Because of that strange cry, Shuta An instinctively turned toward the street artist resting on the bench. The musician lowered the guitar on his lap and pointed to a particular section of the Wall of Love.
Shuta An and the two Uma Musume followed his gesture. At the very top of the wall was a painted girl leaning casually against a table. Beside her was a line of French text: "soyons raisonnables demandons l'impossible"—Let's be reasonable, demand the impossible.
Shuta An recognized the phrase immediately. He understood what the musician was trying to convey with just that one gesture. He looked back at the artist and smiled—a bright, unguarded smile. Then, in full view of the bewildered street musician, he reached out and gently took the hands of the two Uma Musume beside him.
"Even if the whole world finds it regrettable," Shuta An said calmly, "I will never give up on Oguri or Berno."
"Actually, Oguri and I already talked about it," Berno Light admitted, raising her gaze. "Trainer must have noticed, right? But still— when I heard it for real, I did feel—"
Shuta An expected a complaint. He did not expect what came next.
"I actually feel sorry for Oguri," Berno murmured, eyes drifting to the cobblestones. "Compared to me, Oguri and Trainer talk more. You understand each other better."
"That's not right," Oguri Cap countered immediately. "Berno studies with Trainer every few days. You understand him more than I do."
Shuta An lightly cut in before the topic derailed. "Before you get carried away— what about my answer?"
The two Uma Musume exchanged a silent glance. Then, at the same moment, they leaned in. Shuta An felt the warmth from both sides, heard their racing heartbeats—
"Chu~"
A brief touch. Soft, fleeting. They both pulled back quickly, cheeks tinged with embarrassment. It was, after all, their first time doing something like this.
"So, does that mean yes?" Shuta An asked carefully.
"Do you really need me to say it out loud?" Berno Light puffed her cheeks. "Doing something like that in public already took all my courage."
Oguri Cap nodded. "If Trainer wants to hear it, you can hear it as many times as you want once we're back at the hotel."
"At a time like this, aren't you supposed to change how you address me?" Shuta An tilted his head, eyes narrowing playfully.
Oguri Cap froze at the sudden pressure and took a small step back. Habits were difficult to break—even now.
Shuta An sighed in surrender. "Well~ Trainer is fine too. Being called that feels quite charming right now."
"Mm-hmm!" Berno agreed immediately.
The nearby street artist, who understood none of the Japanese, frowned deeply, muttering under his breath: "je ne comprends pas! I don't understand!"
As Shuta An walked past with an Uma Musume on each arm, he tossed back lightly, "Aimer, c'est du désordre; alors aimons! — Love is chaos; so let us love!"
The musician froze. He watched their silhouettes disappear down the walkway. He didn't pick up his guitar this time. Instead, he looked at the wall's top panel—the same one he had pointed out.
After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh. "Perhaps he's right."
Then, with a firm nod, he slung the guitar onto his back and started walking home. There was planning to do. He didn't need to ask permission from the Wall of Love's creator—because the creator was him.
Frédéric Baron smiled faintly as he glanced once more toward the departing trio. "I'll keep this meeting in my heart. Let that be my apology for doubting him so quickly."
—
Shuta An, meanwhile, wasn't concerned in the slightest about whether Frédéric Baron would share the story. There were no photos, and even if the tabloids fabricated something, it would change nothing.
Something else mattered far more—he had noticed that both Oguri Cap and Berno Light were walking more lightly than before, as though the weight they'd been carrying had finally lifted.
"Same for me," Shuta An admitted inwardly, a quiet warmth rising in his chest. He felt even happier than the two girls.
"But until the French Derby, I have to endure." That applied to both Oguri and Berno. Their mutual understanding made it clear—there would be no eloping, no secret shortcuts.
If it was going to happen, it would happen properly. And as their Trainer, he had to be the one with discipline.
"Still, a little indulgence wouldn't hurt," he thought, images already forming in his mind.
Unfortunately, he found no chance that night. Oguri Cap needed to resume Derby training the next day. Berno Light had already taken the initiative to inspect Chantilly Racecourse and prepare potential gear adjustments for her friend.
Even Shuta An received mail from the URA Association.
"As expected," he murmured. After Oguri's French 2000 Guineas victory, even without an official requirement, the URA had offered to design her winning costume.
He declined the offer. Instead, he attached the design he had already completed long beforehand. There was no need for further creativity—just a tailor to bring the design to life.
When Symboli Rudolf heard about it later, the Emperor simply nodded.
"One can only say Shuta-kun has complete confidence in Oguri Cap."
—
After receiving Shuta An's reply, the URA Association no longer pressed the matter. They simply resigned themselves to accepting his design draft and immediately handed it off to tailors for production.
