It was night at Tracen Academy, and T.M. Opera O had accepted Hana Toujou's invitation to receive special training.
At this time of night, the track was, of course, almost deserted, which was why it was a popular spot for special "individualized training" among Tracen Academy's Trainers.
"Keep running, T.M. Opera O, your rhythm is excellent right now. If you maintain this speed, the Mainichi Hai is ours!"
"Yes!"
Hana Toujou encouraged T.M. Opera O to continue solidifying her Late Surger running style as arranged, and now, even Hana Toujou felt that T.M. Opera O's current Late Surger style no longer required further training.
After all, Late Surger was the running style that T.M. Opera O used to win both her Debut Race and the Yukinayanagi Sho.
After her Debut Race, Hana Toujou had been training T.M. Opera O exclusively with the Late Surger running style, and the results were very good—at least Hana Toujou felt that, given T.M. Opera O's current progress, winning a GII, let alone the GIII Mainichi Hai, wouldn't be a problem.
Just then, a figure slowly emerged from the darkness, walked behind Hana Toujou, and leisurely spoke:
"Late Surger, huh... She is good at it, but I don't think it's the most suitable running style for T.M. Opera O."
"Hmm?"
Hana Toujou was slightly startled by the voice behind her.
At such a late hour, the only person she knew who would sneak out like this was that lazy Okino, who she was quite familiar with.
This voice, however, was not his, so she immediately became vigilant.
But soon, with the help of the lights, Hana Toujou clearly saw the person, slowly relaxed her muscles, and said calmly,
"Next time, don't act so mysterious. You're lucky we're in Tracen Academy; if we were outside, I would've thought that you were a pervert and would have already thrown you over my shoulder, Trainer Wada."
"So, why are you here now? Are you trying to scout for information? I don't mind, you know."
"You could say that. After all, the Mainichi Hai is coming up soon."
Wada made no attempt to hide his purpose; he was indeed here to scout.
Although he and Doto had watched replays of T.M. Opera O's Yukinayanagi Sho and analyzed T.M. Opera O's rate of progress several times.
Things could have changed since then, especially since Wada knew how quickly T.M. Opera O can grow, practically changing day by day.
Therefore, during the days leading up to the Mainichi Hai, it was best for him to watch T.M. Opera O's run every day to check on her progress.
However, because of this, unbeknownst to Wada, Doto herself was a little unhappy.
Though the Mainichi Hai was approaching with it being a time for intensified training, and even though she knew Wada's scouting was to increase her chances of winning, she was still a bit unhappy that Wada's gaze was so focused on T.M. Opera O.
But Doto had nothing to say about it; after all, she knew her Trainer was doing it for her own good...
"Quite honest, aren't you?"
Hana Toujou, seeing someone as blunt as Wada for the first time, closed the report card in her hand and said calmly:
"Do as you please. I'll give you five minutes; I'm going to buy a bottle of water. After five minutes, please kindly leave and return to doing whatever else you need to do."
"Thank you."
Wada smiled as he saw Hana Toujou off.
Although this Trainer was strict, she was certainly not a bad person.
Even though Wada was now her competitor, she still tolerated him.
This made Wada, who had some bad experiences with colleagues in the past, quite grateful.
Perhaps he had become accustomed to people around him not giving him a good look.
At this moment, having an opponent who competed fairly with him was considered a good person to Wada.
And just after Hana Toujou left, T.M. Opera O, who had been running halfway, suddenly stopped and walked straight towards Wada...
"Hahahahaha! Trainer Wada, you really are coming to watch my live performance every single day~ You must've been captivated by my Aura, haven't you~"
T.M. Opera O made no attempt to contain her exaggerated movements in front of Wada, not even her narcissism.
Clearly, it wasn't the first time she had seen Wada during training.
Ever since the mock race, T.M. Opera O often saw Wada observing nearby during her training.
The two occasionally exchanged a few words, and T.M. Opera O also found this quite relaxing.
