They actually... came together?
Ruffian and Flightline!
The young dark-haired doctor's expression instantly shifted to one of astonishment.
Ever since he had returned to America, the few 'little foreign fillies' he'd been closest to in the past had almost never appeared at the same time, whether due to scheduling or the nature of their relationships.
In all these months, this was the first time he'd seen Flightline and Ruffian show up at his door together.
And what's more, they showed none of that mutual wariness, that guarding against a 'thieving cat' look... instead...
It looked like they had come prepared, having agreed to visit together?
This was a first even for Lin Anran.
"Flightline? Ruffian?"
The breathtakingly beautiful girl who appeared fragile and harmless, Flightline, and the cute yet brash tyrant, Ruffian...
They actually arrived together, and so harmoniously at that?
"Long time no see, Dr. Lin."
"Finally got to see you again."
Ruffian was the first to take a seat in the chair in front of Lin Anran, usually reserved for patients.
Flightline seemed a beat slower, but she calmly and leisurely picked up another chair from the side.
Then, she placed it right beside Lin Anran, within easy reach.
As the 'landlady' who provided the clinic space for free, charging no rent, wasn't it perfectly reasonable for her to sit right next to Dr. Lin?
"The two of you... came together?"
"Was there something you needed?"
Lin Anran began to inquire, puzzled.
Beside him, Flightline's breathing had already become slightly hurried, a state she usually only entered during high-intensity training or races.
Yet, just from being near Dr. Lin, Flightline already needed to exert effort to stay calm. Her face was slightly flushed as she breathed in the captivating scent coming from Lin Anran beside her.
Huff... huff...
'Dr. Lin's scent really is as wonderful as ever.'
'It's just a bit of a shame that he's picked up the scents of so many other Uma Musume...'
Amidst her joy, Flightline felt a twinge of regret.
There was no helping it. After all, Dr. Lin's profession was being an Uma Musume doctor, and he was gradually becoming more famous, attracting more and more Uma Musume seeking his help.
Due to the nature of his work, Lin Anran would naturally come into contact with many Uma Musume; it was unavoidable.
If he didn't have the scent of other Uma Musume on him, wouldn't that mean he lacked competence, that not even any Uma Musume recognized his ability?
Unless... he switched from being a regular doctor to becoming the exclusive doctor for some prestigious family's Uma Musume.
If that really happened, it would be Flightline and Ruffian who would be unhappy.
In a way, Flightline's visit was precisely for Lin Anran's [scent]. She wanted to drive away the smells left by those other thief cats, and she'd even brought Ruffian along to help!
"Dr. Lin, Ruffian and I... have something to ask of you."
"In short, we need a favor."
After Flightline finished speaking, Ruffian beside her nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.
"So, what is it about?"
Lin Anran's curiosity was piqued. He looked back and forth with interest between Ruffian in front of him and Flightline at his side.
The girl who appeared delicate and full of grace smiled faintly, let out a soft, long sigh, and gazed at Lin Anran with a hint of reproach.
"Dr. Lin, your little niece is just too amazing, far too amazing."
"Both little Ruffian and I lost to her, and now we're both in pretty poor condition. We really need to adjust our form properly."
"So... we're planning to start a [Summer Training Camp]."
"I wonder if we could trouble you, Dr. Lin, to accompany us?"
Flightline stated her goal.
Summer Training Camp!
It involved changing environments, going to the seaside for a short period of rest and recuperation to relieve fatigue, before switching to new training routines.
The benefits were relieving weariness, being able to adjust one's mood well, and striving for the next journey.
The downside was that it was usually done in teams, involving more than just one or two people, and often lasted for over a week.
This blend of vacation-like relaxation and training naturally made it very popular among Uma Musume.
For many Uma Musume, it was a common practice, especially in the Japanese Uma Musume scene, where it was an annual routine for many.
In contrast, it was a bit less common in America, but not exactly rare.
After all, the number of G1 races in Japan was relatively small, countable and neatly scheduled. So, it was entirely possible to finish challenging some difficult races and then carve out time for a Summer Training Camp during the longer breaks.
America, on the other hand, had countless G1 races. Even with monsters like Secretariat and Nearl, both impacting the GOAT status, sweeping different G1s, there were still some G1 events they couldn't completely dominate.
What limited them sometimes wasn't ability or stamina, but... the mandatory one-week minimum interval between races!
Therefore, forming teams and jointly deciding on a Summer Training Camp was rarer here than in Japan. Often, only those with extremely close relationships, part of the same team or intimate friends, could manage to coordinate their schedules.
And Lin Anran hadn't expected that Flightline and Ruffian were on such good terms... enough to organize a [Summer Training Camp] together? And even invite him?
