May 8th—Victory Day—was a public holiday in France.
The mood of the city seemed to match the weather: bright, warm sunlight bathed the streets, and the entire atmosphere felt relaxed and festive. At Longchamp Racecourse, after escorting Oguri Cap to the waiting room, Shuta An made his way to the VIP seating area. Unlike the set-up in Japan, the VIP section here was positioned remarkably close to the track.
"If this weren't the finish-line side, I could almost give instructions directly from the rail," he murmured as he surveyed the surroundings.
Berno Light, who had already tidied her seat, patted the empty spot beside her. A silent invitation. Shuta An sat down, looking up at the display board just as a pre-race promotional video was being broadcast.
And—unsurprisingly—not a single frame featured Oguri Cap.
"She's one of the competitors, yet they don't show her even once?" Berno Light puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"
"Arrogance always gets punished eventually." Shuta An didn't show any irritation. "Just watch and trust Oguri. It's only a hype—no need for you to get upset."
"I know it's trivial but it still feels unfair to her," Berno Light muttered, staring at the Longchamp turf. "I hope she crosses the finish line first."
"She will." Shuta An smiled and gently held her clenched fist. "And when she does, we really ought to thank Miss Miesque."
"Yes, we should send her a thank-you gift." Berno nodded in full agreement—then abruptly pulled her hand back, covered her face with both palms, and shook her head.
"B-but it's still too early to talk about what happens after winning—"
Shuta An withdrew his hand as well and straightened his posture, eyes fixed on the screen. "The parade's about to start."
Compared to the CM treatment, Oguri Cap received a much friendlier welcome during the parade. When she stepped onto the stage, a polite round of applause rose from the stands. The gray-haired Uma Musume waved calmly, then exited.
Her expression remained composed—untouched by being overlooked earlier.
"The audience is already being very gracious," Shuta An said before Berno could complain again. "We're challengers who crossed the sea to enter their Classic Race. Their applause is already generous."
"If an overseas Uma Musume tried to enter the Classic Race series in Japan—"He abruptly stopped. A realization hit him.
"Oh right. They can't. Japan doesn't even allow foreign entrants into our Classic Race Twinkle Series."
He let out a dry laugh. "I keep forgetting that."
"Trainer, don't dwell on it." Berno gave him a sideways look. "Aren't we carving a new path right now?"
"Let's hope our first step is a steady one," Shuta replied, glancing down—
Berno Light was gripping the corner of his coat tightly.
"She's really nervous for her," he thought.
Once the parade ended, it was time for the gates. On her walk toward the starting area, Oguri Cap was approached by several reporters. Unfortunately, her limited French and English prevented complex interviews, so only a handful of Japanese media reached out to her.
Seeing that, Shuta murmured, "I should add English training to Oguri's schedule."
"Eh?" Berno Light's ears twitched. "You want Oguri to learn English?"
"Yes. And you too, Berno," he added. "If we plan to travel overseas again in the future, we can't keep stumbling into language barriers like this."
Completely unaware of these new plans being made for her, Oguri Cap was sincerely answering the reporters' questions.
"The goal is, of course, to win," she declared. "No matter how strong my opponents are, I have to pursue victory as an Uma Musume. I believe they all think the same."
"To be honest, many experts in Japan are not optimistic" the reporter hesitated.
Oguri nodded calmly. "I can imagine. Before the Yayoi Sho, many people said it would be difficult for a local Uma Musume like me to win."
"So, is there anything you'd like to say to everyone back home?"
She placed her right hand on her chest, thought for a moment, then spoke clearly: "I will strive to break prejudice—whether here or in Japan."
Her tone left no room for doubt.
When the starting time drew near, the Longchamp live commentator began introducing each contender in the French 2000 Guineas.
Shuta An listened carefully—not only for Oguri's announcement but also the favorites:
(Note: This gate position might not reflect the IRL race counterpart)
"Gate 1, Oguri Cap. The first Uma Musume in history from Asia to compete abroad. She won a 2000-meter G2 turf race in her previous start in Japan."
(Oguri is really the first Umamusume in Asia especially Japan to compete aboard In Classic Year. Most Umamusume will try to compete in their country Twinkle Series rather than going to expedition)
"Gate 2, Blushing John. Winner of last year's G3 Prix Saint-Roman. She's in good condition this year, but tends to narrowly miss major victories due to various issues."
"Gate 3, French Stress. Fresh off a dominant G3 victory—she's in blazing hot form."
"Gate 7, No Pass No Sale. Winner of the heavyweight G3 Prix de Fontainebleau by two lengths. She is the top favorite and most strongly considered to take the first Classic of the season."
Shuta An let out a quiet sigh.
"Trainer?" Berno Light immediately grabbed his shoulders in concern. "Are you hurt? Feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm fine." He waved her worry away. "I just thought of something."
"What is it?"
"I was wondering if Oguri ran with a front-running tactic—could she force a fast pace and disrupt everyone else's rhythm?"
