Tokyo.
On Thursday, Koichi returned to his home in Tokyo, bringing another trophy with him.
It was another milestone checked off his list.
He had won most of his previous trophies more than once, but this was his first time claiming this one.
Over the next few days, besides studying the races, he planned to use up all twenty Lucky Draw chances.
Winning the Asahi Hai and the Arima Kinen afterward would give him another twenty chances.
And those three races came one after another.
During this period, Megumi Mitsumori also kept him updated on Epiphaneia's and Gold Ship's condition every day.
Although the Arima Kinen had yet to begin, preparations for the pre-race promotional events were already well underway.
"It's almost Christmas again."
Koichi sighed as he shopped at the supermarket.
Every year, the Arima Kinen fell around Christmas.
"I'm used to it by now. We see these decorations every year. Even if the day hasn't arrived yet, there's always that festive atmosphere."
Saki Ikegami was picking out groceries too.
They would both be staying in Tokyo for a while, so they could buy a little more. The New Year was also coming up, and stocking up now would save them the trouble later.
Things had gone wonderfully this year.
They were now receiving a considerable share of the available resources.
They had even been invited to the year-end horse racing gala, something that had never happened before.
"Mm."
Most of what Koichi bought was bread and meat.
Mainly, these foods were convenient to prepare. He bought quite a bit of meat, too. The partially prepared products only needed a little heating, and the same went for the bread.
"You really do buy the same things every time, Sasaki."
Saki Ikegami smiled at the groceries.
She had not gone