Chapter 98. Exchange Gift with Oguri and Berno
Upon returning home, Shuta An stepped into the foyer and immediately saw Oguri Cap and Berno Light sitting on the living room sofa.
"I'm back," he greeted.
The two Uma Musume looked up.
"You're very punctual," Berno Light said, watching the young man hang his trench coat on the rack. "Oguri and I thought Ann would return much later."
"We agreed on a time beforehand," Shuta An replied as he sat down across from them. "Breaking the promise wouldn't be appropriate."
He glanced at the two of them.
"So…were you waiting for me?"
"Of course," Oguri Cap finally spoke. "It's Christmas Eve. Berno and I still haven't given you the gifts we prepared."
Shuta An vaguely sensed a trace of jealousy in the air, but he chose not to point it out.
"Then I'll look forward to Oguri and Berno's Christmas gifts."
The two Uma Musume went upstairs, leaving the young man alone in the living room watching TV.
A few minutes later, they returned.
To Shuta An's slight disappointment, both Oguri Cap and Berno Light were still wearing the same clothes as before. He had briefly imagined they might have prepared some interesting outfits.
The two sat down again, placing Shuta An between them.
Oguri Cap spoke first.
"This year, during the Dream Trophy Series, I received sponsorship from Suntory. Through that connection, I asked them to arrange a one-year supply of Suntory Yamazaki sparkling water delivery for Ann."
She handed him a card.
"After thinking about it carefully, I felt this was the only thing Ann would really like. I've seen you choose Suntory sparkling water from the box every time you go to the racecourse."
"I love it." Shuta An accepted the card and examined it carefully instead of putting it away.
"This card can be used by others too…I could even have the water delivered to the academy. That would solve the office's drinking water problem."
At that moment, Berno Light also handed over her gift.
It was a charcoal-gray cotton wide-brimmed hat.
"I noticed Ann often wears a fedora when he goes out, so I bought this hat in Minato Ward. I hope you'll like it."
Shuta An took the hat and tried it on.
It fit perfectly. The cotton made it light and comfortable.
"I'll wear this when attending events overseas," he said with clear satisfaction.
After adjusting the charcoal-gray hat, Shuta An stood up.
"Then it's my turn to give you two the gifts I prepared."
"Speaking of which, I never saw Ann go out to buy anything," Oguri Cap said with mild dissatisfaction. "But I'll like whatever it is."
"It's definitely not an ordinary gift." Shuta An had already inspected the items earlier, so he spoke with confidence.
Hearing that, Berno Light blinked.
Ann rarely described things that way, which only made her more curious.
Turning his back to the two pairs of questioning eyes, Shuta An walked upstairs. He entered his study and retrieved the two gift boxes.
When he returned to the living room, both Uma Musume immediately focused on the boxes.
Oguri Cap didn't recognize the logos.
Berno Light did.
After looking at them briefly, she tapped the box with the Chanel logo.
"I guess this one is mine."
"That's right." Ann-san raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
It sounded like a guess.
"Because Harry Winston—" Berno Light continued calmly, "their most famous item is the 'The One' ring. I think Oguri suits that better than I do."
Her reasoning was incorrect.
But the result was right.
Ann smiled helplessly.
"Although both boxes contain jewelry, neither of them is a ring."
He handed the gifts to them.
"Anyway, open them."
Oguri Cap followed his instructions and opened the Harry Winston box.
The first thing she saw was the vivid emerald-green Paraiba tourmaline.
"It looks very appetizing," the gray Uma Musume commented. (Oguri really one-of-a-kind, tsk tsk tsk)
Ann-san nearly rolled his eyes.
The raw Paraiba tourmaline that had apparently triggered Oguri Cap's appetite. Even though, it had once sold at auction for enough money to fund the Dubai World Cup Race Day for three years.
"Try it on," Ann-san said.
He was honestly a little worried she might test the gemstone with her teeth.
Fortunately, Oguri Cap wasn't that reckless.
She carefully put on the necklace.
The Paraiba tourmaline settled into the valley of her chest. She lifted it slightly and examined it.
"It really is beautiful," she murmured.
Then she looked at the young man beside her.
"I'll wear this necklace often from now on. It feels perfect for ceremonies in the Dream Trophy Series."
Meanwhile, Berno Light had opened her own box.
Inside were two large diamonds surrounded by smaller stones forming the shape of a star.
"So beautiful…" she whispered.
At the same time, she mentally compared it with the Chanel jewelry she had seen in magazines.
She was certain of one thing.
This necklace had never appeared in any magazine.
Berno Light immediately understood what that meant.
She turned her head and glanced at the Paraiba tourmaline on Oguri Cap's chest.
"No wonder you said that."
The Uma Musume pursed her lips and tugged at Ann-san's sleeve.
When he turned to her, she lowered her voice.
"What about Suzuka's?"
"It's the same type," Ann-san answered simply.
Hearing that, Berno Light let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"That's good. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare wear this necklace in front of Suzuka."
"How could I do something that would make you worry like that?" Ann-san pinched her cheek lightly. "You're overthinking."
Later that night, in the early hours of Christmas, Berno took her "revenge" by pinching the young man several times in bed.
Eventually, Ann-san drifted into sleep and entered the Dream World.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the apartment he had purchased there.
"It's Christmas here too…but nothing's prepared."
He walked around the room and shook his head.
"Looks like I'll just go out and find something simple to eat."
He had just finished changing clothes and was about to leave when someone knocked on the door.
Ann opened it.
Standing outside was Yutaka Take, smiling, with two children beside him.
"Ann-san," he said cheerfully, "if you don't have plans tonight, come out with us."