'Summer Training Camp... that usually means at least ten days to a half month, right?'
Lin Anran knew that his responsibilities would likely be similar to what he'd done not long ago when guiding Treve.
Workload-wise, it might be easier, as it was half-vacation, but the time commitment would be longer.
Too time-consuming. Not conducive to making money!
'It's too long. Even if they pay about the same as Treve... no, even a bit more, it still wouldn't be very suitable.'
'Anything not conducive to making money is a no-go!'
The black-hearted young doctor immediately began formulating his rejection.
In front of him, sitting properly in the patient's seat, the slightly smaller filly Ruffian—more petite than Flightline or Secretariat—was breathing rapidly with anticipation and anxiety, her ample chest rising and falling noticeably, a feature even the Pegasus Platinum lacked.
Just because her frame was small didn't mean her figure was lacking!
'Dr. Lin... will he agree? Probably not, right? The chances of refusal should be pretty high...'
Ruffian knew she tended to be a bit unreliable outside of races.
At the very least, she wasn't as dependable as Flightline.
Since she had already formed an alliance with Flightline, as allies, of course she had to trust the more reliable party.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, splitting Dr. Lin two ways was far better than splitting him five or six ways!
50% > 20%!
'But why is Flightline so confident, so sure that Dr. Lin won't refuse?'
'I can't figure it out... just can't figure it out.'
No matter how hard Ruffian racked her brain, she couldn't understand where Flightline's confidence came from.
In her perception, Dr. Lin was a doctor with [great compassion].
He clearly could have become their exclusive contracted doctor, serving only her, Flightline, Secretariat, Sunday Silence, and the other few Uma Musume he knew from before their debuts and had excellent relationships with.
Or, he could have specialized as the family doctor for some prestigious Uma Musume lineage.
These were all things within the reach of Lin Anran's medical skills and influence.
Yet, Lin Anran had chosen to devote his limited energy to treating the general populace of Uma Musume, ensuring all injured fillies could receive his care with peace of mind!
This was simply... great compassion! The Doctor of Great Compassion!
And the time required for a Summer Training Camp was even longer than short-term guidance training. What could they possibly use to invite Dr. Lin?
From Ruffian's perspective, it seemed highly unlikely, yet Flightline was abnormally confident to a baffling degree.
Bewildered, Ruffian was also filled with hope and curiosity.
She waited for Dr. Lin to voice his agreement!
The very next second—
Flightline, who had been sitting beside Lin Anran, suddenly stood up.
First, she smilingly added the follow-up details.
"The work during the Summer Training Camp would, of course, be similar to [guidance training]."
"As for the salary, we'll cover it at double the standard rate."
Usually, Summer Training Camps were conducted by teams, combining semi-vacation with semi-training.
The rigor and specificity were certainly less than normal training. And the participating Uma Musume were usually in teams, often involving more people.
So, the pay was usually based on a standard rate, slightly increasing as the number of Uma Musume in the camp grew.
Theoretically, a Summer Training Camp with just the two of them probably wouldn't even meet the minimum standard, couldn't even get the [base rate]!
Yet Flightline stated they would pay not just the standard rate, but double! Not just a slight increase!
The dark-haired young doctor was taken aback.
Thinking quickly, he immediately started calculating in his mind.
This double standard rate, this doubled base pay... was probably higher than what he'd get for overseeing a camp of seven or eight fillies under the usual Summer Training Camp terms, wasn't it?
As expected of a young lady from a prestigious family! A rich young lady!
This addition from Flightline instantly transformed Lin Anran's ability to decisively refuse... into serious consideration, making him somewhat hesitant.
Then, in the next moment, the smiling Flightline suddenly leaned close to Lin Anran's ear and whispered in an even softer voice.
"Dr. Lin, you can't play favorites."
"If you could agree to [guidance training] with Sham..."
"Then you should at least accompany Ruffian and me for the [Summer Training Camp], right?"
These final words from Flightline!
Instantly, the dark-haired young doctor froze.
Gah, guidance training!
With Sham...
Didn't that basically amount to...
'Dr. Lin, you wouldn't want Secretariat, Sea the Stars, and the others to find out that you went to Sham's place for guidance training that lasted three whole days and nights, would you?'
Lin Anran was immediately reminded of events from a few months prior!
Back then, after accepting Sham's invitation for short-term guidance training, he had indeed agreed.
Then, what ensued was so intense, so fierce, that the 'guidance' part of 'guidance training' could practically be erased.
But that training, originally scheduled for a week, ended prematurely after just three days.
The one who interrupted Lin Anran and Sham's training early was none other than Flightline, who was far away elsewhere at the time!
Back then, Flightline had called Sham directly and delivered a cold, icy warning in a frigid tone.
