A few days later, after Meisho Doto's condition was confirmed to have no serious issues, the group returned to Tracen Academy—however, this time, before they could even enter Tracen Academy, Wada and his group were swarmed by a group of reporters who seemed to be staking out the place.
However, Wada didn't even acknowledge the huge crowd of reporters. Instead, he instructed T.M. Opera O and Meisho Doto to just go inside the Academy, as Tracen Academy does not allow unauthorized personnel, including reporters, to enter on normal days.
Wada gave zero shits about what these annoying pests thought was going on inside their team, nor about the public being led astray by the misconceptions made by the media. In this day and age, people are only willing to believe in what they want to believe in, and the media sure are skilled at skewing data and words to tell everyone the results they want to hear.
Therefore, any remarks or explanations would only make things worse. Just say what was necessary without adding any other comments, and in about a week, everyone would have forgotten about it—this was the optimal solution.
"Trainer... I'm sorry... Because of me, you and T.M. Opera O encountered so much trouble..."
After finally breaking through the tide of reporters and asking Hayakawa Tazuna to close the gates of Tracen Academy, Meisho Doto clutched Wada's hand, extremely uneasy from the start of the ordeal to the end, and timidly said: "I-I'm really useless, aren't I? I've caused so much trouble for everyone..."
"Meisho Doto, don't be so hard on yourself. This matter is clearly not just aimed at us. The people behind this are most likely targeting our entire team which had been garnering prominence lately, or if they're daring enough, Tracen Academy itself. Main point is, we are merely the trigger point for someone to make an issue out of later to cause us to collapse from within."
Wada responded to Meisho Doto while also patting Meisho Doto's cheek with great seriousness, allowing the Uma Musume to regain some spirit, and then continued: "And because we're the trigger point, we can't let them get the better of us by lashing out at those reporters in blind anger. If we crumble from within first, the only ones to benefit from it will be those people who caused this trouble for us in the first place, not us. So, for now, just trust in the process, trust in us. We'll handle this matter."
"And... in the Kikuka Sho, if possible, you should still not participate. After you've rested enough, I will arrange some other GIIs or GIs for you."
"But, but if I'm not in the Kikuka Sho—can T.M. Opera O..."
Meisho Doto stopped halfway, unable to continue, because T.M. Opera O was right beside Wada at the moment. She really couldn't bring herself to say it: if she wasn't there to cover for T.M. Opera O in the Kikuka Sho, would T.M. Opera O's Classic Triple Crown dream be cut short right at the end?
Although the Japanese Derby was considered to be the most prestigious of the Classic Triple Crowns, there is a fundamental difference between the Japanese Derby and the Kikuka Sho. As the saying goes, the fastest wins the Satsuki Sho, the luckiest wins the Japanese Derby, and the strongest wins the Kikuka Sho.
Firstly, the distance of the Kikuka Sho alone would make a large number of Uma Musume intimidated—it was a full 3000 meters on turf. Most Uma Musume who generally only run mile or medium-distance races are already deterred by this distance alone.
Even Oguri Cap, one of the greatest and brightest stars that had ever graced Japan's Uma Musume scene, usually only raced in mile and medium distance. A 3000-meter long-distance race against opponents of similar strength was no small challenge, even for a figure as legendary as her.
Luckily, both she and T.M. Opera O had aptitudes in running long races which reassured Doto greatly. However, she also didn't forget that Mejiro McQueen would also be participating in the Kikuka Sho!
Mejiro McQueen, a name that represented too many things, the most representative of which was the surname "Mejiro." Everyone knew that every Uma Musume from the Mejiro Family has an inherent advantage in long-distance races alongside their goal of winning the Tenno Shos. And not only does T.M. Opera O have to deal with her, but Admire Vega and Narita Top Road too—without her support, could T.M. Opera O really overcome all of them?
