Uma Musume: Become a Legendary Trainer

Chapter 178 Are you interested in running a Japanese Derby?

Beiyuan and Luduo had the same opinion on how to discuss Yongwu's matter with Yesen College. The former would communicate with the team members and discuss a suitable treatment plan, while the latter would be responsible for making initial contact to see if they had any clear ideas.

Originally, the plan was to let Luduo try to have a talk with her after Lifar and the others came back, but when the president of Yesen College actually returned, it was no longer Yongwu and Khalid who followed her.

Moonlight Madness…with Tony Bianca?
Kitahara was a little surprised when he saw the two horse girls following Lifar, as well as a man and a woman dressed as trainers.

He could understand the emergence of Moonlight Madness.

She is also an outstanding horse racing girl with British nationality. She has 23 wins and 10 G wins in 12 career fights.

Her fame in the world comes not only from her strong strength, but also from the nobility she exudes in her every move.

After all, this is the British Tresson College, so it is not surprising that this British horse racing girl is here.

But…why did Tony Bianca come here?
Didn’t she just finish participating in the G1 event in continental Europe? Why did she suddenly come to the UK?

Beiyuan was surprised, and the symbol of Luduo on the side came forward to meet him.

She was also a little surprised by the appearance of the two horse girls, but as the student council president of Japan's Tresen Academy, the other party were all world-renowned strongmen. Even if she was surprised and confused, she had to maintain courtesy.

"Chairman Lifar, how is President Yongwu doing?"

She first asked about Yongwu's situation. While asking questions, she glanced at Moonlight Madness and Tony Bianca intentionally or unintentionally.

It was obvious that these two horse racing girls recognized her, the legendary Japanese horse racing girl. They must have learned about her presence from Lifar, and they looked very calm.

However, there was a hint of inquiry in their eyes, and it was unclear whether they were trying to explore her intentions or her strength.

"The condition is fine. The medical team has previously advised that Yongwu should rest more."

There was some worry in his eyes, but Lifar's attitude was very decent. "Thank you President Rudo for your concern. She is now under the care of His Highness Khalid and can still show up at the dinner."

"If it's really inconvenient, President Yongwu can rest more."

Nodding and declining, Luduo's eyes flashed, "Can I go visit President Yongwu later?"

"I have some medical advice here and would like to communicate with her and the relevant team."

When Lifar heard the first half of Rudo's symbolic words, her eyes showed a little hesitation, but when she heard the second half, her eyes suddenly lit up.

As a senior member of Tresen College, she could easily hear the hidden meaning behind Luduo's words.

She had almost made it clear before that if the Japanese side or Kitahara's team had better medical plans, ideas or suggestions, she hoped to have an open and frank discussion.

The other party said this at this moment, obviously he was certain about it, at least there were some things that he didn't understand.

Although he was secretly happy, Lifar did not show his joy too much because there were other arrangements to be made.

"Thank you, President Luduo. I will arrange the communication and meeting."

After bringing up the previous topic with one sentence, she quickly turned to the side.

“Although President Luduo and Chief Beiyuan must have some knowledge of the people here, let me introduce them.”

"These two are Lady Lavinia Mary Fitcharan Howard, the Duke of York, and this is her horse girl, Moonlight Madness."

Pointing at Moonlight Madness and a beautiful and elegant middle-aged woman beside her, Lifar chuckled and said:
"I think President Luduo is very familiar with them. Thank you for helping them participate in the Japan Cup last year."

"It's my duty. You're welcome."

After declining, Luduo bowed to the smiling middle-aged woman.

Lavinia is a duke. According to British etiquette, people of lower status than the duke need to greet each other when they meet, and only those of equal status go through the process of kissing hands.

Ludo symbolizes a very high status in the world of horse racing girls, and those in the aristocratic category are still considered commoners.

"It is an honor to see you again, Duke of Lavinia."

However, Lavinia did not boast of her noble status. After Rudo finished his greetings, she smiled warmly and extended her hand.

"Don't be so formal. I think I told you last time in Japan that you only need to treat me as an ordinary trainer."

Faced with the Duchess's politeness, Luduo did not get nervous. He smiled, stretched out his hand and shook hands with her.

She then reached out to Moonlight Frenzy.

