Chapter 58. Team Sadalsuud's First Documentary
The next morning, Shuta Trainer was somewhat disappointed to discover that winning the Pretty Polly Stakes had not rewarded him with any new skills.
However, before he could spend much time lamenting his bad luck, the young man finished washing up and headed to the restaurant for breakfast. Afterward, he planned to take Rice Shower on the shinkansen to Sapporo Racecourse to watch the twelve Twinkle Series races scheduled for the day.
"Rice Shower herself will be racing in half a month, so for the next three race days over these two weeks, Rice Shower needs to come and watch the races,"
Shuta Trainer told her.
The reason they had not come yesterday was simple. Of the twelve races held yesterday, eight had been dirt races, while the remaining four turf races were all middle- and long-distance events. For Rice Shower, whose debut race would only be 1000 meters, there was little difference between watching them and not watching them at all.
As for the other Uma Musume of Team Sadalsuud, Shuta had already mentioned that if they wanted to visit Sapporo Racecourse, they were welcome to come along. In the end, however, everyone chose to remain at the resort.
"It's a rare holiday. Training is one thing, but watching races? I'll pass."
Sitting across from Shuta, Tokai Teio yawned broadly. Judging from her appearance, she had most likely spent the entire night playing games again.
"You and Rice Shower can go by yourselves, Trainer."
"I have other work to do."
Although Mejiro Dober seemed somewhat interested in going, Agnes Digital had reminded her several days earlier that the deadline for her latest manuscript was rapidly approaching. As a result, she could only remain at the hotel and focus on finishing her work.
Kurofune waved her hand casually.
"I'm going out to play with Curren-chan."
This one was even more justified than the others.
"Well, it looks like I can only go with Rice Shower, then."
Shuta shrugged.
"Let me tell you beforehand: there won't be a Box for us this time. Rice Shower should be prepared to spend the entire day in the grandstands."
"No problem."
Rice Shower clenched her fists.
"Rice is ready!"
Although Rice Shower had seemed somewhat timid when they first met, perhaps because she had spent so much time around returnees like Kurofune, as well as naturally cheerful and outgoing girls like Tokai Teio, much of the gloomy atmosphere that had once surrounded her had gradually faded away.
Shuta was very pleased by this development.
In his view, an Uma Musume capable of performing well on the Racecourse should not possess too many excessively negative personality traits.
After taking the shinkansen to Sapporo Station, Shuta and Rice Shower boarded a taxi bound for Sapporo Racecourse.
Technically, they could have transferred to the Campus City Line, traveled to Sōen Station, and then walked more than a kilometer to the Racecourse. Doing so would have saved quite a bit of money.
However, it would also have caused them to miss the first two races of the day, one of which happened to be a 1000-meter turf race.
After weighing the options, the young man decided that his wallet could suffer a little for the sake of saving time.
As a result, when the two arrived at Sapporo Racecourse, the exhibition parade for the opening race had not even begun yet.
Since they had purchased designated seats in advance, Shuta led Rice Shower to the upper section of the grandstands.
Although the seats were somewhat far from the track itself, they provided an excellent view of the entire course. In addition, each seat featured a small monitor displaying the live broadcast.
"Today, Rice Shower, your main task is to observe how everyone handles the final corner and the home straight at Sapporo Racecourse."
Shuta pointed toward the track as he explained.
"This will be the biggest challenge you'll face in your debut race."
"Mhm. Rice understands."
Rice Shower nodded obediently before asking another question.
"If Rice wins her debut race, what race would Trainer like me to run next?"
"Considering transportation and scheduling, I personally recommend the Tokyo Sports Hai Nisai Stakes."
Shuta answered without the slightest hesitation.
Among the Kanto Twinkle Series races, this 1800-meter turf G3 at Tokyo Racecourse was the most suitable option for Rice Shower.
"Then that will become the goal."
Rice Shower clenched her fists again.
"And after that comes the prelude to next year's Classic Triple Crown, right?"
"As for the prelude, my personal target is the Yayoi Sho."
Shuta looked at her.
"Of course, if Rice Shower has different thoughts by then, you can discuss them with me."
"I believe Trainer's arrangements for Rice Shower are definitely the most suitable."
Rice Shower poked the tabletop lightly with her finger.
"So Rice also supports going to the Yayoi Sho."
By the afternoon, after spending the entire day observing races, Rice Shower followed the young man out of Sapporo Racecourse.
"How was today?"
Shuta turned around and asked about her impressions.
"I feel like everyone's strength isn't particularly outstanding."
