Some time after the race, that evening, Mejiro McQueen and the others quickly rushed to Chiba to find Imanami and the rest of Team Miracle.
And upon meeting, Mejiro McQueen, like the noble young lady she was, bowed deeply to Imanami.
"I'm sorry, Trainer, Gold Ship, Teio, I made you all worry."
"As an Uma Musume of the Mejiro Family, to almost wanting to give up after a single defeat... is truly disgraceful!"
"Trainer, please give me another chance to redeem myself on the track!"
Expressing her sincerest apology, Mejiro McQueen's bow tilted a few more degrees, making anyone watching feel their back ache.
Soon enough, Imanami gently helped up Mejiro McQueen.
Looking at the now re-energized McQueen, a feeling of relief washed over Imanami's heart, his eyes reflecting the same look of relief as well.
"It's good that you've decided to keep running, McQueen. At least this meant that Gold Ship's sacrifice to step onto the track early wasn't in vain."
"I am truly ashamed... Because of my selfishness, your plans with Gold Ship are now completely ruined, please forgive me..."
"—Though this might not be the best time for Gold Ship's debut, it doesn't mean her career is ruined or anything, you don't have to apologize."
Imanami exchanged a glance with Gold Ship, who was currently casually solving a rubik's cube, a slight smile on his face.
"Plus, it's not all bad. Teio and Gold Ship will get to meet each other during their Classic Year in a year's time. If we want to, we can even try to dominate the year like Trainer Wada and Ikezoe."
"Yay! World domination! World domination!!! We're gonna take over Japan!!!"
As usual, Gold Ship was up to her Gold Ship business, cheering while raising her hands joyfully.
Then, she locked eyes with Tokai Teio beside McQueen, forming a confidently wide grin.
"Teio, you better be careful! Gold Ship-sama is very strong! If you don't work hard, maybe Gold Ship-sama will take your place as the Undefeated Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume~"
"Hmph! Dream on! I will never lose!"
Haughtily hmphing, Teio provocatively raised her small fist at Gold Ship in defiance.
However, in reality, in contrast to her outward attitude, Teio had already marked Gold Ship as a major rival the moment Gold Ship asked to debut in the Flower Cup.
This became doubly so when Gold Ship actually ran in the GIII race. Her speed at that corner and final straight, though brief, immediately made Teio realize that she was undoubtedly far inferior to Gold Ship at the moment.
Even though Tokai Teio wasn't as knowledgeable or sensitive as Deep Impact, she fundamentally understood that if she truly faced Gold Ship during their Classic Years... her chances of becoming the next Undefeated Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume would become incredibly shaky.
For the undefeated part, Teio could of course just avoid being in the same race as Gold Ship; however, she couldn't give up on the Classic Triple Crowns, and it was almost certain that Gold Ship would participate in the Classic Triple Crown races.
Thus, Tokai Teio, a skill-oriented Uma Musume, now felt immense pressure from Gold Ship, an Uma Musume who had both physicality and skill.
Meanwhile, as Tokai Teio and Gold Ship were engaged in competitive banter, Mejiro McQueen silently scooted towards Imanami and weakly tugged at his shirt.
"Trainer... I'm so sorry- I'm sorry for making such a huge mistake in the Hanshin Daishoten..."
"...I assume that I didn't qualify for the Spring Tenno Sho, right? So, should we start aiming for the Autumn Tenno Sho later this year? I'll still work hard— ouch?!"
"McQueen, I am your Trainer. Shouldn't you trust your Trainer to let you run in the races you want?"
Imanami lightly flicked McQueen's head, smiling a little as he saw the Uma Musume wince and cover her forehead.
"All the work has already been done. In fact, the Director had just informed me today that she had managed to secure a spot for us— however, your gate is on the far outside, there's no room for compromise on that."
"McQueen, you can definitely run in the Spring Tenno Sho. The only prerequisite is that you let go of this failure and go into the race with a clear heart. Otherwise, I will not allow you to step onto the track no matter what."
"I- I understand."
Once McQueen heard that she could still participate in the Spring Tenno Sho, her previously slightly anxious heart finally settled completely, and a familiar smile reappeared on her pretty face.
However, McQueen quickly thought of something and couldn't help but ask with some concern,
"Trainer... you must've paid a considerable price, right? I doubt my prior results would make participating in the Tenno Sho easy."
"It's nothing. We just needed to owe some favours and use some of the team's funds."
At the mention of this, a bitter smile couldn't help but crawl onto Imanami's face.
"Five million gone just like that... still, it can be considered money well-spent. Money is meant to be used after all."
"Um, if you need my help, the Mejiro Family can pay— Ow?!"
Having her forehead flicked again, Mejiro McQueen looked at Imanami with some grievance as she covered her once again throbbing forehead.
As she rubbed the red bump, Mejiro McQueen began to feel like Imanami's attitude towards her seemed stricter than before since she had been sent to the hospital.
No, rather than stricter, it was more like a reaction to correct the bad behaviour of a child he worried about.
This was indeed true; after McQueen collapsed in the Hanshin Daishoten, Imanami's perception of McQueen had changed significantly.
Imanami had always thought that McQueen was already quite mature, at least capable of thinking rationally and able to independently take care of herself.
However, McQueen's subsequent actions and motivations in the Hanshin Daishoten made Imanami realize that she was just a child pretending to be mature. She wasn't truly ready to face the difficulties of the world alone.
Thus, Imanami quickly decided to change his attitude, now treating McQueen like he would Teio.
Against all expectations, perhaps the most reliable and mature one in his group was actually Gold Ship.
"I don't want to take any money from your Grandmother, especially since I haven't trained you to achieve any results yet. I still have my own pride, after all."
"So, McQueen, just treat the money we spent as an investment, and give it back to the team with your performance."
"If my Uma Musume can win the Spring and Autumn Tenno Shos for two consecutive years, I will surely have to consider her as 'my queen,' right?"
Immediately upon processing Imanami's little wordplay, her cheeks instantly flushed a little as she twirled her hair in embarrassment.
"...Thanks, Trainer."
After McQueen silently gazed at Gold Ship and Tokai Teio, who were still playfully arguing, she quickly made a rather bold move.
After turning back towards Imanami and leaving behind a fragrant breeze, Imanami hadn't even had time to react when he felt McQueen's surprisingly soft body squish against him, her arms wrapped around his body.
"Th- this is just a show of my gratitude... I saw Doto-san frequently do this with Trainer Wada to express her thanks, so I thought I should do the same as an Uma Musume of the Mejiro Family."
As McQueen quickly separated away from Imanami after hugging him, her now extremely crimson cheeks and her constantly wagging tail truly made her look adorable.
Yet, though he was hugged by McQueen, Imanami didn't think much of it.
The mental age gap was simply too wide; he could not see McQueen as anything but a child. Her hugging him only seemed like a slightly more intimate form of showing thanks.
Facing the squirming McQueen, who currently had steam rising from her head, Imanami softly ruffled her head.
"Let's go back, McQueen."
"...Mmh."
Upon seeing Imanami completely unmoved by her action, McQueen inexplicably felt a little down as she sullenly nodded.
Meanwhile, Gold Ship, who had been secretly watching the pair as she bickered with Tokai Teio, subtly retracted her gaze before she continued to play around with Teio.
In the end, no one had noticed the slight change in the colour of Gold Ship's eyes...
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She knows.
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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.