Chapter 138.
Shuta wasn't sure how the other trainers were holding up, but during the week of the Mile Championship, his schedule was suspiciously empty.
His real-world workload had plateaued, and to make matters worse, he had been completely sidelined in his Dream World.
Sakura Bakushin O's owner had suddenly transferred her to another jockey, and North Flight's reins had been handed back to Yutaka Take. Suddenly, Shuta found himself without a single star horse to ride. With no major overseas stakes either, he ended up participating in the Argentina Republic Cup at Tokyo Racecourse on Saturday.
But it was only a G2 race. The pressure it put on the young man in the Dream World was laughably small. As a result, the entire week felt like an unexpected, bizarrely peaceful vacation.
That peace lasted exactly until Monday of the Japan Cup race week.
"Let's see... draft Teio's interval training for the week, review Kurofune and Admire Vega's track times. Rice Shower is already on vacation..."
Sitting in the Team Sadalsuud clubroom that morning, Shuta stretched his arms over his head, looking at his surprisingly light itinerary. The pressure wasn't bad at all.
Then, right after lunch, his phone buzzed. A LINE message from Symboli Rudolf:
"Shuta-kun, please report to the Student Council office immediately."
She didn't specify a reason, but Shuta's survival instincts instantly flared. When he arrived at the Student Council office, his dreadful premonition was validated.
"The URA Association has requested that the Trainers of Central Tracen Academy collectively participate in this year's Japan Cup promotional commercial."
Symboli Rudolf explained, her tone deadly earnest.
"Among them, your presence is the most indispensable. If other trainers back out, it is manageable. If you are absent, they will scrap the entire concept."
Shuta rubbed his temples, utterly bewildered.
"Since when do commercials feature the trainers? The fans tune in to see the Uma Musumes! Why would anyone want to see a bunch of guys in suits?"
"It is... a new creative attempt by the URA."
Rudolf replied diplomatically, offering no further defense of the corporate logic.
"When is the shoot?"
Shuta asked, already resigning himself to his fate.
"This afternoon."
The young man's vision swam for a second. He scratched his head in exasperation.
"It won't take too long, will it?"
"Not at all. It's just a single promo spot. Your actual screen time will likely be ten seconds at most."
Rudolf assured him with a wave of her hand.
"It absolutely will not interfere with Teio's race preparations."
"Ten seconds I can survive." Shuta mumbled, nodding in defeat. "Send me the coordinates. I'll drive over now."
The location for the shoot was, naturally, Tokyo Racecourse.
When Shuta arrived on set, he noticed Rudolf hadn't exaggerated. Every local trainer with an Uma Musume entered in this year's Japan Cup was milling around the facility.
"Good morning, everyone~"
Shuta called out, adhering to the unwritten television industry rule of greeting the set with "good morning" regardless of the actual hour.
"Ah, good morning, Trainer Shuta!" the director jogged over, bowing respectfully. "Your filming location isn't out here in the grandstands with the others. I'll have a PA escort you to your set immediately."
"Huh?"
Shuta blinked, surprised by the VIP treatment. He glanced over at the other trainers, who were being positioned in various standard spectator spots along the rails.
"Your concept is a bit... different."
The director explained with a knowing smile.
Fair enough, Shuta thought. Given Team Sadalsuud's terrifying track record, it made sense that the URA wanted to isolate him for a specific shot.
However, when the PA led him to his designated filming area, Shuta nearly stopped in his tracks.
He had been brought to the absolute highest vantage point of Tokyo Racecourse—the exact same VIP suite where Emperor Akihito had watched the Autumn Tenno Sho just a month prior.
The filming crew had drawn the heavy curtains, plunging the luxurious room into moody, dramatic shadows. A single spotlight illuminated a high-backed leather armchair in the center of the room. Surrounding the chair, gleaming under the dim light, was a sprawling sea of replica G1 trophies—representing every major victory Shuta and his girls had claimed.
I see.
The young man thought, immediately understanding the director's vision.
They're literally styling me as the Final Boss.
Muttering a quiet prayer for his dignity, Shuta closed his eyes, settled into the armchair, and began to get into character.
The shoot took two grueling hours. By the time Shuta clocked out at the Academy and drove back to his apartment, he had successfully avoided any unwanted overtime.
"Welcome back! I filmed my Japan Cup promo commercial today!"
The moment Shuta pushed open his front door, Tokai Teio practically tackled him. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her eyes shining.
"I had to say these super cool, dramatic lines into the camera! It was amazing!"
"Is that so?" Shuta smiled, affectionately rubbing the Triple Crown winner's hair. "How did you beat me home, Teio? Did you get an overnight pass from the dorms?"
"Of course!" Teio puffed out her chest proudly. "I got permission from the dorm leader right after I finished my shoot!"
Shuta looked down and noticed she was wearing a frilly apron over her casual clothes. A faint, savory smell was wafting from down the hall.
"That's great, but... is the stove still on in the kitchen?"
"Oh no!"
Teio gasped, her boastful posture instantly evaporating. She spun around and bolted down the hallway.
"I need to check the pot!"
Watching her scramble into the kitchen, the young man chuckled and shook his head.
He wisely decided not to mention his own commercial shoot.
The lines the director had forced him to say while sitting in that darkened trophy room were so overwhelmingly chuunibyou that just recalling them made his cheeks burn.
The Japanese racing fans would probably eat it up, but he was taking that cringe to the grave.
The next morning, Shuta drove Teio back to the Academy dorms before pulling his car into the staff parking lot. He jogged into the faculty building, quickly punching his time card.
"Another big press conference today, huh? Must be nice."
Kitahara teased, leaning against the wall near the time clock.
"I'm used to it by now. Though I wouldn't expect Kitahara-san to understand the feeling of being in high demand."
Shuta shot back instantly, mercilessly shutting his friend down.
"Wow, okay—" Kitahara shook his head, a look of profound, helpless envy on his face. "Must be nice. My team doesn't have a single girl qualified to even look at the Japan Cup registration form."
"Hey, it's alright. Just keep grinding." Shuta said, his tone softening as he patted his friend's shoulder. "Who knows? Maybe one of your rookies will suddenly break through!"
It was a tough break.
Ever since veterans like Air Deja Vu had retired, Kitahara's roster didn't boast a single graded-stakes-level Uma Musume. He had recently scouted a promising girl from a mock race, but she was entirely raw; it would be a long time before she reached her full potential and debuted. As a result, Kitahara had been surviving strictly on his base salary for months, seeing a pitifully small cut of any real prize money.
"Don't worry. Everything will turn around once your un-debuted girls finally hit the turf."
Shuta reassured him.
"Yeah. That's what I keep telling myself."
Kitahara sighed, nodding with the weary wisdom of a gacha player waiting for a rate-up pull.