Although periostitis also required a lengthy recovery, it was not like suspensory ligantitis—an injury that cast a long, ominous shadow over an Uma Musu's entire racing career. Because of this, Shuta An had no intention of taking Oguri Cap to the United States for treatnt this ti.
With Christmas falling the very next day, he decided to set all concerns aside for the mont. First, he would celebrate the holiday with the two Uma Musu. Oguri Cap's recovery plan could wait until after.
The Gray Uma Musu was of the sa mind.
Thus, on Christmas morning, Shuta An went out with Oguri Cap and Berno Light to purchase ingredients for that evening's Christmas party.
There was no need to head to a bustling comrcial district. A nearby supermarket was more than sufficient to gather everything Team Sadalsuud needed.
"For today, Berno will be my assistant, and I'll be the chef," Shuta An volunteered as they walked. "But before that, Berno, you'll need to stop by the hospital to pick up Oguri's oral and topical dicine."
"I know, I know~" Berno Light puffed out her cheeks. "I really need to get my driver's license in two years. Running errands like this by bus is way too troubleso."
"It is troubleso for Berno," Oguri Cap agreed thoughtfully. "In that case, I can go pick up the it myself."
"No way," Berno Light shot her down without hesitation. "An injured patient should act like one."
Oguri Cap was touched—right until Berno Light's tone suddenly shifted.
"And also," Berno added firmly, "recently, Oguri, you're not allowed to sneak upstairs in the middle of the night anymore. Focus on recovering properly!"
"Hmm—" Oguri Cap pouted. "Periostitis doesn't affect my normal walking. Let alone…anything else."
"Still no! At least for January, you have to take good care of yourself and not indulge!" Berno Light declared, cheeks puffed again. "And I won't sneak off either!"
"Alright." Only after hearing that last sentence did Oguri Cap reluctantly concede.
When Team Sadalsuud returned ho, they were greeted by an unexpected sight.
Tokai Teio stood at the door, a basket of fruit cradled in her arms.
"Trainer! Oguri Cap-senpai! Berno Light-senpai!" Teio waved energetically with her free hand.
"Teio?" Shuta An was genuinely surprised. "Why are you here? And you even brought a gift?"
"Hehe," Tokai Teio laughed. "I got permission from the dorm manager to stay out tonight, and I've already cleared it with the President. I'm here to celebrate Christmas with you!"
"Oh! That's great!" Berno Light brightened imdiately—more people ant more liveliness. Oguri Cap also nodded in agreent. Neither of them had any other plans for the evening anyway.
As for Shuta An, Tokai Teio's arrival carried a far greater impact—one that was undeniably positive.
He had originally assud that an Uma Musu like Tokai Teio, who focused heavily on training at Central Tracen Academy, would have only average dostic skills. Instead, he found himself genuinely surprised. She handled the ingredients deftly, her movents smooth and practiced, the kitchen knife gleaming as it danced in her hand.
"Teio," Shuta An said with a smile as he slid bread into the oven, "your ho economics grades must be excellent."
"They're not bad," Tokai Teio replied with a blink. "I just want to be first in every subject, so I practiced a lot."
"I see," Shuta An nodded. "That's a huge help."
"As for Oguri" He shook his head. "I wouldn't dare let her into the kitchen. Otherwise, all these ingredients would be gone before we even started cooking."
"Pfft—!" Tokai Teio burst out laughing.
The party began in the afternoon and carried on into the evening.
Later, Oguri Cap headed upstairs, rubbing her already rounded stomach, intending to take a short nap.
Berno Light remained in the living room, lounging on the sofa as she turned on the TV. Tokai Teio, however, followed Shuta An and sat beside him near the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the small garden.
After hesitating for a mont, she finally asked, "Is Oguri Cap-senpai's periostitis serious?"
"It's not too severe," Shuta An answered honestly. "But since she had suspensory ligantitis last year, I was originally planning to have her retire from the Twinkle Series. She insisted on continuing for one more year—so now I plan to let her rest for half a year."
"Injuries really are an Uma Musu's greatest enemy," Tokai Teio sighed softly. "It wasn't easy for Oguri-senpai to overco suspensory ligantitis and return to the Twinkle Series stage."
"And now periostitis—" Shuta An exhaled quietly.
"But it'll be fine!" Tokai Teio suddenly raised her thumb with confidence. "I believe Oguri-senpai will definitely recover. She's my goal—the one I admire most for the current active one. I want to beco an Uma Musu even stronger than her in the future. The honors Oguri-senpai couldn't obtain because of regulations—I'll definitely strive for them."
