"So today's training plan is divided into two types... Ardan? Miss Ardan? Are you listening?"
Unconsciously, the next day had arrived. However, Ardan, who had been up all night, was inevitably a little dazed, oblivious to everything around her, her mind full of him and Muteki.
And now, his voice brought her back from her half-dreaming state. However, after the huge influx of information yesterday, even her dual-core GPU processor was showing signs of being overwhelmed after a night of calculation. For a moment, she even lost the dignity and elegance that was ingrained in her.
When she looked up and met his increasingly familiar face, Ardan's cheeks blushed almost reflexively, and she said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's, "—Ah, yes. I-I'm listening."
"What's wrong with you, Ardan? Didn't you sleep well last night?"
He immediately noticed her strangeness. And as someone who had lived intimately with her for several years, he was naturally more concerned about her physical condition than anyone else. But though he was worried, he didn't take immediate action, mainly because their relationship in this playthrough was different from before.
If it were their playthrough, upon discovering she was unwell, he would have immediately used the "forehead to forehead" wooden-headed way of building affection that McQueen had done to Teio in the anime—don't misunderstand, he wasn't doing it to take advantage of her. In fact, if he wanted to take advantage of her, he wouldn't need to resort to such small tricks. This was all something she had personally asked him to do back then.
"I've seen scenes like this in some of Dober's and Ryan's manga. So can I ask you, Mr. Trainer, to do this from now on?"—that's what she had told him back then. So from that day on, every time he manually took her temperature, it was with this intimate forehead-to-forehead method.
But obviously, he couldn't do that now. The Ardan of this playthrough was not the Ardan of the past who could be so intimate with him. They didn't have the emotional foundation of the past in this playthrough. If he made any rash moves... let's not even talk about whether she would slap him. Even if she was too gentle to do so, the Mejiro family wouldn't let him off...
Especially Mejiro Takamine. She was, in a way, a hidden sis-con. She would definitely not stand by and do nothing when it came to her most beloved sister.
What's more, there was still a Muteki on the team now. He still wasn't sure what attitude this suspected-to-have-memories-own-daughter had towards him... So if he rashly made a move on the mother she acknowledged, he'd better be careful not to get kicked to death by her.
"If you didn't rest well, you can go back first, Ardan. Don't force yourself."
"If you get sick, I... I won't be able to explain it to Miss Mejiro. And Muteki, she'll blame me."
"No... I just... thought about a lot of things yesterday."
Though she had been overly nervous at first, under his concern, Ardan slowly began to regain her composure. She slowly recalled what C.B. and Suzuka had discussed yesterday, about his health.
Her gaze also slowly shifted to him, who was still sitting in his wheelchair. She looked at his gentle and familiar face, and the thought that this trainer, who was not much older than her... would be tormented to death by his illness if his charges couldn't win races, a pang of extreme pain and unbearableness welled up in her heart...
Last night, Ardan had thought about a lot of things, about herself, about him and Muteki... Her reason had helped her come up with the most logical explanation from the existing clues. Though this explanation was still incredible, with him as a precedent, it actually became plausible.
But even if Ardan understood, even if she guessed so, she wouldn't really treat him as her... that, that person.
After all, this was all still speculation. And to suddenly have two people who were excessively close to her, but she was the only one who didn't know the truth—wasn't that strange?
But... why... was she so worried from the beginning? Both for him and for that child...
Ardan's feelings were extremely complicated. Her reason and emotion were constantly colliding in her mind, to the point where she was confused about what her next step should be—what attitude should she take to face him and Muteki again?
After thinking for a long time, she still had no answer. But in the end, she still took to heart the main point of Suzuka's and C.B.'s conversation, about his lifespan, and about not letting the other members of the team know about this immediately.
But at the very least, she had to know some of the truth... the truth that he would say himself.
"Mr. Trainer, you're planning to have Gold Ship and Miss Nakayama Festa challenge next year's Classic Triple Crown, right?"
"Hmm? Isn't that normal?"
Ardan's sudden change of topic made him pause for a moment. Especially since this topic was practically common sense for them—where was there a horse girl who wouldn't challenge the honor of the Classic Triple Crown in her classic year?
The Classic Triple Crown represented three G1 races that a horse girl could only challenge once in her life: the Satsuki Sho, the Japan Derby, and the Kikuka Sho.
These three races were endowed with the saying, "The fastest horse girl wins the Satsuki Sho, the luckiest wins the Derby, and the strongest wins the Kikuka Sho," which was enough to show their weight in Japanese racing—any horse girl who could win any one of these three races would be a leader of her era.
And if a horse girl could win all three races and become a Triple Crown horse girl, she would undoubtedly be the "strongest horse girl in Japan" of her era. No horse girl could resist this temptation. Nakayama Festa and Gold Ship, even if they didn't say it, would naturally be no exception.
He naturally also knew that with Nakayama Festa's historical race record, she had not won any of the Classic Triple Crown races. But he hadn't, for that reason, "rationally" suggested that she give up on challenging it.
