One day after the Satsuki Sho, Lu Jue gave his team half a day off.

Although the next Japan Derby would arrive soon, proper relaxation was more conducive to training.

In the lounge.

Lu Jue leaned comfortably in his chair, his feet propped on the table, reading a newspaper with great interest.

Seiun Sky’s victory in the Satsuki Sho also brought Lu Jue some glory.

In the photo taken during the interview, Seiun Sky was answering reporters’ questions with her hands behind her back, but her small eyes were glancing at Lu Jue nearby.

Lu Jue, on the other hand, was looking at her with a smile.

Two pairs of eyes conversed across the air, one whispering, one brazen.

“This photo is really beautiful,” Lu Jue muttered to himself, but in his mind, he recalled the photo of Kawakenkoku covering his ears and shouting.

Before he could think further, the phone on the table suddenly rang.

“Oh.” Lu Jue was slightly surprised when he saw the caller; it was his father.

The relationship between the father and son had not been very good before; in Lu Fengzhou’s eyes, his son was always idle.

But now that Lu Jue had achieved success, their relationship naturally eased up.

This couldn’t really be blamed on Lu Fengzhou; if anything, it was because he himself had indeed been a bit unmotivated in the past.

“Hello, Dad.”

“Xiao Jue, what are you doing? You haven’t called home recently.” Lu Jue’s father, Lu Fengzhou, was in his forties, with a deep yet slightly hoarse voice.

“I’ve been busy with training every day.”

“I saw the recent news. Congratulations on your Uma Musume winning the Satsuki Sho.”

Lu Jue thanked him and asked, “Dad, did you call just to congratulate me?”

“There are other things too. The weighted rings have been upgraded and improved again. I’ve already sent a batch to your side, and they should arrive soon.”

Lu Jue nodded. This was good news; he could equip all his Uma Musume with a set later.

He could also focus on other areas, such as racing shoes, and intensify research efforts.

But compared to these, Lu Jue had more pressing concerns.

“By the way, Dad, how’s that matter I asked you about before coming along?”

“Progress is quite good. Those medical academicians are very interested in the disease research directions you proposed.”

Previously, Lu Jue had given Lu Fengzhou a document detailing leg diseases that current medical technology found difficult to solve.

The medical field in this world was relatively backward.

Lu Jue, of course, had not studied medicine; he just had impressions of the mechanisms of many diseases from his awakened memories.

However, professional matters should still be left to professionals.

If only… severe bone fracture issues could be perfectly resolved.

“That’s good then.”

“Xiao Jue, what is your goal now?” Lu Fengzhou asked with concern.

Lu Jue hadn’t really thought about it seriously. “A Special Trainer? If possible, becoming a Special Teacher wouldn’t be bad either.”

“No way, then wouldn’t you have to stay in Japan for more than ten years? Don’t even say I don’t agree; your mom definitely wouldn’t agree.” Lu Fengzhou immediately refused upon hearing this.

“Not necessarily. If my performance is very good, maybe I could rise to prominence overnight.”

“Then you should keep dreaming.” Lu Fengzhou scoffed, then seriously asked, “Do you plan to return to China for development later, or continue as a Trainer… Actually, the Dragon Country Association has already noticed you and contacted me to ask for your opinion.”

Lu Fengzhou’s words were a bit veiled.

As Uma Musume culture was emerging, there must be an invisible hand supporting the Dragon Country Association.

Lu Jue’s identity as a Dragon Country citizen was there, so it was only right and proper for him to go back and guide, even if only for a period of time.

“This matter… isn’t very urgent, is it?”

Lu Jue’s voice showed a hint of worry.

Firstly, he couldn’t bear to leave the Uma Musume here.

The solution, while not simple, was also simple—pack them all up and take them home.

Secondly… a primal resistance and helplessness arose in his heart.

But there would definitely be a day when he had to return to his home country and visit the Uma Musume training center there.

“No rush, your career has just begun. It’s just that you were too brilliant at the beginning, drawing attention, so I thought I should tell you in advance and let you think about it slowly.” Lu Fengzhou respected Lu Jue much more than before.

“Okay, I understand.”

The call hadn’t ended, but the voice on the other end had changed from his father to his mother.

Lu Jue’s mother, Liu Zhi, was a strong woman.

Compared to his dad, he was actually a bit more afraid of his mom.

“Lu Jue, you are not allowed to stay there for more than ten years. Don’t you think about how old you are? Do you still want to get married then?” After her son became successful, Liu Zhi’s focus inexplicably shifted to the important matter of marriage.

“Mom, please let me go~”

“Let you go my foot! I talked to some of your dad’s friends about this before, and they’re interested in having you meet some young ladies… You must come back before the New Year, do you hear me?”

Lu Jue felt a bit empathetic, but it was right to go home for the New Year. “Got it, I’ll be back for the New Year, but as for blind dates, please excuse me.”

“No! Unless you bring a girl with you when you come back.” Liu Zhi originally intended to force Lu Jue with this, but she never expected Lu Jue to actually agree.

“Okay, can I bring an Uma Musume?”

“I don’t care about all that; I just want to see it!” Liu Zhi said angrily and then hung up the phone.

Lu Jue held his phone, looking helpless. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

He still had a question he hadn’t finished asking: if he could bring back several of them.

...

Just as he was thinking of continuing to read the newspaper, there was a sudden noise at the door, and several Uma Musume tumbled to the ground.

Lu Jue took a sip of tea. “What are you doing? Playing human pyramid?”

Uralala patted her pants and got up from the ground. “Hehe, yes, yes.”

Special Week nodded frantically, almost creating afterimages.

Seiun Sky looked a bit embarrassed; she had accidentally used too much force just now, causing everyone who was eavesdropping at the door to fall in.

Silent Suzuka, who was lying at the very front of the door eavesdropping, also shyly averted her gaze.

However, she was still thinking about some of the content of Lu Jue’s call earlier.

She had learned some Chinese, but not much.

With this sudden fall, her mind, which had just been busy forming words and sentences, instantly went blank, leaving only a few keywords in her mind.

Including “New Year,” “bring Uma Musume,” and “go home.”

...