After waking up, Shuta An lightly thumped the mattress, then sat up and reached for his phone.
He did not imdiately check the rewards he had obtained from last night's Dream World challenge. Instead, he first glanced at the ti.
"Today's Christmas, yet I didn't prepare anything at all—" the young man muttered to himself.
He casually washed up, skipped breakfast altogether, and prepared to head out to buy Christmas gifts.
"I can't prepare elaborate decorations like before, so ordinary gifts will have to do this year."
Quietly leaving the house, Shuta An paused before driving away and finally checked last night's reward.
["Flashing Steps: Makes it difficult for the Uma Musu to beco boxed in during the middle stages of a race."]
"This skill should be for Dober, right?"
Murmuring softly, the young man started the car and drove toward Minato Ward, preparing for a serious round of shopping.
—
When Shuta An returned ho, he discovered the house completely empty.
"Oguri and the others probably went shopping."
He did not think too much about it.
"Good. This gives a chance to put away their gifts first."
Shuta An moved efficiently. After all, once he finished delivering the presents at ho, he still needed to head to Central Tracen Academy to distribute Christmas gifts to the Uma Musu in Team Sadalsuud. His schedule today was packed.
"I even ran into quite a few colleagues while shopping. Looks like a lot of people, just like , only rembered this morning that they hadn't prepared Christmas gifts yet," the young man muttered.
He placed the wrapped presents neatly beside the bed in each room.
For Suzuka, he prepared a box of lily-of-the-valley scented candles. The fragrance was specifically chosen because lily of the valley was Suzuka's birth flower.
For Berno, he prepared a massage belt, even deliberately placing it on her office chair.
As for Oguri, Shuta An's gift choice was even more direct—he bought an entire stack of Wagyu beef gift certificates. For Oguri Cap, there was probably no gift more practical than that.
After leaving ho once more, Shuta An drove toward Central Tracen Academy.
Although today was Christmas and should technically have been a holiday, not a single Trainer in the Academy chose to remain at ho. As soon as he stepped out of the parking lot, he saw many colleagues carrying large bags while hurrying toward the Academy.
Naturally, he was no exception.
After entering his office and sitting down behind his desk, Shuta An took out his phone. After thinking for a mont, he decided not to contact the Uma Musu of Team Sadalsuud first. Instead, he opened a chat with Symboli Rudolf.
"Miss Rudolph, rry Christmas!!"
The ssage instantly showed "read." Soon after, Symboli Rudolf replied:
"rry Christmas, Shuta-kun! Is there sothing you need at this hour?"
Although Shuta An briefly wanted to tease her with a "Can't I contact Miss Rudolph without a reason?", he truly did have sothing to ask this ti, so he quickly got to the point.
"Miss Rudolph, I'd like to ask whether Team Sadalsuud currently qualifies for its own clubroom at the Academy."
"Of course it qualifies," Symboli Rudolf answered without hesitation.
"If even a team with Team Sadalsuud's achievents isn't qualified for a clubroom, then probably no teams in the Academy would qualify anymore."
Then she added another sentence:
"But Shuta-kun never submitted an application before, so it was never approved. I thought Team Sadalsuud simply didn't need one."
"I thought the Academy allocated them automatically."
Shuta An pouted slightly before continuing:
"Then I'll apply now."
"In that case, the specific location of the clubroom will be assigned after New Year's Day. Rember to fill out the application form and send it over first, otherwise the procedures won't be complete," Symboli Rudolf reminded him.
"OK, OK, I got it. I'll fill it out now."
While replying on his phone, Shuta An simultaneously opened Central Tracen Academy's official website on the computer and searched for the clubroom application form.
As he filled out the form, he also privately contacted each Uma Musu in his team through LINE, arranging different tis for them to co to the office and pick up their Christmas presents.
"I originally wanted to secretly leave the gifts in their dorm rooms, and I do have the keys; but if the dorm manager catches , that'll beco troubleso. Better not."
