After the winning live, Shuta An and Berno Light waited at the entrance of the underground passage in Nakayama Racecourse, watching the stream of staff and Uma Musume file past. Before long, a familiar voice rang out.
"I'm here!" Oguri Cap jogged up from the passage, handed her suitcase to Shuta An, and immediately hugged his free arm with a bright smile. "Are we going back now?"
"Since it's Christmas, we can't just go straight home without doing anything," Shuta An replied, giving the suitcase a small shake. "So this morning, Berno had already book a restaurant nearby."
"Going straight back to rest isn't a bad idea either." Oguri Cap stuck out her tongue. "The energy I used in today's race was a lot more than I expected."
"Naturally. It was Nakayama's 2500-meter turf, and your opponent was someone as exceptional as Tamamo Cross. To be honest, with less than two hundred meters left, even I thought you might lose."
"I thought so too," Oguri admitted in relief. "At that moment, part of me even thought, 'Just let Tamamo Cross pass me.'"
"That won't do!" Berno cut in immediately. "Oguri's victory is our victory too."
"Yeah, I remembered that later. That's why I didn't give up!" Oguri leaned forward with a playful grin as she explained to Berno—
Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Tamamo Cross had already reunited with Miss Komiyama.
"Let's take the car back to the Academy," Tamamo Cross said calmly before Miss Komiyama could speak.
"Eh?" Miss Komiyama blinked in surprise. "Isn't Tama-chan—sad? You didn't win your retirement race."
(Arima Kinen's often used as retirement race. Gold Ship, Teio, Kitasan—)
"Should I be bawling in public?" Tamamo Cross raised an eyebrow. "The result is already decided. I couldn't defeat Oguri Cap, not even once. But I'm not that disappointed. I have my own path to follow from here, right?"
"You're right," Miss Komiyama admitted softly. "Then let's hurry. The Academy's Christmas party will begin soon."
Up front, Symboli Rudolf slipped into Maruzensky's car. "This time, I'll allow you to drive a little faster. I need to return to the Academy and give the opening speech for the Christmas party."
"Yes, yes~" Maruzensky waved lazily. "Leave it to me. I'll get you there on time."
"And afterwards?" Rudolf asked with a twitch of her lips. "Are you—not staying at the Academy?"
"Nope." Maruzensky fastened her seatbelt. "I'm heading to Ōi. I heard there's a light festival with fun shows tonight."
"Even though you're from Central," Rudolf muttered.
"Hmm Hmmm Hmm Hm" Maruzensky hummed as she started the engine.
The restaurant booked for Christmas was a kaiseki cuisine place. As soon as they were seated, Shuta An took out his phone and opened Amazon Fresh, using the spare moment to discreetly order large quantities of ingredients and snacks.
Christmas kaiseki…how many sets would it take to actually fill Oguri Cap?
He had no intention of letting his wallet duel Oguri Cap's appetite in a fancy restaurant, so he prepared ahead.
Berno soon realized the severity of her choice—especially after watching Oguri Cap sweep through dish after dish like a gust of wind.
If not for the inherently slow serving pace of kaiseki, Shuta An was convinced Oguri Cap could have "cleared" the restaurant in under a minute.
"It's my fault—"Berno apologized again and again once they stepped outside. "I was too focused on the Christmas atmosphere."
"It's fine," Shuta An said, patting her head. "I bought ingredients beforehand, so we can have a second round once we're home. After that, Berno can help me cook."
"Mm-hmm!" Berno nodded eagerly.
Afterward, Shuta An turned toward Oguri Cap—
She came out rubbing her stomach, walking normally. He watched her carefully.
Good—she looks fine. She can rest properly until next year's Yasuda Kinen. The second half of this year was a bit intense. Maybe we can skip the Autumn Tenno Sho next year…
Oguri Cap noticed his gaze. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just thinking about what to cook for you later." Shuta An smiled. "I saw pollock on sale earlier. How about stewed tofu? I had it in America once—though the chef added weird things like cheese slices—but without those, I think it'd be good."
"I've only eaten mentaiko," Berno chimed in. "But stewed tofu with pollock sounds fresh. Ann, what else did you buy?"
"Didn't you get a few cookbooks? I read through them when I was bored. There are dishes I want to try. You'll see when we get home." Shuta An opened the car doors for both Uma Musume, waited until they were settled, and then took the driver's seat.
"Let's go home! Even though it's Christmas, it's a pity there wasn't any snow today," Oguri Cap said from the back seat.
"It's better that it didn't snow," Shuta An replied. "If it had, the race outcome might've been different. Snow would've favored Tamamo Cross."
"That's true," Oguri agreed. "But I still wouldn't let her win easily."
"The race is over—let's not talk about it anymore." Berno shifted the mood. "Since Oguri Cap doesn't have mandatory races for a few months, where should we travel?"
"For that, I need to talk to Mejiro Ramonu first." Shuta An reminded her, "Don't forget I still have a part-time job."
"That's true—" Berno's ears drooped a little, as her imagined vacation began to fade.
