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

Chapter 347: A Great Opera Where the Spirit Transcends the Limits of the Body

At the Collège de Trésin in France, the student council president, like Rudolf, was too busy with work to attend the Foy Stakes. This time, however, he didn't go directly to the Longchamp Racecourse to watch the Foy Stakes. Instead, he sat in his office diligently reviewing documents. After a long while, a racehorse girl slowly entered and said to the nobleman:

"President, the Foy Stakes is over, and that Japanese horse girl won the championship."

"—Her name is TM Opera Queen, Doremi. You wouldn't want your name to go unremembered by other racehorse girls, would you?" Upon hearing this news, the nobleman paused slightly in his pen, but quickly resumed his smooth handling of business, saying without looking up:

"She also has the bloodline of European racehorse girls, and is even a sister of the same bloodline as me. If you can't remember her name, you can just call her 'Good Opera'."

"...Japanese katakana is really awkward, I'm sorry, Chairman."

The horse girl, known as "Tarami," sat obediently next to Nobunaga. She seemed to be a member of the student council, and her status was probably comparable to Ki-gao's. She was Nobunaga's right-hand woman, who was the student council president.

"You don't seem surprised at all, President. You don't know about Foy Trophy. Even I was shocked by his last-foot speed."

"Japan has really sent us a formidable opponent this time, Chairman. Aren't you nervous at all?"

"...I'm more excited than nervous."

Upon hearing this, the noble family smiled and put down their pen, their eyes fixed intently on the scene ahead, saying, "After so long, we finally have someone with enough strength. And most importantly, our opponent is not just Good Opera, but also her trainer, that young trainer named Wada Ryuji."

"Regarding the Arima Kinen in Japan, I ask myself honestly, even if I stepped onto that stage and faced their strongest Ludovico, it would be very difficult to win under those circumstances, and good opera is initially no match for Ludovico."

"However, she and her trainer actually reached a new level, thus turning defeat into victory—their combined efforts were a perfect combination of complementing each other."

"I want to challenge this team, to push their limits. If I can beat them on the Arc de Triomphe, then perhaps I will have surpassed the so-called 'perfect'!"

"I see, President, you want to take on a challenge." Durumy nodded in understanding and said, "I thought you would consider that good opera singer as your formidable opponent, but I didn't expect her to be your challenger?"

"It's them, Dulome. A good opera alone isn't enough for me to value them so much."

Since there was no one else around, Noboru, being a proud racehorse girl, let her true personality shine through without any reservations. She said to Toromi, "My sister, who shares the same bloodline, is very strong. If she had been racing in Europe from the beginning, she might have been a formidable opponent that I needed to be wary of. But she has always been in Japan."

“The environment in Japan is completely different from that in Europe. Racehorse girls who grow up in that environment have never experienced the challenges of the main racetrack.”

"So, the only thing I'm wary of is their combined efforts. Perhaps this time, they will bring us a huge surprise."

……

"Yes, there's nothing wrong. I don't feel anything unusual in my leg bone."

However, at this moment, in the room of the opera enthusiast and Wada, the old Chinese man whom Wada had specially invited did not know his real name. Even the name of the old man was not on the list of Naise Fumino. He only knew that this man could be called "Old Su".

Of course, Wada couldn't address his senior in such a way, so despite his unease about Old Su's diagnosis, he still asked:

"Teacher Su, are you sure there's no problem?"

"Japanese kid, I've examined the bones of racehorses at least eight or ten thousand times, so I won't make a mistake on this little thing."

Old Su slowly got up. Although he was Chinese and lived in France, he spoke Japanese more fluently than Wada. He was probably a highly educated intellectual, or perhaps it was for work? In any case, he was very responsible and said to Wada with a very kind expression, "Don't worry, your racehorse is fine. It's probably just a symptom of acclimatization. She'll be fine after a little rest."

"If you're worried, I can give her a few acupuncture needles. It won't have much of an effect, but it can help her blood flow better and make her complexion look better."

"—However, you have to go out and keep watch so no one sees. If some French people who don't know anything see it, they might accuse me of abusing a racehorse. I don't want to run into that kind of thing a second time."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Teacher Su." Upon hearing this, Wada breathed a sigh of relief and immediately left the room without saying another word.

As soon as Hetian left, a silence fell between Old Su and Hao Geju in the room. Old Su didn't reach for his sewing kit; instead, he turned to Hao Geju and said in a somewhat solemn tone:

“I watched your match live and noticed some clues.”

"Your legs are healthy, but you can't exert any force during the competition? If my experience over the years hasn't misled me, then it must be your own fault, right?"

"...As expected of a senior, you knew it immediately." The opera singer was also surprised by the senior's accuracy, but at this moment, with Wada not by her side and facing a professional doctor, she knew she couldn't hide it from him even if she wanted to, so she could only say with a touch of solemnity:

"Yes, I haven't been daring to run too hard lately... It's a strange feeling."

