Regardless of what was happening in the Student Council office of Central Tracen Academy—
After Shuta An brought Berno Light back to the Academy, he instructed the her to deliver the purchased shoes and horseshoes to Oguri Cap. Then, he returned to his office, intending to tidy up his workspace and leave early. This attitude was rather unique at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy—other Trainers, even when they had nothing to do, would still dutifully stay at their desks until the official closing time.
Only this young man, with the Director's permission, could be so leisurely.
"No races recently. Next week, we can officially enter summer vacation mode," Shuta An mused to himself, humming a tune as he briskly walked toward his office. "Then, I'll take Oguri Cap and Berno Light to Hokkaido, where I'll give Oguri Cap special training, visit her mother, and finally strive for victory in the Hokkaido Shimbun Hai (G3). As long as I achieve that last goal, this summer vacation will be perfect."
At least, for now, Shuta An couldn't think of anything else he needed to do during the summer vacation... But when he reached his office door and saw his friend pacing back and forth outside, he couldn't help but mutter, "Why is Mr. Kitahara standing here again?"
Unable to guess the reason, Shuta An approached and greeted his friend, "Mr. Kitahara, good afternoon. What brings you here? Are you looking for a chat?"
"Good afternoon, Ann-san. I heard a rumor in the Academy, so I came to find you," Mr. Kitahara replied, immediately denying Shuta An's guess and stating his purpose directly.
"What rumor?" a puzzled Shuta An asked, tilting his head. "It's not the one about me and Berno Light going on a date, is it? I was just with her, picking out spare running shoes and horseshoes for Oguri Cap."
He and Berno Light had known each other for less than two months; how could the Academy's gossip already fast-forward to dating? Shuta An muttered inwardly.
"It's not that," Mr. Kitahara quickly waved his hands. "The rumor in the Academy is that Oguri Cap will be transferring to Central very soon."
"Huh? I haven't even heard such news. Where did the people in the Academy hear it from?" Shuta An's eyes widened at the unexpected "rumor." "Would someone that capable really be content staying in Kasamatsu?"
"Uh—" Mr. Kitahara's mouth twitched, and he retorted along the same line of thought, "Then what about Oguri Cap, the Uma Musume you're training...?"
"I haven't heard anything like that," Shuta An shook his head firmly.
"What if Central Tracen Academy extends an invitation? What will you do then, Ann-san? Will you stop her?" Mr. Kitahara pressed, hoping his friend would plan ahead. He imagined himself in the same situation and thought that if Fujimasa March were scouted by Central, he'd be too heartbroken to continue as a Trainer.
"Then I'll follow her," Shuta An replied without hesitation, his tone calm and certain.
Mr. Kitahara rolled his eyes helplessly, muttering, "I knew it," under his breath before reminding his friend aloud, "Ann-san, don't forget that Central Trainers must pass an exam, and there's only one chance per year in June. This year's exam is already over, so the next opportunity is a year from now."
"..."
Shuta An fell silent. Of course, he knew Central Trainers needed to pass an exam, but he had never considered entering Central Tracen Academy that way—he had always believed he would receive a recommendation from the "Emperor" after achieving success.
"Must I take the exam? Is there no way around it?" he frowned, asking.
Mr. Kitahara guessed what he was thinking and, with a bitter smile, gave the cruel answer: "Since the founding of the Japan URA Association, there has never been an exception. Anyone who wants to become a Central Trainer must pass the Central exam, and it's only held once a year."
Shuta An wasn't so arrogant as to believe he would be the first "exception" in history. He was long past the chuunibyou stage of thinking himself the protagonist. His friend's words made his chest tighten—
"Before next June, if Central extends an olive branch to Oguri Cap..."
If Oguri Cap were trained by any other local Trainer, moving to Central would surely benefit her future.
But Oguri Cap's Trainer was Shuta An.
In the past six months, he had gained a clear understanding of Trainer standards across Japan. If Oguri Cap went to Central, she would enjoy better living conditions, meet Central Uma Musume, and train on more advanced tracks... But if she stayed with him—he glanced at the attribute viewer, focusing on Oguri Cap's stats, especially the intimacy value whose exact function was still unknown—and compared it to the difference in training levels between Central and local Trainers.
Shuta An made up his mind.
"I won't let go," he said firmly, without a trace of hesitation. "No one is more suited to train Oguri Cap than me—not even Central Trainers. She's the only hope I've waited half a year for. No one can take her from me. Not even Central's 'Emperor.'"
"But what if they promise Oguri Cap better development prospects if she goes to Central?" Mr. Kitahara cautiously suggested—a realistic concern, given how often similar things happened. Even recently, a Uma Musume who won the Tokai Derby had received an invitation from Central and declared her intention to transfer.
"Central's Trainers can't deliver on their promises—my training skills are far beyond theirs," Shuta An grinned. "Even the 'Emperor's' expedition was ruined by those fools. Why should Oguri Cap—or I—believe they can train her better? Just because of the word 'Central'?"
Instinctively, Shuta An reached for his chest pocket—where his Trainer ID used to be when he worked at West Coast Tracen Academy.
Only then did he remember he had already resigned from there.
"'Central' is indeed stronger than the local regions, and I admit I want to go there," he said seriously, ignoring the momentary slip. "But Oguri Cap's most suitable Trainer is me, and the best place for her to stay is here with me."
"I'll work with her step by step to shatter Central's arrogance," Shuta An clenched his fists. "Who says local Uma Musumes can't conquer the world?!"
At that moment, Shuta An abandoned his earlier goal of merely "winning Central's major races."
"I want Oguri Cap to conquer all of Japan," he told himself inwardly.