After returning home, Shuta Ann took a short rest before leading Berno Light into the battlefield known as the kitchen. Meanwhile, Oguri Cap curled up on the living room sofa, switched on the TV, and began flipping through channels to pass the time.
It wasn't that the Gray Uma Musume didn't want to help. But ever since that incident—the one where she accidentally turned the kitchen into a warzone, spent an entire morning cleaning, and ultimately replaced every piece of cookware—Shuta Ann had imposed a strict rule: Oguri Cap was forbidden from setting foot in the kitchen unless it was to deliver food.
And so, Oguri Cap could only sit quietly in the living room, casting envious glances toward Berno Light, who was happily assisting with ingredients.
Naturally, Berno—utterly absorbed in her work—failed to notice the longing gaze.
"Oguri," Shuta Ann called from the kitchen, "take my phone and ask Miss Ramonu on Line how the Mejiro Family plan to spend the holiday. If they're all relaxing, we can start planning our winter break."
"No matter where we go, we still have to go back to Kasamatsu, right?" Oguri Cap picked up the phone and asked back.
"Of course." Shuta Ann replied without looking up, eyes fixed on the simmering clay pot. "You and Berno will go home for a few days, then we'll decide what to do during the race-free period."
"Okay~" Oguri Cap drew out the sound before typing the message. Miss Ramonu replied moments later:
If Shuta-kun wants to leave Tokyo for a vacation, that's fine. I'll send over the training videos of the juniors. Shuta-kun can watch them and give me assessments.
When Oguri Cap read the reply aloud, she added, "Before debuting, it's really just training every day. There's no chance to rest at all."
"Oguri was the same before she debuted from Kasamatsu," Shuta Ann chuckled, checking the clay pot before closing the lid again. "And Uma Musume from the Mejiro Family train at high intensity from the moment they can run."
"Thinking about it—that's rough." Berno Light shook her head. "Long-term repetitive training without a clear debut date must put a lot of pressure on them."
"But that's the path of Central," Shuta Ann said with a shrug. "It's one reason why Central Uma Musume stay so composed during critical moments."
The atmosphere dimmed slightly.
"Alright, enough about that," Shuta Ann said, unwilling to let Christmas turn somber. "The pollock and tofu stew still needs time. Berno, are the sausages done?"
"All done!" Berno announced proudly as she plated them.
"Great. Prepare the broccoli next—I'll bake it later." Then, turning toward the living room, Shuta Ann called, "Oguri, what about you? What are your plans this winter?"
He hadn't asked Berno because the Chestnut-Haired Horse Girl had already declared she would simply follow him as usual, learning as his support Uma Musume. Oguri Cap pondered for a moment before lifting her head.
"I want to go out and explore."
"Go out? Where?" Shuta Ann blinked. Honestly, his first guess had been: Try every famous restaurant in Tokyo.
"I want to take my mother to France. After my expedition earlier this year, I told her stories about it—and I could tell she was very interested."
Shuta Ann wasn't surprised. People of her mother's generation held a natural admiration for Europe.
"Then we'll need to update your passport," he said. "We'll take care of it in a few days."
"What about Ann?" Oguri Cap and Berno asked in unison. "What are your plans for winter?"
"We can all go to France togethe—" Oguri suddenly cut herself off, realizing something she didn't voice.
Berno tilted her head. "Well, whatever Ann does, I'm following him."
"It's better if I don't go anywhere." Shuta Ann replied while chopping vegetables. "I'll stay in Tokyo. No trips, no noise."
He paused what he was doing, looked toward Oguri Cap, and continued gently:
"Oguri, I'm giving you two months off. No training. Just rest. Do whatever you want. No interviews, no team promotions. You've worked so hard this year—you need to recharge both your body and mind."
"Mhm! Mhm!" Oguri Cap nodded energetically.
A little over an hour later, the three gathered at the dining table. Shuta Ann put his hands together briefly in silent thanks, while Berno Light and Oguri Cap had already begun their feast.
After finishing his prayer, Shuta Ann finally joined the battlefield.
"As for the pollock and tofu stew… it tastes exactly like I imagined," Berno commented between bites. "Sweet and fresh. Very delicious."
Oguri Cap didn't say anything—but her speed alone said enough. Shuta Ann was satisfied.
Just then, he felt vibration in his pocket. He checked his phone, unlocked it, and raised an eyebrow. A message—from Dr. Grace, who should have been asleep at this hour.
'Shuta, are you free now?'
'Dr. Grace, did something happen? I'm eating dinner' Shuta replied with one hand while casually picking food with the other.
'If possible, please bring Oguri Cap for a check-up after two days of rest. I want to compare her condition after the Arima Kinen with the post–Japan Cup data'
Shuta Ann agreed immediately. Then he looked up.
"Oguri, don't head back to Kasamatsu yet. The day after tomorrow, we're going to the hospital for another check-up. They want to compare your condition after the Arima Kinen with your Japan Cup results."
"Eh?" Oguri blinked, surprised, then nodded obediently. "I understand. I'll go properly."