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

In front of Good Opera and Nutao, Hotan didn't need to hide his inner thoughts. Nutao already knew his identity, and Good Opera had guessed it pretty accurately. Therefore, Hotan didn't need to conceal his emotions and thoughts in front of them, because they would understand.

For example, even though Wada's own concerns seem almost unfounded to outsiders, both Good Opera and Nutao unconditionally believe in Wada's judgment and what he said: that Silent Suzuka is very likely to suffer a broken bone in the Autumn Emperor's Sho competition.

"What should we do... Trainer? If this continues, won't Suzuka be in big danger when the Autumn Emperor's Prize comes?"

“No rush, we still have time, that should be enough…” Wada tried his best to remain calm. Although he and Hao Geju would definitely have to leave Japan within two months, with Ikezoe-kun and Imai-senpai around, he wasn’t too worried.

However, relying solely on Imai-senpai and Ikezoe is not enough... Although Silent Suzuka seems gentle, she is actually a very individualistic racehorse girl. Once she has made up her mind about something, she will never change it. She is a racehorse girl who appears gentle but is actually very stubborn.

In this situation, the best approach would be to persuade Okino to convince Suzuka to give up, which would increase the chances of success. However, the current situation is that Okino is not taking this seriously, since he lacks foresight.

Then we need to find a way to get in touch with Suzuka's close friends... Special Zhou? That's an option, but Suzuka might not listen to Special Zhou. On the contrary, Special Zhou is always around Suzuka... which might have the opposite effect.

"Hmm?" At this moment, Wada suddenly thought of someone, turned his head to look around, and then asked:

"What a wonderful opera! The Raging Waves! Where is Nase? Why haven't I seen her?"

“Trainer Naze isn’t feeling well…she’s resting in the infirmary now.” Nutao replied to Wada, “We were just in time to bring Trainer Naze to the infirmary.”

"Trainer Naze said she had a headache and seemed to be sick."

"Headache? So sudden?"

However, Nu Tao's words made Wada raise an eyebrow slightly. When he left, Naze Fumino was fine. Why did she suddenly have a headache?

Perhaps having learned from the experience of watching a great opera, Wada found himself making connections as soon as he heard the symptom "headache," and when he thought of the person connected to Nase Fumino... for a moment, Wada was unsure whether he should continue doing this...

"—There's no other way. It's all for the sake of changing the tragedy of Suzuka. It seems like I have no choice but to do this."

"I'll go find Naze, maybe... she'll have a way to save Silent Suzuka."

Chapter 302: The Silent Suzuka in Nagase Fumino's Dream

In the infirmary, Naze Fumino, who had been brought here to rest by Nutao and Haogeju, was now lying on the infirmary bed with her shoes off. She felt that her headache had eased a lot.

Even though she felt much better, some distracting thoughts still lingered in Naze Fumino's mind. However, Naze Fumino was good at not thinking about things that gave her a headache, and soon she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

But in her dream, Naze Fumino seemed to see a different scene...

"here it is……"

Naze Fumino seemed somewhat puzzled by her current state. Even though the scenery around her was changing rapidly, she could tell that she was at a racetrack, and... it should be the Tokyo Racetrack—Nase Fumino recognized the Tokyo Racetrack's iconic large screen.

But why am I here? Am I dreaming? Do I dream about being at a horse racetrack?

Before Naze Fumino could react, a sudden jolt brought her back to her senses. She instinctively looked down at the source of the jolt.

But when she looked, she was dumbfounded. What... what was this creature she was riding?

Naze Fumino had never seen the four-legged creature beneath her before. It looked somewhat like a cow, but was undoubtedly much thinner and smaller. It ran quite fast, probably on par with racehorse girls.

But before Fumino could even react, the voice of the commentator immediately put her on alert.

"We're almost at the 1000-meter mark! Silent Suzuka! What kind of time will Silent Suzuka achieve?"

Silent Suzuka? Naze Fumino was slightly startled and subconsciously looked at the creature beneath her. However, when she saw its outfit, which was very similar in color to Silent Suzuka's winning and losing outfit, and the earmuffs that were exactly the same as in her memory, she immediately realized this.

Could this be... the Silent Suzuka? But why is the Silent Suzuka in my dream like this? Why am I riding her?

However, no matter what, Naze Fumino could not change the fact that she was riding this creature named "Silent Suzuka". She held her breath and looked ahead. At this moment, the scenery in front of her was unobstructed, and without a doubt, they had a huge advantage.

The current pattern... seems to be the way trainers Wada and Ikezoe trained back then. It was only at this moment that Fumino Nase realized this, and she tried to emulate the feeling when Wada and Ikezoe were riding the racehorse girls, riding the Silent Suzuka forward.

