Chapter 41. Tokai Teio's Joy
The next day, although it was Friday and Shuta Ann normally wouldn't need to come into Central Tracen Academy for work, he came anyway.
Because all of his work, aside from planning Mejiro Dober's tactics for the Japanese Oaks, had been finished a few days prior, the young man simply stayed in his office, drinking cold tea and watching videos while doing some simple PR work on Twitter using the Team Sadalsuud account.
Oguri Cap, who was still wandering around Europe, sent over many photos every day; because of this, Shuta Ann didn't even need to ask the other Uma Musumes on the team for promotional photos.
When noon arrived, catching the exact moment the cafeteria opened, Shuta Ann stepped inside. He simply chose a yakiniku set meal and devoured his lunch like a whirlwind.
Afterward, he grabbed two cans of sparkling water and headed to the courtyard on the main path leading from the cafeteria back to the dormitories, ready to intercept Tokai Teio.
—
Just as the originally chilled sparkling water was about to reach room temperature, Tokai Teio's figure finally appeared in Shuta Ann's line of sight.
Today, there were no other Uma Musumes beside her. The young man noticed her footsteps looked somewhat heavy—he just didn't know if the reason for this display was physical or psychological.
Seeing this situation, Shuta Ann knew he absolutely had to have a good talk with Tokai Teio today. So, he went up to meet her.
"Come with me."
Arriving in front of Tokai Teio, the young man's tone brooked no argument. Grabbing her wrist, Shuta Ann pulled her away from the courtyard.
Tokai Teio originally wanted to struggle a bit, but she noticed that the surrounding Uma Musumes were all looking at her and the trainer.
"I can't cause trouble."
Realizing this, Tokai Teio obediently let Shuta Ann lead her away from the courtyard.
—
Holding Tokai Teio's hand (wrist), Shuta Ann led her to a cafe outside the academy.
"What would you like to drink?" After sitting down, Shuta Ann asked. "It's my treat today."
"Then—do you have the special honey drink?"
Even in a cafe, Tokai Teio absolutely would not waver in her love for the special honey drink.
"Opening a shop here naturally means tailoring it to the tastes of the Uma Musumes, so yes, we have it," the waiter chimed in.
"Then I'll have one extra-large special honey drink and one extra-large iced drip coffee with milk," Shuta Ann settled on the order.
"Certainly."
The waiter recognized Shuta Ann. Working here required a certain level of perceptiveness, and she knew clearly that after delivering the coffee, she should stay far away. Heaven only knew what Japan's number one trainer wanted to discuss with the Uma Musume sitting opposite him; curiosity was the last thing that should manifest at a time like this.
—
The two sat in silence, and the atmosphere gradually grew heavy. Despite the cafe being air-conditioned, Shuta Ann could sense an invisible pressure weighing on Tokai Teio.
So, he decided to get straight to the point.
"The main reason I asked you here, Teio, is because I want to have a good talk about yesterday and what's been happening over the last half month."
Tokai Teio's body gave a slight, almost imperceptible tremble. She knew that her running off yesterday after going to see the trainer without saying a word would surely catch his attention.
"I didn't see anything."
At this moment, Tokai Teio decided to play the ostrich and bury her head in the sand.
"What does the trainer want to talk about? Is it about recent training? I'm debuting in the summer and I've been preparing well; I feel like I'm in great shape!"
As she spoke, a brilliant smile appeared on her face: "To achieve my dream, I'm working very hard!"
However, Shuta Ann pointed out the problem without hesitation.
"But I can tell, Teio's steps were very heavy today; you look like you have something on her mind."
"No, no!" Tokai Teio waved her hands repeatedly.
"If nothing is on your mind, then there's a problem with your body." Shuta Ann's tone shifted.
"If there's a problem with your body, then come with me to the hospital for a check-up, and training will be suspended for now. I cannot gamble with Teio's health."
Just as Tokai Teio wanted to refuse, the coffee and special honey drink were delivered. She shut her mouth in time, not letting the waiter hear the conversation between her and the trainer.
—
Having missed the opportunity to refuse, Tokai Teio could only lower her head and sip the special honey drink. This was her favorite drink; the honey was stirred into the water, and it tasted sweet with every sip. The sweetness of the drink carried a faint trace of tartness, leaving Tokai Teio unsure of how to continue her act.
