Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't know that Maruzensky was also staying up late to watch the race, but it wouldn't have mattered either way. He had foreseen this day from the very moment he first met Trêve.
Back then, Trêve was a very cute petite foreign filly. Not only was her physique beautiful, but her legs looked incredible. Then there was her name—Venus Park.
It sounded so strange that most people would instinctively assume it was a pseudonym.
But Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't mind. His only thought was: If I get the chance, I'm definitely going to build this Miss Venus into a top-tier meta powerhouse!
Since she was named after the Goddess of Venus, she naturally had to possess a strength to match. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste?
Fortunately, Montjeu was a relatively easygoing Uma Musume to talk to, and Trêve was a highly motivated young filly. Their training progressed smoothly, and Trêve quickly mastered some "special techniques" that turned the impossible into reality.
If they had ever asked, "Why does an Uma Musume need to practice the Salmon Leap?" Ritsuka would have found it hard to answer. Was he supposed to tell them he hoped they would grow into warriors capable of holding their own on a battlefield?
Even Ritsuka felt that he wasn't so much raising "Race-horse Girls" as he was training "War-horse Girls."
But the training was going well, and the girls were happy. That was enough, wasn't it?
As for Trêve's declaration on the Winning Post—"Trainer, I will win the Classic Triple Crown and then conquer the Japan Cup!"—well, that was a story for later. Ritsuka was proud of the girl's confidence, but he wanted to say: That's a matter for next year and beyond. If we truly meet on the track, I won't let Oguri hold back. Let's have a race with no regrets!
Compared to Fujimaru Ritsuka's composure, Maruzensky's mood was far less pleasant. She really wanted to ask: Why the Japan Cup again?!
Even though she loved to slack off and often went out for joyrides, she was still the Vice President of Japan's Central Tracen Academy. She wanted the Japanese Uma Musume to become stronger, to sync up with international standards as soon as possible, and to shine on the world stage.
But why the Japan Cup? Couldn't it be France's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe? That was the international grand slam the Japanese girls dreamed of. Wouldn't it be better to meet at the summit there? Why did everyone have to come to Japan?!
It wasn't surprising that Maruzensky was so concerned. At this time, the average strength of Japanese Uma Musume lagged behind that of Europe and America. The thought of French racers coming to Japan one after another to use their races like a personal "ATM" was almost too much for Maruzensky to bear.
After Symboli Rudolf moved on to the Dream Trophy, the development of the Japanese Uma Musume sport had hit a bottleneck. Promising talents were hard to find, and the audience's passion was fading. This left those who cared about the sport's growth deeply worried, desperate to find a way to break the deadlock.
In this situation, having powerful French Uma Musume come to "collect their winnings" would undoubtedly deal an unpredictable blow to the domestic scene!
Maruzensky had originally intended to sleep after the race, but now she was wide awake. Trêve was beautiful and sweet-voiced, an excellent French Uma Musume, but her future goal was truly terrifying to the Japanese side.
Le Glorieux alone was enough of a headache. To add Trêve to the mix... not to mention, the British racers who had lost on their home turf certainly wouldn't let it slide. It would be fine if they only targeted French races, but what if they ran over to Japan to "withdraw some cash" too?
Though Japan was relatively closed off at the time, with the Japan Cup being the only international invitational G1, it was still a frightening prospect! What if the Board of Directors, faced with losses in international events, resorted to some "world-shaking wisdom" to fix things?
After much thought, she decided to call Eplano: Little sister, what's going on? Is there still no progress on the mission I gave you?
Thus, the following day.
Eplano was yawning non-stop, making Twin Bee (Belle Glorieuse) worry about her. "Are you alright, El? You seem like you have no energy. Did you stay up late last night?"
Hearing that keyword, Oguri Cap decisively chimed in: "That won't do. Staying up late is a great enemy. To become an excellent Uma Musume, one must maintain a healthy routine..."
Once she started, Oguri Cap suddenly became quite talkative, though her words sounded exactly like Fujimaru Ritsuka's nagging. Twin Bee felt it was a bit like "offering borrowed flowers to the Buddha."
Eplano also felt that these words didn't seem like something Oguri would say on her own; they were clearly the Trainer's handiwork. Thinking of Ritsuka reminded her of Maruzensky's late-night phone call.
At that moment, Oguri Cap took Twin Bee's internal comparison literally. She explained with a serious face, "These are indeed the Trainer's instructions. Speaking of which, who is this 'Buddha'? And why should I give her flowers?"
Twin Bee, lacking the strength to explain the idiom, could only laugh it off. "Ah... hahah..."
Twin Bee's Inner Monologue: While Oguri is cute like this, she can be quite overwhelming sometimes. The Trainer really has it rough.
However, the moment she remembered that she still hadn't received Fujimaru Ritsuka's permission to participate in her debut race, Twin Bee felt a surge of frustration. She had been working so hard, and her training results were constantly improving. Even if she couldn't perfectly complete the daily drills yet... surely for just a debut race, she could at least give it a try?
Twin Bee looked up to Uma Musume and hoped to become a proud racer herself as soon as possible. After watching Oguri Cap and the others compete, this desire had only grown stronger. But Fujimaru Ritsuka actually. forbade. it!
Along with her frustration, Twin Bee felt a seed of anxiety: Could it be that the Trainer thinks I lack the talent to be an Uma Musume?
Actually, it wasn't a "could it be." After calculating and analyzing Twin Bee's training data, Ritsuka had wrapped his words in several layers of polite caution before finally giving a helpless smile: "Miss Glorieuse has great potential, so let's talk about the debut race later. You're not quite ready yet."
Initially, Twin Bee had been thrilled, looking forward to becoming a racer like Oguri Cap. But now, the meaning was starting to sink in: If he said she "wasn't quite ready yet," then "great potential" just meant her room for improvement was unimaginably vast. In other words, right now she was... so that's what "not quite ready" meant!
Once she realized this, Twin Bee's face turned pale. She lost her appetite, let alone the motivation for daily training.
Fujimaru Ritsuka noticed the situation and used the excuse of "gathering everyone's data" to call Twin Bee for a private talk. This time, he chose to be blunt. "Miss Glorieuse, I have a list here with corresponding data. I'd like you to take a look first and then tell me your thoughts. How about it?"
Upon receiving the list, Twin Bee was taken aback. It was filled with unfamiliar names and utterly mediocre data. While her own name was on there, Oguri and the others were absent. And looking at the numbers...
Twin Bee's first reaction was: These girls all seem... kind of weak?
Then she immediately critiqued herself: I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for being this weak!
However, she didn't lose heart completely. Instead, clutching a final sliver of hope, she asked, "Trainer, what is this?"
It's not some 'List of Bottom-tier Kasamatsu Uma Musume,' is it?
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Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (99 Chapters – Ongoing)
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