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

She felt a sharp pain in her heart, and a surge of bitterness that made her mouth and tongue feel sour.

This feeling, as if something that should have been yours has been taken away... it's truly inexplicable...

Chapter 40: Good Opera: Are you not planning to let go if I don't come out?

"The trainer's body... is so stiff. Did I hug him too tightly?"

"It's nothing, Nutao, you'd better hurry up, I don't want to be seen."

Wada dared not move an inch. Letting Nutao hold him was already quite risky, and Wada dared not actually lay a hand on him. This was a matter of principle. As a trainer, it was already troublesome enough for him to hug and cuddle with his racehorse girl. If he dared to lose control, his Central Qualification Certificate would become worthless that very day!

He still had a promise to fulfill to the opera, and he couldn't let his future be ruined like this. Therefore, his body was completely frozen, and he dared not make the slightest movement.

Unfortunately, while there might be some kind of tacit understanding between Hetian and Hao opera, there was none between them and the famous general Nutao in his arms.

"Is that so..." Upon hearing this, Nu Tao thought that He Tian was feeling unwell, so he hugged He Tian's body even tighter.

The renowned general, Nu Tao, whose cheeks were already flushed red and who dared not look at anyone, buried himself in He Tian's arms and said in a very shy voice:

"Then, let's hug a little longer. I'm quite confident in my flexibility. Jingu always says that hugging me to sleep is as comfortable as hugging a giant body pillow..."

But I don't want to sleep right now. Wada was also sweating profusely with anxiety. He felt his rationality being constantly provoked by the horse girl he was in charge of. If it weren't for his extremely strong ability to withstand pressure, he probably would have lost his composure by now, just like the raging waves on the racetrack.

He just hopes no one sees this now, otherwise he'll be completely unable to defend himself. He hopes someone will listen to his explanation...

"—Hahahaha! What a bittersweet scene! I just hope that I, the tyrant, haven't disturbed my most beloved subject's time with her trainer~"

A sudden burst of exaggerated laughter completely interrupted the uncontrollable rage of Wada, freeing him from his turmoil. Wada felt the slightly warm cotton candy in his arms suddenly recoil, and he instinctively looked towards the source of the sound.

"A great opera?!"

"Long time no see~ Trainer Wada, who left a deep impression on me, seems to be getting along very well with my most beloved retainer~"

Good opera is also one where nothing is apparent on the surface, using exaggerated tone and movements to mask all its emotions—in fact, she originally intended to leave quietly, so as not to disturb Nutao and Hotan.

But it wasn't until later, when Nu Tao held onto He Tian tightly and wouldn't let go, that she finally couldn't sit still any longer. She suspected that if she didn't step forward, Nu Tao really would keep holding onto He Tian indefinitely.

"Okay, good opera student..."

Nu Tao's face was also flushed red. Seeing that the opera he had been longing for most was actually in front of them, he nervously stammered:

"You, you didn't see it, did you? About me and the trainer, well, we didn't do anything, we just... we just hugged, really nothing—"

"...Little ancestor, you're making it sound like you have to stir up trouble even when there's nothing wrong." He Tian's lips curled into a bitter smile; he felt that if it hadn't been a good opera but someone else, his Central Opera qualification certificate would probably have been completely useless.

"What a wonderful opera! What are you doing here? When did you arrive?"

"Well, I was just worried about the state of my favored minister, but now it seems that I, the Overlord, don't need to step in." Good Opera also made no attempt to hide his actions, replying with a smile, "I've been following him from the beginning, but I just felt it wasn't appropriate to interfere."

"First, initially it refers to..."

However, Good Opera's words made Nu Tao's pupils turn into mosquito coils. The thought that Good Opera had seen her rare moment of "affection" made her legs, which were already tired from the race, start to dig involuntarily.

It seemed he was planning to dig a hole in the spot and then bury his head in the sand like an ostrich... Nu Tao's actions were observed by Hao Geju and He Tian. The two looked at each other and smiled, and both shrugged.

"I heard your Snow Willow Appreciation just ended, how come you're back so soon?"

"Hahaha, a mere Snow Willow Award can't stop me, the Overlord, from taking it easily!" Good Opera waved his hand with a hint of pride, complimenting his own abilities without any hesitation.

"On the contrary, it seems that you, Trainer Wada, are not here. I thought that as the trainer who drives my most beloved retainer and competes with me as the overlord, you would come to the scene to scout."

"I can't help it, I'm too busy, I can't get away from the friendly match." He Tian waved his hand and said, "But I watched the live broadcast and recorded it to give to Nu Tao for learning."

"Hahaha! Hearing this makes me look forward to the Daily Cup starting in a month!"

Indeed, this natural feeling is truly magical. The opera singer was also consciously sensing that natural feeling he had when facing Wada; there was no tension whatsoever, nor the expected tense atmosphere between adversaries. Everything seemed perfectly harmonious.

