When Mizuki arrived at the cafeteria, she found a massive crowd of girls. She figured school must have let out late today.
She felt helpless, she had tried to manage her time perfectly to avoid the rush, but she had failed miserably.
In reality, everyone was there because of her diary. A bunch of Uma Musume were waiting in anticipation: 'When will it be our turn for an update?'
They all wanted to know their real-horse endings. For example, Haru Urara was trembling with excitement, wanting to know if she ever successfully debuted. Admire Vega was outwardly pushing herself to the limit, but secretly doing it all for her sister. And Winning Ticket— did she ever ascend the throne of the Japan Derby?
All of this would gradually be revealed.
[Finally finished eating. For some reason, as soon as I sat down today, that little witch Sweep Tosho wouldn't stop glaring at me with gritted teeth.]
[I thought I had something on my face. I told her I'd start charging her if she kept staring. She got so mad she lunged at me, trying to scratch me with those short little arms of hers. Luckily, Dorm Leader Fuji Kiseki was around to restrain her.]
[Have fun joining the Sweeping Gang, Tosho-chan!]
[I have to wonder why she acted like that though. What new magic did that unlucky kid cook up now?]
[Tough times... having a brain like that at such a young age. Ikezoe, I feel for you.]
[And the Little Witch wasn't the only one. The most ridiculous part was that halfway through my meal, a blonde Horse Girl came up to me— the Golden Tyrant, Orfevre.]
[Now, this one is a real heavyweight.]
[She was so mad she challenged me to a duel. I totally panicked— I told her, "Your strength as an Uma Musume is way beyond a normal person's, this is making things very difficult for me!"]
[She just shot back: "Difficult? Then obediently surrender and take your beating!"]
[Holy crap, is she for real?!]
[When I told her that I'd call the Student Council on her, she really wanted to flip the table, but then she realized the tables in the Tracen cafeteria are bolted down with iron plates. She couldn't budge it.]
[I laughed. I bet she tried flipping them before, so now they've been reinforced.]
[But I stopped laughing pretty quickly.]
[When Orfevre realized she couldn't flip the table, she went berserk. She planted her feet, tightened her grip on the table, and started pulling upwards.]
[I could immediately hear the bolts creaking from the strain!]
[Thank goodness Curren Chan arrived and calmed her down, otherwise, she really would have flipped the table onto me.]
[Orfevre left me with one final line: "Tonight at 8:00 PM, Shogi duel. I'll show you just how smart my brain is."]
[I laughed. Shogi? To be honest, I didn't know much about it when I first arrived, but I'm a high-level player at Chess. I picked it up in an instant.]
[Just watch me wipe the floor with her tonight. She won't know what hit her!]
After Mizuki finished writing this segment, everyone else was dying of laughter.
In the United States.
"This Orfevre is quite a character indeed," Flightline said seriously. She looked very elegant— a girl with long, straight black hair. At first glance, people would take her for a cold, intellectual goddess. Even just standing there, she exuded the aura of a powerhouse.
However, as soon as she finished speaking, someone beside her chimed in.
"You have the nerve to talk about others? Who was it that got too excited after winning her debut and slammed straight into the railing, resulting in a four-month recovery period?" A British girl grumbled.
"Ahem... that was me." Flightline blushed.
She was a bit of a "natural airhead." She actually had an even more embarrassing story: Before her debut, she accidentally injured herself, leaving a very noticeable scar on her butt. Luckily, other people couldn't see it, so it wasn't that humiliating.
What she didn't know, however, was that while others in the Uma Musume world might not see it, it was clear as day on the real horse's hindquarters. Flightline was powerful, but she was definitely a blockhead.
In China.
"Are the people in Tracen really that wild?"
Invincible had already started packing her bags. She took countless Chinese specialties and, after checking in with her parents, planned to head to Tracen Academy to find Mizuki and then Mejiro Ardan.
Racing isn't very popular in China, and good tracks are rare. But in Japan, that wouldn't be a problem.
Invincible was flying for the first time. She reached the ticket gate and checked in. Since there aren't many active Uma Musume in China, she attracted a lot of attention as soon as she appeared. Being a social butterfly, she wasn't afraid at all.
