November 28th, XXXX
"Wow! This food is Umazing!" A cheerful voice rang out across the booth as the red-haired Umamusume happily ate from her bowl of Donburi. Her bright mood, however, was not matched by the man sitting next to her.
Riku Yoshida, Chairman of the URA, was entirely at his wits' end. The Umamusume-shaped hurricane, known to the world as Secretariat, had made the last 21 days till the Japan Cup Interesting, to say the least.
FLASHBACK - Weeks Prior
"This is really comfortable! It's a little small, though." Secretariat cheerfully remarked as she sat at Riku's kotatsu, while slurping down yakisoba noodles. She was far too tall to comfortably sit under it with her knees, so she instead sat with her legs straight out, just barely staying within the blanket.
Riku stood on the other side of the room, seated at the kitchen, staring at his empty pot of noodles along with the other traditional side dishes he had planned to make. He was no experienced chef, but he could take care of himself in the kitchen. It was a skill his parents made sure to instill in him to foster his independence. However, his freeloader and charge ate through his food to levels that he imagined Oguri Cap would in the future. His poor wallet didn't deserve this.
"Hey boss-man!" Riku tilted his head her way as he began preparing to make another batch of food. He was going to be smarter and set aside his own portion first, so he didn't keep feeding this bottomless pit before he had a chance to eat.
"Mm?" He hummed in reply as he set a pot aside, the steam briefly wafting over his face as he glanced towards Secretariat. "What is it?" He raised an eyebrow at her cheerful expression as he turned his attention back to the stove, putting another pan on the heat with his side ingredients.
"Do you know what they're saying about you?" Secretariat leaned to the side, her arm propping her chin up as she looked at Riku, amusedly. A slight groan sound was let out from the table as Secretariat pressed on it.
Riku blinked at the question before turning back to her briefly. "They?"
Slurp! Secretariat slurped the last of her noodles up as she hummed in delight, before looking towards Riku. "The people in America, duh!" She wagged a finger his way as she talked. "They've been buzzing a little bit about the URA's new Chairman. A man not even old enough to drink in America." She teased lightly as she grinned.
Riku snorted at that statement, waving his wooden spatula her way. "I turn twenty-one in just a few weeks, I'll have you know." He made a small "tch" sound before continuing his work. After another silence, he spoke. "I wasn't aware the world paid much attention to us yet."
"Hahaha!" Secretariat laughed as she reclined back, wiggling her feet as she did so. "They usually don't." She stared upwards at the ceiling for a moment. "But when a new chairman is suddenly elected, at only twenty years old, and completely shakes up the foundations of the URA? Everyone will pay attention to that, y'know."
Riku continued to cook as he thought that over, before speaking as he drained his first pan. "I suppose you're right. What are they saying then?" He finished topping off a bowl before placing it before Secretariat.
Had he looked back, he would've seen the big grin on Secretariat's face. "Just that old Yoshida picked his personal garden gnome to succeed him." Garden.. Gnome..? "I don't see what they're talking about, you're clearly slightly taller than one."
Riku froze completely at her words, turning slowly to look at her, his expression completely flat. "Garden gnome?" He repeated the words in disbelief. He wasn't THAT short. Secretariat was unable to hold back her laughter and started cackling outright as she looked at him. It took the sizzling and smell of his pork burning for Riku to turn his attention hurriedly back to the stove.
Slowly, the smile fell off Secretariat's face as she looked at him thoughtfully. "They did poke some fun at you, but ultimately, they don't care. Japan doesn't matter to them." She quietly slurped her noodles after her statement.
Riku nodded his head at her words before turning her way, his eyes burning with some emotion. "You're right, it doesn't matter. Not yet." He smiled before finishing his prep, and of course, she finished her bowl off and was ready for more.
FLASHBACK OVER
That moment of seriousness was a rarity in his time with the American Champion; she quickly went back to her regular self right after. It was a stressful time, but he couldn't deny he enjoyed it. As he mused on his time with Secretariat, Riku turned to his right, upon feeling a gaze burning through him. Maruzensky was there with her father, her gaze staring straight towards the track. He was probably imagining it.
Dun Dun! The fanfare began as the Japan Cup was about to start. Riku turned his attention forward with a frown as he glanced down at the list presented in front of him. Japan had five representatives in this race, none of whom had ever won a G1. Hikari Duel, Sweet Native, Todoroki Hiro, Kazushige, and Katsu R. Perhaps one of them could surprise them all, if things don't play out how they did before.
For international representation, four were from the USA. Mr. Macho, Half Iced, April Run, and the multiple G1 champion, John Henry. Riku turned his gaze to Secretariat, right next to him, and spoke. "What are your thoughts on the USA reps in this race?"
Secretariat finished her bite of food before glancing at him. "Half Iced is going to win it." She simply stated, before looking back towards her food. Her words caused those around in his group to perk up, most varying between curious and incredulous.
Riku himself blinked at her confidence. "Half Iced? Not John Henry, April Run, or All Along?" He merely asked how the US would do; he wasn't expecting that answer.
