Chapter 80. Departure
When Shuta An booked the restaurant, the exhibition segment had not even begun—and naturally, the reservation was entrusted to Miss Grace, his assistant.
The restaurant Miss Grace secured for her boss was named "Mizai," located within a park in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. According to the establishment's usual requirements, reservations had to be made at least a week in advance, yet Miss Grace always had her ways of fulfilling her boss's needs.
It took over twenty minutes by car to travel from Kyoto Racecourse to "Mizai." After picking up Mejiro Dober outside the racecourse, Shuta An brought them to the restaurant.
This meant that when Mejiro Ramonu assisted the elderly lady in leaving Kyoto Racecourse, they happened to miss the Sadalsuud team entirely. However, neither side was aware of this, so it ultimately did not matter.
"Oh~ we're having Kaiseki cuisine today."
After stepping out of the car and seeing the restaurant, Mejiro Dober immediately inferred what they would be eating.
"But I've never visited this particular establishment."
"The owner and Head Chef of Mizai is the former Head Chef of Kitcho, a century-old Kaiseki restaurant in Kyoto. The main reason I'm treating you here today is for the sense of occasion,"
Shuta An said, following behind her as he continued the conversation.
"If you want to eat your fill, when we return to the mansion, I'll give you my McDonald's membership card."
"No thanks. I still have races to run this year; it's not the time for indulgence and rest," Mejiro Dober replied, turning her head with a faint smile as she declined the Trainer's suggestion.
"So, Dober-senpai can smile too," Rice Shower thought to herself. "It's just that she only shows it when facing the Trainer."
Kurofune rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Kaiseki cuisine…this is my first time."
"You don't need to set your expectations too high," Mejiro Dober turned back and told Kurofune.
"Kaiseki cuisine emphasizes what is called 'artistic conception.' Trainer isn't bringing us here to get full."
"I won't even mention Dober," Shuta An quipped, "but Rice Shower and Kurofune, you two must have eaten quite a bit at Kyoto Racecourse this afternoon. At this point, even if I took you to a family restaurant, I doubt you could eat much, could you?"
"If it's dessert, then no problem," Kurofune replied without hesitation.
"Because dessert goes into another stomach, right?" The young man had naturally heard that saying before.
"Alright, the Head Chef is coming out to greet us," Mejiro Dober noticed someone approaching to welcome their party and promptly reminded the Trainer, while also straightening his suit collar. "When visiting a restaurant like this, one should pay attention to their attire."
Shuta An paused briefly, then whispered, "Thank you."
Mejiro Dober's cheeks flushed crimson upon realizing what she had just done, and she offered no reply.
As per custom, Mizai's pre-meal drink was plum wine, but unfortunately, Shuta An's party could not consume alcohol. Not even plum wine—thus, the restaurant implemented a backup plan, offering a non-alcoholic version.
"Although it still carries a slight alcoholic taste, it doesn't make one dizzy," Shuta An gently swirled the small cup, murmuring to himself.
"I didn't expect them to have non-alcoholic plum wine here," Mejiro Dober took a small sip. "It tastes quite similar to the plum wine at home."
"But the Mejiro Family's should contain alcohol?" Shuta An raised an eyebrow as he asked, "Does Dober drink at home as well?"
"Of course not," Mejiro Dober shook her head repeatedly. "It's just that a few times, I was tricked by my family into accidentally drinking some, and then I felt uncomfortably dizzy for quite a while."
"It's definitely better to drink less alcohol," Kurofune chimed in. "Drinking can easily lead to mistakes."
This caught Shuta An slightly off guard.
It was not that Kurofune's words were incorrect, but he had not expected such a remark from her—an Uma Musume born and raised in America.
In the young man's stereotypical perception, the proportion of American Uma Musume who drank was quite high. Secretariat, for instance, could down a bottle of vodka without batting an eye and still continue chatting and laughing.
However, his own inability to drink alcohol was inherited from his mother—Alice was even more sensitive than her son, becoming uncomfortable merely from the scent of alcohol. This also meant that Comrade Old Shuta had to take a shower after socializing with colleagues outside before daring to meet his wife—
A single Kaiseki meal at Mizai consisted of dishes such as "Minazuki tofu with special dressing, grilled sansho, burdock mochi, sea bream, Korean blue crab, tuna, and female squid."
