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

...If you have time, go check out Megumi McQueen's training. Hopefully, she'll be determined to lose weight this time. If there's anything he, as her stable boy, can do, he should also help this legendary racehorse girl who's still preparing for her debut race.

Chapter Six: Wada's First Encounter with Fine Opera

Unlike Ikezoe's arduous journey and the satisfying experience of Mr. Imai on the first day, the only one who turned back to the student council and inquired about the horse girl "Good Opera" from Rudolf has been filled with unease ever since.

Wada didn't know how to describe this feeling. He only felt his heart was beating very fast, his steps were lighter than ever before, and he couldn't even hear any of the sounds around him.

He had only one goal: to find out where the good opera Rudolf had indicated to him would probably be. He didn't even notice Rudolf's hesitant expression. Once he got the exact location, he rushed out.

Throughout the journey, Wada himself was unaware of the expression on his face. Whenever he paid attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed that many passing racehorse girls were frightened by Wada's hurried, vengeful appearance and quickly avoided him, not daring to approach him at all, as if they were afraid that this man would pull out a knife from his pocket and stab them.

Behind Hetian, only Rudo and Qi Cao could be seen following closely behind. Seeing Hetian's aggressive demeanor, Qi Cao frowned slightly and asked:

"Are you sure it's okay, Chairman? Trainer Wada looks... really scary."

“It’s an incredibly urgent mentality, like a racehorse chasing victory on the track… No, this level of obsession is like that of a ferocious beast. I’ve rarely seen anything like it, especially since Trainer Wada is just an ordinary person.” Rudol nodded solemnly and replied calmly.

"But that's precisely why we need to follow them and see, just in case something unexpected happens."

“We still don’t know what the relationship is between the trainer from Hotan and Good Opera. I’ve never heard Good Opera mention it before… Let’s hope things don’t get too complicated.”

"We're almost there too, let's follow and take a look."

Rudolf, along with the Qi Gauge, followed closely with a slightly uneasy feeling. They weren't worried that Wada would do anything to Good Opera, since Uma Musume's fighting power was far superior to that of ordinary people. Even if Wada really did something to harm Good Opera, just one kick from Uma Musume would be painful.

The main concern is the subsequent impact; it would be extremely damaging to Treson Academy's reputation, so they need to take precautions.

……

"Ha ha……"

Reaching the location of the good opera was no big deal for Uma Musume, but it was a bit strenuous for an impatient ordinary person. When Wada arrived at the training ground designated by Narudok, he was also panting heavily, but he quickly straightened his back again.

"This is it..." Wada muttered to himself, quickly catching his breath. His hands unconsciously straightened his clothes and cuffs, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

After making all the preparations, Wada calmed himself down, took a deep breath, and walked with very solemn steps to push open the door to the training room.

"Click".

Wada pushed open the door to the training room and entered the rather large and well-equipped training room. There weren't many racehorse girls training here. Soon, Wada's gaze locked onto a racehorse girl with short orange hair and a slightly thin figure who was facing away from him.

"...A fine opera?" Wada murmured unconsciously after catching a glimpse of the racehorse girl's back, the words echoing softly in the closed training room.

"Um... my dear opera student, someone's looking for you over there."

Beside the short, orange-haired racehorse girl, a slightly timid voice prompted her to turn around, revealing her exquisitely sculpted face and the small, decorative crown.

"Someone's looking for me? Hahaha, are they here to admire the heroic figure of this strongest and most beautiful 'Overlord'?"

"Wow, you really are a great opera student. You already have fans after winning just one round of your debut competition."

Unlike the somewhat weak voice, the horse girl called "Good Opera" seemed very confident, even to the point of being overly self-conscious. She slowly approached, meeting Wada's increasingly surprised gaze.

"Hello, first of all, don't be stingy with your praise. If you're just here to admire my domineering figure, please feel free to compliment me!"

"Good opera student...this gentleman seems to be having some trouble..."