Ann-san indeed had no plans, and at first he intended to refuse. But after glancing at one of the children standing behind Yutaka Take, he changed his mind and agreed.
It wasn't because he was interested in the child. Rather, the boy's face resembled Yutaka Take somewhat, and Ann guessed he must be a relative. In that case, Yutaka Take probably wouldn't dare bring children somewhere like Gion in Kyoto for another night.
"So, where are we going?" Ann-san asked after following Yutaka Take downstairs. He didn't bother taking his own car and simply got into Yutaka Take's sports car.
"I already finished the Christmas party with my family earlier," Yutaka Take said as he started the engine. "This is my second gathering tonight. I figured Ann-san was probably bored at home, so I dragged my younger brother and Fukunaga-kun along to find you."
"If you're bringing your younger brother, then you shouldn't go somewhere unsuitable for children, right?" Ann-san said casually. "Speaking of which, last time you took Fukunaga-kun there, didn't his family scold you, Take-san?"
"No!" Fukunaga Yuichi answered immediately. "Mom asked where I went with Yutaka Take-senpai, and I told her we went to Kyoto Zoo and then explored the night market."
"Well, I'll be damned—" Ann-san muttered. "This kid might grow up to love Gion just as much as Yutaka Take."
"Speaking of which," Yutaka Take suddenly changed the topic, "Ann-san, have you never thought about getting a girlfriend or something? Spending Christmas alone is too lonely, isn't it? If I hadn't come to find you, today would've been no different from any other day."
"Never thought about it," Ann-san replied bluntly. "And Take-san, you don't have a girlfriend either. Why are you pressuring me?"
"Haha." Yutaka Take laughed. "No plans for now. You know how it is—jockeys are well-paid professionals and athletes. High social status too. If I wanted to find someone, I could easily date a young idol or something. But if I actually started a relationship, my family would probably start pushing me to get married."
"I really don't understand where you people find the time to flirt," Ann-san said.
"That must be why Shuta-senpai became this year's champion jockey!" Fukunaga Yuichi immediately chimed in.
Yutaka Take shot his junior a glare.
"Even if you praise Ann-san like that, I'm still the only one who can take you out to have fun."
"Take-senpai is amazing too, of course!" Fukunaga Yuichi quickly corrected himself.
Ann-san noticed that Yutaka Take's younger brother had remained silent the whole time, so he decided to speak first.
"What's your name, younger brother-kun? This is our first meeting, right?"
"Hello, Shuta-senpai!" the boy replied confidently. "My name is Koushirou Take. Although this is our first meeting, my older brother talks about Shuta-senpai quite often at home."
"I hope Take-san only says good things about me," Ann-san said, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Except for the Tenno Sho (Autumn), it was all good things," Yutaka Take admitted.
"The Tenno Sho (Autumn)—I didn't even think much about it myself." Ann-san shook his head. "Honestly, Take-san didn't need to be so aggressive when fighting for position back then."
"I wasn't even looking behind me at the time," Yutaka Take argued while driving. "I thought McQueen had already opened a gap from the horses behind. Cutting across to save ground is a perfectly natural move in that situation."
"With his strength, he would have won easily even without saving ground. But the result ended up being a disqualification because of that move." Ann-san shook his head again. "Quite a pity."
"Next year I'll face Tokai Teio in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), and I'll definitely do it again," Yutaka Take said without hesitation. "You have to give everything in every race."
"I used to think that too," Ann-san said calmly. "But after riding in so many races, I feel that winning is enough. There's no need to push to a hundred percent every time."
"That's easy for you to say," Yutaka Take replied as the car stopped at a red light. "Ann-san gets far fewer riding requests on race day than I do."
"I've started choosing the quality of the racehorse I partner with," Ann-san said openly. "I want both a high number of wins and a high win rate."
"Senior jockeys never thought that way before." Yutaka Take shook his head. "To be honest, some of the seniors aren't very happy with what you're doing. They think you're being disrespectful to the horse owners."
"Why are they so nervous?" Ann-san shrugged. "If I ride fewer races, that just means more opportunities for them. In that sense, they should be thanking me."
"That's true." Yutaka Take didn't argue. His relationship with those senior jockeys was nowhere near as close as his friendship with Ann-san, so he naturally leaned toward Ann-san's side.
If conflict really broke out in the future, Yutaka Take was certain the JRA would still stand with Ann-san.
After all, the amount of money currently being invested to promote both him and Ann-san was enormous.
And beyond that, Ann-san had Shadai Farm and the Kasamatsu local racing association behind him.
If the seniors tried to maneuver behind the scenes, it would be useless. And if things were brought into the open, they had even less chance.
This year alone, Ann-san had recorded 224 wins in the JRA, breaking the previous annual record of 130 wins. Many experts in newspapers and magazines even predicted that the record might stand for decades.
Against such results, even if the senior jockeys joined forces, they simply couldn't compete.
"So where are we going?" Ann-san asked from the back seat. "I don't recognize this road."
"Osaka Castle," Yutaka Take replied. "There are plenty of shops open all night there tonight. After all, with these two kids in the car, I can't exactly take you to Shinchi for a night out."
"If you try to take me to any 'Shinchi,' I'm calling a taxi and going home immediately," Ann-san said flatly.
"Shinchi" was a well-known red-light district.
Even in the Dream World, the young man had no intention of visiting such places.
He was already a married man.
Well—just not in this world.
"No way I'd go there," Yutaka Take scoffed. "What's good about places like that? Only people with no taste go to Shinchi."
He grinned slightly.
"People with taste go to Gion to chat with geishas and talk about life. That kind of vulgar entertainment isn't our style."
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