1000 meters away!

"1000 meters crossed! 57.4 seconds! The silent Suzuka, leading the pack, is widening the gap between herself and the horses behind her! It's widening!"

57.4 seconds! That's it! When Naze Fumino heard this result, she was also taken aback, but the shock was quickly followed by elation. As expected of the silent Suzuka of the "Great Escape" tactic, she actually managed to achieve such a result. This is obviously a 2000-meter track. To achieve such a result in 1000 meters, even if she is caught up later, she will definitely finish the race in the shortest time!

Just keep going with this momentum, Silent Suzuka, you can definitely do it...

"Click".

...what did you get?

For some reason, amidst the rushing wind around her, Naze Fumino heard a crisp sound. As she did, she felt a sudden, intense tilting force, and she lost her balance, her mind going completely blank.

But in the next second, she suddenly felt Silent Suzuka stand up again—although the speed had slowed down, she had indeed stood up.

Just now... that was... Naze Fumino seemed to have the answer in her heart, but it was the first time she had felt all of this on her back, and her mind was blank. Even though her instinct as a trainer knew what had happened to Silent Suzuka's body, she subconsciously couldn't react.

"Wait—what's with the Silent Suzuka's reaction? Wait! Silent Suzuka!"

"At the fourth corner! Silent Suzuka! An accident has occurred! What happened? At the fourth corner, did they abandon the race?"

It wasn't until they reached the edge of the track that Naze Fumino suddenly realized what was happening. She immediately jumped off Silent Suzuka's back. However, Silent Suzuka's slightly raised leg at that moment undoubtedly confirmed Naze Fumino's thoughts.

She's broken her bone. At that moment, Naze Fumino's pupils widened slightly. However, Silent Suzuka still wanted to continue the race, and Naze Fumino instinctively grabbed Silent Suzuka.

"Don't go, Suzuka—don't go!"

"It's all over, it's all over, Suzuka, don't go any further."

However, despite the tears welling up in Naze Fumino's voice, which was tinged with heartache, the silent Suzuka, who couldn't understand her words, stubbornly wanted to go forward again and finish the race. But with Naze Fumino holding on tightly, he eventually gave up after a long time.

At that moment, when the silent Suzuka's eyes gazed upon Naze Fumino, she also saw, slowly falling from the silent Suzuka's eyes... what appeared to be tears...

……

"what!"

Almost instantly, Naze Fumino was jolted awake from her sleep. Awakened by this nightmarish experience, she was covered in cold sweat, even the white sheets on the hospital bed were stained with sweat. However, at this moment, Naze Fumino had no time to care about any of that.

"The dream I just had... was so real... it felt like I experienced it all myself..."

"Silent Suzuka... What exactly happened? Why..."

Naise Fumino wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced instinctively at the alarm clock beside her, only to realize that she had only slept for less than ten minutes. However, the dream she had just had kept replaying in her mind, refusing to leave.

"Click".

"Hmm?" Naze Fumino heard the door open and subconsciously looked up. At that moment, she was facing Wada, who was walking in from outside. A smile almost came out of her mouth, but she quickly changed it to a dignified one and said:

"How is Hetian?"

"As expected, things aren't going well... I need your help, Nase."

At that moment, Wada sat down beside Naze Fumino's bedside. Seeing the sweat on Naze Fumino's brow, he handed her his handkerchief without saying much, and then said:

“I know this sounds a little weird… but you have to believe me, Nase.”

"Silent Suzuka really shouldn't risk stepping onto the track of the Autumn Emperor's Sho race. It would be an extremely dangerous race for her, and she could very well break a bone, thus ruining her future career as a racehorse girl."

“I want to avoid all of this, and the one who can stop it all… is perhaps you, Naze.”

"……I?"

However, Naze Fumino was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. At that moment, she couldn't help but recall the dream she had just had, the scene in which the "Silent Suzuka" had broken its bones.

At that moment, Wada's words and the scene of Naze Fumino's nightmare perfectly matched each other. But Naze Fumino didn't think this was a coincidence.

Could it be that... the three goddesses bestowed their blessings upon them simultaneously, giving them the opportunity to help that child escape that tragic fate?

So, was this dream... also a hint to her? Is she really the one who can help Silent Suzuka avoid this tragedy?

Naze Fumino didn't know, but she did see this competition, which might be in the future: the Autumn Emperor's Slam, the Tokyo Racecourse, the Silent Suzuka... everything matched what Wada had said.

