A message relayed from the Tracen Academy Student Council was almost equivalent to an official announcement from the school.
Coupled with Symboli Rudolf's intentions and the deliberate promotion by Air Groove and others, news that "Symboli Rudolf will compete in this year's Arima Kinen" quickly spread within a few days.
A few days later, just as T.M. Opera O related stuff started to die down, the media, having already gone through many tides of extensive hype and obscurity and thinking that it was time to move on, had their sensitive nerves reignited by this news.
Soon, these media outlets, unafraid of overworking themselves for their jobs, once again ignited their passion, and newspapers were freshly printed, quickly distributed far and wide.
'Symboli Rudolf declares war on T.M. Opera O?! A showdown between two rulers at the Arima Kinen?'
'Public Declaration of War? Does the Emperor feel her authority challenged?'
'Clash between the Emperor and the Overlord? The strongest Arima Kinen lineup in history?'
News like this quickly spread, and while there were still two months until the Arima Kinen, many fans had already begun to anticipate this showdown of the Century even before the race started.
Whether the "Overlord" of the new era would prevail, or if Symboli Rudolf, known as the "Emperor," would continue to dominate Japan—all answers would be revealed two months later.
Bang bang bang!
"Hmm? Please come in."
A series of urgent knocks broke the Student Council's calm, and Symboli Rudolf, clearly knowing who was at the door, immediately spoke.
Soon, with the sound of the door opening, as Symboli Rudolf had expected, the person who arrived was Tokai Teio.
"Prez! Prez! I heard you're going to compete in this year's Arima Kinen, is it true?!"
Tokai Teio immediately stated her purpose upon arrival.
Symboli Rudolf calmly took a sip of the coffee on her desk and asked with a smile:
"If nothing unexpected happens... that's the case. What, do you have any objections, Teio?"
"Of course I do~ Prez, you big dummy!"
It was the first time Symboli Rudolf saw Tokai Teio so anxious, so much so that she uncharacteristically expressed her dissatisfaction about her to her.
She then buried herself in Symboli Rudolf's embrace, her ponytail swinging continuously behind her due to her agitation.
"Why are you going to challenge T.M. Opera O? Didn't we agree? Once I become an Undefeated Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume, we would compete together at the Arima Kinen!"
"Why did you break your promise, Prez! Shouldn't I be the first to challenge you? I should be the first!"
'So, she was jealous.' Symboli Rudolf and Air Groove exchanged glances, then Symboli Rudolf dotingly patted Tokai Teio's little head, soothing her with comforting words:
"Don't be silly, Teio. I haven't broken my promise. When you truly become an Undefeated Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume, I will definitely compete against you at the Arima Kinen. That's our promise."
"But that promise doesn't mean I can't compete against other Uma Musume, Teio. T.M. Opera O is a formidable opponent, and she's worthy enough for me to compete against."
"Ugh—Prez, do you mean I haven't grown strong enough to be considered an opponent yet?"
Tokai Teio pouted unhappily at these words, and for a moment, even Symboli Rudolf was stumped by Tokai Teio's question, unsure how to respond.
Was Tokai Teio strong? Among Uma Musume her age, she was indeed quite strong.
After all, she had undeniable talent, and has also enjoyed treatment that others didn't, allowing her to rapidly grow to this point.
With such good talents and good resources, Tokai Teio started ahead of many Uma Musume.
However, this strength also depended on who she was being compared to.
Why did Symboli Rudolf unilaterally decide to delay Tokai Teio's debut by a year? It was to give Tokai Teio some time to grow as quickly as possible, ensuring that she could win her races easier as well as to overcome the hidden threat in her legs.
Symboli Rudolf had high hopes for Imanami; perhaps Imanami wasn't the Trainer among the three who could help Tokai Teio achieve the highest accomplishments, but he was definitely the Trainer who could guide Tokai Teio down the safest path.
Moreover, Symboli Rudolf has been observing Tokai Teio's training during this period.
Although she still had a habit of relying on her flexible legs, her running style was indeed gradually changing under Imanami's supervision.
Tokai Teio's strength was also increasing; she just didn't realize it yet.
After all, Team Miracle was now filled with experts; each of them was a monster in their own right.
Even someone as proud as Tokai Teio had to admit that she wasn't the strongest one on the team.
However, she would certainly not admit to being the weakest; that was Tokai Teio's bottom line.
