Meanwhile, Mr. Imanami, on the other side, was clearly unaware of the tragedy that had befallen Ikezoe.
He had already found his way to Tracen Academy's training ground—a massive track about 3000 meters long.
Here, numerous Uma Musume in sportswear were training and participating in friendly races, letting Imanami being able to feast his eyes at scene before him.
Now don't get the wrong idea; Imanami was focused on the Uma Musume's running and speed.
"Hmm... it seems that even in humanoid form, they still possess the speed of Racehorses. It gives off the impression that they've become racehorses that can converse."
Imanami clutched the stopwatch he carried with him; he had already measured several sets of data from the different Uma musume participating in the friendly races.
As a seasoned jockey, although he had been retired for a long time, he was now rejuvenated by his transmigration.
Imanami could finally return to the track he once loved, to the Racehorse career he was passionate about.
Although he became a stableman in his old age, Imanami was different from Ikezoe.
Ikezoe was physically and mentally exhausted by various problem Racehorses; although he liked the Racehorses deep down, that was only under the premise that his own life was not threatened.
It was somewhat shameful to admit, but old man Imanami, despite his advanced age and a lifetime of working with Racehorses, had seen at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, Racehorses with peculiar temperaments.
Yet, an experience like Ikezoe's… even he couldn't truly empathize with it.
"Being able to talk to Racehorses… that's truly something I never imagined before.
If I could really talk to Racehorses, then I might have known what Gold Ship was thinking back then."
As Imanami pondered, he couldn't help but think of the Racehorse he cared the most about.
That somewhat peculiar, a very rambunctious, but ultimately endearing Racehorse named Gold Ship, which he couldn't bear to part with.
After he grew old, Gold Ship was his greatest concern; he was his pride and his honor. Imanami loved that child as if he was his own, and perhaps, the bond between a stableman and a Racehorse was exactly just that.
"Ah, I was so lost in thought that I forgot to time them. This group of girls ran quite well, but it's bid sad that I didn't time them accurately. Otherwise, I might have asked for their names."
Another set of friendly races for concluded. Imanami looked at the stopwatch still running in his hand, reset it to zero once more, and prepared to measure the data for the next group…
Just then, a clamor attracted Imanami's attention.
Two Uma musume not far from Imanami were conversing about something…
"McQueen, have you heard? Something has been circulating on the Academy forums that a pervert had snuck into the Academy."
"Really? That's terrible. The Academy's security definitely needs to be raised…
Was he caught in the end?"
"He was! Look, it says that big sister Orfevre has already subdued the pervert and that she even used some grappling techniques!"
"…Are you sure he's okay?"
The conversation between the two passing Horse Girls caught the attention of Imanami, the veteran Trainer.
The focal point of the conversation was not important but the mention of "McQueen" from the other girl did catch his utmost attention.
McQueen, even if it wasn't a common name, and according to Imanami's memory, there was only one Racehorse with that name...
The most famous and the glory of the Mejiro Family! Mejiro McQueen!
Imanami would not overlook the name of this Hall of Fame Racehorse, who was as renowned as Tokai Teio at the time.
He quickly turned around and saw the two passing Uma musume with white hair. It seems that both of them were gray horses.
Coincidentally, the slightly taller gray Uma's gaze had just moved from the girl beside her, and as if by a twist of fate, met Imanami's eyes as he looked over.
—Goldship abruptly stops in her tracks.
"…Hmm? What's wrong, Gold Ship?" The Horse Girl in front, seeing her companion suddenly stop, turned to look at the gray Uma musume named "Gold Ship."
Upon noticing Gold Ship's gaze fixed in another direction, she followed Gold Ship's line of sight and also saw Imanami's figure.
Who was this?Was he an acquaintance of Gold Ship? Was he visiting Tracen Academy? Many possibilities flashed through McQueen's mind.
The next moment, she saw Gold Ship, who seemed as if they were possessed, walk straight towards that person.
"—Wait, Gold Ship?" McQueen also took a few steps to catch up with Gold Ship, feeling that something wasn't quite right.
McQueen was quite familiar with Gold Ship.
Since their first meeting, Gold Ship had often played pranks on her.
When others were training, she was always doing things completely unrelated to training, yet her performance was always surprisingly good. She is a Uma musume with a very peculiar personality.
But even so, McQueen admitted that although Gold Ship seemed to have a somewhat erratic thought process, she was still an existence that could be called a rival.
Although their relationship wasn't particularly good, it was still harmonious.
But… this was the first time she had seen Gold Ship show such… a serious expression?
