As the three Trainers were drinking at the Izakaya, they were completely unaware of the situation in Tracen.
Meanwhile, T.M. Opera O was, as usual, training diligently even without Wada's supervision, jogging around the track to build her stamina.
She was preparing for the Kikuka Sho, a 3000-meter long-distance race that was enough to intimidate a large number of Uma Musume.
However, while T.M. Opera O was confident her stamina would be sufficient to sustain her through the 3000 meters, she was going up against Mejiro McQueen, a powerful long-distance runner from the Mejiro Family.
She dared not be negligent or careless. Thus, even though the Kikuka Sho was still a long way off, and she basically wouldn't have any other races until then, she was still training like a madman, striving to gain an advantage in the Kikuka Sho.
Of course, there was also the indispensable act of racing against "herself."
"Other me, why didn't you tell me about Trainer Fumino Nase?"
During her run, T.M. Opera O finally couldn't help but ask about what had happened earlier in the day, addressing "T.M. Opera O" floating beside her.
She was sure that her other self knew something about Fumino Nase, and she was even more certain that the woman and Ryuji had a long history together.
This feeling of someone next to her knowing something that she was completely unaware of made T.M. Opera O feel very uncomfortable.
She was now in a very anxious state, wishing she could pry open her other self's mind to see what secrets were hidden beneath.
Moreover, this concerned Wada, and T.M. Opera O would never overlook anything that involved him.
"What's wrong? Are you that bothered that your Trainer's social relationships aren't under your control? Is it because Fumino Nase is a woman?"
At this moment, the "T.M. Opera O" floating in mid-air also found it quite amusing. She floated down and asked T.M. Opera O,
"Or is it that you aren't so confident in your own body? Do you feel that Fumino Nase, as a human, is more beautiful than you?"
"—How could that be?! As the Overlord, I am flawless in terms of figure, appearance, and personality!"
T.M. Opera O's reaction was quite extreme, undoubtedly because her other self had hit a sore spot.
To be honest, despite T.M. Opera O's narcissism and constant self-praise, when it came to whether she was truly "beautiful," she was, in reality, not that confident herself…
Uma Musume, as a species, is a quite mysterious one. Unlike humans, every Uma Musume seems to have been blessed by the Three Goddesses, all of them being conventionally beautiful girls.
In the current era, though the number of Uma Musume has been at its highest throughout all of history, the number of Uma Musume is not yet equal to that of humans, so every Uma Musume can be said to be quite sought after.
And Uma Musume, especially those who have won major races, can have a street full of admirers after leaving school.
Within this sea of beautiful Uma Musume, there were Uma Musume who possessed even more outstanding looks.
And T.M. Opera O… although she always considered herself "perfect," she was actually very aware of her own rather average looks and figure.
In terms of appearance, within the same team, whether it was McQueen, Tokai Teio, or Curren Chan, their looks were far more cute than hers.
In terms of figure… Meisho Doto absolutely crushed her; she was only slightly better than Teio and McQueen. But, only slightly better, and in T.M. Opera O's eyes, Teio was still growing up, and McQueen… well, she had some kind of mutational defect and shouldn't be included in the comparison for fairness' sake.
In summary, saying that T.M. Opera O lacked confidence in her appearance actually hit home.
Normally, T.M. Opera O didn't care about these things, and even if they were brought up, she would just laugh it off with something like, "The Overlord is absolutely perfect! My figure is the best one!" and so on.
But this time, T.M. Opera O was forced to confront her insecurities; after all, the one who was evaluating herself right now was literally herself.
"You have no right to mock me; aren't we the same person anyways?" T.M. Opera O said indignantly.
"That's the one thing I can't refute." Hearing this, "T.M. Opera O" waved her hand and then asked curiously:
"But why do you care so much about such things? Do you really think having bigger breasts will help you win races?"
"Although Doto did win against you that one time using hers, it was definitely an accident, you know."
"...Or did that loss still bother you? Do you think that Wada finds you unworthy because you lost in the Mainichi Hai back then? If that's the case, then you can just relax."
"Wada is quite a devoted person. Even if you were as flat as a board like McQueen, and lived like a salted fish, staying in your room 24/7, playing video games for the rest of your life, he won't dislike you, you know?"
"…You knowing exactly what I'm thinking, but me having no idea what you're thinking is making me really uncomfortable, 'me'."
T.M. Opera O opened her mouth but ultimately couldn't throw out another snarky retort. If anything, T.M. Opera O felt she and her other self had another thing in common besides similar running styles, and it was that they both truly… paid close attention to Wada.
Therefore, T.M. Opera O trusted her other self completely when it came to matters regarding Wada, because she knew that her other self would never be careless when it involves Wada.
"But still, I don't understand why I dislike that Trainer so much after just our first time meeting... I shouldn't be jealous of her figure and appearance; it's a different kind of feeling…"
Murmuring this, T.M. Opera O unconsciously looked at her other self floating in mid-air and said with certainty,
"And you said you dislike her too, right? Are you sure your thoughts aren't influencing me, 'me'?"
"No, on this point I must say—absolutely not." "T.M. Opera O" crossed her arms over her chest, and as soon as Fumino Nase was mentioned, her tone became several shades more disdainful.
After mulling over it for a while, she had confirmed Fumino Nase's identity and why she herself had felt such hatred for her from their very first meeting.
"I can only say, rest assured, I have my reasons for disliking that person, and your aversion to her is also quite normal. You don't have to conceal your feelings towards her; just be yourself."
"Keep on hating her and never consider that woman as Wada's assistant." (T/N: Is girl the disciple of Reverse Flash? What is this level of hating...)
"That Fumino girl is definitely a schemer. I can guarantee that even if Wada doesn't say it openly, he absolutely won't like her."
With that, "T.M. Opera O" returned to T.M. Opera O's body on her own, but the words she left behind made T.M. Opera O even more bewildered. At least, one of her biggest doubts was answered: Fumino Nase was not a threat to their team's relationship.
"But, what did she mean by 'schemer'? Is there some sort of bad blood between her and Ryuji?"
…Meanwhile, Fumino Nase, who was strolling through Tracen Academy with Super Creek, was also being asked similar questions by her former Uma Musume.
"Trainer, you're not that kind of person, are you? Why are you so strict with Trainer Wada?"
"…I don't know either, I just felt like it..."
Fumino Nase, after opening her mouth to Super Creek's question, didn't know what to say. After a long pause, she finally said with a vague, speculative tone:
"Just hearing his name, and knowing he's a new Trainer who's already won two of the Classic Triple Crowns, I had a strange feeling inside, wanting to properly test his skill level…"
"And if Trainer Wada really doesn't pass your test, Trainer, what will you do?" Super Creek blinked, asking in a gentle tone.
To this, Fumino remained silent for a long time, only quietly sipping the drink in her cup.
"…Then it will depend on whether this lucky newcomer's determination can move me."
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Perfect Cell: How perfect?
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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.