The encounter with Admire Vega and Narita Top Road was merely a small interlude for T.M. Opera O. She was inherently tolerant of others; though her outward behavior was somewhat arrogant, she was still kind and caring at her core.
She considered herself the "Overlord," destined to walk a solitary path, only wishing that there could at least be a small number of people by her side whom she could rely on and who would also support her. Regardless of the jealousy, resentment, or even unfiltered hatred others felt towards her, in T.M. Opera O's eyes, it would all translate into words of praise and admiration—this was the talent she possessed that allowed her to ignore the malice from those around her and focus wholeheartedly on what she needed to do.
Of course, this could not stop the fact that people still disliked her, and this dislike would only intensify as she claimed more and more victories. She would certainly gain many supporters, but without a doubt, most of these supporters could not offer T.M. Opera O any actual help on the Racecourse. And at the same time, she would also gain even more people who envied her, which includes spectators, Trainers, and even Uma Musume who could and would likely obstruct her progress on the Racecourse, becoming barriers she needed to overcome.
Wada Ryuji had once faced a similar situation with T.M. Opera O. At that time, although he and T.M. Opera O were comrades-in-arms galloping together on the Racecourse, he couldn't offer much actual help to T.M. Opera O at all. T.M. Opera O's strength, combined with his own mediocrity, not only made others wary of T.M. Opera O but also made them jealous of Trainer Wada.
The dual pressure led to many desperate scenes that had almost never appeared on the Racecourse. As someone who had experienced all of this, even if Trainer Wada intended to strive for his ideals and walk with T.M. Opera O once more, he absolutely did not want them to experience such a feeling a second time. He still hoped that T.M. Opera O could be loved by more people.
"Perhaps I can only help you for a little longer in the racing department, T.M. Opera O. Your skill will sooner or later surpass mine, and one day, you will be the one teaching me again."
"But at the very least… let me also help you in other aspects, T.M. Opera O."
After the testing of T.M. Opera O's winning outfit concluded, Trainer Wada did not immediately return to his dormitory, but was instead planning how he should help T.M. Opera O achieve her next goals. This planning was not just about her race arrangements like the Classic Triple Crown, but rather the path Trainer Wada wanted to pave for T.M. Opera O outside of racing…
The Satsuki Sho and the Mainichi Hai were only a month apart, and within this month, Trainer Wada also provided specialized training for both Meisho Doto and T.M. Opera O. He planned to, as before, target the main threats of this race, Admire Vega and Narita Top Road.
When he first joined Tracen Academy, Air Groove's evaluation of Wada's tactics was: "Relatively more conservative than Trainer Ikezoe's, but excels in situations where an Uma Musume is being targeted."
In reality, this statement was only half correct. Wada was indeed skilled at dealing with being targeted. But he was also very good at targeting others, too. Because of T.M. Opera O, Wada had to relentlessly research how to unleash a Racehorse's strength and break through encirclements when targeted.
As he is now, Wada was very confident that, unless Shadai themselves arranged another collective encirclement, he could maneuver a Racehorse to break through with his skill. Unless the skill gap between him and the opposing Jockeys wasn't too large, there was no targeting he couldn't crack. But at the same time, being skilled at dealing with being targeted also gave Wada another ability: the knowledge of how to effectively target others.
"Meisho Doto, T.M. Opera O, your biggest enemies this time, as I've said, are Narita Top Road and Admire Vega. Besides them and Mejiro McQueen, you probably won't have any new strong opponents until the Kikuka Sho."
At the Satsuki Sho venue, the Nakayama Racecourse, Wada led his two participating Uma Musume into their waiting rooms. After the popularity rankings were finalized, he called them over again and reiterated their tactics.
"T.M. Opera O, even though Admire Vega's Trainer might be more inclined to target Meisho Doto in this race, Admire Vega would most likely ignore Doto in favor of you. Therefore, you need to be wary of Admire Vega's moves against you."
"During the last month, I had repeatedly watched replays of Admire Vega's various races, and I have confirmed that Admire Vega will most likely be running as an End Closer. Since you are going to be running as a Pace Chaser, she will most likely aim to block your route at the very start."
"So that means that I just need to bypass her initial blockade, right?"
T.M. Opera O, prompted by Wada, immediately understood how she should run this race, and confidently nodded, saying: "Don't worry, Ryuji, this victory already belongs to the Overlord!"
"I- I will also do my best!"
Meisho Doto, as if afraid of being forgotten by Trainer Wada, quickly raised her small hand and said, "I will definitely not lose to Opera O either…"
"Mmmh, Meisho Doto, your biggest opponent this time will most likely be Narita Top Road."