In Ireland.
"Orfevre... how scary..."
Solemia was extremely timid. She thought to herself how lucky she was not to be at Tracen, if she met Orfevre, she'd probably cry every single time. Her presence was incredibly weak.
Her goal was the Arc de Triomphe, but she felt that the opponents there were all terrifying monsters. She felt she definitely couldn't do it— she was afraid she'd be crying while running.
Solemia was somewhat similar to Meisho Doto, but with one difference: She was a social butterfly when meeting kind Uma Musume, but wilted immediately when meeting aggressive ones.
Her Trainer had quite a headache. If she really ran into someone like Orfevre at the Arc, there might be no solution.
But then again, Solemia was the child the Trainer believed could create miracles.
Mizuki's diary continued.
[Back at Spica for a quick afternoon nap.]
[Finally, the race between McQueen and Teio is here. Is this a precursor to the famed Tenno-Sho Spring showdown?]
[A total of ten horses are participating: McQueen, Teio, Nice Nature, Copano Rickey, Twin Turbo, Matikane Tannhauser, Mejiro Dober, Mejiro Ryan, Mayano Top Gun, and Marvelous Sunday.]
[Marvelous Sunday is a total social butterfly. Her catchphrase is "Marvelous!"]
[How should I put it? I just love 'Marvelous' talents like that. So noisy and lively— how wonderful.]
[Marvelous Sunday, I've added you as a friend, remember to decline it in a bit.]
At this point, a bunch of Uma Musume felt their CPUs burning out.
Daitaku Helios stared in a daze. "Hahaha! There's actually a way to say that? I learned something new! I'm using that from now on. 'I've already added you as a friend, remember to decline it in a bit'!"
She thought of trying this on Daiichi Ruby, the young lady from a family known as the "Noble Family." Helios had liked her at first sight, but Ruby had flatly refused her requests for communication. Only Helios kept proactively reaching out.
If it weren't for true love, who would be willing to keep giving like that?
Elsewhere:
"This girl is full of it."
Mejiro Ramonu rolled her eyes, but she was also amused.
Ramonu wondered if there was a way to "arrange" something for Trainer Mizuki. This Trainer talked trash every day, sometimes she got so angry at night she wanted to punch her. She felt there had to be a way.
'No rush.'
[This race looks like it's going to be intense.]
[Twin Turbo came up and started barking at me immediately, saying she was going to absolutely destroy Spica and Tokai Teio.]
[She made a bet: if she loses, she'll clean the Spica room for a week.]
[If Spica loses, we have to clean their Canopus room. I laughed. Is this girl a total blockhead?]
[Unfortunately, I am cold and ruthless, I won't show mercy to an idiot. A free cleaning worker— might as well take it.]
[Seeking her own destruction. Stupid beyond belief.]
Mizuki started her sharp critique. Twin Turbo, seeing this, nearly fainted from rage. Her name was Twin Turbo, not "Free Cleaning Worker"! She vowed to slap this Trainer's face hard.
'Trainer Mizuki-san, you're making me so mad!'
[The race started. Everyone broke from the gates quickly.]
[Let's look at the situation.]
[Twin Turbo exploded out of the gate immediately— truly the last of the "Great Escape Idiot" runners.]
[Teio, McQueen, and Neicha-san are mostly in the lead pack.]
[There are a lot of spectators nearby, after all, it's McQueen vs. Teio.]
[3000 meters. I wonder what the final result will be...]
On the track.
"McQueen..."
Teio fixed her gaze on Mejiro McQueen. She moved her legs, her aura radiating as she bit tightly onto the figure ahead. Any ordinary Uma Musume would have been affected by Teio's pressure...
But Mejiro McQueen looked straight ahead, her long hair flowing, completely unmoved.
The countless Umas watching their duel couldn't help but be stunned, the speed was incredible. Some clenched their fists, seeing the undeniable gap between themselves and the likes of McQueen and Teio.
That kind of speed and stamina was hard to bridge.
Behind McQueen, Mejiro Dober's speed was noticeably lacking. She could only chase with all her might, but in her heart, she felt that the Mejiro family's pride— the Tenno Sho Spring— might have to be left to McQueen and Ryan. She couldn't keep up with their pace.
