Chapter 57. Goal
Although Suehiro Commander forced herself to accelerate after being overtaken, that brief burst of impulsiveness achieved very little. At most, she managed to reclaim a single position, and even that came at the cost of disrupting her own rhythm. For the true contenders at the front—Grass Wonder and Special Week—her actions carried no weight at all. Neither of them paid her any attention, their focus already fixed elsewhere.
Stay Gold, however, reacted differently.
As they approached the final bend, she turned her head slightly, her gaze sweeping back with a sharp, almost predatory intensity. When her eyes locked onto Suehiro Commander, the effect was immediate. The latter instinctively faltered, her body shifting a few steps to the side as she hurriedly tucked herself behind other runners, avoiding that line of sight altogether.
"So scary," Suehiro Commander thought, her earlier frustration instantly replaced by a more primal unease.
—
From the hotel lobby, Shuta An caught that small interaction without difficulty. He watched it for a moment, then gave a faint, knowing shake of his head.
"That's what happens when you provoke Stay Gold," he muttered, his tone calm, as if observing something entirely predictable.
—
As the field entered the final bend, the race finally began to unfold in earnest.
Both Grass Wonder and Special Week increased their pace almost simultaneously. Their movements were no longer restrained, their strides extending as they began to overtake the runners ahead one by one. The earlier stability of the race gave way to a gradual escalation, the true contenders emerging clearly from the pack.
"Just as expected," Mejiro Dober said quietly, her gaze steady on the screen. "In the end, it's going to come down to a direct contest between Grass Wonder and Special Week."
She paused slightly, her brows knitting together.
"But, with Grass Wonder's earlier condition, can she really hold on?"
Tokai Teio, watching closely, tilted her head just a fraction.
"Her acceleration looks stable," she said thoughtfully. "If her condition were truly that bad, she wouldn't be able to maintain this rhythm. Maybe it only looked serious on the surface."
Her tone was calm, but her eyes remained sharp.
"Once they enter the final straight—it should become a proper one-on-one."
"Go, Spe-chan…" Mejiro McQueen murmured, her hands clasped together unconsciously, her voice carrying a quiet but unmistakable support for her teammate.
"Go, Grass Wonder!" Air Groove responded almost immediately, her voice more direct, her eyes fixed firmly on the screen.
As for Silence Suzuka, she remained silent.
Her gaze followed the two figures on the track, but her expression held no preference.
For her, choosing between the two was meaningless.
Both were important.
Both were rivals and junior she respected.
"Whoever wins is fine," she thought quietly. "As long as they both finish safely."
—
At the exit of the final bend, Special Week made her move.
Her acceleration was decisive and clean, her stride lengthening as she overtook the final opponents ahead of her. Within moments, she had moved into the lead, separating herself from the pack behind.
"Special Week takes the lead!" the commentator's voice rose instantly, excitement breaking through his previously measured tone. "She's pulled away from the field! This is an incredible performance!"
"It looks like she's about to secure a consecutive victory!" the co-commentator added, his confidence already leaning toward a conclusion.
It was not an unreasonable judgment.
By this point, Special Week had already created a gap of nearly three lengths over the rest of the field. Even the distance between her and Grass Wonder, which had once been close, was now visibly widening.
To most spectators, the outcome seemed clear.
At Hanshin Racecourse, cheers had already begun to swell, many believing that the race had effectively been decided.
Even Tojo Hana, watching from afar, could not help but frown.
Her gaze locked onto Grass Wonder, who was still running in second, her movements visibly strained.
As a Trainer, she understood what she was seeing.
Grass Wonder's condition was not normal.
This was not a matter of tactics or positioning—it was physical.
And yet, she was still running.
"Why?" Tojo Hana thought, her chest tightening with a mixture of frustration and something harder to name.
She had always emphasized one thing to her team: if something was wrong, it had to be said immediately.
Condition was not something to be hidden. Yet the usually obedient Grass Wonder had chosen to conceal it this time, pushing herself onto the track despite the clear risk.
The consequences were unfolding in front of her.
"If she loses like this…" Tojo Hana's thoughts grew heavier, "then all of this was meaningless."
The image of Nishizaki Ryu's reaction afterward only made the feeling worse.
—
And yet—
Just as that conclusion seemed inevitable, something changed.
It was subtle at first.
Almost imperceptible.
Grass Wonder's expression, which had been tense, gradually shifted as she adjusted her breathing, her focus turning inward. The discomfort that had been weighing on her body did not disappear, but instead began to change in nature.
"I can endure this," she told herself.
The pain did not fade. But it no longer restrained her in the same way.
Instead, it spread flowing downward.
Through her body.
Into her legs.
And when it reached there—something shifted.
Her steps became lighter.
Her body felt unbound.
The speed she had been maintaining suddenly felt—insufficient.
