The check-up Shuta Ann arranged for Oguri Cap was not on the day of the carnival, but on the 28th. Appointments were required even on holidays—he had no choice but to wait. Yet the more those days passed, the more restless the Young man became. Oguri Cap showed no abnormalities on the surface, but Shuta Ann had noticed the faintest irregularity in her stride—
"After her right hoof lands, she lifts it again—just slightly."
A tiny motion, subtle enough that most people wouldn't notice. But to a trainer like Shuta Ann, it was a glaring red flag. This was not a normal gait. He could already tell with certainty: Oguri Cap was injured—lightly, yes, but undeniably.
"If I could walk in without an appointment, I'd take her in right now—" Shuta muttered with a sigh.
Still, he didn't report the abnormal gait to Dr. Grace. Not until he had an official diagnosis.
"Forget it—I'll wait for the 28th. I need the medical results first."
His frustration deepened when he recalled the so-called reward, he received in the Dream World for winning the Arima Kinen—
"Preceding Skill? Just like Chasing Skill? Why not something for physical recovery?"
He grumbled under his breath. Meanwhile, on the other side of the living room, Oguri Cap was quietly reaching the same conclusion. Her right leg lifted involuntarily with each step—too small for an outsider to notice, but unmistakable to her.
"If nothing's wrong, then I'm definitely injured—" The Gray Uma Musume sank onto the sofa, powering on the TV, her voice tinged with remorse. "In that case…all the plans I made for the break will have to be re-evaluated."
A twinge of sadness crossed her face.
"Is this because I forced myself to challenge the Arima Kinen?"
On the afternoon of the 28th, Shuta Ann and the doctor sat facing each other, both holding the medical report in heavy silence.
"It's only been half a month…how can this be?" The doctor murmured in disbelief. "The only explanation is the sheer intensity of the Arima Kinen."
"2:32.7" Shuta Ann let out a bitter laugh. "She ran faster than Miss 'Emperor' did in her Classic season. This may be the price."
On the medical sheet, the diagnosis was printed clearly and unmistakably: Right Leg — Suspensory Ligament Inflammation.
"Fortunately, it's not severe," the doctor said with a sigh. "With enough rest, Miss Oguri Cap will certainly recover her racing ability. But the speed of recovery depends on her physique. From my experience—at least half a year."
He added gently, "Our hospital will keep the injury confidential. Mr. Shuta, you may decide when to publicly announce it."
"Thank you. I understand." Shuta lowered his gaze. "As the doctor said, this type of injury takes at least half a year. When I prepare my official announcement, I'll inform your hospital. Everything except the exact severity can be disclosed."
"Very well." The doctor nodded.
After leaving the consultation room, Shuta Ann glanced at Oguri Cap sitting quietly on the bench. His chest tightened.
"Oguri. Let's go home."
"Mmm" She already knew her diagnosis. Her spirits were understandably low.
Outside the hospital, Shuta Ann—walking ahead—suddenly spoke without turning around:
"The inflammation in your right suspensory ligament isn't serious. But if you want to retire… you can tell me."
He continued, voice calm but heavy.
"Tamamo Cross has already retired. And honestly, among Japanese Uma Musume of your generation, you no longer have rivals. If it feels meaningless, retiring is fine. Worst case, I'll disappear from public view for a few years, focus on guiding Tokai Teio, and take on more work for the Mejiro Family."
"Retire" Oguri Cap froze. She hadn't expected him to bring that up.
"Even if inflammation heals, recurrence is possible. And your race performance will be affected."
Shuta scratched his head. "For strong Uma Musume, accepting that injury weakens them…isn't easy."
"Is—is it really okay if I retire?" Oguri whispered, frowning.
Shuta Ann stopped, turned, and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Of course. Oguri already has five G1 titles—all in this single year. You won the French Two Crowns. And you achieved the unprecedented feat of winning three consecutive turf middle-to-long-distance G1s in autumn. With that alone, entering the Dream Trophy Series or the Twinkle Series Hall of Fame would be effortless."
His confidence was absolute.
"So—what do you want to do, Oguri?"
"I—" She bit her lip, torn.
"It's fine. You don't need to answer now." Shuta waved his hand and resumed walking.
But the moment they got into the car—
"I won't retire!" Oguri Cap declared firmly, without hesitation this time.
"Good." Shuta didn't ask her reasoning. He didn't need to.
"Then according to the plan, Oguri, you'll go back to Kasamatsu and spend time with your mother. After that, we're heading to America together in early January."
"America?" Oguri blinked in surprise. "If I'm injured—shouldn't I rest in Japan?"
"Even if the official explanation is the Arima Kinen's intensity, we can't rule out the effects of the training methods that increased your recovery efficiency," Shuta explained. "We need Dr. Grace's involvement. And when it comes to rehabilitation, America is far ahead of Japan."
"We're not aiming for the fastest recovery," he added, "but the best recovery."
"I understand." Oguri nodded. "What about Berno?"
"Of course she's coming. We're not leaving her behind." Shuta smiled wryly as he started the car.
"Besides, America has many professional books she can't get in Japan. It'll be good for her growth."
Back at home, Shuta Ann explained the situation and their plans to Berno Light, who had been waiting anxiously in the living room.
"Is Oguri's injury really not serious?" Berno asked, eyes filled with worry.
"It's fine," Oguri quickly assured her, shaking her head vigorously. "I'll work hard to recover."
"I believe you can," Berno murmured, biting her lip. "But…please don't push yourself so hard in future races. That injury definitely came from how serious you were during the Arima Kinen—"
To that request—Oguri Cap could not give an answer. She simply couldn't. On December 31st, Shuta An finally made the announcement on the Sadalsuud team's official blog—
"Right hind suspensory ligament inflammation. Expected downtime: more than half a year. All spring-season plans canceled."
