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"Honkakuka?!"
On his way out of the house, preparing to head to a used car dealership in Koto Ward, Shuta Ann murmured the word to himself.
Originally, he had assud he wouldn't even have a chance to field a horse for the Classic Race for at least another two years. Miss Ramonu's ssage, however, had pulled his thoughts firmly back to jiro Dober.
"If she's entering Honkakuka—then if everything goes smoothly, she could debut next sumr." His pace slowed unconsciously. "In that case, her race route really does need to be planned carefully."
Shuta Ann had never doubted jiro Dober's talent. "If her goal is to beco the Uma Musu with the greatest number of honors in the jiro Family, then dostic races alone won't be enough. She has to set her sights on early overseas competition." He paused, then corrected himself. "But overseas races can't interfere with the dostic Classic Race."
Still, he had no intention of locking in any concrete plans yet. The exact progression of jiro Dober's Honkakuka was uncertain, and whether she could debut by sumr remained an open question. Any race schedule drawn up now could be overturned at any ti.
With that, he set those thoughts aside and drove out of the garage. If everything went smoothly, he hoped to finalize the purchase and drive the new car ho today. After that, he would need to find a way to return his current car to Kasamatsu Tracen Academy.
Shuta Ann couldn't help but imagine that the Director of Kasamatsu Tracen would most likely enshrine the vehicle as a display piece.
anwhile, in Minato Ward, Oguri Cap stood before a brand-new sedan, deep in thought.
"It's nice, but doesn't it feel a bit…too business-like?" Berno Light leaned in and whispered her thoughts to the gray Uma Musu. "Ann doesn't really attend formal occasions that require sothing like this, right? It feels too serious for him. And this Toyota Century is pretty expensive. Since Ann doesn't have any particular requirents, wouldn't it be better to use that money for sothing else?"
"What Berno says makes sense," Oguri Cap replied. She didn't feel much attachnt to the car either, so she simply passed it by.
Compared to the careful deliberation happening at the Minato Ward dealership, Shuta Ann's approach was far more straightforward. After stating his requirents, checking the interior, and having the chassis lifted to inspect its actual condition, he quickly made his decision. He drove ho in a current-year Land Rover Range Rover.
"I really don't get it," Shuta Ann muttered as he drove. "Who buys a brand-new SUV and sells it after barely two hundred kiloters?" (The one in debt)
He felt as though he'd picked up a genuine bargain, and his mood was noticeably lighter.
"When I get back, I'll contact Kasamatsu and ask the Director to send soone to pick up the old car. Then I'll start sorting the ingredients." He glanced at the ti. "By then, Oguri and the others should be ho already, right?"
—
As Shuta Ann drove away from the academy grounds, jiro Dober headed to the academy garden and painted to her heart's content.
When she returned to her dormitory carrying her drawing board, she noticed an unread ssage from Miss Ramonu.
"She wants to call her as soon as I see this…" jiro Dober frowned. "Is there sothing wrong with the physical exam?"
Her heart sank at the thought. "I hope it's good news. Otherwise, how am I supposed to go to the Christmas party tomorrow?"
Muttering to herself, she dialed the number.
Miss Ramonu quickly explained the situation.
"No wonder—" jiro Dober puffed out her cheeks. "My clothes have been getting tighter lately. I was even thinking I don't eat that much at the academy—maybe I should go on a diet?"
"You absolutely cannot diet," Miss Ramonu interrupted imdiately. "During Honkakuka, proper nutrition is essential. This is for your future."
"I know, I know." jiro Dober stuck out her tongue. "I wouldn't do sothing that silly. I still know what matters most. I want to debut early and bring honor to the jiro Family."
Miss Ramonu fell silent for a mont before sighing softly. "Dober, your goal is different from McQueen's and Ryan's. You aren't trying to surpass the jiro Family's reputation as 'Endurance jiro.' You're aiming to surpass . Listen to your Trainer, train diligently, protect yourself—and I look forward to seeing you beco an even more formidable Uma Musu than I was."
On the other end of the line, jiro Dober lowered her head. "Mm," she replied quietly.
After a pause, she ntioned the invitation she had received earlier that day.
"Of course, you should go," Miss Ramonu said without hesitation. "Go ho first and make sure your appearance is properly prepared. Joining Team Sadalsuud is a stroke of good fortune for you. McQueen joined a team that's still rebuilding, and Grandmother isn't very pleased about that."
"As long as Sister McQueen is happy, isn't that enough?" jiro Dober offered.
"You and I can think that way," Miss Ramonu replied, "but Grandmother hopes we'll join strong teams, so our paths in the Twinkle Series will be smoother."
Thinking of her own Trainer, Miss Ramonu shook her head silently.
"I understand," jiro Dober said firmly. "I won't waste such a rare opportunity." Only after she finished speaking did she add the rest of the sentence in her heart—whether it's the Twinkle Series, or…
After returning ho, Shuta Ann contacted the Director of Kasamatsu Tracen Academy. Though it hadn't been emphasized much, the two had never lost contact. In fact, every ti Oguri Cap won a race, the Director would send a congratulatory ssage.
This ti, however, after hearing Shuta Ann's proposal, the Director raised an eyebrow and flatly refused. "No need. That's too much trouble. Just sell the car to a used dealership. Consider the money my congratulatory gift for Oguri Cap's beautiful farewell."
Shuta Ann was montarily stunned, then accepted the offer. "Thank you for your continued care. If Kasamatsu needs for anything in the future, please don't hesitate to contact ."
"Hm. I won't be polite about it," the Director replied with a grin.
He was pleased—Shuta Ann truly was a sentintal person.
"This can be considered a favor I'm leaving behind for Kasamatsu Racecourse," he thought quietly. "I just hope it will never be needed."
