Although Wada did not become a Jockey at the same time as Yutaka Take, when he did become one, he had already started hearing many stories about Yutaka Take's success.
Yutaka Take had been referred to by the JRA and Shadai as a "rare genius," and unlike Wada, who was considered "mediocre" back then, his talent was fully bare for anyone to see from the very beginning of his career.
Originally, he shouldn't have been someone who would be intertwined with a mediocre Jockey like Wada.
However, fate was a fickle mistress. Despite it seeming like they would walk their own separate paths, never to meet, Wada, this "mediocre Jockey," rode T.M. Opera O and clashed head-on with this genius Jockey, and not just once. Even they themselves couldn't clearly explain the grudges between them.
But to say that Wada hated Yutaka Take... wouldn't be entirely true. Their confrontations were already more than a decade ago; all the scars and vitriol they had have been slowly washed away and subsided by the river of time.
Of course, this didn't mean that Wada had no lingering feelings in his heart. The events from back then are still vivid in his memory. Although the two show respect and sportsmanship towards each other in public, privately, both still have a couple of unresolved knots in their hearts.
One can only say their relationship wasn't terrible; after all, they were colleagues who had to see and work with each other daily and there are only so many Jockeys in the JRA at the time.
That didn't mean that their relationship was good or anything, but the conflict between "mediocre underdog" and "unparalleled genius" that people like to gossip about wasn't as serious as it was made out to be.
If, and just saying, if Yutaka Take had also been among those who transmigrated with them, then given how the three had managed to become close friends after just a few months, Yutaka Take would undoubtedly become a member of this small "family" of transmigrators. Just thinking about this scene made Wada feel awkward.
Thinking about it further, Wada would've met T.M. Opera O again, and Yutaka Take would also meet one, or several of the Uma Musume he had ridden before. The two would then compete on the same stage once again...
Just imagining this scenario made Wada quite glad that Yutaka Take didn't also cross over. But now, he had encountered the Yutaka Take counterpart of this world—how could he have expected this?
After all, he hadn't seen any local versions of them in this world, had he? As Wada looked at Fumino Nase and Super Creek's intimate interaction in front of him, he was completely shook, because he finally accepted in his heart that his worst fears had been confirmed.
A genius Trainer, Super Creek, and that slightly proud temperament—even if this person was under a completely different name, a vastly improved face, and even the opposite gender, Wada could still be sure that this was the "Yutaka Take" of this world.
Yutaka Take, if you can hear me in the original world, then I must say something from my heart... — Man~ the gender-swapped version of you is really sexy, not going to lie.
Wada muttered this in his heart, but his mental state slowly recovered from the initial numbness.
Looking at Fumino Nase's exquisite face and her proudly puffed-up chest, Wada suddenly couldn't help but chuckle lightly for no reason.
"...What's wrong, Trainer Wada? Is there something on my face?"
"Nothing, nothing, my apologies. I was just marveling at the bond between you and Miss Super Creek. It's truly — beautiful."
It took Wada's entire effort to barely suppress his urge to laugh, but he couldn't meet Fumino Nase's gaze no matter what — because he knew that if he looked at Fumino Nase's face, he would definitely burst out laughing.
As Wada struggled to calm himself, not only did Fumino Nase and Super Creek find it strange, but even Meisho Doto and T.M. Opera O, his own two Uma Musume, began to feel that their Trainer's expression was a bit off.
They knew that their Trainer wasn't the giggly type nor the overly rude type. So why did he have such a strong reaction this time?
Meisho Doto and T.M. Opera O exchanged glances, both unsure of the reason, but they knew that the root of all this was definitely not Wada himself, but Fumino Nase.
So, they all turned their gaze towards Fumino Nase. When they saw her face, which even by Uma Musume standards could be called a great beauty, and her figure, which was incredibly eye-catching, they immediately connected it to Wada's awkward reaction...
For a moment, Meisho Doto and T.M. Opera O's eyes simultaneously turned even colder, and even a hint of genuine hostility began to emerge in their gazes towards Fumino Nase.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough. Alright, I'm really sorry; it was just that I recalled something very funny."
