"A suggestion?"
Both Mejiro Ramonu and Agnes Tachyon leaned forward, their curiosity instantly caught.
"What kind of suggestion?" Ramonu pressed, while Dober—quiet until now—remained stiffly silent.
"Because of Miss Dober's condition, I'm worried it might be difficult to ignite her motivation for training," Shuta An said calmly. "So I came up with a method."
As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small ziplock bag filled with neatly cut slips of paper.
He handed the bag to Ramonu. "This method requires Miss Ramonu's cooperation."
"Please continue." Ramonu accepted it without hesitation. If it was for her junior, she would spare no effort.
"These are points created by the Uma Musume on my team. From now on, I'll assign tasks to Miss Dober. Every time she completes one, Miss Ramonu will give her a slip. Once she collects enough points, she can exchange them for rewards."
"What kind of rewards?" Tachyon cut in immediately.
"That's for Miss Dober's eyes only," Shuta replied lightly. "Since they're prepared specifically for her, I won't reveal them to Miss Tachyon or Miss Ramonu."
He added, "I won't make the exchange list public. Once Miss Dober gathers enough points, she can consider what she wants and message me on Line. It doesn't require us to meet in person, correct?"
"No problem." Dober finally spoke up. "I can do it."
Her voice trembled slightly—as if she was reassuring herself more than anyone else—but Shuta didn't comment.
"Let's move on to the training video."
Dober's data wasn't impressive—far from it. Compared to Mejiro McQueen's, it was almost discouraging. Even so, Ramonu noticed something peculiar: Shuta nodded several times as he watched.
He seems quite pleased with Dober's performance? Ramonu blinked, surprised.
When the video ended, Shuta gave his verdict with a soft exhale. "Very good. The numbers may be the lowest among today's participants, but considering her growth curve, it's completely acceptable. Her pitch stride gait got a bit messy at the end, but she ran seven furlongs alone on a woodchip track—it's understandable. And her stability during the curved sections on the slope road was impressive. Overall, her performance was very good."
"Eh?" Dober stiffened, eyes wide. She glanced at Shuta for a split second before snapping her gaze forward again, cheeks faintly pink.
'My performance was actually pretty good?'
"It seems Shuta-kun has a favorable view of Dober's training lately," Ramonu said, smiling. "It might be the highest praise he's given today."
"That's also because Miss Dober still has room for growth," Shuta replied "Everyone did well. There's no 'better or worse.' As expected of the Mejiro family—every one of you has remarkable talent. I'm sure you'll all achieve wonderful results."
"To hear that from a French Two Crowns trainer—Grandmother would be delighted." Ramonu covered her mouth, laughter hidden but eyes soft.
"I'm just telling the truth," Shuta said with a shrug.
Meanwhile, Tachyon had drifted to Dober's side, whispering something into her ear. With her back turned, Shuta couldn't see her lips—or guess the content.
I'll ask her later, he decided.
They declined Ramonu's invitation to dinner, and Shuta drove Tachyon back.
"Speaking of which," Tachyon suddenly piped up from the back seat just as he started the engine, "Shuta-kun, have you ever thought about getting a new car?"
"A new what?" Shuta frowned. "I like this one. I don't need another."
"But you could afford a better one now, couldn't you?" Tachyon tilted her head like a mischievous cat.
"I don't need one, so there's no reason to force a demand." Shuta steered away from the Mejiro estate at a leisurely pace. "Better to keep my money in an American bank."
"Eh? Shuta-kun's spending habits sure are different from most Academy trainers," Tachyon said, genuinely surprised.
"Different is normal," he replied dryly. "That's why I'm still alive, while a lot of Central trainers jumped off buildings this year."
The words were unpleasant—but reality often was.
Tachyon leaned back with a sigh. "That's true— But I'm the type who spends everything. All the funds I earn from research go straight into instruments and materials."
"Miss Rudolf won't let the Academy Uma Musume go hungry anyway," Shuta said. He didn't agree with a paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle, but he also wasn't close enough to lecture her. "So it's fine if you spend as you like."
"Since the experiment's done, I can't stay much longer," Tachyon murmured. "Once we get back, I'll pack and have Shuta-kun drive me to the Academy."
"No problem!" Shuta lifted one hand off the wheel to make an "OK" gesture.
Once home, Tachyon went to gather her luggage while Shuta waited in the car. As soon as she came down, he would take her directly back. He sent a quick message to Symboli Rudolf. "Miss Tachyon is preparing to return. Please send someone from the Academy to pick her up."
"Understood," came Rudolf's reply before she hung up.
'Miss Emperor reply really quickly every time, did she place a special ringtone for me?'
When Shuta dropped Tachyon at the main entrance of Central Tracen Academy, he immediately spotted a gray Uma Musume in a pitch-black trench coat standing outside. Her hair gleamed like raven feathers—yet something clung to her aura, unsettling and cold.
'It feels like something's attached to her' Shuta narrowed his eyes. But he didn't pry.
"Cafe?!" Tachyon's eyes sparkled the moment she recognized the figure. "So you're the one picking me up!"