Mejiro Ryan was in the Late Surger pack, as this was the style that suited her best. In this mock race, she was naturally running with everything she had. Her biggest rival for the Tenno Sho Spring was Mejiro McQueen.
The final 500 meters.
Mejiro Ryan held nothing back. She stepped out, unleashing her final reserves.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
Her deafening roar rang in the ears of all the Umas. A stream of light, like aura, intertwined on her body, looking like countless blue bolts of lightning dancing around her.
Seeing Mejiro Ryan's pursuit, Tokai Teio immediately accelerated again. She truly had talent worthy of her pride, in an instant, her steps became dense as she surged forward.
McQueen also bit her lip, electric sparks flashing across her body. The next second, she exploded forward. Countless streams of light emerged, and her aura became terrifying to the extreme.
For a moment, the three girls were neck and neck. It was spectacular.
In the spectator stands:
"It's over. It's all over."
Ikuno Dictus's gaze was on Twin Turbo. She saw that Turbo had completely lost her speed, heartlessly overtaken by the trio of Teio, McQueen, and Ryan.
'What a despairing sight, Twin Turbo. You're going to be cleaning again.'
Soon, at the final moment, the three of them crossed the line almost simultaneously.
The champion was McQueen. Second was Ryan. Third was Tokai Teio.
This was normal. Tokai Teio was a girl in her Classic year, even a genius who takes the world by storm in their Classic year can be dominated when facing more experienced and mature Senior Uma Musume in the Arima Kinen. Losing by such a small margin is impressive on Teio's part.
Additionally, a long distance like 3000 meters was Mejiro McQueen's home turf. She had the confidence to surpass any Uma Musume, even if it was Tokai Teio.
After all, she had been training desperately with the 3200m Tenno Sho (Spring) as her goal. If she lost here, that would be abnormal.
"I'm only third? Fake! It's all fake! Am I the same as Neicha-san now?!" Tokai Teio wailed and complained, accidentally dealing a critical blow to Nice Nature's heart.
'Can we please forget that I always get third?'
"Hey, Twin Turbo, are you okay?" Nature said, suddenly noticing the dizzy Twin Turbo beside her.
Thump!
Twin Turbo wobbled, lost her balance, and fell backward onto the ground, foaming at the mouth. She had once again given her all, exhausting every bit of strength in her body. She couldn't move at all.
She lay on the ground, her eyes spinning in circles. She had only one thought: 'Let me just lie here, forget everything, and be a like a dead fish. Nobody disturb me.'
"Hey, hey, you dummy, what's the matter with you?" Nature was at a loss.
She crouched down, looking down at Twin Turbo while fanning her with her hand. "Seriously... so arrogant before the race, and now you can't move after it. Couldn't you have saved some energy?"
Seeing Nice Nature, Twin Turbo squeezed out one last bit of strength: "Neicha-san... what rank was I?"
Nature replied: "Tenth. Oh, and just to add— there were only ten participants. You're dead last."
Twin Turbo completely gave up on life and lay there, not wanting to say another word.
Mizuki arrived as well and walked up to Twin Turbo. "Tsk tsk tsk. Look at you, collapsed already. Twin Turbo, didn't you want to defeat me? Didn't you want first place? Is this it? Such a small fry, truly a loser."
Hearing this, Twin Turbo's lips twitched. She desperately wanted to stand up and argue. This Trainer Mizuki was too much— calling her a "loser"!
She just made a mistake this time, that's all. Sooner or later, she would take the championship with her Great Escape!
But now she was completely drained of strength, and knowing she had come in dead last was a dual blow to her body and spirit, she didn't want to say a word.
"Actually, the way you run is quite unique," Mizuki said with a smile. "Except for the part where you can't win, there are currently no flaws."
Initially, Twin Turbo felt a spark of joy when Mizuki said her running style was unique, but her next sentence left her utterly dumbfounded.
'Trainer Mizuki-san, how is it that you talk even more cuttingly than Nature?!'
With her and Nice Nature flanking her on both sides, playing off one another, Twin Turbo was completely numb.