The total amount Shuta An spent on Christmas gifts this year was less than one-third of the price of a single piece of jewelry from last year.
"I also bought so simple presents for several Uma Musu outside the team. The money I saved should be enough to cover Dober's travel and accommodation expenses for next year's expeditions."
Just as he finished filling out the report, an email invitation from "Twinkle" magazine arrived in his inbox.
Just like last year, they hoped Shuta An could write a column evaluating this year's Classic racing Uma Musu.
"I don't think this year's Classic lineup is suitable for to evaluate."
Shuta An politely declined.
The reason was simple.
"The undefeated Triple Tiara winner this year was jiro Dober, whom I personally trained. If I evaluate this generation, readers may question whether my evaluations toward the other Uma Musu are truly objective. I recomnd inviting a top Trainer from Central Tracen Academy who did not achieve results in this year's Classics to write the column instead."
After replying to the email, a knock sounded at the office door.
"Co in," Shuta An looked up and said.
"Trainer! rry Christmas!"
The one who entered was indeed Kurofune.
Before the young man could even speak, Kurofune enthusiastically handed over a beautifully wrapped present.
"This is the Christmas gift I prepared!"
Shuta Trainer accepted it. Judging from the weight, it felt rather light. He did not open it imdiately. Instead, he turned around, retrieved the gift he had prepared beforehand, and handed it to her.
"This is my Christmas gift for Kurofune."
He did not explain what was inside, because Kurofune had already impatiently opened it.
Inside the box lay a Canon EOS5 cara.
"Wooow!!"
Kurofune's eyes instantly lit up.
"How did Trainer know I wanted this recently?! Curren Chan kept encouraging to buy a cara with her and go out taking photos together!"
"I happened to overhear your conversation with Curren Chan before. She was promoting it pretty hard at the ti," Shuta Trainer explained.
"I figured that since Kurofune hasn't debuted yet, buying a cara with your allowance might be difficult, so I bought it for you as a Christmas gift."
"I'll treasure it!"
Kurofune nodded vigorously.
After sending Kurofune off, Shuta sat back down and stretched lazily.
"Might as well finish the training plans for early next year too."
Otherwise, simply sitting around in the office felt unbearably dull. He had not brought his ga console today either, leaving him with nothing to do except play on his phone.
Yet only a few minutes later, another knock sounded at the door.
"Co in," Shuta Trainer answered lazily.
Logically, there should still have been over half an hour before the next Uma Musu arrived, so he initially assud it was Kitahara.
Instead, the one who entered was Rice Shower.
"Trainer..."
Rice Shower walked carefully to his side and handed over a frad painting she had been carrying.
"This is the Christmas gift Rice prepared."
"Thank you, Rice Shower."
After receiving it, Shuta Trainer discovered that Rice Shower had painted his side profile while he stood atop the Tokyo Racecourse grandstand. Judging from the scenery in the background, it appeared to have been drawn based on Oaks Race Day.
"Rice Shower really put a lot of thought into this. I like it very much."
After sincerely praising her work, the young man took out the gift he had prepared for her—a massive present box.
"This is—"
Rice Shower's eyes widened slightly and slightly waving her hand to oppose it.
"If it's too expensive, Rice Shower can't accept it—"
"I think this is sothing Rice Shower has always wanted."
Shuta Trainer sounded extrely confident.
Hearing this, Rice Shower slowly opened the box.
The instant she saw the contents, her breathing abruptly halted.
Inside was the complete 500-color colored pencil set released by Felissimo earlier this year.
"But Rice Shower rembers—this set was supposed to be delivered twenty colors at a ti every month for twenty-five months—"
Rice Shower looked up blankly, unable to understand how her Trainer had managed to gather the entire collection less than a year after release.
"I used a little bit of 'money power.'" Shuta Trainer wagged his finger lightly. "Anyway, as long as Rice Shower likes it."
"Thank you, Trainer! Rice loves it very much!"
