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

So—please take good care of me!

This time, Mi Yu finally placed her hand on Jin Lang's. At that moment, Mi Yu was certain that her dream of joining the Miracle Team had become a reality. This scene was witnessed by everyone, and even the spectators who didn't know what was happening still gave them enthusiastic applause when they saw Jin Lang, the Miracle Team's trainer, shaking hands with Mi Yu.

In the stands, the Meguro family's horse-racing girls applauded for Miyu and everyone else. After a long pause, the old lady of the Meguro family finally spoke softly:

"McQueen... is indeed very lucky."

"Grandmother... Trainer Jinlang just told me that he wants to see you alone." Aldan, who was also applauding this scene, said softly to his grandmother. It was Jinlang who had specifically told Aldan this before leaving the audience.

Madam Meguro remained silent for a long time after hearing this before finally saying, "Then I will go and see him, and see what this genius trainer wants to say since it is the first time he has taken the initiative to meet me."

Chapter 502: Jin Lang's Only Impulsive Decision?

"Well then, Mi Yu, you should go to the hospital with McQueen for a proper check-up. If there are any problems, take some time to rest. Don't participate in any competitions for the next few months. Get to know our group first."

Outside the racetrack, Jinlang had already planned out what would happen next for everyone. Miyu had just joined the team, and Jinlang had promised that Miyu would not be the designated racehorse girl for any of the three trainers, but simply a racehorse girl who had joined the team. This meant that she could enjoy similar treatment to Donghai Diwang and be taken care of by all three trainers at the same time.

As for taking care of Mi Yu, the three trainers and all the female racehorses would never refuse. Moreover, Mi Yu needs to recover from her injury during this time, which is precisely when she needs everyone's care.

The racehorse girls of the Miracle Team all love and respect Miyu. After all, Miyu performed brilliantly in the duel between the Golden Master and McQueen, so who can't acknowledge her strength as a racehorse girl? In addition, Miyu is kind-hearted by nature. Although she is a little shy, she is very gentle, which makes her a very popular personality.

Especially the Golden Master, when Mi Yu officially announced her joining the team, she jumped up with joy. She hugged Mi Yu and patted her chest, saying:

"Don't worry, Mi Yu! No one in the Miracle Team will bully you. If you get wronged outside, just tell me! Big Sister Master will stand up for you!"

"Oh, oh..." Mi Yu was also taken aback by the master's enthusiasm, but being in the same team as the gold master made Mi Yu very happy. Moreover, the care and kindness that everyone in the team showed her made Mi Yu very enjoyable, and she even felt a bit like she was in a dream.

Mi Yu even had a feeling that she was still dreaming. All of this was too far away for her. If this really was a dream, then Mi Yu might choose not to wake up. She wanted to stay immersed in this dream and never leave.

Just as the group was enjoying themselves, McQueen noticed Jin Lang's subtle movement of stepping back, and then couldn't help but ask:

"Trainer, what about you? Aren't you coming back to Treson Academy with us?"

"No, I have some personal matters to attend to." Jin Lang shook his head, and seeing the slightly concerned looks in the eyes of McQueen and the others, he smiled and said:

"Don't worry, I'm going to see Madam Mejiro. After all, I won the Spring Imperial Prize, and I need to give her a proper report. It's just a normal procedure, and I'll be back soon."

"Alright, you guys go back now, don't worry about me."

With that, Jin Lang slowly walked in another direction. However, just as Jin Lang had walked away, McQueen, the Emperor, Rudolph, and the Golden Ship looked at each other and made a decision in unison.

"Mi Yu, you..."

"Don't worry, Mi Yu understands." Before McQueen could speak, the sensible Mi Yu smiled and nodded to the group, saying, "With Master Craftsman accompanying Mi Yu, everything will be fine. McQueen, everyone can go with peace of mind."

“…Thank you, Mi Yu.” McQueen nodded solemnly and then immediately said, “Master, please take care of Mi Yu. We’ll be back soon.”

Not only McQueen, but also Emperor, Golden Ship and Rudolph noticed that this conversation between Imai and Old Lady Meguro was definitely different from usual. In the past, Imai always avoided Old Lady Meguro, but this time he took the initiative to go to her. There must be a reason for this.

They were all worried about Jinlang, especially since they knew very well that their trainer was the type to argue with others for the sake of his racehorse girl. Although Jinlang was usually quite easygoing, he wasn't afraid of the entertainment industry or even the old lady Meguro once his principles were violated.

However, offending Madam Meguro was not a wise choice. Therefore, McQueen and the others unanimously chose to follow her, lest Jinlang do something impulsive.

……

After some time, Jinlang quietly drank alcohol in an izakaya (Japanese pub) – this izakaya was nothing special, with cheap decor, a noisy environment, and no different from izakayas in various parts of Japan.

No one could have imagined that Jinlang would choose to meet Madam Mejiro here. This is a place that a head of a prestigious family would never set foot in. In a country like Japan where class consciousness is deeply rooted, meeting someone in a place that does not match their status can be seen as a sign of disrespect—especially when meeting someone you don't know well.