The two acted as if they had known each other for a very long time. They were never surprised by what the other did, and there was not a trace of mutual suspicion or wariness between them. Just as Good Opera openly watched Nu Tao's competition, Good Opera naturally accepted that He Tian had recorded his competition.

If it were any other racehorse, they might feel a bit nervous, because watching videos and learning from them means that their running style could be figured out, which could put them at a disadvantage in the race—but Good Opera doesn't feel nervous because of this.

It's not that she wasn't worried about her running style being discovered, but rather... she simply couldn't bring herself to be angry with Wada.

"However, even if you watch the videotape, don't be fooled by my running style. I'm the Overlord, and I'm not limited to one running style." Good Opera also said confidently, puffing out her chest. Her chest was not as fierce as Raging Waves', but it was very confident, which was in stark contrast to Raging Waves' usual stooped posture.

"Ah, I know. You're not only good at errands, but also at leading..."

"Huh? How did you know I'd go first..."

However, after exchanging only a few words, Wada, who suddenly stopped talking, and Haogeju, who belatedly realized what was happening, looked at each other in bewilderment. Neither of them spoke, but their eyes seemed to say a lot.

Seeing this, Nu Tao was confused and timidly raised his little hand to ask:

"Um... will Good Opera student go first? I clearly remember Good Opera student always being the worst runner..."

"—Hahahaha! It's just an exploration in my spare time. How can I, as the Overlord, only pursue one running style?"

Good Opera naturally steered the conversation away from this topic, without mentioning why Wada knew she had recently been researching advanced running techniques—something even her trainer, Ms. Tojo Hana, didn't know. With the Daily Cup approaching, Ms. Tojo Hana didn't want to spend too much effort exploring new running techniques; she chose a safer way to win.

So far, Good Opera has been very well established through the use of the "different lines" strategy. With the Daily Cup approaching, it is perfectly normal to think that the win rate is higher with the "different lines" strategy.

However, is what is normal necessarily correct?

"Alright, that's enough chit-chat. I'm here to call you back." Good Opera quickly turned the page, smiling as he said:

"I'm taking you to the winner's stage. They're already setting it up there. You don't want to skip it, do you?"

"...The winner's stage? What's that?"

However, Good Opera's words startled Wada. He looked at Good Opera, whose expression had frozen for the first time, and then turned to look at the famous general Nutō beside him, whose face had suddenly turned pale. He gradually realized the seriousness of the problem.

This winner's stage... seems to be something he's never heard of and has never paid any attention to...

Chapter 41: Imai's Journey to the Mejiro Family

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I've embarrassed you again, trainer! I'm truly sorry!"

As night fell, the winners' stage had long since ended. In the backstage area, the renowned general Nu Tao was frantically bowing to He Tian as if he were about to cry, as if he could not express his apology otherwise.

Meanwhile, after the winner's stage performance, Megumi McQueen, still in his stage costume, was also in poor condition. He huddled in a corner, muttering to himself:

"What a disgrace! I actually forgot about the winner's stage... No, I should say that there was no notification in the first place that there would be a winner's stage... According to the normal competition procedure... the winner's stage... I should have thought of it."

"Ah... I'm so sorry, Grandmother, and my sisters. As the Mejiro family's racehorse girl, I've actually lost my composure like this on the winner's stage... I've disgraced the Mejiro family..."

Compared to the impact of the raging waves, Megumi McQueen was more shocked. She was completely unaware of the winner's stage—no, she knew there was a winner's stage for winning matches, but she never expected that this so-called "friendly match, which was supposedly conducted according to the rules of a regular competition without any rankings" would also have a winner's stage.

This time, Megumi McQueen, who had been focusing all her energy on losing weight and training, was caught off guard. After stepping onto the center stage of the winner's show, she couldn't remember the dance she had practiced a few times a long time ago, and she couldn't even remember the lyrics...

As a result, McQueen, who should have been the most dazzling center, also lost face the most. His movements were stiff and unnatural, he even made several mistakes in his dancing, and he couldn't remember the lyrics at all. In the end, he could only shout "Your horse" during the chorus...

As for Nu Tao, she's even worse. She can't dance, and she's forgotten her songs even more completely than McQueen. If McQueen could be considered to have at least some dancing skills, then Nu Tao just stood there "stood still" on stage, and all you could hear was laughter from the audience...

As a result, McQueen and Raging Waves, who were clearly first and third place, performed even more embarrassingly on the winners' stage. On the other hand, the second-place winner, the East Sea Emperor, was quite well prepared. She not only performed her own part but also took the initiative to save the day several times.

Unfortunately, the Emperor of the East Sea couldn't save the day for two people by himself. Fortunately, the winner's stage finally came to an end thanks to the three girls' frantic efforts and the cooperation of the other horse racers... This hellish ordeal was also declared over.

Meanwhile, the three trainers, who were lost in self-pity, looked at each other in disbelief. None of them had expected that such a thing would happen.

