Chapter 14. Oguri's Method of Identification
The next morning, after clocking in at the office unusually early, Shuta An returned to Team Sadalsuud's activity room.
Sitting down in his office chair, he took out his phone and sent a Line message to Tokai Teio, informing her to come to the activity room after finishing her morning exercise.
The message did not immediately show as read, but Shuta An was not particularly concerned. Earlier, when entering the office, he had already noticed Tokai Teio's training schedule recorded on the whiteboard.
"She'll see the notification once training ends."
After casually putting down his phone, the young man opened his computer and began gathering information on the Uma Musumes who had performed well in this year's Satsuki Sho trial races.
Although Shuta An firmly believed none of them could truly threaten Tokai Teio, preparations still had to be made thoroughly. Otherwise, what would Tokai Teio think?
He did not want Teio to misunderstand and assume he was neglecting her.
No matter what, he still had to properly fulfill his responsibilities as a Trainer.
—
After finishing her morning exercise, Tokai Teio picked up the phone she had left by the side of the track and immediately noticed the Line notification from her Trainer.
"Asking me to come to the activity room—"
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"I thought Trainer would spend at least a day adjusting to the time difference. I didn't expect him to return to work immediately without resting at all. Isn't he working way too hard?"
Still, once she thought about receiving her newest training plan, her mood quickly shifted toward excitement.
"The first step toward the Undefeated Triple Crown—I absolutely have to take it perfectly."
Although Tokai Teio had neither participated in any Satsuki Sho trial races nor chosen to imitate Mejiro Dober by running a preparatory race, experts, media outlets, and the vast majority of Twinkle Series audiences still unanimously regarded her as the overwhelming favorite for this year's Classic Triple Crown route.
By the time Tokai Teio arrived at the activity room, she directly pushed open Shuta An's office door without bothering to knock.
"Trainer, I'm here!"
She walked straight up to the desk while calling out energetically.
Shuta An looked up and immediately frowned slightly upon seeing Tokai Teio still wearing her spring training outfit.
"Aren't you going to catch a cold?" His tone carried obvious concern. "The Satsuki Sho is close. You absolutely cannot get sick right now."
"It's fine! I understand my own condition perfectly!" Tokai Teio immediately raised a thumbs-up with confidence.
"I'll just go to the cafeteria later and order some ginger brown sugar water to warm myself up."
"You need to go all the way to the cafeteria for that?"
Shuta An raised an eyebrow before pointing toward a tall cabinet standing against the office wall.
"There are plenty of ginger brown sugar packs in there. Just brew one with hot water here and you're done. No need to waste money."
"Ever since this cabinet suddenly appeared in the activity room a few days ago, I haven't dared open it."
Tokai Teio curiously pulled open the cabinet door. The next moment, she was dazzled by the mountain of food inside.
"They're all sponsorship products received by Oguri-senpai?" she asked in disbelief.
"Correct." Shuta An nodded. "Oguri shoots over a hundred food-related commercials every year now."
"Wow!!"
Tokai Teio stared blankly at the packed shelves.
"But how do you even verify all of this? If Oguri-senpai accidentally endorsed a problematic product, wouldn't the impact be terrible?"
Shuta An naturally understood that Tokai Teio's concern was completely reasonable. Risks like that absolutely existed.
However, he merely smiled and pointed toward the cabinet again.
"Before filming commercials, Oguri always asks for sample products first. She personally tests everything herself before agreeing."
"These are all products she thought tasted good, so she stuffed them into the cabinet. Then a few days ago, she decided on her own to move them into the activity room."
Shuta An shrugged helplessly.
"To be honest… that really is exactly her style."
"Ahahaha~"
Recalling Oguri Cap's terrifying appetite, Tokai Teio could only laugh awkwardly.
After casually brewing herself a cup of brown sugar water, Tokai Teio sat down on the sofa and watched Shuta An organize several A4 documents at his desk.
Unable to hold herself back any longer, she finally asked,
"Trainer, shouldn't my training plan be adjusted now?"
"Indeed."