"So, that means as long as I can reach the same level as T.M. Opera O, I'll be qualified to race with you, right, Prez?"
"Uh... I suppose so?"
Symboli Rudolf also felt there was nothing wrong with this statement, as if Tokai Teio had T.M. Opera O's strength, she could indeed pose a threat to her.
However, T.M. Opera O's level of strength was not so easily attained.
Not even considering the time needed to hone your body and skills to her level, she hadn't even awakened her Aura or a Zone.
For Aura, one must have a sufficiently high affinity for it, which Symboli Rudolf felt Tokai Teio had, so she just needed some time to develop it.
But for Zone... it required something akin to a realization or enlightenment, and the one T.M. Opera O had was so potent it directly transformed her soft and weak Zone which Symboli Rudolf could easily dismiss to a Zone where Rudolf began to feel fear from.
Could Tokai Teio's talent surpass T.M. Opera O in this aspect? Symboli Rudolf dared not guarantee it; after all, T.M. Opera O's rapid progress was due to a multitude of factors unattainable by most.
"Right! So that just means that I have to surpass T.M. Opera O to join you in the Arima Kinen!"
Tokai Teio's eyes sparkled as if she had suddenly found her goal, saying:
"Hmph, although I, Teio-sama, always recognized McQueen as my strongest rival, since T.M. Opera O defeated McQueen in the Kikuka Sho—then my ultimate rival will be T.M. Opera O!"
"Yosh! It's decided! I'm going to challenge T.M. Opera O! I want to see how big the difference in strength is between T.M. Opera O and me right now!"
"—Wait, Teio."
Symboli Rudolf instantly became alarmed by these words and immediately stopped her:
"T.M. Opera O just finished the Kikuka Sho not long ago, and she also needs rest. Challenging her to a run at this time would be very bad for her health."
"Besides, why don't you go find Gold Ship? She hasn't debuted yet, just like you. Isn't she the best choice for a sparring partner?"
"Ugh... I really want to find Gold Ship-san, but she went to the Mejiro Family with McQueen and Trainer because he said that he needed to report about McQueen's defeat in the Kikuka Sho."
"Mejiro Family? Ah... that's right." Symboli Rudolf nodded upon hearing this.
After all, McQueen could be said to have been in her element this time, yet still failed; it was understandable why the Mejiro Family Head would want to give a stern talking to them.
Although there were very good reasons for her failure, as no one could have expected T.M. Opera O to suddenly improve so much on the spot, coupled with that terrifying final spurt burst, failure was quite normal.
However, if one truly wanted to lay blame, it would also be very understandable.
"...Then, how about trying to challenge Orfevre and Curren Chan first?"
Symboli Rudolf chose a compromise, saying to Tokai Teio:
"They don't have any races recently, and Orfevre is also preparing for next year's Classic Triple Crowns. I think comparing your strength with them would give you a better understanding, Teio."
"Rome wasn't built in a day. We need to steadily surpass each goal step by step, understood?"
"Yes! I understand! Then I'll go find Orfevre!"
Tokai Teio nodded emphatically, then happily ran out of the office, cheerfully saying to Symboli Rudolf:
"Prez, wait for me! I'll be back very soon, and when I do, I'll definitely have defeated Orfevre!"
"Yes, I'll be waiting."
Symboli Rudolf still smiled gently. It was only after Tokai Teio had run far enough away did her smile slowly fade.
Air Groove, who was silently refilling Rudolf's coffee, couldn't help but ask:
"Is this a wise move, President? With Teio's current strength... to go against Orfevre, I'm afraid the result might be even worse than T.M. Opera O, won't it?"
"T.M. Opera O might consider holding back, but Orfevre... once she enters race mode, she won't show Teio any mercy."
"...This is for her own good, Air Groove, please understand me."
Symboli Rudolf silently closed her eyes and said with a heavy heart:
"I would rather Teio walk through thorns than see her fall from a shaky platform held up by her own inflated pride."
"I also want to leave my current position soon. Perhaps, after this Arima Kinen, I can shed all these responsibilities and become an assistant Trainer or something..."
"Perhaps then, will I still have a chance to help Teio walk her long path."
Then, after she's all grown up, I will have a proper race with this child, and ultimately, let an era bear her name.
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Man this sore throat ain't getting any better... even drinking water hurts.
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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.