“My legs are perfectly healthy, no matter what kind of checkup I have, all the doctors tell me that—but every time I do, I feel like my legs are very fragile, as if they simply can't support my full burst of energy…”

"I know it might just be my imagination, but this intense sense of crisis keeps lingering in my mind... I really find it hard to resist this fear..."

As he spoke, a wry smile appeared on Good Opera's face as he said, "Am I being too strange, senior?"

"...This is probably not an illusion, child. Your sense of crisis has been helping you avert tragedy."

However, upon hearing this, Old Su's expression became much more serious. He said to Good Opera, "Your situation is rather rare. After all, the performance of racehorses usually depends on how far their bodies and willpower can support them. Most of the time, the physical aspect far outweighs the willpower, but you are the exact opposite."

"Your spirit is so strong that your body cannot withstand it. Therefore, whenever you feel that you can unleash the power that your mind should have, your body instinctively warns you, which is why this situation occurs."

“Child, this is not an illusion. I have seen cases like yours before. This means that you have mental strength that exceeds the limits of your physical body, but your career... If your physical body can only stop here, then your mental strength will probably become a burden to your body.”

"Child, you shouldn't continue racing. You could become the best horse racing mentor. If you brush up on your theory, you'll be a highly sought-after horse racing mentor. But as a horse racing girl, it's very dangerous for you to race in this state."

"Once you try to go all out, your body may break down faster than your mind. If you don't go all out, you won't have enough motivation to challenge those racehorses in their prime. In that case, you won't be able to perform at your best."

"..." However, Old Su's words made Good Opera silent for a moment, but only for a moment. Soon, Good Opera showed a smile, raised its head and said to Old Su:

"I understand, Teacher Su. Please give me the acupuncture."

"Ugh……"

Old Su shook his head upon hearing this. He knew he couldn't persuade Good Opera, but still, upholding the compassionate attitude of a doctor, he asked Good Opera again, "At least I think your trainer has the right to know..."

"—I don't need this, Teacher Su, please." Good Opera's expression suddenly changed from relaxed to extremely solemn as she pleaded, word by word.

"……Understood."

Upon hearing this, Old Su nodded with a sense of loss and regret, his eyes filled with emotion but also with a deep sense of gratitude. He had made up his mind to do everything in his power to help this girl.

Perhaps it's possible to salvage something. Old Su thought to himself. He took out a few needles from his needle case.

"...It seems different from before?" Good Opera couldn't help but ask curiously.

"This isn't for treating your legs, it's to relax your mind." Old Su said calmly, holding the needles. "This can make your mind feel more relaxed. This is the first time I've done this kind of acupuncture on a racehorse girl. Usually, the trainers who come here go to great lengths to have me improve the potential of their racehorses."

"But this might save your life, kid. Whether you can save your career may depend on whether this injection works."

"...I understand, please proceed." Good Opera nodded with a glimmer of hope, though she knew it was just a psychological comfort from the doctor.

But will these injections actually be effective? Perhaps she will only know on the day she arrives at the Arc de Triomphe.

Chapter 348: McQueen's Hesitation Regarding the Emperor's Autumn Viewing

After the Foy Championship, things seemed to have calmed down again. With October approaching, everyone's nerves were getting more and more tense, because they all knew that there were many things they needed to do with all their might in the coming month.

The arrival of October marked the beginning of the countdown for all their preparations, and the first sound to kick it all off came from a match in the silent Suzuka district...

"GII Daily Crown! The winner of this match is Silent Suzuka! As always, she demonstrated an extremely powerful escape tactic!"

"So, Silent Suzuka's next stop will be a head-to-head confrontation with two members of the strongest team of the year, 'Miracle'! Is this the right choice for her?"

"But in any case, we will undoubtedly see an incredibly exciting match at the Autumn Emperor's Slam tournament in just over ten days. Will Silent Suzuka once again bring us a satisfying victory with his explosive escape tactics? Or will Mejiro McQueen and the renowned Naoto be stronger and dominate this October once again?"

"Let's wait and see! The Autumn Emperor's Gift!"

"...That kid won again, Daily Crown."

Before the racehorse girls and trainer Okino could even celebrate, Naze Fumino's voice rang out beside them. As Okino and the racehorse girls all looked over, Okino, with a lollipop in his mouth, said in a rather helpless tone:

"Hey, Nase, have you been paying a little too much attention to Suzuka lately? If I didn't still have her roster here, I would have thought she was one of your racehorse girls..."

"Isn't it a bit too early to scout the enemy's situation? Trainer Naze, we'll see each other again at the Autumn Emperor's Prize... although you've been spending a lot of time with Suzuka lately..."

Okino felt increasingly that Fumino Naze was acting strangely. Back when she was with Wada, anyone who wasn't oblivious could tell at a glance that she liked Wada. But ever since Wada left Japan to go on a triumphant expedition with the opera, Okino felt that Fumino Naze and Suzuka were having more and more contact.