"Alright, alright, you don't need to clean. We just did a major cleaning at Spica. Daiwa Scarlet got some special cleaning potions from Agnes Tachyon, and they're actually quite effective."
"Aren't you grateful to me? Twin Turbo, don't fall for me, I'm just an average Trainer."
Mizuki started trash-talking again.
'Fall for you?! I'll fall for your mother!!!'
Twin Turbo was fuming, but knowing she didn't have to clean made her feel grateful deep down, even if she acted angry.
In this back-and-forth, she was completely at Mizuki's mercy, she simply couldn't compete when she's this tired.
"Alright, alright, Turbo, don't get worked up," Neicha-san comforted her once again. Twin Turbo finally calmed down, she had nearly passed out from frustration just now.
At that moment, the sun began to sink below the horizon. Mizuki led McQueen and the others through some final training, and then it was time to head back. After seeing everyone off, she received more real-horse information.
In Tracen Academy, there were races every day, which was a great thing for her. However, when she saw the real-horse content she drew for the evening, she was completely stunned.
[Holy crap, I mean, holy crap. It looks like this time, I've drawn a real psycho.]
[The fake psycho: Orfevre. The real psycho: Stay Gold.]
[His life could be described as incredibly spectacular, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the ultimate stepping stone in JRA history.]
[When he was first born, he was gentle and quiet, willing to chew carrots with the other foals. But once the Golden Bloodline awakened, he transformed into a total asshole.]
[I'm honestly impressed. He later became a horse with a severe temperament difficulties. The things he did included, but were not limited to: kicking and destroying laser therapy equipment, veering wildly during races, attacking other horses, and even walking upright on two legs for ten steps, terrifying the rider on his back.]
[That move— "Killing a man in ten steps"— can any of you do that?]
[His debut was relatively rocky. He first suffered two losses in a row before finally debuting in the third. After debuting, he didn't win many races. His most brilliant battle was the Akanko Tokubetsu held at Sapporo Racecourse.]
[Stay Gold participated and took the championship in that graded stakes race. However, Stay Gold didn't know what that meant for his future yet.]
[After taking the Akanko title and becoming the "Great General of Lake Akan", he sank straight to the bottom of the lake, starting an ultimate losing streak of 28 consecutive losses, simultaneously becoming the ultimate stepping stone for all other horses!]
[Low EQ: 28-loss streak.]
[High EQ: Losing to collect interest.]
[The "Great General of Lake Akan"— so tragic.]
[Later, in '98, he first became a stepping stone for Special Week and Grass Wonder. In the '98 Tenno Sho Autumn, the heavy favorite Silence Suzuka suffered a sudden accident and had to withdraw. Stay Gold had a chance to win, but he veered off-course and lost yet again.]
[But what accident did Suzuka have? What happened to her in '98? No matter what, I have to remind her when the time comes. I hope she'll be okay.]
Mizuki quickly noted this information. After all, Suzuka was her beloved horse at Spica. They spent every day together and had formed a deep bond. If she were truly to be injured, Mizuki couldn't bear it.
Of course, the same went for the real horse. She hoped the "accident" for the real horse happened before the race, because pre-race injuries are usually minor.
At Tracen Academy.
Special Week was stunned, her mouth hanging wide open. "Eh? Su... Suzuka-san got injured?"
Silence Suzuka was also dazed. "It seems something unexpected happened to me."
Special Week: "Suzuka-san, you shouldn't run that race!"
Special Week had already decided: on the day of that race, she would lock Suzuka-san in her room and wouldn't open the door no matter what!
I won't let her race!
'Agemasen...'
'AGEMASEN!!!'
She transformed directly into "Especially Fierce."
"Spe-chan, I should be fine. Besides... I will go to save the fate of my real-horse self. This time, I am not fighting alone."
Suzuka looked toward the distant sky. She believed in the connection of fate. For this Tenno Sho Autumn, she knew she still carried the consciousness of her real-horse counterpart.
She tried to communicate with it in her heart.
'If I really can't hold on during the race, please give me a push from behind, Silence Suzuka-san of the other world.'
"Waaah... No..." Special Week went straight into "Especially Crying" mode and couldn't be comforted for a while.
