The next morning, Shuta An woke up with a faint frown, his mind still lingering on the inconvenience of his situation.
"I even have to move house in the Dream World—"
Because he still had work to attend to, he had stayed overnight in an apartnt near the academy. By the ti he clocked in and stepped into his office, the familiar quiet greeted him—once again, he was the first to arrive.
However, unlike most days, there was nothing urgent waiting for him.
Today was not a training day. The Uma Musu of Team Sadalsuud only needed to complete light morning exercises, and there was no need for him to personally supervise at the training grounds. In effect, he had an entire day with no real responsibilities.
"They say I have to work, but there's practically nothing to do. Then I might as well help Mr. Kitahara look for suitable Southern Hemisphere G1 races for Team Scorpii."
With that thought, Shuta An turned on his computer and opened the Twinkle Series database. However, Kitahara had not specified which Uma Musu needed assistance, leaving him to deduce the answer on his own. After filtering recent performances, it didn't take long for him to identify the most likely candidate.
"Sabuno Hana Park—"
"She managed to qualify for Challenge and Open races with consecutive wins."
He leaned back slightly, considering the data on screen.
"But with just this level of performance, winning a short-distance G1 won't be easy."
Even so, evaluating her strength wasn't his role here. His task was to provide options. With that in mind, he began compiling a list of suitable races across the Australian circuit—particularly those aligned with short-distance and Mile categories.
"At the sa ti—I might as well look at potential middle-distance races for Suzuka. If there are suitable 1800 to 2000m races, they can be added as alternatives."
His thoughts briefly shifted.
Silence Suzuka's farewell race in the Twinkle Series was already decided in his mind.
"But before that, I still need to find a way to fix her habits."
Returning his attention to the screen, he began listing races.
"The msie Stakes…G1 turf, 1400 ters, Caulfield Racecourse."
He tapped the desk lightly as he reviewed the course profile.
"The final straight is 367 ters—Sabuno Hana Park should be able to handle that."
He added it to the docunt.
Scrolling further, he identified another race at the sa venue and distance.
"VicHealth Cup—similar conditions, similar prize distribution."
A faint sigh escaped him.
"Are there too many short-distance and Mile G1s in Australia? This is my first ti properly going through their schedule—"
His cursor paused briefly before moving again, stopping at a race two weeks later.
"A.J. Moir Stakes— G1, 1000 ters, Moonee Valley."
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The straight there is extrely short, and even for a sprint, it includes two turns—I wonder how well Sabuno Hana Park handles cornering."
He added it to the list, marking it as a situational pick.
Considering Kitahara's usual approach—avoiding back-to-back races—Shuta An shifted his focus further ahead into the calendar.
Late October. Early November.
A cluster of major races imdiately caught his attention.
"As expected of the Spring Carnival—this period is packed."
Several events stood out, not only for Sabuno Hana Park, but also for Silence Suzuka. He ntally noted them, not yet committing them to the docunt.
Then his gaze settled on one particular race.
"Champions Sprint—G1, 1200 ters, Flemington. A total prize pool of 3 million Australian dollars…"
"That's tempting."
He leaned back slightly, arms crossing.
"If Team Sadalsuud had a true short-distance specialist, this would be worth targeting."
Compared to the brutal competition of Japan's short-distance circuit, Australia offered a different strategic landscape—strong competitors, certainly, but with a broader spread of G1 opportunities. With careful selection, the probability of success could be significantly higher.
After finalizing the list, Shuta An sent the compiled data to Kitahara. Just as he was about to close the docunt, a thought surfaced.
"Wouldn't it be better to ask Suzuka what she wants?"
He paused for a mont, then nodded to himself.
"Yes. I shouldn't decide everything for her."
Acting on impulse, he stood up and headed out of the office. However, the mont he contacted Silence Suzuka, her response ca with a hint of helplessness.
"I've been dragged out shopping by the Uma Musu from Team Spica—It probably wouldn't be appropriate for Ann to co find right now."
Shuta An fell silent for a brief mont.
Recalling certain well-known figures within Team Spica—particularly that unmistakable gray presence—he quickly conceded the point.
"Yeah, you're right."
With a faint sigh, he turned back and returned to the office, his steps noticeably less enthusiastic than before.
"You left and ca back in less than half a minute," Kitahara remarked, glancing over with a grin. "What, did you just go to the restroom? That's a bit too fast, isn't it?"
"Heh, virgin."
Shuta An shot back without hesitation, dropping into his seat.
Kitahara, however, remained completely unfazed.
Ti passed uneventfully. When quitting ti finally arrived, Shuta An wasted no ti—he clocked out imdiately and left the building at a pace that could only be described as explosive.
From a distance, his retreating figure did not go unnoticed.
"One would think Shuta-kun was imprisoned during work hours," Maruzensky comnted lightly. "He runs faster than most Uma Musu the mont he's off the clock."
Beside her, Symboli Rudolf watched quietly before shaking her head.
"There's been very little requiring his presence at the academy lately, aside from training days. Today wasn't even one of those—he was probably bored out of his mind."
Her gaze shifted back toward the docunts on her desk.