"Then I'll catch up."
The thought formed naturally without hesitation.
—
"What—?" Silence Suzuka's body straightened instinctively, her eyes widening as she leaned forward.
Mejiro Dober's gaze sharpened at the same time.
"This feeling…" she murmured, her tone low but certain.
Even without seeing every detail clearly, she recognized it.
That unmistakable presence.
Shuta An's eyes narrowed slightly as he focused on the screen.
"The Zone?"
The conclusion came almost immediately.
Grass Wonder, enduring the strain of her own condition, had pushed past a certain threshold. The very burden that should have limited her had instead become the catalyst for breaking through it.
"So that's how it happens," he thought, a faint trace of astonishment passing through his usually steady expression.
It was not merely luck—such a state could not be reached by chance alone—it required accumulation.
Effort.
A foundation built over time.
By the time Special Week sensed that something was wrong, it was already too late.
The presence behind her had changed.
The pressure had intensified.
And when she glanced back—Grass Wonder was already there.
Less than half a length behind. With only about one hundred meters remaining.
"What is this…?" Special Week's thoughts wavered for the first time.
The aura she felt was completely different from before.
More intense. More oppressive.
"This is nothing like the Arima Kinen—"
For a fleeting moment, the figure behind her no longer felt like the Grass Wonder she knew.
It felt—overwhelming.
—
In that brief lapse of focus, Grass Wonder moved.
Her stride surged forward, her speed increasing in a way that felt almost unreal. The gap disappeared in an instant, her figure drawing alongside Special Week before passing her completely.
There was no hesitation.
No struggle.
Only a clean, decisive overtake.
—
Tojo Hana stood up abruptly, her earlier tension breaking into a surge of emotion.
"That's it!"
Her voice carried relief, disbelief, and something close to pride.
On the other side, Nishizaki Ryu's expression froze.
The confidence he had held until that moment collapsed instantly, leaving him staring at the screen in stunned silence.
Around him, audiences' reactions varied.
Shock.
Excitement.
Disbelief.
But the result itself was undeniable.
Grass Wonder had caught up.
And then—pulled away.
—
Within the final two hundred meters, she created a gap of over three lengths.
On the short straight of Hanshin Racecourse, Special Week, who had seemed so dominant moments before, could only watch as the distance widened.
There was nothing she could do.
"Unbelievable!" the commentator shouted, his voice rising beyond restraint. "Grass Wonder has completely reversed the race in the final stretch! In just one hundred meters, she has overturned the entire outcome of the Takarazuka Kinen!"
His voice trembled slightly as he continued.
"That final burst—IT WAS UNREAL! Like she was gliding across the ground, cutting through Special Week's pursuit and shattering her undefeated spring in a single moment!"
The words echoed across the broadcast.
But for those watching—
The image alone was enough.
Grass Wonder, who had entered the race under doubt, had rewritten the ending with her own strength.
"It's not even an undefeated spring," Shuta An said almost immediately, his tone calm but firm as he corrected the commentator's exaggeration. "Didn't Special Week lose in Dubai?"
Silence Suzuka, who had been watching quietly, did not seem surprised by that omission.
"Maybe they simply don't pay much attention to the Twinkle Series in the Middle East," she replied, her voice even. "Right now, most of the focus is on European turf races and American dirt races. Compared to those, other circuits don't attract as much interest."
Shuta An gave a small shake of his head.
"But none of those are easy to challenge," he said. "If anything, I'd prefer they stay a bit more grounded."
Air Groove, who had been listening, let out a soft breath, her expression carrying a trace of resignation that came from experience.
"People still need something to aim for," she said. "Even unrealistic goals have their place. I've reviewed enough expedition applications to know that much."
She paused briefly, then added with a faint, wry smile,
"I once saw an application requesting funds to go to Australia—just to run a single open-class race."
Shuta An raised an eyebrow slightly.
"And you approved it?"
Air Groove shook her head.
"Of course not. We only approved it after the Trainer revised the plan—two graded races and one G1 added. Otherwise, using that kind of funding for a single open race—no matter how much budget we have, that's not how it should be spent."
Tokai Teio, who had been listening from the side, naturally picked up the thread.
"Not everyone can succeed overseas like Trainer," she said, her tone thoughtful but steady. "If you want to win, you lower expectations. If you want to chase a dream, you accept the possibility of losing."
Her words were simple, but they carried a quiet clarity.
Air Groove glanced at her, then asked, "Do you have plans for an overseas expedition in the future?"
"Of course," Tokai Teio answered without hesitation.
There was no pause, no uncertainty.
"I'll definitely consider going abroad. If I only race domestically, it'll be too difficult to surpass Oguri Cap-senpai."
For her, that comparison was not abstract.