Clutching the huge box of colored pencils tightly in her arms, Rice Shower nodded repeatedly.
—
After Rice Shower left, nearly another hour passed before Curren Chan and Agnes Digital arrived together.
Although neither of them belonged to Team Sadalsuud, both maintained very close relationships with the Uma Musu in the team, so Shuta naturally prepared Christmas gifts for them as well.
Likewise, Curren Chan and Agnes Digital had also prepared presents to thank Shuta Trainer for taking care of them throughout the year.
Curren Chan gave him a photography guidebook focused on portrait shooting.
Agnes Digital gifted him an all-ages doujinshi. The protagonist looked suspiciously similar to Shuta Trainer, though the character had a completely different na and rely depicted an ordinary, uneventful day.
The gift Shuta Trainer prepared for Curren Chan was tail conditioner—a product strongly recomnded by Oguri Cap.
As for Agnes Digital, he gifted her a copy of "Human System Anatomy."
After all, if an artist wanted to properly draw the human body, understanding anatomy was essential.
"I'll study it seriously!"
Agnes Digital looked extrely satisfied with the book. If she truly mastered it, her artistic ability would definitely improve trendously.
anwhile, Curren Chan examined the packaging of the conditioner while unconsciously touching her tail.
"Curren already takes very good care of her tail—so why did he specifically choose this?"
Although such thoughts crossed her mind, she still obediently thanked him.
After the two Uma Musu left, Shuta looked around the office before deciding to head toward the cafeteria for lunch.
"I scheduled Dober for the afternoon. She should be at ho right now."
Although he had already discussed most matters with jiro Nagasaki and the others beforehand, there was no way jiro Dober would spend Christmas alone at Central Tracen Academy. Therefore, Shuta intentionally arranged her visit last.
"Anyway, I hope the gift I prepared can cheer her up a little."
Ever since losing the Arima Kinen yesterday, Shuta could not shake the feeling that jiro Dober was probably not having an easy ti back ho.
After all, once her undefeated record was broken, public evaluations toward her strength had finally beco sowhat more objective.
"Slightly inferior to Special Week and Grass Wonder."
That was currently the consensus among most experts.
Shuta himself had no objections to that assessnt.
After all, this year was only jiro Dober's Classic season, whereas both Special Week and Grass Wonder had already completed another full year of physical developnt.
Considering the difference in maturity, the fact that jiro Dober only lost by a narrow margin during her first 2500-ter race was already enough to satisfy him.
One could not expect every Uma Musu one trained to possess talent completely beyond common sense.
Kitahara. Nishizaki Ryu. Tojo Hana. Minamisaka.
Compared to Shuta, the achievents of these Trainers were far less dazzling, and they had all experienced countless defeats. Yet who spent every day obsessing over those losses?
"But it's not enough for alone to think that way. Dober herself also needs to relax a little."
—
In the afternoon, jiro Dober arrived at the Academy right on ti and encountered Shuta Trainer directly outside the office.
"Trainer, rry Christmas! This is the Christmas gift I prepared!"
jiro Dober quickly took out an exquisitely wrapped small box and handed it over with both hands.
"This is—"
After carefully opening it, Shuta blinked slightly.
"A pair of cufflinks?"
"They're platinum cufflinks. Senior Nagasaki helped prepare them," jiro Dober explained softly.
"They're engraved with the jiro family crest, and each one is set with a 0.56-carat diamond."
"0.56—."
Ordinarily, Shuta Trainer would never think much about such a number.
But because this gift ca from jiro Dober, he imdiately realized the aning behind it.
May 6th.
That was jiro Dober's birthday.
"Thank you."
Normally, the cufflinks he wore during formal occasions were extrely ordinary. He rarely paid much attention to such details.
"But now that Dober gave sothing like this, I wonder whether the gift I prepared will still feel appropriate."
The young man led jiro Dober into the office before handing her the Christmas gift he had prepared.
"Thank you, Trainer."
jiro Dober accepted the box and gently held it against her chest without opening it. After curtsying politely, she prepared to leave.
