Having trained real horses, why are we now training racehorse girls after time-traveling?

From the stands, Tojo Hana watched the two female racehorses galloping on the track, seemingly having found her answer, but she didn't speak up.

……

"Hmph, as expected, I've left Elu-chan behind. This is a real one-on-one match, good opera-san."

"Now, let me show you my all-out effort, El-chan! This is the leading running technique I've conceived countless times in my mind and discussed countless times with my trainer, which I plan to use at the Arc de Triomphe—this is my sure-win tactic!"

"If you can surpass me, then without a doubt you will be stronger than me, good opera singer! Give it a try!"

Shenying ran ahead triumphantly, treating the racecourse as if it were the Arc de Triomphe. The 2400-meter track was exactly the same length as the Arc de Triomphe Grand Prix. Although it was not as difficult as the Arc de Triomphe, it was probably the only race that was suitable for her in recent times.

This is why Dracula didn't choose other GI competitions, but instead chose to compete in the GII Aoba Sho and the Good Opera... In a way, she was using this method to make up for her regret of not being able to go to the Arc de Triomphe.

She knew perfectly well that even if she won the opera competition, her name wouldn't be added to the invitation list. This competition was entirely driven by her own unwillingness to accept defeat. Shenying herself didn't know what she was pursuing. Her rationality told her not to win this competition, as it would affect her performance on the opera's expedition, which would be really bad...

But her emotions brought her here, onto the track of this competition. She wanted to compete against good opera, to bet everything, to give it her all, to fight against good opera.

She wanted to know where she was lacking, or rather, she wanted to prove that she had a better chance of winning at the Arc de Triomphe than a good opera.

If Maruzensky were here at this moment, she might feel that the emotions of the Dinosaur are very similar to her own. However, the difference is that Maruzensky can achieve her dream of participating in the Japanese derby here, with no bounty and the track being on the outermost side. But no matter what the Dinosaur does now, this expedition spot will not become hers.

If Maruzensky couldn't participate in the Japanese Derby, then he would have to go to the Japan Shonami Prize, which is known as the "Derby of Regret." At that moment, one can only imagine how intense the resentment and indignation in Shin'yō's heart were.

She just wanted to prove that she wouldn't lose to a good opera, and that this spot should have been hers!

The Divine Eagle cried out in her heart, yet tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes. She wiped away her tears and gritted her teeth as she continued running forward.

"Come on, surpass me! Good opera singer! Prove you're better than me!"

"If you're not stronger than me, Ellu—I'm not reconciled, I'm not reconciled, Des!"

"..."

However, despite the sound of the Divine Eagle ahead, Good Opera maintained a very stable speed. She did not pull too far ahead of the Divine Eagle, but kept a relatively small distance between them. After all, there were only two racehorse girls on the field at the moment, so she did not have to worry about interference from other racehorse girls. She could just follow her own rhythm.

Faced with the words of the Divine Eagle, the Good Opera could of course choose to unleash its [domain] and [momentum]. In that case, the Divine Eagle, which was currently soaring, would be crushed by her almost instantly. If he accelerated now, he might be able to crush the Divine Eagle by a distance of three to six horse lengths.

But does that prove her strength? Does it prove that she has the confidence and ability to take away the spot that rightfully belongs to the Divine Eagle?

No, that's not the real reason. A good opera wants a perfect victory, a complete victory that leaves everyone convinced and speechless, just like how she chose this running style instead of pursuing speed.

She wanted to use this method to prove to the Divine Eagle that she was capable of leading her own team on the Arc de Triomphe track.

In that case... perhaps the Divine Eagle will feel a little better.

Thinking this way, Good Opera continued to maintain its own pace, following behind the Divine Eagle without any haste or impatience. The two of them thus spent a long distance without any struggle.

"The 1000 meters have passed! The Eagle has crossed first, and its speed is not inferior to that of Arima Kin-nin and Emperor Rudolf! 58.6 seconds!"

"The pace of this race was very fast overall, probably because there were only two female racehorses. But now, Good Opera is still following behind Golden Eagle. Is it waiting for its chance?"

"Or is Good Opera planning to defeat Condor Heroes with a stunning final move, just like before? The current track allows her to find the perfect opportunity to unleash her power anytime, anywhere. What strategy will Good Opera adopt?"

"And now—the Divine Eagle has accelerated! The Divine Eagle is widening the gap between itself and the Good Opera! The difference between the two is getting bigger and bigger!"

"What exactly is the strategy of the Divine Eagle? Is it planning to seize victory in one fell swoop with an astonishing escape?"

No, Shenying is... At this moment, Tojo Hana on the stage seemed to have discovered something, a look of astonishment flashing across her face, her hands gripping the railing tightly.

"Divine Eagle, what are you doing? You wouldn't be thinking of..."

"No, no, stop! Stop, Divine Eagle!"

Tojo Hana began to realize what the Divine Eagle was doing and anxiously shouted towards the arena. Meanwhile, Nutao, Caoshangfei, and Dashu Kuaiche, who were standing nearby, also clearly understood the Divine Eagle's choice.

