Chapter 88. Shuta Ann's Plan
After waking up the next day, Shuta Ann shook his head.
"My background in the Dream World is not the same as in the real world."
He thought about it calmly. The main reason he hadn't encountered anyone showing such clear hostility toward him in the real world was largely because his nationality carried a certain status in Japan. However, he had no intention of changing his background in the Dream World. In any case, he would always openly retaliate against such foolishly malicious individuals on the racetrack.
"Let's not think about these things anymore. Dober's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies is the last G1 for our Sadalsuud team this year. Other races have nothing to do with us," the young man said as he got up to wash up. "I'll go to the academy cafeteria for breakfast later. Since there are no major races after this, I can only honestly clock in for work."
—
Upon arriving at the academy, after having breakfast alone in the staff cafeteria, Shuta Ann found that he was the first to arrive at the office.
"I didn't expect this. I thought others would come earlier. Turns out I'm the most diligent one," the young man muttered softly. He then sat down at his desk and opened his computer.
His work schedule for today was packed—first, write Mejiro Dober's race report; then find Symboli Rudolf to discuss the solo singles of his team's two active Twinkle Series Uma Musume; and finally continue researching the training plans for Tokai Teio and Kurofune.
"It sounds very busy," Shuta Ann nodded, satisfied with his schedule.
After the computer started up, he immediately created a new document and began compiling Mejiro Dober's post–Hanshin Juvenile Fillies race report.
After finishing a lengthy report—ostensibly a "race report," but actually more of a "praise report"—he submitted it with satisfaction and then pulled out his phone.
"I should contact Miss Rudolf to see when she'll be free this afternoon."
The Line message was sent and immediately marked as "read." Symboli Rudolf quickly replied:
"I will reserve half an hour for Shuta-kun starting at 2 PM this afternoon. Please arrive at the Student Council office on time for discussion."
"OK!" Shuta Ann replied briefly, adding an emoji.
After settling this matter, the young man stood up, glanced at Kitahara—who was still researching the Oi dirt track—and decided not to ask him to go out to eat together.
"After Hayate Fubuki won the JBC Classic, she quickly announced that her next race would be the Tokyo Daishoten at Oi Racecourse. Kitahara has been researching Oi's dirt track during this time," Shuta Ann muttered to himself as he left the office. "But does he really think Hayate Fubuki can maintain her performance over 2000 meters? Her run in the Dubai World Cup doesn't necessarily prove her distance adaptability—The dirt track at Meydan Racecourse is still somewhat different from Ohi."
Shuta Ann hadn't discussed this with Kitahara. After all, Hayate Fubuki was the Uma Musume Kitahara was responsible for training. The young man felt it would be inappropriate to inquire, as it might seem like meddling.
Kitahara had entered Central as a Trainer based on his own abilities. Shuta Ann believed he could make the choice he considered most suitable. If he said too much, it might affect Kitahara's judgment. And if things didn't turn out as expected, Shuta Ann would certainly feel very embarrassed.
Upon arriving at the cafeteria, Shuta Ann casually ordered a ramen set meal and chose a random seat. As soon as he sat down, someone approached him.
Shuta Ann looked up and saw Nishizaki Ryu standing by his table with a beaming smile.
"Nishizaki-kun, what's wrong? Is there something?" Shuta Ann tilted his head. "You look like you have something to ask of me."
"Indeed," Nishizaki Ryu admitted readily. "Shuta-kun's Sadalsuud team shouldn't have any G1 races left this year, right?"
"Yes, I plan to have Dober run in this week's Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes," Shuta Ann said with a straight face—an obvious lie anyone could see through.
"I wonder if Shuta-kun could help me look at this year's Arima Kinen?" Nishizaki Ryu ignored the lie and continued. "This year, our Spica team's Special Week will challenge the Arima Kinen. But the opponents are very strong, so I hope Shuta-kun can give us some advice."
"I'll pay for all our bar visits for the next two months!" he added as his condition.
"Even if I help, Special Week may not necessarily win the Arima Kinen," Shuta Ann reminded him. "She just lost to El Condor Pasa in the Japan Cup."