"Dober, aren't you going to open it?"
Shuta Trainer lightly held her wrist.
"No." jiro Dober softly shook her head. "I'm sure I'll like anything Trainer gives ."
"Besides, the family's Christmas party is about to begin. I need to hurry back. Otherwise McQueen and the others will tease again—"
As she spoke, her voice unconsciously softened further.
"The family...they didn't criticize Dober because of yesterday's race, right?"
Shuta An frowned slightly as he asked.
"No, they didn't."
jiro Dober shook her head once more.
"Actually, because I lost my undefeated record due to this proposal, everyone in the family instead seems to feel guilty toward ."
"That's good."
Only then did Shuta Trainer quietly relax, slowly releasing her wrist.
"Anyway, Dober, try to relax a little too. Take this holiday to rest properly."
"Mm."
After her hand separated from the Trainer's grasp, jiro Dober suddenly felt a faint sense of reluctance lingering within her heart.
After watching jiro Dober leave, Shuta shook his head lightly and muttered to himself,
"In that case, the gift I prepared probably won't be needed after all."
—
After leaving the main gate of Central Tracen Academy and getting into the car, jiro Dober gently opened the gift box resting on her lap.
Yet inside the box, there was nothing except a key, a rolled-up note, and a debit card.
"What is this?"
This was completely different from the Christmas present she had imagined.
With a slightly bewildered expression, jiro Dober slowly took the items out one by one. She first unfolded the note and discovered an address written on it, along with instructions regarding the debit card and the key.
The handwriting was unmistakably Shuta Trainer's.
"Trainer ans, if I can't stay at ho, I can temporarily live here? And this key is the front door key?"
The note explained everything very clearly.
jiro Dober raised an eyebrow slightly.
"But it's completely unnecessary now."
Even so, after quietly closing her eyes for a mont, she softly added:
"Not necessarily. I just hope tonight's family Christmas party can end peacefully."
—
anwhile, after finishing the training plan for the beginning of next month, Shuta Trainer finally left the office and prepared to head ho.
"I only ca here to distribute Christmas gifts today, but sohow I still voluntarily worked overti."
As he walked through the atrium, the young man grumbled to himself:
"I really should ask Rudolph for overti pay."
Just as Shuta was about to head toward the parking lot, Symboli Rudolf suddenly stopped him near the Academy's main entrance.
"Good thing I made it in ti."
Symboli Rudolf sounded genuinely relieved.
Then, without giving the young man any chance to react, she tossed a small gift box toward him.
"A Christmas gift for Shuta-kun."
"I didn't prepare one for Rudolph."
Shuta's mouth twitched slightly.
"I'll make it up after the holidays."
"It's not anything expensive, Shuta-kun, so you don't need to think too much about it."
Symboli Rudolf casually waved her hand before walking past him and entering Central Tracen Academy.
Shuta Trainer lowered his head and opened the gift box.
After seeing the contents, he raised his eyebrows slightly.
Just as Symboli Rudolf had said, it truly was not so valuable gift. Inside was rely a coupon booklet for a café near the Academy.
"I should buy a box of ink pads for Symboli Rudolf later. She uses them every single day."
Shuta Trainer's thoughts imdiately wandered elsewhere, and within seconds, he had already decided what present to prepare for her afterward.
—
After returning ho, Suzuka and Berno were both busy in the kitchen, while Oguri sat in the living room watching television.
Shuta Ann was already accustod to this arrangent.
If Oguri Cap were allowed into the kitchen, then tonight's dinner would most likely disappear before it even reached the dining table.
"I'll help too."
After hanging his trench coat on the rack, Shuta prepared to wash his hands and help with the ingredients.
After all, when it ca to cooking, he was unquestionably the best in the household.
"You're finally done?"
After he stepped into the kitchen, Berno glanced sideways at her lover.
"You left early this morning and only ca back now. Did you go to the Academy again?"