Shuta An stood up from behind the desk, walked around it, and approached Tokai Teio directly.
"I'll perform a palpation for Teio first. If you're embarrassed, there's already hot water prepared in the bathroom."
"I-I'll go first!"
Tokai Teio immediately sprang to her feet and fled the office almost as if escaping.
Shuta An was completely unsurprised by her reaction.
After all, palpation required direct skin contact to properly assess physical condition. For Uma Musumes who had just completed intense morning exercise and were still sweaty, interacting closely with the opposite sex psychologically remained somewhat difficult.
Thus, the young man calmly took a bottle of juice from the refrigerator, sat down where Tokai Teio had been sitting moments earlier, casually twisted open the cap with one hand, and pulled out his phone with the other.
He planned to send some routine greetings to Oguri Cap and the others.
As expected, neither Oguri Cap nor Silence Suzuka responded quickly.
So Shuta An simply switched targets and messaged Berno instead.
This time, the message immediately showed as read.
A few seconds later, Berno replied:
"I'm currently training with both of them."
"Alright."
Shuta An quickly typed back.
"I was only asking what you were doing. Since you're training, we'll talk again at noon."
"Ann should already be home by now, right?" Berno Light sent another message. "Oguri wrote down everything you need to know from this period in a notebook and left it on the bedside table in the bedroom. Remember to check it."
"I already read it."
Shuta An had only discovered the notebook after waking up that morning, but he had already skimmed through everything during breakfast. Even the matter regarding the new cabinet in the activity room had been written there.
"That's good." Berno Light seemed relieved. "I'm going back to handling logistics for Oguri and the others."
"Go ahead and stay busy."
After sending the final message, the conversation no longer displayed as read.
By the time Shuta An finished his second bottle of juice, Tokai Teio finally returned.
Now changed into the casual clothes she kept inside the activity room, she pushed open the office door with one hand while tidying her sideburns with the other.
"Trainer, I'm ready."
Shuta An patted the sofa beside him, motioning for her to sit down.
Then, he rose to his feet and half-knelt before her.
He gently removed Tokai Teio's feet, wrapped in white cotton socks, from her slippers before beginning the palpation.
As Shuta An's fingers gradually applied pressure, Tokai Teio's toes instinctively curled.
Even though this was far from her first palpation session, her heartbeat still accelerated uncontrollably, and a faint blush quickly spread across her cheeks.
After an incredibly long thirty minutes, Shuta An finally stood up and pressed a hand against his lumbar spine.
"No problems. Teio's training intensity during this period is still within a controllable range. It seems there's no need to lower your workload to prevent accidents before the Satsuki Sho. That's truly something worth celebrating."
"Eh!? If there had been problems just now, you would've reduced my training intensity!?" Tokai Teio's eyes widened instantly as she waved both hands in panic. "That absolutely won't do!"
"There's nothing I can do about that." Shuta An shrugged lightly.
"The Undefeated Triple Crown is important, but Teio's health is even more important. Before participating in any Race, you first need to ensure your body is in proper condition. I don't want something similar to what happened to Material to happen to Teio."
"If something like that really happened, I'd quit being a Trainer."
"So, in order to prevent your lovely senior from losing his job, Miss Tokai Teio, please do not secretly add extra training on your own." The corners of the young man's lips curved upward slightly.
"During the time I'm staying at the Academy, I'll personally perform palpation three times a day. Don't think you can sneak in additional training during other hours."
"Got it…" Tokai Teio lowered her head dejectedly, her ears drooping weakly behind her.
Just moments ago, she truly had been considering doing exactly that. She simply hadn't expected Shuta An to see through her thoughts before she even acted on them.
Fortunately, Shuta An did not allow Tokai Teio to remain discouraged for long.
He handed her the newly revised training menu. Compared to before, it now included rock climbing, weighted swimming, boxing, and several other unfamiliar activities.
"These are actually useful?"
Tokai Teio stared at the contents in confusion. At first glance, she genuinely couldn't understand what these exercises had to do with running.
However, because her trust in Shuta An was absolute, Tokai Teio immediately decided she would begin following the new training menu starting today.
