Chapter 2. Dream Relocation
Back in the office, Shuta Ann sat down at his workstation, turned on his computer, and prepared to write today's training reports.
"This is my first time writing four training reports…" the young man muttered as his fingers moved across the keyboard. "I really don't know how Miss Tojo and Nishizaki from Team Rigil and Team Spica manage to handle theirs."
After quickly finishing Silence Suzuka's report, Shuta Ann leaned back in his chair and decided to take a short break. He opened his email to check whether there were any messages that required a reply.
Several emails written in English immediately caught his attention.
A quick glance showed that they had been sent by racecourse management committees affiliated with the Victoria URA Association and the New South Wales URA Association.
Their purpose was surprisingly similar.
Every one of them was inviting Silence Suzuka to compete at their racecourses and challenge their local G1 races.
The consistency of the invitations surprised Shuta Ann slightly.
Each message also included a detailed schedule of the G1 races hosted by their respective racecourses this year. As he scanned through them, Shuta Ann realized that he didn't even need to search for suitable races anymore—most of the major G1 events in Australia had already been listed for him.
"Registration opens tomorrow morning…no wonder they only sent the invitations today," the young man muttered.
Then he noticed the registration deadline.
"But the deadline is a month away—"
He leaned back slightly, thinking.
"With a whole month to consider it, I can take a closer look at the available G1 races in spring. Or rather—autumn and winter in the Southern Hemisphere."
He replied politely to each email, expressing his gratitude for the invitations and stating that he would consider them carefully.
Only then did he close his inbox and return to writing Tokai Teio's training report.
By noon, the four reports were finally finished.
Soon after, Shuta Ann was dragged off by Mr. Kitahara to have lunch at the cafeteria.
After finding seats and placing their trays on the table, Shuta Ann began scrolling through the Australian race schedules on his phone.
"What are you looking at, Ann-san?" Mr. Kitahara leaned closer, curiosity written across his face. "That's a lot of English. Where's that schedule from?"
"Australia," Shuta Ann replied without raising his head. "They're inviting Silence Suzuka to compete. I'm checking for suitable races."
"If Ann-san has time later, could you help me look for some short-distance turf G1 races in Australia?" Mr. Kitahara suddenly asked.
"Any other requirements?" Shuta Ann raised an eyebrow instead of answering immediately. "Why are you suddenly interested in short-distance turf races, Mr. Kitahara?"
"As for requirements…" Mr. Kitahara thought for a moment. "The race must allow Classic Race–age Uma Musume to register."
He continued explaining.
"Our Team Scorpii recruited a new Uma Musume in the second half of last year. She's been training seriously for half a year now. After running two races, I realized she simply can't handle distances over 1600 meters. But her explosive speed is excellent."
"So I think she might be better suited for sprint races."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Ann-san's overseas expedition schedule should be after Dubai World Cup Race Day, right? Around May?"
Shuta Ann nodded slightly.
"My Uma Musume has already won both a maiden race and a one-win class race," Mr. Kitahara said. "I'm confident she can take a Listed race before May. Once that happens, she'll qualify to enter overseas G1 races."
"You know that Japan only has one short-distance G1—the Sprinters Stakes. And powerful Uma Musume like Taiki Shuttle are targeting that race."
He shook his head firmly.
"I don't want her fighting a life-or-death battle with Taiki Shuttle for a G1 title that could be obtained through other routes."
"If nothing unexpected happens, this should be Taiki Shuttle's final year in the Twinkle Series," Shuta Ann said casually. "You could just wait it out."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Finishing second behind Taiki Shuttle isn't exactly shameful."
"But who wants second place when they could aim for first?" Mr. Kitahara replied with a pout. "Since this opportunity exists, I'd like Ann-san to keep an eye out for me."
"No problem," Shuta Ann said. "But there's something you should know."
He glanced up.