Shuta Ann didn't touch his iced drip coffee, instead stirring it continuously with a spoon. It wasn't until the milk and coffee were perfectly blended that he softly broke the silence.
"I am dating Silence Suzuka."
"!" Tokai Teio snapped her head up, the shock in her eyes impossible to hide. "Then what about Oguri Cap-senpai?!"
She instinctively voiced the doubt weighing on her heart.
"The same," Shuta Ann paused briefly, "and Berno Light is as well."
Tokai Teio was completely unable to digest this "bomb" dropped by her trainer. "Does that mean the trainer is three-timing?!"
"I can't deny it if you put it that way." Shuta Ann didn't hesitate this time. "But our relationships are mutually accepted and recognized by everyone involved."
"..."
It took Tokai Teio a long time to process those words.
"So that's how it is." Tokai Teio lowered her head. "No wonder you wouldn't give me that extra spot when you went on the Dubai expedition this year."
"I'm sorry." Shuta Ann took a sip of his milky iced drip coffee.
"I couldn't explain it to Teio at the time. In fact, whether it's Dober or Kurofune, they probably aren't clear about it either."
"Putting Kurofune aside for a moment, is Dober-senpai really not aware?" Tokai Teio tilted her head.
"I think she's quite perceptive; she should have noticed something."
"Let's get back to the main point." Shuta Ann paused. "In short, I don't want things on my end to affect Teio."
"It won't affect me."
Tokai Teio's response was very quick.
Was it because of the special honey drink? When her voice reached Shuta Ann's ears, it carried a subtly sweet tone.
"Rather, I'd say the trainer has let a weight off my heart."
Tokai Teio met her trainer's gaze.
This time, it was Shuta Ann's turn to look away. This was because Tokai Teio's gaze was too burning.
"I will work hard to prove myself!"
Out of the blue, Tokai Teio left those words as the conclusion to their conversation.
After watching Shuta Ann leave, Tokai Teio rested her chin on her left hand. A radiant, explosive smile—one she had been holding back in front of the young man—erupted across her face, the corners of her mouth practically grinning up to the sky.
"I was worried before that the trainer had abandoned Oguri-senpai, but it turns out it's like this," she murmured, narrowing her eyes.
"I have to work hard too."
Tokai Teio returned to her usual self—starting the next day, which finally allowed Shuta Ann to breathe a sigh of relief. With only two or three months left until her debut, the young man didn't want any issues cropping up on her end. The road to challenging the undefeated Triple Crown permitted absolutely zero mistakes.
For this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, both Shuta Ann and Tokai Teio had to brace themselves and proceed with the utmost care.
"I've already achieved it once in the dream world. If I can't do it in the real world, wouldn't that make me a massive failure?" Shuta Ann thought to himself.
Tokai Teio, of course, was completely unaware of this. However, after her chat with Shuta Ann, her mood was exceptionally cheerful, and even her training efficiency had shot up significantly. Mejiro Dober noticed this and secretly marveled.
"She's just too strong, isn't she? Teio-chan's performance at this stage is already much stronger than mine was at the same point in time."
However, Mejiro Dober wouldn't let herself get discouraged; she had known early on that her natural talent wasn't on par with Tokai Teio's.
"But I have my own battlefield too. There's no need to clash head-on with Teio in the Twinkle Series; focusing on the Tiara Series races is the most suitable path for me."
—
Starting with the training in early May, Shuta Ann added a new rule to Mejiro Dober's lap running—she had to maintain a constant speed while running, and only after completing two laps around the training field and entering the final straightaway was she allowed to start accelerating.
To deliberately interfere with Mejiro Dober, the young man even specifically had Kurofune and Teio frequently change their speeds while running in front of and behind her, aiming to mislead Dober's internal pace clock.
Mejiro Dober suffered quite a bit during the first few days, frequently finding her rhythm shaken by the pacing of Tokai Teio and Kurofune. However, by the time there were only two days left until the Japanese Oaks, Mejiro Dober's performance had stabilized.
"With this, I can be completely at ease for the Japanese Oaks." After Mejiro Dober finished her training, Shuta Ann said to her,
"I've already discussed the tactics for this race with Dober. In short, as the heavy favorite, adopting a safe and steady strategy is the most appropriate."
"Yeah!" Mejiro Dober nodded vigorously. "The Mejiro family's second Oaks victory, our team's first Oaks victory—I will grasp it firmly in the palm of my hand!"
