Noticing the prompt on the attribute viewer, Shuta An lightly touched his lips again.
"Skills— is that really how they're taught?" He couldn't hide his surprise.
Even if he tried guessing a thousand times, he would never have connected kissing with skill transmission.
"I didn't teach her anything. I only shared a kiss with Oguri," he muttered. "Does that mean she's mastered Senko no Oni now?"
A strange possibility crossed his mind.
"Could it be that when she was so obedient just now— her mind was already absorbing the technique?"
Thinking about it only made it stranger.
Shuta An shook his head to clear the thought. "Let's go downstairs. Time to supervise Oguri's training."
Logically, today's schedule should have been the same as usual—warm-up, slow jog, 2000 meters high-intensity, then cooldown.
But after what happened earlier, a new idea surfaced. Arriving last at the training ground, he didn't call out to Oguri Cap. Instead, he turned toward Berno Light.
"Berno, go back and change into running clothes."
"Huh?" Berno blinked, pointing at herself. "Me? I'm running today too?"
"Oguri needs a companion for practice," Shuta An said. After hearing the explanation, the chestnut-haired girl nodded and quickly went to change. Once Berno had left, Shuta An looked at Oguri Cap—still stretching, still pretending not to be flustered.
"Oguri, after warming up, do your slow jog. But today don't start high-intensity running immediately. I want to test something."
"A test?" Oguri Cap paused mid-stretch, curiosity overcoming her embarrassment. "Why a test today?"
Normally, Shuta An would never announce a test at the last minute.
"I want to see how you perform using the Senko strategy now."
"So I'll be running with Berno, right?" Oguri resumed warming up. "But, Berno isn't really a benchmark anymore, right?"
"I can't run it myself." Shuta An shrugged. "With Berno, the intensity will stay controlled. If I brought a G1-level runner, you'd definitely sprint at full power immediately."
"Hehehe." Oguri puffed her cheeks, knowing he was right.
By the time Berno Light returned, Oguri had finished warming up. Berno, on the other hand, clumsily struggled with her stretches, while Oguri began an easy jog around the track.
Shuta An sat on the bench, opened his phone, and scrolled through the news.
Even though Oguri wasn't in Japan's Classic Races, he kept an eye on the Uma Musumes in that year's Japanese Classic season. They would soon become Oguri's rivals.
The Japanese media covered Oguri's French Derby preparations, but most attention remained on the Japanese Derby and Oaks.
He skimmed the projected Oaks entries and didn't see "Northern Rikiai."
"Looks like her situation did a reverse-Berno," he murmured.
Then he checked the Derby reports. Dicta Striker was the favorite.
He laughed softly. "The Japanese are interesting. She has a sharp late burst, but her distance aptitude doesn't look suited for 2400 meters."
In his opinion, Sakura Chiyono O or Yaeno Muteki had the best chances.
"Chiyono O didn't handle the Yayoi Sho well, but her determination in the Satsuki Sho was impressive. In a Derby, grit can overturn expectations."
As for Yaeno Muteki—she had momentum.
"Just like Oguri," he thought.
After winning the French 2000 Guineas, Oguri was restless—eager, competitive, wanting the next crown. A typical Classic-season hunger.
"And I'm no different," he smiled. "Of course, I want to see her become the first French Two Crowns Uma Musume in over twenty years."
When Berno finished warming up, Shuta An gave instructions:
"Berno starts first. Oguri starts two seconds later. Oguri, use the Senko strategy—follow for two laps, overtake on the last."
"Berno, run with your full current ability, but don't overdo it."
With that, the chase test began—
"So light!" Oguri was startled. Her body felt sharper, smoother than yesterday.
"Is it because Berno's here? Did I subconsciously get competitive?" She honestly didn't understand.
But one thing was certain—her condition today was exceptional.
"So that's why Trainer suddenly wanted a test?" She glanced at Shuta An. "As expected of him, he noticed something before even I knew."
On the final lap, Oguri overtook Berno with ease. Her Stride Gait looked effortless. Afterward, she accepted the light salt water from Shuta An, sipped it, and stared at him—clearly waiting for praise.
"Even considering Berno hasn't trained seriously in a while, Oguri was excellent today."
Berno rolled her eyes. "Trainer, don't tease me while praising someone else"
"But it's true—if I hadn't run it myself, I wouldn't know how much she's improved."
Before Oguri could answer, Shuta An spoke—
He flicked Berno's forehead. "You and Oguri have different roles right now. Berno, study with me. Oguri, train hard. Don't compare yourselves."
"So what is Trainer good at?" Oguri shot back.
"I'm good at liking you," he replied immediately.
Oguri's ears drooped in embarrassment, and she turned to continue training.
"Trainer…" Berno tugged his sleeve softly. "What about me?"
"You too," he said gently. "You're just as important."
He handed her the stopwatch. "Help me time Oguri's jog. I'll get her a fresh towel."
"Okay." Berno nodded, accepting the task.
Oguri, fueled by embarrassment, delivered excellent times all morning. Shuta An briefly wondered whether teasing her before the race might boost performance—before immediately rejecting the idea.
"It might backfire. Better stick to the proper methods."
Berno tugged his sleeve again. "It's almost the French Derby, Trainer. You can't distract her too much."
He squeezed her hand. "Then I'll rely on Berno."
"I don't mind." She leaned against him with a small smile. "Actually… I prefer it."
——
By afternoon, Oguri was exhausted from her stellar morning and lay still in her room scrolling her phone.
Meanwhile, Berno Light slipped into Shuta An's guest room.
He sat on the sofa, reading a newspaper. "The biggest threat is still last year's Saint-Cloud runner-up. The winner's injured, so Hours After is the favorite."
"Oguri will still be top five in the odds," he added. "The 2000 Guineas win ensures that."
As he pondered Oguri's growing reputation, Berno quietly entered the room. She had changed into a loose pink nightgown—comfortable, casual, but still surprisingly charming.
"Oguri's worn out," Berno reported softly. "She hasn't moved from her bed."
"Then we'll lower her workload tomorrow," Shuta An said at once. "But… that aside."
Seeing Berno's shy posture and unsure expression, Shuta An understood. She wasn't here to cause trouble. She was simply nervous, hoping for closeness yet unsure how to ask for it in a respectful way.
"What should I do?" Berno murmured to herself, curling slightly with uncertainty.
Shuta An smiled gently. He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder—not forcefully, just steady, guiding.
"Berno," he said quietly, "you're not bothering me."
The tension in her eyes softened. "You don't have to overthink anything."
Berno's answer was a small nod as she leaned lightly into him, her expression warm and trusting—nothing excessive, simply the quiet closeness of two people who cared for each other.
The rest of the afternoon passed quietly, the two sitting together in companionable silence, listening to the soft ticking of the clock in the living room. Even without words, the warmth between them was enough.