"Doto, have you really made up your mind? Are you really not planning to participate in the Kikuka Sho anymore?"
"Yes, Trainer, I've decided. And with my placement in the Japanese Derby... I don't think I can even place in the Kikuka Sho anyways, right?"
During one of their breaks in their daily training, Wada, T.M. Opera O, and Meisho Doto sat together on chairs, peacefully enjoying the bento Wada had prepared; it was quite the peaceful scene.
T.M. Opera O and Meisho Doto both seemed like they were the type who would be skilled at cooking, but in reality, neither Uma Musume knew how to cook. T.M. Opera O never bothered to learn it, and Meisho Doto gave up on learning it because she always messed things up. Instead, it was the man, Wada Ryuji, who had mastered the art of cooking. (T/N: Hell yeah, breaking gender norms one at a time!)
After all, Wada was a man who had married quite early. He believed that any househusband worth their salt at the minimum needed to be adept at household chores and cooking. But that wasn't relevant for now.
Currently, Wada was discussing with Doto about her race schedule, and he was quite surprised by her decision after all these days.
To secure a guaranteed entry into the Kikuka Sho, other than the obvious one of getting a good result in the Japanese Derby, was to participate in the Kobe Shimbun Hai held in the latter half of September and finish in the top three. This would allow for them to attain priority qualification for the Kikuka Sho. As far as Wada knew, McQueen didn't need to participate in the Kobe Shimbun Hai as her second-place finish in the Japanese Derby was already enough for her to smoothly enter the Kikuka Sho. Plus, Imanami would likely only make McQueen run in a few GIII or GII races a few months before the Kikuka Sho to help her accumulate some extra prize money as well as to give her ample time to rest and recuperate for the Kikuka Sho.
Of course, the prerequisite was that McQueen's weight is under control first; Imanami would never let an overweight Uma Musume compete. Admire Vega was the same; her third-place finish in the Japanese Derby was also enough to enter the Kikuka Sho. So far, only Narita Top Road and Meisho Doto might need to compete in the Kobe Shimbun Hai, but only a top-three finish was needed. Wada had already inquired her Trainer about this, and was now certain Narita Top Road would definitely participate.
But Meisho Doto's result was fourth place, barely placing in the Japanese Derby. Originally, she also had a chance to challenge for the Kikuka Sho and have one last fight with T.M. Opera O on the Classic Triple Crown route, but now she had actively chosen to give up. Clearly, Meisho Doto had contemplated this for quite a while now.
"Trainer, you said that I don't need to compete with T.M. Opera O, nor do I necessarily have to run with the goal of defeating T.M. Opera O, right? We can both separate on our own paths and shine our own ways, can't we?"
Meisho Doto said to Wada with a tone of confidence: "I- I feel like I'm no longer bound by this obsession. I want to win a few more GIs before everyone else from our team can vie for them. By next year, I'm afraid when Orfevre reaches her Classic Year, I might not have a chance…"
Meisho Doto was still worried. After all, Meisho Doto had witnessed Orfevre's rise to power first hand. During the GIII Hakodate Junior Stakes, both she and T.M. Opera O were startled by Orfevre's power. Even through the screen, they could feel how intense the showdown between Orfevre and Curren Chan was. At that time, both Doto and Opera genuinely felt Orfevre was a threat. Orfevre in her Junior Year was already strong enough to make them feel a sense of crisis. Even T.M. Opera O was taking Orfevre seriously, feeling that her position as the "Overlord" could possibly be overthrown by the "Golden Tyrant."
Meisho Doto was certainly affected by Orfevre's strength as well. She understood that after this year's races concluded, Orfevre's era of dominance would likely follow. If she didn't seize the chance now to try and win as many GIs as she can, she would only be escaping from one Overlord only to be battered by another Golden Tyrant. If Doto was still her previous self, she would probably want to cry out a river. Why were all the Uma Musume around her such monstrous geniuses? Why was she the only late bloomer among this sea of early bloomers?
Fortunately, Meisho Doto has grown since then; she no longer worried about these things anymore. After all, she had found her own courage. Now, no matter how strong the opponent, she would not cower or fear. It was just that she understood that sometimes, a tactical retreat against strong opponents who were currently at their peaks was the wiser choice. She hadn't reached her peak yet. Compared to early-blooming Uma Musume who peak in their Classic Year, her racing career still had a long way to go, so there was no need to dwell on this period.
