Chapter 128. Arima Kinen Fan Vote Results
After inviting Admire Vega to join the team, Shuta had nothing else in Japan that urgently needed his attention.
So after resting for two days, he flew to Hong Kong.
Dober and Mejiro Ramonu were still on the other side of the river. The two Triple Tiara Uma Musume had recently been helping out with Mejiro Ardan's tutoring class, and from Dober's Twittr updates, Shuta An could tell that she was enjoying it.
Mejiro Ramonu also seemed to enjoy spending time with the younger girls.
As expected, this kind of work suits them best.
The plan in Shuta An's mind became clearer.
All he needed to do now was wait for the old obstacle to disappear, and everything could be set in motion.
Mejiro Dober would not arrive in Hong Kong to meet him until the next day, so Shuta An spent the night alone at a hotel near Sha Tin Racecourse.
But he did not rest that night.
Instead, he studied the entry list for the Hong Kong International Races.
This year, Mejiro Dober was not the only Japanese Uma Musume coming to Hong Kong.
Sabuno Hana Park was preparing to run in the Hong Kong Sprint, and Kitahara would also arrive the day after tomorrow.
There was also an Uma Musume named Kikousazan, who had entered the Hong Kong Mile.
Her trainer was not planning to come to Hong Kong this time. It was said to be Tojo Hana's relative, who was currently troubled and unable to attend in person.
So Tojo Hana planned to go to Hong Kong with Kitahara and help guide Kikousazan instead.
Shuta An had watched Kikousazan's previous races and was not optimistic about her chances in Hong Kong.
Choosing to race abroad so soon after recovering from an injury was already a bold decision.
Her trainer not coming in person and sending Miss Tojo instead only made the situation seem even more precarious.
If they were not relatives, it would almost feel as if Miss Tojo had been sent to take responsibility in case of failure.
Still, Shuta An did not intend to discuss Kikousazan's situation with Tojo Hana.
Even if Tojo Hana came to him to talk about Kikousazan's preparation, he would probably find every excuse possible to avoid it.
If Kikousazan did not win, he had a bad feeling that Tojo Hana would end up in trouble.
That would not directly affect him, but Tokai Teio's Arima Kinen preparation was still ahead at the end of the year, and he did not want to create any extra complications for himself.
Even though he was in Hong Kong, there were still matters in Japan that Shuta An had to keep in mind.
"Tomorrow, the URA Association will announce the fan poll results for the Arima Kinen."
He was not worried that Tokai Teio would fail to make the top ten.
What he was curious about was how many votes Teio and Dober would each receive, especially since Dober had already clearly stated that she would not run in the Arima Kinen.
"Once the votes are out tomorrow, Teio and Dober should each record a short video thanking the fans who voted for them."
After writing that down in his notebook, Shuta An thought, Regardless of what the others do, Team Sadalsuud should definitely do it.
They had not recorded videos in previous years, but the girls in the team had posted on Twittr before.
A video this time would certainly make the fans even happier.
The next morning, Shuta An first picked up Dober and Mejiro Ramonu, then waited in the hotel lobby for Kitahara and the others to arrive.
"The Arima Kinen fan poll results are coming out this afternoon, Ann-san. What do you think?"
As soon as Kitahara arrived, she immediately brought up the poll results.
"Tokai Teio first, Miss Mejiro Dober second."
Shuta An answered without hesitation.
"I'm not worried about anyone else."
"The first one is easy to believe," Kitahara said, "but Miss Mejiro Dober already said a long time ago that she wouldn't participate in the Arima Kinen, right? Can she still really come in second?"
"Nothing is impossible."
Shuta An shook his head.
"Dober's fans are very loyal. Even if she said she wouldn't run in the Arima Kinen, everyone still gets ten votes, so most fans will still cast one for her."
"We'll see the results this afternoon," Kitahara said as she stepped forward.
"Anyway, our team doesn't have anyone running in the Arima Kinen this year, so I'm just here as a pure spectator."
By the time Kitahara, Tojo Hana, and Shuta An arrived at the dessert shop for afternoon tea, the URA Association had already released this year's Arima Kinen fan poll results.
"Let's see this year's rankings."
Tojo Hana looked quite excited.
"I had guessed that Mejiro Dober would get more votes than Tokai Teio."
Shuta An could understand her reasoning.
Even though Miss Mejiro Dober had announced that she would not take part in the Arima Kinen, her fan base was still much larger than Tokai Teio's.
As a Triple Tiara winner, her aura naturally drew more support than the still somewhat childlike Teio.
The three of them opened the official URA website and immediately saw the top ten list.
First place: Miss Mejiro Dober. Total votes: 3,145,671.
Second place: Tokai Teio. Total votes: 3,106,821.
There was no need to look further down.
"Indeed, Miss Mejiro Dober got more votes than Tokai Teio."
Tojo Hana glanced at Shuta An.
"Not participating in the Arima Kinen must have disappointed her fans quite a bit, right?"
"I don't think so."
Shuta An shrugged.
"Rather than saying the fans were disappointed, I think they should be more understanding of Miss Mejiro Dober's difficulty with the Nakayama Racecourse 2500-meter turf. I don't think they'd force her to overextend herself on a stage where she can't perform at her best."
"Well, Shuta-kun always has a point."
Tojo Hana lost the argument and could only puff out her cheeks.
"Not sending Miss Mejiro Dober to the Arima Kinen — was that also a split-force strategy?" Kitahara asked curiously.
"That was the idea."
Shuta An admitted it openly.
"Instead of fighting for a single victory at the Arima Kinen, it's better to divide the effort and aim for two victories. That's good for Tokai Teio, good for Miss Mejiro Dober, good for Team Sadalsuud as a whole, and especially good for my own income. I have no reason not to do it."
"That's true."
Kitahara took a sip of lemon soda, his eyes narrowing with satisfaction.
"I hope Sabuno Hana Park can get a good result here too. This is the last G1 I can take part in this year."
"I also hope Kikousazan can win," Tojo Hana said in agreement.