Perhaps in terms of final spurts, T.M. Opera O would beat Mejiro McQueen, but in a long-distance race like the Kikuka Sho, Mejiro McQueen's monstrous stamina, coupled with her already impressive final spurt... Meisho Doto's thoughts couldn't help but turn pessimistic.
"Hahahahahahaha! My most beloved subject, you should have more faith in your Overlord!"
However, T.M. Opera O burst into confident laughter upon hearing this, patted Meisho Doto's shoulder, and then casually patted Wada beside her, saying: "Not only am I the Overlord! But I also have my most loyal subject! With such a combination, ruling this era would not just be a possibility, but an inevitability! So Doto, there's no need to worry about us at all. For now, you just need to recuperate, and then, become someone strong enough to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with me!"
"T.M. Opera O... good luck."
Meisho Doto still felt somewhat uneasy upon hearing this, but T.M. Opera O's words made sense. Even Meisho Doto believed that the combination of her Trainer and T.M. Opera O was unstoppable.
Perhaps I was just overly paranoid... "In that case, I'll go back to my dorm and rest first... T.M. Opera O, Trainer, you two, I wish you two the best of luck. You absolutely must win the Kikuka Sho. I'm really looking forward to it. Even if I might not be able to participate in the Kikuka Sho, I will definitely bless you two."
Meisho Doto also gently waved her hand before slowly leaving the scene. Her physical recovery was going well, but this period of downtime was definitely necessary for her mental state. Perhaps this might delay her training progress, but Wada hoped more that Meisho Doto could fully come to terms with herself and accept herself the way she is without trying to tie herself to T.M. Opera O.
"—Then I should also go back and rest a bit. Ryuji, about those reporters... if you need me, just tell me anytime." T.M. Opera O also bid farewell to Wada as if nothing had happened.
Despite her usual charismatic personality, she wasn't really good at dealing with reporters. Instead, she was worried that she might accidentally lose control and say or do something that would lead to serious consequences. Therefore, T.M. Opera O confidently entrusted the situation to Wada, deciding to not cause him any trouble.
However, after bidding farewell to Wada, T.M. Opera O did not, as she had said, head towards her dormitory to rest. Instead, she silently walked step by step towards the training ground, her face turning into an indescribable mask of anger and annoyance.
"...Are you angry?"
And at this moment, the figure of "T.M. Opera O" slowly emerged beside T.M. Opera O, speaking with a somewhat serious tone: "Because his status as a Trainer was questioned?"
"...You should understand, my other self, as the Overlord, I would not get angry over a few yapping puppies at my feet. That would be an insult to the Overlord's magnanimity."
However, T.M. Opera O's face still held a smile, yet that smile held an eerie edge to it, unlike her usual confident smile which could turn every insult into praise. It was a fake smile. If Wada had been there, he would probably be startled by T.M. Opera O's expression, never expecting T.M. Opera O to be capable of looking that creepy and terrifying.
T.M. Opera O's temper was indeed very good. No matter how much hostility, jealousy, or resentment the people around her had directed to her, she could carry on as if nothing had happened. She could gladly take in all the malicious words as "praise," because all that jealousy and resentment were all based on her strength.
But that didn't mean that she would let anyone harm her beloved Trainer, tarnish his reputation, or question their bond. If one were to spew insults at T.M. Opera O, she would, at most, respond in a tone that ranged from confident to arrogant depending on how insulting the insult was; but if they were to spew insults at Wada, T.M. Opera O would likely genuinely be incapable of maintaining her outwardly peaceful demeanor and her good temper.
A magnanimous Overlord also has a temper, and once someone crosses that line, the consequences can be very severe.
"My other self, can you help me? Help me become a true Overlord!"
"—That is why I'm here, me." "T.M. Opera O" smiled slightly upon hearing this. However, even though she was just a phantom, her face also showed an expression similar to T.M. Opera O's current smile—very cold, and very combative.
"In the end, we're both the same person, aren't we? I'm also a little angry."
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Me when I have to kill someone because the voices in my head told me to.
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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.