After Trainer Imanami enjoyed breakfast at Mejiro Ranch, he formally introduced himself to several sisters of the Mejiro Family. Finally, under the concerned gaze of Mejiro McQueen's sisters, he was solemnly entrusted with the wish, "Please fulfill McQueen's (my elder sister's) dream." Only then did he return to Tracen Academy with McQueen and Gold Ship.
Imanami and McQueen immediately went to the Student Council to register. Gold Ship, who had been completely unaware of this, suddenly caused a huge commotion, rolling on the floor in the Student Council office and shouting:
"No, no, no! Why did McQueen suddenly jump the gun?! I was supposed to be the old man's Uma Musume!"
"I'm sorry, Gold Ship, but this is the decisiveness expected of a prestigious family." Mejiro McQueen, who had already prepared for such a reaction, felt no shame. Her inner guilt had already been resolved during her previous conversation with Imanami, and now that they were in a Responsible relationship, McQueen naturally stated without hesitation:
"An truly excellent Trainer needs to be sought out by an excellent Uma Musume herself. Waiting around won't get you any results, you know. Gold Ship, you still have a lot to learn."
"Then I want to be the old man's Uma Musume too!"
Hearing this, Gold Ship was quite indignant. She immediately scrambled up from the floor and approached Symboli Rudolf, slapping the table as she declared, "I want to be a Uma Musume too! President, quickly give me the agreement!"
"Are you sure, Gold Ship? Tracen Academy has a rule that Uma Musume who sign a Responsible agreement with a Trainer must regularly participate in training and win at least one Debut Race. Are you sure you can do that?"
Symboli Rudolf, however, looked quite amused at this moment, with an expression that clearly showed she was enjoying the spectacle. She smiled and asked Gold Ship, "Although as the Student Council President, I'm not entirely sure when you enrolled in Tracen Academy, nor do I know why you can skip classes and training whenever you like, and why you aren't urged to participate in Debut Races despite not doing so for so long, if it's the Chairwoman's will, I can only accept it."
"But, if you sign the agreement, you must abide by Tracen Academy's rules. Even you cannot do whatever you please entirely within Tracen Academy. Do you understand?"
"Of course I understand!"
However, Gold Ship showed no hesitation. Under everyone's gaze, she boldly slung her arm over Imanami's shoulder and affectionately said to him:
"Hey~ old man, you'll be very enthusiastic in teaching me, right? You definitely won't be biased towards McQueen, right? You definitely think I'll never lose to McQueen, right?"
"Gold Ship… you're making the Trainer quite uncomfortable."
McQueen, however, really couldn't bear to watch anymore. She had never imagined what it would be like to be on a Team with Gold Ship… If it were Tokai Teio, McQueen would feel that having such a rival and friend would surely motivate her to strive for higher goals.
But Gold Ship… what could she learn from her? What motivation could she get? To be as idle as her?
"…Trainer Imanami, what do you think?" In the end, Symboli Rudolf also handed this question to Imanami to resolve, as he was the ultimate decision-maker.
"…Gold Ship is very talented. If she can commit to training, she will definitely achieve accomplishments no less than other top-tier Uma Musume."
Imanami was hesitant at first, but Gold Ship's pitiful gaze, even though Imanami could tell at a glance that it was feigned, still made him compromise—after all, she was his favorite Racehorse, and it was no different now that she was an Uma Musume.
Imanami agreed to almost all of Gold Ship's requests. Furthermore, this Horse Girl wasn't as troublesome as she seemed. Although she was boisterous, she had her own sense of proportion and wouldn't do anything too outrageous.
"Although it might be a bit tiring, I think I can persevere."
"In that case—please sign this agreement as well."
Soon, this matter, which was originally set to be "finding a Uma Musume within one week," dragged on for a month until all three Trainers had completed it. And Trainer Imanami, the last one to finish, not only found an excellent Uma Musume, but he found two at once.
More importantly, Gold Ship finally had someone to discipline her, truly ridding Tracen Academy of a great menace (literally).