"After the Japan Cup, I watched your first match of the year, G2 Yorkshire Cup. It was an outstanding victory. Congratulations."

Moonlight Madness originally had a very indifferent expression.

She was just like her trainer, with aristocratic looks and temperament. When silent, she would habitually fold her hands in front of her, look straight ahead with a calm expression, and this posture made her feel difficult to approach.

However, after Luduo stretched out her hand and told her her results, her instinct as a horse racing girl still made a glimmer of joy in her eyes.

"I didn't expect that the 'Emperor' in Japan would also pay attention to my game. I am a little flattered."

Shaking hands with Lu Duo, the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.

“That win was necessary.”

"My results in the Japan Cup were not ideal. I only finished fifth. In this situation, I need a victory to prove myself."

"Although I lost the Coronation Cup, I believe that victory in the upcoming Summer Domain Championship will definitely belong to me."

"Then I wish you good luck in martial arts."

With a smile, he blessed Moonlight Kuangqi and nodded at the other party's somewhat softened gaze. Without waiting for Lifar to introduce the situation on the other side, Luduo took the initiative to extend his hand.

"Although this may be a bit disrespectful, I think I still know the reputation of the King of Italy."

"I've heard a lot about you, Tony Bianca, and trainer Antonio Bianca."

The person that Ludo is symbolically facing is Tony Bianca and a middle-aged man beside her.

Unlike the swordsman-style winning suit seen on TV before, Tony Bianca today was still wearing a tricorn hat with tail feathers and just ordinary sportswear.

Her appearance has the kind of romantic style that is common in Italy. Even with such simple attire, she gives people a light artistic atmosphere, as if she is an art student who has come out to collect folk songs.

Compared to her, the middle-aged man next to her has a stronger artistic atmosphere.

With his long hair tied back, a thick beard, the deep facial features unique to Italians, and an Italian medieval dress, he looks like a Renaissance painter rather than a trainer.

"Haha, Tony and I have also heard a lot about you. How do you say that in Japanese?"

Antonio took the initiative to extend his hand and shook hands with Lu Duo. He did not feel strange at all and smiled naturally:
"Ah, by the way, どうぞよろしくお愿いします."

"Is that so?"

The trainer, who looked more like a painter, spoke in English in the first half of his speech, but switched to Japanese when it came to the greeting.

What he said was exactly what Japanese people often say when they meet someone for the first time: "Nice to meet you, thank you for your guidance."

When these words came out, Lu Duo was slightly startled, because she could hear that the Italian in front of her spoke very standard Japanese, and it was obvious that he had learned it specially.

...Could it be that Tony Bianca wants to participate in this year's Japan Cup?
Otherwise, why would her trainer learn Japanese? It couldn't be that he only learned this one sentence just because we came to visit, right?
That's impossible. When learning a language, if you only learn one or two sentences, you can't avoid some accent, but the sentence he just said was too standard. He must have learned it specially.

Therefore, Tony Bianca will definitely participate in this year's Japan Cup.

Without Kitahara's ability to foresee the future, Luduo symbolically judged the next arrangements of Tony Bianca and his team based entirely on his experience in competitions and as student council president.

Then, subconsciously, she looked at Kitahara.

However, as soon as she turned her head, she heard a somewhat cold and helpless voice.

"Antonio, you are already quite old, but why do you still have the same show-off personality as a young man?"

Tony Bianca, who was wearing sportswear, suddenly frowned and glared at his trainer.

Then, completely ignoring Antonio's look of first surprise, then bitterness and embarrassment, her eyes moved slightly, lingering on Ludor's symbolic face for a moment, then looking past it and behind her.

"You just said something in Japanese that completely exposed my intention to participate in the Japan Cup. I think this 'Emperor' must have guessed this with his brain."

When Toni Bianca spoke to the trainer in the previous sentence, she used Italian. Now, she switched to Japanese, and her speech was very standard. It was definitely not something she had just learned temporarily.

"But it doesn't matter. The schedule will be announced sooner or later. It doesn't matter if it's announced a little earlier."

"Since we're going to have a match sooner or later, why not warm up now?"

Staring straight behind the symbol of Rudo, Tony Bianca narrowed his eyes slightly.

"That girl over there is the Derby girl of Japan this year, right?"

