The next day, after everyone's thoughts have settled and each of them coming to their individual conclusions, Wada's assessment finally arrived.
After spending the entire day yesterday with Super Creek, Fumino Nase's usually serious face clearly showed a few more smiles, and she seemed to be in a much better mood than when they first met.
Super Creek was also by Fumino Nase's side, showing that after their time together yesterday, the relationship between the Trainer and trainee had finally been successfully repaired.
Even Fumino's gaze had softened quite a bit when she looked at Wada and his two Uma Musume compared to yesterday.
'Huh, she looks even better when she's in a good mood...' Wada thought to himself, unable to resist looking a few more times, but a sudden pain in his palm brought him back.
However, when he turned to look beside him, he found that neither Meisho Doto nor T.M. Opera O had moved; so who pinched him?
Wada thought, subconsciously looking at T.M. Opera O, who appeared calm, but whose ears were slightly red, betraying her discomfort.
"Alright, Trainer Wada Ryuji, since you're all here, let's start your assessment," Fumino Nase cleared her throat, then said to Wada:
"Don't be nervous; if you can qualify as a Central Trainer, you should be fine. First, I heard that your goal is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, right?"
"If so, I'll test how determined you are to achieve this grand goal. Please tell me, Trainer Wada, what is the length of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe track?"
"—2400 meters, turf."
Wada blinked, not expecting the question to be so simple, and immediately elaborated without hesitation:
"In the 2400-meter race of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, we first enter a 400-meter flat straight, then there's a gentle uphill. Due to the long straight, there's ample time to move towards the inner lane to find a suitable position."
"After the uphill section, there's a sharp right corner into a downhill with a wide corner. After the corner, we enter the 'false straight.'"
"The false straight is 250 meters long and is the easiest place to misjudge, so one must exercise restraint and not sprint too early. The final 533-meter straight is the optimal final spurt phase."
"...Very good. It seems that in terms of theory, you are indeed prepared for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
Fumino nodded at his words; even she couldn't find any fault with Trainer Wada's detailed explanation, which made Fumino's expression soften even more.
"However, before participating in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Trainer Wada, do you know about the Prix Foy, which serves as a pre-Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe race?"
"Uh..."
However, as soon as Fumino said this, Wada didn't know how to respond. He only belatedly remembered that before participating in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, they still had to get through the Prix Foy, this pre-Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe race.
But because the Prix Foy was only a GII level race, Wada hadn't paid too much attention to it. After all, as long as one participated in the race, one could qualify for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe; it wasn't necessary to aim for first place to advance.
And when Fumino saw Wada's delayed reaction, she immediately caught onto the fact that Wada had either overlooked it or was completely unaware of this race in the first place. Her brows quickly furrowed, and she said faintly:
"Although it's a pre-race, the Prix Foy is not a race that can be won easily, Trainer Wada. You can't just fix your gaze on the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and neglect these important races."
"Otherwise, with one careless mistake, your dream of winning the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe might be cut short before you even enter the race."
"If that happened, imagine the shame you and your Uma Musume will feel when you return to Japan. I hope you take these things more seriously."
"Um... you're right..."
Wada nodded nervously at her words. Fumino's lecturing made Wada feel like he was an elementary school student again, only answering his teacher's question and not daring to say an extra word.
After all, taking a test from this Trainer, whose skills and experience were undoubtedly higher than his, was an incredibly scary experience.
Wada couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, as he started to inwardly beg for Imanami to come faster.
'Imanami, can't you come quicker? Did you get drunk yesterday and got a hangover? Wait, he drank oolong tea didn't he? Can oolong tea make you drunk?'
Fortunately, it seemed Wada's prayers had worked. Soon, everyone heard footsteps from a distance and looked over, only to find a grey-haired Uma Musume running towards them at an astonishing speed...
"Hahahaha! Golshi-sama has arrived! Get outta the way!!!"
"Gold Ship?!"
No one expected the person arriving to be Gold Ship. Fumino Nase, who, despite being away from Tracen for some time, also knew of Gold Ship's notoriety.
Her expression immediately soured a bit, as she took anxious steps back.
"Skreeeeechhhhh!"
At this moment, Gold Ship arrived in front of the group, but she quickly braked to a stop with two "brake marks" being left behind on the turf as the grass was overturned by the soil.
"Yo yo yoooo, it's Gold Ship! I heard one of my Trainer 'friends' had returned, so I came to take a look."
Gold Ship immediately locked her gaze on Fumino Nase, a mischievous grin appearing on her face that made others' expressions change. She stepped forward and spread her arms wide open.
"Trainer Nase! Long time no see!"
"—S-Super Creek, save me..."
However, when Fumino Nase saw Gold Ship's quickly approaching figure, her face instantly twisted dramatically.
All the elegance and poise she had displayed before completely vanished. She even hid behind Super Creek, turning her former trainee into a meat shield to block Gold Ship from her.
Super Creek, who was pushed forward, looked bewildered, but she quickly reacted. She took a look at Gold Ship in front of her as she gently extended her finger and tapped Gold Ship's forehead, saying in an exceptionally motherly tone: "Little Gold Ship, be good."
"Hehe... I was just kidding."
Facing Super Creek, Gold Ship, who always respected her elders, covered her forehead and retreated a few steps. All she wanted to do was to see Fumino Nase's scared expression.
'Wait... Is Fumino Nase... really that afraid of Gold Ship?' Wada, Meisho Doto, and T.M. Opera O on the side were all stunlocked by what they were seeing.
You have to know, this was their first time meeting Fumino Nase in person. By the time T.M. Opera O and the others had enrolled, Fumino Nase had already left Tracen Academy.
The fact that Fumino Nase was this scared of Gold Ship meant that Gold Ship had enrolled even earlier than they had imagined.
However, as Meisho Doto and T.M. Opera O were still shell shocked, Wada quickly recovered as he noticed an opportunity and quietly made a mental note that Gold Ship could deal with Fumino.
"Alright, Gold Ship, don't scare Trainer Nase."
And just at this moment, a familiar voice from not far away immediately calmed Wada down.
The voice belonged to Imanami, who was slowly driving a segway towards the group—incidentally, this vehicle belonged to Gold Ship, who often used it to get around school.
The reason why it was currently in his possession was because, after Gold Ship caused McQueen to uncontrollably overeat, Imanami had confiscated it to make Gold Ship run more.
Then, Imanami himself grew fond of this mode of transport, feeling that driving it greatly helped with collecting data during training as well as moving around Tracen Academy.
After Imanami slowly arrived, he handed the scooter to Gold Ship, and looking at the still-scared Fumino Nase, he smiled and said:
"I apologize, Trainer Nase. But my Uma Musume's personality is quite lively, so please forgive her."
"A-ah, it's alright—wait, what did you say? Did you just say you're Gold Ship's Trainer?"
Fumino Nase's face froze as she just comprehended what Imanami had just said, and the expression in her eyes gradually turned to fear.
At this moment, the look in her eyes as she gazed at Imanami changed, becoming as if she were looking at some being beyond her comprehension.
-----+-----
Me witnessing horror's beyond my comprehension (I don't get it)
-----+-----
If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.