Chapter 107.
In the tense, hushed atmosphere of the Flemington Racecourse mounting yard, Shuta An and Groom Kawashima Fumio stood together for their final briefing. With Kawashima's careful assistance, Shuta An vaulted smoothly into Rice Shower's saddle, settling his weight with practiced ease.
"His condition is flawless." the young man murmured, leaning forward to gently stroke the sleek, sweat-sheened crest of Rice Shower's neck. "His spirit is burning bright today. He is absolutely going to put on a masterpiece of a performance."
Hearing the jockey's quiet, confident self-talk, Kawashima couldn't help but offer a strained, bittersweet smile.
"This time, carrying the absolute heaviest handicap in the entire field—even if we don't take the crown, no one will fault you, Shuta-kun. The Horse Owner and Trainer Iizuka have already come to terms with the reality of the math."
"That may be true for them, but I was the one who aggressively advocated for Rice Shower to bypass the Japan Cup to challenge the Melbourne Cup instead."
Shuta An replied. He turned his head, his eyes meeting the groom's with an unshakeable, piercing intensity.
"If I fail to win here, I will carry that guilt toward the Owner and Trainer Iizuka forever. So... Rice Shower and I are going to win. A crushing 61 kilograms won't deter our determination by a single inch."
"I believe in you, Shuta-kun."
Kawashima said, his own resolve hardening as he met the young man's gaze.
"Then you must also believe in him."
Shuta An smiled softly, giving Rice Shower's head an affectionate pat.
Because they had drawn the cursed Gate 21, Shuta An and Rice Shower were scheduled to be the second-to-last pair to load into the starting gates.
However, just as Rice Shower stepped onto the pristine Australian turf and began her preliminary canter to warm up his legs, a ripple of chaos swept through the officials. Within half a minute, it was announced that Cliveden Gail—assigned to Gate 22—was exhibiting an abnormal gait and was officially scratched from the race.
Consequently, Rice Shower was bumped to the absolute, outermost edge of the field.
"Ah... a painfully familiar, wide-outside start."
Shuta An's mouth twitched wryly as the announcement echoed over the PA system.
"I really don't know what to say. I genuinely thought my gate luck had been improving lately, but here we are again."
Beneath him, Rice Shower let out a soft, low snort, almost as if he were actively responding to the young man's exasperated lament.
—
In the waking world, the Uma Musume Rice Shower had fallen asleep to the gentle cadence of Zenno Rob Roy reading aloud to her. The book of choice for the evening had been the classic children's tale, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
But as Rice Shower tumbled down the rabbit hole of her dreams, she found herself in a bizarre, lucid state.
Strange... what is going on?
Everything was pitch black. She knew with absolute certainty that her physical body was tucked safely into her bed at Tracen Academy, yet her consciousness was acutely, vibrantly awake.
Is this the 'lucid dream' phenomenon that Dober-senpai told me about? Is it because my brain is hyper-focused on preparing for the Kikuka Sho? How did I end up crossing into this state?
Rice Shower fluttered with a momentary panic, but she quickly forced herself to calm down.
A piercing, golden light began to bleed into her vision.
Blinking hard against the sudden glare, Rice Shower found herself standing on a lush, meticulously manicured expanse of grass. But something was fundamentally, dizzyingly wrong with her perspective.
Why... why am I standing on all fours?!
A jolt of shock coursed through her soul. Unaccustomed to the anatomical reality of this equine vessel, she simply froze in place, terrified to move a muscle.
But as seconds ticked by, the residual instincts and subconscious memories of the racehorse's body began to merge with her own mind. The realization washed over her like a tidal wave.
It's a world so similar to my own reality, yet entirely different—This body is about to run a grueling race, but... there is a person sitting in a saddle on my back.
Frustratingly, due to the biomechanical limitations of the horse's neck, Rice Shower couldn't simply turn her head far enough to see who was gripping her reins. Her curiosity burned like a physical ache.
But the answer came mere moments later.
"Rice Shower. Let's give it everything we have and win this today."
Just as they approached the looming steel structure of the starting gates, the rider leaned forward, his gloved hands gently, affectionately rubbing the sides of her cheeks.
This voice— Rice Shower's soul trembled violently. Could it really be?!
