"First, McQueen."
Kuroha turned his gaze toward McQueen, who was sitting primly by the tea table.
Hearing that, the purple-haired girl instinctively straightened her back and looked seriously back at her trainer.
"The plan for the first half of the year is simple."
As he spoke, Kuroha wrote a few large words on the whiteboard.
Spring - Tenno Sho (Spring)!
"There's only one core objective: the Tenno Sho (Spring)."
"That race plan was decided a long time ago, and it won't be changed this year."
Even though Ardan had already won the Tenno Sho (Spring) last year, and had even completed the feat of winning both the spring and autumn editions, that was the kind of title the Mejiro girls could never have too much of.
No matter how the broader race schedule changed, the Tenno Sho (Spring) was the one race that would never be removed.
"Yes! I'll bring that glory back to Chasing Light."
McQueen nodded solemnly.
"Mm."
Kuroha gave a satisfied nod, then continued, "As for the schedule in the second half of the year..."
The second half of the year...?
Across from him, the moment she heard those words, a faint flicker passed through McQueen's eyes.
For some reason, a trace of melancholy welled up in her heart.
The disastrous scene behind her at the finish line of the Arima Kinen a month ago still felt vivid in her memory.
Among the active Central Umamusume, whether they were rivals of her own generation or seniors from the previous one, none of them were her equals anymore...
After winning the Tenno Sho (Spring), should she really follow in Ardan's footsteps and once again complete the spring-autumn Tenno Sho double?
At that thought, the usually elegant and composed young lady of the Mejiro family pressed her lips together slightly.
Her fingers tightened around the hem of her skirt, and a rare trace of unease and hesitation flashed through her eyes.
She looked as though she wanted to say something, yet did not know how to begin.
But soon enough, McQueen gathered her courage and lifted her head. Just as she was about to speak, her eyes met Kuroha's.
From McQueen's point of view, it was as though her trainer understood her perfectly, the two of them sharing a silent moment of mutual understanding.
Then Kuroha blinked lightly.
"Leave it to me. Don't worry."
It felt as though his voice had sounded directly inside her heart, and McQueen instantly calmed down.
Seeing that, Kuroha smiled, turned back around, and abruptly changed direction, his tone suddenly carrying astonishing force.
"In the second half of her senior year, McQueen will give up the Central autumn schedule and head overseas!"
"!"
The moment those words fell, a small uproar instantly swept through the room.
Even McQueen, who had already been somewhat mentally prepared, could not help having her heart jump.
"Huh?!"
The small horse ears atop Teio's head shot upright at once. "McQueen's going overseas too?"
Kuroha nodded, then deliberately asked, "What's wrong? Does Teio want to go too? It's not impossible, you know. The timing would actually be just right for you."
"Eh? N-no, no! I was just asking!"
The moment it sounded like her trainer might really toss her overseas, Teio hurriedly shook her head and waved both hands.
Her dream of an undefeated Triple Crown had not yet been realized.
She had not even taken the first step toward it yet, so how could she possibly go on an overseas campaign now?
The murmurs in the room only lasted for a moment before dying down.
After all, with Oguri Cap's glorious overseas exploits and mountain of honors already setting a shining example, the girls of Chasing Light had developed an extremely high tolerance for the idea of "overseas campaigns."
Everyone except Fumino.
Ever since she took the materials and flipped through them, the purple-haired beauty had fallen silent.
And after Kuroha finalized McQueen's schedule for the latter half of the year, the look in her eyes had grown complicated.
Yet she did not interrupt the meeting.
She simply kept listening in silence.
"All right, McQueen's target is set. Next up is our Lady Teio~"
Kuroha tossed out the line with a teasing smile.
"Yay!"
Teio responded right on cue, full of delight.
Chuckling softly, Kuroha switched to a different colored marker on the whiteboard and wrote down three names that carried tremendous weight:
Satsuki Sho, Japanese Derby, Kikuka Sho.
"Teio, your goal is obvious: to claim the highest honor on this Classic route - the Classic Triple Crown."
"Oohhh! Leave it to me, Trainer!"