"If I don't see Dr. Lin's clinic reopen today, then it won't be me coming for you next, it'll be Secretariat. Don't get too greedy!"
"Sham, you wouldn't want this matter to reach the ears of Secretariat, Sunday Silence, Sea the Stars, and Dahlia, would you?"
That blatant threat, combined with the fact that a certain black-hearted young doctor's stamina was a bit too good, gradually became a bit too much for Miss Sham to handle...
In the end, it successfully made Sham back down and end the training early.
—The first one to detect another thieving cat making a move had been Flightline herself!
With her incredibly sharp senses, Flightline had sensed something was off when she went to the clinic only to find it closed for several days, coinciding with Sham's treatment period.
Think about it: Dr. Lin had only recently returned to America and was painstakingly building his reputation. Just as the number of Uma Musume visiting him was starting to increase...
At a time like this, Dr. Lin suddenly takes an emergency leave for a whole week? And Sham is also unavailable?
The situation just didn't add up!
In Flightline's view, Dr. Lin would never lightly pass up this period of growth unless... something happened that made him consider a week's leave more important or valuable than a week of normal work.
The suspicion fell squarely on Sham, whom she was already keeping an eye on, and the facts ultimately proved it true.
In Flightline's eyes, the fact that Dr. Lin hadn't been the first to be 'eaten' by her was already a huge loss.
Just stopping that despicable thief cat from having three or four more days wasn't enough; a loss was still a loss.
In that time... not only could she have definitely had her fill, they might have almost ended up sending Dr. Lin to the hospital for pelvic treatment?!
Back then, even the seemingly fragile, literary-girl-type Flightline almost saw red.
Unless... she could gain something from somewhere else, achieve damage control, turn the loss into a gain!
And now, this was her perfect opportunity!
'If Sham can do it, so can I!'
She wasn't the only one who could steal a march.
Sham stole a march, so Flightline would steal one too, and she even brought backup to assist!
Thus!
The idea of a Summer Training Camp, one man and two women...
Was born right then and there.
When Lin Anran heard Flightline mention Sham and the guidance training, the dark-haired young doctor was stunned for a moment. Not one to play favorites, he still chose to nod.
"...Alright."
It was just a Summer Training Camp, he'd treat it as a vacation!
"Then let's tentatively set the time in advance."
Hearing Lin Anran's words of agreement, even the confident Flightline couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
After all, theory and practice were two completely different worlds.
"Leave the location and accommodation to me. I've prepared a place by the sea as well."
Summer Training Camp, prepare to launch!
--+--
One hour later.
On the way back.
The petite Ruffian, brimming with curiosity, turned to look at Flightline beside her.
"Flightline, how on earth did you get Dr. Lin to agree?"
This question actually made Flightline sigh softly.
"Because... another thief cat got a head start and sneaked in. So I told Dr. Lin, 'don't play favorites'."
"Eh? Who?!!!"
Ruffian was slow on the uptake, a beat behind.
"Sham. That one who exceeded all our expectations, never thought she'd make a move so fast."
"Her? It was actually her?"
Flightline nodded and continued.
"Yes. Because Secretariat pushed her to the point of a broken leg, she went to Dr. Lin. And because her leg was healed, she had to focus on achieving results for a long time after that, so she didn't have time to seek out Dr. Lin again."
"Blessing and misfortune are intertwined, that's probably how it was."
"But her results aren't bad now, she's lived up to her family's training."
"I have a feeling that thieving cat, who has a better nose for things outside of races than in them, will probably return to the [Dr. Lin Anran Cup] soon."
Flightline glanced at Ruffian, who seemed less reliable, albeit curvaceous but somewhat petite.
"Otherwise, why do you think I asked for your help?"
Hearing this, Ruffian had a sudden realization.
A sense of crisis immediately rose within her.
Clenching her small pink fists, Ruffian gritted her teeth.
"If we sisters are of one heart, what enemy can stand against us?"
Dr. Lin could only be hers!
At the very, very, very most... she could share him with Flightline. Sham, Secretariat, and the others could get lost!
--+--
Europe, a few days later.
A silver-haired young woman lounged lazily on a sofa, drinking cola.
In front of her, a TV program was playing.
Platinum had already returned to Europe.
Her next two major race challenges, the [Long Distance G1 Goodwood Cup] and the [Mile G1 Queen Anne Stakes], were both in Europe!
The time for one of them was already approaching.
Just a few seconds later, the phone beside Platinum rang.
She answered it.
"Miss Platinum, I'm calling from the [Long Distance G1 Goodwood Cup] organization."
"May I ask if you intend to enter?"
The next stage of the Pegasus's All-Distance Conquest is here!
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.