In the afternoon, Kazuo had just returned to his office and hadn't even had a chance to sit back down when Group Leader Tojo once again appeared before him.
"Come to the Racecourse at three o'clock later."
Concise and to the point, she finished speaking and walked out with a stack of documents, still as decisive as ever.
However, the current Tojo was much better than her previous attitude of ignoring him.
Looking at Tojo, who had just finished her break and was rushing out of the office, Kazuo stared blankly at the door: "Uh... I feel like Group Leader Tojo seems particularly busy lately..."
"Aren't you stating the obvious?"
Todo, lounging in his swivel chair nearby, grunted and said, "You haven't even thought about what major events are coming up recently."
Ever since that incident last time, Todo had maintained this attitude; Xiao Hai Wan's reverse nomination had left him incredibly sour. Especially when he recalled the scene where he had almost begged her to join his team, the contrast instantly made him feel unbalanced.
Of course, despite this attitude, the two were still professional friends.
"Major events..."
While Kazuo was still pondering, Kitamura, sitting opposite him, answered without looking up: "It's the Satsuki Sho, held at Nakayama Racecourse at the end of April."
"Ah! The first race of the Classic Triple Crown...!"
With that reminder, Kazuo instantly recalled this crucial part of an Uma Musume's career honors as an athlete.
Previously, due to preparing for exams and handling Daijin's withdrawal controversy, he had almost forgotten about this highly anticipated heavyweight race in April.
Hearing the three of them discuss this topic, the Trainers in the office, who were busy with their own tasks, also looked up and joined the conversation.
"Hey, this year's Satsuki Sho, originally scheduled for the 15th, has been postponed to the end of April, which coincides with the Golden Week holiday. The attention this race will receive is unimaginable!"
"Exactly! Tickets for Nakayama Racecourse have already sold out. It's a pity, I originally wanted to go and watch the race live..."
"However, for this year's Satsuki Sho, the Emperor should have a very high chance of winning, right?"
"That's true, but the Branch School's strength is also very strong this year. Not to mention last year's Triple Crown winner Mr. CB, this year there's also the four-time consecutive winner Bizen Nishiki... It will still be difficult for the Emperor to win this championship..."
Besides those who expressed admiration, there were also those who were pessimistic, and other Trainers immediately rolled their eyes at these people who boosted others' morale.
"Why be so pessimistic? Didn't the Emperor already end her winning streak in the Yayoi Sho, the trial race? You should know that the current Emperor also has an undefeated four-race winning streak!"
"Compared to Bizen Nishiki's revenge match, we'd rather see the Emperor's undefeated record continue, wouldn't we?"
The heated debate among them highlighted the importance of this race.
It was a race that commanded everyone's attention.
The so-called Classic Triple Crown actually refers to three important races restricted to Uma Musume of a certain age, who can only participate in their middle school years, specifically the year after their debut race.
These are the Satsuki Sho, Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), and Kikka Sho.
These three are collectively known as the Classic Triple Crown, also referred to as the Classic Triple Crown. There are also smaller triple crowns, such as the Oka Sho, Yushun Himba, and Shuka Sho.
As well as the Spring Old Horse Triple Crown, which only high school students can participate in: Tenno Sho (Spring), Osaka Hai, and Takarazuka Kinen.
And the Autumn Old Horse Triple Crown: Tenno Sho (Autumn), Japan Cup, and Arima Kinen.
Basically, any Uma Musume who runs middle to long distances will challenge this series of races during their middle school years. However, the prerequisites for participating in these races are very strict. The so-called trial races, fan count evaluation, and prize money value qualifications are all standards for measuring whether an Uma Musume can compete in the main race. The Uma Musume who participate in these major races are all individuals who have gone through layers of screening, eliminating many competitors, and finally standing on the Racecourse.
In short, they are all top-level athletes. Competing on such a high-level stage, even the most popular athlete may not necessarily win the championship.
After all, Horse Racing is always full of surprises.
However, there was one more thing that made Kazuo curious.
"Senior Todo, what is the Branch School they are talking about?"
Todo leaned back in his swivel chair, spinning around somewhat idly, but when Kazuo asked this, he explained:
"The Branch School was built a few years ago. Simply put, it's a new campus established in Tokyo, and some Trainers were actually sent there to teach. Currently, there are actually two Tresen Academies in Tokyo: the Main School, where we are now, and the other is the Branch School. Of course, besides these, there is also a public school in Tokyo specifically for international students. Our recruitment of international students only started this year. Of course, among these three, which one is stronger or weaker, I don't need to elaborate, do I?"
Although Todo wanted to show off in front of Kazuo, Kitamura mercilessly exposed him: "Although we are the Main School, last year was actually the most active year for the Branch School. I think you should also know about Mr. CB, who was the most prominent last year, right?"
"The Classic Triple Crown winner...?"
In fact, this Uma Musume was already considered a national idol in Japan. As a purebred Japanese Uma Musume, achieving the Triple Crown feat, her popularity was immense. If not for the conversation just now, Kazuo probably wouldn't have known that this Uma Musume came from the Branch School.
"The Emperor is this year's most anticipated athlete, and besides established figures like Mr. CB, the Branch School also has Bizen Nishiki, who can be considered a rival to the Emperor."
"So, in that case, Group Leader Tojo..."
Kazuo suddenly realized, and Kitamura seemed to already know what he wanted to say.
He adjusted his glasses and stated directly:
"That's right, Group Leader Tojo has been busy guiding the Emperor in preparing for this crucial race during this period."
Indeed, Group Leader Tojo hadn't focused much of her energy on him, but as the Emperor's Trainer, the burden and workload on Group Leader Tojo at this time were immense... Her current work focus should naturally revolve around the athlete preparing for the race, even if Kazuo was forcefully assigned to her by Yoshida... However, Group Leader Tojo had no intention of using this as an excuse; instead, she apologized to him openly... Realizing this, Kazuo subconsciously looked at the collection of documents on his desk, which could be considered Group Leader Tojo's life trajectory... It turned out he had indeed met an ace Trainer.
And also, a good mentor.
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