Trainer Wada nodded and turned to Meisho Doto, saying: "If my predictions are correct, Narita Top Road will most likely not target T.M. Opera O and instead follow her Trainer's suggestion. So, according to what I think her Trainer would be thinking, they would most likely tell her to focus on you."
"However, given your similar tactics to T.M. Opera O, Narita Top Road's threat to you will be low everywhere except for the final straight."
"Just run as usual, Doto. This time, I'm also looking forward to you getting your second win."
"Mmmh…! Trainer, I will work hard."
Meisho Doto also nodded happily. For her, she was very worried that after T.M. Opera O joined the team, Wada's attention to her would decrease and he would devote his all to T.M. Opera O, thereby neglecting her.
However, it now seemed that she had been worried about nothing. Although Wada's attention to her had indeed decreased somewhat due to T.M. Opera O's arrival, Meisho Doto had not seen him show much favoritism towards T.M. Opera O at all.
They trained together, ate together, and even rested together. Anytime Meisho Doto looked, she, T.M. Opera O, and Trainer were always together, and she had never seen T.M. Opera O or Trainer alone together even once! (T/N: How should we tell her...)
This reassured Meisho Doto considerably, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with her own thoughts... Lately... had she become too spoiled towards her Trainer?
However, Meisho Doto's sudden silence at this moment did not make Wada feel that anything was amiss. After all, Meisho Doto had been acting like this recently, occasionally getting distracted and spacing out. (T/N: Bro has the survival instincts of a loquacious sunfish)
Trainer Wada had tried talking to Meisho Doto a few times, but Meisho Doto had never mentioned having any worries, and she had always diligently completed her training. But Meisho Doto's condition had indeed been a bit off lately, and Trainer Wada could only hope that Meisho Doto would perform well in this Satsuki Sho…
"Alright, Meisho Doto, T.M. Opera O, off you two go! I will be watching you from the stands."
Trainer Wada patted the shoulders of the two Uma Musume, sending them off to the Racecourse. Just as the two Uma Musume left, a voice came from beside Trainer Wada. Another Trainer was also speaking to her Uma Musume:
"Vega, don't be nervous. Just do your best in this race."
"Okay, I'm going, Trainer."
Admire Vega nodded at the instructions of the female Trainer beside her, then also walked onto the Racecourse. She seemed to have noticed Trainer Wada's gaze; her cool face was devoid of any expression, merely giving a slight nod.
At this moment, Trainer Wada walked directly towards the female Trainer, greeting her with a gentle smile: "Hello, are you Admire Vega's Trainer?"
"Ah, yes, I am. Are you—Trainer Wada Ryuji?"
However, the female Trainer, upon first seeing Wada Ryuji's unusually young yet familiar face, instinctively paused, but quickly showed a slightly wary expression—evidently, she also considered Wada Ryuji a formidable opponent.
"May I ask what you're here for? If you're here to scout, I won't be saying anything."
"…I think you're too tense, madam."
Wada Ryuji, seeing the other party's high level of vigilance towards him, maintained his gentle expression without diminishing it. Instead, he pulled out a pack of… cigarettes from his pocket?
...What? Don't assume women don't smoke. In fact, in some highly stressful industries, the proportion of women who smoke and drink is very high, especially in Japan. The sales of cigarettes for women are very high, and the higher a woman's position, the greater the likelihood of her smoking.
In this world, there are also many female Trainers, with Wada having seen several of his female colleagues having a smoking habit, so he always kept some cigarettes in his pocket for social purposes. It's just the way society works: you may not smoke, but it's best for you to keep a box or two of cigarettes in your pockets, especially if you are approaching with a social attitude.
Alcohol and tobacco are the easiest ways to bridge a distance.
"I only joined Tracen Academy a few months ago. You are my senior, and I am your junior. It was just that I've been busy with training and forgot to greet some of my seniors, which is truly inappropriate on my part."
"However, please give me a chance, senior. I still have many shortcomings and I hope that you can guide me."
Wada Ryuji's attitude was so incredibly humble that it made it difficult for her to refuse. Of course, his good looks also helped. This time, Trainer Wada's attitude also slowly lowered the vigilance of Admire Vega's Trainer.
This Wada Ryuji… seemed to not be as threatening as Vega and her colleagues had said?
At this moment, Admire Vega's Trainer's impression of Wada underwent a positive change.
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Remember guys, smoking is bad for you.
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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.