Chapter 21. Oka Sho's Opponent Part 2
When Shuta An returned to his study after dinner, preparing to continue researching Mejiro Dober's Oka Sho opponents from the preliminary races, Mejiro Ramonu called.
"Hmm?" The Young man was slightly surprised. He answered the phone and asked, "Miss Ramonu, is there something you need?"
"It's about Dober." Mejiro Ramonu skipped any greetings and directly explained what Mejiro Dober had encountered earlier that day to Shuta An.
"A reporter from 'Shukan Bunshun'..." Shuta An frowned—not because Mejiro Dober had accepted the interview, but because Shukan Bunshun itself had a notoriously poor reputation. As a tabloid magazine, it ranked among the lowest in terms of journalistic integrity.
However, the URA Association would not specifically place such a publication on a blacklist, and Shukan Bunshun had rarely reported on the Twinkle Series before. They preferred the Dream Trophy Series—they had once sent a large number of paparazzi to follow Maruzensky for an entire month, only to end up publishing a sarcastic piece claiming she drove too much and wasted fuel, using such a ridiculous angle.
"Even though I managed to have the reporter sent away using my instructions, those guys from Shukan Bunshun will definitely still try to hype this into something big, won't they?" the Young man muttered to himself.
"I can't wait until they've already stirred up trouble before dealing with it."
Shuta An intended to eliminate the risk before it could fully take shape.
"Leave professional matters to professionals." After thinking for a moment, he spoke into the phone again. "Could Miss Ramonu help me contact someone from Bungeishunju Publishing? If that's not appropriate, I'll ask Miss Symboli Rudolf instead."
"There's nothing inappropriate about it," Mejiro Ramonu replied calmly. "This is Dober's Classic year. The Mejiro Family will not allow anything that affects her condition."
"Alright." Shuta An was satisfied with that answer. After a brief exchange, he ended the call.
Mejiro Ramonu put down her phone, turned her gaze toward Mejiro Dober, who was quietly reading in the living room, and let out a silent sigh.
Before calling Shuta An, she had already asked Mejiro Dober what she thought about the question from the Shukan Bunshun reporter.
"That question has nothing to do with me. The Trainer and my senior's matters are their private affairs. What could I possibly say? What opinion would I even have?"
Mejiro Dober turned her head slightly, pouting as she answered. Although Mejiro Dober said that, to Mejiro Ramonu—who understood her well—this was not a reassuring sign.
"Never mind. Let's wait and see for now," she thought. "Let's see how Shuta-kun plans to handle this in advance."
Shuta An put down his phone and refocused on the computer.
"First, I'll go through the opponents from the preliminary races. Other matters can wait until tomorrow," the Young man reminded himself inwardly. "I can't let the Shukan Bunshun issue affect Oka Sho preparations."
His gaze then fell on the top two finishers from the Anemone Stakes.
"Fumino Paradise, winner of the Anemone Stakes. In her previous five Twinkle Series races—excluding her disastrous debut—she placed in the top three in the other four. However, she only led once, so she'll most likely choose to mark Kyoei March. In the main race, Dober needs to be careful not to have her acceleration blocked by Fumino Paradise if her speed drops."
"Tanino Mauna Kea, second in the Anemone Stakes. Before that, she also ran in the Tulip Sho, where she only finished ninth. That alone reflects the difference in level between the two races to some extent. Like Fumino Paradise, she prefers to stay forward, so the points to watch are largely the same."
Next, Shuta An temporarily skipped the Hochi Hai Fillies Revue—where Kyoei March competed—and instead turned his attention to the top three finishers of the Tulip Sho.
"Orange Peel, winner of the Tulip Sho, is considered the biggest threat aside from Kyoei March. Not only did she win the Tulip Sho, she also took the Queen Cup earlier this year, making her a highly noteworthy opponent. Moreover, in both major races, she positioned herself in second before taking the lead, which means she is fully capable of disrupting Kyoei March. Ideally, she draws to Kyoei March's outside and forces an early battle."