Rice Shower blinked several times, seemingly uncertain whether her own judgment was accurate.
"At least, the Uma Musume seniors who participated in today's Listed race, which was the main event, didn't give Rice Shower as much pressure as Kurofune-chan."
"..."
The corner of Shuta's mouth twitched.
Reaching out, he rubbed Rice Shower's head and casually squeezed her large ears.
"The members of our team are naturally stronger than most people outside, so your feeling isn't wrong, Rice Shower."
Then he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"But if even opponents at the Listed level can't give you much pressure—"
The young man muttered quietly,
"Then your debut race should be even less of a problem, shouldn't it?"
To be honest, even now, Shuta still worried about whether Rice Shower could handle a 1000-meter ultra-short-distance debut race properly.
After all, the distance was simply too short.
No one could guarantee that accidents would not occur.
Rice Shower's race experience was still shallow, and if she made even a single mistake, there would likely be no opportunity to recover.
Later, aboard the shinkansen returning to Hoshino Tomamu Resort, the young man remained seated without moving.
Perhaps because she had not rested much throughout the day, Rice Shower had already fallen asleep peacefully in her seat.
Her head rested directly against Shuta Trainer's shoulder.
At that moment, he felt a vibration from his pocket.
Carefully taking out his phone, he discovered that the incoming call was from NHK.
"Strange. What could it be this time?"
The young man muttered while answering the call.
Soon afterward, an expression of realization appeared on his face.
Following post-production and nearly a month of promotional efforts, the documentary filmed during the first half of the year was finally scheduled to air on NHK that very night.
The television station hoped that Team Sadalsuud's official Twitter account, along with the various social media accounts of its members, could help promote the broadcast.
"Of course. That's only natural."
Shuta immediately edited the information into a message and sent it to Team Sadalsuud's Line group.
Before long, every Uma Musume received the notification.
The only exception was Rice Shower, who was still napping beside him.
In the hotel lounge, everyone gathered around the television after dinner, waiting for the documentary's premiere.
"Will there be opportunities like this again in the future?" Kurofune asked with obvious interest. "If there are, I want to be the protagonist of a documentary too."
"There definitely will be," Shuta replied without hesitation.
As long as Team Sadalsuud continued producing results on the Racecourse, NHK would never have to worry about ratings. Under those circumstances, continuing the documentary series would not be difficult.
Meanwhile, Mejiro Dober sat off to the side, her legs dangling lightly as she complained,
"I don't want to be the protagonist again. Being followed around and filmed all day is really annoying."
Shuta naturally understood that this was not the real reason.
What Mejiro Dober disliked was never the camera itself. Rather, it was the fact that the filming crew occupied time that would otherwise belong to the two of them.
Still, he chose not to expose her thoughts.
Sitting down on the sofa, he poured himself a glass of water and quietly waited for the broadcast to begin.
Soon, the documentary officially started.
"Another overseas expedition. But for an undefeated Triple Tiara Uma Musume, the feeling surrounding this journey was different from every previous expedition."
The narrator's voice echoed through the lounge.
As the narration faded, the first scene appeared on screen.
The moment she saw it, Mejiro Dober's expression darkened.
"IS IT SPECIAL WEEK? IF SHE WINS THIS ARIMA KINEN, SHE WILL FOLLOW IN OGURI CAP'S FOOTSTEPS AND BECOME ANOTHER UMA MUSUME TO DOMINATE ALL THREE MAJOR AUTUMN MIDDLE-AND-LONG-DISTANCE G1 RACES!"
"IS IT GRASS WONDER? IF SHE WINS THIS ARIMA KINEN, SHE WILL BECOME THE FIRST UMA MUSUME IN MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS TO CONQUER BOTH THE SPRING AND AUTUMN GRAND PRIX!"
"IS IT MEJIRO DOBER? IF SHE WINS THIS ARIMA KINEN, THEN WITH FIVE G1 VICTORIES IN A SINGLE YEAR, SHE WILL NOT ONLY SURPASS SYMBOLI RUDOLF'S RECORD, BUT ALSO BECOME THE FIRST TRIPLE TIARA-ROUTE UMA MUSUME TO CAPTURE A MIXED OPEN-AGE MIDDLE-AND-LONG-DISTANCE G1 RACE, COMPLETELY ESTABLISHING HERSELF AS THE STRONGEST TRIPLE TIARA-ROUTE UMA MUSUME IN HISTORY!"
The passionate race call from last year's Arima Kinen once again rang through the room.
For Mejiro Dober, it was hardly a pleasant memory.
Without saying anything, Shuta reached out and gently rubbed her head.