Even if she maintained an undefeated record in domestic middle- and long-distance G1 races, she knew that alone would not be enough. Oguri Cap's achievements included multiple overseas G1 victories, and those carried a weight that could not be ignored.
Even Silence Suzuka, who sat beside them, did not dispute that point.
If she had been completely satisfied with her own achievements, she would not be preparing to challenge the International Stakes later that summer.
That race, while not quite at the same level of prestige as events like the Eclipse Stakes or the Champion Stakes, was still firmly within the highest tier of European competition. The field it attracted each year was consistently strong, often including the very best horses of the season.
Shuta An, of course, was aware of that. But for now, he chose not to dwell on it.
—
Originally, he had hesitated slightly about whether to arrange a small celebration that evening.
After all, although Tokai Teio had delivered a stunning debut, the result of the Takarazuka Kinen had left a subtle shadow over Mejiro McQueen's mood. It would not have been strange to keep things quiet.
However, that hesitation disappeared the moment he saw Mejiro McQueen calmly eating in the restaurant, her attention fully absorbed in carrots and desserts, her appetite entirely unaffected.
"She's fine," he concluded.
And with that, he contacted the hotel and had them make simple arrangements.
There was no need for anything elaborate.
It was, after all, only a debut victory.
The group gathered, shared a meal, chatted casually, and allowed the day to settle into something comfortable and relaxed. The atmosphere remained light, free of tension, and the celebration naturally concluded without any need for ceremony.
—
On the way back to their rooms afterward, Tokai Teio walked slightly ahead before turning back toward her Trainer, her expression still carrying traces of excitement.
"I think the next celebration should be at the end of the year," she said.
Her tone was casual, but her intention was clear.
"There's no need to celebrate ordinary graded race wins."
Shuta An smiled faintly at that and nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. Then we'll hold a proper celebration after you win the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes."
"That won't be enough," Tokai Teio replied with a grin, her eyes bright. "We'll need to invite more people than today."
She paused for a moment before continuing, her voice carrying a quiet determination.
"And after I win the Undefeated Triple Crown next year, I want a truly grand celebration."
Shuta An stopped walking. He looked at her for a moment, then spoke with a seriousness that left no room for doubt.
"As long as you win, I'll make it happen."
There was no exaggeration in his words.
For a Trainer, even guiding a single Classic winner could be considered a lifetime achievement. A Triple Crown winner was rarer still—and an undefeated Triple Crown, something that only one Uma Musume in history had ever achieved.
If Tokai Teio were to become the second, then regardless of whether she lacked the "pioneer's title," the sheer dominance of such an accomplishment would speak for itself.
And for that—
No celebration would be excessive.
—
After returning to his room, Shuta An took a bath, allowing himself to relax fully for the first time that day.
Silence Suzuka had already told him earlier that he would have the night off, which suited him perfectly. It wasn't that he couldn't continue working, but tonight, he had a different plan.
He intended to challenge the Takarazuka Kinen in the Dream World.
For that, he preferred to conserve his energy.
—
When he opened his eyes again, the familiar environment of Hanshin Racecourse's jockey waiting room came into view.
The transition was seamless.
Last night's results lingered briefly in his mind—four wins out of five races. It was a strong performance by any standard, yet for him, it still fell short of satisfaction.
This time, however, his focus was singular.
His partner—was Tokai Teio.
Maintaining an undefeated record into his senior year, and already having secured an overseas G1 victory in the Prix Ganay, his current status was at its peak. His popularity, his reputation, his expectations—everything had reached a level that left no room for ambiguity.
Shuta An glanced at the display board.
The numbers confirmed it.
"1.2 odds," he murmured.
From the side, Yutaka Take let out a soft groan.
"That's ridiculous," he said. "Mejiro McQueen's odds are already up to four."
"Four isn't low," Shuta An replied calmly. "The third favorite is already at twenty. To everyone watching, this is just a one-on-one between us."
Yutaka Take chuckled, though there was a faint edge beneath his smile.
"I've prepared something this time," he said. "So you'd better be careful."
Shuta An waved his hand dismissively.
"Bring whatever you have. Teio and I will handle it."
Yutaka Take's expression shifted slightly as he looked at him.
"Is that the confidence of someone riding an undefeated Triple Crown?"
There was a hint of something else in his voice now—something quieter.
"I wish I could find a partner like that too."
Shuta An did not respond immediately. Instead, he reached out and patted his shoulder lightly.
"You'll get your chance."
It was not comfort.
Just a simple statement.
Because partners of that caliber were not something one could search for.
They appeared or they didn't.
Even Shuta An himself did not believe he would encounter another like Tokai Teio again.
"Which is why," he thought quietly, his gaze lowering slightly, "I have to make the most of this time."
For his sake and for his own.
So that when it ended—there would be no regrets left behind.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For anyone interested for some advanced chapters, or just want to support me. Hit the membership button to my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ModerateCitizens