As Tokai Teio slowed her pace and prepared to enter the underground tunnel, the large screen above the racecourse finally displayed the official result of her debut race.
Her finishing ti appeared clearly—
1:48.5.
Imdiately beneath it, a line of bright red text followed.
Record.
For a brief mont, the crowd seed to pause, as if registering what that number truly ant.
Shuta An, standing near the stands, only glanced at it once before understanding. It was not the overall course record for Sapporo's 1800 ters, but rather the record for debut races at that distance during a debut year.
Even so—
It was enough. More than enough.
"Tokai Teio has set a new debut race record at Sapporo Racecourse!" the comntator's voice rang out, unable to hide the excitent. "And she still looks full of energy even after the finish. The Uma Musu so highly praised by Shuta Trainer has truly lived up to expectations. Even while waving to the crowd in the final stretch, she still managed to widen the gap to over ten lengths!"
The guest comntator quickly followed, his tone equally animated.
"This level of dominance is astonishing. Among all active Uma Musu in Team Sadalsuud's Twinkle Series, Tokai Teio's debut performance might be the most overwhelming we've seen. A decisive victory, a record-breaking ti—this only makes us even more eager to see what she will show in the latter half of the year."
Shuta An listened quietly, his expression unchanged.
"Of course she'll remain undefeated," he murmured under his breath.
There was no hesitation in his voice, as though it were nothing more than a simple statent of fact.
With that, he turned and began walking back toward the Box for the relevant parties. There was no need for him to linger at the trackside any longer—Tokai Teio had already delivered everything she needed to.
—
When he returned to the Box, however, he imdiately noticed sothing was different.
The atmosphere inside was unusually quiet.
Not tense.
Not heavy.
But… still.
"What happened?" he asked casually as he stepped inside. "Did you all argue while I was gone?"
"How could that happen?" Silence Suzuka replied, rolling her eyes slightly at him, though her tone remained calm. "It's just that Teio's performance was a bit too shocking. Everyone's still processing it."
Shuta An walked over and stood beside her, glancing around at the others.
"Suzuka doesn't look surprised at all," he said lightly. "Did you expect it?"
Before Silence Suzuka could respond, jiro Dober spoke first.
"That's obvious," she said, her tone steady, though there was a subtle firmness beneath it. "We've been watching Teio's training the entire ti. Outsiders might not understand how strong she is, but we do."
Her words were simple, but carried weight.
Air Groove, who had been silent until now, let out a quiet breath, as if finally returning to herself.
"To be honest—I already thought Tokai Teio was very strong before this," she admitted, shaking her head slightly with a faint, self-deprecating smile. "But after seeing that performance—"
She paused for a mont before adding,
"At least I don't have to face her imdiately. I suppose that's my luck."
Even for soone like her, who had full confidence in her own ability, the gap revealed in that race was undeniable.
—
After the Winning Live concluded, Tokai Teio returned to the lounge, quickly changed back into her casual clothes, and soon reappeared from the underground passage.
Her steps were light.
Almost bouncing.
"Trainer~!" she called out the mont she saw him, her voice filled with excitent. "Did you see wave to you at the end?"
"Of course I did," Shuta An replied with a small smile. "I was standing right by the finish line. I saw it clearly."
Tokai Teio's expression brightened even further, and she continued without hesitation.
"I was actually a little nervous last night," she admitted, her tone becoming more animated as she spoke. "I kept thinking—what if I don't perform well? What if sothing goes wrong?"
She paused briefly, as if recalling that mont.
"But the instant the gate opened—all of that disappeared."
Her eyes were clear, her voice steady with newfound certainty.
"At that mont, I realized sothing. Everything I imagined about the Twinkle Series before—whether it was good or bad—it was all just imagination. Once I took that first step, I knew—I could definitely perform on this stage."
Shuta An listened quietly, his expression softening slightly.
"That kind of confidence is exactly what you need," he said. "And you need to keep it."
He looked at her, his tone carrying a calm conviction.
"Turn that confidence into sothing unbreakable. Sothing that makes your opponents feel pressure just by standing across from you. Just like Symboli Rudolf did during her ti in the Twinkle Series."
Tokai Teio stopped walking.
She turned around, facing him directly.
Her smile was bright.
Unwavering.
"I will," she said.
There was no hesitation in her voice.
"I will take over Oguri-senpai's baton—and beco the greatest Uma Musu in Team Sadalsuud's history."
She spoke those words in front of Silence Suzuka and jiro Dober without the slightest hint of nervousness.
Because to her—
They were not just words.
They were a goal.
