"Huff… huff… huff…"
"Just keep going, just keep going. The Tenno Sho is going to be fine, it's definitely going to be fine."
At this moment, Meisho Doto was in a training facility, working on her stamina and power.
Her training regimen with T.M. Opera O, apart from their daily joint runs, had basically diverged completely.
Meisho Doto was gradually finding her own area of expertise—her power.
Perhaps Meisho Doto was not as good as T.M. Opera O in terms of speed and wit during a race, but her power was undeniably superior to T.M. Opera O's.
She might not be able to achieve T.M. Opera O's final spurt skills, but she could surpass T.M. Opera O in the power of her physique, developed through specialized training.
As long as she gained an advantage in power, she could quickly occupy a more favorable position on the track. The 2000-meter Tenno Sho (Autumn) posed no difficulty for Meisho Doto's stamina.
Hell, if Meisho Doto were to participate in the Kikuka Sho, she could easily run the 3000-meter long-distance race.
However, middle-distance races required Meisho Doto to further train her strength, providing her with more powerful acceleration.
When running in a straight, almost no other Uma Musume from her generation could compare to Meisho Doto.
This was the build Wada had designed for Meisho Doto.
After her transformation following the Japanese Derby, Meisho Doto's growth speed also became astonishing—though not as terrifying an improvement as T.M. Opera O's, she was making steady progress.
Especially in her control over Aura, Meisho Doto actually surpassed T.M. Opera O in that area now.
Now, she was an expert at manipulating her Aura, unlike early Orfevre, who relied on pure feels to unleash it; Meisho Doto could do it at will.
She had also briefly entered an elevated "realm" like T.M. Opera O; however, it was so brief that even Meisho Doto thought it was merely a dream, but she still gained benefits from it as she managed to undergo a huge change.
Just as she had told Wada, she now had the courage to support herself. On the track, she would no longer fear any challenges.
"Huff—time's up."
Another set of training had finished. Meisho Doto stood up and stretched her body in exhaustion.
There were no other Uma Musume in the training facility yet, allowing Meisho Doto to train with full concentration, which was an excellent environment for her.
Just as Meisho Doto was about to rest before doing her last set, the door suddenly opened, and Fumino Nase arrived.
"Meisho Doto? I'd like to talk to you, can I take a moment of your time?"
"Huh? Trainer Nase… Yes, you can."
Meisho Doto hadn't expected Fumino Nase to seek her out. She was slightly puzzled but obediently stepped forward and asked,
"Trainer Nase, is there something wrong?"
"Yes, it's about T.M. Opera O."
Trainer Fumino saw that Meisho Doto's attitude was, as expected, much better than T.M. Opera O's, and she felt a good deal of relief.
It seemed that she hadn't done anything wrong, so it's probably just some misunderstanding between her and T.M. Opera O.
As a member of Team Miracle, Fumino Nase hoped to have good relationships with all the Uma Musume.
Moreover, as a Trainer herself, she knew very well that the relationship between a Trainer and an Uma Musume was crucial—she didn't want to make such a mistake.
Although she was currently just acting as an assistant, an assistant also handled some of a Trainer's duties.
Fumino Nase had never fully considered herself just the team's assistant; she was also a Trainer, just a "Trainer who doesn't have an Uma Musume."
"Meisho Doto… can I just call you Doto? I've noticed Trainer Wada calls you that."
"Uh… it's fine." Meisho Doto, hearing this, still a little timid, nodded and said,'
"Trainer Nase is also a Trainer, so you can call me whatever you like."
"So, regarding T.M. Opera O… is there anything Trainer Nase wants to ask?"
"…It might sound strange, but I think T.M. Opera O dislikes me." Trainer Nase Fumino said to Meisho Doto with a sense of helplessness,
"I have no idea why, but I'm sure she dislikes me. I just wanted to ask you, since you're T.M. Opera O's friend, if you have any idea why."
"Huh… T.M. Opera O disliking someone… I've never heard of that before…"
Meisho Doto also found it a bit strange when she heard this, but as she met Trainer Fumino's subtle gaze, she immediately waved her hands nervously, saying:
"I- I'm not saying that Trainer Nase is annoying! I'm just saying it's really rare for T.M. Opera O to dislike anyone… No, no, no, what I mean is…"
"…No need to say more, I understand."
Fumino Nase saw Meisho Doto looking as if she was about to cry from nervousness, and she really couldn't press her any further. She just continued to ask:
"As a member of this team, I do hope to maintain a good relationship with everyone."
"I have never thought that my position in your hearts could surpass your Trainer's, but at least I hope I can give you some help."
"But it seems there's been a small hiccup in that regard, so Meisho Doto, I hope you can help me with it. Is there any way I can mend my relationship with T.M. Opera O?"
"Hmm… I remember T.M. Opera O saying that the school's opera performance still needs some help… I think, Trainer Nase, you could try…"
However, as Meisho Doto spoke, she noticed Fumino Nase's expression starting to become strange, and she immediately corrected herself:
"I'm sorry… please disregard what I just said…"
Asking Fumino Nase to help with an opera performance—Meisho Doto didn't know how she even thought of that. Tracen's operas was something where the participants were usually quite fixed.
Besides T.M. Opera O and Meisho Doto, who was willing to help voluntarily, it was mostly Uma Musume who liked to be on stage like Fine Motion, Fuji Kiseki, and sometimes Maruzensky who would perform.
And to ask Fumino Nase, such a talented Trainer, to participate in something like that… it seemed strange no matter how she thought about it.
"No, I'm not angry, I just feel that I'm probably not very good at that kind of thing…"
Fumino Nase sighed helplessly. She didn't dislike such performances.
If it didn't affect her work, she would be willing to do anything that didn't violate her bottom line, but unfortunately, this was indeed not her forte.
Perhaps she could look for other ways. Next step… she should just ask Wada.
But regardless, Meisho Doto had given Fumino Nase a good deal of help this time.
At that moment, Fumino Nase, whose mood was slightly less than pleasant due to being disliked by T.M. Opera O, smiled faintly and reached out her hand towards Meisho Doto's small head.
However, Meisho Doto's usually gentle eyes suddenly narrowed at her extended hand.
Instantly, an extremely strong and agitated Aura swept through the room, making Fumino Nase halt her movement completely.
"Ah—I- I'm sorry!"
Meisho Doto, realizing what she had done, reacted belatedly, startled that she had unconsciously used her Aura.
She immediately stopped, but still couldn't help but instinctively retreat several steps, covering her head as if startled.
Her subconscious actions… clearly indicated her meaning: she didn't want Fumino Nase to pat her head…
Or rather… she didn't want her head to be casually ruffled by others, because in Meisho Doto's impression, only her Trainer, or close friends could do that.
Therefore, when Fumino Nase instinctively made the same gesture, Meisho Doto immediately reacted and showed extremely strong resistance
This was a kind of animal-like vigilance, a wariness towards someone she wasn't familiar with or didn't acknowledge approaching her suddenly.
But Meisho Doto also knew her actions were wrong. After all, Fumino Nase was her Trainer's assistant and a member from their Team.
But… Meisho Doto just couldn't control herself, that feeling of resistance.
"That, I- I don't dislike it, but, but I—"
"—I, I'M SORRYYYY!!"
In the end, Meisho Doto, unable to explain her actions, chose to flee in a hurry, leaving Fumino Nase alone and bewildered in the training room.
After a long while, she murmured to herself:
"It seems I really am disliked… by everyone."
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This is a metaphor for how I have low friendship even by the time I reach summer because how 'some' support cards avoid my clicks like a plague (Looking at you Fine Motion)
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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.