Chapter 7. The Scent That Lingered
After waking from the Dream World, Shuta An glanced at the rewards he had received before immediately losing interest.
Although Hokuto Vega had overwhelmingly crushed her Maiden Race—
A Maiden Race was still only a Maiden Race.
The rewards naturally remained money.
"This year's Ranvet Stakes is in mid-March—"
While washing his face, the young man quietly organized the upcoming schedule in his mind.
"If Dober needs time to properly adapt to the local environment and track conditions, then we should head to Australia in early February."
After all, adapting to overseas expeditions involved far more than merely adjusting to time zones.
Especially for Uma Musume—
Changes in climate, humidity, track texture, diet, stable environment, and even psychological condition could all subtly affect performance.
—
After finishing a simple breakfast, Shuta An drove toward Central Tracen Academy as usual.
Since he had no plans to participate in Dubai this year, his original intention had been extremely straightforward—
Clock in at the office.
Return to the activity room.
Sleep a little longer.
However, just as he was about to push open the office door—
Kitahara suddenly stopped him.
"Ann-san, help me take a look. I'm still hesitating over this year's Dubai expedition lineup."
"Hm?"
Shuta An yawned lazily before answering almost immediately.
"Then just register them according to distance suitability. Sabuno Hana Park goes to the Al Quoz Sprint. Air Deja Vu can choose between the Dubai Sheema Classic or Dubai Turf. And Airy World should go for the UAE Derby."
"That last one is exactly where I'm hesitating—"
Kitahara smiled bitterly.
"Airy World's limit seems to be around sixteen hundred meters. The UAE Derby is eighteen hundred. I'm worried that might already exceed her optimal range."
"But if she stays in Japan, there aren't many suitable races in the first half of the year either. The Fukuryu Stakes and Unicorn Stakes are both too late. We can't exactly leave her training at the Academy for an entire spring without racing, right?"
"Then try turf." Shuta An raised an eyebrow casually. "Enter her in a mile turf race first."
"If it works, continue. If not, either shorten the distance or switch back to dirt afterward."
"That really might be the only option."
After thinking for a long moment, Kitahara finally sighed in agreement.
After returning to Team Sadalsuud's activity room, Shuta An directly entered the lounge area.
Then—
Without the slightest hesitation—
He kicked off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, and wrapped himself in the blanket.
"No wonder Tojo-san barely goes to the office anymore—"
The young man muttered emotionally while pulling the blanket over himself.
"I completely understand now. How is sleeping in the office in work hours this comfortable? There's space, warmth, privacy—"
"And absolutely nobody bothering you."
Before long, his eyelids gradually became heavy once more.
However—
Just before fully falling asleep—
Shuta An vaguely heard the activity room door opening outside.
"Hm?"
He frowned slightly before sitting up halfway.
Through the frosted glass section of the lounge door, he caught sight of two pairs of horse ears passing outside.
Even without seeing their faces clearly—
Shuta An immediately recognized them.
"Kurofune and Rice Shower—at this hour, they're probably here for morning training."
After confirming that much, he simply lay back down again without further concern.
Then he closed his eyes once more.
Meanwhile, outside—
Kurofune and Rice Shower entered the activity room before changing into their training clothes as usual.
The two of them then approached the office area, preparing to write today's training schedule onto the whiteboard.
"The Trainer's bag is here"
Kurofune glanced toward the desk with slight confusion.
"But where is he?"
Rice Shower answered calmly from behind her.
"He should still be inside the lounge. The door was closed tightly earlier."
"Then let's not disturb the Trainer."
Kurofune immediately lost interest and continued walking forward.
"Maybe he's catching up on sleep."
"But why would the Trainer need to catch up on sleep this early in the morning?"
Rice Shower tilted her head in confusion while following behind.
"I don't know~" Kurofune pouted slightly. "Maybe he stayed up too late preparing Rice-chan's new training plan?"
The speaker had meant nothing special by it.
But the listener unconsciously took the words deeply to heart.
Almost immediately, Rice Shower imagined Shuta An sitting alone late into the night while carefully organizing her future training schedule.
"That's true"
She murmured softly to herself.
"Even if he's the Trainer; I can't just comfortably enjoy the results of his hard work alone."
Meanwhile, Kurofune glanced back at Rice Shower with slight confusion.
"What did she just mutter?"
However, after failing to understand, Kurofune simply abandoned the thought entirely. Instead, her own competitive instincts quickly resurfaced.
"I should hurry up and train too—right now, I'm still the only one in the team who hasn't debuted yet."
—
By the time Shuta An finally woke up properly—he suddenly wrinkled his nose slightly.
"This scent…"
The young man blinked slowly. Then, after another breath, recognition immediately surfaced across his face.
"It's Dober's perfume. A fresh fig scent blended with clean coconut—and underneath that—A natural cedar base note."
"It really suits Dober's temperament perfectly."
Because he had been too sleepy earlier, he had completely overlooked something obvious—
Mejiro Dober had also used this lounge before returning to the dormitory last night.
