Chapter 79. Speculations on Clue Fragments
After waking up, Shuta An opened the attribute viewer without much expectation, only for his eyes to flicker in surprise.
"Congratulations on winning the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes with Hokuto Vega and obtaining clue fragment VE."
"VE?" Shuta An frowned. "ADMIVE? What is that supposed to mean?"
He spent a long while thinking it over, yet still couldn't decipher its meaning. Then, the young man began mentally piecing together the clue fragments he had already obtained and was surprised to discover that "AD" and "MI" fit together perfectly, whereas "VE" clearly did not.
"So there's still another fragment between MI and VE—Is it different because Hokuto Vega won this race, instead of Vega?" Shuta An pondered. "And judging from the form of 'VE,' there should still be more fragments after it."
Associating it with the names Vega and Hokuto Vega, he naturally arrived at his next conclusion.
"It should be 'GA.' If that's the case, then I probably only need to win two more races to guarantee collecting all the clue fragments." The young man silently calculated the possibilities.
(He should try asking Rudolf any Umamusume named Vega. Then he can guess the pieces)
He had also tried investigating the identity of the so-called "Overlord," but the most likely candidate within the Academy remained an Uma Musume from Team Rigil named T.M. Opera O, who had yet to undergo her complete awakening.
The Uma Musume carried herself with remarkable confidence. Every movement radiated self-assurance, making her the complete opposite of someone like Rice Shower.
Even so, Shuta An had learned from Tojo Hana that T.M. Opera O was still several years away from reaching her full awakening.
"Even if I gather every clue fragment and identify the correct Uma Musume, will I still have to wait several more years before she fully mature?"
The young man wondered as he got out of bed and began washing up.
"Or perhaps those years are meant to give me enough time to help her accumulate the strength needed to defeat the Overlord. What kind of Uma Musume would deserve the title 'First Star of the Era'?"
His first thought had naturally been Tokai Teio. Yet after a moment's reflection, he dismissed the idea. Finding another Uma Musume with Teio's level of talent would be extraordinarily difficult.
"It's truly something worth looking forward to," Shuta An murmured.
As usual, he headed to work that morning.
After clocking in, however, he returned to the activity room, wrote himself a leave request explaining that he would be traveling to Paris to accompany Mejiro Dober during her preparations for the Prix Vermeille, sent it to Symboli Rudolf, and then immediately clocked out again.
He knew without a doubt that Symboli Rudolf would approve the request.
Instead of leaving Central Tracen Academy immediately, Shuta first walked to the training grounds. Tokai Teio, Rice Shower, and Kurofune were all carrying out their daily training.
He had designed different training intensities according to each of their individual circumstances, but there was one exercise they all shared: jogging.
Aside from the differing number of laps assigned to each of them, the required pace remained identical. As a result, the three Uma Musume always completed their jogging sessions together.
Kurofune, who had the fewest laps, led the group and broke the wind resistance. Rice Shower followed closely behind, while Tokai Teio brought up the rear.
The undefeated Triple Crown Uma Musume, playful as ever, would occasionally release her aura forward on purpose, subtly pressuring Kurofune and Rice Shower and adding an extra layer of psychological stress to their training.
Shuta An had noticed this more than once, yet never stopped her. In his view, Tokai Teio's little antics caused no harm to either Rice Shower or Kurofune.
"As Tokai Teio continues to grow stronger, it will only benefit Kurofune and Rice Shower in the future," Shuta An thought.
The three Uma Musume remained completely absorbed in their training, so focused that none of them noticed their Trainer quietly observing from the sidelines.
Shuta An shifted his attention toward the Uma Musume from the other teams.
Some trained with the same diligence displayed by Tokai Teio's group. Others, however, were clearly distracted, their minds wandering elsewhere instead of remaining on the training ground. They reminded him of those unfocused Uma Musume from Kasamatsu Tracen Academy back then.
He had no intention of offering advice. He simply continued watching the countless scenes unfolding across the training grounds.
Only after his phone vibrated with a Line notification did the young man finally turn and leave.
"Still~ most of them are striving to improve," he murmured to himself.
—
That evening, Shuta An arrived alone at Narita Airport, preparing to board his flight to Paris.
This time, Oguri Cap—having recently obtained her driver's license—was the one who drove him to the airport.
"I'm off."
Before stepping out of the car, the young man leaned over, lightly kissed his lover on the lips, and softly bid her farewell.
"Ann, have a safe trip. Once you get to Paris, don't be insatiable. Dober-chan needs to focus on preparing for her race."
Oguri Cap replied while absentmindedly rubbing her stomach.
"I hope Dober-chan achieves an outstanding result."
"You'll have to tell her that yourself."
Shuta An shook his head as he got out of the car and walked toward the trunk to retrieve his luggage.
"I'm the one who has to avoid her before the race."
"Hehe~" Oguri Cap hummed cheerfully. "Alright, alright. I'll contact Dober."
—
Although it was a red-eye flight, Shuta An had purchased a first-class ticket, making rest easy enough.
Lying down on the bed, he pulled the blanket over himself and, as always, drifted into the Dream World.
Today, Hokuto Vega would remain at Del Mar Racecourse for one final day of rest before being transported to Santa Anita Park the following day.
"For this year's Breeders' Cup Series, I want to ride Arcangues in the Classic, and Hokuto Vega in the Breeders' Cup Distaff..."
"I just hope I can also find a suitable partner for the Turf Classic."
Even without ever having faced Sky Beauty, the young man possessed an inexplicable confidence that Hokuto Vega would never lose to her at Santa Anita Park.
"It's a shame the next race Flower Bowl fell and that Mr. Mori Shigeru wasn't willing to shoulder additional transportation costs. Otherwise, we might have challenged the top mares on the East Coast at Saratoga and earned some extra prize money along the way," Shuta An thought as he boarded the flight back to London.
Yoshida Katsumi had remained in Japan to help prepare the family funeral, leaving Shuta An alone in the hotel beside Ascot Racecourse.
"My European campaign will conclude with the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
Sitting aboard the plane, Shuta An quietly organized the remainder of his European schedule.
"There aren't many major races left in September—only the Prix Vermeille, followed by a handful of standalone G1 races. Excluding the two days of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe meeting, I'll probably ride in no more than three additional G1 events."
"I also wonder what reward I'll receive once the 'Summer Fame' mission is settled. I just hope it's worthy of everything I've accomplished over these past few months."
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