—
"Not just take over," she thought silently, her gaze lowering for a brief mont before lifting again. "I'll surpass her."
The path ahead was already forming clearly in her mind.
"The first step is the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes," she decided. "I'll surpass Oguri Cap's debut year achievents."
—
On the way back to the hotel, Shuta An had already contacted the staff in advance.
By the ti they returned, the lobby would be prepared.
A large screen.
Snacks.
Drinks.
Comfortable seating.
Everything arranged for watching the Takarazuka Kinen together.
While the hotel busied itself with preparations, the group boarded the train, the earlier excitent gradually settling into a more relaxed atmosphere.
"We'll arrive at the hotel around three," Shuta An said, glancing at the ti before speaking. "That gives us about forty minutes before the Takarazuka Kinen starts. If anyone wants to take a quick shower, you can. Otherwise, just relax in the lobby and watch the earlier races."
Air Groove shook her head slightly, clearly impressed.
"We never had this kind of arrangent during our training camps," she said.
"Rigil's budget should be quite generous, right?" Shuta An asked, genuinely puzzled. "You make it sound like Tojo-san is being overly strict."
"The budget is large," Air Groove admitted. "But so is the number of Uma Musu in the team. When everything is divided, the conditions beco quite ordinary."
She paused briefly before adding,
"That's why I'm very grateful to be invited here this ti. There's a lot I can learn."
Shuta An considered her words for a mont, then gave a small nod.
"That makes sense," he said. "This training camp— isn't entirely funded by the team."
He didn't elaborate further.
The others, sensing that it was not a topic to press, did not ask.
Except—
Kurofune.
She glanced down at her phone and quickly sent a ssage.
"Won't this cost too much? Is Trainer's wallet okay?"
A mont later, Shuta An's phone buzzed.
He looked at it, smiled faintly, and sent back a simple response—a small "OK" gesture followed by a short reply.
"No problem. These expenses aren't an issue."
Tokai Teio, noticing the exchange, leaned slightly closer and spoke with a cheerful tone.
"Mhm! Kurofune-chan, I'll explain it to you when we get back to the hotel!"
Her voice carried the sa bright confidence as before, as if today's victory had only strengthened everything she already believed in.
After returning to the hotel, the group did not remain together in the lobby imdiately. Instead, they briefly dispersed, agreeing to regroup in half an hour to watch the Takarazuka Kinen broadcast together. The arrangent was casual, yet orderly—everyone understood the timing, and no one needed further reminders.
Shuta An returned to his room first. He changed quickly, not lingering for even a mont, and then headed back down ahead of the others. By the ti he arrived in the lobby, the hotel staff had already completed the preparations. The seating area had been rearranged, the large screen set up, and snacks and drinks placed neatly within reach. The atmosphere felt relaxed, yet subtly expectant, as if the space itself had been prepared for sothing worth watching.
He walked to the adjacent restaurant, grabbed a bottle of water, and then settled into one of the sofas without ceremony. Leaning back, he let his body relax completely, his posture almost lazy as he unlocked his phone and began going through his ssages.
On the way back earlier, he had only briefly responded to Kurofune. Most of the ti, he had been occupied—more precisely, distracted—by Silence Suzuka, leaving him no opportunity to properly check the rest. Now, with a rare mont of quiet, he scrolled through everything he had previously skimd past.
The first ssage that caught his attention was from Tojo Hana.
"Congratulations, Shuta-kun! Tokai Teio's debut race was incredible! Even at Hanshin Racecourse, people were cheering. I could hear them talking about an undefeated Triple Crown next year."
Below the text was a voice ssage.
Curious, Shuta An tapped it open.
Imdiately, a wave of noise filled his ears—muffled, but unmistakable. Cheers, scattered shouts, the low hum of a large crowd stirred into excitent. Even through the recording, it was clear that the atmosphere at Hanshin had been affected by Tokai Teio's performance.
"That's quite sothing," he murmured.
He saved the recording without thinking too much about it. It would be better to let Tokai Teio hear it herself later.
Then he typed his reply.
"Thank you, Tojo-san. Air Groove's training is progressing very well. I believe she will shine on the Triple Tiara stage. As for Tokai Teio, she still has two races this year. If she aims to beco an undefeated Triple Crown, there's no room for complacency, so we'll continue to work hard."
The next ssage ca from Nishizaki Ryu.
"Congratulations, Shuta-kun and Tokai Teio-san! I'm honestly relieved our team doesn't have any new Uma Musu debuting this year. That way, we won't have to face Tokai Teio in next year's Classic races. Just imagining it gives a headache—I might even lose my desire to drink."
