"Where did Berno go this afternoon?" Oguri Cap wanted to ask this question, but held back. After all, Berno Light had never asked such a question when she went out. The Gray Uma Musume felt that asking would be like not trusting her friend.
Meanwhile, Berno Light was on edge. She was a bit embarrassed—on one hand, she had boldly snatched a bite before her friend; on the other hand, whenever she recalled the afternoon's experience, Berno Light's heart would still race and her face would flush.
"No, I need to focus on helping Oguri prepare for the French Derby." She subtly shook her head, shaking the rosy thoughts from her mind.
"There's not much time left until the French Derby." Oguri Cap leaned back in her chair, "The closer it gets, the greater the pressure."
Listening to her friend's thoughts, Berno Light softly suggested, "If you're feeling stressed, you can always talk to the Trainer; he'll definitely listen carefully and comfort Oguri."
"The Trainer is busy too." Oguri Cap shook her head, "He's under no less pressure than I am for the French Derby."
"But he will absolutely prioritize Oguri's matters." Berno Light was utterly convinced of this—even more so than Oguri Cap.
"Berno, you sound very confident," Oguri Cap muttered softly.
Hearing this, the Support Umamusume unconsciously touched her lips.
"He said not to disturb Oguri Cap, and then he covered my mouth" Thinking of this, Berno Light couldn't help but pout.
Shuta An, who went to bed on time, continued to work at the Ritto Training Center in the Dream World. Because his riding skills were recognized by everyone, some Trainers who wanted to achieve impressive times in training to attract attention came to entrust Shuta An with riding their stable's Uma Musumes.
Shuta Jockey accepted all requests. Currently, it was just riding for training; who knew, it might turn into race commissions later? For him, who needed to desperately race in the Dream World to earn rewards, he wished he could run all 12 races on every Central race day in the Dream World and have a full 24 riding commissions per week.
After finishing his riding commissions for the morning, Shuta An returned to the Setoguchi Tsutomu Stable. He noticed Trainer Setoguchi chatting with another middle-aged man who also appeared to be a Trainer. Shuta, not wanting to disturb them, initially intended to walk around, but was immediately spotted by Setoguchi Tsutomu.
"Shuta-kun, come here!" He waved.
Shuta An didn't know what to do, but quickly hurried over: "Trainer Setoguchi, is there something?"
"This is Matsumoto Shoichi, also a good friend of Trainer Sagami." Setoguchi Tsutomu briefly introduced the Young man, "He is also a Trainer at our Ritto Training Center."
"Good afternoon, Trainer Matsumoto." Shuta An bowed, thinking it was over, and prepared to leave.
"Wait." Matsumoto Shoichi called out to him, "Shuta-kun, I came here today to inform you of something."
"Inform?" A strange premonition arose in Shuta An's heart—this sudden notification, appearing without warning, might bring an unexpectedly good thing.
"It's like this, if Shuta-kun doesn't have any plans these next few days, would you be able to come with me?" Trainer Matsumoto had a kind smile on his face.
"Come with you?" Shuta An was puzzled.
"Yes, come with me, to Hokkaido," Matsumoto Shoichi replied.
Shuta An thought it over and accepted Matsumoto Shoichi's invitation. There were still several days before the weekend race day, and jockeys flying around was hardly unusual. By now, he was already used to hopping on planes to various Dream World racecourses.
There were no riding commissions scheduled for the next few days. If he didn't go, he would only end up idling around Kasamatsu or the Ritto Training Center. Considering everything, he really had no reason to refuse—even if he still had no idea what business awaited him in Hokkaido.
"Then we'll meet here tomorrow and depart together," Matsumoto Shoichi said, clearly pleased by the young man's quick acceptance. "Don't worry—this will definitely be a good thing for you, Shuta-kun."
"Then I'll look forward to it," Shuta An replied with a polite bow.
When he woke up, though, he couldn't help rubbing his temples. "What in the world does he want me to do in Hokkaido? There aren't any Central races there at this time. What's even there to see?"
