"Sniff... sniff... i- it's not like I completely hate it, it- it's just that when I think that the dream I've been chasing suddenly went to T.M. Opera O instead, my heart hurts so much..."
"Going o- out into the world is a dream I've worked towards for so long! You guys a- are practically cheating... suddenly growing so powerful in the span of a single year... Ho- how am I supposed to compete with that...?"
As alluded to during her outburst, El Condor Pasa's anger was less directed towards T.M. Opera O and Wada, but rather towards her own lack of strength.
She had been fighting for this dream of hers for more than two years, with Hana Toujou even guaranteeing El Condor Pasa that she would soon be able to represent Japan in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Her goal of stepping into the wider world was quite literally on the cusp of her hands.
She had made thorough preparation, and was even confident that even against the Uma Musume from America and Europe, she would not falter.
As if the stars had aligned, El Condor Pasa had full faith in herself to be the one to break the curse of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Yet, before she could even harvest the fruits of her labour, her chance at the l'Arc was given to the current 'strongest of Japan.'
To be honest, when El Condor Pasa realized this, she had already internally accepted the fact that she was not as good as T.M. Opera O.
Having been a witness to both the Kikuka Sho and the Arima Kinen, El Condor Pasa understood the absolute gap between her and the strongest.
However, there are some things you can't just give up on without at least trying.
But now that El Condor Pasa had tried, fully comprehending the result, there was nothing she could do except cry out her grievances like this.
"I- I understand what I did was dumb... Neither winning nor losing would've made me happy... If I lose, I would be sad, and if I win, I would only think things like 'I'm clearly stronger, so why isn't it me…?'"
"I- I should've been happy for T.M. Opera O... but I went ahead and selfishly made everyone worry— I- I'm a bad person, Waaahhh..."
"No, no, no, El Condor Pasa, you are not a bad person; if there is a bad person in this situation, it's me."
Resorting to every possible trick, Wada tried to comfort El Condor Pasa by any means necessary, if just to reduce the guilt of being the cause of a little girl crying like this.
"I am the Trainer of T.M. Opera O; I bear the responsibility for all of her actions."
"So, if you have any anger or resentment, please direct it all towards me. It is my duty as a Trainer to do this."
"Come on, whenever you're ready. You don't need to hold back. Although I'm a human, I am quite tough."
But, even though Wada said these words, he knew El Condor Pasa wouldn't do anything to him.
With how gentle and pitiful he looked, these words would only serve to reduce his chances of getting hit, not increase them.
What? You think he was actually going to willingly get beaten up by an Uma Musume? No chance.
At most, Wada was only willing to receive a few bruises. There was a reason why even if Meisho Doto did not proactively offer to come, he would have asked her to come anyways in case a beating actually happened.
However, these pure Uma Musume were unaware of the subtle methods and hidden intentions of the adult world, with both Meisho Doto and El Condor Pasa pausing at his words.
The difference was that Meisho Doto's first reaction was to immediately stop El Condor Pasa before she could act, while on the other hand, El Condor Pasa was surprised that someone, let alone a human, was willing to let themselves be beaten up by her.
"…Pfft."
"Stop joking, Trainer Wada; if El Condor really were to hit you, I'd probably be sent to jail, desu..."
"But thank you for comforting me. I feel much better after crying it out… Really."
Wiping away the leftover tears, El Condor Pasa then displayed a big smile.
Although it seemed a bit forced, this American-blooded Uma Musume felt really embarrassed to have someone see her weak side like this, especially since Wada could only be considered an acquaintance.
But, seemingly having recovered enough, El Condor Pasa emerged from her grief and regrets with a boisterous tone.
"I am El Condor Pasa! The one that will soar into the skies! I'm not that weak as to give up from a temporary setback like this!"
"Just you wait! Next time, I will become even stronger and topple the reign of your Overlord, desu!"
Putting her hands on her hips, she confidently raised her nose sky high as a long lost smile returned to her face.
Facing the now fully recovered El Condor Pasa, Wada also felt quite relieved.
However, just then, El Condor Pasa signaled to him to come closer, and Wada, not knowing why, obliged.
Taking a few steps towards El Condor Pasa, Wada immediately froze when he saw her face suddenly fall onto him.
"Smooch."
Standing on her tiptoes, El Condor Pasa suddenly pecked Wada's face, and he felt a fleeting, warm, and wet sensation on his cheek.
"!!!"
Reacting almost instantly, Wada pulled away from El Condor Pasa and instinctively stepped back several paces, his face showing an undisguised expression of horror.
"Hehe, you look so scared. Is Trainer Wada afraid of T.M. Opera O~?"
While El Condor Pasa also had a slight blush, she still spoke with an unconcerned tone,
"Don't worry, desu. This is just a slightly more intimate greeting in the west, and I don't mind it at all."
"After all, your shirt must've been ruined after you let me cry on it, right? Just treat this as a small courtesy; you don't have to overthink it."
"Oh, and remember to keep it a secret from T.M. Opera O! Otherwise, she might get jealous; El has no intentions of joining your little love triangle, desu~"
Teasing Wada one last time, El Condor Pasa swiftly brushed past Wada and quickly ran off, perhaps because she had finally regained enough energy or because she belatedly felt a little shy.
With that, Wada was left 'alone,' still standing foolishly in place as he instinctively caressed the cheek El Condor Pasa had kissed him on.
After standing like this for a while, Wada unconsciously took out his phone and opened his camera app, checking his cheek.
"Good… no marks. Otherwise, it would be really hard to explain."
"If T.M. Opera O found out... it definitely wouldn't have been easy to explain..."
"But honestly, why do girls around me treat me like this? I've never acted like a playboy, right?"
Even though Wada felt that his thoughts were overly narcissistic, his rational side told him that this wasn't just all a coincidence.
Regardless, with his current relationship with T.M. Opera O, Wada paid even more attention to his interpersonal relationships, making sure to avoid any inappropriate actions with other girls.
Wada was especially cautious towards his relationship with Uma Musume; he sure didn't want to end up like Ikezoe, surrounded by a group of strong, violent, and possessive Uma Musume, destined to die without an intact body.
"Trainer."
"Whoa?! Ah, what is it… Meisho Doto."
Having been startled, the guilty Wada turned around, only to find that Meisho Doto had appeared behind him at an unknown point in time, smiling at him with narrowed eyes.
And for an unknown reason, Wada felt that Meisho Doto looked subtly frightening— so gentle, yet as if she saw through everything.
In fact, Wada found that Meisho Doto's smile felt identical to Curren Chan's, who frequently flashed it around Ikezoe.
Actually, now that he was thinking about it, it sure has been a long time since he saw Curren Chan; she sure was busy with races.
"Meisho Doto, did you manage to buy the gift? El Condor Pasa..."
"Oh, I saw El Condor Pasa-san leave just now. I don't think she needs an apology anymore."
With a beaming smile, Meisho Doto felt strikingly different from her former timid self, seemingly gaining more and more confidence by the second.
Perhaps it was because Meisho Doto was being influenced by her original self. After all, her Racehorse self was anything but timid...
"Trainer, shall we go back? Everyone's waiting."
"...Okay, let's go back."
'Indeed, something's off about Doto.'
With a hint of doubt in his heart, Wada followed Meisho Doto towards the exit.
And Meisho Doto, with her back to Wada, now had slightly opened eyes that constantly flickered with a color not her own.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Meisho Doto seemed to not be acting according to "her" own will.
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Barely managed to push this one out, spent 7 whole hours playing through Canto 10 part 1 (It's so fucking peak, I can't stop listening to battle theme C and E)
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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.