"To be honest, that's also the reason Special Week and I decided to participate in the Arima Kinen," Nishizaki Ryu said with a wry shrug. Since they were the only two people in the staff cafeteria, he didn't lower his voice.
"Because she lost to El Condor Pasa, Special Week's reputation as a Derby Uma Musume was affected. So she thought about participating in the Arima Kinen. If she wins this race, she can still compete for the Best Classic Uma Musume of the Year honor with Seiun Sky and El Condor Pasa."
"I see, so that's why," Shuta Ann said, narrowing his eyes. "However, if I may be frank, the structure of the 2500-meter turf course at Nakayama Racecourse isn't very suitable for Special Week's tactics. I don't think her chances of winning the Arima Kinen are very high."
"But we have to try, don't we?" Nishizaki Ryu's smile looked a little strained.
Noticing that his remarks sounded somewhat unfriendly, Shuta Ann paused, closed his eyes, and thought for a moment.
"I can help, but I can't guarantee victory or defeat, and I definitely cannot interfere with training. This time, I will only explain the possible actions of the opponents to you. The specific tactical planning is something you'll have to figure out yourself."
"No problem!" Nishizaki Ryu readily agreed.
After lunch, Shuta Ann checked the time. There was about an hour left before his scheduled meeting with Symboli Rudolf. He didn't plan to wander around, so he simply sat in a corner of the cafeteria and started playing on his phone.
Just as Shuta Ann was chatting with Silence Suzuka about next year's plans, a familiar voice rang out.
"Shuta-kun, do you have time now?"
The young man looked up and saw Miss Tojo standing in front of him.
"What's wrong? Miss Tojo, please go ahead," Shuta Ann said as he put down his phone. "I have something to do at two o'clock."
"Okay, it's like this," Miss Tojo said directly. "I want to ask Shuta-kun to help Grass Wonder design tactics for the Arima Kinen."
"Huh?" Shuta Ann was startled.
Upon hearing Miss Tojo's request, Shuta Ann involuntarily exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Miss Tojo asked, puzzled. "Is something the matter?"
Shuta Ann suppressed his surprise and decided to keep the matter of Nishizaki Ryu approaching him earlier a secret.
"Nothing. I just didn't expect Miss Tojo to ask for my help," the young man shrugged. "After all, I think Miss Tojo is an excellent Trainer and shouldn't need my assistance in this area."
"Because this Arima Kinen is crucial for our Rigil team, I thought Shuta-kun was the one who could help the most," Miss Tojo pursed her lips. "This time, our Rigil team will compete in the Arima Kinen with Grass Wonder."
"It's her?" Shuta Ann was a little surprised. "After winning the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes last year, there hasn't been much public news about her. I remember suggesting that Miss Tojo send Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa overseas to race, but I didn't follow up afterward."
As for overseas campaigns, El Condor Pasa had competed in the Santa Cruz Stakes and won smoothly, then returned to Japan to prepare for the Japan Cup, where she defeated Special Week and proved herself the strongest of this year's Classic Race generation.
Grass Wonder, on the other hand, had been recovering from injuries all year.
She previously competed in the Daily Hai and the Argentina Republic Cup but didn't win either race. Her participation in the Arima Kinen this time was possible only because of the prize money she earned last year.
When she won the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes last year, the media called Grass Wonder "Maruzensky Reborn." However, after recovering from her injury this year, she had struggled to reproduce that level of performance.
"But I don't want Grass Wonder to end her Twinkle Series career like this. This Arima Kinen is my attempt," Tojo Hana said.
"I don't think Grass Wonder is at such a critical point," Shuta Ann shook his head.
"Even if she doesn't win the Arima Kinen, there's no need to consider retirement. She can definitely continue racing for another year or two and see how things go."
"Then this time…" Tojo Hana looked slightly disappointed, thinking the young man was about to refuse.
However, Shuta Ann changed the subject.
"However, this time I will help analyze the opponents. As for tactics, Miss Tojo, please arrange them yourself. After all, you are Grass Wonder's Trainer."
