Chapter 22. Material for "Forging a Sword"
"NARITA BRIAN PULLS AWAY FROM THE PACK! SHUTA AN AND FUJINO MAKKEN O SURGE FROM THE FAR OUTSIDE! BUT THEY CAN'T CATCH UP! THEY CAN'T CATCH UP ANYMORE! NARITA BRIAN HAS LEFT ALL HIS OPPONENTS FAR BEHIND! ACROSS THE FINISH LINE! THE WINNER OF THE SATSUKI SHO IS NARITA BRIAN! 1 MINUTE 59 SECONDS 0! A NEW RACE RECORD HAS BEEN SET! AFTER TOKAI TEIO'S RETIREMENT—IS A NEW KING ABOUT TO BE CROWNED?!"
"Tsk."
Shuta An, who was ultimately three lengths behind Narita Brian, felt a bit helpless.
He had given his all, but Fujino Makken O was inherently a rather sluggish racehorse.
It wasn't until after climbing the Slope Road, with only a few dozen meters left, that it unleashed its full power in the final sprint under Shuta An's strenuous urging.
But with only a few dozen meters, even if Minai Katsumi had chosen to ease up, it wouldn't have been enough for Shuta An and Fujino Makken O to make up for the gap created over the previous 1900-plus meters of the racecourse.
To be able to finish second, Shuta An felt he had nothing to regret.
"Good work, Shuta-kun, you did your best."
Matoba Hitoshi, with a minor upset in this Satsuki Sho, took third place, only half a length behind Shuta An.
"I cost Matoba-san 700,000 yen, so I'll treat you to dinner at the nearby restaurant tonight."
Shuta An offered proactively.
"Great, great!" Matoba Hitoshi was naturally delighted to get a free meal. "We can also review today's Satsuki Sho. I don't believe Narita Brian is flawless; we must find a way to try and defeat him, right?"
"I don't believe he's flawless either." Shuta An shrugged. "Last year, he lost three races, though the distances were a bit short, but I think that also proves Narita Brian has weaknesses."
"There must be a tactic that can counter him." Matoba agreed, offering his reason. "After all, I don't feel the same sense of despair from him as I did from Tokai Teio back then."
"That with Teio, it was probably because I was the main jockey."
Shuta An shamelessly took some of the credit for himself.
"It seems that was indeed part of the reason."
Matoba Hitoshi paused, then chuckled.
—
Upon waking, Shuta An opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
"Narita Brian's oppressive presence in the Dream World last night was just like Mihono Bourbon's."
The only difference was that Narita Brian ran a senko style, while Mihono Bourbon was a leading style. Other than that, there was basically no difference.
"Researching how to counter Narita Brian in the Dream World, and trying to counter Mihono Bourbon in the real world—now both sides are quite fulfilling."
the young man quipped to himself.
However, he knew that the real world was more important than the Dream World.
If Narita Brian won the classic three crowns, so be it. After all, Shuta An's main goal in the Dream World this year was to ride Hokuto Vega and Rice Shower to win their respective overseas G1 stakes.
He didn't really care about domestic races this year—but once Sunday Silence and Oguri Cap's offspring debuted in the summer, he would have to care.
Because Shuta An didn't win the Satsuki Sho in the Dream World last night, there was no special reward, only ordinary rewards like racecourse prize money.
"I should focus on researching how to counter Mihono Bourbon. The tactic I thought of yesterday was essentially quite ordinary; I need to add some variations."
The young man got up. The Team Sadalsuud's Uma Musume were on vacation, so he couldn't rest either. He still had to clock in at the Academy today.
As expected, Shuta An found himself to be the earliest riser in the house today. So, after washing up and changing into his loungewear, he went downstairs to prepare breakfast.
By the time he had finished frying eggs and was mixing salad, Tokai Teio, with the demeanor of a senior, had woken all the juniors, brought them downstairs after they had washed up.
"Wait at the dining table; I'll be done with everything shortly."
Shuta An looked up and glanced, noticing that the Uma Musume were all still a bit groggy, and instructed them.
"Yes!"
Tokai Teio's shout snapped the juniors awake.