The idea lingered in the air.
Of course, Shuta An was only speaking hypothetically. Attempting a front-running tactic on a stage like this would be reckless. After all, most recent winners of the French 2000 Guineas had relied on hold-up strategies.
"It just so happens to match the tactic I prepared for Oguri." The Young man narrowed his eyes, watching the live feed as the ten Uma Musume filed into their gates one by one.
Oguri Cap, drawn in Gate 1 and wearing bib number 5, stood out—not because she was the only Gray Uma Musume or the only overseas entrant, but because — "The Uma Musume in Gate 1 has a very unusual racing outfit; it looks like a gymnastics uniform."
Shuta An could clearly hear the murmurs from the nearby VIP spectators.
"Trainer— Oguri's racing outfit—" Berno Light whispered, worried.
Shuta An only shrugged. "Berno, Uma Musume may contribute to the design of their racing outfits, but producing them independently is absolutely prohibited. The URA Association has a complete monopoly. And honestly—who would've predicted that a local Uma Musume would be running in a G1 at this timing? Since Oguri isn't on the URA's registry, they can't design anything for her. As for the local association— when has a Tokai-region Uma Musume ever run in a G1? The word 'racing outfit' doesn't even appear in their regulations."
He gave a helpless, almost playful shrug. "So Oguri had no choice but to run in a gymnastics uniform."
Then, with a faintly proud smile: "Still— this really is just like Oguri. Even in a plain uniform, she's still the most beautiful Uma Musume on the track."
"Trainer, she can't hear you now," Berno Light muttered. "But we can't let her continue like this. Everyone else has gorgeous racing outfits—Oguri shouldn't be the only one who doesn't."
"You're right," Shuta An replied, glancing toward Gate 10 as—Tay Wharf—was reluctantly shoved into place. "But I want to see how URA reacts. If Oguri wins, will they really pretend they don't see her and cling to their rules? Or will they finally break precedent and design a winning uniform for her?"
"But a month" Berno Light bit her lip. "Even with overtime, making a uniform Oguri is satisfied with would be really difficult"
"Heh."
As the staff began final checks on the gates, Shuta An chuckled. "For the past month, I haven't been focusing solely on training and race research. If URA is willing to bend, I already have several winning uniform designs prepared."
Berno Light's eyes widened—but she had no time to respond. A roar of cheers suddenly erupted from the Longchamp stands. The Chestnut-haired Uma Musume instantly turned toward the screen showing the live broadcast.
With a crisp click, all gates opened in unison. Ten Uma Musume blasted forward like arrows loosed from a bow—none faltered, none hesitated.
As arranged, Oguri Cap did not secure an early position. Instead, she stayed safely behind the pack. But this was her first time using a late-surger strategy at Longchamp, and her acceleration control faltered—she slipped all the way to last place.
"This isn't good, this isn't good" Berno Light murmured anxiously. "Isn't she practically running an end closer tactic now?"
"The difference between late-surger and end-closer isn't huge," Shuta An said calmly. "Besides, it seems the others don't plan on blocking the inner lane."
Indeed, French Stress—the leading Uma Musume—noticed that Oguri Cap wasn't advancing alongside her, yet made no attempt to drift inward and save ground.
"The inner lane may save distance, but it gives Blushing John a chance to break away diagonally," French Stress's Trainer explained to her group. "When racing, you guard not against the opponent easiest to hinder, but the one who threatens you most. If we waste effort targeting Oguri Cap, Blushing John and the others will prey on French Stress instead. Anyone using such a losing tactic is an idiot."
Those words carried clearly to Shuta An and Berno Light.
Berno Light frowned, displeased. Her Trainer only smirked faintly and whispered, "Their arrogance is perfect. If French Stress refuses the inner lane, and the others behind her have no intention of accelerating, then no one will use the lane Oguri left open. Oguri's mistake stops being a mistake."
At the highest point of the slope, just before entering the sharp turn followed by a downhill stretch, all the Uma Musume eased their pace.
Oguri Cap, lingering at the very back, seized the opportunity to close the gap. Unlike the rest of the field, she had no intention of braking too much here. Corner acceleration was her specialty—and given the stakes, she had no reason to hold back. (Thats right! One of Her Potential Level unlock Corner Acceleration)
Because she was running from the rear, she had a perfect view of everyone's positioning. So as she built speed, she slipped cleanly into the inner lane—the very lane she herself had left unguarded.
"So fast!"
Honor Rajana, originally second-last, felt a sudden gust from behind and snapped her eyes open wide. "Wasn't the Japanese girl supposed to struggle on Longchamp turf?"
For the first 200 meters, she had sincerely believed Oguri Cap was trailing because she couldn't adapt to the track. She had even mocked her internally for overestimating herself and coming all the way to France for nothing.
"So— the weakest one here isn't her, it's me?"
Honor Rajana stared blankly as Oguri Cap swept past her with effortless grace.