Unable to come up with a convincing explanation, he simply let it go. "Forget it. I should focus on adjusting Oguri's training intensity this morning."
That had already been decided yesterday. Since Oguri Cap had turned in an excellent time, today she absolutely needed to take things easy.
Even with an Uma Musume's formidable physical abilities, they couldn't sustain high-intensity training continuously. Especially since Oguri had broken her 1200-meter training record, her physical strain was definitely higher than expected. Not lower.
"Maybe we shouldn't even go to the training ground today." After washing his face, he studied the water dripping from his palms and muttered, "I'll ask later if the pool is booked. Switching to swimming would be safer."
Oguri still wasn't very good at swimming, but swimming training far reduced the impact on her legs while maintaining training load—much better than another session on the track.
And as if responding to his hopes, one of the hotel's pools turned out to be free. So, during breakfast, he informed Oguri Cap—who was fully absorbed in eating—about today's adjusted plan. "Since you pushed yourself so hard yesterday, I want to change your training schedule today."
The Gray Uma Musume wasn't surprised; she'd already suspected her Trainer would adjust things after seeing her breakthrough yesterday. But his next sentence nearly made her choke.
"So after you finish eating, take a good rest. Then we'll meet at Swimming Pool No. 1."
"Swimming again?" Oguri Cap swallowed her toast and let out a faint groan. "I haven't been in a pool for so long—I've already forgotten how to swim."
"It's fine," he reassured her with a smile. "I've already talked to the hotel. They prepared kickboards and swim rings. There won't be any problems."
With that, Oguri Cap knew she had no escape today. She lowered her head, channeling her helplessness into her appetite, and continued chewing her toast. "I understand," she mumbled.
When training time came, Shuta An—now in swim trunks—calmly followed Oguri into the pool area. Berno, on the other hand, slipped away under the excuse of "observing Oguri's opponents," clearly unwilling to join.
The moment they entered, the lifeguards tactfully excused themselves and waited outside. Watching Oguri Cap strap on a swim ring and clutch a kickboard, Shuta An sat at the poolside chair and gave instruction:
"First, get used to the water. After that, we'll gradually raise the intensity."
"Raise the intensity means?" Oguri's mouth twitched. "Do you want me to swim back and forth?"
"No need. Since you're wearing a swim ring, just swim around the perimeter." He traced a circle in the air. "Training in water puts less stress on your legs, so today's session will be much longer."
Oguri didn't complain—not because she accepted it, but because she had already come up with a way to "get back" at her Trainer once they took a break.
After the first training set, Shuta An stood and pulled her out of the water.
"Get some rest. We'll start the next set in thirty minutes." He handed her a towel.
She wiped her face and hair, then abruptly asked, "You and Berno snuck out yesterday, didn't you?"
"...?" Shuta An nearly slipped into the pool from the shock of the sudden accusation.
Even if he kept his expression calm, Oguri had already seen enough. Once he composed himself, he immediately dropped to his knees in a proper formal apology. "It's my fault!"
Oguri let out a quiet sigh. "Last night, when I saw Berno's walking posture, I already knew something was off. I was right after all."
"I'm sorry. It's my fault." Shuta An straightened up, meeting her gaze. "Berno just couldn't refuse when I asked."
"I'm not angry at Berno," Oguri said, turning her head aside.
He understood perfectly. Folding his hands, he lowered his tone. "There are still ten days until the race. During this time, we will keep our distance. Not just you—even Berno and I must endure."
"Not enough." Oguri puffed her cheeks slightly. "After the Derby, Trainer, you must fulfill one wish for me."
"Of course. I promise." He agreed instantly. Any hint of hesitation now would be unforgivable. And truthfully, her demand was far gentler than he had feared.
Only once she heard the promise did Oguri turn back to look him in the eyes. "And—Trainer. The entire week after the Derby belongs to me."
Shuta An nodded repeatedly. Then, as the meaning sank in—an entire week—a subtle sense of impending soreness flashed through his body.
"Maybe I should start conserving my strength now," he warned himself silently.