Suzuka didn't know what to do, but with Spe-chan and everyone from Spica around, she was very happy.
On the other side.
Stay Gold looked at the screen with an expression of disbelief.
"Hey, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly lose 28 times in a row? And Trainer Mizuki, can't you say something positive about me?"
"Furthermore, let me say it one more time: I was not veering! There was a problem with the design of that race track! If they designed the track at an angle, then wouldn't I just be running in a straight line?"
Stay Gold couldn't take it anymore. But she was asking too much of Mizuki, the poor Trainer wanted to write about her strengths too, but the positive stuff was just too hard to find. How was she supposed to write it?!
However, the nickname "Great General of Lake Akan" actually sounded quite comfortable to her. She planned to run the Akanko again, she believed she could change her fate.
'A 28-loss streak? A stepping stone? Impossible.'
"Hey, is this Rudolf?" Stay Gold quickly picked up her phone and called Symboli Rudolf.
"What's wrong?" Rudolf was a bit surprised.
"Can you design all the race tracks at an angle?"
Stay Gold actually made the suggestion.
"Hmm? Stay Gold, you've learned to tell jokes too? Haha, that's actually quite funny." Rudolf was amused, thinking that there was no way Stay Gold was being serious.
Stay Gold, feeling insulted, slammed the phone down in a rage.
'Damn it, just you wait!'
At the Tracen Gym.
"Hahaha! I'm dying! It feels like Stego is even more insane than Orfevre. I didn't know she was so crazy— I hadn't heard about her past before!"
"It feels like she's the type who says: if you won't listen to reason, I'll let my fists do the talking!"
Gold Ship summarized perfectly. As expected, you truly understand your old man.
Beside her, Nakayama Festa nodded. "'Sinking to the bottom of the lake after Akan-ko'... Trainer Mizuki, your insults are getting more and more sophisticated."
In China.
Invincible had already boarded the plane. She was terrified— it was her first time flying, she never experienced anything like this before.
"Tracen, here comes Invincible!"
She was full of energy. One could only wonder what Mizuki's expression would be when she arrived at Spica.
This little girl Invincible actually ran all the way here?!
Invincible now saw the entry about Stay Gold in the diary. She was stunned.
"I feel like Stay Gold is just a little... explosive?" She rubbed her head, mesmerized.
In France.
"How should I put it? Luckily, we don't have anyone like that in France, and she'll never qualify for our races. It's a bit scary." One Uma Musume said.
"Not necessarily. I feel that with the right guidance, she could be very strong. After all, she can participate in G1 races. If she could correct the veering, she might take championships."
Treve was much more rational than most others, she wasn't afraid to battle any opponent. On the contrary, she was very straightforward and passionate, her emotions written on her face— grinning when she wins, sobbing when she loses.
[Besides veering, he had many other quirks, like biting other horses' tails or chasing horses to ram into them. Special Week and Narita Top Road both fell victim to him.]
[His career was a string of repeated defeats, in 49 races, he never managed a single G1 victory. He was also known as the "Strongest G2 Horse."]
[There is even a famous joke:]
[The moment Stay Gold arrived at the lounge, all the resting horses looked at him and laughed. Some shouted, "Stego, you're biting people again!"]
[He didn't answer, but said to the Trainer, "Give me two cups of Aojiru and a dessert," as he flaunted another G1 second-place finish.]
[Seeing this, the other horses intentionally shouted louder, "Another second place? You must have been penalized for veering again!"]
[Stay Gold widened his eyes and said, "How can you insult a person's innocence like that with no proof?! I wasn't penalized for veering!"]
["He's right! I saw it myself, he wasn't penalized for veering!" another horse cried.
["The day before yesterday, I saw him bite Narita Top Road's tail during the race. That's why he got penalized!"]
[Stay Gold's face turned red, the veins on his forehead bulged, and several unintelligible words like "I don't have temperament difficulties" and "Your mother has temperament difficulties" flew out.]
[A sight like that would be amazing to see in the Uma Musume world...]
