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

Because of her terrible personality, Golden Ship is often overlooked because she is actually a great beauty among racehorse girls. Her lineage as a Reed Racehorse Girl gives her a significant advantage in appearance, which is almost a consensus among racehorse girls—Reed Racehorse Girls get prettier as they grow up.

At this moment, Golden Ship truly displayed the advantages of her Reed Horse Racer bloodline. In the past, even Jin Lang would subconsciously ignore Golden Ship's appearance. This was partly because Golden Ship often concealed her facial features, and partly because Golden Ship had never deliberately shown her feminine charm in front of Jin Lang.

But this time, the Golden Ship caught Jin Lang off guard. When the Golden Ship looked at Jin Lang with its teary eyes, Jin Lang seemed to see a magnified version of Megumi McQueen—truly worthy of being called the reappearance of Megumi McQueen.

"The Golden Ship." Jin Lang immediately came to his senses and slowly approached the Golden Ship. However, the Golden Ship's reaction was somewhat unexpected.

"No, don't come any closer... old man..."

"Don't look at me like this... this face... I hate even my own face now..."

"Grandpa... I'm sorry, I did something so excessive and willful..."

Golden Ship's voice now sounded somewhat fragile—this time, Jin Lang could guarantee it was absolutely not a pretense. Golden Ship's tone was choked with sobs, revealing his own weakness and unease, as if he feared losing something very important to him, and he whispered:

"I did something to hurt the emperor... but I don't feel any remorse... I'm sorry, sir, have I become a bad kid?"

"But even so, don't tell me you hate me, really, don't tell me..."

"I can do anything to make up for what happened today, really, as long as you give me this chance..."

Golden Ship knew she had done something wrong, and she had actually done it despite knowing the consequences, because she couldn't bear to have her bottom line crossed, even if it seemed strange to others.

She simply couldn't accept that the kindness her trainer showed to others was ignored and went unrewarded. Even if the recipient was the Emperor of the East Sea, the beloved member of the Miracle Team, it was still the same.

Therefore, Goldship's actions at the Satsuki Sho were less about giving it her all and more about venting her anger, or even warning the East Blue Emperor not to cross her bottom line again. If the Emperor were the kind of racehorse girl who could disregard her trainer's good intentions once she had the Rudol symbol, then Goldship would truly have no regrets about what she did, and might even proudly provoke her.

However, the contradiction lies in the fact that Golden Ship knows the emperor is not that kind of person; she is simply enjoying too much love and doesn't know which one to respond to first.

But the Golden Ship still couldn't bear it, couldn't suppress the jealousy in its heart...

Yes, jealousy. Golden Ship could now admit that his anger towards the East Sea Emperor stemmed largely from jealousy. He was jealous that she had taken away the care that should have been his, and that she hadn't reciprocated the care from Jinlang—even though Golden Ship could understand it.

Therefore, after the Satsuki Appreciation ended, the Golden Ship chose to run away out of guilt. She was afraid of facing the questioning gazes of the East Sea Emperor and everyone else, and even more afraid of facing the disappointed, or even questioning, gazes of Imaizumi.

That would cause her immense pain, to the point where she wished she could leave this world. She truly did not want to be hated by Jin Lang.

"What are you saying, Golden Ship?"

When Jin Lang heard the worried and frightened words of the Golden Ship, he had already quietly come to the bedside. He gazed at the Golden Ship, who had turned its head away, and after a long while, he revealed a doting smile and said:

"How could I hate you, Golden Ship? You have always been my pride, both then and now."

"You won this match fair and square, through your own strength. Why do you feel guilty? Is it because you think you ruined the emperor's dream? If that's what you think, then you're not part of the Golden Ship."

"Or is it that what you can't get over is actually a hurdle in your own heart? Do you feel that you have hurt the emperor, and also damaged your friendship?"

"Don't you want to win?"

As Jin Lang slowly sat down beside the golden ship, he couldn't help but grab one of the golden ship's hands. With his action, the golden ship seemed to be electrocuted and paused, turning its head slightly incredulously to look at Jin Lang.