But Jin Lang clearly knew this and still chose to do it. Obviously, his attitude when meeting the old lady this time would not be as gentle as before.

With a "whoosh," the door opened, and Jinlang looked up slightly to see the old lady Meguro, dressed very simply and without any others by her side, slowly walking in.

"Today's trainer."

"Clan Head Meguro." Jinlang nodded, watching as the old lady sat down in front of him without any barriers or reservations.

"Does the head of the family unexpectedly prefer this kind of environment?"

"Hehe, I'm not the kind of patriarch who's detached from worldly affairs," Old Madam Meguro said gently. "Besides, since Trainer Jinlang invited me here, can I take that as a gesture of goodwill?"

"...Then the old lady may be disappointed."

However, Madam Meguro was clearly aware that Jin Lang had come with a bit of anger this time. She wanted to ease the atmosphere, but Jin Lang cut to the chase and said:

"Madam Mejiro, let me be frank. I've come here to formally inform you that I will not join the Mejiro family, nor will I become their exclusive trainer."

“My principles are contrary to the Mejiro family’s philosophy. I feel that I may not be able to change my principles, let alone the Mejiro family’s philosophy. Therefore, I can only make the choice of being a qualified trainer—to give up.”

"I may not be suitable to be the Mejiro family's exclusive trainer, but only to be the trainer of a simple racehorse girl named Mejiro McQueen. Therefore, I hereby decline your invitation."

……

Meanwhile, on the other side, McQueen and his group finally found their way here. McQueen specifically asked Aldan, who knew the Meguro family best about his grandmother's whereabouts. After hesitating for a moment, Aldan told him where his grandmother was going.

However, when McQueen and his friends arrived at the izakaya, they hesitated.

"McQueen, is this really the place? Is Tullai really here to see your grandmother?"

"Sister Aldan said it's here..." McQueen hesitated for a moment, but then immediately went into the izakaya without question.

"Wait." At this moment, Rudolf stepped forward, blocking McQueen and his group, and solemnly said:

“This is an izakaya, you need an adult to show you the way—I'll take you there.”

As he said this, Rudolf took the lead and stepped forward. McQueen, Golden Ship, and Emperor, the three racehorse girls who could obviously not disguise themselves as adults, also followed after exchanging glances.

Upon entering the izakaya, the East Sea Emperor looked around curiously. It was her first time in a place considered "for adults," and she couldn't help but wonder why so many adults were there. Meanwhile, Lu Duo, the symbol, walked straight to the manager and said softly:

"Hello, we are four people and would like to have one seat. Please bring us some drinks and barbecue."

"Also, I'd like to ask if you've seen an old woman somewhere? We're looking for her."

"Oh, that one, it seems she went to that private room." The manager, a very cheerful middle-aged man, immediately pointed in a direction for Rudolf when he saw that the person in front of him was a woman.

Seeing this, Rudolph nodded, then paid with the cash he had with him and told the shopkeeper to just put the items on a table. She also winked at the three racehorse girls behind her, signaling them to come over.

In an instant, the four horse girls occupied the area near the entrance to the VIP box where Jinlang and Madam Mejiro were located. Because this location was away from the main hall, they didn't need to worry about other people's gazes. They carefully listened to Jinlang and Madam Mejiro's conversation inside with their horse ears...

Chapter 503: No matter how fast they go, they're still just children.

"I think we might have some misunderstandings. Trainer Jinlang, I don't think the beliefs that our Mejiro family has upheld since the first head of the family would contradict your principles."

"Not every racehorse girl from the Mejiro family can succeed, but they are all kind-hearted and of excellent character. Trainer Imamura, could you please tell me what made you make this decision?"

However, despite her questioning tone, Madam Meguro showed no sign of panic or confusion. Instead, she appeared very calm and even curious as to why Jin Lang would make such a choice.

Faced with Madam Meguro's question, Jinlang remained silent for a while. He silently picked up a pitcher of beer mixed with some oolong tea, poured himself a glass, and drank it all in one gulp. Only then, fueled by the alcohol, did he speak:

"...Because I feel that the Mejiro family is too harsh on their racehorse girls, the children who bring honor to the Mejiro family and, in a sense, maintain the Mejiro family's operations."

“McQueen is a child I raised myself. She was the first racehorse girl to join my team. I put a lot of effort into training her. She told me that she wanted to fulfill the Mejiro family’s long-cherished wish, and she was willing to give everything for it.”

“I’ve been through a lot with McQueen. I witnessed her lows, her troughs, and encouraged her to get back on her feet and achieve what she has today… McQueen, everyone, and I have put in a tremendous amount of effort and hard work that is hard for others to imagine.”

“I know that.” Madam Meguro nodded and replied softly, “We are all very grateful for your contributions to McQueen, Trainer Jinlang.”

"It's not me, it's us, Madam Meguro."

Jin Lang, emboldened by the alcohol, corrected Madam Meguro's words and said in a low voice, "It's not just me, but also the other sisters of the Meguro family, the Emperor, the Golden Ship... Everyone lent a helping hand when we were in our most difficult time. This is the cohesion of our team."

