"Originally, if this invitation had been sent earlier, the names on this list would have likely been different."
"But ifs are ifs. This list now bears your names, Trainer Wada, and T.M. Opera O."
"As such, this heavy responsibility now falls upon your shoulders. No matter what, please prepare yourselves."
"Don't do anything rash. If you need to rest, just rest. Absolutely, please, do not let any accidents happen."
"You're not just carrying the dreams of the Uma Musume who hadn't been invited, nor is it just the hopes of everyone at Tracen Academy."
"What you are carrying right now are the expectations of an entire nation from both humans and Uma Musume alike. Please, look after your body and face this challenge in your best possible condition."
"If we miss this opportunity, we truly won't know when the next invitation to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will arrive."
—After everyone had left the Student Council's office, Symboli Rudolf's words were still vivid in their minds.
After the Uma Musume had dispersed, the four Trainers then found a place to sit down and began to discuss what they just learned.
"The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe… I never imagined that this dream, which was once so distant, would now be placed before me just like this..."
"Heh. Are you scared, Trainer Wada? I thought that as long as T.M. Opera O was with you, you would be fearless~"
Facing Wada Ryuji's anxious murmuring, Fumino Nase uncharacteristically teased Wada.
But it was for a good reason. After all, this was the first time she had seen Wada so tense.
"Scared? OF COURSE I'M SCARED PISS AND SHITLESS! This is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe we're talking about!"
Wada spoke without reserve about his current worries.
He even started shivering; not from the cold weather, but the copious amounts of sweat that was starting to form all over his body due to his nervousness.
"Since 1969, Japan has never won a single Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe! It's to the point where people are obsessing over this race. How can I not be nervous?!"
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe has forever been considered an insurmountable wall for Japan's horse racing scene.
It wasn't like Japan didn't try. They have always sent their strongest Racehorses to this race every chance they had, which resulted in failure every single time.
Recent examples were Orfevre, El Condor Pasa, and Nakayama Festa who all placed second.
What does this mean?
Well, in China, where horse racing could be considered half-taboo, a Racehorse owned by a Hong Kong owner has already won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe! (T/N: From my research, the author should be referring to Sea the Stars)
Now, compare China to Japan, who regards horse racing as a national sport and hobby. Isn't it a bit embarrassing?
All these expectations, all this shame that had accumulated for so many years, was now Wada and T.M. Opera O's responsibility to bear.
Although T.M. Opera O had grown stronger, Wada was still genuinely terrified!
After all, even in his previous life, he had never been to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France.
Wada had always believed that a large part that contributed to their current success today was his future sight from his previous world.
Though there were some slight deviations, it still allowed them to avoid pitfalls in their training and planning to smoothly reach their current heights.
But the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was different. Wada had zero experience with it.
In fact, neither him nor T.M. Opera O had gone to the Prix de l'Arc before, which made the both of them doubly anxious.
Taking all of this into consideration, it was no wonder that Wada was scared of running in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Plus, Japanese Racehorses (and thus, Uma Musume in this world) tend to falter when racing abroad.
Although a few very strong individuals have broken this statement, the fact still remained that they had never won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
"Don't be so nervous, Wada. Don't you remember that T.M. Opera O is a part of the Sadler's Wells bloodline? She'll most likely adapt fine to the European tracks."
Imanami, who was seeing his junior's bad habit again, gave Wada a shot in the arm.
In his opinion, although T.M. Opera O and Wada had indeed never been to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in their previous lives before, saying they had no chance of winning just because of that was a fool's act.
T.M. Opera O has already grown stronger than her peak in their previous world. Who was to say she wouldn't continue to grow stronger?
Plus, even with just their current strength, if they managed to adapt to the European tracks well enough, winning was far from an impossibility.
But regardless, compared to T.M. Opera O, the bigger problem was Wada's lack of self-confidence.
Though they were the perfect pair, it was not without its weaknesses.
Once one of them starts to waver, problems would quickly expose themselves which could quickly lead to defeat, and for now, the one that was most likely to waver was Wada.
Humility was a good trait to have, but excessive amounts of it would only lead to you getting trampled by others.
Thus, Wada absolutely could not waver in his confidence; otherwise, no matter how good T.M. Opera O's condition was, her performance would be affected by Wada's negative emotions.
"Wada, now that the invitation is already in your hands, there is no use lamenting about it. Take the time you have now to study thoroughly and hone yours and T.M. Opera O's skills."
"That's right, Wada. Don't be so scared of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe! Just treat it like a normal GI! Look, didn't I try to go to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe twice? I failed both times, and it was nothing, right?"
"Ikezoe, your situation is completely different… but thanks anyways."
Fortunately, with the comforting words from the three, Wada's nervousness slowly dissipated away and he gradually regained his composure.
Wada knew very well that although the invitation listed both him and T.M. Opera O, he also knew that with his current skill level, he would definitely be more deadweight than anything.
All he could do was try his best to improve his skills.
"Trainer Nase, I—"
"No need to say more, Wada. I understand what needs to be done."
Fumino Nase waved her hand, indicating that Wada didn't need to continue for she had already understood what Wada wanted to do.
The capable woman crossed her legs, took out a pair of sunglasses from her pockets and adjusted them, creating a cool glint and exuding the charm of a dashing woman.
"I will teach you without reservation until the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. That was what I came here to do in the first place."
"Please! I will definitely study hard!"
Wada was now relieved and immediately prepared to face Fumino Nase's curriculum with a serious attitude, causing her to shake her head with a smile.
"But… I'm a little curious. If we're going to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, who are we going to be competing against this time?"
"Right. If we can know which Uma Musume beforehand, we can study their tactics and strategies to make some plans already."
As the four spoke, Wada once again took out the invitation.
He still didn't recognize a single French word on it, which made him murmur in annoyance:
"Can't they give us a Japanese translated version or something? Sigh.. okay…"
"…This name, it looks a little familiar."
At this moment, Imanami, who was looking at the list with the rest of the group, seemed to have noticed something noteworthy.
Immediately, everyone's gaze was drawn to Imanami.
Wada also exclaimed in surprise:
"Imanami-senpai, you know French?!"
"No, I don't know a word of French. I'm terrible with foreign languages."
Imanami shook his head upon hearing this, but he continued to stare at a specific word on the invitation and said faintly,
"But this spelling, I'm a little familiar with it. I might know this name."
"Who is it?"
At this, even Fumino Nase was drawn in.
Though she had a slight understanding of French, the flowery language used in it still made her feel overwhelmed; thus, she couldn't help but ask curiously.
"If I'm not mistaken, the meaning of this is…"
Imanami stroked his chin, diligently trying to recall what he found familiar about this word.
After a long while, he spoke slowly with a hint of uncertainty:
"French… something Academy... President… Montjeu?"
"...Montjeu?" X3
However, when Imanami uttered this term with an uncertain tone, Wada, Ikezoe, and Fumino Nase all subconsciously repeated it.
Gradually, they realized just how powerful the opponent that was waiting for them in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe truly was.
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First bit of China glaze in this fic
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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.