Today, Mizai was hosting only the Sadalsuud team, so the waitstaff appeared noticeably more at ease.
"Although it's Kaiseki cuisine, the portions are much larger than those in Tokyo's Kaiseki restaurants," Mejiro Dober remarked quietly.
"We have inherited part of the Kitcho tradition, so naturally, we differ from those establishments in Kanto that merely bear the name," the Head Chef, who was currently preparing sushi, overheard Mejiro Dober's observation and responded.
"It would be wonderful if we could satisfy everyone."
"We are indeed very satisfied," Shuta An looked up and met the Head Chef's gaze. "Thank you very much."
A Kaiseki meal typically lasted around three hours, and after Mejiro Dober—the slowest eater—finished the final dessert, a green bamboo tube Mizu Yokan, the meal came to its conclusion.
The Head Chef, now dressed in different attire, stepped forward and, as if by magic, produced a signature board.
"I never expected to host the undefeated Triple Tiara Uma Musume today. It truly honors our humble establishment. Might I be so bold as to request Miss Mejiro's autograph? I will frame it and display it in the restaurant's exhibition area."
Mejiro Dober readily agreed—as an artist, she had designed several signatures for herself, some used for doujinshi and others for daily life.
Of course, she would not sign the board with the same signature she used for her books—
After leaving "Mizai," the Head Chef, having completed his duties, personally saw Shuta An's party off. Standing by the entrance as he watched them depart, he took out his phone from his pocket.
"I wonder if they came on purpose," he murmured under his breath.
"I should inform my younger brother. Last time, he offended someone quite severely. This time, I was fortunate enough to learn their preferences, which will make it easier for him to accommodate them in the future. Surely, he won't offend them again the next time they visit, right?"
"I also don't know why he, despite becoming president, still concerns himself so much with a Trainer," the Head Chef shook his head.
"But considering his assistant—it is only natural for my brother to treat him with such caution. I wonder which family he comes from, working as a Trainer merely to experience life."
He sent all of the day's observations to his younger brother via Line, then turned and returned to the restaurant.
"Today's business is over. Everyone may go home after cleaning up."
—
Unlike the real-world race schedule, the Shuka Sho had not yet appeared in the Dream World. Thus, in tonight's Dream World, Shuta An participated in the G2 Turf 1400m Stakes—the Swan Stakes—at Kyoto Racecourse. In this race, he once again partnered with Scarlet Bouquet after a long interval.
At this point, although Scarlet Bouquet had once been the Queen of the Oaks, her performance had declined following her third-place finish in the Queen Elizabeth Cup, with her subsequent placings generally fluctuating between fourth and sixth. This time, Shuta An was once more in command, with the sole requirement being to finish within the top three.
"Scarlet Bouquet will retire at the end of this year and return to Shadai Farm to become a breeding mare. If possible, our stable hopes she can have a beautiful farewell, but that is too difficult. A top-three finish would already be very good,"
Trainer Ito Yuji said.
"I'll do my best,"
Shuta An replied, though he lacked confidence—primarily because this race was only 1400 meters, and in the young man's view, there was little a jockey could influence in short-distance races.
Most of the time, one could only rely on the unfolding of the race and fate itself. A decisive outside surge depended more on the horse's intrinsic quality, which was why he did not particularly favor participating in short-distance races—
In this Swan Stakes, Shuta An decided to have Scarlet Bouquet continue with a Senko tactic, maintaining fifth position throughout the race. Then, after entering the final straight, he applied the whip and began urging her forward. In the end, Scarlet Bouquet finished third, one length behind Toshi Green, ridden by Yutaka Take.
"1400 meters is indeed too short," upon arriving in the waiting area, Shuta An remarked to Ito Yuji.
"Scarlet Bouquet didn't fully burn in this race at all. The race concluded just as she entered her optimal acceleration phase. I believe that if we aim to win, it would be best to target a mare-only 1800m or 2000m race."
The reason he did not mention a stakes race was because Shuta An knew there would be no such stakes races available in the coming months.
As for OP or listed races, there should be some, but the young man did not pay close attention to those schedules and could not confirm—furthermore, arranging races was Ito Yuji's responsibility, while Shuta An only needed to provide suggestions.