"So, Trainer Nase Fumino, although I'm eager to go through your assessment, and I'm also in desperate need of your knowledge and experience—it seems that you and Miss Super Creek have a lot to talk about."
"How about we do the assessment tomorrow? Just consider it you giving me some preparation time."
"...Alright."
Fumino Nase looked at Wada's sincere expression, then turned to look at Super Creek beside her. In the end, her emotional side triumphed over her rational side, and she nodded with a gentle smile.
Fumino herself actually wanted to have a good chat with Super Creek, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
Although the two often video-called, Fumino herself didn't share much of her struggles and burdens with her since she preferred for Super Creek to focus on her studies instead of worrying about her.
But now that she had returned to Tracen Academy, Fumino didn't need to be as reserved as before. In her heart, she still preferred to reminisce with Super Creek, but it was just her professionalism that made it difficult to speak up.
Wada's words also went along with Fumino's wishes, and Fumino's attitude towards Wada improved a bit yet again.
It's just that... it seemed like his two Uma Musume disliked her even more than before? Why was that?
Fumino left the scene temporarily with Super Creek, holding such doubts. After the two girls left, Meisho Doto, beside Wada, asked a faint question:
"Trainer... when you were staring at Trainer Nase just now... D- do you perhaps like Trainer Nase? That's no good..."
Meisho Doto didn't know why her tone had changed like this. She only realized belatedly that her tone carried a hint of jealousy, and even the question she asked felt like it had an undeniable edge to it.
Fortunately, Wada, who was usually sharp, surprisingly wasn't paying much attention right now. Instead, he gently ruffled Meisho Doto's small head and said with a subtle smile:
"Doto, you're still young. You'll understand it when you grow older."
...?
Meisho Doto tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, but she still replied softly:
"I- I'm not young at all Trainer..."
Meanwhile, on T.M. Opera O's side, "T.M. Opera O" was also ruffling T.M. Opera O's head with the exact same gesture as Wada, mimicking Wada's tone and saying:
"Hehe, you're still young too, me. You little kiddos don't understand us adults' humor at all~"
...
T.M. Opera O also wordlessly glanced at her other self floating in mid-air. However, seeing that her other self didn't seem to have any intention of sharing what was going on with Fumino Nase, she could only ponder the matter by herself.
Why was Ryuji's attitude towards Fumino Nase so strange? T.M. Opera O was at a loss, and "T.M. Opera O," seeing her thinking so hard, smiled slightly and said:
"Don't overthink it, my love-struck self. Though the two have a lot of history behind them, she will definitely not threaten your position."
"Wha— YOU, YOU'RE PEEKING INTO MY THOUGHTS AGAIN AREN'T YOU—"
T.M. Opera O, whose thoughts were exposed, felt a slight jolt in her heart, but soon, facing her other self's ambiguous smile, T.M. Opera O inadvertently realized she had directly confirmed her other self's words, and her entire face quickly turned crimson.
Fortunately, T.M. Opera O was a master actor, so much so that Wada, who was currently on the phone with Ikezoe, didn't have time to notice T.M. Opera O's abnormality.
"—Hello, Ikezoe-kun."
"What's up, Wada-kun? Ah, I know, you must be calling about your new assistant." Ikezoe's cheerful voice quickly came from the phone:
"Tell me, who was it? Though I was the one that asked to give you an assistant, I don't know who the person is; I just know it's a woman. Is she a baddie? If she is, then your luck must be impeccable!"
"Well, she is beautiful... But her identity is an even bigger surprise." Wada also spoke faintly, but quickly took a deep breath and said to Ikezoe:
"If you can, you should explain how you got in contact with such a high-profile person. I'll go notify Imanami-senpai."
"We'll meet at our usual spot tonight. Of course, to show my gratitude, I'm treating today. Just tell me what you want to eat."
Wada was incredibly eager to share his joyous surprise with everyone.
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What kinda fuck ass title did the author cook up this chapter
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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.