Shuta An couldn't help but smile faintly at that. His reply ca just as casually.
"If we don't et in the Classics, we'll et in the old mare races."
Sowhere far away, Nishizaki Ryu was staring at the ssage with a blank expression before rolling his eyes.
"I forgot I didn't tell him," he muttered, glancing up at the large screen at Hanshin Racecourse where the Takarazuka Kinen promotion was playing. Special Week and Grass Wonder appeared in sequence, the tension between them subtly emphasized.
"About Special Week."
—
After replying to a few more ssages from Kitahara and Minamisaka, Shuta An put his phone aside just as Silence Suzuka arrived.
She held a can of carrot juice in her hand, walking over naturally before sitting down beside him. Her movents were relaxed, as if this had beco sothing she did without needing to think.
"This Takarazuka Kinen… it's a good track," she said quietly.
Shuta An turned his head slightly, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you regret not entering?"
"Not really," Silence Suzuka replied, leaning back against the sofa. Her gaze drifted slightly, as if looking sowhere beyond the present.
"It just feels—strange. At this ti last year, I was still trying to prove myself."
She paused, then added softly,
"And now, everything is different."
It had only been a year. Yet for her, the changes felt far greater than the passage of ti itself.
"Once I retire from the Twinkle Series, I'll move on to the Dream Trophy Series," she continued, her voice lowering slightly as she leaned closer.
"I know you're not too familiar with it, so I'll probably have to ask Berno-senpai for help when the ti cos."
"Oguri won't be running in the Dream Trophy Series for a while," Shuta An replied calmly. "So when you enter, it won't add much pressure on Berno."
"That makes things easier," Silence Suzuka said, letting out a small breath, her expression relaxing just a little.
—
"What are you two talking about?"
A bright voice cut into the conversation as Tokai Teio appeared and dropped onto the seat on Shuta An's other side without hesitation.
"Let listen too!"
"It's sothing you won't need to think about for a few years," Shuta An replied, glancing at her briefly. "We were talking about the Dream Trophy Series."
"Dream Cup, huh…" Tokai Teio repeated, then imdiately lost interest. "That really is far away."
"You just debuted today," Shuta An said, reaching out to ruffle her hair gently, adjusting the strands near her ears almost out of habit. "There's no need to think that far ahead."
He paused slightly, then continued.
"Next, you'll run the Kyoto Hopeful Stakes. If you win that, we'll shorten the distance by two hundred ters and move to the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes."
"I'll win them all," Tokai Teio said without hesitation, her eyes narrowing slightly in satisfaction as she leaned into his touch.
"I'm not worried about the Kyoto Hopeful Stakes," Shuta An said. "It's 1800 ters, which suits you well. But the Asahi Hai is a mile race. The pace will be faster, so you'll need to adapt to that rhythm."
He shifted his gaze toward Silence Suzuka.
"I'll arrange specific training for that. I'll need your help."
"You want to set the pace for her," Silence Suzuka replied imdiately, understanding his intention without needing further explanation.
"Not too fast," Shuta An said. "About thirty-four seconds for the first six hundred ters. Teio will follow behind you. If she can adapt to that pace, then the Asahi Hai won't be a problem."
"I'll help," Silence Suzuka said simply, reaching out to take his free hand.
No further words were needed.
—
Not long after, the rest of the group gradually arrived in the lobby, one after another, filling the space with quiet movent and low conversation. The staff finished their final adjustnts, and the large screen switched to the live feed from the racecourse.
The Uma Musu participating in the Takarazuka Kinen were already moving from the exhibition area toward the track.
Silence Suzuka watched carefully, her gaze attentive.
"I didn't pay close attention before," she said after a mont, "but Grass Wonder doesn't look well."
Her tone carried a hint of concern.
"She looks… off."
Shuta An, who had been paying more attention to Suzuka than to the screen earlier, hadn't noticed.
"I'll ask Tojo-san," he said, picking up his phone again.
The reply ca quickly.
"Grass Wonder didn't say she wasn't feeling unwell—although I did feel sothing was off just now."
Shuta An stared at the ssage for a mont before replying.
"At this point, it's too late to withdraw unless it's serious. What are you planning to do?"
There was no imdiate response.
The ssage remained unread.
Shuta An let out a quiet sigh, lowering his phone.
"This is bad."
He didn't need confirmation to understand the situation.
"Ryu-san and Special Week are lucky this ti," he said, his voice calm but certain. "Grass Wonder's condition is far from ideal."
Beside him, Air Groove's ears lowered slightly.
"She's pushing herself again."
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