Chapter 9. Preparations and Analysis
After dismounting from Rice Shower's saddle with the Groom's assistance, Shuta An immediately noticed the concern lingering on the faces of Iizuka Yoshitsugu and Rice Shower's Horse Owner the moment he stepped into the underground passage.
Taking the saddle from the Groom, the young man turned toward Iizuka Yoshitsugu and spoke first.
"I think Rice Shower should head directly to the Spring Tenno Sho next."
As he spoke, he glanced toward the dark purple mare beside him, whose breathing was still uneven from the race.
"Today's 2500 meters was still a little too short. That's why Matikanetannhauser was able to close the gap at the end."
Shuta An's tone carried unmistakable confidence.
"But at Kyoto Racecourse's 3200 meters next time, I'll prove that Rice Shower's victory over Mihono Bourbon in last year's Kikuka Sho was never a fluke."
"Since Shuta-kun says so—" Iizuka Yoshitsugu scratched the back of his head awkwardly before glancing at Rice Shower. "Then let's have him graze first for now, alright?"
"He looks pretty exhausted."
"Indeed, that's the right call," Shuta An nodded lightly.
"This time, I won't be accompanying Tokai Teio overseas ahead of schedule, so aside from the final week before the race, I should be able to attend nearly all of Rice Shower's training sessions personally."
"Then we'll leave everything to Shuta-kun," the Horse Owner interjected.
"The Spring Tenno Sho—If we can defeat the Mejiro Family there, that would truly be a dream come true for me."
"The same goes for me."
The corners of Shuta An's lips slowly lifted.
"Believe me, no one wants to defeat Mejiro McQueen more than I do."
"Yes," Iizuka Yoshitsugu echoed quietly, fully aware of the history hidden behind those words.
"If we can win this time, the meaning behind that victory will be extraordinary for all of us."
At that moment, Yukio Okabe walked over from the side. He raised a hand and patted Shuta An firmly on the shoulder.
"You really are something else. I almost got baited by you completely, but unfortunately, I still couldn't catch up."
A helpless smile appeared on Yukio Okabe's face.
"Let's settle this again in the Spring Tenno Sho."
"Alright."
Shuta An agreed without hesitation. Then, almost deliberately provocative, he added:
"But Rice Shower will only become stronger once the distance increases. Matikanetannhauser will stand even less of a chance against her there."
"Well, we'll only know once we try."
Yukio Okabe shook his head and walked away without continuing the conversation.
Even so, a faint uneasiness still lingered in his heart.
Instinctively, he felt Shuta An's words were probably true. Yet Yukio Okabe deliberately refused to dwell on the thought any further, because once that doubt took root, it might shake his confidence in Matikanetannhauser completely.
From that point until the end of February, Mejiro Dober maintained relatively low-intensity daytime training in Australia, while Shuta An spent most of his time dealing with reporters and participating in activities organized by the local URA Association.
In the evenings, however, Mejiro Dober would always arrive punctually at his room.
Without fail, she would pull the young man out for a walk.
The two of them rarely spoke during those nightly strolls. Most of the time, they simply walked side by side beneath Sydney's night sky in silence.
And yet, neither of them found that silence awkward.
On the final day of February, Shuta An arrived at the training ground earlier than usual.
"Trainer?"
The moment Mejiro Dober stepped onto the field, she immediately sensed that something about the atmosphere surrounding him felt different today, causing her ears to twitch lightly in confusion.
"Starting today, we officially enter the pre-race preparation phase."
The young man looked directly at her as he spoke.
"Okay!"
In almost an instant, Mejiro Dober adjusted her state completely, her entire demeanor becoming visibly more energized.
"What's on today's training menu?"
"Normal slow jogging remains mandatory," Shuta An replied while lowering his gaze to the notepad in his hand.
"Additional items today include stationary bike training in the gym, four sets of indoor 100-meter freestyle swimming, and one set of strength training."
"The first week will mostly follow this structure."
After a brief pause, he added:
"Once training ends, I'll personally palpate your condition. Depending on the results, I may adjust the menu afterward."
"Understood." Mejiro Dober bowed slightly. "Then I'll begin warming up."
Shuta An silently stepped aside afterward, sitting down on a bench near the edge of the field. He took out his phone, seemingly preparing to pass the time while observing her training.
Once Mejiro Dober completed her slow jog, Shuta An led her into the hotel gym before quietly sitting nearby to watch her ride the stationary bike.
For an Uma Musume, surpassing ordinary human records on such equipment was effortless.
Mejiro Dober practically shattered the displayed records without even breathing heavily.
But after stealing a glance toward her Trainer, who was quietly watching from nearby, she unconsciously lowered her center of gravity and increased the force in her legs.
"Since this is training, I can't conserve too much energy," she thought silently. "Trainer was probably watching me like that earlier as a reminder."
In reality, however, Shuta An's attention had drifted elsewhere entirely.