"Well then, the next most suitable GI for you will be the Tenno Sho (Autumn)," Wada said, patting Meisho Doto's head with considerable relief. "This time, I have full confidence in you. You will definitely win this race."
Wada was also overjoyed; he instinctively grabbed the hands of his two Uma Musume, saying spontaneously:
"With your win in the Tenno Sho and your win in the Kikuka Sho. No one will be able to doubt any of your abilities anymore. This entire year will be our era, T.M. Opera O, Meisho Doto. We will completely dominate Japan! This is our time!"
"Hmm~ That's right, Ryuji, as my subjects, all of you should have such ambitions!"
T.M. Opera O also nodded to Wada with a timely smile, and at this moment, the other "T.M. Opera O" slowly emerged beside her, saying with a hint of a smile: "Having ambition is good, but don't forget me, you still failed to surpass me yesterday~ If you can't even outrun the current me, winning the Kikuka Sho will just be a pipedream for you, let alone other races later. Right now, you're honestly a bit weaker than I expected~"
"—Shut up."
However, facing this annoying ghost, T.M. Opera O immediately lost her pleasant mood. T.M. Opera O, the always magnanimous Overlord who could turn any malice into praise, would only be this easily infuriated when facing her own self. And ever since "T.M. Opera O" had shown the ability to take over her body anytime it wanted, T.M. Opera O's attitude towards her other self had worsened, but this, in turn, spurred her to constantly become stronger until she can rid herself of this annoying parasite. Sometimes, she even overtrained. Fortunately, Wada always catches her in time, allowing T.M. Opera O to rest well as well as doing regular check-ups to ensure her legs were fine. Only after all of that, would he allow her to continue training. Otherwise, if Wada hadn't been vigilant, T.M. Opera O might have already ruined herself through overtraining.
"He he, don't be so angry, me. No matter how furious you are, it won't change the fact that you're still weaker than me right now. Fortunately, you still have a long period to get stronger since the Kikuka Sho is not until October. You better train well to surpass me 'kay~?"
"T.M. Opera O" floated in mid-air, blabbering to T.M. Opera O. They actually no longer need to talk out loud to communicate with each other; they could understand each other just fine through mental communication now. But at this moment, the chuckling "T.M. Opera O" seemed to sense something. Her gaze suddenly turned to the other side, and unusually, she showed a slight frown.
"…What's going on? This presence… why does it feel so… annoying?"
"Hmm? Is something coming?"
Because of her other self's reaction, T.M. Opera O subconsciously looked forward, and T.M. Opera O's glance also made Wada and Meisho Doto also look forward in unison, directly meeting the gaze of a woman slowly walking from not far away. And when T.M. Opera O noticed this rather handsome woman, she subconsciously frowned, just like her other self. What was going on? T.M. Opera O now also understood what her other self meant by "annoying"... Even though she considered herself a rather broad-minded individual, why did she immediately dislike this person even though this was the first time they met?
However, Fumino Nase, who had now arrived in front of Wada, had no idea that one of her potential future trainees had already formed a negative impression of her without them even interacting in the first place. Fumino Nase walked straight up to Wada Ryuji, examined him carefully for a moment, and then said:
"Hmm, quite young, decently handsome, plus two Uma Musume… You're Wada Ryuji, right?"
"Yes, may I ask…" Wada also felt that the woman in front of him was giving him a somewhat strange, yet annoyingly familiar vibe. That hint of deeply hidden disdain in her eyes also made Wada feel very familiar, as if a past acquaintance had given him the same look before.
"My name is Fumino Nase, an A+ rank Trainer from Tracen Academy. Of course, I'm not currently training an Uma Musume right now. I came at the request of a senior to help you manage your team and, incidentally, improve your skills. Of course, there's a prerequisite: you must pass my assessment before I deem you worthy enough to have me as your assistant, understood?"
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The new generation's increasing strength... At that moment, Meisho Doto understood the reason why! It's because of her! It's because of Orfevre!
It's like when a seemingly unbeatable time record for a GI race gets broken, or when other Uma Musume have to learn how to learn a new skill due to a single Uma Musume's prowess!!
When Orfevre was born... The balance of the world was altered!
(Orfevre: Don't look at me, you small fry)
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.