"Scarlet Mail, second in the Tulip Sho. According to Teio, she has a good relationship with Daiwa Scarlet from Team Spica—they often go shopping together." Shuta An paused briefly. "Daiwa Scarlet and Scarlet Mail—perhaps there's some kind of connection in the Dream World."
He shook his head, dismissing the irrelevant thought.
"In the Tulip Sho, she ran from mid-pack, and her previous races follow the same pattern. It's unlikely she'll change tactics in the Oka Sho."
"Grand Ciel, third in the Tulip Sho, typically positions herself even further back than Scarlet Mail. Her performance in the Tulip Sho wasn't on the same level as the top two. The only concern is that she might occupy a similar position to Dober and interfere with her."
Then came the most important section.
In previous years, the top three finishers of the Hochi Hai Fillies Revue often had limited presence in the Oka Sho. But this year was different. First-place Kyoei March, second-place She's Princess, and third-place Yamanin Xanadu were all strong contenders. In addition, although Sabuno Hana Park might struggle with the 1600-meter distance, her "resentment" would certainly create enough disruption for Kyoei March.
"And there's also Super Dress, who has declared participation in the Oka Sho." Shuta An muttered to himself. "There's no way Kyoei March will get a comfortable lead this time."
Looking at it from this angle, he gradually realized something.
"This entry list is actually quite favorable for Dober."
By the time Shuta An finished writing down the strategic notes for each opponent and their potential impact on Mejiro Dober, it was already past midnight.
He looked up at the clock.
"I still have work tomorrow morning—I'll call it a night."
As for contacting Bungeishunju Publishing, that would be handled tomorrow. Shuta An had no expectation that they would immediately come looking for him anyway.
The next morning, Shuta An sent the compiled information to Mejiro Dober via Line. Since it wasn't a training day, and Mejiro Dober had returned to her home the night before, she wasn't at the academy, so the Young man chose to deliver everything digitally instead.
After confirming that the file had been successfully sent, Shuta An added an extra message:
"Rest well at home. Sunday's training intensity will need to be increased slightly, and next week's cut-in recording will also require a higher level of intensity."
He deliberately avoided mentioning anything related to Shukan Bunshun. Bringing it up now would only cause Mejiro Dober to overthink.
"This kind of situation never happened in previous years," Shuta An muttered to himself.
At the same time, he opened a new document and began outlining strategies for Silence Suzuka's upcoming Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Hong Kong). Strictly speaking, the entire racing world already knew how Silence Suzuka would run at Sha Tin Racecourse, but even so, the Young man still intended to plan her pace down to the finest detail.
Although Silence Suzuka had played a subtle word game with him during the Dubai Turf, he had already "punished" her that very night. More importantly, her performance in that race had displayed an even stronger resolve than the year before. Because of that, Shuta An felt that perhaps—he could afford to loosen his restrictions on her grand escape tactic—just a little.
"Still, I can't let her get carried away," he thought, his expression steady. "When control is necessary, it has to be enforced. This is her final year—there's no room for mistakes."
Silence Suzuka had never said it out loud, but Shuta An understood her well enough. She had always wanted to catch up to Oguri Cap's pace. Becoming a national icon like Oguri Cap was not something that could be achieved easily—but the so-called "Emperor's wall" was not completely unreachable.
"Objectively speaking—the G1 titles Suzuka has right now still don't carry the same weight among fans as Symboli Rudolf's seven victories."
At noon, after having lunch with Kitahara in the cafeteria and arranging to meet a few drinking buddies at their usual spot near Central Tracen Academy after work, Shuta An did not return to the office for a nap as usual. Instead, he went alone to the academy's central courtyard.
There was no particular reason.
He simply wanted a quiet place to sit and bask in the sunlight.
It was early April in Tokyo—the tail end of cherry blossom season. The warmth of the sun felt gentle against his skin, and a light spring breeze drifted through the courtyard. Sitting on a bench beneath the trees, Shuta An closed his eyes and listened to music through his earphones, letting the atmosphere carry him into a rare moment of calm.
