Chapter 137.
Next week was the Japan Cup, making this week the fiercely contested Mile Championship. Nice Nature had originally been penciled in for the Mile, but her trainer, Minamizaka, was currently getting roasted by his peers over drinks at a local izakaya.
"Are you seriously sending Nice Nature into the Mile Championship when there's a suicidal runaway girls in the field?"
Tojo Hana asked, swirling her glass with a look of pure incredulity.
"I'll be blunt: I don't think she can match Daitaku Helios at that distance."
Shuta Ann added, not sugarcoating a thing.
Nishizaki Ryu nodded in agreement.
"The Japan Cup is a much tougher field, sure, but the prize money is in a different league. If she's an underdog in both, shouldn't you aim for the bigger payout?"
"Actually, she could just run both."
Kitahara casually threw out.
The table went dead silent.
"That's two consecutive G1 races in two weeks."
Shuta Ann deadpanned, giving his friend a sharp look. He had only ever heard of a schedule that brutal being used for Oguri Cap in his Dream World—and even then, he had actively intervened to pull her from the Mile Championship to focus on the Japan Cup.
"True, the physical toll would be ridiculous." Kitahara chuckled, a bit flushed from the alcohol. He flashed Minamizaka a teasing smile. "I know Ann-san would never approve a rotation like that."
Minamizaka offered a dry, nervous laugh.
Of course he wouldn't dare. He knew perfectly well that if he signed her up, the endlessly diligent Nice Nature would run both races with everything she had. But his reputation among his peers wouldn't survive the cruelty of it.
Kuronuma, who had been quietly nursing his drink, finally spoke up.
"My team also has a girl entered in the Japan Cup."
"Yesterday World, right?"
Shuta Ann had memorized the provisional entry list and immediately supplied the name.
"She's got solid raw ability, and her temperament has definitely stabilized recently."
"It took me a full year just to get her to focus on the track. Only now can she barely be considered a racer capable of hitting her peak." Kuronuma said, looking across the table at the young man. "She'll be challenging Tokai Teio this time. I won't pretend I'm confident she'll win, but as a leader, she's going to set a relentless, standard pace. If Teio actually wants to fulfill that record-breaking declaration she made two days ago, Yesterday World isn't going to make it easy for her."
"That's not a problem."
Shuta Ann smiled, his confidence unshakable.
"As long as Teio taps into the same zone Dober reached in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup last week, shattering the record will be a breeze."
A heavy pause fell over the table. Every trainer present recalled the terrifying, breathtaking spectacle they had witnessed last week.
"Mejiro Dober truly is a monster on the turf. But McQueen told me her initial evaluations at the estate weren't actually that high."
Nishizaki Ryu leaned forward, curious.
"Was her true talent just dormant until Ann-san's training unlocked it?"
"She simply worked incredibly hard. She sacrificed her biggest hobby to reach that level."
Shuta Ann shrugged.
"That's also why she's skipping the Dream Cup. Now that she's retired, she wants to pursue the thing she loves more than racing."
"We promise we won't leak it to the press. Come on, Ann-san, what is she actually planning to do?"
Tojo Hana pressed, her curiosity piqued. Taiki Shuttle had mentioned Dober's fondness for drawing, but Hana couldn't fathom that a mere sketching hobby would keep a Triple Tiara winner out of the Dream Trophy Series.
Shuta Ann hesitated, tapping his glass before deciding to give them a sanitized version.
"She's going to enroll in a university first. After she gets her degree, she plans to turn her hobby into a full-time profession."
"Oh, I see."
Tojo Hana nodded, instantly connecting the dots.
The trainers who weren't in Dober's inner circle simply assumed the refined young lady of the Mejiro family was pivoting to serious academic pursuits.
"Makes sense. It's perfectly normal for a Mejiro daughter to value her education."
Nishizaki Ryu nodded sagely.
"Just look at McQueen in Team Spica. I never have to worry about her grades. She aces every exam and even tutors the other girls in the dorms."
Meanwhile, the protagonist of their conversation was currently sitting in the quiet elegance of the Mejiro family's ancestral home. Mejiro Dober sat across from Mejiro Ramonu, both of them delicately sipping from porcelain teacups.
"So, you truly aren't running in the Dream Trophy Series—"
Ramonu lowered her cup, a wry, knowing smile gracing her lips.
"If Trainer Shuta hadn't forcefully negotiated that agreement with the elders back then, the estate would be in an absolute uproar right now."
"It's only because of that agreement that I have the luxury of being this selfish."
Dober replied softly, her gaze dropping to the polished tea table.
"Has anything major happened within the family recently?"
"Yes."
Ramonu said. The sheer gravity of that single word made Dober instantly tense.
"Grandmother's health is failing rapidly. The doctors have already advised the family to make our final preparations." Ramonu said smoothly, her sharp eyes locking onto her junior. "Therefore, I fully support your plan to stay with Ardan for a while. When the time comes, I need you to bring Ardan back here. I know her unauthorized departure caused a lot of bitterness among the elders, but it would be far too cruel to deny her the chance to see Grandmother one last time."
Dober's grip on her teacup tightened.
"But if I bring Ardan-oneesama back... will they let her leave again? Won't the elders try to force her to stay?"
"No." Ramonu stated with absolute, chilling confidence. "I haven't been sitting idle these past two years. By the time that day arrives, this family will be my one-woman show. You might not trust the elders, Dober, but surely you trust me?"
Dober fell silent.
Ramonu-nee was right. Dober could doubt the motives of every elder in the estate, but she could never doubt Mejiro Ramonu. Her stance had always been crystal clear. If Dober couldn't even trust Ramonu-nee, she certainly wouldn't be able to trust her peers like McQueen, Ryan, Bright, or Palmer. If that trust shattered, her only remaining connection to this place would be the surname itself.
"Alright. When you send the word, I will bring Ardan-oneesama back."
Dober agreed, having weighed the risks carefully.
"The family is well aware of your current stance toward us, Dober, but I would ask that you keep that friction private."
Ramonu said, lightly tapping her manicured fingernail against the table.
"After all, the title of 'Eldest Daughter of the Mejiro Family' is still a highly lucrative asset for your future, isn't it?"
Dober narrowed her eyes.
"Do you know what my future plans are, Ramonu-oneesama?"
"For the girl who already secured a letter of introduction to the Tokyo University of the Arts with the goal of becoming a professional manga artist? Yes, I have an inkling."
Ramonu smirked, raising an elegant eyebrow.
"I don't know what genre of manga you intend to draw, but leveraging the prestige of the 'Mejiro' brand for your promotional marketing would yield spectacular results, wouldn't you agree?"
"That... is true."
Dober admitted reluctantly. As one of the most prestigious Uma Musume bloodlines in the country, the Mejiro name was a literal goldmine for PR.
"So." Ramonu smiled, looking fondly at her stubborn, lovely junior, "once I take complete control of this family, I won't demand a single thing from you. All I ask is that you maintain your title publicly. That shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
"I understand."
Dober sighed. She couldn't argue with Ramonu's logic, and the arrangement was far too beneficial to refuse. She simply nodded in agreement.