"The age classification for Uma Musume is different between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. A Classic Race–age Uma Musume in the Northern Hemisphere is considered a first-year Old Uma Musume in the Southern Hemisphere."
Mr. Kitahara's eyes widened.
"Is that so?"
He scratched his head awkwardly, staring off to the side for quite a while. Just as Shuta Ann assumed his friend had abandoned the idea, Mr. Kitahara spoke again.
"Then could Ann-san help me check the races in the second half of the year instead?"
He quickly added, "Preferably between August and October."
"No problem."
Since the timeline had been pushed that far back, Shuta Ann wouldn't have to worry about any scheduling conflicts.
After lunch, the two returned to the office.
However, Shuta Ann did not continue examining the Australian race schedules.
A new notification had arrived from the Dubai URA Association.
Registration for Dubai World Cup Race Day had officially opened.
Without delay, the young man organized the registration materials he had previously prepared and submitted them immediately.
But that alone wasn't enough.
For an overseas expedition, Shuta Ann also had to submit an application to the Central URA Association, clearly stating the duration of the trip and which Uma Musume from his team would be traveling overseas.
In the accompanying personnel section of the form, Shuta Ann only listed Oguri Cap and Berno Light.
Tokai Teio and Kurofune would remain in Japan to accompany Mejiro Dober, who was preparing for the Oka Sho.
Although Oguri Cap and Berno Light were officially part of Team Sadalsuud, they were not currently active in the Twinkle Series. Therefore, the URA Association did not hold jurisdiction over them.
"But Berno and Oguri still need to submit applications to the Dream Trophy Series Committee," Shuta Ann reminded himself. "And if Oguri wants to participate in the Dubai Dream Cup, she'll also need to submit her registration materials."
He quickly opened Line and sent Berno a message, instructing her and Oguri Cap about the procedures they needed to complete.
Only after that did he open his chat with Silence Suzuka.
His fingers moved across the screen.
"I've already submitted Suzuka's registration for the Dubai Turf."
After officially submitting the registration application for the Dubai Turf, Shuta An opened Twitter and, for the first time in quite a while, posted a race preview.
"Since being discharged from the hospital on the last day of last year, after twenty days of rest, Silence Suzuka has begun rehabilitative training. Fortunately, the long break and injury did not break Suzuka's racing spirit or ability. The results of her recovery training have been very positive. Her gait is even more mature than last year, and her appetite after training at noon is excellent—she eats quite a lot. Everything is progressing in a positive direction. Therefore, according to the previous plan, I have decided today to register for this year's Dubai Turf, which has been upgraded to a G1. I have already confirmed with the Dubai URA Association that Silence Suzuka will receive a race invitation. I ask all Suzuka fans to continue watching over her and cheering for her. We will also work diligently to meet everyone's expectations. Our first goal this year is to achieve consecutive victories in the Dubai Turf! #Sadalsuud #SilenceSuzuka #TwinkleSeries"
The response was immediate.
As Shuta An scrolled through the replies, he discovered that the topic had already entered the Japanese trending list.
The official accounts of the Central URA Association and the Dubai URA Association quickly reposted the message. Even the official accounts of Churchill Downs and Arlington Racecourse joined in.
"Tenno Sho (Autumn) champion Silence Suzuka will aim for the Dubai Turf (G1)."—Central URA Association
"The first superstar of Dubai World Cup Race Day! Last year's Dubai Turf champion Silence Suzuka will aim for consecutive victories in the Dubai Turf as her first goal of the year!" —Dubai URA Association
"Last year's Turf Classic Stakes champion Silence Suzuka will aim to create an unprecedented record of consecutive victories this year!" —Churchill Downs Racecourse
"We hope Miss Silence Suzuka will consider participating in the Arlington Million again after winning the Dubai Turf." —Arlington Racecourse
The number of fan retweets and comments was far greater.
After one glance, Shuta An immediately realized that replying to everyone was impossible. He selected a few of the earliest replies, responded politely, and then replied to the posts from the official accounts.