[But back to my story. In the end, Stay Gold had a perfect end to his career. After three years of battle, he had reached his retirement year. His career path finally reached its conclusion. The only regret he had was the lack of a G1 victory.]
[After the Japan Cup, he decided to go on an overseas expedition to Hong Kong. The goal was the G1 Hong Kong Vase held at Sha Tin Racecourse. This race was designated as his retirement race.]
[However, this race was Stay Gold's final "Golden Moment"— the one great sprint of a lifetime.]
[In the Hong Kong Vase, Stay Gold was still maintaining his veering. Just before entering the final turn, the leader, Ekraar, suddenly began to accelerate, pulling away from the following pack. After coming out of the fourth turn, Ekraar was leading by nearly six lengths].
[Under such a seemingly insurmountable gap on the final straight, Stay Gold showed a sprint speed completely different from the other horses after the turn, chasing down Ekraar from the back of the pack. And at the very end, Stay Gold finally completed the overtake right before the finish line, taking his first— and last— G1 victory.]
[Stay Gold retired after that. His offspring in the future also achieved great results in the JRA, but the headache-inducing part was that they also inherited his "Golden Spirit," possessing all sorts of eccentric personalities.]
At this moment, at Tracen Academy.
Gold Ship and Nakayama Festa still have no idea that they are the "unruly children" of Stay Gold, alongside Dream Journey and Orfevre.
Gold Ship, known as the "alien horse," left a lasting impression with his head-turning, tongue-lolling antics and his infamous "crouching start."
The good news is that Gold Ship's daughter, Rebe-chan, has already stepped onto the JRA tracks.
The bad news?
She inherited all of Gold Ship's genes.
[Alright, time for dinner.]
[Good lord, I actually got two rewards today!]
Mizuki paused, realizing she had received another notification.
[Diary uploaded successfully! Reward obtained: Taste Bud Enhancement.]
[Taste Bud Enhancement: Today, the food you eat at Tracen will have its taste enhanced by 200%.]
Mizuki had a headache. With this kind of reward, she couldn't tell if she was lucky or unlucky. But since it was the second reward of the day, she decided to check it out.
However, she didn't expect to find Sweep Tosho sitting there when she arrived at the cafeteria. It turned out Sweep Tosho and Sakura Chiyono O had made a pact.
Sweep's idea was simple: Trainer Mizuki had been slandering them in her diary, so when she came to eat, they would pin her down and force-feed her the nastiest thing available.
Sakura Chiyono O was panicked, she was an honest girl, but she figured one bite wouldn't hurt.
Mizuki was blindsided. As soon as she sat down, these two Uma Musume started "kindly" feeding her.
The Little Witch, Sweep Tosho, sat right next to her and pinned her arm down— Umas are incredibly strong, so it didn't take her much effort. She then picked up a bowl of food they had prepared:
The "Super Spicy" version.
At first, Sweep made excuses about how hard Trainer Mizuki was working to justify feeding her, which lowered Trainer Mizuki's guard. Then, Sweep quickly started shoveling meat mixed with pure chili peppers into her mouth— a classic case of public business for private revenge.
The "silly cow" Chiyono O was kinder, offering some chili sauce with grilled meat.
But they didn't know that Mizuki had already fainted by the second bite.
It's hard to tell whether the reward was a blessing or a curse.
On one hand, it made Mizuki faint quickly, which meant that she didn't have to suffer for too long.
On the other hand... Mizuki had a true taste of hell while she was conscious.
"How does it taste?" Sweep asked curiously.
"..."
"Trainer? Hello...?"
"..."
Sweep was dumbfounded when she saw Mizuki's rolled-back eyes.
'Are the peppers I chose that spicy after all?!'
She tried a spoonful herself and immediately burst into tears from the heat. The Little Witch had been punished by her own plan once again.
After returning to consciousness, Mizuki went back to her room and took a nap. Orfevre was supposed to come for a Shogi match tonight, but she later learned she had been detained for causing trouble.
'How amazing I must be at Shogi— my mere aura can frighten my opponents into refusing to battle!'
When she woke up and headed to the Spica room, she realized it was Saturday. Vodka, Daiwa Scarlet, Silence Suzuka, and Special Week didn't have classes.