"Are you interested in a competition?"

"Of course, if you don't participate in the Japan Cup this year, then forget it."

Her gaze shifted again and her eyes narrowed even more.

"You are this year's Japanese Derby trainer, right? I remember the strongest players in the Japanese Classic Year and the strongest players in the Guma Year were both on your team."

“If you don’t run the Japan Cup in the Classic year, you have to run it in the Guma year, right?”

"Don't mention that neither of them plans to play. A Japan Cup like that would be too boring."

Tony Bianca's words were not harsh, but his fighting spirit was very obvious.

And everything she just said was obviously beyond the expectations of most people here.

Lifar, who had been standing by with a gentle smile after being introduced and accused by Rudo, now stared at Tony Bianca a little out of control with his lips slightly opened.

Moonlight's madness was a little better. She should be clear about Tony Bianca's character. Her pupils dilated for a moment, and then she smiled bitterly.

However, her trainer was not so calm. The Duchess of Lavinia opened her mouth suddenly and blurted out "Oh! Mother of God!" Then she quickly covered her lips to maintain her noble dignity, leaving only her stunned eyes.

As a trainer, Antonio's mood was not much better.

He was initially scolded by his own horse girl and was laughing awkwardly, but now when he heard the following words, he was exaggeratedly surprised.

"NON MI DIRE!"

After screaming, he suddenly jumped in front of Tony Bianca and grabbed the latter's shoulders.

"NO, NO, NO, Tony, don't do this. We are here just to get used to the venue. President Luduo and Chief Beiyuan are guests. Such a challenge is inappropriate."

"us……"

"Isn't it the venue that is suitable for the Japan Cup?"

Without giving his trainer any face, Tony Bianca glanced at Antonio and said calmly:
"The situation of the rival Umamusume is also part of the venue."

“Since the Umamusume who will be my future rival is here, do I have to wait until I go to Japan to spend time getting used to it?”

As she spoke, her tone naturally exuded an air of confidence.

"Besides, the next two competitions, the Milan Stakes and the King George Stakes, are competitions I participated in last year."

"I have won the Milan Championship before, so I have a good chance of winning this time."

"If the plane hadn't been affected by the storm last time, I might have had a chance of winning the King George Stakes."

"These are all races and venues I've run before, so it doesn't matter if I spend a little less time adapting."

"Unless Chief Kitahara over there really doesn't intend to let his horse racing girls participate in the Japan Cup, but I don't think he will make such a decision."

By the time she said this, her eyes had already moved away from her trainer and were staring back at the back of the Ludor symbol.

The ones standing there were naturally Kitahara and Oguruma. They seemed to be the only two people here who were not surprised by Tony Bianca's words.

With a historical perspective, Kitahara is well aware that Tony Bianca is definitely a proud person, and can even be described as a "ruthless person"... no, a "ruthless horse".

As she said, historically she participated in this year's Japan Cup, and although she only got 5th place, she finished 300th despite breaking her bone about 5 meters before the finish line.

You know, in that game, in addition to the champion Paymaster, the 2nd and 3rd place Tamamo Cross and Oguruma, the remaining opponents included top horse racing girls from the United States, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The British horse racing girl is the Moonlight Madness here. She defeated Toni Bianca in last year’s French G1 Prix Saint-Gloucester. She is definitely a stronger opponent who knows her inside out.

Not to mention the pain caused by the fracture, even if the pain is ignored, such an injury will inevitably affect the speed.

But despite facing many strong opponents and suffering from injuries, Tony Bianca was still able to finish fifth. Kitahara couldn't think of a better adjective to describe him except "ruthless horse".

It seems normal for such a "ruthless horse" to say some "ruthless words" and want to arrange a match when meeting for the first time.

"…Hey, Kitahara, I think I can compete with her."

Just as Tony Bianca opened his mouth, while Kitahara was thinking, Oguruma beside him spoke in a low voice with some eagerness to try.

When she saw Tony Bianca and Moonlight coming over here, she subconsciously stood up with the three-layer tray, stuffing dessert into her mouth, looking over curiously, and whispered:
"Aren't we also scheduled to participate in the Japan Cup?"

"Me, Xiaowan, Aldan, Xiaoyu and Inari, we should all be qualified to participate."

