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"Oh dear… it's, it's so dark…"
After an unknown amount of time, Meisho Doto groggily woke up from her sleep. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but she felt sore all over, and even getting out of bed was a struggle.
She clearly remembered that she had fainted while running in the afternoon, and now… Meisho Doto glanced at the dimness outside, obscured by the curtains… Evidently, it was already late at night.
Did I sleep from afternoon until night… Meisho Doto's mind slowly cleared, and she almost immediately sat up from the bed, muttering with a hint of a wail in her voice:
"Then, then that means, I, I missed an entire afternoon of training… Ugh, ah ah ah…"
At this thought, Meisho Doto couldn't help but wail. She had no idea that even if she hadn't run that extra lap, her high-intensity training would have been stopped by Mr. Imanami and Wada anyway. She only knew that she was currently very weak, not just weak but also fat, and if she didn't continue training, she might not even be able to outrun McQueen, who hadn't even participated in a Debut Race… In reality, it would still be difficult for the current Mejiro McQueen to beat Doto under the same weight conditions. After all, Doto was an Uma Musume who had won her Debut Race, and there was still a gap between her and a young lady like McQueen, who hadn't even run a Debut Race—not to mention the amount of weight McQueen needed to lose was no less than Doto's.
But Doto was unaware of all this. She was extremely unconfident, almost ranking herself as the weakest among her peers. She knew that she was clumsy and extremely unconfident, which made her prone to timidity and hesitation in her performance.
Unless it was a situation of absolute advantage, one that even Doto herself knew she could win—her Debut Race was exactly like that, she won first place almost without a hitch, so much so that Doto herself found it unbelievable, leading her to believe she had simply encountered the "least valuable" batch.
Missing an afternoon of training was even more serious for Doto. She had already made up her mind to lose weight and win victories for her Trainer. An Uma Musume like her should work doubly hard… "Ugh… my shoulders and body are so sore…" The waves of soreness from her body protested, making Doto want to back down.
However, as soon as Doto thought of her Trainer, Wada, and the goal he had told her, her tentative movement to retreat stopped.
"No—I must continue training."
"I can still make it… as long as I can catch up with the evening training and make up for what I missed in the afternoon, it will be fine…"
Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to beat Opera O. If she didn't do this, her Trainer's trust in her… would be betrayed… Thinking this, Doto endured the strong discomfort in her body and climbed out of the bed in Tracen's infirmary. Her athletic shoes with weighted horseshoes, along with her other weights, were placed to the side.
However, just then, a sound from the infirmary door made Doto instinctively stop her movements. Almost as if she had a guilty conscience, Doto immediately put down what she was doing and returned to the bed, lying down obediently, as if nothing had happened.
"Click."
The infirmary door opened in response, and soon, with a burst of light, Doto saw who it was.
"Trainer… why are you here?"
"You are my assigned Uma Musume, aren't you? You collapsed from training. If I, as your Trainer, don't stay by your side the whole time, wouldn't I be treating my assigned Uma Musume as a consumable?"
Wada replied without hesitation, completely missing the slight surprise in Doto's tone, and not noticing Doto's small actions before he entered. He only saw a small fruit basket in his hand and said to Doto:
"This fruit basket is from your roommate Air Shakur, and everyone else. Everyone knew you fainted. Originally, they wanted to send you a lot of tonics, but Mr. Imanami and I declined, and we ultimately chose this."
"Do you want to eat? If you feel like you can't lift your arm, I can help you now."
"Uh, um…" Doto's cheeks flushed slightly, seemingly embarrassed. She had never experienced such care before, and at that moment, she felt a bit like refusing.
However, for some reason, her arm, which could initially endure the soreness to get up, now felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead, unable to be lifted. After much thought, Doto couldn't hide her completely red cheeks, subtly covering herself with the blanket, and said in a soft, sheep-like voice:
"P-please… help me…"
…Wada sat by Doto's bed, peeling fruit with a small knife and cutting it into small pieces for Doto to eat. With Wada's help, Doto successfully sat up on the bed again, quietly and a little nervously watching Wada's actions.
"Mr. Imanami and I didn't accept those tonics." At this moment, Wada suddenly looked up and asked Doto: "Doto, do you know why?"
