"You, the Trainer over there—are you Trainer Wada Ryuji?"
"Hmm?" Wada heard someone call his name from behind him and immediately turned around. He saw two Uma Musume he had never met before walking straight towards him.
"So it really is him. He really is as handsome as the rumors say; it's definitely Trainer Wada." Narita Top Road recognized him at first glance, the opponent whom even her own Trainer considered to be one of the strongest enemies she would face. She greeted Wada warmly, saying:
"Hello, Trainer Wada. I'm Narita Top Road, and this is Admire Vega. Doto-san must've told you about us, right~?"
"Nice to meet you." Admire Vega's attitude was rather cold, even showing a hint of hostility towards Wada. It was unclear if this was due to her inner affection for Meisho Doto making her displeased with Wada training T.M. Opera O, or if she was inherently wary of Wada, a highly threatening Trainer. (T/N: NTR's best friend is anti-NTR)
Admire Vega clearly remembered Meisho Doto discussing Trainers with her before the Mainichi Hai back then, despite her already having a Trainer. At that time, Meisho Doto had slyly asked her how she felt about her current Trainer... Admire Vega was no idiot; she could discern the hint of trying to poach in Meisho Doto's tone.
However, in reality, if Wada had truly abandoned Meisho Doto because she lost the Mainichi Hai, Admire Vega wouldn't have considered him even if she never had another Trainer her whole life. Even with Admire Vega's cold demeanor, Meisho Doto's timid personality caused Admire Vega to subconsciously want to care for her.
"So you are Admire Vega and Narita Top Road. Nice to meet you." It was Wada's first time meeting these two Uma Musume face to face, who were also the major rivals he would have to go against in the upcoming Satsuki Sho. If things went down as they did back in his original world, they would be competing all the way until the end of the Classic Triple Crowns.
"I am Wada Ryuji, Trainer of Meisho Doto and T.M. Opera O. Are you looking for T.M. Opera O?"
"No, we just came to see what kind of Trainer Meisho Doto chose~" Narita Top Road was clearly better at socializing than Admire Vega. After sizing up Wada, she said with interest:
"Mmm... A very good face, and also young... Meisho Doto has excellent taste!"
"Trainer Wada, I heard you were also third in the written exam for this year's Central Trainer Qualification Exam? Is that true?"
"And you also helped Meisho Doto in beating T.M. Opera O." Admire Vega also spoke calmly: "Although I don't know much about you, being able to beat T.M. Opera O means that you certainly have the skill."
"Ah... it's true, but compared to Trainer Ikezoe and Trainer Imanami, I'm still far behind..." Wada didn't hide these widely known facts, scratching his head as he said: "I'm just an ordinary Trainer. Meisho Doto is the one who worked hard. Without her, I wouldn't even know what the first step to beating T.M. Opera O would be."
"If that's the case, Meisho Doto should be the strongest in your team right now, correct?" Admire Vega immediately spoke upon hearing this: "Then why don't I see Meisho Doto? Are you giving T.M. Opera O preferential treatment?"
"Ah... Vega-san, please don't say that..." Narita Top Road immediately stopped Admire Vega's rather blunt questioning, saying with a somewhat apologetic smile: "I'm sorry, Vega-san is just like that..."
However, even though Narita Top Road said that, she was also curious why Meisho Doto wasn't here. She and Admire Vega got along well with Meisho Doto, while their relationship with T.M. Opera O was rather tense—not that there was any conflict, but simply an inability to ignore or accept T.M. Opera O's exaggerated mannerisms and confidence.
Not all Uma Musume were as narcissistic as T.M. Opera O, nor were all Uma Musume as timid as Meisho Doto, who could accept T.M. Opera O since her confidence in herself was rock bottom. Most Uma Musume, like Admire Vega and Narita Top Road, couldn't understand where T.M. Opera O's excessive confidence came from, while being able to relate with the less confident Meisho Doto more.
The news of Meisho Doto beating T.M. Opera O in the Mainichi Hai had shocked every Uma Musume and Trainer in Tracen Academy. No one expected the timid Meisho Doto to be able to perform so brilliantly on the track, and her victory over T.M. Opera O gave many students a completely new understanding of Meisho Doto.
Suddenly, both Meisho Doto and Wada appeared on everyone's radar once more. After all, they had not only beaten T.M. Opera O, but also Hana Toujou, the Trainer of Team Rigil, Tracen Academy's strongest team.
And the fact that both T.M. Opera O and Meisho Doto were participating in the Satsuki Sho placed considerable pressure on many Trainers who also wanted to participate in the Satsuki Sho, causing them to repeatedly caution their Uma Musume to mark Meisho Doto as their strongest opponent.
In the end, the fact was that Meisho Doto had beaten T.M. Opera O, and with only one month remaining until the Satsuki Sho, they generally believed that Meisho Doto's strength should still be greater than T.M. Opera O's.
