It was strange. According to meteorological data from previous years, Mombetsu usually experienced around eight rainy days in August. Yet that year, it wasn't until August 23rd that Mombetsu Town—and even Biratori Town—finally received their first rainfall of the month. And when it rained, it poured. The downpour showed no sign of stopping.
From the 25th onward, the outdoor training grounds became completely unusable.
Shuta An had no choice in this. At best, he could only have Oguri Cap bring an umbrella to the swimming pool and use the equipment there for light exercises to maintain her physical condition.
As he sat in the lobby, watching the sheets of rain with a furrowed brow, Tojo Hana took the seat opposite him.
"Look on the bright side," she said cheerfully. "The Uma Musume of Mombetsu Tracen Academy can't use their outdoor grounds either."
"But it's still a Tracen Academy," Shuta An replied, shaking his head. "They probably have an indoor gym to rely on. The only thing worth celebrating is that I've already gotten Oguri Cap used to entering race condition at night—around race time."
He said it lightly, but only he and Berno Light knew how much hardship that had taken. It wasn't until recently that Shuta An discovered Oguri Cap's body would uncontrollably tremble whenever she entered race condition. The trembling wouldn't stop unless she engaged in more physical activity.
To help her, Berno Light once made a suggestion she would soon come to regret—
a pillow fight among the three of them in the guest room.
If Shuta An had the average fitness of a Trainer, the result might have been him being easily "suppressed" by Berno Light and Oguri Cap under a storm of pillows.
But his physical strength had long been recognized by top Uma Musume.
So, every night around nine o'clock, Berno Light would inevitably end up buried in a sea of pillows—defeated by the combined onslaught of Shuta An and Oguri Cap.
Of course, during these nightly pillow fights, they were all dressed in pajamas. Inevitably, there were many close encounters, and Shuta An's eyes had more than enough to feast upon. Yet every time temptation surfaced, he forced himself to stay composed—completely focused on what he called "Oguri Cap's energy consumption activity."
Only late at night, when he was alone in his room, would he bury his face under the quilt, trying to erase those vivid memories from his mind. And when his emotions finally calmed, he would fall asleep, entering the Dream World to continue his "jockey" training in another Kasamatsu.
In that Dream World, just yesterday, Sagami Masayuki had granted him a chance that every jockey in Kasamatsu would envy—a partnership with Oguri Cap to challenge an open race in Nagoya.
"This is much later than when I made that decision in reality," Shuta An muttered to himself at the time.
Snapping back to reality, the young man turned his attention back to his conversation with Tojo Hana. "In about an hour, the newspaper delivery should arrive. I'm really looking forward to seeing which Uma Musume from Mombetsu will be Oguri Cap's opponents."
"No matter who it is, they won't stand a chance against her." Tojo Hana shook her head firmly. "Honestly, if you weren't her Trainer, Shuta-kun, I'd want to scout Oguri Cap for Central myself. I'm sure she'll be a strong contender in next year's Classic Race line."
"But alas," she sighed, pouting playfully, "Shuta-kun is her Trainer. I don't think I could train Oguri Cap better than you could. So—when are you planning to come to Central, Shuta-kun? I'd really love to see you give a lesson to those scoundrel colleagues of mine who barely pay attention to their Uma Musume anymore."
"When Oguri Cap retires," Shuta An replied with a shrug. "I promised the Director of Kasamatsu that I'd make her an idol of Kasamatsu first."
He smiled wryly. "And besides, even if Oguri Cap transfers to Central, I don't have the qualifications yet for a Central Trainer's license. I need to produce real results with her first, then wait until at least next June before I can even take the exam. I might as well stay in Kasamatsu with her until then."
"Once she retires, I'll have no more obligations."
"That's only about three years," Tojo Hana said knowingly. "By then, I'll let you see Silence Suzuka, who will have grown into a first-class Uma Musume!"
"Alright," Shuta An said, just as the newspaper delivery finally arrived.
He unfolded one and quickly found the entry list for the upcoming Hokkaido Shimbun Hai (G3).
"This year's race only has eight entries…" he murmured, frowning. In previous years, the event always drew a full gate of sixteen. Half the slots being empty was practically unheard of.
"So even if I hadn't entered Oguri Cap in the Wakakoma Sho back then," he thought, "she still could've made it into this race just from her debut prize money."
Tojo Hana leaned over curiously, peeking at the list upside down. Shuta An was quick to explain each entry to her.
"DS Soarer — previously won a maiden race and took second in two open races here at Mombetsu."
"Murcielago — only one maiden win before entering this major race."
"Happy Green — won both her debut and an open race, and even placed second in Mombetsu's Rise Cup. A noteworthy opponent."
"Yamano Fight — two consecutive wins in Mombetsu's major races. She even went to Hakodate Racecourse in July to challenge a Central major, the Hakodate Nisai Stakes, but her turf adaptability was too poor, and she was soundly defeated. Still, since this race is on dirt, she's not to be underestimated."
"Southern Vigorous — three straight wins after debut and a Mombetsu major title, but failed to win her last two. Less threatening than the previous two."
"Feel Super — won her debut, tried her luck in Central, and now returns to Mombetsu for the first time."
Finally, Shuta An's finger rested on the last name below Oguri Cap. His tone grew serious.
"Don Fortis."
"She's Oguri Cap's most dangerous opponent in this race."
"Indeed." Tojo Hana nodded. "She debuted in Central and won all three of her races before transferring to Mombetsu. Her ability is absolutely Central Grade level."