"Perhaps it's ti I assign him so new responsibilities."
Maruzensky raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity in her expression.
"Oh? You already have sothing in mind?"
"Sothing like that."
Symboli Rudolf's eyes rested on several application forms.
"Though I doubt it will keep him occupied for long."
—
Since he didn't have to work the next day, Shuta An chose to drive ho and stay there for the night. However, Oguri needed to prepare for her first Dream Trophy Series race, so she had already left for Kyoto together with Berno.
"There's nothing I can do. The Kyoto in the Dream World and the Kyoto in reality don't overlap…so I can't even see Oguri in my dreams."
Muttering to himself, Shuta An hung his trench coat on the rack. With no one else around, he decided to wash up first before making dinner on his own.
There was no need for anything elaborate tonight. After a simple al, he headed upstairs to his study and began gathering footage—recent G1 races from the Australian middle-distance Twinkle Series.
"Track conditions… race tempo… and the standout middle-distance Uma Musu from recent years."
Unlike Japan, where most Uma Musu competed for about two years in the senior circuit before transitioning to the Dream Trophy Series, international trends varied significantly. In Europe and Arica, so exceptionally talented runners retired to the Dream Trophy Series imdiately after completing their Classic campaigns. Australia, however, was even more extre.
So would burst onto the scene as two-year-olds, winning the Golden Slipper Stakes—an event with prize money approaching 300 million yen—then follow up with victories in the Champagne Stakes and the Sires' Produce Stakes, before stepping away from the Twinkle Series entirely, skipping the Classics altogether.
Others, by contrast, would remain active for seven, eight, even nine years, continuing to compete as older Uma Musu well beyond what was considered standard elsewhere.
Because of this, analyzing Australian G1 races from the past five years carried unique value. A competitor from several years ago might still be an active threat today.
After organizing the materials, Shuta An glanced at the ti.
"It's about ti to sleep."
One unexpected benefit of Oguri and Berno being away was that his sleep schedule had finally stabilized. After taking a bath, he slipped into bed, pulled the covers over himself, and quickly drifted off.
When he opened his eyes again, he was already in the Dream World.
He found himself seated in the passenger seat of a car, with Yutaka Take at the wheel. The scenery outside made it clear—they were heading toward Kyoto to inspect a property.
"How much longer?" Shuta An asked.
"About ten minutes," Yutaka Take replied casually. Then, with a hint of pride, he added, "You know, you're the first person I've let ride in this Porsche 968."
"You just got it, didn't you?" Shuta An smirked slightly. "Otherwise, you'd have already driven it around Gion."
"Caught ," Yutaka Take laughed. "New year, new beginnings. I just picked it up. Fukunaga kept asking for a ride, but I turned him down."
"Ann-san, you should consider getting one too. With your earnings last year, you could easily afford sothing even better."
"I don't really need it," Shuta An shook his head. "After I move, I'll probably just get a license through the foreign exemption route and buy sothing practical for commuting."
Unlike in reality, his financial situation in the Dream World didn't allow for careless spending.
"You don't date, you don't go out, you live like a monk every day. Doesn't that get boring?" Yutaka Take glanced sideways. "Or do you have so secret hobby you're hiding?"
The atmosphere in the car shifted slightly.
A brief silence followed before Yutaka Take realized he might have overstepped.
"Sorry… if that's sothing personal, you don't have to answer."
"There's no secret," Shuta An replied calmly. "For , the most exciting mont is winning a race. So I put most of my energy into that."
"A gambler," Yutaka Take summarized bluntly. "Then what about after retirent? Trainer?"
"Probably not," Shuta An shrugged. "Watching jockeys make idiotic decisions might drive insane. I'd rather travel…then settle sowhere no one knows ."
Even as he said it, a thought surfaced.
If his Dream World self stopped being a jockey—what would happen the next ti he entered this world?
"That's a problem for decades later. No need to think about it now."
By the ti they arrived, the sky had already begun to dim. Guided by Yutaka Take and the hoowner, Shuta An toured the property carefully. Aside from the need for improved soundproofing, everything t his expectations.
"I'll take it."
The decision ca without hesitation.
"Want help with the move?" Yutaka Take offered.
"No need. I'll hire a moving company," Shuta An waved it off. "Besides, I can tell you're itching to go show off your new car."
"Ah, Ann-san really gets ," Yutaka Take grinned. "Then I'll drop you off and head out."
"Don't forget—training the day after tomorrow," Shuta An reminded him as he got back into the car. "If you miss it, it won't be funny."
"I know what I'm doing," Yutaka Take replied confidently. "When have I ever ssed up?"
Shuta An didn't respond.
Because, strictly speaking, his friend was right. Aside from occasional penalties—like the incident in the Tenno Sho (Autumn), or minor fines—Yutaka Take had never crossed any real lines. He had never abandoned a trainer, clashed with an owner, or violated regulations.
Not everyone in the profession could say the sa.
"So people see others succeed and, instead of working harder, they grow complacent—"
"How are they supposed to surpass anyone like that?"
The thought passed quietly through his mind—cold, dismissive, and absolute.
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