However, Golden Ship did not see a trace of reluctance in Jin Lang's eyes, only complete and doting concern, just like the familiar and ordinary one in her memory.

He was the only person who would never get angry no matter what she did, the only person who accepted everything about her... Even when she did things that he himself couldn't accept, he was willing to make excuses for her.

And now, this person is right in front of her, so close.

And so, the next second, Golden Ship finally couldn't suppress his inner impulse, grabbed Jin Lang's hand and pulled him over, while his own body moved straight closer.

The next moment, all that could be seen was Golden Ship pressing its cheek tightly against Jin Lang's chest, its arms gripping Jin Lang's arms tightly and refusing to let go, as if it were afraid that he would leave it.

"Don't leave me... Grandpa... Don't leave me again..."

"Without you, I really have nothing left... So please, don't leave me again..."

Chapter 476: I only ask that you never leave me

Golden Ship is very afraid of loneliness, a fact few people know, but Jin Lang knows it very well. When Golden Ship first participated in the competition, it was very well-behaved, but after gradually turning into a white mochi and shedding its gray fur, its personality underwent a huge change.

What could previously be described as a "mischievous" personality has suddenly become "restless." To outsiders, these two words may not make much difference, but for the team, and for Jinlang as a stableman, it's a completely different story. Any member of a professional horse racing team can tell the difference.

"Mischievous" refers to the fact that although racehorses are not naturally well-behaved, they are only slightly harder for the team to control. However, it is still possible to ensure that the racehorses follow the plan for training and racing, manage the daily life of the racehorses, and effectively ensure the safety of the team members without provoking the racehorses.

For example, the younger brother of the Golden Ship named "Golden Flag" is mischievous, and there is also "Pure Radiance" whom Imai later took care of. Although Pure Radiance is also bad-tempered to a strict extent, when she is well-behaved, she is still a mischievous racehorse girl.

However, being playful is a different matter entirely. It means that this racehorse's personality has entered the "unruly" category, making it difficult to tame and control. Most importantly, it is difficult for the team to guarantee that such a playful racehorse will not suddenly change its mood from sunny to cloudy, or that it will not disregard the safety of others because of its playful nature.

Unfortunately, Golden Ship belongs to this series of racehorses, so you can imagine how nervous its team is in taking care of it every day. Under these circumstances, a large part of the reason why Jin Lang became Golden Ship's designated stableman is that, in addition to his professionalism, Golden Ship feels a natural sense of relaxation in his presence.

The team members didn't know why, and even Jinlang himself didn't know. Could it be that the horse still saw the elderly as enjoying more preferential treatment? But in any case, in this respect, Jinlang became the only stableman in the team who dared to have prolonged contact with the golden ship.

From the very beginning, she received training at the Golden Ship Training Center until her retirement. During this time, Jinlang witnessed the Golden Ship's rise from obscurity to fame, from Japan to France, and from its peak to a stable period, ultimately retiring as a meritorious contributor.

Jinlang didn't know what kind of concept he had of the racehorse Golden Boat. Was it a friend like Yilutong was back then, or like most racehorses, just treating the stable boy as an automatic carrot machine or a water-adding machine? But at least, Golden Boat's attitude towards Jinlang was indeed very good. At least, in terms of its attitude towards jockeys and trainers, it never used violent means against Jinlang from beginning to end—at most, it just got carried away and forgot to take care of Jinlang.

But at least for Jinlang, Golden Ship is his pride and one of his most cherished children—every stableman loves the racehorse he manages like a child. It is no exaggeration to say that every stableman cares for the racehorse he manages more than he cares for his own family.

"If it were a woman, it would be my wife"—this is a classic joke among stable hands, implying that they care for racehorses with more care than for their own wives. This isn't an exaggeration; any competent stable hand knows just how precious racehorses are, and they truly treat them with more care than their wives.

Jinlang treats Golden Ship like a child, or even like a wife, but no matter how spiritually intelligent Golden Ship was back then, it could only be considered an animal. But now that it's in the world of Uma Musume, with 100% compatibility, can Jinlang still say that Golden Ship is just a simple animal?