"That tall horse racing girl over there is also going to participate, right? The one with a nice figure next to her is also going to participate, right?"

"There are almost 10 players in a match. Doesn't that mean we can have a 'Japan Cup' here?"

As he spoke, Little Limao became excited.

The "tall horse girl" that Oguruma mentioned is Toni Bianca, who is 1 meters tall and has a very outstanding height.

The one with “good figure” is Moonlight Madness.

Kitahara estimated that if his opponent crossed the finish line at the same time as his opponent in the race and both of them were standing upright, he might have an advantage of about 20 centimeters in the photo judging process.

"A 'Japan Cup' competition... The players seem to be like that..."

After hearing what Oguruma said, Kitahara thought about it subconsciously.

Historically, there were 88 participants in the 15 Japan Cup.

In that timeline, Oguri was unable to participate in the classic race and could only participate in the Japan Cup as the youngest with a group of old horses.

Naturally, Tamamo Cross, the strongest of the ancient horses, also participated.

The two of them, together with Tony Bianca and Moonlight Madness, already cover more than a quarter of the contestants.

In this timeline, Super Kobay and Mejiro Aldan, who historically had to adjust after the classic race, will not have such problems at the moment and can also participate in the competition.

Inari Ichiya, who entered the central area early, can also participate in the competition.

That's 7 players. If the Japan Cup still has 15 players, this number would be half of the competition lineup. This number can simulate most of the situations in the Japan Cup, and...

Kitahara thought quickly.

The purpose of coming to Europe this time was to allow Oguruma and the others to adapt to the conditions here in advance.

What better way to improve your fitness than to have a run with some European horse racing girls?

Isn't this Tony Bianca properly here to deliver "support card color circle training"?
When she comes on the court, Moonlight Madness will definitely not be able to escape, “Double Color Circle”?
Kitahara was slightly excited, but quickly calmed down.

If there really is a competition, even if it is just a practice match, the result this time will be very pessimistic.

Oguruma and the others just arrived here and haven't adjusted to the jet lag yet.

The schedule is completely unfamiliar and picking any venue in the UK is an unfamiliar environment.

The grass conditions are completely different from those in Japan. The tracks in Europe are all natural grass. If you just start running, you might have problems with even the basics like starting.

Therefore, even if you want to have a practice match, you have to spend more time and prepare carefully...

As I was thinking this, Tony Bianca happened to look over here again, with the fighting spirit in his eyes undisguised.

Seeing this, Beiyuan smiled, thought in his heart, and took the initiative to greet him.

However, he did not respond to Tony Bianca's words immediately. Although he decided to agree to the practice match, he could not ignore the people around him.

So he greeted the Duchess of Lavinia and Antonio first.

"It is an honor to meet you, Duke of Lavinia."

Just like Ludo had just bowed, Kitahara smiled and said, "Your performance in Gosford Park was perfect. I think your retirement from the entertainment industry after marriage is a great loss to the British and even the world entertainment industry."

Through historical impressions and intelligence gathering, he knew that the title of Duke of Lavinia in this world came from her late husband, Duke Bernard, the lord of Arundel, and she herself was a well-known British actress before her marriage.

Similar to Japan, British aristocrats rarely return to their previous careers after marriage. Praising such women and mentioning their past achievements can make them happier than emphasizing their status.

"Oh! I can't believe you've watched that show!"

After hearing what Beiyuan said, Lavinia covered her mouth in surprise, then spread her hands very formally, lifted the hem of her court dress, and performed a skirt-lifting salute to express her gratitude.

“I am very proud to bring you the enjoyment of watching the movie.”

After greeting Lavinia, Kitahara extended his hand to Antonio in a similar manner.

"Mr. Antonio, I heard that you are an artist in addition to your training. I hope that one day your paintings will be displayed in the Louvre like Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa."

"Wow! Chief Kitahara, you really are my soulmate!"

As soon as Kitahara finished speaking, Antonio excitedly reached out his hand, grabbed him, and shook him up and down.

"I have always believed that painting is art, and Uma Musume is also art!"

“It’s a God-given art!”

"My lifelong dream is to use painting to depict the perfect running posture of horse girls. Unfortunately, my family members sneer at this. Only you understand my dream. I..."