The next morning, Shuta Ann and Berno Light both rose early. The night before, by the ti Oguri Cap and Berno Light returned ho, Shuta Ann had already finished preparing all the ingredients that could be processed in advance.
Oguri Cap hadn't handed the car keys directly to Shuta Ann—mainly because neither she nor Berno Light could drive. Instead, they had arranged for the dealership to deliver the car today. Since the two Uma Musu rarely went into the garage, they had no idea that their thoughts had coincidentally aligned with Shuta Ann's.
"Only Dober-chan and Teio are coming today, right?" Berno Light asked as she glanced at Shuta Ann, who was carefully studying the oven's temperature settings.
"That's right. They'll co on their own. I don't need to pick them up," Shuta Ann replied, nodding with satisfaction after confirming that the temperature should be fine.
"By the way, is Miss Suzuka still in Hokkaido?" Berno Light suddenly asked, bringing up Silence Suzuka.
The young man turned his head to look at her. "Yes. I gave her so ti off. Why would she return to Tokyo before her leave ends?"
"But she went to Hokkaido instead of her hotown?" Berno Light blinked.
"Her hotown is Hokkaido," Shuta Ann said, turning back to continue examining the cookie instructions. He muttered, "Berno, did you forget? We went to Hokkaido a few years ago. Didn't the proprietress of the onsen we stayed at ntion her relationship with Suzuka?"
"Oh—right." Berno Light rembered at once. She stuck out her tongue, then stepped in front of Shuta Ann. "Let handle the cakes. It's Christmas today, Ann. Don't use them as practice."
"Alright." Shuta Ann didn't insist. If the cakes failed because of him, it would be far too embarrassing. He still needed to preserve so dignity.
Although the gathering wouldn't begin until evening, jiro Dober and Tokai Teio arrived one after the other in the afternoon.
"Good thing I prepared afternoon tea and snacks early," Shuta Ann thought with relief as he carried the refreshnts to the small garden pavilion, where the four Uma Musu were already chatting.
As for himself, he had no intention of staying outside for long in this season. More importantly, his presence would likely make the Uma Musu feel restrained. So after delivering the snacks, he simply returned to the living room and turned on the TV.
Once the Trainer left, Tokai Teio lightly patted her chest and finally relaxed her tightly held posture. "It feels much easier now. I really wouldn't dare be too casual in front of the Trainer."
jiro Dober, by contrast, maintained her upright, composed posture. "Is the Trainer preparing the dishes for tonight? Is there anything I can help with?"
"It's still early for cooking," Berno Light replied with a smile, waving her hand. "And you're a guest today, Dober-chan. There's no reason to make a guest help. Ann and I will take care of it."
Both Tokai Teio and jiro Dober noticed how Berno Light addressed the Trainer. Tokai Teio wasn't surprised—after all, she had already heard Silence Suzuka address him that way. To her, it was only natural.
jiro Dober, however, felt sothing subtly different. Upon hearing it, an unspoken weight seed to lift from her heart.
This is really wonderful, she thought.
Inside the living room, Shuta Ann watched TV while idly scrolling through his phone. His mind was clear, and he had no interest in guessing what the Uma Musu outside might be chatting about.
All he wanted was to enjoy this brief lull before the kitchen beca busy.
Just as the program cut to comrcials, a Line ssage popped up on his phone.
"Ann-san, rry Christmas!!" It was from Kitahara.
"Kitahara, rry Christmas!" Shuta Ann replied without hesitation.
"March and I are back in Kasamatsu. Are you spending Christmas in Tokyo again this year?" Kitahara asked.
"Yes. Next year's training schedule still needs to be finalized. If I go back, I'll probably be dragged into events and interviews. I really don't have the ti for all that, so I'll just stay here. The thought is what matters," Shuta Ann answered frankly.
Kitahara considered it and found the reasoning sound. Given Shuta Ann's current standing, returning to Kasamatsu would only attract relentless attention from local dia—dia far more eager for exclusives than those in Tokyo, which had already been "disciplined." There was no need for his friend to invite that kind of trouble.
After chatting for a while about Central Tracen Academy, Kitahara promised that once Shuta Ann officially joined, he would introduce him to the friends he had made there over the past two years.
Soon after, Shuta Ann received a call from Symboli Rudolf.
"rry Christmas!" Her voice on the other end was unusually sweet—so much so that it felt deliberately forced.
"Miss Rudolf, please speak normally," Shuta Ann said, the corner of his mouth twitching as he teased, "That tone is a little frightening. Still, I wish you and everyone in the Student Council a rry Christmas as well."
"Teio has arrived already, right?" Symboli Rudolf asked, returning to her usual tone.
"Yes. She's having afternoon tea in the garden," Shuta Ann replied. "Miss Dober is here as well. Thankfully, I prepared refreshnts ahead of ti."
"A tea party…" Symboli Rudolf shook her head lightly. "I can hardly picture Teio sitting properly like a young lady, especially given how lively she usually is."
"But Teio is very sharp. She knows how to behave depending on the situation," Shuta Ann said. "She's a good child. I hope the three goddesses smile upon her."
Leaving Teio aside, Symboli Rudolf abruptly shifted the topic. "I heard that jiro Dober has fully developed. Shuta-kun, what are your thoughts?"
Shuta Ann answered without hesitation. "For next year, the first half will be devoted entirely to training and preparation. I hope she can debut in the sumr. As for her race schedule, that will depend on her condition at the ti."
"I see." Symboli Rudolf understood the limitations. "As Student Council President, I really don't have the right to question how a Trainer arranges his Uma Musu's plans."
Still, she could tell that Shuta Ann didn't mind sharing his thoughts with her—and that realization quietly put her at ease.
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