—
The following morning, Shuta An woke up rather late. Although he would be heading to Melbourne today, his flight from Tokyo was scheduled to depart at 9 PM, leaving him with ample time.
Shuta An first went to Central Tracen Academy to observe Tokai Teio's training, then returned to his office to prepare race and training reports.
Tokai Teio's training report already followed a fixed format for Shuta An; unless unforeseen circumstances arose, he could simply apply the template, make minor adjustments to certain sections, and submit it.
However, for Mejiro Dober's Shuka Sho post-race report, Shuta An had no template to rely on. He had to formulate the rhetoric himself.
"The pace of this race was anticipated prior to the start. However, due to the Yodo Slope at Kyoto Racecourse, Mejiro Dober did not choose to close the gap early, instead enduring until after cresting the slope before initiating her acceleration."
"Although the downhill section was on a bend, accelerating from there posed no difficulty for Mejiro Dober. While the acceleration conditions were not as ideal as the super-long straight at York Racecourse, the disparity in class among her competitors was also greater than in the Yorkshire Oaks."
"Following this race, Mejiro Dober is undoubtedly the strongest Uma Musume on the domestic Triple Tiara mile to middle-to-long distance routes. Her name should be included in the list for this year's Classic Race season Best Uma Musume award."
"The next target race is currently set as the Queen Elizabeth Cup. I believe that this year is not suitable for Mejiro Dober to challenge the Japan Cup. As for the Arima Kinen, although it is a highly prestigious race, the Nakayama 2500m distance may not be manageable for Mejiro Dober. Even looking ahead to next year, I would personally be more inclined to have Mejiro Dober participate in the Hong Kong International Races."
Having written to this point, Shuta An suddenly experienced a flash of inspiration. "Should I also register Dober for the Hong Kong International Races?"
Although participation in the Hong Kong International Races required an invitation from the Hong Kong URA Association to waive the high entry fee, the young man felt that if Mejiro Dober avoided Silence Suzuka and competed in the Hong Kong Vase, her chances of victory would be quite high.
"But I should still ask Dober for her own opinion,"
Shuta ultimately refrained from making a unilateral decision. Instead, he sent the three options—Japan Cup, Queen Elizabeth Cup, and Hong Kong Vase—to Mejiro Dober, asking her to provide an answer after his return from Australia.
At 3 PM, Shuta An left work early. Having already taken his expedition leave, he departed the office under Kitahara's envious gaze—
"I really want to arrange for my team members to go on an expedition as well—but there aren't many opportunities to win in America,"
Most of the horses trained by Kitahara were dirt Uma Musume, which meant his expedition options were largely limited to the Middle East and the United States. The former offered only a single opportunity each year, while the latter, despite hosting dirt races year-round, presented such a high level of competition that it was exceedingly difficult for Uma Musume from Japan Central Tracen Academy to secure victories.
Unless Kitahara and his Uma Musume approached it with a mindset of tourism, challenging America would amount to little more than a futile endeavor—after all, they had yet to dominate their own generation within Japan's dirt racing circuit, let alone compete in the United States, the strongest dirt racing nation in the world.
—
Shuta An remained unaware of his friend's thoughts. After leaving the Academy, he drove home, took a shower, then prepared and ate dinner. He went upstairs to retrieve his already packed luggage before heading out to hail a taxi bound for Narita Airport.
This time, Shuta An chose to fly with Qantas Airways. The flight duration was ten minutes longer than ANA All Nippon Airways' Tokyo–Melbourne route, but the latter's arrival time was 5 AM local time, which he found somewhat too early. Additionally, he had been unable to secure a first-class seat, so he simply opted for the former.
After a comfortable sleep during the flight, Shuta An opened his eyes to find that the aircraft was already approaching Australian airspace. He picked up the tablet in front of him, preparing to watch something to pass the time.
Unlocking the screen and opening the video application, what greeted the young man was not a variety show or animated film, but promotional material for this year's Victoria Spring Twinkle Series Carnival in Australia, along with recordings of G1 races from the first half of the year.
"Compared to watching movies or something, wouldn't watching this also count as work?" With that thought, Shuta An tapped to open it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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