Everyone was gathered together, excitedly discussing the freshman orientation ceremony. For the January 30th ceremony, they had to finalize their performances.
Daiwa Scarlet was singing. Vodka wanted to perform on a motorcycle, but was rejected and had to settle for dancing.
Since there were too many singers and dancers, things were getting complicated. The BNW trio, Admire Vega, and Narita Top Road all had to come up with alternative acts.
Mizuki left the morning to them and used her remaining points to draw more real-horse info. She figured nothing could be more ridiculous than yesterday's draw.
She was wrong. In the world of real-horse trivia, there is no "most ridiculous," only "more ridiculous."
[Holy crap, T.M. Opera O, you are incredible!]
[But what's even more incredible is your son, Wada, taking 8 G1s!]
[And Mejiro Bright, can you please explain yourself?]
[Going "berserk" and chasing Mejiro Dober during a race?]
[Is this even allowed to be said out loud?
[I think I finally found the reason for Dober's social anxiety. It was "Brother Bright" all along! Who does such shameful things to their sister on the racetrack?!]
[Today's news is just too explosive.]
At that moment, T.M. Opera O was still asleep. Her roommate, Biwa Hayahide, had just woken up and was meticulously grooming her hair. When she saw the notification, she was stunned.
"What? 8 G1s? Opera O's offspring? Her child?"
"How... how is that possible?"
"Even the 'Emperor' Symboli Rudolf only had 7 G1s!"
Biwa Hayahide froze. She rushed to Opera O's bedside to shake her awake. "Opera-san! Opera-san! Wake up!"
"Mmm..." Opera O was dreaming of performing an opera. She woke up looking completely bewildered.
"Eh? Where am I?"
"Opera O, look at the diary... your child... that 'Wada' fellow..." Hayahide pointed a trembling finger at the screen.
"Wada? Who is Wada? What happened? My child? But I don't have a child..." Opera O was in a fog. However, the moment she looked at the diary, she went bug-eyed.
"EEEEHHH?!!!!!!!!"
"Wada? Opera O's child?? 8 G1s???"
Normally, Opera O was the pinnacle of emotional stability, but this news left her floored. She thought she was still dreaming and almost went back to sleep. But she shook her head, realizing this was real.
"Ah-hahahahaha!~~~"
Opera O instantly accepted it, her heart swelling with pride.
'Wada, you truly are the child of the Overlord. You are powerful indeed!'
'And with 8 G1s, her career must have been smooth sailing, right?'
Actually, Opera O didn't know that Ryuji Wada's career was anything but smooth, it was heart-wrenching. When Opera O was first purchased for racing, his team and his jockey, Wada, were all rookies.
As a rookie, even though Wada was riding a legendary horse, his lack of skill was basically a debuff.
During the Kikuka Sho, Wada's riding error caused Opera O to accelerate too early, losing the final leg of the Triple Crown. He was nearly fired by the owner, only staying because someone pleaded for him. Even then, the owner told him that if he lost one more race, he was out.
One can only imagine the anxiety Wada felt.
But none of that mattered, because the horse he was riding was named T.M. Opera O. The horse seemed to sense Wada's fear and essentially told him: "My dear son, don't be afraid. Just hang on tight, Papa's gonna take you flying!"
2000 was the year where T.M. Opera O truly began to shine.
Of course, Opera O knew none of this yet. She was just happy that her "son" had such a great career.
Biwa Hayahide said, "Opera O, the more I look at this, the more I realize how difficult this must have been. 8 G1s? She must have become the public enemy of every Uma Musume."
Opera O laughed. "Haha, it seems so! But Biwa Hayahide-san, I believe you agree— to achieve that greatness, what does it matter if one becomes everyone's enemy?"
"Even with obstacles and blockades, you just charge through! I can't lose to my own child. I really want to see what this fellow looks like."
Meanwhile, Mejiro Dober was equally shocked. She was painting, and the brush fell from her hand. She was completely lost.
'Wait, Trainer Mizuki-san... what does this mean?'
Her sister, Mejiro Bright... doing "shameful things" to her?
'This can't be true!!!'
Dober was mortified.
'What... what kind of shameful things happened?!'