"Teio, are you going to Kyoto today?"
After all the breakfast was served, Shuta An asked from the head of the table.
"Yes, I'll go back to the Academy with Rice-chan later to pack, then depart for Kyoto with McQueen." Tokai Teio nodded and replied.
"Rice, have a good time. For this week, you and Teio should enjoy the scenery of Kansai."
Shuta An reminded Rice Shower again.
"I understand."
Rice Shower lowered her head and forked a small piece of lettuce drenched in vinaigrette.
—
After breakfast, with Tokai Teio's help, Shuta An put the dishes into the dishwasher, then started the dishwasher, returned to his bedroom to change into formal wear, and then drove to work, dropping off the Uma Musume at Central Tracen Academy on the way.
"I'm going to clock in for work. Those of you who need to go back to the dorm to pack, pack. Those who need to prepare for class, go to class."
Shuta An parked the car, then instructed the Uma Musume, got out of the car, and locked the door.
"Goodbye, Trainer!"
Led by Teio, the four Uma Musume bowed to the young man, then left together.
"After clocking in, I still have to go back to the activity room to write an overnight stay application and buy a supplementary ticket, otherwise, I'll be fined procedurally."
Shuta An tapped his head, muttering softly.
After clocking in, Kitahara looked up and informed his friend,
"President Rudolph asked me to tell Ann-san that after you arrive, remember to go to the Student Council office; she has something she wants to ask you."
"Okay, I understand."
Shuta An responded.
Although he knew about this matter after clocking in, the young man still returned to the Team Sadalsuud's activity room first, filled out four overnight stay applications, signed his name, and then took these four applications to the Student Council office.
"If nothing unexpected happens, what Miss Rudolph wants to ask about is related to this."
Shuta An could guess.
But when Shuta An stepped into the Student Council office, Symboli Rudolf's first words still surpassed the young man's imagination—
"Shuta-kun, you didn't cross the line with Teio last night, did you?"
"Huh? What is Miss Rudolph talking about?" Shuta An's mouth twitched. "I don't understand; I locked my door when I slept last night."
"Phew—"
Symboli Rudolf let out a long sigh.
"I believe Shuta-kun. But Teio is only in her first year as an old Uma Musume—"
"No, there's absolutely no such relationship between her and me as Miss Rudolph imagines." Shuta An denied.
"Is that so?"
Symboli Rudolf blinked, deep in thought. Connecting this to her most beloved junior's performance over the past year or two, she met Shuta An's gaze, trying to detect any wavering.
But Shuta An, who had done nothing, was fearless, staring back at Miss "Emperor".
After staring at each other for a while, Symboli Rudolf conceded.
"I understand, where are the overnight stay applications then?"
She held out her hand.
Shuta An handed her the four applications.
"You really came prepared." Symboli Rudolf complained. "Haven't I been completely seen through by you?"
"Ahaha, I just guessed it would be about this."
Shuta An chuckled dryly.
—
After the overnight stay applications were stamped and certified by Symboli Rudolf, they remained in the Student Council office.
After Shuta An resolved the procedural issues, he returned to the Team Sadalsuud's office to research how to deal with Mihono Bourbon in the Japanese Derby.
"The super long final straight at Tokyo Racecourse is definitely not good news for Mihono Bourbon. To counter her, it's essential to launch the final attack during the ultimate sprint phase; all other tactical designs are a prelude to these last 500-plus meters."
Sitting in front of the computer, looking at the 3D model of the Tokyo Racecourse's 2400-meter track on the screen, Shuta An got straight to the point.
"For Mihono Bourbon, 2400 meters is a distance she's never run before. Kuronuma will definitely question her stamina—I don't believe he'd be naive enough to think that training on the Slope Road can effectively increase her distance suitability."
"So, with that premise, no matter what gate Mihono Bourbon starts from, assuming she gets the lead position, the pace of the race will definitely be slowed down as much as possible. Contrary to the Satsuki Sho at Nakayama Racecourse, Mihono Bourbon will definitely run a slow pace; the first 1000 meters should be completed in around 62 seconds."
So what is Rice Shower's advantage!?