The trainer, who aspires to be an artist, was about to continue speaking excitedly when a somewhat helpless and impatient voice was heard from the side.

"Well, Antonio, I don't have the heart to mention the quality of the portrait you drew for me. Can't you tell that Chief Kitahara is just being polite?"

Tony Bianca interrupted his trainer and glanced at him, then quickly turned his gaze to Kitahara's face.

"Tsuki told me that Japanese people are always polite in their interpersonal relationships and use polite words, but..."

She glanced at Moonlight, who had regained her composure and was watching from the sidelines, and said, "There's no need for Moonlight and I to be so polite."

"Chief Kitahara, it's very simple."

"A 'Japan Cup practice match'."

"Me, Moonlight, and some horse girl students from Yesen Academy."

As she spoke, she looked at Lifar, the chairman of Yesen College, and said, "Chairman Lifar will not miss this kind of international exchange opportunity."

"From Japan, all five active Umamusume members of your team are here. I think they can all participate, right?"

"With five contestants on each side, there will be 5 contestants, which is enough for a competition."

"how?"

This statement caused another commotion.

"Wait! What are you talking about, Tony?!"

The indifferent look on Moonlight's face was split. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"You wanted to run, why did you drag me along?"

Besides her, Lavinia and Antonio also opened their mouths in surprise, as if they couldn't say anything.

On the other hand, Lifar and Rudo, who had just been frightened, were just looking around with a thoughtful look on their faces.

"Aren't you going to participate in the Japan Cup as well?"

Glancing at the surprised Moonlight Madness, Tony Bianca said calmly: "You just spoke a few words in Japanese, aren't you very fluent? It took you a lot of time, right?"

"Warm up in the first half of the year by participating in the competitions that we participated in last year, and in the second half of the year, we will participate in the Arc de Triomphe, the Arc de Triomphe, and then the Japan Cup and other international expedition competitions. Isn't this a normal arrangement?"

"I guess this is the arrangement for the team under the Duke of Lavinia, right?"

After asking several questions in a row, she continued calmly:
"Not only the Japan Cup, but also the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Championship, G1 2400m on grass, don't you want to avenge your shame?"

"This is a race held by your trainer, the Duke of Lavinia, at Ascot. You lost last time. Don't you want to win it back?"

"If you don't want to avenge your shame, I really do."

"After all, last time, I was one place behind you, only fifth."

"...1th place in the G5 tournament, how come it's an insignificant achievement in your mouth..."

It was obvious that he had a certain personal relationship with Tony Bianca. Moonlight Kuangqi seemed unaware of the other party's provocative words just now. He sighed helplessly, closed his eyes slightly and stroked his forehead.

"Alright, alright. I lose to you. If you guys in Japan agree, it's okay for me to run a race."

"You're saying it so reluctantly. You obviously want to run too, right? What's the Japanese way to describe it... Oh, right, tsundere."

Tony Bianca complained to his friend calmly, then ignored her suddenly red cheeks and looked towards Kitahara.

"How is it, Chief Kitahara?"

"It's already been arranged. If Moonlight and I are there, I promise I won't let you down in this training match."

"Chairman Lifar's Yesen Stadium and Lord Duke Lavinia's Ascot Stadium, both should be runnable."

"The venues are different. You can choose the one that you are more confident of."

"We can all do it."

Yesen and Ascot…

In an instant, Kitahara had two situations in mind and thought about it instinctively.

If we really have to compare, Ascot would be a little more advantageous to Oguruma and the others.

The Epsom racing track is a "U"-shaped track that is not found in major Japanese racing venues. Its length, slope, curvature, etc. are very special. Not to mention the Japanese horse racing girls, even the horse racing girls from other European countries may not be able to fully adapt to it.

The Ascot racing track is okay. Although it is not a regular ellipse, it is at least a "△" closed loop. The details such as straight lines, corners, uphills and downhills can still refer to the experience of the Japanese racing track.

If you choose...

Thinking of this, Beiyuan was about to speak subconsciously, when suddenly an excited voice came from the side.

“Can I run in both venues?”

As if he had just eaten a snack and was full of energy, Oguruma appeared in front of Kitahara almost in an instant.

She put her hand on her chest, clenched her fist tightly, and said excitedly:

"Kitahara told me about the track conditions here, and I found it very interesting."

