Chapter 31. Embrace Me Now
By the time Silence Suzuka had slowed to a stop and begun waving toward the stands, the commentator finally noticed the finishing time displayed on the board—
1:58.0.
"One minute, fifty-eight seconds flat! Silence Suzuka wins from start to finish and sets a new race record for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Hong Kong)! She smashes last year's record set by London News by an astonishing 1.9 seconds!"
"Unbelievable!!! While the margin in lengths looked exaggerated, we could clearly see that Cruff and the others were managing their pace. Even so, no one expected Silence Suzuka to maintain such a relentless high-speed rhythm all the way through. Truly remarkable. I only hope her post-race condition remains stable."
"To be honest, we mentioned this before the race," the co-commentator added. "Once you allow Silence Suzuka to escape, she never hesitates. Runners like her are extremely rare in the current turf Twinkle Series—maintaining such a pace and still delivering a finishing burst at the end. Over 2000 meters, she's incredibly difficult to deal with. At this point, perhaps only distance itself can defeat her. Either a mile race, where everyone has sufficient stamina, or a 2400-meter race that pushes her limits."
"And currently, her trainer, Shuta An, has no plans to enter her in shorter races," the commentator continued. "Which, frankly, is the correct approach. Silence Suzuka now holds six G1 titles. Surpassing Oguri Cap will be difficult, but she still has a chance to surpass their own 'Emperor'."
"Let's hope she can bring her Twinkle Series career to a perfect conclusion this year. That would also elevate the status of the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Hong Kong)."
That sentiment, in truth, reflected the stance of the Hong Kong URA Association itself. Even if Suzuka had faded slightly at the end, she still crossed the line with a full seven-length advantage.
For a race newly elevated to international G1 status, to be dominated so decisively by an overseas runner—it was enough to force a reconsideration.
There had even been internal discussions about whether to relax restrictions on the "Great Escape" tactic for local runners.
But in the end, the conclusion remained unchanged.
"Silence Suzuka is—an exception. How many such Uma Musume can there be? And she will retire soon. There's no need to alter regulations for a tactic that inherently pushes physiological limits. We cannot introduce additional risks simply to counter one individual."
And so, the rules remained as they were.
—
Shuta An did not leave the VIP box until just before the Winning Live began.
It wasn't out of indifference.
Immediately after the race, several Hong Kong officials and associates had come to speak with him, and it would have been impolite to leave abruptly.
"Good thing I prepared for my return to Japan and can be considered as an excuse," he thought as he made his way downstairs. "This is the perfect stage for Suzuka to debut her new song."
While he personally had little interest in the song's commercial performance, Silence Suzuka—and Sony—clearly cared a great deal. Yoshiki himself had reportedly followed up several times, curious to see how the piece would be received.
"In any case, performing it here will be excellent promotion…"
—
When Silence Suzuka stepped onto the stage, another thought surfaced in Shuta An's mind.
"Her outfit is too simple."
While it didn't need excessive ornamentation, such minimalism did affect the visual impact of a live performance.
Before he could dwell on it further, Silence Suzuka bowed deeply, then raised the microphone.
"'Ima wo Dakishimete / Embrace Me Now.' My single. I hope everyone enjoys it."
Shuta An had already heard the song countless times—enough that he could sing along himself. At the request of the recording engineer, he had even contributed backing vocals. However, at his insistence, his name would not appear in the official credits.
"Good thing I refused to be listed," he thought wryly. "Otherwise, the reporters would have had a field day."
As the music began, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"A slow song."
He hadn't expected that from Yoshiki.
Yet—it suited her perfectly.
—
"Lost, crying alone…" ~
Silence Suzuka lowered her gaze slightly, her voice soft, tinged with a subtle vulnerability.
"I want to see you…in the night." ~
—
"I thought it would be something closer to rock," Symboli Rudolf murmured, watching the broadcast for the first time. "But this—fits her surprisingly well."
"Just from the arrangement alone, it feels like it was made for Suzuka-senpai," Tokai Teio nodded.
—
"Countless thoughts pile up, stained by dreams… stepping alone into desolate loneliness…" As the lyrics unfolded, Silence Suzuka lifted her head—but her eyes remained closed.
At one point, Yoshiki had insisted that Shuta An take part in this section as a duet.
He had refused.
"This is Suzuka's solo," he had said. "I shouldn't exist in it."
—
"Closing my eyes, I see only you…" ~
She pressed her free hand lightly against her chest.
"Stopping my tears, I don't know how to speak…" ~
Her voice trembled ever so slightly.
"Watching your love from afar… embrace me now." ~
Below the stage, Shuta An held a glow stick passed to him by a Hong Kong acquaintance, gently waving it in time with the melody.
"Only you remain through the passing seasons… I can't forget what you said…" ~
She drew out the final phrase—
"Now…" ~
Her voice softened, lingering.
"I still draw you in my dreams… please embrace me now." ~
—
Looking at the figure on stage, Shuta An felt a sudden impulse—
To step forward.
To embrace her, right there, in front of everyone.
But reason quickly suppressed the thought.
He glanced around.
The entire audience had fallen silent, immersed in the atmosphere she had created. Some even had tears glistening in their eyes.