From then on, Tracen Academy could not only enjoy some peace and quiet for a while, but the Student Council's workload also significantly decreased—little did they know how much energy Symboli Rudolf had to expend daily to deal with the messes caused by Gold Ship's pranks.
"Today is a good day, Air Groove. How about we do something to celebrate?" After seeing Imanami and his group off, Symboli Rudolf turned to Air Groove and suggested with interest.
"It is a day worth celebrating. How about I get some champagne and ice?" Air Groove understood Symboli Rudolf's meaning and followed her lead.
"Hmm, good. And I haven't told a bad joke in a long time. How about we take this opportunity to make up for lost time?"
"…I think we probably won't need ice."
…Meanwhile, within Tracen Academy, Ms. Tojo Hana, the Trainer of Tracen's strongest Team, was still meticulously training her Team's active members. While Symboli Rudolf and her group were all members of her Team, they had already achieved fame and success, and generally did not need to participate in races unless under special circumstances.
Tojo Hana held a stopwatch, watching the results of her Team's parallel running training. Everything so far made her very satisfied, except for… "—Alright, that's it. El Condor Pasa, Taiki Shuttle, Fuji Kiseki, go rest with Grass Wonder."
"Okay~"
The Uma Musume dispersed as Tojo Hana's words fell. Tojo Hana, as a Trainer, was quite strict, and because she was the Trainer of the strongest Team, few dared to question her. And because people with greater abilities generally had more volatile tempers, Tojo Hana's image in her members' eyes was quite intimidating.
"Opera O, stay." Tojo Hana stopped Opera O as the others left, standing in front of her and asking with a hint of inquiry in her tone:
"Opera O, do you have anything to explain about the Yukinayanagi Sho?"
—Hahahaha! Trainer, as the Overlord, no matter what method I choose to race, I will not fall behind. The victory at Yukinayanagi Sho also proves this point~"
Opera O, of course, knew what Tojo Hana wanted to ask, but at the moment, she found it difficult to answer. She immediately used exaggerated gestures and expressions to try and gloss over it.
"Moreover, Trainer, you saw it, didn't you? At Yukinayanagi Sho, whether it was the track, the distance, or the situation at the time, if I, as the Overlord, hadn't changed to a go first running style midway, I might have faced an insurmountable predicament. Therefore, I believe my judgment was completely sound~"
—That's the problem, Opera O. The fact that you also have a go first talent is somewhat unexpected, but your go first running style is not yet mature. At least, it's not as mature as your Sashi style."
Tojo Hana, of course, knew that Opera O's judgment during the Yukinayanagi Sho was correct. She had also been there to watch the entire race. It wasn't that running Sashi couldn't win, it was just that it would be a much more thrilling victory. According to Tojo Hana's judgment, the difference would have been about one-third of a Racehorse length, and one misstep could have truly led to a loss.
And during the Yukinayanagi Sho, Opera O's sudden switch from Sashi to go first, and her subsequent undisputed victory, indeed showed Tojo Hana that Opera O had the potential to run go first, and perhaps, Opera O might even be better at go first.
But the biggest problem now was that they truly had no time to train a new running style. The Mainichi Hai was already around the corner, and Tojo Hana's bet with Wada was imminent.
"Opera O, you may have a go first talent, but I hope you can first solidify your Sashi running style. Once we win the Mainichi Hai, we can then explore your go first talents."
"…I understand, Trainer."
Opera O's nod slightly reassured Tojo Hana, who then added, "At your current level, it's still very difficult for Meisho Doto to beat you. Although I haven't seen her races, to almost beat Mejiro McQueen in a Friendship Race, I have to say, that newcomer Wada indeed has some skill."
"But Doto is still a bit behind your level, Opera O. To win races, you must solidify your strengths. Come to the track tonight, and I'll help you consolidate your Sashi running style."
Warm reminder: The website is about to be revised, which may cause loss of reading progress. Please save your "Bookshelf" and "Reading History" (screenshots recommended) in time. We apologize for any inconvenience caused!