She cared even more than he, as her trainer… This really annoyed Okino. He even spent more time talking to Suzuka about it. If he hadn't confirmed from Suzuka's words that she had no intention of changing teams, he would have been really afraid that Suzuka would be lured away by Naze Fumino.

And there was really nothing he could do about it after she lured him away. Although it was immoral, Naze Fumino was indeed his senior... even though Naze Fumino was a little younger than him.

"Trainer Naze, let me make this clear first, I have absolutely no intention of kicking Suzuka out of the team. Seriously, your Miracle Team doesn't lack strong racer girls at all, so please leave one for me~"

"I'm just here to watch Suzuka's match. Don't worry, Coach Okino, I won't steal someone else's favorite game."

Naze Fumino's attention to Silent Suzuka's matches is partly due to a request from Wada Ryuji, but also because she has now voluntarily begun to follow Silent Suzuka's every move.

For some reason, Naze Fumino always felt a strange sense of familiarity whenever she watched Silent Suzuka's matches, as if she had watched her matches before. While feeling familiar with her current matches, Naze Fumino was also constantly analyzing them in her mind.

"...It can be even faster."

"Huh? It can be even faster?" Upon hearing this, Okino was startled. As a trainer, even though Naze Fumino's words seemed a bit abrupt, he understood what she meant. He immediately replied with a bitter expression:

"If we go any faster, we'll hurt Suzuka's body. I also want Suzuka to go faster. This kind of escape is okay for winning the Daily Crown, but it's still not enough to win the Autumn Emperor's Prize."

"Ah, the opponents are still those guys who are as strong as monsters, like the famous generals Futō and Megaku McQueen, aren't they all formidable opponents?"

"If it weren't for the fact that Special Zhou on my team had to go to the Chrysanthemum Appreciation, I really wanted to send Special Zhou to the Autumn Emperor Appreciation as well, otherwise there would be no way to win!"

Okino was also very worried about the current situation. Silent Suzuka was very strong. During this period, because the Autumn Emperor's Prize was approaching, Okino had planned to give Silent Suzuka extra training. However, for some reason, on that day, Wada hurriedly came to Okino and asked Silent Suzuka to withdraw from the Autumn Emperor's Prize. At that moment, he was worried about Suzuka's health... He silently chose to give up the extra training plan for Suzuka.

For some reason, it seemed that Wada's anxiety also infected Okino, making Okino feel uneasy as well—even though Suzuka's health report had only been out for a short time, Okino was still affected by the usually calm Wada's anxious expression that day, as if it were the end of the world.

What exactly does Wada know? The closer it gets to the Autumn Emperor's Celebration, the more uneasy Okino feels.

"...Trainer Naze, are you here to persuade me to let Suzuka give up the Autumn Emperor's Prize?"

Okino brought up the issue himself this time. Of course, he wouldn't let Suzuka withdraw, but what if—and he meant what if—Nase Fumino was as worried about Suzuka's performance as Wada was...? Perhaps he would ask Suzuka for her opinion and let her consider avoiding the Autumn Emperor's Slam.

Although he knew that Suzuka would never agree, and that if Naze Fumino wanted to persuade him, she could have done so long ago after spending so much time together, Suzuka was still competing on the field, so it was clear that Naze Fumino wouldn't try to persuade him to give up.

"If I try to persuade you, will you give up? Trainer Okino, even if you're willing, Suzuka won't."

And as expected, Fumino Naze said the same thing: "We will be seen by the Emperor in the autumn, and we will not only win, but also prevent all the tragedies from happening."

That scene in her dream will never happen again, absolutely not.

Naze Fumino slowly left the audience seats, while Okino watched her retreating figure, muttering to himself with extreme unease:

"Tragedy and all that... why are you all so certain..."

"Seriously, is there something I don't know? It feels like everyone else knows, but I'm completely unaware."

"How did they know Suzuka couldn't attend the Autumn Emperor's Sho?! Tell me!"

……

Naze Fumino left the stands, while the Miracle Team members waited for the outcome of her negotiations in the Uma Musume tunnel. However, when everyone looked at Naze expectantly, they noticed the silence on her face and revealed a hint of disappointment.

"...Still not working?" Jinlang asked calmly, and Naise Fumino shook her head in affirmation.

"...It seems there's no other way but to use the worst possible method." Upon hearing this, Ikezo felt a pang of sympathy. The worst possible method was for Megumi McQueen and the famous general Nutsui to block Silent Suzuka's escape route from the very beginning—this tactic was exactly the same as that used by the people of Shedai back then. If it weren't absolutely necessary, I really wouldn't want to use this tactic.

However, there was no other way. The Autumn Emperor's Prize for Suzuka, who had suffered a broken bone, was just around the corner. Neither Ikezoe nor Imanami could remain indifferent, even if it might ruin their reputations afterward. For the sake of Suzuka's future career, they had no choice but to do so.

"But this is unfair to you all." Ikezoe's gaze also fell on the group of horse racing girls, and she couldn't help but sigh as she said, "We finally managed to build up some reputation, but this autumn's Emperor's Prize has plummeted..."