"There's only one month left until the Satsuki Sho. I need to bring myself to peak condition," she quietly reminded herself as she walked out of the activity room.
After watching Tokai Teio leave, Shuta An slowly sat back down in his office chair.
"Just like with Dober, I can't allow Teio to reach one hundred percent condition before the Satsuki Sho. Otherwise, maintaining her peak state for the Japanese Derby will become impossible."
The young man firmly kept this thought in mind, already prepared to adjust the training intensity whenever necessary, deliberately slowing the rate at which Tokai Teio's condition improved.
"With Teio's ability, this training condition is already enough to win the Satsuki Sho. After that, I can use lower-intensity adjustments to gradually push her condition toward one hundred percent—or perhaps even beyond it—by the time the Japanese Derby arrives."
"Then she'll secure the second step, and the documentary filming will wrap up perfectly. The first half of this year will become nearly flawless."
As Shuta An imagined that future scene, a brilliant smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
—
"Come on! One more set!"
Australia, Sydney. Meriton Suites Zetland gymnasium.
Mejiro Dober gritted her teeth and completed the final set of today's bench press training with difficulty. Afterward, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and prepared to return to her room for a shower.
However, as she passed by Shuta An's bedroom inside the suite, her footsteps suddenly paused for several seconds.
"Ha…"
A faint sigh escaped her lips.
"Another half month…"
Mejiro Dober muttered softly as she slowly walked toward her bathroom.
After hesitating for a moment, she picked up her bathing basket and deliberately chose to use the second bathroom that had remained untouched since they checked into the hotel.
Submerged in warm water, Mejiro Dober unconsciously moved her legs beneath the surface as countless thoughts drifted through her mind.
"If only I could share this bathtub with him…"
The moment that thought surfaced, numerous adult manga scenes instantly appeared inside her head. As someone who had drawn quite a few doujinshi herself, she could practically construct the entire plot in an instant.
Her thighs tightened together involuntarily.
Mejiro Dober hurriedly shook her head several times, trying to drive all the strange and overly colored thoughts out of her mind.
"Stop thinking about such things. Finish bathing quickly and get proper rest. There's still training this afternoon."
She rubbed her flushed cheeks before finally forcing herself to calm down.
—
Time quietly advanced toward the end of March.
During this period, Shuta An maintained a strict schedule of three palpations per day for Tokai Teio, and Tokai Teio could clearly feel her condition steadily improving with each passing day.
"There's still more than half a month before the Satsuki Sho. On that day, I absolutely cannot make a single mistake. I must perfectly take the first step of the Teio Legend!"
As she thought this, Tokai Teio stepped forward lightly. The first part of her foot to touch the ground was precisely the area her Trainer had massaged earlier.
The moment she recalled the sensation of Shuta An's fingers, her cheeks immediately turned crimson.
"Even after almost half a month, I still can't get used to being touched like that—It always feels embarrassing."
With both hands tucked into her pockets, Tokai Teio lightly rubbed her lower abdomen through her jacket and shirt.
"But every time, the Trainer's palpation gives unbelievably accurate results. Like today—he immediately noticed my digestion wasn't good and told me not to do high-intensity exercise for now."
"I really want to learn that skill…"
Tokai Teio truly envied Shuta An's palpation technique.
—
Meanwhile, after sending Tokai Teio away, Shuta An sat back down on the sofa and silently disabled the attribute viewer in his mind.
"What exactly did Teio eat today to end up with indigestion from poor digestion? Fortunately, there's still half a month before the Satsuki Sho, so there's no need to worry about it affecting her condition."
However, just before the attribute viewer completely closed, Shuta An inadvertently caught sight of Mejiro Dober's status.
A question mark had appeared beside her favorability value.
"Tsk~"
The young man instantly realized something.
He immediately pulled out his phone and sent several Line messages to Oguri Cap.
Then, just as Shuta An was preparing to head to the office and clock out for the day, Oguri Cap finally read the messages and sent a reply:
"It is fine. I've always been number one, isn't it?"