The trackside commentator's booming voice over the stadium speakers instantly provided the irrefutable evidence her heart was screaming for:
"Loading into the absolute outermost gate is Rice Shower, guided by his lifelong partner and main jockey, Shuta An! While the Japanese stayer might be a new face to the Australian public, Shuta An needs no introduction. After sweeping the European circuit last year and conquering the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe alongside Tokai Teio, he is universally recognized as one of the premier jockeys on the planet! However, today, this legendary duo faces the ultimate crucible: the heaviest handicap weight in the field and the worst possible gate draw! Let us see if they can conquer Flemington!"
Onii-sama?! It really is a dream, after all!
Rice Shower's equine eyes widened, her heart swelling with an overwhelming, intoxicating warmth.
Because it's a dream, I don't have to carry some unfamiliar stranger. I get to carry my Trainer!
A fierce, blinding resolve immediately consumed her.
The Melbourne Cup... this is the exact overseas goal Onii-sama set for my future in the real world. I can use this dream to memorize the turf, to feel the wind of this Racecourse!
Even if this is just a fleeting illusion, even if the memories fade like morning mist when I wake up— I will give him my absolute best performance right here, right now!
Having fully synchronized her soul with the racehorse's body, Rice Shower's fighting spirit ignited into a blazing inferno.
She instinctively lowered her center of gravity, ignoring the suffocating 61-kilogram weight on her back, and marched proudly into the outermost starting gate under the handler's guidance.
Back in Japan, the national broadcasting networks were carrying the race live. The Japanese commentators had flown all the way to Flemington to narrate the historic moment.
"This is Flemington Racecourse! Our Spring Tenno Sho champion, Rice Shower, is about to challenge the legendary 3200-meter Grade 1 Melbourne Cup—the race that stops a nation! A massive field of 21 horses are contesting the crown. Rice Shower, wearing saddlecloth number 7, has been forced into Gate 21. Despite carrying a crushing top weight and breaking from the most disadvantageous gate on the track, let us send our prayers to our Black Assassin, and our loudest cheers to Jockey Shuta!"
"Rice Shower is locked in! All 21 horses are secure! The Melbourne Cup is imminent!"
The commentator's voice cracked with rising hysteria.
Click!
The sharp, metallic crack of the starting gates flying open was a sound both Shuta An and Rice Shower knew down to their very marrow.
Shuta An didn't even have to twitch his reins to urge her forward. Relying on the pure, predatory racing instincts of her as Umamusume, Rice Shower's muscles coiled and detonated a fraction of a second before the gates had even fully swung open.
What a terrifyingly fast break! Is his condition really this absolute today?!
Shuta An was genuinely startled. Knowing Rice Shower's standard gate speed, and actively deciding against a front-running Nige strategy, he hadn't planned on using his signature, hyper-aggressive start technique.
But Rice Shower had seized the initiative entirely on her own, violently launching herself out of the steel cage tenths of a second faster than every single rival on her inside.
(It might be a little confusing here. The description will use her as Rice's pronouns while others think or said about Rice's will use him as Rice was literally a stallion)
However, because we're exiled out in Gate 21, even a flawless break won't magically teleport us to the absolute front of the front.
Shuta An's mind raced, his shock instantly giving way to cold, tactical calculation.
But I can weaponize this momentum. I'll use his initial burst to aggressively slice inside, secure a front-stalking position, and find a large horse to draft behind and break this brutal Australian wind.
His physical actions remained completely fluid, unaffected by his initial surprise. He immediately capitalized on the precious advantage Rice Shower had gifted him, smoothly executing his pre-race blueprint.
The Melbourne Cup is unique; the starting line sits on a massive chute extending directly from the final straight, providing a grueling 800-meter sprint before the field even hits the first bend. It offers ample runway for the twenty-one horses to engage in a violent, high-speed chess match for positioning.
Shuta An navigated that 800-meter battlefield like a maestro conducting a symphony. Using Rice Shower's explosive break, he aggressively angled her inward, cutting across the turbulent field with surgical precision.
By the time they flashed past the grandstands and crossed the finish line for the very first time, Shuta An had flawlessly slotted Rice Shower into sixth place. He was tucked perfectly into the slipstream of Paris Lane, completely shielded from the wind, his breathing settling into a calm, terrifyingly focused cruising rhythm.