Today, Mejiro Dober was wearing black tights beneath her training clothes, and beneath the bright gym lighting, the lines of her legs appeared especially eye-catching.
"Her legs aren't as full as Oguri's," the young man thought absentmindedly, "but they have a very elastic feel. This kind of leg shape really is ideal for middle-distance turf racing."
After ending Mejiro Dober's bike session, Shuta An arranged for her to continue with strength training using the gym's punching bag. Meanwhile, he personally headed toward the indoor swimming pool to inspect it in advance.
The Southern Hemisphere was gradually approaching winter.
He was worried Mejiro Dober might catch a cold if she trained in the outdoor pool, which meant the indoor facility was their only option.
Before allowing her to begin swimming training, however, Shuta An still insisted on personally checking whether any unrelated guests were present and whether the pool water had been properly changed.
Normally, the water would already have been refreshed that morning.
Even so, he preferred verifying it himself.
The indoor pool at the Mercure Parramatta Hotel was lavishly decorated, but Shuta An paid almost no attention to the surroundings.
His gaze remained entirely fixed on the water itself.
Squatting beside the pool under the lifeguard's watchful gaze, the young man carefully checked the clarity and circulation before finally standing up with a satisfied nod.
"It should be fine."
Then he turned toward the lifeguard.
"For the next two hours, we'll be the only ones using this pool, correct?"
"That's right," the lifeguard answered respectfully with a bow. "The other hotel guests have already been informed that this facility is reserved during that period."
"Good."
Only after receiving confirmation did Shuta An finally leave the pool area, preparing to head back toward the gym.
Meanwhile, inside the gym, Mejiro Dober was repeatedly striking the punching bag with considerably more force than usual.
"It's already been over half a month and there's barely been any progress at all."
A trace of frustration surfaced in her thoughts.
"I originally thought there might finally be some development on Valentine's Day, but Trainer locked himself in his room the entire day, busy with who knows what."
"And when we walk together at night—I still don't know what I'm supposed to say."
As those thoughts circulated endlessly in her mind, Mejiro Dober continued punching the heavy bag absentmindedly.
"Starting today, I need to focus completely on preparing for the Ranvet Stakes. I probably won't have time to think about unnecessary things anymore."
Just then, Shuta An returned to the gym. He glanced at the nearby training log monitor before nodding in satisfaction.
"Dober's still taking training very seriously."
At the same time, another thought quietly surfaced in the young man's mind.
"I should also start thinking about what kind of reward to give Dober if she wins the Ranvet Stakes."
Shuta An was not dense.
Beneath Mejiro Dober's calm and composed exterior lately, he could already faintly sense emotions that were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
—
On March 1st, the Australia URA Association, which operated Rosehill Racecourse, officially released the entry list for this year's Ranvet Stakes.
After downloading the list and opening it on his laptop, Shuta An immediately narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Only seven entries total—"
His gaze swept across the screen once before he quietly muttered:
"Excluding Dober, there are only six local Uma Musume participating."
Standing behind him, Mejiro Dober casually leaned closer and glanced at the prize money listed beneath the race details before calmly offering her own conclusion.
"Because the winner's purse is only 100,000 Australian dollars, right?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"It's not very cost-effective for them to deliberately run into me here."
"That's definitely one way to look at it."
Shuta An nodded lightly in agreement before the corners of his mouth gradually lifted upward.
"But never mind that. We just need to focus on doing our best."
"Only six opponents—" A faint smile also appeared on Mejiro Dober's face. "Then I'll defeat every single one of them here."
—
Naturally, after Japan received the Australian entry list, the domestic media immediately began reporting on it as well.
Although overseas expeditions had become increasingly common ever since Oguri Cap opened that path years ago, Team Sadalsuud still possessed the best overall international results among all active teams.
For an undefeated Triple Tiara Uma Musume to choose an overseas expedition directly as her comeback race at the start of the year—and furthermore announce two consecutive Australian G1 appearances—was unprecedented for Twinkle Series fans.
As a result, public attention naturally focused even more intensely on Mejiro Dober.
Even discussions surrounding this year's Classic Race had noticeably quieted because of it.
Meanwhile, Shuta An himself received an invitation from "Twinkle" magazine, requesting that he write an evaluation article analyzing the popular Uma Musume competing on this year's Triple Tiara route.
Since there was no need for him to participate in discussions surrounding Tokai Teio's Classic Triple Crown route, after finishing Mejiro Dober's daily palpation and washing his hands thoroughly, the young man sat down in front of his laptop and prepared to begin writing.
However, the moment he saw the names of this year's preliminary race winners for the Triple Tiara route, his pupils visibly contracted.
"Scarlet Bouquet… Isono Roubles… Sister Tosho…"
Every one of those names belonged to Uma Musume he had either fought alongside or competed against personally within the Dream World.
Especially Scarlet Bouquet.
In the Dream World, Shuta An himself had once guided her to a G1 victory.