Now that his mind had fully cleared after sleeping—
Shuta An finally realized it. Then he lowered his head slightly before sniffing his own clothes. The corners of his mouth twitched immediately afterward.
"I'm completely covered in Dober's perfume."
Fortunately, very few people inside Central Tracen Academy could actually recognize the specific perfume Mejiro Dober used.
Otherwise, walking around carrying such an obvious scent would definitely invite misunderstandings.
Later, while heading toward the cafeteria for an early lunch—
Shuta An coincidentally encountered Mejiro Dober herself near the entrance.
"Good morning, Trainer."
Mejiro Dober slightly lowered her head first, proactively greeting him.
"Good morning, Dober."
Shuta An nodded in return before glancing toward the person beside her.
"Good morning as well, Miss Taiki. I won't interrupt you two. I'll head in first."
"Good morning, Shuta Trainer Goodbye"
Taiki Shuttle cheerfully waved back with her usual energetic smile.
However—
The instant Shuta An walked past—
Taiki Shuttle suddenly wrinkled her nose.
"Hm~? Why does he smell like Dober's perfume?"
She muttered quietly to herself.
Naturally, Taiki Shuttle did not suspect anything improper. After all, Mejiro Dober had been beside her throughout the day.
The scent lingering on Shuta An was also far too obvious and complete to feel like accidental contact.
After thinking briefly without finding an answer, Taiki Shuttle simply shrugged internally.
"Maybe Shuta Trainer changed perfumes recently? Or maybe he accidentally bought the same scent as Dober."
Since Taiki Shuttle noticed it—
There was naturally no way Mejiro Dober herself would fail to recognize it.
The instant Shuta An passed by—
She immediately realized that the fragrance lingering around him was unmistakably her own perfume.
And almost instantly—an extremely strange image surfaced inside her mind.
"Could it be—that Trainer spent the entire morning sleeping while wrapped in the blanket I used last night?"
The thought made Mejiro Dober unconsciously shake her head slightly.
Yet strangely—
The emotion rising inside her chest was not disgust.
Nor embarrassment.
Nor fear.
Instead—
Something faintly warm quietly spread through her heart.
"Could it be…" Mejiro Dober lowered her gaze toward the cafeteria floor tiles. "Trainer actually…"
Before the thought could fully form—
Several vaguely sweet emotions had already begun surfacing silently within her chest.
—
On February 7th, Shuta An departed from Tokyo alongside Mejiro Dober, boarding a flight bound for Sydney in preparation for the upcoming Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill Racecourse.
Although the Ranvet Stakes itself was also a major G1 event—
Within Shuta An's plans, this race merely served as preparation.
A transitional stage.
The true objective of this Australian expedition had always been the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
After all, as one of Australia's flagship autumn races with a history spanning over one hundred and fifty years, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes possessed prestige that absolutely qualified it as one of Australia's traditional elite G1 events.
Naturally—
The news of Mejiro Dober entering both races immediately stirred enormous discussion throughout Australia.
Even though her undefeated record had already been broken by Special Week during the Arima Kinen—
The value of that defeat had actually risen instead of diminished.
Because after Special Week's astonishing Japan Cup performance, nobody could continue treating that narrow two-centimeter loss lightly.
Moreover—
Mejiro Dober herself belonged to Team Sadalsuud.
The same team that had conquered Australia's second-greatest race, the Cox Plate, just last year. Combined with her excellent performances in both America and Canada previously—
Australian Trainers and Uma Musume alike treated her with complete seriousness.
Many local analysts even began downloading large quantities of Mejiro Dober's race footage from the Central URA Association's official website in order to conduct research.
As a result—
Traffic on the URA site had recently increased dramatically.
This time, however, the expedition group traveling from Japan to Australia was not limited to only Shuta An and Mejiro Dober.
NHK had also dispatched an entire filming crew. Their objective was to document this overseas campaign as material for a future television special.
And after discussions with Shuta An—
NHK ultimately made an important adjustment.
The main subject of the documentary would not be Mejiro Dober.
But rather—
Shuta An himself.
Which also meant that during the first half of the year, NHK's cameras would essentially follow him continuously.
Originally, NHK had hoped to continue filming all the way through the Kikuka Sho in October.
However, Shuta An rejected that proposal directly. He firmly established the final filming deadline as the day of Tokai Teio's Japanese Derby.
In the end, NHK reluctantly accepted the condition. As for filming costs, overseas expenses, or operational budgets—
Those matters had nothing to do with Shuta An. In his opinion, the fact that he had not demanded an appearance fee already counted as tremendous generosity.
Before departure, Assistant Grace had already reserved accommodations in advance.
The hotel chosen was Mercure Sydney Parramatta, located approximately four hundred and fifty meters away from Rosehill Racecourse on foot.
More importantly—
The hotel possessed excellent facilities specifically suitable for Uma Musume.
Training turf identical to Rosehill Racecourse. A complete gymnasium. Indoor and outdoor pools. Recovery facilities.
Everything necessary for race preparation was available.