—
However, the next day, it rained all day in Tokyo.
"Track conditions will change, and the opponents' tactics might shift as well."
That evening, Shuta Ann sat on the sofa, holding his phone and chatting with Mejiro Dober about tomorrow's race.
"However, the tactics we've developed are already quite conservative, so it won't matter if the opponents become passive along with us. Dober doesn't need to worry too much."
"I know. But the family is a bit concerned, so they wanted me to contact trainer." Mejiro Dober paused. "Anyway, since the trainer says so, I think my family can stop nagging now."
"After all, this is the Mejiro family's long-awaited challenge for the Triple Tiara; it's normal for the elders to feel nervous and nag a bit." Shuta Ann's tone was gentle. "Dober just needs to be herself."
"The family needs me to produce results." Mejiro Dober's voice suddenly became very low. "Being myself isn't just for my own sake."
Knowing the implication behind Mejiro Dober's words, the young man couldn't say much. After all, the Mejiro family's financial status wasn't something he could interfere with.
"Even if I help with the Mejiro family's financial problems, it would only be treating the symptoms and not the root cause. After all, the root of the problem is the Mejiro family's very existence—way of living."
Shuta Ann thought to himself.
"The scale of the family is so large, yet income relies entirely on things like race winnings and endorsements. You could say that the active Uma Musumes in the Twinkle Series and Dream Cup Series are supporting the entire clan—how could problems not arise if this continues?"
So, when the old lady of the Mejiro family had previously hinted at a marriage proposal for him, the young man never responded. Even though Shuta Ann held quite a bit of wealth, he wasn't going to throw his money into a place destined to be a bottomless pit just to maintain a false sense of peace.
"Dober won't give up on the Mejiro honor."
Knowing this clearly, Shuta Ann didn't consider any "other" options.
—
On the 25th, the weather in Tokyo was clear. The spring breeze had already blown away yesterday's humidity, but the turf at Tokyo Racecourse was still officially listed as "Heavy" (Soft/Heavy track).
"The drainage system doesn't seem to be doing very well," Shuta Ann joked as he looked up at the announcement board, having brought Tokai Teio and Kurofune with him to the racecourse.
"If the track is heavy, that counts as a favorable condition for Dober-senpai, right?" Kurofune blinked. "I feel like with a heavy track, the other opponents' stamina probably won't be enough to compete."
"You two have quite a lot of confidence in Dober's stamina," Shuta Ann said, a bit surprised.
"Doesn't Trainer have a lot of confidence in Dober-senpai? Naturally, we do too," Tokai Teio chimed in, swaying behind the young man.
"Ha..." Shuta Ann shook his head and led the two Uma Musumes toward the VIP box.
—
As the main event of today's Japanese Twinkle Series, the Japanese Oaks attracted approximately 70,000 people to Tokyo Racecourse today.
Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the VIP box and looking at the sea of people in the stands below, Tokai Teio muttered softly,
"If we were watching from the stands, it would be crowded and noisy; the experience definitely wouldn't be good."
"That's why I bring you guys to the VIP box most of the time. If we were outside, the atmosphere might be good, but it would be too noisy, and I reckon we'd be disturbed by the surrounding spectators," Shuta Ann spread his hands.
"That is indeed true."
Kurofune nodded repeatedly, recalling her experience coming to the racecourse to watch a race with Curren Chan.
"So many of Curren Chan's fans swarmed us for autographs that we couldn't even watch the race properly—In the end, it was thanks to Curren's 'cuteness power' that the fans gave us some personal space."
But even so, Kurofune still couldn't forget how those Curren Chan fans kept looking back at Curren Chan—and by extension, Kurofune, who was caught in their line of sight, couldn't be as calm and composed as her best friend while being surrounded.
"This is only the Japanese Oaks. If it were next week's Tokyo Derby..."
Tokai Teio couldn't completely hide her longing when she mentioned the "Derby."
"The Tokyo Derby will only attract even more people," Shuta Ann shrugged.
"Honestly, while the economic situation is still sluggish, the development of the Twinkle Series and the Dream Cup Series is getting better and better."
"Because more people are treating our races as a form of spiritual support, right?"
Tokai Teio said with a smile.
"I will also work hard to become an idol Uma Musume like Oguri Cap-senpai, bringing courage and hope to the fans."
"If it's Teio, I'm sure you can do it." Shuta Ann looked back at the smiling Tokai Teio and said seriously