"Of course, he did," Suzuka answered before the young man could speak.
"Today we also had to distribute Christmas gifts to everyone in Team Sadalsuud."
"But simply delivering gifts shouldn't take this long."
Berno pouted slightly.
"Maybe you actually—"
"I also used the opportunity to finish the training plan for early January."
The young man decisively interrupted Berno midway through her sentence.
He knew very well that if she continued speaking, the topic would definitely drift in a strange direction again.
"Is that so..."
Suzuka lightly covered her mouth before smiling gently.
"Then Ann needs to eat more stead fish later to replenish his energy."
"Good thing you said fish and not sothing else," Shuta muttered quietly to himself.
"After all, that only happened last night..."
—
Unlike last year, the other Uma Musu from Team Sadalsuud were not gathered at the house this Christmas Eve.
With only four people seated around the dining table, the atmosphere inevitably felt sowhat emptier than before.
"Anyway, everyone worked hard this year. rry Christmas."
Shuta raised his wine glass before asking:
"We've got a short break now. Is there anywhere you all want to go?"
"Tokyo Daishoten," Oguri Cap answered imdiately. "I want to watch this year's Tokyo Daishoten live."
"Then I'll accompany Oguri on the evening of the 29th."
Shuta nodded without hesitation.
"I'll contact Ohi Racecourse tomorrow and reserve a private box."
"I just want to stay ho and rest."
Berno spread her hands helplessly.
"This year I've practically flown everywhere already, and next year I'll probably continue flying around too if nothing unexpected happens. I seriously don't want to go anywhere during these next few days."
"I also need to prepare for next year's Dream Trophy Series."
Silence Suzuka softly joined the conversation.
"So I don't really plan on going out either."
"In other words, Ann can just take Oguri out on a date then," Berno concluded while spearing a piece of fried carrot tempura and placing it into her mouth.
—
During the following few days, Shuta mostly remained at ho.
It was rare for him to enjoy several consecutive days without work, and for the young man, this was a long-awaited opportunity to properly sleep in while staying in Tokyo.
Even on the day of the Tokyo Daishoten, because the race would only begin after eight in the evening, Shuta still slept until eleven in the morning before finally getting out of bed.
Inside the Dream World, Shuta was likewise temporarily on vacation.
The JRA season would not resu until January 5th next year, aning the young man could continue lazily staying at ho until New Year's Day.
Starting January 2nd, however, he would need to return to both the Ritto and Mihono Training Centers to resu riding racehorses during training sessions.
The Trainers of both Vega and Hokuto Vega had already contacted him beforehand. Once work resud, Shuta Trainer would personally ride both horses during training.
"In any case, I hope both of them can display exceptional talent and ability."
He genuinely looked forward to it.
—
As for the matter of publicly blasting Iwasaki Kiichi during the post-race interview after the Arima Kinen, after extensive dia coverage, support from Shadai Farm and several Horse Owners, as well as the "righteous outrage" expressed by many experts, public opinion had overwhelmingly shifted toward Shuta's side.
The JRA eventually released an official statent announcing that they would implent preventative asures to avoid similar tragedies in the future.
At the sa ti, they also announced an investigation into San-ei's Owner.
As for Shuta himself, the JRA did not ntion punishnt whatsoever. In fact, on the afternoon of December 28th, while announcing this year's rankings and awards, they even publicly congratulated him for successfully defending his champion jockey title.
"It should be fine now."
Yutaka Take brought the latest news with him during a visit to Shuta's house.
"Although so old-tirs inside the JRA were dissatisfied with Ann-san's statents, nobody would willingly oppose money."
"The value Ann-san brings to the industry isn't sothing a single Horse Owner with only a few racehorses can compare against."
"In the end, they really didn't punish —"
Shuta Trainer pouted slightly.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For anyone interested for so advanced chapters, or just want to support . Hit the mbership button to my Patreon: spatreon/cw/ModerateCitizens
User Comments
0 comments from readers