"The undefeated Triple Crown?" Shuta An asked, unsurprised. Tokai Teio's ambition had long been clear to him.
"Yes!" Tokai Teio clenched her fists. "The Breeders' Cup Series that Oguri-senpai wants to challenge, and the St. Louis–Lejeune Race that Kaichou once challenged—I want to try them all. I want to surpass every senior."
"Those are truly grand dreams," Shuta An said with a grin.
"Hehe," Tokai Teio stuck out her tongue. "That's because I know I have a super amazing Trainer."
Shuta An froze for a mont. Then, a sincere smile slowly spread across his face.
"I won't let you down," he said firmly. "I'll make you the 'Undefeated Triple Crown.'"
Late that night, after settling Tokai Teio into her room, Shuta An returned upstairs. A quick shower later, he fell into the Dream World once more.
—
Monday was a day he could have spent resting, yet Shuta An still chose to go to the Ritto Training Center. He wanted to hear the results of Oguri Cap's examination directly from Trainer Setoguchi Tsutomu.
"Periostitis…and laness," Setoguchi Tsutomu sighed heavily. "This ti, it truly was a failure in our stable's training managent—allowing Oguri Cap to race while injured. If you hadn't noticed, and sothing happened…I would have had no choice but to commit seppuku to apologize."
"It's just that Oguri Cap and I share an unspoken understanding," Shuta An replied, shaking his head. "The periostitis likely started that very day. It wasn't the stable's fault."
"Hearing you say that is the only reason I feel even a little better," Setoguchi Tsutomu sighed again. "She's the ace of our stable—and now she'll need a long rest."
"One victory," Shuta An said calmly, "is not worth a lifeti."
"Indeed," Setoguchi Tsutomu agreed.
On December 26th, after personally sending Tokai Teio back to Central Tracen Academy, Shuta An returned ho without making any detours.
"For the next six months," the young man announced, looking at the two Uma Musu lounging on the sofa while watching an NHK morning drama, "our team is officially entering holiday mode."
"Yay!" Even though they had already known this, Oguri Cap and Berno Light still cheered in delight.
"Then where are we going for vacation?" Berno Light asked after calming down. "Back to Kasamatsu, or sowhere else?"
"How about Hokkaido?" Shuta An proposed. "Of course, not imdiately. Oguri will rest for a month first, and we'll head out in early February."
"That works for ," Berno Light replied without hesitation. Oguri Cap simply nodded in agreent.
"Then it's settled." Shuta An snapped his fingers. "We pushed ourselves hard for half a year for the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen. It's ti to really rest."
"But Ann won't actually stay idle, right?" Oguri Cap turned her head, one brow raised. "Every ti you give us a holiday, you end up being the busiest one."
Shuta An couldn't refute that, but he stubbornly insisted anyway. "This ti, I'll try my best to relax."
"Really?" Berno Light narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I always feel like Ann will suddenly start working again today."
"Probably not?" Even Shuta An himself couldn't think of anything that would catch him off guard today. And then—
His phone rang.
The three of them exchanged glances.
Shuta An picked it up and answered calmly, "Hello, this is Shuta An. May I ask who's calling?" Even though jiro Ramonu's na was clearly displayed on the caller ID, he still asked out of habit.
"It's … jiro Dober… Shuta-kun—Trainer." A hesitant voice ca through the receiver.
"Miss Dober?" Shuta An deliberately spoke her na aloud in front of Oguri Cap and Berno Light. "Is sothing the matter? Today isn't a training day, is it?"
"That's right, but…I borrowed Ramonu-nee's phone, and—" jiro Dober paused, then seed to steel herself. "I want to use my points to ask Shuta-kun to go to Makuhari sse with !"
"Makuhari sse?" Shuta An was puzzled. "For what? Is there so Uma Musu-related event going on?"
"It's ComicMarket—" jiro Dober explained quietly. "I arranged to et a net friend there, but the more I think about it, the more scared I get. So—I was hoping Shuta-kun could co with ."
"ComicMarket—" Just from the na, Shuta An guessed it was so kind of comic exhibition. "I don't have anything else scheduled today anyway. When and where should we et?"
"At the entrance of Makuhari sse! I'm getting ready to head out now!" With that, jiro Dober hurriedly hung up.
"See?" Berno Light sighed after Shuta An put down his phone. "I told you Ann couldn't stay idle."