"B-because you're afraid I'll get fat again…?" Doto guessed cautiously. That was all she could think of.
"That's one aspect. On the other hand, Mr. Imanami and I are more worried that the tonics would make you feel energetic again, and you would continue to overexert yourself in training."
Wada finished preparing an entire apple, then inserted a toothpick into an apple slice and brought it to Doto's mouth, saying:
"Your performance today surprised both Mr. Imanami and me. It's the first time we've seen an Uma Musume, outside of a race, faint from training."
"It wasn't easy carrying you to the infirmary. If Gold Ship hadn't been there, just Mr. Imanami and I, along with McQueen, whose stamina was also nearly exhausted, would have had a very hard time carrying you over."
"Ugh…" Doto's cheeks flushed slightly at these words. After eating the apple Wada offered, she quickly envisioned the scene of Gold Ship, Mr. Imanami, and Wada strenuously carrying her to the infirmary… At this thought, Doto felt utterly mortified, and her sore legs showed slight signs of movement, as if she wanted to dig a hole in the bed and crawl into it… However, Wada, being shy and timid by nature, didn't read anything into Doto's reaction. He simply upheld his duty as a Trainer, gently reminding her:
"This kind of thing isn't allowed to happen again next time. It was too strenuous for us to carry you. Tomorrow, you will have normal training for one day; no unauthorized weighted training."
"I, I just don't want to disappoint Trainer's expectations…" Doto's heart skipped a beat at these words, and she immediately stated her position:
"After all, after all, Trainer, you said that I must beat Opera O in the Mainichi Hai two months from now…"
"—You must win, but that is on the premise that you do not collapse before the Mainichi Hai begins."
Wada also shook his head. Before he came, Mr. Imanami had told him many things, sharing a lot of areas he needed to pay attention to in his upcoming training. But what impressed Wada the most was Mr. Imanami's final piece of advice.
"For an Uma Musume, the most terrifying thing is not losing a race, but being unable to continue running on the track. And for us Trainers, the most terrifying thing is not encountering various difficult Uma Musume, but watching the child we have personally overseen grow, eventually fading away like the setting sun."
Wada murmured, repeating Mr. Imanami's warning to him. He also understood the feelings Mr. Imanami spoke of, because… he had also witnessed such a scene.
And now, he was training an Uma Musume he once considered a rival, but the goal was to win for the Uma Musume he favored. It sounded a bit ridiculous—but this didn't mean that Wada was completely unconcerned about Meisho Doto.
Strictly speaking, Wada should dislike, even detest Meisho Doto, because Opera O ultimately stopped at only seven crowns, the same as Symboli Rudolf, partly because Meisho Doto's rise in the Takarazuka Kinen ended Opera O's six consecutive GI victories.
As a Jockey and due to team-related reasons, it wouldn't be strange if Wada truly detested Meisho Doto—such things were commonplace at Shadai. The fierce competition and deep animosity between various teams or stables were all born from this. Few people could let go of such personal grudges, especially when they were related to profit.
But Wada didn't, and neither did Mr. Imanami or Ikezoe. Because they were no longer their former selves, but Trainers who personally watched these children striving, fighting, and giving their all for victory.
Moreover, Wada also saw that Meisho Doto was now working hard to realize his dream. How could he detest such a child?
"Doto, I hope you win, but I hope even more that you can continue to run. So, please, never overexert your racing career or do things beyond your ability. These are all not worth it."
"Even if we ultimately can't beat Opera O, I am still your Trainer. That will never change."
"Trainer…"
However, Wada's words plunged Doto into an unprecedented silence. After an unknown amount of time, Doto silently lowered her head, her body trembling slightly as she began to sob… "Trainer, I, I… You care so much for me, I'm a little… I don't know what to do…"
Before Wada could panic, Doto suddenly looked up. Although she was shedding tears, she showed a smiling face and said to Wada, word by word:
"I, I will definitely win, Trainer. For your dream, for your expectations, I will definitely win!"
"My purpose in life is probably just to run. So, please train me, let me win."
"I will definitely not disappoint your expectations."
Because you are the only one who believes I can do it.