Shuta An's answer to this question at the moment was only one—
"Rice Shower's stamina is more abundant than Mihono Bourbon's, but her absolute speed isn't as formidable. To challenge Mihono Bourbon in the Derby, the most crucial task is to use her own stamina to wear down Mihono Bourbon's stamina—"
Muttering to himself up to this point, Shuta An suddenly remembered the tactic he had envisioned yesterday.
"In other words, on the stage of the Japanese Derby, the most suitable one to be this 'blade' is actually Rice Shower herself?"
Shuta An lowered his head to look at his open right hand, then clenched it tightly.
"Do I want Rice Shower to be this blade, and then try to cut through the wall of strength separating her from Mihono Bourbon?"
Shuta An's mind raced with many thoughts.
In this tactic, Shuta An initially didn't treat "this blade" as a normal Uma Musume. He had thought of using rhetoric or some other means to incite a restless Uma Musume among the participants to fiercely contend with Mihono Bourbon for the lead position in the early stages. As for whether she could achieve a good ranking later, Shuta An didn't care at all.
But now, the most suitable one to be this blade turned out to be the black deer-haired Umamusume he was training.
Shuta An couldn't help but care.
"If I use this tactic, can Rice Shower last until the end?"
This was the question Shuta An needed to clarify before Rice Shower began her official Japanese Derby pre-race training.
—
No one was home tonight, so Shuta An thought it over and decided not to drive back, choosing instead to stay overnight at an apartment near the Academy.
After the Satsuki Sho in the Dream World concluded, this week arrived at the Spring Tenno Sho race week. Rice Shower's camp was eager, already prepared for this race.
With Mejiro McQueen having retired, there were only two recognized strong long-distance Uma Musume in Japan: one was Rice Shower, and the other was Biwa Hayahide, the Kikuka Sho winning Uma Musume from last year.
But in Shuta An's opinion, Biwa Hayahide's strength still needed to be questioned. After all, he and Tokai Teio had defeated him in the Arima Kinen last year, which made Biwa Hayahide's ability somewhat underestimated by the young man.
That being said, Shuta An had no intention of underestimating any opponent in his pre-race preparations. This Spring Tenno Sho was Rice Shower's first G1 challenge of the year. Only by winning this race could Rice Shower proudly head to Ascot Racecourse to compete in the Ascot Gold Cup.
"We cannot let Biwa Hayahide tear up our plane tickets."
Shuta An told Trainer Iizuka Yoshitsugu.
"I've been working all out with the stable staff to ensure Rice Shower is in peak condition on the day of the Spring Tenno Sho." Iizuka Yoshitsugu patted his chest. "I will definitely not disappoint Shuta-kun."
"It's not about not disappointing me, it's about not disappointing the Horse Owner and Rice Shower's fans."
Shuta An waved his hand, correcting him on this point.
"Yes, Shuta-kun is right."
Iizuka Yoshitsugu nodded in agreement.
—
It was well known in the industry that Hokuto Vega's race schedule this year was designated by Shuta An, and top Trainers from Mihono and Ritto believed that if Shuta An found some suitable assistants, he would definitely become a formidable Trainer in the future.
"His race vision is too broad."
A Trainer who had worked with Shuta An, and wished to remain anonymous, privately commented on the young man's Trainer prospects to others.
But Shuta An never thought about pursuing his real-world profession in the Dream World in the future.
"Training Uma Musume during the day and racehorses at night, I'd get dizzy, and the work pressure would surely double, right? It would be a hellish scenario, just thinking about it scares me."
The young man didn't know what the end of this Dream World would be. But he planned that once he was completely satisfied, had achieved all his goals, and was no longer a Trainer, he would also not be a jockey in the Dream World.
"By then, maybe I'll know what the end of the Dream World is." Shuta An thought to himself.
Of course, the young man also didn't rule out the possibility that he would have to be a jockey in the Dream World unless he died.
"But the three goddesses shouldn't be that mean-spirited, right?"
Shuta An muttered to himself.
After opening his eyes, muttering for a while, the young man rolled out of bed, got dressed, and prepared to go out for breakfast.