However, they had completely missed the absurd acceleration time T.M. Opera O had achieved when going all out in the Mainichi Hai. After all, T.M. Opera O was the runner-up, and few people paid attention to the second-place results.
Therefore, Admire Vega and Narita Top Road were both somewhat dissatisfied with Wada's 'preferential treatment' towards T.M. Opera O. Why was she given special treatment while the obviously stronger Meisho Doto wasn't even invited to join?
Is it just because you like T.M. Opera O more? —Wada Ryuji's obsession was no secret to anyone in Tracen Academy; many knew about how he tried to poach her from Trainer Toujou since his first day at Tracen.
"Ah, well, Meisho Doto was just tired from training and is still sleeping."
Wada felt pressured from being stared at by the two Uma Musume and honestly said: "This isn't some special training or anything like that. We're just here to test out T.M. Opera O's new winning outfit. I—"
"—Hahahahaha! Isn't that Admire Vega and Narita Top Road? Why have my rivals come here? Are you two here to admire the magnificent, charming, handsome, and glorious figure of the Overlord?"
However, before Wada could finish speaking, T.M. Opera O's characteristic laughter echoed again. T.M. Opera O, in her winning outfit, was deeply engrossed in her own charm (A/N: Feigned), and said to Admire Vega and Narita Top Road:
"We shall soon meet at the Satsuki Sho! Are you two ready to submit before the Overlord?"
"...It's not certain who will submit to whom, T.M. Opera O."
However, as soon as T.M. Opera O arrived, Admire Vega quickly showed her hostility—no, rather than hostility, it was an Uma Musume's confidence in victory and strategic disdain for her opponent.
As one of the major victims of T.M. Opera O's one-sided harassment, Admire Vega had wanted to compete with T.M. Opera O for a long time. However, T.M. Opera O's races had been separate from hers, and this Satsuki Sho was the perfect opportunity for Admire Vega and T.M. Opera O to truly test each other.
"You should be in your prime now, right? I am too, T.M. Opera O. Let's meet on the Satsuki Sho track."
"Hahahaha! I will never lose, whether it's a race or in charm!"
T.M. Opera O, however, remained incredibly confident—so confident, in fact, that Admire Vega found it annoying. Soon, Admire Vega couldn't tolerate T.M. Opera O's excessive confidence and pulled Narita Top Road away, leaving.
After the two Uma Musume had walked away, Wada looked at T.M. Opera O with a subtle gaze and said faintly:
"Thanks for helping me out, T.M. Opera O, but... I think you should pay attention to your interpersonal relationships."
Wada, of course, knew that T.M. Opera O's actions were to defend him. Otherwise, having a reputation for 'playing favorites' would undoubtedly stain Wada's reputation. But from his interaction with Admire Vega and Narita Top Road just now, Wada also realized that T.M. Opera O's relationships seemed to be rather... rough.
Admire Vega disliked T.M. Opera O greatly, and although Narita Top Road didn't show it, she also seemed to want to beat T.M. Opera O in a race. In any case, both of them wanted to compete with T.M. Opera O.
"An Overlord is naturally admired by all, and admiration inspires awe~" T.M. Opera O, completely oblivious, still said:
"Ryuji, since you have chosen to embark on a journey with the Overlord, then you must be mentally prepared to walk this lonely path where we can only rely on each other!"
"When I truly become the 'Overlord,' you will be my most favored loyal subject. At that time, I will share this victory with you!"
"A lonely path, huh..."
Wada fell silent upon hearing this. T.M. Opera O's words reminded him of some past events, and suddenly, Wada also felt that T.M. Opera O was right.
The path he and T.M. Opera O were to take was destined to be lonely. They would break so-called myths, so-called rules, and broaden the perceptions of people—especially the ones that cling to old ways and ridicule anyone who tries to break through the heights set by legends.
The Satsuki Sho was their first step. Following closely was the Japanese Derby and finally the Kikuka Sho; they would gradually create a new legend, step by step.
But... Wada didn't want to see a lonely 'Overlord of the Century's End.' He hoped that T.M. Opera O could, this time, gain more acceptance and support from others compared to previously.
Perhaps, this was what Wada could do for T.M. Opera O.
"I will walk with you all the way, T.M. Opera O."
"O- oh..." Receiving Wada's very solemn reply, T.M. Opera O was a little unaccustomed to it, her eyes subtly darting to the side, but her tail wagged happily behind her.
Meanwhile, in the dormitory, Meisho Doto, who was sound asleep, was completely unaware of all this. In her dream, she seemed to be chasing something, vaguely saying:
"Over... overtake... Trainer... I... I will win..."
"This way... Trainer... acknowledge that... I'm better than T.M. Opera O... hehe..."
...It's unknown what wonderful dream this cute little Uma Musume was having, but at the very least, she was happy about what she was dreaming about.
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This chapter was quite long if I have to say so myself.
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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.