"Well then, it's time for me to leave too and continue on my journey of races."
"Oldest Sister, are you really not coming home for a few days? Everyone misses you so much; we can only see you on TV normally…"
The winner's stage concluded, bringing a perfect end to Gold Ship's Debut Race victory. As they approached the next grade, facing the pleas of her sisters to stay, Gold Trip didn't linger for too long.
"I've already stolen some time from my busy schedule for this visit; I can't stay with you all for too long." Gold Trip gently shook her head and, with a faint smile, replied to Gold Ship and Xiao Jin Chuan:
"However, coming back this time and seeing Giant and Xiao Jin Chuan, both of you have found your respective Trainers, I am very relieved. I look forward to the day I can compete on the same stage as you. By then, perhaps you will surpass me."
"Xiao Jin Chuan, listen to Trainer Imanami. You are the most lively one in our family, so don't cause your Trainer any trouble."
"What do you mean… Gold Ship has been very obedient lately…" Gold Ship also hid her sadness, saying with an air of indifference, "McQueen is in the same team as me, making me so busy that I can't even rest properly every day."
"That's good." Gold Trip nodded, then turned her gaze to Gold Ship, who was standing beside her, and spoke:
"Giant, you are the child I value the most. Your potential is far greater than you imagine—although it's not the first time I've said this, you've never taken it to heart, have you?"
"I hope this time, with Trainer Ikezoe, you can find the place to unleash your potential."
"Oh." However, Gold Ship's attitude towards Gold Trip was much more honest than Gold Ship's. Her eyes were already brimming with tears as she nodded, promising that she would work hard by Ikezoe's side.
After receiving affirmation from her two most worrisome sisters, Gold Trip felt much more at ease. However, just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly remembered something and turned her head back to look at Ikezoe.
"Trainer Ikezoe, can we talk for a moment?"
"Ah?" Ikezoe, who had initially been an observer watching the harmonious interaction of the Gold family, was suddenly called out. He looked left and right, and finally, only after Gold Ship nodded, did he scratch his head and walk forward.
"Alright then… Karen-chan, you can take Giant and a few companions to get acquainted. I'll go talk to Ms. Gold Trip."
"Leave it to Karen-chan, Oni-chan~" Curren Chan, displaying her complete lack of worry for Ikezoe, took it to the extreme. Even though Curren Chan and Gold Ship were at odds just a week ago, she now very familiarly wrapped her arm around Gold Ship's, saying to her:
"Gold Ship (student), come on, come on, we are all companions now, so let's get along well~"
"Hey—don't grab me! You're so strong!"
Gold Trip and Ikezoe watched the group gradually depart. However, after a long time, Ikezoe couldn't help but ask with some doubt:
"Um… Gold Trip… Madam?"
"It's Ms., I'm not married." Gold Trip corrected with a light chuckle, her tone carrying a hint of teasing as she asked, "What? Do I look like I'm old enough to be married?"
"No, I didn't mean that…" Ikezoe waved his hand awkwardly. He belatedly realized that in this world of Uma Musume, Gold Trip and Giant referred to each other as sisters, not the relationship he remembered.
"Trainer Ikezoe, you are a very special person. I can feel that you have some extraordinary qualities."
Soon, after the teasing ended, Gold Trip reverted to her initial calm expression from when they first met, speaking to Ikezoe with a hint of curiosity in her voice:
"You are the only person I've ever seen who can accommodate that child, Gold Ship. And you are also the only Trainer I've seen who Giant can accept."
"Before this, I had never seen her get along so well with anyone. Even within our own family, Giant's relationship with her other sisters isn't that great; she seems a bit rebellious."
"Gold Ship… is indeed a bit difficult to get along with." Ikezoe replied, almost as if complaining, a helpless smile appearing on his face: "Actually, I didn't think I would accept Gold Ship at first, but in the end, I understood."
"Perhaps this is some kind of destiny between her and me. I am honored to be her comrade. I think with her potential, she could find a better Trainer than me, but she still chose to stand with me… even if she's not that easy to get along with… I still feel incredibly honored."
As Ikezoe said, he always felt that it was his honor to be able to gallop on the racecourse with Gold Ship. His career reached its peak because of Gold Ship, and he and Gold Ship had once come so close to transcending the Japanese boundary. Although they ultimately missed out, the memories of striving for it still filled him with immense excitement.
"I didn't expect you to value Gold Ship so much… I thought you simply valued her talent."
Ikezoe's answer, however, made Gold Trip uncharacteristically stunned for a moment. The emotion in Ikezoe's words just now left Gold Trip feeling somewhat bewildered.
She even had a feeling that this man in front of her understood Gold Ship better than she, the Oldest Sister, did, and had even spent more time with Gold Ship… But that shouldn't be possible.
However, the emotion in Ikezoe's words couldn't be false either. For a moment, Gold Trip didn't know whether to believe the facts or the emotional side—could there really be such a thing as past life connections in this world?
Could it be that the Three Goddesses sent this Trainer down specifically to be a partner for that child, Giant?
And when such a thought surfaced in her mind, Gold Trip couldn't help but have a bold idea and asked solemnly: "…I wonder, Trainer Ikezoe, would you be willing to help me educate another child?"
"She is also quite talented, but her temper… is probably even more volatile and irritable than that child Giant. Her name is Dream…"
—"Please, you must spare me."
However, before Gold Trip's words had even finished, Ikezoe looked as if he was about to kneel before her, pleading with a tear-streaked face for Gold Trip to stop talking.
One Gold Ship was already enough for him to handle. Another Dream Journey… What kind of living hell was this?
Even in his previous life, he rode them one by one. Where did several come at once? Did she really think Ikezoe Kenichi was made of iron?
"Since you're so resistant, I won't continue."
Gold Trip found it somewhat amusing that her other child was so disliked by Ikezoe. It seemed that her child's journey had not yet begun.
But Giant's journey… undoubtedly began earlier than expected. Perhaps after Giant achieves fame and success, it wouldn't be too late to ask Trainer Ikezoe to mentor that child, Dream Journey?
Gold Trip planned this, a simple template already formed in her mind. However, in the end, she proactively asked one last question.
"Trainer Ikezoe, I'd like to hear your future plans for Gold Ship… if you don't mind."
"Ah, I'll probably have her run a few more races. Next year, she can challenge the Classic Triple Crown. It's definitely too late this year, so let's run some GIII level races first, and then consider GII."
Ikezoe had already made plans for Gold Ship's future. Relying on his memory, he was full of confidence in Gold Ship's future.
"First, win the Classic Triple Crown, and then the Arima Kinen! Once all of that is in hand, it'll be about time for…"
"Arc de Triomphe."
And at that moment, Gold Trip uttered this word faintly, causing Ikezoe to freeze slightly.
"Let that child go to the Arc de Triomphe, break out of Japan, and reach that true world stage—if it can truly be as you say." Gold Trip said to Ikezoe, who was still frozen in place, as she turned to leave:
"Just as you expect, train her to be the strongest Uma Musume in All Japan, Trainer Ikezoe."
"By then, I will provide an unimaginable amount of help, almost fulfilling any wish you have, no matter if it's climbing mountains of knives or plunging into seas of fire, I will do my utmost to achieve it."
However, it wasn't until Gold Trip's figure completely disappeared from Ikezoe's sight that the usually highly motivated Ikezoe's face showed an unconfident smile for the first time, and he muttered to himself:
"Arc de Triomphe… ah…"
"Yes… Gold Ship can do it, she can do it… But perhaps I… am not qualified enough."
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