Neither Shuta An nor Mr. Kitahara noticed a pair of gray filly ears twitching at the corner of the corridor. Although he now had a higher goal, Shuta An wasn't yet ready to change Oguri Cap's training plan.
Before that, one thing needed to be made clear—what exactly did "conquering all of Japan" mean? Was it claiming the honor of the generational peak, the "Japanese Derby"? Winning the Arima Kinen, which all of Japan watched every year? Achieving seven G1 victories, like the "Emperor"? Becoming the most popular Uma Musume of her generation?
Or something else?
Shuta An didn't have a definite answer. But deep down, a bold idea surfaced in his mind.
"If Oguri Cap can win a G1 on Japanese soil, perhaps I can take her on an expedition to America once... If she wins, that would be a feat even the 'Emperor' Symboli Rudolf couldn't achieve." The thought almost made him laugh aloud.
Although Symboli Rudolf's failed expedition wasn't truly her fault, recalling the American media's pre-race hype and her result—failing to even make the top five—still made it hard for Shuta An to keep a straight face.
"If Symboli Rudolf had been trained by me." he murmured, "I'd never have let her challenge an American turf race... Or at least not the San Luis Rey Stakes at Santa Anita Park. Wouldn't it have been better to run the Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga instead?"
(San Luis Rey right now only Graded 3 (GIII) race in America, but before that I google it and found that it was Graded 1(GI) stake)
With that thought, Shuta An became even more unwilling to let anyone else take over Oguri Cap's training.
"Letting those incompetent Trainers handle her would only dim Oguri Cap's future," he muttered, clenching his fists.
"Trainer?" Oguri Cap, having finished her warm-up, approached and softly called out, pulling him back to reality. "What should I do next?"
Shuta An looked up at the clear, boundless sky, recalled the morning weather forecast, and made a decision.
"Let's go swimming in the pool," he said, meeting Oguri Cap's gaze. "The Academy's pool is open today."
Swimming could train a Uma Musume's cardiopulmonary endurance, and compared to running on the Slope Road, it placed much lighter strain on the legs. For rest days without running, Shuta An believed swimming was even more effective than slope training. Yet, for the first time, Oguri Cap—who had never resisted his instructions—showed a reluctant expression.
"You don't want to go to the pool?" Shuta noticed her hesitation and asked.
"I'm not very good at swimming" Oguri Cap admitted softly. "I've never been good at it since I was little, and I never went into the water back home—I always stayed on the beach."
Shuta An hadn't expected that a Gray Filly from Hokkaido wouldn't know how to swim. The discovery genuinely surprised him. But he couldn't simply let Oguri Cap continue running laps during her recovery training. After some thought, he came up with a compromise.
"The Academy has kickboards. It'd be good for Oguri Cap to hold one and do a few laps around the pool," he suggested.
"Hmm… alright." Oguri Cap realized she couldn't avoid the pool today.
Although the swimming pool was open, it was crowded with Uma Musume, making it a "restricted area" for male Trainers. Even under the guise of "guidance training," male Trainers were forbidden from entering the pool—or even watching from the side. Thus, despite Oguri Cap's confession that she couldn't swim, Shuta An had no choice but to entrust her to Berno Light's care while he stayed outside.
"It'd be great if there were a private pool," Shuta An muttered by the training ground. "Then I could properly observe Oguri Cap's training condition."
He swore to heaven—he had no ulterior motives. Meanwhile, at the pool, Oguri Cap floated on her back, holding the kickboard Shuta An had given her.
"Oguri, you can't just float like that! It won't have any training effect!" Berno Light called out helplessly.
Oguri Cap heard her friend and started to splash her legs awkwardly, circling clumsily in the water. Berno Light, also wearing the Academy's uniform swimsuit, covered her face, unable to bear watching her friend's "pitiful" form.
"I say, Berno" Norn Ace, who had also come to cool off, couldn't help but comment, "Oguri Cap is struggling so much. Instead of just watching, why not get in and help fix her posture?"
"Oh, you're right," Berno Light realized belatedly, jumping into the pool and easily swimming over to Oguri Cap's side. She began correcting the Gray Filly's awkward posture—even for a backstroke, with a kickboard, it wasn't hard for Oguri Cap to adjust.
After several minutes, Oguri Cap, obediently following Berno Light's instructions, finally looked less clumsy.
"Thanks, Norn!" Berno Light wiped the water splashed on her face and called out to the girl on the shore.
"Don't mention it." Norn Ace waved her hand dismissively. "I just didn't want to get splashed later when I go in myself."
"Hmm…" Oguri Cap pouted at the teasing but lacked the confidence to respond.
After several laps, Oguri Cap climbed out of the pool, still holding the kickboard. Sitting on the edge, she turned to Berno Light, who had also gotten out of the water. "It seems someone wants me to go to Central."
"Huh?!" Berno Light almost slipped back into the pool in surprise. "Has someone invited you already?"
"No, I heard it from March," Oguri Cap shook her head. "But according to her, Trainer doesn't want me to go to Central."
"Then… does Oguri want to go to Central?" Berno Light bit her lip, asking carefully. "If you go there, you could compete with stronger opponents."
"But I'd have to leave Berno Light-chan and Trainer, right?" Oguri Cap pointed out.
"Yes, but if Oguri goes to Central, it's fine to leave me," Berno Light said quietly—she had thought about Oguri Cap's retirement before, but never about her being scouted by Central.
"Then forget it." Oguri Cap lay back beside the pool, gazing up at the summer sky. "Trainer has so many expectations for me. If I went to Central alone, it would feel like betraying him."