"Ha~" A faint warmth spread across Shuta An's cheeks. "Oguri, hearing you say that only makes me feel even guiltier."
However, after recalling his interactions with the Mejiro Family—and the agreement he had previously made with Mejiro Nagayoshi regarding Mejiro Dober—Shuta An suddenly fell into thought.
"Looking at it this way…did I actually pave the road for my future self back then? Otherwise, right now I'd probably be suffering a headache trying to figure out how to survive being squeezed dry by the Mejiro Family."
The young man muttered softly to himself.
Just then, his phone rang.
Shuta An quickly answered the call.
"Hello, this is Shuta An."
"Shuta-kun, could I trouble you to come to the café across from the Academy entrance?"
Mejiro Ramonu's voice came from the other side of the phone.
"Alright."
Out of trust, Shuta An didn't ask any further questions. He immediately got up, clocked out from work, grabbed his bag, and headed straight toward the café Mejiro Ramonu had mentioned.
—
Sitting across from Mejiro Ramonu, Shuta An ordered an iced Americano before glancing toward the woman opposite him, whose expression carried an unusual sense of unrest.
"Miss Ramonu, what exactly did you want to discuss by calling me out at this hour?"
"I found Ardan and her Trainer."
Mejiro Ramonu's very first sentence instantly startled the young man.
"So? What happened?"
For a moment, Shuta An genuinely couldn't connect Mejiro Ardan's whereabouts to himself. After all, he probably hadn't exchanged more than ten sentences with Mejiro Ardan in total.
"They're in China."
Mejiro Ramonu tried her best to maintain a calm tone.
"At first, I thought the two of them had completely given up everything related to the Twinkle Series. But now, Ardan has apparently opened a preschool running class specifically for Uma Musume there. From what I've heard, it's doing very well."
"That's a good thing, then."
A smile appeared on Shuta An's face. He was not the sort of person who would resent others for finding happiness. On the contrary, hearing that someone familiar was living peacefully brought him genuine relief.
"So what exactly do you want to tell me, Miss Ramonu?" He grinned teasingly. "Do you want me to contribute money for a wedding gift?"
"No…" Mejiro Ramonu smiled bitterly before slowly shaking her head. "I simply wanted to ask whether Shuta-kun could help me find a suitable reason to travel westward across the sea—an officially recognized identity that would allow me to visit them properly."
"I think…that would make things easier for Ardan over there."
"That's not impossible."
A faint glimmer appeared in Shuta An's eyes.
"It's just that the method I would use isn't something the Mejiro Family can imitate. For example, approaching it as a foreign investment project—"
He paused briefly before continuing calmly.
"The Mejiro Family's current financial situation probably doesn't allow Miss Ramonu to casually invest money overseas, does it?"
"That's right."
Mejiro Ramonu sighed softly. No matter how unwilling she felt, she couldn't deny that Shuta An was telling the truth.
"Coincidentally, I can help with this matter."
Shuta An's next words completely stunned Mejiro Ramonu.
"US dollars still carry quite a bit of appeal over there."
"Shuta-kun, please don't joke around."
Mejiro Ramonu immediately smiled bitterly again, stopping him before he continued further.
"Even if this is merely a small favor for you, the Mejiro Family does not possess enough value to justify your involvement."
"But what if I said I intend to propose to Mejiro Dober?"
Shuta An's calm rhetorical question instantly caused all color to drain from Mejiro Ramonu's face once again.
"In that case, helping Miss Ardan—who shares a very good relationship with Dober—would naturally make sense, wouldn't it?"
"Please believe me. I'm not joking."
"But…"
Mejiro Ramonu hesitated for a moment. In the end, however, she still swallowed back the rejection she had originally intended to voice.
After all, based on what had been discussed before last year's Arima Kinen, Mejiro Dober's future would no longer be fully constrained by the Mejiro Family.
Thus, she slowly changed her wording.
"In the end…it still depends on Dober's own feelings."
"Naturally."
Shuta An answered immediately without hesitation. On this matter, he was already quite confident now.