Chapter 46. Supporting a Closer Dream
Shuta, as always, arrived at the exit of the underground passage to wait for Mejiro Dober.
Here, as usual, there were no other people.
Mejiro Dober, on the other hand, exchanged greetings with her rivals on the track, then bowed to the audience in front of the stands who had supported her, waved her hand, and only then returned to the exit of the underground passage to meet her lover.
There was no one around—Mejiro Dober confirmed this again, then took two steps at a time to reach the young man, stood on her tiptoes slightly, and pecked him on the cheek.
"Dober is in high spirits."
Shuta was not surprised and looked at Mejiro Dober with a smile.
"Hee hee, after running this Yasuda Kinen, I feel really good, much more comfortable all over, with no feeling of exhaustion."
Mejiro Dober honestly confessed her thoughts.
"The pace in the early part of this race was generally slow, and the latter part was completely Dober's most comfortable acceleration rhythm, so it's normal not to feel so tired after running it."
Shuta was not surprised by this at all.
Most importantly, Mejiro Dober only felt not tired now; once the excitement of winning the G1 wore off, her body's fatigue would set in.
Of course, the young man did not explain this to his lover—
The two embraced at the exit of the underground passage, and after chatting for a few minutes, Mejiro Dober reluctantly left her lover's embrace.
"I know Ann needs to go for interviews, and I also need to go back to the resting room to prepare for the upcoming winning live."
She paused, and without waiting for Shuta to speak, continued.
"Tonight, I don't want to go back to the academy to rest."
"Okay." the young man, understanding the unspoken meaning, replied seriously. "We'll just leave together then."
"Tonight, I want to try making the Caesar salad I saw before. I'll have to trouble Ann to help me prepare the ingredients then."
Mejiro Dober blinked.
"It's a recipe I learned from Umagram, and I think it will be delicious."
"The ingredient reserves at home are quite rich. If it's Caesar salad... I probably won't need to buy any more ingredients."
Shuta nodded in agreement while pondering inwardly.
—
After seeing off Mejiro Dober, Shuta went to the media area.
Standing in front of the reporters, the smiling young man raised his right index finger.
Without needing to speak, all the reporters understood Trainer Shuta's meaning.
So, it was the reporter from "Twinkle" magazine who got the first question again.
"Trainer Shuta, what are your thoughts on achieving consecutive victories in the Yasuda Kinen?"
Trainer Shuta's lips curled up, and he said in a relaxed tone.
"Not many thoughts, but this time there were four opponents from overseas, so before the race, I still felt a sense of responsibility, wanting to defend our home honor and such. Being able to successfully do this is thanks to Dober's efforts."
The second question was also a common one—"We'd like to know if there will be any changes to Miss Mejiro Dober's next race, the Nassau Stakes?"
"There will be no change. Unless an accident occurs, Dober's next race will definitely be the Nassau Stakes."
Trainer Shuta replied emphatically.
"We will not consider trying other races in the summer. The autumn will also focus on domestic races."
The next question was directed at Trainer Shuta himself—"Trainer Shuta, what do you think of the overseas Uma Musumes who came to compete in the Yasuda Kinen this time?"
"I think they are very brave, after all, Dober has already proven herself on a Dubai Meydan night. In such a situation, to still challenge Dober who is fighting on home turf, such courage is truly commendable."
Trainer Shuta grinned.
"I hope that in the future, more overseas Uma Musumes will come to participate in races in Japan. Don't just participate in the Japan Cup; other races can also be tried."
"Just for that statement, the URA Association should give Trainer Shuta a generous bonus."
The reporters on the sidelines thought in unison.
—
After the celebration party ended that night, Mejiro Dober deftly avoided Tokai Teio and the others, and went home with the young man.
"Good thing I deliberately saved room in my stomach and didn't eat too much at the celebration."
Shuta exclaimed as he stood behind Mejiro Dober, helping her prepare ingredients.
"I noticed Ann ate very little, basically just drinking beverages." Mejiro Dober retorted. "But Teio and the others probably noticed that too?"
"Rice Shower and Teio probably didn't notice." Shuta disagreed.
"Teio's mind should be completely on the century-long battle with Mejiro McQueen in the Takarazuka Kinen. As for Rice Shower, after winning the Japanese Derby, the most important thing for her is to prove in the Kikuka Sho that her Japanese Derby performance wasn't a fluke."
The young man continued.
"Compared to paying attention to me, they both have more important things to work hard and think for."
"But for me, Ann's condition is the most important thing to pay attention to."
Mejiro Dober said with a hint of self-satisfaction in her tone.
"I am different from the two of them."
"Of course, it's different."
Shuta finished preparing all the ingredients, put the knife back in its sheath, then wrapped his arms around his lover's waist and softly replied.
"How could it be the same?"
—
After finishing the salad, Shuta and Mejiro Dober exchanged opinions on tonight's meal in the bedroom, and consumed enough calories to offset the large intake of salad dressing at night.
After coaxing his lover to sleep, the young man held Mejiro Dober, who had already fallen into Dream World, and gazed at her face.
"There are only two or three races left until retirement from the Twinkle Series. The post-retirement life that Dober and I discussed back then is about to officially begin."
Shuta thought silently.
"And that kind of life is really a bit cruel for Mejiro Dober's Twinkle Series fans..."
After all, Dober had said at the time that she wanted to further her studies in painting, which also meant that she would not participate in the Dream Trophy Series for several years.
How could such a thing not be painful for fans who loved Mejiro Dober's grace on the Racecourse?
But Shuta An would only support Dober's dreams over the fans'.
"I'm also really looking forward to the day Dober becomes a famous artist."
After pecking his lover's cheek, Shuta An closed his eyes and rapidly fell into the Dream World.
In the Dream World, Shuta An, who was set to compete in the Yasuda Kinen tonight, picked up the resources Yutaka Take had provided him—
North Flight, who had won the Yomiuri Mile Cup in a front-running style and finished second last year with Vega in the final race of the Triple Tiara.
Because Yutaka Take chose to study abroad, Shuta An accepted the commission from the Horse Owner and took on the task of North Flight's second G1 challenge.