Compared to Oguri Cap's previous training regimen, the new program devised by Shuta An reduced the number of laps around the Academy track, replacing them with exercises using a variety of specialized equipment.
After selling his house in Los Angeles and celebrating Oguri Cap's victory in the Hokkaido Shimbun Hai (G3), Shuta An found himself in a much more comfortable financial position. Through Berno Light's family, he ordered an extensive set of high-end sports equipment.
All of it was temporarily stored in several unused classrooms, specially approved by the Director. Shuta An even proposed building a dedicated gym—an idea that was now under discussion among the Academy's senior management. Until the bureaucratic debates were settled, only Oguri Cap was permitted to use the equipment, which included treadmills, rowing machines, and more.
"Trainer, you bought so much, Oguri won't be able to use all of this for years, will she?" Berno Light sighed as she looked over the bill, her heart aching a little. "And Trainer, you even specified that everything had to be imported…"
"If we don't use it all, we'll leave it for the other Uma Musume at the Academy," Shuta An said with an easy shrug, unconcerned by how much extra money he had spent. "Once Oguri retires, we'll be heading to Central anyway. What'll be left here at Kasamatsu then? Memories? If so, we should at least leave behind something useful. Whether they use it or not will be up to them."
Berno Light flipped through the instruction manuals, curiously examining the machines. "It seems like a lot of this equipment focuses on leg training."
"The main focus is on cardio and lower-body strength, along with balance and coordination," Shuta An explained, glancing toward Oguri Cap, who was busy surveying the new indoor layout. "From now on, this will be the place you'll be training in the most each week."
"Will the training time still be as short as before?" Oguri Cap asked—her question not quite what Shuta An had expected.
"No, of course not," he replied, chuckling. "When you train on the track, I have to account for leg fatigue from acceleration, so I have to control your training time carefully. But with this equipment, the duration can be extended safely."
He then handed her a neat stack of papers from his arms. "This is your daily equipment training schedule from today until one week before the Chukyo Hai. After the race, I'll adjust your plan according to your performance."
"Okay," Oguri Cap said, folding the papers carefully and—without much thought—tucking them into her cleavage for safekeeping. Shuta An's eyes instinctively followed the motion before he quickly looked away.
Over the following month, he trained alongside Oguri Cap every day. Since there was only one of each piece of equipment, he always used them after she finished.
After training, he would return to the office, sometimes chatting with Mr. Kitahara about racing strategies and training precautions. During his free time, he taught Berno Light how to analyze race data, often in quiet corners of the Academy.
Meanwhile, Oguri Cap's mother had tidied up her old house and moved to Kasamatsu, which meant Oguri often brought her Trainer meals cooked by her mother. This led to Shuta An gaining a bit of weight—something Berno Light was quick to point out—so he quietly increased his own training load.
At night, as he drifted into sleep, he continued his work as an apprentice jockey in the Dream World.
During this period, the horse with weaker riding skills also began performing remarkably well, and Shuta An received numerous riding commissions. The trade-off, however, was less time spent training Oguri Cap in the real world.
For Shuta An, those other horse were just passing time; only Oguri Cap felt truly connected to his reality. He often wondered—if their bond reached its peak, what would happen?
For now, though, that goal still seemed far away. But he wasn't in a hurry—there was still plenty of time.
With one week left until the Chukyo Hai, Shuta An decided it was time for Oguri Cap to rest.
"The Chukyo Hai is on the 14th," he said. "For the next few days, you'll only need light morning exercises. On the 10th, we'll do a solo 6F (1200 meters) run on the training track at an 85-second pace. After that, no more intense training—just focus on building stamina."
"Mm!" Oguri Cap nodded energetically and stepped off the rowing machine she had been about to use.
She no longer sneaked in extra training sessions like she had in April. Over the past month, even though Shuta An had reduced her time on the track, she could clearly feel her strength improving—especially after winning a G3 race over the summer. The Gray Umamusume no longer needed to secretly overwork herself to grow stronger.
Three days earlier, Fujimasa March had dominated the Youth Crown Race, winning by a clean five-length margin. In her post-race interview, she had boldly issued a public challenge to Oguri Cap, in front of reporters and spectators alike.
"Mr. Kitahara is really determined to beat us," Berno muttered. "But Trainer, you've been easing up Oguri's training lately. Is that really okay?"
"What's the rush?" Shuta An replied casually, glancing at Oguri Cap, who stood quietly by the classroom door. "Let her rest well. When the Chukyo Hai comes, we'll show Mr. Kitahara and Fujimasa March what it means to be a summer champion."
Oguri Cap nodded repeatedly. To her, Norn Ace and the others were friends—but on the track, the only rival at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy who truly made her serious was Fujimasa March.
Meanwhile, at Central Tracen Academy in Tokyo, Symboli Rudolf was holding up a race poster in the Student Council office. "On the 14th, the Chukyo Racecourse will host the Chukyo Hai, a race for Uma Musume from the Tokai region. That gray umamusume—the one who won the Hokkaido Shimbun Hai (G3), the one Trainer Tojo mentioned—will be participating. I plan to go watch it live. How about you?"
"Oh? The local Uma Musume trained by that young man?" Maruzensky smiled playfully as she accepted the invitation. "Then I definitely have to see her for myself."
Before either could say more, the office door swung open. A chestnut-haired girl burst in with her usual enthusiasm.
"Kaichou~! I want to go to Chukyo too!"