Coupled with Hana Toujou not objecting, T.M. Opera O became more familiar with Wada.
The two, very comfortably, found a place to sit down.
Wada handed the water in his hand to T.M. Opera O, watching her slowly drink, but his eyes consciously glanced over, and he said with a smile:
"In a while, it will be the Mainichi Hai, T.M. Opera O."
"Indeed! I, the Overlord, must also compete with my most beloved subject... Hahahaha, fate truly works in mysterious ways!"
T.M. Opera O wasn't worried about the Mainichi Hai at all; instead, she jokingly said to Wada:
"Trainer Wada, you must be careful. Even though your ambitious words from back then still echo in my ears, I, as the Overlord, will not hold back, you know?"
"Furthermore, even though Trainer Toujou didn't go to watch, I watched the entire mock race, and Doto's performance is vivid in my memory. Though she will be a tough opponent, she's still somewhat behind me."
"So, if you lose, Trainer Wada, do not cry! Instead, you must smile and praise me for my victory!"
However, as she spoke, for some reason, even though Wada hadn't reacted yet, T.M. Opera O, upon thinking that if she won against Doto and thus couldn't join Wada's team, felt a dull, stifling sensation in her chest... How strange...
Victory is the goal we Uma Musume naturally pursue, so why do I suddenly find myself disliking victory...?
"...What's wrong?"
Wada, however, seemed to share senses with T.M. Opera O.
Although T.M. Opera O's demeanor was as usual, Wada sensed her mood suddenly dip.
"—Hahahahaha! I just find it amazing that I seem to have no secrets in front of you~"
T.M. Opera O immediately masked her low spirit with a flamboyant burst of laughter.
This was her most common method; whether to break awkwardness, hide emotions, or cover up her embarrassment, she would laugh loudly, almost never revealing sadness.
However, at this moment, under Wada's gaze, that gentle gaze that seemed to see through even her innermost thoughts, T.M. Opera O's laughter grew softer and softer, until finally, even her ears drooped slightly, and for the first time, an expression other than confidence appeared on her face.
"...You're really strange, Wada. When I look into your eyes, I always feel like you can see through all my secrets..."
T.M. Opera O's voice even lost its exaggerated tone, finally talking like a normal person.
If Hana Toujou or her other teammates were here, they would probably be startled by T.M. Opera O's sudden change.
But for Wada, this seemed to be T.M. Opera O's true self—no, it should be said that every facet was T.M. Opera O's true self.
Whether T.M. Opera O was confident or unconfident, it was all her genuine self.
"Perhaps we have met in a past life, who knows?"
Wada also smiled and reached out to ruffle T.M. Opera O's head.
T.M. Opera O's ears instinctively perked up, but not long after, they drooped down again, soft and limp.
"...No one has ever ruffled my head like this except my parents, not even Trainer Toujou."
T.M. Opera O was also a bit surprised that her reaction was unexpectedly not resistant at all.
To maintain her "dignity," she almost never allowed others to arbitrarily pat her head, not even her closest companions.
How could she, the Overlord, be petted like a pet by others?
Such a thing can never happen!—This thought completely vanished after Wada's action.
"Could it be that we really met in a past life? And the dream I had at night wasn't just dreamt by me alone?"
"...A dream?"
Wada stopped his actions upon hearing this.
It was the first time he had heard about T.M. Opera O's "dream," especially since this dream seemed to be related to him.
"What kind of dream was it, T.M. Opera O?"
Wada couldn't help but press; he had a hunch, and this hunch also made Wada feel that it was his only possible chance to defeat T.M. Opera O.
T.M. Opera O, however, paused slightly upon hearing this, trying to recall the fragments of her dreams—most were fragmented memories, but... there were also some things she remembered.
"In that dream... I don't know what it was, but I seemed to... have seen you in that dream..."
"I saw you crying bitterly, riding on a... hmm... some kind of four-legged creature, and I seemed to be... floating beside you?"
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Does she know?
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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.