Finally, Fumino Naze nodded sullenly, then asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"--The Autumn Emperor's Singing Competition that Silent Suzuka participated in was in October. Unfortunately, my favorite opera was probably still in Paris at that time, so I couldn't come back for the time being."

"So I hope you can stay in Japan and help me keep an eye on the Angry Waves, as well as the Autumn Emperor's Prize and the Silent Suzuka."

“You’re the only one who could possibly change all of this, Nase, so please.”

If even "Wu Feng" couldn't save Silent Suzuka, then perhaps no one could truly change her fate. Wada gradually realized that everything was a cycle of cause and effect. Perhaps no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't be the one to save Silent Suzuka, but perhaps he could be the one to push things along and let Nanase Fumino save Silent Suzuka.

Wada would do everything in his power to change the fate of the silent Suzuka.

Even if... this might awaken some non-existent memories for Naze Fumino, who may now be "aware" of it, even if it might lead to the most awkward relationship between him and Naze Fumino ever, he still has to do it.

Faced with Wada's earnest entrustment, Naze Fumino nodded after a long while and said calmly:

"I will do it... I definitely will."

Chapter 303: Tanino Misaki's Invitation

"Silent Suzuka...A silent Sunday..."

"Didn't expect it to be this close already? No need to say more, Wada-kun, I understand your thoughts. Now that we know about this, we will absolutely not let this happen again."

"I will keep a close eye on Suzuka's condition as much as possible—as for the Autumn Emperor's Slam, Wada, I think we should prepare for the worst, that is, what we can do to stop Suzuka if she still steps onto the field."

Meanwhile, Wada found Jinlang. Jinlang, who had given the team's racehorse girls a day off, immediately became much more serious after Wada explained his purpose.

As a former stable boy, Inamami is extremely concerned about the safety of racehorses, and this extends to racehorse girls as well. He will not allow any racehorse girl to suffer the same tragedy in front of him.

Therefore, after Wada Hajime proposed to change the fate of the Silent Suzuka, Iwanami agreed without hesitation, and as the backbone of the team, Iwanami has already begun to plan the scheme.

"Senior Imai... are you saying... we might be unable to stop the Silent Suzuka from winning the Autumn Emperor's Prize?"

"Think about it carefully, Mr. Wada. Who among us has the right to stop Uma Musume from stepping onto the track? Especially since we have no grounds for doing so, and Uma Musume herself is not banned from racing, nor does she have any health issues. Who among us has the right to prevent Silent Suzuka from stepping onto the track?"

"We can only try our best to persuade them, but the chances are slim. Therefore, we must be prepared for the possibility of facing the silent Suzuka on the field."

"But... how are we supposed to deal with Silent Suzuka? Even our few kids can't keep up with her 'Great Escape' tactics, can they?"

Upon hearing this, Wada scratched his head in a rather troubled manner. If Suzuka were to follow, run, or even lead, it wouldn't be a problem. Their team had no shortage of leading racehorses who were good at seizing the initiative; in fact, that was the mainstream of their team. If Suzuka were to follow any of the three running styles, then they would have a way to restrain her.

Putting everything else aside, just the sheer number of racehorse girls they have, and the sheer number of racehorse girls who have mastered both [Aura] and [Domain], makes it quite easy for them to suppress Silent Suzuka, who doesn't possess either of those abilities.

The problem is, Suzuka's escape tactic is not just any escape tactic, but a highly threatening "great escape" tactic in mile races and even middle-distance races. It's a powerful escape tactic that leaves other racehorses unable to catch up. In a 2000-meter race, a great escape tactic that can create a distance in the first 1000 meters that requires a dedicated drone to capture in its entirety makes stopping Suzuka... extremely difficult.

Their team doesn't have any runaway horse tactics like Saimai Girl, who could hold Suzuka back from the start...

"Unless... our team also has a racehorse girl who chooses to give up the Autumn Emperor's Slam title race and instead surrounds Suzuka from the start, preventing her from unleashing her full power. This way, we can minimize the risk to her."

"But this definitely can't be done by just one racehorse girl. It would take at least two or three racehorses, and for them to be prepared from the start to not win the championship, to stop the Silent Suzuka's escape tactic..."

"...It sounds just like a radio station."

In the end, even Wada himself couldn't continue. This method was really no different from what the shadai had done before: using several racehorse girls to surround Silent Suzuka. Although Silent Suzuka's "Great Escape" tactic was powerful, its biggest fatal flaw was that Suzuka was not good at breaking through. Once surrounded, the possibility of her breaking out like a good opera was very low.

But this method is undoubtedly despicable. No matter what their reasons are or how self-righteous they are, this behavior is vile and will be condemned on the field.