McQueen didn't know how to describe Gold Ship's emotions at the moment, but she just felt that at this time, it was better not to disturb Gold Ship.
However, she was also very curious about the answer, so she decided to be an observer and listen to the whole process.
At this moment, Gold Ship had already walked in front of Imanami. her height of 170 centimeters allowed her to be at almost eye level with Imanami.
After a long pause, Imanami was the first to break the silence.
"—Gold Ship? That's your name, right?" Imanami looked at the roan Horse Girl in front of him, an almost involuntary expression of paternal affection appearing on his face, and said gently:
"Hello, my name is Imanami Takatoshi, the new Trainer at Tracen Academy, and I am looking for a suitable Uma musume to be my charge."
"Eh? You're the new Trainer?" McQueen, who seemed somewhat familiar with Imanami's name, stepped forward proactively and asked with a hint of surprise in her tone:
"I heard before that there was a new Trainer who took first place in the latest Central Trainer exam and was promoted as the most outstanding rookie Trainer of that class…"
"Wait, Imanami Takatoshi? I remember that name? Is that you?" McQueen only realized it belatedly, that the man standing in front of her was actually the top ranking trainer among the rookie trainers.
She then elegantly performed a young lady's bow, smiled and said:
"That was truly rude of me. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Mejiro McQueen, and this is Gold Ship."
"Is Mr. Imanami looking for a suitable Horse Girl to be his charge? I believe our Mejiro Family definitely has suitable candidates for you…"
Mejiro McQueen's thoughts were simple: if a new Trainer like Imanami, who was evaluated as the most outstanding of his class, could join the Mejiro Family and become their exclusive Trainer, then Imanami's talent could surely be maximized.
The Mejiro Family had the best resources and training conditions, and even their Horse Girls were undoubtedly among the top tier.
If suitable, it might even allow the Mejiro Family to have a few more Uma musume who can conquer the Tenno Sho, extending the Mejiro Family's honor.
Such were Mejiro McQueen's expectations of Imanami.
"I'm still looking around, thank you for your concern, Miss Mejiro, I will consider it," Imanami said subtly, then quickly turned his gaze to Gold Ship beside him, and asked with a smile:
"So, Miss Gold Ship, could you run a lap so I can test your abilities?"
"Eh? Gold Ship?" Mejiro McQueen was also surprised by Imanami's polite refusal of her invitation and his choice of Gold Ship.
However, she quickly composed herself.
She thought that Gold Ship, with her aversion to being told what to do and dislike of training, would definitely refuse, right?
Then, as long as she performed well, she could persuade Imanami to become the Mejiro Family's Trainer.
However, the next moment, something shocking happened that left McQueen with her mouth slightly open in bewilderment
—"Can't be helped, I suppose."
After a slight pause, Gold Ship accepted Imanami's suggestion with a smile, feigning an indifferent expression as she said:
"Although I don't know why, your tone of voice is just like an old man, so I'll just call you 'Old Man'."
"If Old Man wants to see the magnificent running of Gold Ship-sama, then I'll run a lap for you. Is 2000 meters enough?"
"Alright, that's the exact distance of the Satsuki Sho." Imanami said, nodding in agreement with a smile:
"If possible, let's do another 3000 meters.
You're better at long distances, aren't you?"
"You even know that? It seems you pay a lot of attention to me." Gold Ship was a little surprised to hear that. She herself didn't know why she had such a strange feeling towards this person, who spoke like an old man, even though they had just met.
However, Gold Ship knew that she didn't dislike the other party, and moreover, she seemed to have a very deep impression that they got along very well.
"No choice, even though it's troublesome, I'll run two races for you to see. Remember this, to engrave Gold Ship-sama's magnificent running in your memory, Old Man."
With that, Gold Ship, without another word, excitedly ran towards the track.
Imanami, without any unnecessary words, started his stopwatch, beginning to record Gold Ship's current speed.
All of this, however, stunned the neglected Mejiro McQueen.
Mejiro McQueen looked at Imanami, then at Gold Ship who was on the track, and subconsciously touched her head, wondering if she was ill and experiencing a hallucination…
But soon, McQueen snapped out of her shock and looked at Imanami with a slightly complex expression, muttering to herself in her heart:
"To be able to even subdue Gold Ship… This man… Is quite extraordinary. If he is someone who can even control that child, then perhaps… it means that his skill level is even more excellent, then my Trainer might be…"
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I'm a newbie translator and wanted to add more uma fics for more people to read. if there are any errors, multiple of the same text or sentence, let me know.
The original story is: 训过实马的我们穿越了怎么还要训赛马娘? and belongs to: 许氏子谦