Chapter 135.
After a modest celebration in Kyoto, Shuta Ann led the team onto the Shinkansen for the ride back to Tokyo.
Mejiro Dober sat pressed against the young man's side, idly scrolling through her phone.
Shuta cast a few nervous glances her way, feeling a massive wave of relief when he saw she was actively avoiding Twitter. He didn't dare look at the timeline himself; there was no telling what a mob of heartbroken, overzealous fans might be saying in the heat of the moment.
"The day after tomorrow, I'll head over to Ardan-oneesama's place. I'll be back in time for the Arima Kinen at the end of the year."
Dober murmured, softly detailing her civilian itinerary to her lover.
"Dober, you're retired now. You don't need to report your schedule to me every time you want to go out and explore." Shuta Ann chuckled, gently flicking her forehead. "But you do need to be careful. Since you aren't appearing publicly as an Uma Musume anymore, the paparazzi and fans will be rabid to figure out what you're up to. I guarantee, if you aren't careful, photos of you visiting Miss Ardan will be plastered all over the internet within forty-eight hours."
"I know how to protect my privacy."
Dober replied, sticking her tongue out playfully before hugging his arm tighter.
"I'll definitely wear a disguise when I go out. But as for our home... Shinjuku is so crowded."
"We should probably consider moving after the Japan Cup." Shuta Ann agreed, shaking his head. "The media has a consensus not to disturb trainers at home, but radical fans don't play by those rules. The foot traffic in the city center is too high."
"Let's move near the Mejiro estate!"
Dober's violet eyes instantly lit up.
"Absolutely not."
Shuta Ann rejected the idea without a second of hesitation. Just the thought of living under the collective, watchful eyes of the entire Mejiro family was enough to give him permanent insomnia.
Sitting in the row ahead of them, Tokai Teio quietly listened to her lover's housing dilemma, the gears in her head turning.
Later, after they disembarked and arrived back at the gates of Tracen Academy, Teio leaned in close to Shuta Ann's ear.
"I'll try my absolute best to win the Japan Cup." she whispered mischievously. "I'll take the commendation bonus and the grand prize money so we can increase our moving budget!"
"If that's the goal, I'll have to work even harder to prep you."
The young man laughed, affectionately rubbing the Triple Crown winner's head.
"In half a month, let's show the overseas Uma Musumes the terrifying power of Tokai Teio on her home turf."
"I'll crush them so thoroughly they'll never dare enter a race I'm in ever again!"
Teio declared, clenching her fist with absolute seriousness.
"If you actually pull that off, your European expedition next year is going to be incredibly boring."
Shuta Ann teased, looking down at her.
Teio just scoffed, entirely unbothered.
"If the international fields are weak, it won't be because I picked easy races. It'll be because the strong opponents tucked their tails and hid from me!"
"That's a fun attitude, but that isn't what Teio needs to do." Shuta Ann said, gently pinching her cheek. "What Teio needs to do is make every race she enters shine brilliantly because of her presence."
"Mhm!" Teio's eyes sparkled, thoroughly loving the scene her lover painted. "I'll work toward that goal!"
"Let's strive to reach that level next year." Shuta Ann smiled, his confidence in her absolute. "We can definitely do it."
After bidding him goodnight, Tokai Teio turned to face the towering main gates of Tracen Academy. She raised her left hand to the sky, her voice ringing out clear and loud for everyone in the courtyard to hear:
"First, I'm going to conquer the Japan Cup! And I'm going to shatter the course record!"
If an ordinary top-tier Uma Musume yelled something like that, she would be laughed at for daydreaming. But when the Undefeated Triple Crown winner made a declaration at the gates of Tracen, it was a completely different story.
Word spread like wildfire. Within the hour, every domestic Uma Musume prepping for the Japan Cup knew exactly what Tokai Teio had promised.
"It suits her perfectly."
Mejiro McQueen muttered to herself.
Sitting on the edge of her bed in the Mejiro dorms, McQueen stared intently at her phone screen.
"If Teio wants to break the record, she absolutely has to push a blistering pace in the first half. I remember Trainer Minamizaka saying that Trainer Shuta believes Teio actually struggles slightly in high-pace endurance battles."
McQueen's eyes sharpened, the competitive fire in her chest blazing to life.
"A fast-paced race is the perfect opportunity for me. I need to stay ahead of Teio's initial burst and leverage my stamina advantage!"
Although she had been completely outclassed by Mejiro Dober in the Autumn Tenno Sho, McQueen's spirit hadn't been dampened in the slightest. She had rekindled her fighting spirit and was already sharpening her fangs for her second confrontation with Tokai Teio.
—
Meanwhile, chaos reigned in the Team Canopus clubroom. Trainer Minamizaka was out, but the team's eccentric roster was in full swing.
"Trainer Minamizaka insisted I burned out in my last race, so he won't let me run in the Japan Cup! But Twin Turbo feels perfectly fine!"
Twin Turbo whined loudly, pouting as she slumped over the clubroom table.
"Running at the absolute front drains a lot of energy, Turbo-chan. You need a good rest! Didn't Trainer Minamizaka promise to sign you up for the Arima Kinen instead?"
Matikanetannhauser offered, patting the sulking runaway runner on the back.
"I want to run the Arima Kinen, and I want to run the Japan Cup!"
Turbo complained, kicking her legs.
"Oh, spare me..." Nice Nature groaned, vigorously scratching her messy hair. "Ikuno and I got the tickets for the Japan Cup. Just thinking about facing McQueen and Teio at the same time is making my stomach hurt."
"Neither of them are easy opponents."
Ikuno Dictus stated matter-of-factly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
"But Tokai Teio is undeniably the highest threat. She publicly declared at the academy gates this afternoon that she intends to break the Japan Cup race record."
"The race record—?" Nice Nature's mouth twitched into a grimace. "What is the current record?"
"2:22.1. Set by Tokai Teio's teammate and senior, Oguri Cap."
Ikuno Dictus recited instantly.
"Eeeh?! Beating that is way too difficult!" Tannhauser gasped, her eyes going wide. "How impossibly fast would the pace have to be to break that?"
"Without Twin Turbo running in the field to force a high-speed chase, it would probably be very difficult for anyone to set a record-breaking pace."
Ikuno Dictus observed, glancing at the blue-haired girl sprawled on the table.
"Exactly, exactly! It definitely can't be done without Twin Turbo pushing the front!"
Twin Turbo instantly perked up, puffing out her chest proudly, completely missing the tactical implication of Ikuno's words.
Looking at Turbo's smug, oblivious expression, Nice Nature sighed silently, secretly thanking the heavens.
Thank goodness she isn't running, Nature thought. If I had to deal with Turbo-chan's suicidal pacing on top of Teio and McQueen, my stamina definitely wouldn't last until the Arima Kinen!