"Then I'll leave it to you!" Tojo Hana's eyes lit up, unable to hide her surprise. "I'll pay for next month's drinks!"
After watching Tojo Hana leave, Shuta Ann shook his head helplessly.
"How did these two make the same choice?"
However, since he had agreed, the young man had no intention of favoring one over the other.
"I'll study it thoroughly later," he muttered. "I can't just slack off, can I?"
Although Shuta Ann no longer needed others to pay for his drinks, Nishizaki Ryu and Tojo Hana's willingness to do so was certainly welcome.
He definitely couldn't miss out on anything he could get for free.
Moreover, Shuta Ann was also curious to see what tactics Grass Wonder and Special Week would devise based on the opponent analysis he provided.
Then watching them execute their respective strategies and clash on the Arima Kinen stage would feel like a fun game of "using one's spear to attack one's shield."
"It's almost time. I should go to the Student Council office to see Miss Rudolf."
After reining in his wandering thoughts, he glanced at his phone and stood up, ready to head to the Student Council office.
—
When Shuta Ann arrived at the Student Council office, only Symboli Rudolf was there.
He pushed the door open and sat on the sofa.
"So, Shuta-kun, what's the matter?" Symboli Rudolf asked without looking up from her documents. "You actually took the initiative to seek me out for a discussion."
"It's about the solo song," Shuta Ann began.
Miss Rudolf — "The Emperor" — looked up at him in surprise.
"A solo song? Is that all?" Symboli Rudolf seemed confused.
"The production of individual singles for G1 Uma Musume is generally planned at the end of the previous year. So Mejiro Dober, who debuted this year, naturally has no production plan."
"What about Silence Suzuka?" Shuta Ann asked.
"Suzuka was already a G1 Uma Musume last year. It can't be that American turf G1 races don't carry much weight in the URA Association, so there was no arrangement, can it?"
As his words fell, the young man noticed Symboli Rudolf's gaze shift away. The answer was self-evident.
Shuta Ann shrugged.
"So this time, I want to ask whether it's within the rules for me to find a producer myself to create a single. I don't need the academy or the URA to pay for it. I'll handle everything myself, as long as the URA approves."
"This…there's no such precedent," Symboli Rudolf said, clearly troubled.
The URA Association's regulations didn't mention how to handle such a situation.
"Then let me be the first," Shuta Ann replied. "There were no Uma Musume challenging overseas Classic races before either. Didn't that start with Oguri Cap, whom I trained?"
The young man raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry about whether I can do it. I just need to know whether it complies with the regulations."
"Since there's no precedent, I can't confirm whether it complies with the regulations," Symboli Rudolf said reluctantly.
"So I can't give Shuta-kun a definite yes or no answer. Please wait a moment. I need to ask the URA Association."
"Alright," Shuta Ann had no intention of leaving. "I'll wait here."
Seeing his posture, Symboli Rudolf had no choice but to pick up the phone and call the URA Association, preparing to ask about his request in front of him.
Soon after finishing the call, Symboli Rudolf looked at Shuta Ann, who was quietly waiting on the sofa.
"The URA Association said that since it's Shuta-kun making the request, he may do as he pleases. As long as the single doesn't contain prohibited content, there shouldn't be any problem."
"I'm not an idiot. How could I produce a song for my team's Uma Musume that contains inappropriate content?" Shuta Ann rolled his eyes.
"Since there's no issue with the URA Association, I'll start preparing."
"Does Shuta-kun need my help? I also know some good musicians," Symboli Rudolf offered. In her memory, although Shuta Ann was wealthy, his connections in Japan were still his weakness.
"No need. I have my own ways," Shuta Ann waved a finger.
"I'll try to invite suitable musicians to create individual singles for Dober and Suzuka together."
"Then I'll look forward to it," Symboli Rudolf smiled. "If you need help, you can contact me anytime."
"That will have to wait until Teio makes her debut," Shuta Ann said with a smile, "when it's time to produce her solo song."
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For anyone interested, or just want to support me. Hit the membership button to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ModerateCitizens