After nearly ten hours of travel, the plane finally landed at Sydney Airport.
Local time—8:15 PM.
The NHK crew had remained on the same flight and immediately began filming before Mejiro Dober had even fully disembarked.
Because of this—
Both Shuta An and Mejiro Dober behaved far more carefully than usual. They intentionally maintained distance while avoiding any gestures that could be misunderstood by viewers.
However, from the perspective of the film crew, the interaction between the two appeared entirely natural.
After all—
A Trainer and an Uma Musume should normally maintain mutual trust alongside a certain professional distance.
At least—
That was what ordinary people believed.
After boarding the hotel's private vehicle and temporarily escaping the cameras, Shuta An finally turned toward Mejiro Dober.
"Dober. You can relax a little now."
The young man laughed lightly.
"You looked so tense earlier that your body practically stiffened. Maintaining that level of tension the entire time is honestly exhausting."
Mejiro Dober quietly exhaled.
"But that's simply the responsibility that comes with being a popular Uma Musume, isn't it?"
"True enough."
Shuta An shrugged casually.
"Still, they'll only film continuously for the first few days before returning to Japan. They'll come back again shortly before the Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes."
"And I already made it very clear beforehand. They're not allowed to interfere with your race preparation. That clause was written directly into the contract."
"I'm not worried about being disturbed."
Mejiro Dober turned slightly, meeting Shuta An's eyes inside the dim vehicle.
"I'm more concerned about Teio. When the filming shifts toward her later, won't the pressure become overwhelming?"
"Since joining Team Sadalsuud, hasn't Tokai Teio always lived under the spotlight?"
Shuta An's tone remained calm and unwavering.
"That kind of pressure won't crush her. It'll only become fuel. And honestly—"
A faint smile surfaced at the corner of his mouth.
"For both the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby, I believe she can win very easily."
"So you're less confident about the Kikuka Sho?"
Mejiro Dober immediately caught the subtle implication hidden inside his words.
"It's not that I lack confidence." Shuta An shook his head lightly. "It's just that among the three races—Kikuka Sho is relatively the hardest one for Teio."
He clearly had no intention of elaborating further.
However, after thinking quietly for a moment, Mejiro Dober still understood the source of his concern.
"So it's the same as when I was preparing for the Arima Kinen."
She quietly arrived at the answer herself.
"He's worried about stamina."
After arriving at the hotel, the two discovered that their reserved single rooms were conveniently located side by side.
Under the guidance of hotel staff, they entered their respective rooms separately.
Once everything had finally settled down—
Shuta An checked the time.
10 PM already.
"First, a late-night snack. Then a walk around Rosehill Racecourse. After that, sleep."
The young man casually organized the remainder of his evening.
Meanwhile, Mejiro Dober simply immersed herself inside the bathtub, preparing to relax properly before resting early.
When Shuta An arrived at the hotel restaurant alone for his late-night meal, the NHK crew had also just completed check-in procedures.
The moment they noticed him heading out by himself—
They immediately re-entered filming mode.
However, Shuta An merely shook his head helplessly.
"You don't need to follow me right now. I'm going for a late-night snack first. Then I'll walk around Rosehill Racecourse. If you still want footage afterward, meet me downstairs again in half an hour."
"Yes!"
The director immediately bowed lightly in response.
Roughly thirty minutes later, Shuta An led the film crew out of the hotel and toward Rosehill Racecourse under Sydney's night sky.
As they walked, the young man casually introduced the venue while the cameras recorded continuously behind him.
"This racecourse was completed more than fifty years ago. It hosts multiple G1 races every year. Among them, the Golden Slipper Stakes probably has the highest overall profile."
"Especially among debut-year races."
As he spoke, Shuta An glanced toward the distant racecourse lights.
"Unfortunately, due to the rules of the Three Goddesses, Uma Musume registered in the Northern Hemisphere can't participate."
"Otherwise—"
A trace of regret surfaced in his tone.
"I definitely would've sent Tokai Teio to challenge it. The prize money is exactly the same as the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. It's impossible not to feel tempted."
"So high prize money is also one of the reasons you arranged this Australian expedition for Miss Mejiro Dober?"
The director immediately seized the opportunity to ask.
"That's certainly part of it."
Shuta An admitted it openly without hesitation.
"But more importantly—The Queen Elizabeth Stakes is essentially the centerpiece event of New South Wales' autumn Twinkle Series carnival."
"Compared to it, the surrounding races simply don't possess the same status. Looking across the entire Australian calendar—the only races that can consistently surpass it in influence are probably the Melbourne Cup—and the Cox Plate that Suzuka won last year."
Then—
The young man suddenly smiled faintly.
"I'm really looking forward to the day Dober wins this race. But before that—"
He lifted his gaze toward Rosehill Racecourse in the distance.
"She still needs to win the Ranvet Stakes first."
"I believe Miss Mejiro Dober absolutely won't have any problems!"
The director answered with complete seriousness.
Hearing that, Shuta An turned his head slightly.
Then he laughed softly.
"In that case—I'll take it as a good omen."