Both Silence Suzuka's and Mejiro Dober's solo songs had already been recorded at the beginning of the year. While Uma Musume were not necessarily known for flawless technique, their vocal tones were naturally pleasant. With professional arrangement and post-production, the final results were always impressive. Moreover, Silence Suzuka herself had extensive experience with Winning Live—her raw, unaccompanied singing alone was already more than enough to captivate an audience.
Just as the melody reached its chorus, his phone chimed with a Line notification.
Shuta An opened the message.
It was from Mejiro Ramonu.
"Mr. Kengo Tanaka, the president of Bungeishunju Publishing, will arrive at Central Tracen Academy in an hour. Shuta-kun, where would you like to meet him?"
"The café across from the academy," Shuta An replied.
"Understood. I'll reserve a table for you. I'll leave the rest to you, Shuta-kun."
"It's nothing," Shuta An responded honestly. "This isn't just for Dober—it's also for myself."
He had already considered this carefully before reaching out. This meeting wasn't merely about suppressing whatever Shūkan Bunshun might attempt.
"After all—Shūkan Bunshun isn't the only tabloid in Japan," he murmured quietly.
—
Shuta An arrived at the café ten minutes early.
To his surprise, Kengo Tanaka had arrived even earlier—and judging from the half-finished cup of coffee in front of him, he had been waiting for quite some time.
The unfamiliar middle-aged man sat calmly at the reserved table, sipping his drink as if this meeting were nothing out of the ordinary.
After approaching, Shuta An ordered a latte before turning his attention to the man seated across from him.
Before he could speak, the other party spoke first.
"Hello, Shuta-san. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kengo Tanaka, the current president of Bungeishunju Publishing."
"Hello, Mr. Tanaka. The pleasure is mine. I look forward to working with you," Shuta An replied, inclining his head slightly.
"When I heard that you wanted to meet me, I was quite puzzled," Kengo Tanaka said with a faint smile. "I even went to the Shūkan Bunshun office to check if they were planning something—but it seems I overestimated the situation."
He leaned forward slightly.
"So, Shuta-kun…what brings you here today?"
Shuta An did not circle around the topic.
"I plan to publish a book," he said directly. "And I would like it to be released through your publishing house."
"Publish…a book?"
Kengo Tanaka's eyes lit up immediately. For any publisher, a book authored by Shuta An would almost certainly guarantee strong sales. Even though he had mentally prepared himself before the meeting, hearing it stated so plainly still caught him slightly off guard.
"Will it be about Miss Oguri Cap's Twinkle Series behind-the-scenes stories—or Miss Silence Suzuka's?" he asked, already envisioning the potential success of such a release.
However, Shuta An shook his head.
"No. It will be about myself. I intend to write about my experiences and thoughts as a Trainer."
Kengo Tanaka's expression showed a brief hint of disappointment, but it quickly faded. Even without Oguri Cap or Silence Suzuka as the central focus, a book detailing Shuta An's perspective would still hold immense appeal. Within Central Tracen Academy, even if Team Sadalsuud's results appeared average on paper, few doubted that Shuta An himself stood at the very top among Trainers.
Such a figure's insights would naturally attract attention.
"In that case," Kengo Tanaka said, regaining his composure, "do you have any particular requirements regarding compensation?"
"No special requirements," Shuta An replied calmly. "Standard terms will be fine."
He wasn't publishing the book for profit. More than anything, what he needed today was a formal publishing contract with Bungeishunju.
"Only with that in place—can I truly be at ease."
After all, in the eyes of the Japanese public, when it came to the credibility of exposés, Bungeishunju—the publication that had once forced a prime minister to resign—held overwhelming influence.
If it were Shukan Bunshun, he could deal with it.
But if it were Bungeishunju Publishing—That would be an entirely different matter.
By securing a publishing relationship with Bungeishunju, Shuta An could effectively eliminate that risk before it ever surfaced.