"W-Wow, something terrible has happened!" Big Tree Express shouted anxiously, "If you keep running like this, Ellen is in big danger! This is just a GII match, you don't need to push yourself so hard!"

"Is Ailu... burning her own willpower to win?" Grasshopper's pupils contracted slightly as he said with extreme tension, "That idiot Ailu, that's how I broke my bone, what is she doing?"

"This is too dangerous... This kind of running puts too much strain on Ailu, even in the middle distance where Ailu excels, the risk is still very high!"

"I'm going to stop the match. I don't care if she loses, but Shenying can't be hurt." Tojo Hana gritted her teeth and said nervously, "That idiot Shenying—this isn't the Arc de Triomphe, why is she fighting so hard!"

Just as Tojo Hana was about to take Ooki Express and Kusakabe Fly to find staff to stop the match, Akasaka Misatoshi's voice suddenly rang out.

"Good Opera has caught up! With only 1000 meters left! Good Opera actually broke through ahead of schedule and caught up! The gap between her and Divine Eagle is narrowing! She's caught up! She's caught up!"

"Go stop the Divine Eagle, Good Opera." At this moment, Wada, whose soul was bound to Good Opera, seemed to hear the other's thoughts, and said this.

Leave it to me, Ryuji. A fine operatic answer, equally unwavering.

Chapter 272: Grasshopper: I must immediately support the second female lead, Fog.

In fact, even if Wada hadn't reminded Haogeju, Haogeju knew what she should do. Especially since she knew that at this moment, Shin'o was undoubtedly treating this match like a triumphal arch, she was already mentally prepared that Shin'o's tactics would be extremely aggressive and even extremely demanding.

However, what Good Opera didn't expect was that Divine Eagle was even more aggressive than she thought, not even giving Good Opera a chance for a final sprint, but instead rushing to widen the gap between Good Opera and Divine Eagle in the middle game.

Perhaps it was because Shenying knew that if she couldn't create a long enough gap between herself and Good Opera, she would definitely not be able to deal with Good Opera's final move. Therefore, she must have carefully referred to the only time that Nutao defeated Good Opera before she devised this tactic.

It must be said that as a bird that excels at mid-range, 2400 meters is the optimal distance to unleash her full potential. She wouldn't dare use the "escape horse" tactic even 100 meters more, but this tactic is useless against good opera now.

2400 meters is also one of the distances that good operas excel at, and her endurance and stamina are far superior to those of the Condor.

"The great opera is near! It's getting closer and closer to the divine eagle! The amazing finale of the great opera once again reveals its terrifying dominance! An unparalleled super finale of its time!"

"We're getting closer! We're already on the frontier! Good operas will soon surpass Condor Heroes!"

"!" The voice from Mitsuko Akasaka made Shin'yō look at his side in disbelief. At that moment, even though the Good Opera was running in a way that was not suitable for the Japanese track, the distance between them was still closing, which made Shin'yō feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

Really, there's such a big difference between myself and the truly powerful racehorse girls...

Am I... really not qualified to win at the Arc de Triomphe? Am I always just a little short of breaking out of Japan and reaching the world stage?

Even if Good Opera San doesn't use her "domain" and "momentum", even if she always uses a running style that is not most suitable for the Japanese track, and even if she is winning every time during her practice sessions.

But now, when the real reality is laid out before Shenying, she still can't help but feel a strong sense of disappointment.

"So close... Am I always so close...?"

"—No, we were just a little short to begin with, Divine Eagle."

However, perhaps having heard the disheartened and dejected words of the Divine Eagle, Good Opera, who had been keeping pace with the Divine Eagle, said comfortingly, "Even I, the Overlord, would not have been able to embark on this expedition. Divine Eagle, this honor originally belonged to you, but now, it has chosen me."

"If it were me in the past, even if this honor were to fall on me, I wouldn't have succeeded. Divine Eagle, we were just a little bit short."

"It's just that, by some stroke of luck, I've made up for the part I was missing."

With that, Good Opera turned her gaze forward again and said to Divine Eagle, "Now, let's finish this race without any burden. You are a smart and powerful racehorse girl, and I believe you won't do anything to give up on yourself... Right?"

"If you are truly so humble and intend to hand over the victory or defeat of this match, then as the overlord, I cannot refuse!"

As he said this, Good Opera did not hesitate at all and chose to surpass Divine Eagle. Divine Eagle, behind Good Opera, stared blankly as Good Opera's figure got further and further away from it before it gradually came to its senses.

"—Don't even think about leaving me behind! Good opera singer!"

"I am Divine Eagle Diesel! A divine eagle that strives bravely forward with the world as its goal!"

However, despite shouting that, the Divine Eagle knew that her premature exertion left her with no extra strength to continue charging. The hysterical anger that she had initially felt, determined to win even if it meant running herself ragged, was completely extinguished by this bucket of cold water.

Gradually, I began to feel the pressure on my legs increasing, and my speed began to slow down. The result of this race is obviously already known to everyone.

"It seems the outcome is decided." When she said this, Tojo Hana's face showed no disappointment, but rather a relieved expression. She unconsciously glanced at Wada beside her and said:

"Thanks to the good opera... Although I don't know what just happened, at least Shenying won't do anything so dangerous anymore."