October 14th, Wednesday.
The Chukyo Racecourse had not hosted any events from the Central Twinkle Series or the Dream Trophy Series during this period. As a Central Racecourse located in the Chubu region, however, it had a unique responsibility other Central venue did not share—it also hosted local races for the Tokai region.
Of course, even when holding local events, the prestige of a Central Racecourse never dimmed. Take today's highlight, for instance—the Chukyo Hai. It was a stakes race limited to first-year debut Uma Musume from the Tokai area, yet its prize purse reached a substantial 3.6 million yen, far surpassing the sums offered at Kasamatsu or Nagoya. Still, to Shuta An and Oguri Cap, that amount was now only considered average.
There was a reason, however, that Shuta An had chosen the Chukyo Hai over the Youth Crown Race held ten days earlier—this race was a 1200-meter turf sprint.
In other words, it would let Oguri Cap experience a Central turf track for the first time.
Shuta An was already confident in Oguri Cap's turf adaptability. But confidence alone wasn't enough—she needed to feel that adaptability herself. And the Chukyo Hai, in his mind, was the perfect opportunity for her to realize just how naturally she could handle turf.
Oguri Cap, sitting quietly in the back seat of the BE-1, was unaware of the reasoning behind her Trainer's decision. Her crimson eyes sparkled as she looked around with curiosity.
There were far more spectators today than she'd seen at any Tokai race before—after all, as a Central-managed racecourse, Chukyo's capacity exceeded that of both Kasamatsu and Nagoya combined, and then some.
"It feels like there are even more people here than there was that day at the end of August," Berno remarked from the passenger seat beside Oguri Cap.
"Instead of marveling at the crowd, Berno, you should focus on helping Oguri get used to her shoes later," Shuta An reminded from the driver's seat. "This is a turf race, so both her running shoes and horseshoes have been changed."
"Hai, hai, hai~," Berno Light puffed her cheeks, clearly sulking a little. "Don't worry, Trainer, I made sure to pick out the best turf running shoes for Oguri!"
"Just like I explained to you yesterday," Shuta An continued, turning his attention to Oguri Cap, "this turf track is 1200 meters, roughly horseshoe-shaped. With gate number 3, we have a strong starting advantage. This time, I want you to stay right on her tail from the start—just like in your previous race with Fujimasa March. Once you come out of the bend, accelerate immediately, without hesitation. The final stretch here is 412 meters long, but there's an uphill segment in the middle, nearly as challenging as Nakayama's. That section drastically affects sprinting speed, so you'll need to overtake as quickly as possible."
"I understand," Oguri Cap said firmly, her tone focused and unwavering. "I'll make sure this victory is mine."
"Of course," Shuta An grinned, parking the car.
Symboli Rudolf and Maruzensky arrived not long after, stepping out of their car with a chestnut-haired Uma Musume following close behind.
"Kaichou~! Let's go in together!" the deer-colored Uma Musume said eagerly, already taking a step past Rudolf toward the entrance.
"Teio-chan, don't rush ahead," Maruzensky said gently, resting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder to stop her. "Rudolf probably has someone she's waiting for. Let's wait with her for a bit."
"Kaichou's waiting for someone?" Tokai Teio blinked, tilting her head. "Who could it be?"
"Hehe." Maruzensky knew perfectly well, but simply brought a finger to her lips with a teasing shh instead of answering.
A short distance away, after watching Oguri Cap and Berno Light enter the Chukyo Racecourse through the internal passage, Shuta An turned to head toward the main stands through the public gate.
When he reached the entrance, however, he found it packed with people.
"It looks like they're watching something," he muttered with a frown.
He was curious, but he had priorities—he needed to secure a good spot near the railing to closely observe Oguri Cap's running condition after a month of training. So he began weaving his way through the crowd, edging closer step by step.
But just as he was about to enter the course—
"Shuta An!!"
A voice he hadn't heard in a year rang out behind him.
His mouth twitched. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Why is it always the person you least want to see who shows up at the worst time…?"
Turning around, he forced a polite smile and waved at the source of the voice—Symboli Rudolf, who was now approaching with the two Uma Musume beside her. Bathed in the curious gazes of bystanders, Shuta An stood motionless until the three reached him.
"It's been a long time, Shuta-kun," said Central's 'Emperor,' greeting him with her usual radiant composure.
Shuta An gave a small bow. "I didn't expect Miss Symboli Rudolf to come all the way to our countryside races."
"Hehe," Rudolf chuckled softly, her tone serene as ever. "The overall standard of Tokai Uma Musume may not be exceptional, but knowing you, Shuta-kun, I'm sure you've trained someone worth my attention."
"Of course," he replied without hesitation. "In fact, we plan to challenge the Central circuit next year."
"Oh? Is that so?" Maruzensky's eyes widened slightly in mock surprise. "Then we'll just have to watch closely and see how strong your Uma Musume really is."
Behind them, the deer-colored Uma Musume—Teio—was glancing back and forth between the adults, curiosity burning in her bright eyes.
"I get the feeling the Kaichou might've done something to upset him…" she muttered under her breath.
Just then, Shuta An's gaze shifted toward her. He stepped forward, studying the young Uma Musume with interest.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Me?" Teio blinked, pointing to herself. Then she straightened, eyes sparkling with unshaken confidence.
"My name is Tokai Teio! I'm an Uma Musume who will become an undefeated Triple Crown winner in the future!"