"Well, I did co up with the points system myself." Shuta An shrugged. "If I backed out now, that'd look pretty bad. Do you two want to co along?"
"No thanks," Oguri Cap declined imdiately. "I'm not interested in comics."
"With Miss Dober's personality, I'm not worried," Berno Light added. "I'll stay ho with Oguri. Christmas just passed—I'm feeling lazy."
And so, for this trip to ComicMarket, only Shuta An went.
—
Makuhari sse was located in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture—a massive complex ford from the prefectural international exhibition hall, the international convention hall, and the Makuhari Event Hall. "Makuhari" was the local place na, while "sse" was German for "trade fair."
The venue had officially opened just this October, making this Shuta An's first visit. It took him over forty minutes to drive there from ho. By the ti he parked and hurried toward the entrance, jiro Dober—dressed in an extrely understated manner—was already waiting in a corner.
Even so, Shuta An spotted her instantly.
"You don't really look like soone eting a net friend," he comnted as he walked up.
"Wah!" Startled by the sudden voice, jiro Dober reflexively threw a punch. Shuta An rely shifted slightly to the side, easily avoiding it.
Only after the punch was thrown did jiro Dober realize who had spoken.
"I-I'm so sorry!" She bowed repeatedly. "I was too nervous!"
"It's fine," Shuta An waved it off. "Where's your net friend? Let's wait here and go in together."
"Mm! She said to et here. I just ssaged her—she should be here in a few minutes!" jiro Dober said, rubbing her chest. "I'm still—really nervous."
For the sake of "public perception," Shuta An had gone out wearing sunglasses and a mask. Standing together with jiro Dober, the two of them looked conspicuous enough that anyone passing by would assu they were so kind of sensitive public figures.
A few minutes later, jiro Dober's net friend arrived.
"Eh?" The mont she stepped closer, jiro Dober covered her mouth in shock.
Even Shuta An couldn't hide his surprise.
"My na is Agnes Digital! I'm currently enrolled in the elentary division of Central Tracen Academy! Nice to et you!" The small-statured girl introduced herself cheerfully, her words landing with even greater impact.
"An elentary school student?" Shuta An was inwardly stunned. So jiro Dober plays online with elentary school students—Naturally, he kept that thought strictly to himself.
"My na is—jiro Dober," she said stiffly. "I'm in the middle division." Realizing that the net friend she'd enthusiastically discussed pairings, fan content, and shared interests with was actually an elentary student, Dober's cheeks burned crimson beneath her mask.
"Wow! A senior from Central Tracen Academy!" Agnes Digital's eyes sparkled. She clasped her hands together. "Coming to Japan with my mom was totally the right choice! I couldn't find anyone on the West Coast I could talk to like this!"
"We should head inside," Shuta An said quickly, sensing that if he didn't intervene, jiro Dober might simply evaporate on the spot.
"You are—?" Agnes Digital tilted her head, studying him. "Are you Dober-senpai's boyfriend?"
"No, I'm her Trainer," Shuta An replied, waving his hand—offering a half-truth. After all, while he wasn't jiro Dober's official Trainer, he was her part-ti one.
"That's so nice—" Agnes Digital said enviously. "Dober-senpai has a Trainer who supports her hobbies. My mom won't let do what I like, even after training."
"The elentary division is when you build your foundation for the Twinkle Series," Shuta An replied calmly. "Your mom is doing it for your sake."
He had no intention of joining in a mother–daughter complaint as an outsider.
"Let's go!" jiro Dober suddenly clenched her fists, cutting off their conversation. If this continued, she felt like she'd be left out entirely—and the faint sense of displeasure that surfaced in her chest made her act without hesitation.
—
There weren't many visitors at ComicMarket at this ti. Among the trio, Shuta An acted as an escort, while Agnes Digital and jiro Dober shared nearly identical tastes. The doujinshi they wanted to buy overlapped so much that there was no need to split up.
However, staying together also brought so unexpected minor trouble.
After standing in line for quite a while to purchase a shojo manga doujinshi, the artist smiled and said,
"I didn't expect a family of three to co to ComicMarket."
"We're not—!" jiro Dober waved her hands in panic, accidentally flinging open her bag. The books nearly spilled out, but Shuta An reacted instantly and caught them.
"We're just fellow enthusiasts!" Agnes Digital hurriedly explained. No matter how young she was, she had absolutely no intention of finding a new husband for her mother.
Still, because of that remark, jiro Dober consciously kept a slight distance from Shuta An for the remainder of the ComicMarket trip.
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