“Yes… thanks to Good Opera.” Wada nodded with a sigh of relief. He really didn’t want Good Opera to win the honor of going to the Arc de Triomphe because of him, and then he would have to witness the end of Divine Eagle. Even if Divine Eagle did not participate in this Arc de Triomphe, in Wada’s eyes, she was still the strongest racehorse girl in the “Golden Generation” who was the focus of everyone’s attention.

If their actions bring greater honor to their beloved racehorse girls, but at the cost of other racehorse girls giving up on themselves or even abandoning their careers, neither Wada, Ikezoe, nor Imai would want to see such a scene, and they would do everything they could to avoid it.

Therefore, if the same scene were to occur, not only Wada, but the other two would certainly do the same.

"Huh? Wada, where are you going?"

“Of course I’ll go to the passageway and apologize to Shenying properly after the competition.” Wada also turned and walked away, saying with a wry smile, “After all, I love opera. We ruined her dream of reaching the world stage, and she even won this competition. So, I should apologize to her.”

"I... I'll go with the trainer." At this moment, Nutao stepped forward and said to Wada, "Trainer, you haven't prepared an apology gift yet, have you? I can help you now."

"Okay, thank you for your help, Nutao."

As they said this, Wada and Nutao walked off in two different directions. At that moment, Kusakami Hibi stepped forward and smiled at Tojo Hana, saying:

"Really... Trainer Wada and Opera student, they really look alike."

"They are not bad at heart, that's for sure. But every year, if a racehorse girl who can rule an era really appears, then it will undoubtedly bring tremendous pressure to all the racehorse girls of the same period. Many racehorse girls have become disheartened because of repeated defeats."

Tojo Hana certainly understands Good Opera and Wada, because she had also been through such a time. Back then, the power of "Emperor" Rudolf symbolized that almost all the other female horse racers of the same era were suppressed to the point of being unable to lift their heads. The few rivals who could compete with Rudolf symbolized, such as Chiaki, were also defeated and had to admit that this era belonged to "Emperor".

But victory also comes with pressure. Seeing the racehorse girls he wanted to protect around him give up because of defeat and feel disheartened is not a good feeling either. So later, Rudolf symbolized that he completely stopped his journey and gave the stage to more racehorse girls. He himself made a dream of "protecting all the racehorse girls" and became the president of the student council.

Tojo Hana understands, and therefore appreciates Wada Kazuyo's choice of opera at this time even more. They are certainly powerful, but also worthy of respect. They are people who truly value victory and friendship equally.

"...No wonder so many people like that kid. He's such a troublemaker. I wonder whose child he'll end up with."

"Trainer... why are you gossiping about this kind of thing too?" Grasshopper smiled gently when he heard this, and then said, "But I support Nutao. I think she might be the one who surprises us the most."

"Oh? How about I bet you a good opera performance? If I win, how about you cook Japanese food for me for a month, Xiaocao?"

“Absolutely no problem~” Grasshopper agreed immediately, clearly very confident in her judgment.

Meanwhile, the race has come to an end. The conclusion of this race, which was without any suspense, is merely adding to the records of both sides. However, compared to the friendship between the racehorse girls, their professional careers are obviously insignificant.

Chapter 273: Raging Waves: When will you guys stop?

The competition is over, and Good Opera has won a very easy and uncontested victory this time. The moment Misa Akasaka's voice rang out, the victory was already secured.

"GII Aoba Sho, Good Opera wins again! Her five-game winning streak has further solidified her position as the queen, but which racehorse girl can defeat her now? After the proud and swift Draca de los valiant was defeated, who can still defeat the strongest racehorse girl of this era?!"

"In any case, let us celebrate Good Opera's victory once again! She has once again demonstrated her domineering presence, winning with absolute dominance!"

At this moment, the entire audience chanted "Good Opera" along with Misato Akasaka's voice. This time, the enthusiasm was not as crazy as it was at the Arima Memorial. After all, most people thought it was a victory without any suspense, and Good Opera's performance was just confirming the thoughts of most fans.

But this didn't diminish the immense attention the opera was receiving. She raised her hand high to acknowledge all her supporters, and at that moment, the Divine Eagle slowly approached the opera, smiling as it spoke:

"Thank you... Good opera singer, I almost gave up on myself during the competition just now..."

"There's nothing shameful about pursuing victory, Dinosaur. Rather, it's the existence of those who relinquish their position without even trying to win that is the true disgrace of Uma Musume."

The opera singer also extended a hand to the divine eagle and said very respectfully, "I, the Overlord, will take your pair of wings that allow you to soar through the sky and fight them to the death. Divine Eagle, I will not let you down. I will definitely take your share and rush into the world."

"—Yes! We've agreed on the silk-dropping arrangement!"

And the Divine Eagle was very magnanimous, shaking hands with Good Opera in a very close manner, and solemnly instructing, "You must win with my share, okay? With my blessing, Good Opera must win the Arc de Triomphe Grand Prix and bring back that big trophy to see us, otherwise I, El, will be very angry, okay!"

"Well, definitely."