And as if the Trainers of other rising stars had agreed beforehand, announcements followed one after another—
"Dicta Striker: fracture. Spring return impossible. Targeting a full recovery for the autumn Mile Championship."
"Super Creek: muscle pain of unknown cause. Will rest through the first half of next year as a precaution."
With Tamamo Cross retired and Oguri Cap, Dicta Striker, Super Creek, Yaeno Muteki, and Sakura Chiyono O all out with injuries, the generation that had once shone brilliantly suddenly dimmed.
A Winter Without Its Protagonists
"Next spring—without the protagonists." Symboli Rudolf sighed as she folded the newspaper. "After the Arima Kinen, I genuinely felt a new era was opening. Yet within a week, every new star is injured."
"There's nothing anyone can do." Air Groove leaned back. "Injuries are simply fate."
"It's not their luck that's bad—it's ours." The Emperor corrected her. "All we can hope is that these juniors recover fully and won't bear long-term damage."
"I hope Oguri Cap-senpai's injury isn't too serious—" Tokai Teio murmured quietly from the sofa.
Air Groove crossed her arms, frowning. "I'm not worried about the others, but Oguri Cap—she's a local Uma Musume. Her recovery environment may not be as good as ours."
"I doubt her Trainer would neglect that," Rudolf replied, picking up her phone. "But we cannot dismiss the possibility entirely. I should confirm it with Shuta-kun."
Shuta An was lying alone in his Tokyo apartment when the phone suddenly rang. Oguri Cap and Berno Light had returned to Kasamatsu the day before, leaving him alone for the coming week.
With Oguri's training suspended and no immediate part-time work for the Mejiro Family, the Young man had time—too much of it. He wasn't even entering the Dream World daily. He simply stared at the ceiling, thoughts drifting.
Oguri Cap's injury had disrupted every plan he made.
Next year was supposed to be important for her—a year of fewer races, a year to avoid the cramped crisis she faced after the Japan Cup. But fate had not been kind. Luck from the three goddesses regarding health had never fallen on them.
"I should just be grateful the suspensory ligament inflammation isn't severe" he whispered to himself. "If it had been worse, I'd be planning her retirement ceremony right now."
His phone buzzed. Seeing the caller ID, he raised an eyebrow before answering.
"Miss 'Emperor,' good morning. Is there something I can help you with?"
Symboli Rudolf exhaled softly. Shuta An's calm voice told her everything—he wasn't panicking. But the calmness was too even, too forced.
"It seems I don't need to comfort you, Shuta-kun."
"There's nothing to comfort." Shuta An let out a hollow laugh. "This is the price I deserve for making the wrong decision. Oguri is paying for it instead."
Rudolf closed her eyes briefly. His tone and words were completely misaligned.
"If I had held Oguri back…If I hadn't submitted her to the Arima Kinen…" He exhaled, low and defeated. "There's no use thinking about the past anymore. I can only think ahead now."
"For Oguri's sake, I'll take her to the West Coast. Even if that Student Council President—the living legend of America—beats me half to death, I'll still get her into their top-tier recovery system. I'll join the program myself if I must."
His voice was steady. Determined. He had already made up his mind.
"If you're worried about Miss Secretariat causing trouble, I can speak to her," Symboli Rudolf offered, sounding a little embarrassed. "My influence probably isn't significant, but I should be able to help at least a little."
"No need—but thank you." Shuta An paused before replying, voice calm yet faintly weary. "I'm pretty thick-skinned. Worst case, I'll just get scolded when I arrive."
"Then Shuta-kun isn't planning to stay on the West Coast, right?" Symboli Rudolf asked. Her voice held a subtle tension. "Teio, she—"
"No. I won't." This time, Shuta An's reply was immediate and unwavering. "As long as Baffert and those other scoundrels are still there, I won't stay on the West Coast."
He continued, tone steady.
"This time, I'm going there to cooperate with trusted friends—solely for Oguri's treatment. Not only to heal her injury, but to ensure her athletic ability doesn't decline afterward."
"I see" Symboli Rudolf leaned back in her office chair, exhaling slowly as she looked up at the ceiling. "It's true that Japan's sports medicine still falls far behind America."
"That's right." The Young man didn't deny it.
"Then…how long will Oguri need to return?" Rudolf asked her next question carefully.
"I can't give an exact timeline," Shuta An answered after a moment of thought. "But with the nature of her injury. I'm confident that autumn will be fine."
"Autumn—then she should be able to enter the Japan Cup, right?" Symboli Rudolf released a breath of relief. "If Oguri isn't there next year, overseas Uma Musume interest will definitely drop."
"Is Oguri's promotional effect really that strong?" Shuta An was quietly pleased—but he quickly shifted the topic. "Even if she returns in autumn, I can't guarantee she'll run the Japan Cup. It's possible she'll only participate in the Arima Kinen next year."
"Shuta-kun has become so cautious," Symboli Rudolf thought silently before speaking aloud—
"I understand. Oguri will have just recovered from injury; the intensity of her schedule must be adjusted."
"I'm glad Miss 'Emperor' understands." Shuta An's tone softened in satisfaction. "As for Teio—if she wants, she can come to the West Coast during summer vacation. See a broader world."
"I'm sure Teio will agree." Symboli Rudolf smiled faintly. She couldn't imagine Tokai Teio refusing the chance to see Shuta An during her break.
"After all… that child…" Her voice trailed off in a quiet, knowing murmur.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Volume 2—Fin>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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