"No wonder so many celebrities hire someone to manage their social media…" Shuta An muttered quietly. "This really takes time. Thankfully, it doesn't happen every day."
Afterward, he casually posted several photos from that morning's training session—pictures of the Uma Musume from his team—and then immediately closed Twitter, having no intention of continuing the interaction.
When Shuta An was preparing to leave work, an email from the Central URA Association arrived.
The message confirmed approval of Silence Suzuka's overseas expedition application.
Of course, the URA Association had never rejected such an application before. However, the procedure still had to be followed. Even a Trainer like Shuta An was no exception.
After reading the email, Shuta An took a screenshot and sent it to Silence Suzuka.
"Now you can focus on recovering."
Suzuka did not reply with text.
Instead, she sent a photo.
In the picture, she was icing her ankle with a towel wrapped around it.
To the young man's slight disappointment, Suzuka's legs were bare instead of covered with the pantyhose she usually wore. Even so, despite having resumed training, her skin remained smooth and carried a natural sheen.
After being discharged from the hospital, Silence Suzuka had quietly begun learning how to take care of herself. She could have asked Taiki Shuttle or the others from Team Spica, but she was worried Taiki might accidentally let something slip. As for the others—
The tallest junior Uma Musume in Team Spica was known for spreading news across the entire Central Tracen Academy before the day was over.
Suzuka was not familiar enough with her to be certain she could keep a secret.
So she simply chose to learn everything on her own.
—
That night, Shuta An went to bed early.
The Central Race season had already been underway for three weeks. During that time, he had won eight races, including a major one—the Kyoto Gold Cup—where Mr. Spain, the eleventh favorite, had scored an unexpected victory.
It was a good start to the new year.
However, today was neither a race day nor a day he needed to visit the Ritto Training Center for riding practice.
The young man found himself with nothing to do at home.
His gaze eventually landed on the racehorse training model placed in his living room.
After thinking for a moment, Shuta An climbed onto it to get a feel for riding.
Since he lived in a high-rise apartment, he deliberately kept his movements light, trying not to make too much noise.
Even so, a knock sounded at the door within a few minutes.
"Alright."
Shuta An could only give up.
He stepped down from the model and collapsed onto the sofa, turning on the television.
"But this model was imported from the UK…using it as decoration is too wasteful, isn't it?"
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.
"It really looks like I'll have to move to a detached house."
Once the idea formed, Shuta An didn't delay.
He quickly contacted a real estate agent, listed his current apartment, and clearly explained the requirements for his new home.
After sending off the agent—who left with a bright smile after securing two potential deals—Shuta An began contacting several friends to inform them of his plan to move.
"It's about time you moved!" Yutaka Take immediately supported the idea. "Did the neighbors complain about the noise from the training model?"
"In an apartment, you always have to think about the neighbors. In a detached house, as long as the soundproofing is good, it's not a problem."
"Yeah. Someone already knocked on the door," Shuta An admitted. "I felt bad continuing to use it. Moving to a detached house might be easier."
"In that case, why not move to Kyoto?" Yutaka Take suggested. "What's so great about Ritto? Aside from being close to the Training Center, there's nothing there. If you live in Kyoto, you can just drive to work. Parking at the Ritto Training Center is free anyway."
"Kyoto, huh…"
Shuta An fell silent.
For him, the most troublesome part would be getting a driver's license. Unlike in the real world, he didn't currently have one in the Dream World.
And if he moved to Kyoto, he would have to cancel the current arrangement with the real estate agent and find a new one there.
As if guessing his hesitation, Yutaka Take spoke again.
"By the way, the detached house next to mine is going to be sold soon. If Ann-san is interested, you can come take a look tomorrow."
"Oh?"
The idea of becoming neighbors with a friend immediately lifted Shuta An's mood.
"Then I'll stop by tomorrow."
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