Early the next morning, everything seemed as if nothing had happened, with the training grounds already being filled with early-rising Uma Musume starting their daily morning exercises. At this moment, Wada and T.M. Opera O were already waiting there for Meisho Doto to arrive.
"Hahahahaha! It has already been thirty minutes. Could my most beloved subject have overslept?" The original T.M. Opera O said with her usual chuunibyou persona.
T.M. Opera O had managed to regain control over her body after her other self and Wada talked. Since yesterday, the other "T.M. Opera O" seemed to have fallen into hibernation and hadn't bothered her again. This made T.M. Opera O feel a bit unaccustomed to the silence, but also relieved.
It was natural for T.M. Opera O to improve at such a rapid rate due to the help of her other self. With her always having access to a competitor, T.M. Opera O was almost always in a sparring state, and this sparring partner was also stronger than her, with a running style very similar to hers—it was as if "she" was a natural, once-in-a-lifetime template for her to copy.
T.M. Opera O's current strength undoubtedly stood at the top of Team Miracle. Orfevre was still testing herself, and Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen were still yet to unlock their talents. Thus, she was naturally the strongest in the team, and currently the Uma Musume closest to achieving the Classic Triple Crowns in Tracen Academy, and even her entire era!
Although Tracen Academy was the most prominent and well-known Uma Musume training institution in Japan, the honor of being a Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume was not something that someone achieves every year. Even Tracen Academy could not produce an Uma Musume with the potential to challenge for the Classic Triple Crowns every year. It was no exaggeration to say that T.M. Opera O was the focus of Tracen and the entire Japanese Uma Musume racing world.
Under such circumstances, there were very few Uma Musume whose strength could surpass T.M. Opera O and who could also mentor her. Perhaps in Tracen Academy, apart from a few members from the Student Council, few would even dare to claim they had the qualifications to mentor T.M. Opera O.
Strictly speaking, the Student Council members were actually not allowed to give students or staff any special treatment, which includes teaching other students privately. Cases like Air Groove occasionally teaching Tokai Teio were already pushing the line. Of course, this rule would not be applicable if a Student Council member intended to take on a personal disciple themselves, like Mr. C.B. and Seiun Sky at Tracen's branch school.
But clearly, the Student Council members had no intention of taking T.M. Opera O as a disciple, so it was impossible for them to mentor T.M. Opera O. In this situation, the importance of the other "T.M. Opera O" became apparent.
But despite all that, her other self also annoyed the hell out of her... for example, constant conversations that kept T.M. Opera O from sleeping well. Yet, despite how annoying "she" was being, she didn't dare to retort loudly, as Biwa Hayahide shared a dorm with her, and she didn't want Biwa Hayahide to suspect her of having some sort of mental illness.
As a result, sleep deprivation became a major headache for T.M. Opera O. Luckily, with "T.M. Opera O" gone last night, she finally managed to sweep away all her fatigue for the first time in a long while and slept more soundly than ever before. And even after waking up, her other self hadn't appeared, which made T.M. Opera O even begin to wonder if the other party had disappeared.
"I'm not sure, but Doto should be arriving soon." Wada looked at T.M. Opera O, who had returned to normal, and smiled silently in his heart, but on the surface, he didn't say anything more. "However, Doto hasn't overslept in a long time. This is indeed quite a rare occurrence. Let's wait a bit longer. If she's not here in an hour, we'll go look for he—"
"—I-I'm sorry!!"
Just then, a familiar flustered voice immediately came from afar, and the two clearly knew the source of this voice. It was undoubtedly Meisho Doto.
But though Wada and T.M. Opera O thought Doto had simply overslept, they noticed several people following behind Doto. Soon, Wada recognized these familiar faces.
"McQueen, Teio... why are Narita Top Road and Admire Vega here too? Why did they come?"
Although Wada found the situation strange, he knew that Doto would never intentionally harm him, so he stayed put and waited. Soon, Meisho Doto ran in front of Wada and T.M. Opera O and said in a flustered voice:
"I-I'm sorry, I'm really sorry! I came late today because there were some things I needed to discuss with everyone. I originally planned to notify you by phone last night... but I got too drowsy after lying in bed and fell asleep, forgetting to send the message... I'm really sorry."
"It's okay, Meisho Doto, but you really should have told us earlier. T.M. Opera O and I could have helped you." Wada gently stroked Doto's head, then looked at the people behind Doto and couldn't help but ask: "So, you girls are here for...?"
"Hehe, Doto-san asked us to come for partner training!" Tokai Teio, the liveliest of the bunch, immediately stepped forward and said to Wada: "Doto-san came to my Trainer early this morning, saying that she wanted us to participate in a friendly match."
Tokai Teio continued, "Since McQueen, Doto, and Opera O are all about to participate in the Japanese Derby, both McQueen and I agreed!"
"We are all from the same team, and helping each other is only natural, desuwa," Mejiro McQueen said, flipping her hair, answering very gracefully: "What's more, both Meisho Doto and T.M. Opera O are strong competitors in the Japanese Derby. Deepening one's understanding of your opponents to improve your own strength is also a part of achieving victory."
"Hehe, the same goes for me and Vega!" Narita Top Road, standing nearby, also actively extended her hand as if afraid of being overlooked, and said, "Vega and I are mainly here to improve our own strength, hehe. But we also couldn't refuse Doto-san's request, so we came to help."
"...I just wanted to understand the progress of my opponents, that's all." Admire Vega said, seemingly unaccustomed to frankly admitting her desire to help Meisho Doto, turning her head away.
Despite them giving him their reasons, Doto's active behavior made Wada feel even more confused. However, Doto, though still with a hint of unease, firmly said to Wada:
"Trainer, I've thought it through now. I must become stronger faster. If I just rely on our usual training, I will never surpass T.M. Opera O. So I asked everyone to train together; I want to temper myself. I might not be able to catch up with T.M. Opera O... but... but I still want to make myself stronger! I want to prove that I can be strong! So, I want to intensify my training even more, Trainer, please let me become stronger, I beg you."
Meisho Doto bowed deeply towards Wada. Although her voice was still soft and a bit trembling, the determination in her tone was still conveyed to everyone.
Suddenly, everyone's gaze towards Doto changed. Even Tokai Teio, who was incredibly arrogant and prideful, had a change of heart towards Meisho Doto, whom she had always considered "shy and lacking competitive spirit."
At this moment, under everyone's watchful eyes, Wada touched Meisho Doto's head without any hesitation, and replied very gently:
"Doto, you're really similar to me back then. Lift your head, Doto. You haven't done anything wrong. There's nothing you need to apologize for. There's nothing wrong with wanting to become stronger, and there never will be. You will surpass T.M. Opera O. I believe in you. I believe T.M. Opera O has always felt that way too."
Wada supported Meisho Doto's shoulders, allowing Doto to slowly lift her head. He then patted her cheek, rubbing it quite dotingly until Doto-san's cheeks turned a little red, and only then did he lower his hand.
"Alright, let's get to training, Doto. Today's training will be even more exhausting than usual, so be mentally prepared."
"Ye-yes!"
Doto nodded happily and immediately agreed. At this moment, deep in her heart, she was also very pleased with the decision she had just made. At this moment, Meisho Doto's gaze unconsciously turned to the side—Mejiro McQueen, Narita Top Road, Admire Vega... these three were her and T.M. Opera O's biggest obstacles in the Japanese Derby this time.
No one knew what decision Meisho Doto had made in her heart, but at least it was a decision she would never regret. The time for the Japanese Derby was also getting closer and closer, and the time for Doto to become stronger was also running out.
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Chapter 100!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!
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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.