—" Miss Komiyama still looked anxious.
"No problem!" Tamamo Cross gave a thumbs-up. "My morning training intensity is low, so raising it a little is fine."
"Honestly, I have no confidence in defeating Oguri Cap," Miss Komiyama admitted quietly. "She's the French Two Crowns— and has a world-class Trainer behind her."
Her voice trembled. "I believe in Tama-chan's ability, but I don't believe in myself."
"It's okay!" Tamamo Cross draped the towel over her shoulder and tried to pat her Trainer's shoulder—but being short, she ended up tapping her hand instead. "Trainer, I have a secret weapon. Just wait! I'll definitely give Oguri a big 'surprise'!"
"Secret… weapon?" Miss Komiyama blinked. "What kind of—?"
"I can't explain it," Tamamo Cross said, puffing up. "It's deep. Mysterious. But trust me—I'll win the Autumn Tenno Sho."
Miss Komiyama paused, then asked quietly, "Will this 'secret weapon' harm you?"
"Nope." Tamamo Cross waved her finger. "I tested it at the end of the Takarazuka Kinen. Totally fine."
"Alright." Miss Komiyama closed her eyes, then bowed deeply. "Then I'll entrust everything to Tama-chan."
—
Completely unaware of Tamamo Cross's so-called secret weapon, Shuta An fell into a familiar dream that night—returning to Hokkaido to visit "Teio."
Guided by the staff to the pasture, he was immediately embraced by the young foal.
"My, foals grow way too fast," Shuta An muttered. "It's still a month before half a year old, right? It's already almost as tall as me."
"Even so, it must wait until next month to be weaned," the staff said with a smile. "That's when things get difficult."
"Weaning, huh" Shuta An exhaled. For racehorses, unless a mare returns to her birth ranch for breeding, mother and child almost never meet again. Just imagining that made his chest tighten.
"How should I put it— It's a necessary farewell, but still harsh," Shuta An murmured.
"When I first saw a foal crying from its stall, I'd get a pain in my chest," the staff admitted. "But it's an unavoidable part of breeding."
Looking into Teio's eyes, Shuta An sighed softly. "I hope you get used to it soon."
Then he added under his breath, "If I can succeed maybe I can reunite with your mother, like Mr. CB someday."
After the horses were brought in, Shuta An helped prepare Teio's stall, fed it an apple, and stayed until the foal fell asleep before leaving. He rushed straight back to Sapporo afterward to catch his flight to Ritto—since the Kasamatsu season hadn't resumed, he needed Ritto's training horses to keep riding.
By the time he returned to the Ritto Training Center, evening had arrived.
"Anything I can help with?" he asked Assistant Ikee.
"Shuta-kun? Perfect timing," Assistant Ikee said. "Trainer Setoguchi seems to need something. You should go ask him."
"Got it."
Half a minute later, Shuta An arrived at the stable and greeted Setoguchi Tsutomu.
"Oh, Shuta-kun—you came at the perfect moment." Trainer Setoguchi's eyes lit up. "President Shigeyuki Okada from Raffian Club just asked if you have any race bookings for this year's Kikuka Sho."
"None," Shuta An replied immediately. "I didn't participate in the Classic races or prep races this year, so Kikuka Sho has nothing to do with me."
"In that case, a good opportunity has come." Setoguchi grinned. "Mr. Okada's Meine Frisse is headed for the Kikuka Sho, but she still has no jockey. He wants to invite you to ride."
"No problem!" Shuta An answered instantly, excitement in his voice. "I'll give it everything I have!"
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