"Yoshiki really is something," he murmured quietly.
It was rare for him to speak of someone else like that.
—
When the final note faded, Silence Suzuka lowered the microphone slightly.
"Thank you… everyone."
Her Chinese was slightly stiff—learned through phonetic guides—but the sincerity behind it was unmistakable. And for the audience—That simple phrase carried more impact than any flawless performance ever could.
(Since the HK audience was mostly Chinese in the first place, this was acceptable)
At one in the morning, after exchanging thoughts with Silence Suzuka about her new racing outfit, Shuta An gradually drifted into the Dream World, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing beside him.
Today's main event in the JRA calendar was the G1 Spring Tenno Sho, a 3200-meter turf race held at Kyoto Racecourse.
But Shuta An—was not in Kyoto.
Instead, he had come to Niigata, the lowest tier among the three active racecourses.
He had no mount for the Spring Tenno Sho. Originally, Yoshida Zenya had entered a horse named Noble Turk, but Shuta An had declined the ride. The reason was simple—Noble Turk had never raced beyond 2500 meters, and judging from its previous performances, it was already struggling at that distance. Stretching to 3200 meters would be unrealistic.
So on Saturday, Shuta An had gone to Tokyo, partnered with Dynamite Daddy, and secured victory in the G2 Keio Hai Spring Cup. Immediately afterward, he boarded the Shinkansen and headed to Niigata—
To "fish."
The term was fitting.
Among the jockeys present, the highest-ranked rider didn't even break into the top twenty of the standings. Naturally, the strongest mounts all fell into Shuta An's hands.
—
In the first race, he partnered News Value, a filly owned by Yoshida Katsumi. Settling just behind the leader in second position, she maintained a steady pace before unleashing the fastest final 3F of 37.0 seconds, cleanly breaking out of the maiden ranks.
"Shuta-kun, what do you think of News Value?" Yoshida Katsumi asked after the race.
"Not bad," Shuta An answered honestly. "She has the potential to win a major race in the future, but reaching G1 level might be difficult. Her fighting spirit in the stretch is strong—but it also makes her difficult to handle."
"Ah…" Yoshida Katsumi sighed slightly. "Her younger sister, a year younger, has issues with inwardly bent limbs. We originally planned to offer her to the Shadai Race Horse Club, since her sire Tony Bin is quite popular—but with this condition, we have no choice but to keep her."
"That's unfortunate," Shuta An replied. After a brief pause, he added, "If she can debut successfully in the future, I can ride her in a new horse race."
"Oh? Then I'll be counting on you!" Yoshida Katsumi looked genuinely surprised. A casual remark had turned into a concrete promise.
Shuta An didn't think much of it—it was just one ride.
But as he returned to the waiting room, the thought lingered.
"She reminds me of Oguri."
That was why he had spoken up.
—
In the second race—the third race of the day—Shuta An rode Yuwa Spark. Originally planning a stalking strategy, he quickly adjusted when the horse showed a strong desire to push forward on the third turn. Judging the pace to be slow, he allowed him to take the lead. From there, he never looked back, finishing half a second ahead.
After the race, his Trainer, Ito Shuji, praised him enthusiastically.
"Brilliant decision! Taking the lead mid-race and shutting down all challengers—truly the work of a champion jockey!"
Shuta An could only smile awkwardly. After all, that wasn't the original plan.
—
He skipped the next race.
Although there was a horse from the Shadai Club entered, his agent had declined the ride—its poor performance would only drag down his win rate, offering no meaningful return.
—
In the fifth race, riding Blue Orange, also from the Shadai Club, Shuta An adjusted his approach after observing earlier races. Despite the long straight, the track conditions favored aggressive positioning. Once again, he chose to go forward early and narrowly held off a challenger by a nose, securing another maiden victory.
"Three consecutive wins for Shuta An today!" the commentator exclaimed. "And he still has six rides remaining! Could we be witnessing history in the making?"
The crowd buzzed with anticipation.
—
The sixth race passed without his involvement.
In the seventh, another maiden, he rode Dancing Monica over 1700 meters on dirt. The finish was razor-thin—relying on a windmill whip and relentless urging, he managed to secure a dead heat victory.
"That was close," Shuta An remarked after dismounting. "My winning streak nearly ended there."
Trainer Hiroki Hirasaka laughed in disbelief.
"As expected of Shuta-kun! I didn't even dare hope he could break his maiden today—this was the right decision."
"I just did what I could," Shuta An replied lightly.
—
By the eighth race, finally a one-win class, he rode Working Girl, owned by Yoshida Teruya. Fending off a surprise challenger in the stretch, he secured his fifth consecutive victory.
"Too strong! Shuta An is completely dominating Niigata today!" the commentator shouted. "With four races remaining—can he make new record?!"
—
Shuta An didn't hear it.
He was already preparing for the ninth race.
His mount, Hayano Kick, had no ties to the Shadai Group. The only reason he accepted the ride was because of the introducer—Matsumoto Shoichi, Tokai Teio's Trainer.
"Nakamura is an old friend of mine," Matsumoto had said. "I'd like to ask you for a favor."
That alone was enough.
And as expected—Shuta An adopted a front-running strategy, taking the lead from the start and never relinquishing it.
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