"You are also very strong. I can feel it."

"So if possible, can we run two games together?"

"I... oh, by the way, I just spoke in Japanese..."

The originally excited Little Chestnut Hat suddenly looked suffocated, then waved his hands rapidly and gestured in a strange way.

"You and you, one field, no, no."

She pointed a finger and shook her head.

"Two games, yes, yes!"

Stretching out two fingers, she nodded quickly like a chicken pecking at rice.

"You, you...if you're not too much trouble, two rounds! I am OK!"

"You feel troubled, one scene... one scene is OK, I, I... I accept it!"

Ogurimao spoke in a mixture of English and Japanese, and he spoke haltingly.

But she was still very excited. After she finished speaking, she clenched her fists in front of her chest, leaned forward, and her ears kept shaking.

"..."xN.

At this moment, the whole audience fell silent because of what Oguruma said. Not only Tony Bianca and Moonlight Madness who faced these words directly, but also Kitahara, everyone here and the Uma Musume were all confused.

"... Kitahara, I think..."

After being stunned for a while, Lu Duo turned his head halfway and covered his face. The remaining half of his face was full of expressions of "I don't know anyone" and "I really want to leave here". He complained to Beiyuan in a very low voice:
"You must teach Little Chestnut English as soon as possible..."

"It's so embarrassing..."

"I've never felt so embarrassed when I lost a game..."

"I've never felt so embarrassed in all my years as the student council president..."

“How embarrassing…”

"Oguruma...didn't she notice that I was speaking Japanese just now...?"

Luduo symbolizes "never adjust".

Kitahara also wanted to cover his face, but as the trainer of Oguruma, doing so would make the situation even more awkward, so he had to endure it with an awkward but polite smile.

At the same time, I thought:

...Even if you tell me this, I don't seem to have any special solution...

Little Chestnut Hat...

My English is really not that good...

The little bit of English she just learned was all she had learned in her life...

But what Luduo said makes sense. It is still necessary to learn English or foreign languages.

He thought again...

Generally, the commentary and guest comments at the game are broadcast to the entire venue, as are the audience's voices.

These are originally part of the information that Uma Musume collects during the competition. Through commentary, reviews, and audience voices, they can better judge the situation of the game and make more accurate choices.

If there is a language barrier, Oguruma and the others will not only lose a certain source of information, but they may also become nervous because they can't understand.

So learning English...

Just as he was thinking this, a burst of laughter interrupted his thoughts.

"Hahaha! Moonlight, I find that Japanese horse racing girls are not as old-fashioned and traditional as you said."

It can be seen that Toni Bianca and Moonlight Crazy wanted to remain calm as before, but they were indeed amused by what Oguruma had just said about "a lifetime of learning English".

"The Japanese Derby Musume this year is so much fun. I can't wait to race with her."

In order to maintain her ladylike demeanor, Moonlight Crazy's eyebrows were curved, and there seemed to be signs of tears of laughter in the corners of her eyes. She had to cover her lips, but her words were clear.

"Yeah, it's really interesting, and...very motivated."

There was a faint gleam of brilliance in his eyes. "We still need to prepare for the practice match. There is a field right here. Why don't we try running first, Tony?"

"Well, that's what I planned too."

The conversation just now was in English, and after saying this, Tony Bianca gradually stopped smiling and walked towards the confused Little Chestnut.

"Japanese Derby Musume, Oguruma, right?"

Extending his hand, Tony Bianca narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "We will discuss the specific arrangements for the practice match with our trainers first."

"That's the training ground over there," she raised her chin towards the small hills behind Yesen College, motioning Little Chestnut to look at the endless grassland there, and then she continued:
"The tracks in Europe are not much different from the grass on the mountains and grasslands. We often train on them."

"So, do you want to train together?"

This time, she spoke entirely in Japanese.

"...Huh? You can speak Japanese...? Oh no, you said Japanese before, that's great, I don't know much English."

He said this with a natural smile, and then, Xiao Limao's aura suddenly changed, and his eyes flashed with a sharp gaze that was no less than Tony Bianca's.

Grabbing the other person's hand, she grinned and said:
"Shall we run now?"

"I can't ask for it!"

(End of this chapter)