Teio excitedly threw both hands into the air, her face overflowing with confidence. "This Teio is absolutely going to win the Triple Crown, so just watch!"
"Having spirit is a good thing."
Kuroha smiled and tapped the whiteboard, but his expression quickly grew serious.
"But my condition is this: you do it while staying absolutely healthy."
Hearing that, Teio quieted down and tilted her head slightly.
"Teio, your running style puts an enormous burden on your legs. So during this year's training, I'm going to monitor the condition of your legs extremely closely."
"If you feel any discomfort at all, you must report it to either me or Aoi immediately. You are absolutely not allowed to hide it. Understood?"
Even when Teio had still been a young horse girl, Kuroha had already deliberately arranged training specifically focused on the flexibility of her legs.
And now Teio's current level of ability had clearly, like McQueen's, surpassed the girls of her generation by several tiers.
Under normal racing conditions, the odds of an accident like the one in the original timeline were extremely low.
But nothing was ever absolute.
There was no harm in being extra careful.
Kuroha would never ignore the health of his own girls just because he had a Panacea.
"Mm... got it."
Feeling both her trainer's concern and his sternness, Teio obediently stuck out her tongue for a moment and gave him a serious answer.
Lastly, Kuroha turned his gaze toward the "three little ones" sitting on the bench, their eyes quietly fixed on him.
"Bourbon, Rice, Suzuka. None of you have gone through True Blooming yet, so this year you'll continue with the same foundational training model as usual."
"Yes!"
"Understood, Master!"
"Okay, Trainer big brother..."
Three somewhat youthful voices, each with its own distinct character, answered in turn.
"As for Oguri and Ardan..."
Hearing themselves finally brought up, both Oguri and Ardan looked over.
Then they saw Kuroha smile faintly at them and say, "Just like before, pick whatever race you like and go run it!"
"Yes, Trainer~"
Ardan replied with a bright smile.
Beside her, Oguri Cap stayed silent for a few seconds, then gave a slight nod.
"...Understood."
Looking at the somewhat dimmed look in Oguri's eyes, Kuroha let out a sigh inwardly.
He still had no way to do anything about the end of a horse girl's peak period.
Even Godolphin's stance on the matter had been exceptionally firm.
The amount of power they could use in the mortal world was limited. If they extended the blessing period of one Umamusume, then the blessing period of another Umamusume somewhere in the world would be shortened by the same amount.
That was unfair.
They were the Three Goddesses of the Umamusume. To every child, they were equally impartial, showing favoritism to none.
...
After fully laying out this year's plans for all his girls, Kuroha also carefully assigned the directions and responsibilities that Aoi and Fumino would each be in charge of.
Only after the meeting had gone on for more than an hour did it finally come to an end.
Then everyone dispersed.
Those who needed to train went off to train. Those who needed to handle records went off to handle records.
Very quickly.
Only Kuroha and Fumino remained in the trainer's office.
After a stretch of silence in the room...
"You... are you sure about this, Kuroha?"
Fumino, who at some point had lazily curled up on the sofa in the corner, was now looking at the schedule Kuroha had sent her earlier.
"What?"
Kuroha was sitting at the tea table drinking tea, and he looked up when he heard her.
"What do you mean, what?" Fumino said with a speechless look, lightly shaking the papers in her hand.
They were McQueen's follow-up race plans.
The first half was laid out in meticulous detail, including the Tenno Sho (Spring) and every other race she was set to enter.
She had no issue with any of that.
The problem was the latter half of the plan - the overseas campaign.
If it had been an ordinary overseas campaign, like going to Hong Kong, Ireland, or even America as before, she could have accepted it calmly.
But the issue was that in the latter half of this schedule, there was one race printed there in plain view, a race all Central Umamusume and trainers regarded as the ultimate summit.
In France, the international G1 title race - the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. (en.wikipedia.org)
Faced with Fumino's question, Kuroha merely smiled and nodded.
"Trust me."
"..."
Hearing that, Fumino opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she only let out a long sigh.
"I got it."
(End of Chapter)
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