Especially now, when Golden Ship is holding him tightly and refusing to let go, pouring out her loneliness to him for the first time, can he still consider her as someone whose memories have simply merged with those of the racehorse Golden Ship?

"When did I ever leave you, Golden Ship?"

“You have it.” Golden Ship held Jinlang tightly and cried in a low voice, “After that, you kept going around that guy called Pure Radiance and didn’t come to see me for a long time.”

"Does being white mean it doesn't matter? I'm not darker than her at all! I'm a white-haired person!"

No, no, no, this has nothing to do with white feathers or anything like that, right? Jin Lang smiled bitterly to himself. He didn't take on the task of taking care of Pure Glory on his own initiative; it was assigned by the team. Jin Lang was thinking that he was almost at retirement age, and once he had taken care of Pure Glory until retirement, he would become one of the few stablehands in the industry to retire normally. He could enjoy some welfare benefits and retirement at that time.

"Just because of this? Pure and radiant is a good child, but you're arguing with her over this?"

"The grass flyer, and the road to enlightenment... why did they leave me too?"

Golden Ship, clinging tightly to Jinlang, continued sullenly, "I only have a few familiar people left... Why does everyone have to leave me?"

"Grasshopper was my senior, and I respected her very much... but she left too; All the Way was my good friend, but she left me too..."

"Why...why does everyone have to leave me? Why, so many things that I cherished ended up leaving me..."

"In the end... even you left me... Grandpa... why is that..."

However, Jinlang had no way to respond to Golden Ship's words. He didn't think Golden Ship would be unaware of the meaning of "allocation." In fact, there were many things that Jinlang was powerless to change. These were all the results of team discussions. Any horse races or personnel changes were decided after team consultation. The personal wishes of the few stablemen could not determine anything.

But the Golden Ship still asked the same question. Obviously, now that she possessed human intelligence, she could understand such a thing. But that was from the rational side. Who would want to be separated from someone they know well?

Especially Yi Lu Tong, Jin Lang was very clear about how good her relationship with Golden Ship was. Yi Lu Tong's status in the ranch was no less than that of Golden Ship, but strangely enough, because of her love for Golden Ship, she had never had a dispute with Golden Ship.

However, such days eventually came to an end with the departure of Yilutong. The reason was simple: no team wanted "Yilutong of the World" to continue living on the same ranch as the Golden Ship.

However, this was undoubtedly a huge blow to Golden Ship, especially for Golden Ship who had memories of the past. However, the last straw that broke Golden Ship's spirits was her separation from Jinlang.

"Grandpa...you're all I have left, so please, please don't leave me again."

“I’m not afraid of the competition, I’m not afraid of malice, and I’m not afraid of doubt… but I’m only afraid that there will be no one who understands me anymore, and I don’t want to feel like I’m not surrounded by familiar people anymore.”

"Only you... Grandpa... Only you are not allowed to leave me... If even you leave, then... I will really have nothing left."

"There's really nothing left..."

That's why she was afraid someone would take Jinlang away. When McQueen confided his feelings to her, she threw a tantrum and acted like a slacker at the Yayoi Prize, all to get Jinlang to pay more attention to her. It was also because of this that when she learned that Jinlang's attention was mostly on the Emperor, and the Emperor did not respond to her expectations, she became extremely jealous and threw a tantrum.

The Golden Ship, which had always gotten along well with everyone and hoped that everyone would work together as one, did something that hurt its own companions and damaged the friendship between them for the first time. Even she herself hated this. However, who cared about her heart that feared loneliness?

"Promise me, old man, you will never leave me again."

"Of course, the Golden Ship." Upon hearing the words about the Golden Ship, Jin Lang, as always, rubbed her head and said in a low but firm voice:

"This time, I will truly never leave you, Golden Ship."

Chapter 477: My esteemed grandfather is highly respected

"No matter where the golden ship goes, or what it becomes, whether it's a horse or a racehorse girl, this time, I will never leave you."

"...You swear."

"I swear." Jinlang responded to Golden Ship with the same force as his words. This time, instead of stroking Golden Ship's head in the same gentle way, he hugged her body with a more forceful attitude.