"Half Iced. I know it'll be her." She didn't speak again, preferring to eat her food as everyone glanced at each other before looking at the track.
"Could it be her instincts?" Riku thought to himself as he leaned back while the runners were announced. Half Iced is the 6th favorite going into this race, while John Henry is 1st, April Run 2nd, and All Along 3rd. He remembered hearing that this Japan Cup race was an upset, so Half Iced's win would fit that narrative. Hm.
It was still a surprising thought. This year's Japan Cup lineup was actually pretty weak in terms of G1 contenders, with only John Henry having a whopping 9 G1 victories by this point.
All Along was the third favorite, and France's lone representative in this race. Stanerra, the 9th favorite, is from Ireland. Isle of Man, 5th favorite, representing New Zealand. Frost King, 4th favorite, representing Canada. She had actually finished 2nd in the previous Japan Cup.
Scouting Miller, 14th favorite, and Centurius, 13th favorite, are rounding out Great Britain's representatives. Lastly, Pageno, from Germany, is the 15th favorite and expected to be dead last for this race. Not the most inspiring lineup to be sent to the Japan Cup, for sure.
"Thank you for your patience! The Japan Cup will start soon!" Misato Akasaka was taking the reins on commentating this time. Riku shook his head briefly before focusing back on the track once more as the runners entered the paddock.
"Start!" The crowd roared as the runners fought for position and settled along while hitting the first turn. Riku's eyes tracked Half-Iced, sitting 2nd to last and clearly conserving energy. His eyes narrowed as he took in her expression, seeing a calm and cool expression as they hit the first straight away in the race. He turned briefly towards Secretariat, her expression still carefree as she ate while watching the race intently.
"She runs just like you used to," Riku remarked as he crossed his arms. Half Iced's running style as an end-closer and position was eerily similar to Secretariat's preferred style.
"Ha! She's a big fan of mine." The legend remarked, grinning sharply as she looked at the track. "I gave her some tips." She said almost carelessly, waving her hand flippantly.
"Hm." Riku hummed in response as the runners began to group, nearing the final corner before the very long straightaway. His eyes widened briefly as he took in Half Iced, beginning her surge on the farthest spot outside the pack. John Henry, in contrast, seemed to be sagging back, unable to spurt properly in the middle of the pack.
"John Henry is falling back! The favorite is falling! Half Iced! Half Iced! Half Iced is surging! All Along! April Run! All three are bunching up! Less than 100 meters remaining!" Akasaka's commentary picked up as everyone leaned forward to watch the result, aside from Riku and Secretariat. Secretariat seemed confident in what would already unfold. Riku saw the signs as Half Iced surged.
"Half Iced! Half Iced has won! America wins back-to-back Japan Cups!" Akasaka, to her credit, was incredibly enthusiastic about the result, which saw her round out the top competitors. "In 2nd by a neck is All Along, followed by April Run, also by a head. Stanerra takes 4th, while Hikari Duel of Japan takes 5th!"
"5th, huh?" Riku frowned as he looked at the track. About the same performance as last year from Japan's reps. Not last, but nowhere near the top, as they should be on home turf. They still had a long way to go. He turns his gaze to the right, where Maruzensky and her classmates clapped as they watched, slight frowns on their faces.
"Will it be Maruzensky this time? Katsuragi Ace as before? Or will someone else be Japan's first to win this race?" Riku smiled wryly at the thought. There was no point in being down. Japan was taking the necessary steps to contend with the world; all they needed was time. He clapped his hands loudly, as was becoming a tradition.
"An exciting result! Shall we head down?" He asked the group, getting nods all around as they quickly stood and headed down. He glanced briefly at Secretariat, who quickly gulped her food down and stood to his left. He made a thinking gesture as he looked at her.
"Buckshot!" He called out firmly, getting a startled jump from his morose bodyguard. She looked his way questioningly as he grinned. "Would you mind escorting Secretariat to the concert? I need to take care of some things myself." By the comically widened eyes she showed, Buckshot had not expected him to do that.
"Oh?" Secretariat remarked, looking at the slightly shorter Umamusume, smiling her way. "That sounds like fun." Buckshot had sent an absolutely murderous glare his way that he ignored, giving her a thumbs-up. Opal discreetly patted him on the back as she followed him out, the rest of the group moving with Buckshot.
No words were exchanged between the two as they walked, with Opal merely giving a nod of approval that he matched.
End of the Concert - Special Record
"Thank you!" Half-Iced joyfully called out, along with the other top 3 runners. Their winning live coming to an end to applause from the crowd.
The group was all together once again, clapping as they watched. Riku smiled as he looked over, seeing Buckshot and Secretariat enthusiastically talking about something, previous hesitation gone. He took in the atmosphere before his eyes saw Maruzensky, her eyes not leaving the stage.
Maruzensky smiled as she watched the performance end, before her expression quickly fell into a look of contemplation. She thought briefly that she could've won the Japan Cup had she competed, but she promptly discarded those thoughts. She was still recovering from her training with Secretariat, and the Arima Kinen was coming up. Her eyes glinted fiercely as she smiled.
"I can't wait.. Time to show what I've learned."
CHAPTER END