Only then did her expression soften slightly.
The screen faded to black.
When the image returned, it showed Shuta sitting inside a café, speaking with the documentary director.
"The reason I chose an overseas campaign was because there weren't any suitable G1 races for Dober in Japan during the spring," Shuta explained calmly. "Taking distance suitability into account, I ultimately chose the Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes route."
"However, despite how relaxed Shuta Trainer makes it sound, Mejiro Dober's adjustment period after arriving in Australia was anything but easy."
As the narration continued, the documentary shifted directly to Mejiro Dober's preparation period in Australia.
The Ranvet Stakes segment itself was relatively ordinary.
But after the race, during the Winning Live performance, the documentary made a surprising choice.
The focus was not on Mejiro Dober standing brilliantly on stage while singing and dancing beneath countless cheers.
Instead, the camera zoomed in on Shuta Trainer standing among the audience.
He was only a short distance from the stage.
His expression was calm.
A glow stick rested in his hand as he quietly cheered for the Uma Musume he trained.
At that moment, everyone's attention was fixed on the dazzling figure under the spotlight.
Only the camera noticed that the Trainer standing below had completely returned to the role of an ordinary fan.
There was no difference between him and the countless spectators surrounding him.
"Trainer always seems really quiet when doing fan calls."
Watching the footage, Tokai Teio immediately remembered something.
"I noticed that when we went singing karaoke before."
"I'm not very good at fan calls," Shuta replied helplessly. "Besides, as someone involved, drawing too much attention to myself isn't exactly a good thing."
The documentary moved on.
The scene shifted back to Central Tracen Academy.
Tokai Teio, Kurofune, and Rice Shower all appeared one after another.
Even Oguri, Suzuka, and Berno received interview segments.
"I really am adorable in this documentary!"
Tokai Teio looked extremely satisfied.
The production team had followed her for an entire day without interfering with her training schedule.
Besides normal sprinting and jogging, the footage also showed spin-bike sessions, swimming training, rock climbing, frog jumps, and balance-beam exercises.
Anyone who only admired Tokai Teio's brilliance on the Racecourse would inevitably feel awe after witnessing the amount of work hidden behind her success.
"Don't you ever get bored or tired maintaining this level of training over such a long period?"
When the interviewer asked that question, Tokai Teio shook her head immediately.
"This is already after Trainer forced me to reduce my training volume."
Then she paused briefly.
"And besides— when I can clearly feel myself getting stronger every day, why would I ever feel bored?"
A bright smile appeared on her face.
"Compared to most of my peers, I'm already incredibly fortunate. So I have to treasure every single moment."
Hearing that answer, Shuta suddenly remembered his conversation with Frankie Dettori in the Dream World several days earlier.
"No time is worth wasting."
He spoke quietly.
The moment those words reached her ears, Tokai Teio's ears shot upright.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
"Oh!!! that's a good line."
She silently memorized it.
"After I win the Kikuka Sho, if the timing is right, I'll say it with a cool expression. It'll definitely look cool."
The undefeated two-crown champion secretly made up her mind.
The documentary soon moved on to the Satsuki Sho.
Faced with the notorious gate position from which nobody had ever won, Tokai Teio showed no hesitation.
She challenged every disadvantage head-on and, in the end, shattered the curse, becoming another undefeated Satsuki Sho winner.
"Come to think of it," Mejiro Dober suddenly muttered, "my Queen Elizabeth Stakes happened before Teio's race."
"Did they cut all of it?"
Before Shuta could answer, NHK provided the answer themselves.
"One day earlier. Randwick Racecourse."
As the words appeared on screen, realization dawned on Mejiro Dober.
"So that's what happened. They rearranged the timeline and made Teio and me alternate as the main protagonists."
"That's actually pretty good," Tokai Teio agreed enthusiastically.
She seemed very pleased with the structure.
However, the next scene that appeared wasn't Mejiro Dober.
Instead, it was Shuta Trainer.
The footage showed him finishing an interview with reporters on race morning. Just as he turned around to leave, a lifeless voice suddenly called out his name.
"Shuta-kun..."
"What a terrifying voice!"
Tokai Teio immediately shivered.
"If someone called my name like that, I'd definitely run away!"
Kurofune nodded vigorously beside her.
The next second, the owner of the voice finally appeared on screen.
Both Tokai Teio and Kurofune instantly covered their faces.
Because they immediately realized exactly who they had just mocked.
"Sorry!"
Even though the girl on the television couldn't possibly hear her, Tokai Teio still shouted her apology at full volume.