Shuta An smiled faintly. "Then if Oguri Cap beats Don Fortis… that means she's reached Central Grade level herself, right?"
After three days of heavy rain, the cumulonimbus clouds over Hokkaido finally rested for a day. On this day, Mombetsu Racecourse was set to announce the gate assignments for the Hokkaido Shimbun Hai (G3).
Since it was merely a national local exchange G3 race, there was no gate draw ceremony, nor were the participating Uma Musume invited to choose their gates in person. Shuta An and Oguri Cap could only make the most of their time, finding their rhythm on the training ground of the hot spring inn while waiting for the results.
After lunch, Shuta An, dressed neatly in a new outfit, sat in a corner of the lobby with a cup of iced Americano, waiting for the Mombetsu Racecourse staff to deliver the announcement.
Tojo Hana, seated opposite him with a cup of barley tea, smiled and asked, "I'm curious, Shuta-kun—do you have a preferred gate? Or do you think Oguri Cap will be fine no matter where she starts?"
"While I'd like to say the latter—and I do believe Oguri Cap has that kind of ability—but…" Shuta An shrugged lightly. "As a Trainer, I naturally hope the Uma Musume I'm responsible for can have the best possible conditions before the race. So I'm hoping she draws an outside gate. Statistically, that's the one with the highest win rate at Mombetsu."
"Then I'll wish for your hopes to come true." Tojo Hana raised her cup with a grin.
Shuta An raised his as well, finishing the last drop of coffee. "It'd be nice if we get it—but it won't matter if we don't."
…A little while later, the Mombetsu Racecourse staff arrived. Shuta An immediately went up to meet him and received the sealed envelope. Right there, in front of the staff, he opened it and unfolded the gate sheet.
At a glance, his brows furrowed. He exhaled and said simply, "You've worked hard."
"It's no trouble—it's our job," the staff replied, waving his hand before leaving.
Shuta An nodded and watched him go.
Tojo Hana approached and asked, "So? What's the result?"
He handed her the gate sheet and pouted. "Not quite what we hoped for—gate number 1."
"Then will she take the lead?" Tojo Hana asked, recalling the Mombetsu Racecourse's characteristics from countless analyses Shuta An had shared before.
"It's impossible for Oguri Cap to try an untested leading tactic here." Shuta An shook his head. "Starting from the innermost gate makes it too easy to get boxed in. It's better to give up on taking the lead and aim for a trailing run."
"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Silence Suzuka interjected, having listened quietly until now. "If too many try to lead, that gives late-surger runners an opening."
"Unless the weather surprises us, there'll be more rain in the coming days. And at Mombetsu, moisture evaporates slowly—there's about an 80% chance we'll have a bad track on race day." Shuta An's frown began to ease.
"I've got it!" He clenched his fist, eyes brightening. "The inner gate might actually work in our favor!"
When the dirt track turns bad, the sand becomes thinner, letting Uma Musume run faster. Normally, the inner lane's disadvantage comes from thicker sand—but with the recent downpours, both inner and outer lanes have likely evened out.
"Mombetsu Uma Musume, like those in Tokai, hate running the inner lane," he continued confidently, "but Oguri Cap's training has completely overcome that habit."
Silence Suzuka noticed the renewed determination in Shuta An's eyes.
"It's decided!" The young man grinned. "We'll save energy in the first half, then storm forward from the inside in the second—catching the hosts completely off guard!"
Back in the guest room, Shuta An explained the strategy in greater detail. Borrowing a whiteboard from Sachiko, he sketched a rough map of the Mombetsu track and broke down what Oguri Cap needed to do at each section.
After finishing, he added, "That said, I'm giving you freedom to improvise. If you feel there's a better move during the race, follow your instincts. Whatever the outcome, I won't blame you."
"I understand." Oguri Cap nodded firmly. "I won't disappoint you, Trainer."
"No." Shuta An shook his head. "Don't think about disappointing me—just don't disappoint yourself. When you look back on this race, I don't want you thinking, 'I wish I had done that.'"
"As long as you give it your all, I'll never be disappointed." He pointed to his eyes. "I'm the one who brought you here, to the Hokkaido Shimbun Hai (G3)."
"I will win." Oguri Cap rose from the sofa, pressing a hand to her chest and meeting his gaze. "When I came from Hokkaido to Kasamatsu, I wanted to race there to repay my mother's care."
"Trainer, you're the one who saw my potential and invited me to join your team."
"You're the one who gave me training beyond the academy level."
"You're the one who believed in my strength, let me race outside Kasamatsu, and encouraged me to reach for a bigger stage."
"You're the one who believes in me the most—besides my mother."
Her voice softened as she looked down. "For my first Graded race, I want to see Trainer's smile at the end."
It was the first time Shuta An had heard Oguri Cap speak so much at once.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy—Berno Light, sensing it, hid in the bedroom, quietly peeking through a cracked door.
"Look at me," Shuta An said, breaking the tension. He took Oguri Cap's hand and looked her directly in the eyes.
She met his gaze obediently. As he studied the face of the gray filly before him, he saw the anxiety she tried so hard to hide. It was her first national-level Grade race—several tiers above the Tokai Derby Prize she had only watched before. Her family would be in the stands… of course she was nervous.
Gathering his thoughts, Shuta An spoke gently but firmly:
"Oguri Cap, you are my hope. I will always believe you are the strongest Uma Musume. Together, we can win any race."
"Please believe in yourself, just as I have always believed in you."
Then, placing her hand on his chest, he said quietly, "Let my heart bear witness."