"Winner's Stage... In this world, after finishing the race, you have to go on stage to perform? Isn't that like being an idol? Are Uma Musume (Horse Girls) actually idols?"

"I just found out myself." In response to Chi Tian's question, Wada casually stroked Nu Tao's head with his palm to calm her down, and replied, "We never mentioned anything about the winner's stage during the exam. It's probably not part of our job, is it?"

"Senior Jinlang, what do you think?"

"Hmm... I hadn't paid attention to it before either." And unusually, even the experienced Jin Lang knew nothing about the winner's stage. At this moment, the gauze on his nose had not yet been removed, and Golden Ship was still fast asleep next to him, hugging one of Jin Lang's arms—she was really tired today.

"Hehe, although I lost to McQueen on the field, the winner's stage is my victory, Your Majesty!"

Meanwhile, the Emperor of the East Sea was cheerfully trying to cheer McQueen up and help him regain his spirits. However, her methods of encouragement were clearly not very effective. Nevertheless, it seemed that she had already forgotten about her failure during the day.

"Phew... I never thought I'd be so lucky, Karen-chan. Even I couldn't have saved the day in that situation." Maki, standing next to Ikezoe, smiled and felt incredibly lucky. Although she had run a race she couldn't possibly win, the defeat wasn't a loss for her. Instead, it earned her a lot of fans, making her almost the biggest winner among the horse girls, besides the winner.

"Onii-chan, look, look! My number of followers on this platform is almost 400 million! Just as you thought, everyone knows that Kallen-chan is a sprinter horse girl!"

Maki also shared her joy with Ikezoe on her phone. Although she was a racehorse girl, Maki always felt that she was not good at racing, so she never said that she was a racehorse girl on the platform.

However, in this race, Maki's lead at the first corner made everyone realize that Maki was a racehorse girl. Although Maki did not win the race in the end, she still generated a lot of buzz.

"It's a pity that Zhenjiling excels at short distances, otherwise he would have won."

"She even overtook the East Sea Emperor on the first corner! Karen-chan is amazing!"

Such remarks made even Zhen Jiling's defeat seem quite impressive, and he was extremely pleased.

As expected of Onii-chan, he can even gain so many benefits from a match that was destined to fail. Karen-chan didn't even get a qualifying result, yet she still managed to achieve such an effect.

Makoto really likes Ikezoe more and more now.

"That's good, I feel much more relaxed now." Chi Tian nodded in a good mood. His team's results were indeed not bad. Although they didn't win the championship like McQueen on Grandpa Jinlang's team, and their relationship wasn't as good as on Wada's team, he was worry-free.

If it weren't for the sake of convenience, wouldn't Ikezoe have wanted to go and have a showdown? As a trainer and a former rider, Ikezoe's competitive spirit is not low either—but isn't the Golden Master absent?

"To be honest, I thought the Gold Master would participate in this friendly match, but the guild leader told me that the Gold Master declined this friendly match, and the reason is still unknown."

"I haven't seen her lately... What has she been up to?"

Chi Tian was also somewhat worried. Ever since that day when the Golden Master and he expressed their feelings for each other and said that he would talk to Chi Tian again after winning the debut battle, Chi Tian still did not know which battle the Golden Master's debut battle was, and the other party had not told him.

"Ah, everyone, so this is where it is."

Just then, a gentle female voice rang out without warning. Everyone turned to see a woman with long, light blue hair—clearly a gentle and elegant racehorse girl—approaching them with a smile and gracefully greeting them:

"McQueen, are you still in good spirits? I saw your performance on the winner's stage, you still need to work harder."

"Sister Aldan..."

McQueen immediately recognized the person as her older sister, Mejiro Altan, a racehorse girl also born into the Mejiro family. She was initially favored, but because of her "glass-like slender legs," she was ultimately not given the heavy responsibility of the Emperor's Prize.

"Sister Aldan, what are you doing here? Grandmother...is Grandmother still here?"

"No, Grandmother and the other sisters have already gone back. I just stayed here to wait for the winner's stage to end." Meguro Ardan clearly had the air of a young lady, even covering her mouth with her hand when she smiled, before turning her gaze to Ima Ryou.

Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, all that was seen was Megumi Ardan perform an elegant bow to Imaizumi, and then sincerely say:

"Trainer Takatoshi Imamiura, the head of the Mejiro family has invited you to be a guest of honor in the Mejiro family."

"To the Mejiro family?"

However, as soon as Meguro Ardan said this, both the trainers and the horse girls looked in Imanami's direction—and at this moment, Imanami, whose hands and feet were still bound by the Golden Ship, knew that he could not refuse this generous offer, but he said with a troubled expression:

"Since the patriarch has invited me, I should of course gladly accept. But what about that child, Golden Ship..."

"Please rest assured, we will take good care of the Golden Family's children." Aldan had, of course, done his homework before coming. Moreover, McQueen often mentioned the Golden Ship in his letters home, and they knew a little about the relationship between the Golden Ship and Jin Lang.