He was rational because he knew the historical facts, but he couldn't force his charges to be as rational as him. The Classic Triple Crown, the race that all Japanese horse girls valued most, how could anyone know they weren't good enough without even trying?
What's more, even after hitting a wall once, not many horse girls gave up on the journey midway. If they gave up after one setback, how did Special Week win the Japan Derby?
There were some things he could insist on, but when it came to the race schedule, he had to respect the wishes of these children. If he forced them not to participate in a certain race, it would only make them feel that he didn't support them, which would only lead to them being unable to perform at their best, thus falling into a vicious cycle of "low mood → poor training effect → poor race performance → even lower mood after losing the race."
"But you know, right? This time in the Classic Triple Crown, they'll be up against Tokai Teio."
"Your health is not good, Mr. Trainer. I'm very worried... If both Miss Nakayama and Miss Gold Ship lose, your body..."
Seeing that he seemed to not know how terrifying Tokai Teio was, Ardan was still full of worry. Especially when she thought about Suzuka's and C.B.'s words, that his physical condition was directly linked to winning races, she became even more worried.
Ardan still knew of Tokai Teio's fame. After all, her sister, Mejiro McQueen, was the only rival she acknowledged. Mejiro McQueen had also explained their relative strengths to her.
"In mid-distance and mile races, I'm not as good as Teio. But in long-distance races, I'm confident I can win."
And in the Classic Triple Crown, the Satsuki Sho and the Japan Derby were both mid-distance races that Tokai Teio excelled at. Though the Kikuka Sho was a 3000-meter long-distance race, Ardan was very worried whether his body could hold out until then.
What's more, McQueen had said she could win against Teio, but that was also when she was at her best. You have to know, McQueen was the strongest horse girl in the history of the Mejiro family. She didn't even dare to say she could definitely win against Teio in a long-distance race. Teio's long-distance was a little weaker than McQueen's, but that didn't mean her long-distance was weak.
Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa... can they really beat Teio? Can he, Mr. Trainer, hold out until then?
"—Are you worried that I won't be able to take the blow? That I'll die of despair?"
However, he seemed to have heard the meaning behind her words and directly completed the latter half of her sentence that she hadn't finished. To this, he looked at the silent and sorrowful Ardan and, after letting out a breath, replied softly, "Don't worry, Ardan. I, Festa, and Gold Ship, we all know what kind of opponent we're facing. I have no doubt that Tokai Teio is a horse girl who can win the Undefeated Triple Crown. I also know that her talent and strength make her an absolutely formidable opponent."
"But I don't think Teio's dominance is absolute. Gold Ship and Festa, they are both best at creating miracles."
Tokai Teio was very strong. As someone who had once been her trainer, who knew this from historical facts, anime, and various angles, he did not think she was truly unbeatable.
Her historical record was fixed at the Undefeated Two Crowns. But coincidentally, Gold Ship's Classic Triple Crown record was also two crowns. And she had won the Satsuki Sho and Japan Derby, while Gold Ship had coincidentally won the Satsuki Sho and Kikuka Sho, which did not completely overlap with her dominant distance.
And in the showdown between Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen in the Spring Tenno Sho, he knew very well that it wasn't that she was no match for McQueen. It was just that she could run fewer and fewer long-distance races. Her result was only fifth, and she had fractured a bone again ten days after the race. This was enough to show that her dominance in long-distance was not strong.
And even in mid-distance, don't forget, Nakayama Festa was also a horse girl who became stronger when she met a strong opponent. The pressure from Tokai Teio might make her create some miracle—though it was a gamble, he could afford to gamble, because he still had two years of life.
His expectation for Gold Ship and Festa was a guaranteed Kikuka Sho, plus some GIIIs and GIIs. He should be able to gain two to three years of life in the classic year. So he dared to let them run against her for a whole classic year, and to confront her head-on!
"Teio is not unbeatable. She also has her weaknesses. Gold Ship and Festa will let her know the power of the Gold family."
"It's just..."
"Just?" Ardan saw that his confidence had suddenly turned into low spirits and couldn't help but ask. But she couldn't see through his deep eyes, nor could she see through them to the slightest fluctuation in his heart.
His only worry now was not the showdown in the classic year, but Tokai Teio's constitution... that pain that had transformed her from an "undefeated genius" to an "unyielding Emperor," her fate... should he interfere? And if he did, could he change her fate?
On this question, regarding the growth of this person he had once considered a daughter, he was at a loss. He had to temporarily forget these things and focus on the training of his own charges.
...Speaking of which, C.B. actually didn't come to the training ground today. That's rare.
He looked around. The morning practice was about to begin, but there was still no sign of her. This made him feel a little strange. She wasn't the type to slack off... Was there something urgent?
And in fact, he was right. C.B. was indeed busy with something urgent. Right now, she was in a head-on confrontation with her rival of two lifetimes, with an absolute determination that could not be backed down from, in a showdown of blades with Symboli Rudolf.
This was a showdown she had to win. For her, it was about everything that was most important to her.
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