"It seems this is the Uma Musume Miss Rudolf sent to pick up Miss Tachyon," Shuta An thought silently after hearing Tachyon's excited voice.
"She's Manhattan Cafe—my best partner," Agnes Tachyon said proudly as she leaned toward the window and waved. "Cafe!"
"Hm?" Manhattan Cafe turned at the sound of her name. The moment she spotted Tachyon, she hurried over, coat fluttering like a shadow.
Shuta shut off the engine and stepped out, helping Tachyon unload her luggage from the trunk. Tachyon tugged her lab coat straight before slowly getting out.
"Thank you, Shuta-kun," she said with a polite bow. "Thank you for taking care of me this whole time."
"Miss Tachyon helped us plenty too. I should be the one thanking you." Shuta returned the bow lightly, then slipped back into the driver's seat and drove off.
Manhattan Cafe watched his departing car in silence, her expression unreadable. Tachyon hefted her luggage and began walking toward the lab. But after just a few steps, she noticed Cafe still standing unmoving behind her.
"What's wrong, Cafe?" Tachyon teased, grinning. "Captivated, perhaps?"
"No." Cafe rolled her eyes. "That man—is he Oguri Cap's trainer?"
"That's right." Tachyon's smile deepened. "What? Does Cafe want to join his team? You can't yet."
"I'm not thinking that," Cafe said with a small pout. "He's just…strange."
"Strange?" Tachyon tilted her head. She was used to Cafe's peculiar senses, so she didn't laugh it off. "What do you mean?"
"He has a kind of aura around him," Cafe murmured, brows furrowing. "It feels comforting. I've never sensed anything like it from anyone before."
"I didn't feel that at all." Tachyon narrowed her eyes, replaying her recent interactions with Shuta. After a moment, she decisively shook her head. "Nope."
"Tachyon knows nothing," Cafe sighed, turning around. "Come on. After I drop you off, I still need lunch."
"Okay~" Tachyon sang, stretching her voice in mock sweetness as she followed.
When Shuta returned home, it was already past three. Stepping into the living room, he found Oguri Cap watching TV alone. Berno Light was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Berno?" he asked, settling beside Oguri Cap and reaching out to hug the gray filly.
Oguri wrinkled her nose and lightly pushed him away. "Shower first. Berno went out to buy things."
Shuta tugged on his collar and sniffed. "But I changed clothes this morning."
Then it hit him—the lingering scent from spending the whole day with Agnes Tachyon, plus the long visit at the Mejiro estate.
Understanding dawned, and he wisely dropped the idea of provoking Oguri further. He obediently headed upstairs. After all, Tachyon's chaotic sleep schedule had left him tangled up with Oguri and Berno until the middle of the night. He had only managed to fall asleep at dawn.
'Good thing there weren't many safety items stocked at home—otherwise, they probably wouldn't have stopped', he yawned, shivering at the memory.
That night, in the Dream World, Shuta did not stay at Ritto Training Center. For the first time in a while, he returned to Kasamatsu and met with Trainer Sagami Masayuki, his mentor. They chatted in comfortable familiarity.
"If Shuta-kun has nothing urgent, he should stay in Ritto," Sagami said bluntly. "To be honest, coming to the local area now is like cracking a nut with a sledgehammer."
"I promised I'd bring Master a Tokai Derby horse," Shuta replied with a shrug. "We didn't send one this year, so next year then?"
"Next year will work." Sagami's confidence was absolute. "I'll definitely arrange a runner for Shuta-kun."
"I'll do my best to fulfill Master's wish," Shuta said earnestly.
"Then I'll leave it to you. But the Tokai Derby is still far away. What you should focus on now is the Arima Kinen." Sagami patted his shoulder. "How is it? Confident?"
"If I said no, that would be too modest," Shuta replied with a crooked grin. "But since Oguri has never run 2500 meters, and Nakayama's course is tricky, I can't say I'm overflowing with confidence."
"It's fine. Oguri Cap has tremendous grit. I believe she'll excel on Nakayama's 2500-meter turf—it's a course that rewards toughness."
"True," Shuta said, remembering her real-world self and nodding. "She's tough, but I can't rely on that alone. As her partner, I need to reduce her strain as much as possible."
"In terms of riding, no one in Japan can guide you anymore," Sagami said honestly. "Your Japan Cup ride was superb—you outmanoeuvred world-class jockeys."
"But horse owners prefer veterans like Okabe." Shuta's expression turned wry. "Young jockeys like me usually only get average racehorses. Right now I'm fine because I have Oguri—she lets me compete in mid-to-long-distance G1s. But once she retires my opportunities will drop sharply."
"That can't be helped" Sagami sighed. "But I believe in your strength. You'll break those prejudices. And Matsumoto already plans to entrust Teio to you, right?"
With his master's confidence behind him, Shuta felt a weight lift. "Yes. She's incredibly talented."
"When you ride one or two more G1 winners, no one will underestimate you," Sagami said firmly.
But Shuta wasn't convinced. He knew too well the deeply rooted prejudices held by Japanese owners—and many trainers at Central—toward someone like him.