"This time, we will never be apart, no matter what. Everything you love most will never leave you again."

"Is it really possible..." At this moment, Golden Ship couldn't help but feel timid again. She buried her head completely in Jin Lang's chest, her tears soaking a patch of his shirt, and mumbled:

"I've done such terrible things to the emperor... won't everyone leave me?"

"No, as long as you work with me to encourage the emperor to stand up again, and explain that your anger this time was not directed at her, everything will pass peacefully."

“But… I can’t lie about this, old man.” Hearing Jinlang say this, Golden Ship was well aware that this matter could be big or small, and that the Emperor could recover his spirits simply by clearing up a misunderstanding. That was the kind of horse girl she was. However, Golden Ship couldn’t say that to the Emperor about this matter—because she was indeed angry because of the Emperor at the time.

Golden Ship does often make trivial jokes by lying, but she never jokes about matters of principle. Especially this time, she was even unusually angry, so she would never say to the Emperor of the East Sea, "I'm not angry with the Emperor."

This was something that troubled Jin Lang quite a bit. The Golden Ship's attitude changed so quickly, that Jin Lang couldn't quite grasp the balance. Fortunately, the Golden Ship seemed to sense Jin Lang's confusion and finally slowly left Jin Lang's chest, raising its head and revealing a familiar smile:

“But I will help the old man, as always. No matter what you want to do, I will help you.”

"I will also try to reconcile with the emperor. Don't worry, old man, I... have my own way, as long as you are willing to believe me."

"Of course I'm willing to believe you. You've never let me down, Golden Ship." Jin Lang smiled gently upon hearing this. At this moment, Golden Ship's emotions finally stabilized, which was a good sign. Jin Lang, who had been somewhat uneasy because of Golden Ship's loss of control, now felt a long-lost sense of peace.

Unbeknownst to him, the Golden Ship had become a stabilizer for Jin Lang's mood. This feeling was different from the feeling that McQueen gave Jin Lang. If McQueen lost control, Jin Lang would also be very anxious, because McQueen had solved many problems that Jin Lang found troublesome. Without McQueen, these things would undoubtedly make Jin Lang more nervous if they were back in Jin Lang's hands. But with McQueen around, Jin Lang would have a sense of security and relaxation.

The Golden Ship is more like McQueen's tranquilizer. With the Golden Ship around, Jin Lang has nothing to worry about, because he feels confident that "if I can solve such a big problem, I can handle anything else."

The two women gave Jin Lang different feelings, but they had one thing in common: they were both of great significance to him.

"Oh, right, sir, there's also the matter of McQueen."

The Golden Ship, as if sensing his presence, immediately looked at Jin Lang. Upon hearing McQueen's name, Jin Lang, who already knew the truth, stiffened for a rare moment, almost afraid to look the Golden Ship directly in the eye, and glanced sideways, saying:

"We can talk about McQueen later, okay?"

"Waaaaah—!!"

However, Jinlang's attitude clearly confirmed the bad premonition in Golden Ship's heart. However, Golden Ship was seen puffing out his cheeks like an emperor, looking extremely unhappy as if he was about to bite someone.

Jin Lang had been fully aware of McQueen's attitude towards him for some time, but he had only recently come completely honest with McQueen. However, he had not yet expressed his own attitude, as he was still hesitant.

To be fair, McQueen is a good girl. Everyone likes a girl with a good personality and good looks, and she's devoted to you alone. But Jinlang's only hesitation is whether McQueen's feelings are true love or just a simple, hazy crush during adolescence.

Therefore, Jin Lang did not answer McQueen's question immediately. For a girl confined in a small place like Tresson College, the closed-off affection she develops towards the only man of the opposite sex who is obedient to her and takes care of everything for her is not reliable.

Jinlang did not respond to McQueen's affections immediately, partly because she did not want to delay her competition career, and partly because she hoped that McQueen could have more time to travel and see the world, rather than being trapped in a vague affection and prematurely squandering her youth.

If, after McQueen has enjoyed the beauty of youth, she still harbors feelings for him—then Jinlang would have absolutely no reason to refuse the tenderness of this lovely young woman.