A minimum of five sets had to be completed within a week. Even though the French Derby was still a month away, international express shipping meant the Japan URA Association only had a single week to produce the outfits.
Shuta An, however, had no time to worry about whether that deadline was realistic. If they couldn't manage it, Oguri Cap wouldn't mind continuing to race in her gym clothes. In the end, it wouldn't be his team that lost face—it would be the URA Association.
"Let's sleep first."
After a quick shower, Shuta An changed into pajamas and lay down, slipping into the Dream World.
Oguri Cap was already on pasture, so he had no riding commissions in Central. As for Kasamatsu Racecourse, it had entered its Rest and Reconciliation period—no races for over a month.
So he, too, had fallen into summer vacation.
"It's pointless to be idle. How about heading to Ritto Training Center to help Trainer Setoguchi Tsutomu? You might get a few riding commissions," Sagami Masayuki suggested.
After thinking it over, Shuta An agreed.
By noon the next day, he arrived at Ritto Training Center, found Setoguchi Tsutomu, and explained his idea.
"Such a waste. If people weren't so biased against local regions, someone of your level could easily get more than ten riding invitations a week," Setoguchi sighed. "But you can't just act as a training assistant here for an entire month. Your racing sense will dull."
"But right now, this is where I can interact with horses the most during holiday periods," Shuta An shrugged.
Setoguchi frowned and thought for a long moment. "No matter what, you helped me win several major races. I need to repay that. I'll talk to some trusted owners and fellow Trainers—see if I can secure riding opportunities for you."
"Then I'll rely on you." Shuta An bowed deeply. Riding in the Dream World was still the fastest way to earn rewards. Setoguchi's willingness to help him find mounts was indirectly helping him earn compensation. His gratitude was genuine.
—
The following morning, as planned, Shuta An and Oguri Cap stepped onto the hotel's private training track for the first time.
"Just like we checked—this track uses the same turf standard as the racecourse nearby," Shuta said, having confirmed it with the hotel staff. "So while you're running, imagine you're already on Chantilly's grass."
"I understand," Oguri replied, and began her warm-up.
Shuta sat on a bench beside the track, folding the towels she would need later while letting his thoughts drift. After breakfast, Berno Light had gone to inspect Chantilly Racecourse and wouldn't return until evening. All the small tasks Berno usually handled had fallen to him today.
But more importantly, this was the first training session since their relationship had been confirmed. It didn't feel right to treat it exactly like before.
Yet no new ideas came to mind.
Across the track, Oguri Cap wasn't as focused as usual either. Her gaze kept drifting toward the sidelines. Every small movement Shuta made tugged at her attention.
"No. This won't do." She tightened her lips. "If my training gets affected because of this. I'll be disappointed in myself."
She bit down lightly to steady her mind, forcing her attention away from her lover. Her innate talent helped—within moments, she calmed down and eased back into the rhythm of her warm-up.
After warming up, she moved naturally into her recovery training. Paris in May wasn't hot, and because only a few days had passed since the French 2000 Guineas, today's workload was light—closer to play than actual training. Still, after a gentle set of laps, Shuta noticed beads of sweat forming along her temples.
Breathing softly, Oguri Cap sat beside him to rest. Shuta stood, took the wet towel he had prepared, and bent down to gently wipe her face.
"You worked hard," he said, his touch careful. "Two more sets, then you're done for the day. This afternoon, you can rest peacefully in your room."
At that moment, an idea sparked in Oguri Cap's eyes.
As soon as he finished speaking, she reached out and clasped his wrists. "Trainer, can I go to your room this afternoon?"
Shuta froze. His hands twitched before he managed a composed answer: "If it's just resting, then it's fine. The Derby is less than a month away."
"Of course. I just want to chat with Trainer while resting," Oguri held his wrists a little tighter. "Even if Trainer begged me, I wouldn't sneak off for anything else."
With the atmosphere spelled out so plainly, he couldn't let his thoughts drift any further. "Then I'll ask the hotel staff to restock snacks and drinks in my room. Oguri, is there a movie you'd like to watch?"
"A movie— Which one does Trainer want to watch?" she asked instead.
"I'm fine with anything. I'll pick something when we're back."
"Mm."
Her tone was indifferent. For her, it wasn't about the movie—only the place, and the company.
After wiping away the remaining sweat, Shuta handed her a bottle of diluted saline. "Too bad we can't buy Po***i Sw**t here. It's better for hydration."
"This is enough," Oguri replied immediately—she could already sense he was thinking of spending money again. "There will be plenty of things that require money later. Trainer should save more."
"That's fine," Shuta said, sitting beside her again. He turned toward her, smiling as she sipped from the bottle in small, neat mouthfuls. "If it's for Oguri, then whatever I spend is worth it."