"McQueen fell down again and again, but got up again and again, all for the sake of fulfilling the Mejiro family's obsession with the Emperor's Prize. And finally, I watched her achieve this ideal, and even achieve consecutive victories under the Shunju Emperor."

"I saw McQueen's efforts, but I also saw another side of the Mejiro family."

"The other side?" Old Madam Meguro repeated, her expression slightly showing that she seemed to understand something.

"That's right, the other side—that kind of expectation that can crush a person. Let me describe it that way for now."

Actually, the word Jinlang wanted to use was the very unpleasant "snobbish." But when he finally came to his senses, he replaced that word with expectation, an expectation that seemed to crush a person. This shows that even at his advanced age, Jinlang still couldn't truly speak freely like a young person, even when fueled by alcohol.

As soon as the match began, Jinlang noticed the cannons and celebrations that the Meguro family had prepared. Even before the match started, they already believed that McQueen was bound to win. At first, this expectation left Jinlang speechless, but later Jinlang's opinion changed.

Midway through the race, Miyu gained the upper hand. Sensing the danger, the old lady of the Meguro family decided to put away all the rainbow cannons to prevent McQueen from losing and losing face. This made Jinlang very uncomfortable because, as the racehorse girl of the Meguro family, the old lady herself did not trust McQueen's strength. This indirectly proved that she had not paid attention to McQueen's true strength, nor had she paid attention to how much effort McQueen had put into this race.

This was a questioning of McQueen, and also a questioning of Jinlang and their team. Fortunately, Jinlang ultimately stopped it, and even secretly had the Golden Ship contact the staff to prevent the salute from being fired at the moment of McQueen's victory.

Otherwise, if the cannons had been fired right after McQueen's victory, what would Mi Yu have thought? Would she still have been so happy to join Team Miracles? That's probably an unknown.

"McQueen is a racehorse girl, a racehorse girl who fulfilled the Mejiro family's long-cherished wish, achieved the Mejiro family's ideal, and even fell and paid a heavy price for this ideal many times. She is still just a child."

“I don’t want the Meguro family to only see her achievements, without anyone knowing how much she has sacrificed. Putting more and more pressure and expectations on her will only crush her completely.”

"A racehorse girl who burned herself out for the honor of her family—is this the result the Mejiro family wanted?!"

As he spoke, Jin Lang's tone became increasingly harsh, and he even appeared unusually angry. This startled McQueen and his group outside—it was only the second time they had seen Jin Lang so angry.

The first time was when he saw the trainer Ikezoe, who was feeling lost and dejected. This time, also for the sake of the team, Imanami lost his temper again, and this time the target of his anger was none other than the head of the Mejiro family, McQueen's grandmother.

For a moment, all the women were a little nervous, afraid that Jin Lang's words would offend Madam Meguro. McQueen, the Emperor, and the Golden Ship were all poised to rush in and save people if anything went wrong, but the calmest Rudolph stopped them with a look.

"...That's a bit too harsh, Trainer Jinlang." The old lady of the Meguro family spoke in a calm tone, "McQueen is the pride of our Meguro family, and she is the most likely person to become the head of the Meguro family in the future."

"The Mejiro family has never intended to burn any of its children for the sake of honor. I can guarantee that."

"—But I don't think so." Jin Lang gave a bitter smile, looked at Madam Mubai with a subtle gaze, and said in a low voice:

"Madam Mejiro, if McQueen really loses to Miyu in this Spring Emperor's Prize, can we still sit here and discuss this issue calmly?"

"..."

However, when Nagare asked this question, the old lady Meguro's silence had already clearly answered it.

Outside, the eerie silence inside caused the Emperor, the Golden Ship, and Rudolf to instinctively look at McQueen. However, McQueen remained silent, concealing her expression with her bangs, and no one knew what she was thinking.

But I imagine... she must be feeling terrible inside. Her beloved grandmother actually chose to remain silent on this issue instead of giving an immediate answer. This clearly proves that as the matriarch of the Meguro family, many of her views have quietly changed.

How much more do I have to give before I can stop? How many times do I have to fall before I can gain everyone's approval? How many expectations do I have to meet before I can finally take a breather?

If one day she were to fall from the sky, plummeting to the bottom, would she still receive those honors, praises, and recognition? At that time, would Megumi McQueen still be the Megumi family's proud racehorse girl?

McQueen didn't know that she had fallen too many times in the past, even reaching the lowest point. It was only in the last two years that she completely changed her fate and enjoyed the feeling of flying high. She never thought about what would happen if she fell one day, and who would stand by her side then?

But now, the answer to this question seems to be found: the person who will always protect and support her, no matter what, and who has even prepared for her to fall one day in the future... is right beside her.

The silence seemed to have made Old Madam Meguro realize something. After a long while, she let out a long sigh and said in a low voice:

"So... I've changed? Changed by my family, by these things I used to scorn?"

"Honor, responsibility, interests... can even a horse girl change these things?"

At this point, Madam Meguro gave a rather sad, bitter smile and said to Jinlang, "Trainer Jinlang, you are still able to protect your true self... It's truly enviable."

"But I've already been changed, without even realizing it... Do you think I would have thought this way in the past? Are these things bad?"