And precisely because of that, he knew very clearly—
Scarlet Bouquet herself did not truly possess G1-level ability.
"Then I'll just directly predict their performances based on my experiences in the Dream World."
Shuta An tapped lightly against his temple.
In truth, the only result he clearly remembered was Sister Tosho winning the Oka Sho.
Still, that was enough.
His plan was simple: finish writing Sister Tosho's section first, then go for an evening walk with Mejiro Dober, head to sleep early, and use the Dream World tonight to retrieve the remaining race footage and data from the other two Triple Tiara races.
"I'm not earning this manuscript fee for nothing."
The young man muttered quietly to himself.
—
After entering the Dream World that night, Shuta An spent the morning riding training horses at Ritto Training Center. As a result, he didn't have enough free time to collect footage and race data from the Triple Tiara races of two years ago until noon.
Since he currently wasn't officially attached to any stable, Shuta An ultimately chose to head toward Matsumoto Shoichi Stable to review the videotapes there.
"Shuta-kun, what exactly are you researching?"
Matsumoto Shoichi looked genuinely puzzled.
"Just personal interest."
Shuta An casually brushed the question aside while continuing to stare intently at the screen.
As the footage continued playing, the young man gradually narrowed his eyes.
"Just as I thought—The Triple Tiara route in Teio's generation was also fairly average overall in terms of ability."
At least, compared to Tokai Teio, the gap was obvious.
"And the real world should probably be similar as well."
After all, in the real world, he would not personally be riding/coaching those Triple Tiara contenders.
And in Shuta An's opinion, once those Uma Musume reached their senior years, none of them would truly be capable of contending against Tokai Teio.
"Anyway, that settles it. Tomorrow I'll finish the article while watching Dober's training."
Having mentally finalized his schedule, Shuta An finally stood up and shifted the conversation toward Tokai Teio's current condition.
"He's in excellent shape," Matsumoto Shoichi answered immediately.
"He's eating well, resting well, and his condition at the ranch has remained very stable. Next week he'll return for quarantine before preparing to depart for Australia."
"Then the Australian side needs to start preparing as well," Shuta An informed him calmly.
"The local media there is already planning extensive coverage for Teio's Queen Elizabeth Stakes expedition."
"Shuta-kun…"
Matsumoto Shoichi smiled bitterly while shrugging helplessly.
"Telling me something like that only increases the pressure on me. At this point, there's basically no room for losing anymore."
"Even if I hadn't told you, shouldn't Teio have been expected to keep winning anyway?"
Shuta An snorted softly.
"Trainer Matsumoto should've already been mentally prepared for that long ago."
"I can't argue with that."
Matsumoto Shoichi raised both hands in surrender.
"By the way, Shuta-kun, have you already decided your mounts for this year's Classic Triple Crown and Triple Tiara routes?"
"For the Classic Triple Crown, whatever happens, happens."
Shuta An answered casually.
"For the Triple Tiara route, it'll probably be Vega. As for Hokuto Vega—I already advised her Trainer to focus entirely on dirt races, but there still seems to be some hesitation."
"After all, there aren't many dirt races available for her at this stage, so they'll probably try turf races first before making a final decision."
"Sigh…"
Matsumoto Shoichi suddenly laughed.
"Shuta-kun, you're simultaneously acting like a jockey and helping plan race schedules. Have you ever considered becoming a Trainer yourself after retiring?"
Shuta An shook his head almost instantly.
"I probably won't become a Trainer. If I retire as a jockey someday, I'll probably just become a commentator or something similar."
In any case, he had never seriously considered when this Dream World would end.
Or whether it would ever end at all.
—
After waking up the next morning, Shuta An confirmed that the outline he prepared within the Dream World remained perfectly clear in his memory. As a result, while Mejiro Dober completed her morning exercise nearby, he sat down in front of his computer and rapidly began writing the commissioned article.
"What is Trainer writing so seriously?"
Mejiro Dober sat beside him while wiping sweat from her forehead with a towel. Even so, her gaze never once drifted toward the computer screen itself.
"It's a commissioned article for 'Twinkle' magazine," Shuta An replied casually. "An analysis of this year's popular Triple Tiara contenders."
"There's nothing about the Classic Triple Crown route?"
Mejiro Dober raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"The only truly popular contender there is Teio anyway."
Shuta An snorted lightly.
"What, did you expect me to publicly analyze Teio's weaknesses for everyone else to read?"
"I'm not doing that. So Teio actually has weaknesses in the Trainer's eyes…"
Mejiro Dober looked even more surprised now.
"I always thought Teio was the kind of perfect, flawless Uma Musume in the Trainer's heart."
"How could that possibly be true?"
Shuta An shook his head slowly.
"Teio is still very far from what you'd call perfect."
As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the bright Australian sunlight outside the balcony window.
"If I could truly train a perfect Uma Musume someday…"
A faint smile appeared at the corner of the young man's lips.
"Then maybe I could finally retire as a Trainer without regrets."
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