Unlike the delicate voice of the opera singer, the horse girl was surprisingly "impressive"—not in physique, but in figure. Compared to the somewhat slender opera singer, this horse girl, though lacking in confidence, possessed a figure that was undeniably striking, captivating all who looked at her.

However, Wada's attention was entirely focused on the opera, and the opera, which had initially been in a state of self-admiration, unexpectedly fell silent after meeting Wada's gaze.

This man... is so strange.

Even though she didn't know his name at all, it felt like she had seen him before.

Sigh... what's causing this fluttering feeling?

Good Opera subconsciously touched her chest; she had just felt a sudden tightness in her chest, a feeling of heartache.

But...she didn't seem sad; on the contrary, she seemed...very happy?

Why do I feel heartbroken?

"What's wrong... Am I sick?" Good Opera murmured to herself, touching her forehead. Suddenly, she was afraid to look Wada in the eye, as if avoiding his gradually softening gaze that made her feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Even for someone as powerful as me, it's not good to stare like that without saying a word..."

"—I'm sorry, I was just thinking about some things." Wada quickly recovered from his initial silence. Overjoyed, he touched his cheeks with both hands, wiping away the tears from his eyes without leaving a trace, before facing the wonderful opera in front of him again.

Well, although it was slightly different from what Wada had initially imagined, Wada was certain that the horse racer in front of him was Good Opera. This was a strange psychological effect caused by his deep-seated bond with Good Opera over the years.

"I..." Wada opened his mouth, looking at the wonderful opera in front of him as if he wanted to say something, but the words that followed were stuck in his throat, leaving Wada at a loss for words.

He had so much to tell good opera, imagined meeting good opera so many times, and had so much to say.

This is the first time I've seen you so cheerful. What a wonderful opera! Would you be like this if you were a girl? I thought you were a gentle, good horse that never lost your temper.

But seeing you doing so well in this world makes me feel better.

Did you know? I'm no longer that loser who could get GI just by riding on your back and doing nothing. I won GI with my own strength.

I felt like you gave me a push from behind back then, and you still helped me in the end. Now I can finally see you with my head held high.

I once said that if I had a time machine, I would definitely go back to 1999 and win the Japanese Derby and the Chrysanthemum Prize with you.

Unfortunately, there is no time machine in this world; but I am lucky that I can see you again in this way.

However, despite her many words, she couldn't find the words to say. She opened her mouth several times as if to say something, but in the end, she couldn't utter a word.

Finally, all that could be heard was Wada closing his mouth again, swallowing slightly as he swallowed all his longing and emotions back into his stomach.

"—My name is Ryuji Wada, and I am a new trainer at Treson Academy. I am currently looking for a racehorse girl who is suitable for me."

Wada smiled with relief, suppressing all his emotions, and facing the magnificent opera before him, spoke softly and without lingering emotion:

"No...it should be...Nice to meet you, wonderful opera."

Long time no see, great opera.

Chapter Seven: The Hotan Opera Competition Begins!

"Oh? A new trainer, huh? Hahaha, looks like a new challenger is about to emerge on the stage of the Overlord!"

Good Opera, too, engages in dialogue with Wada in a somewhat flamboyant performance style, while the rather timid horse girl beside her, with her ears almost always drooping, whispers to Wada:

"What my good opera friend means is... she's really looking forward to competing on the same stage with the racehorse girl you trained... something like that."

"Um, I'm sorry, this is just how my good opera friend talks, it's a little hard to understand."

"It's alright, I understand." Wada spoke gently to the slightly frail but well-built racehorse girl, though he didn't know her name and didn't care.

His primary goal this time was simply to produce a good opera. Everything else could be temporarily put aside.

"I am still looking for my own racehorse girl. Although I may still be a bit immature, I believe that my level is among the best of the trainers and I will not hold any racehorse girl back."

Having said that, Wada mustered up his courage and extended an invitation to the great opera before him, to his best partner, the strongest overlord who had once guided him through his growth.

"My dear opera student, would you be my designated horse maiden? I have enough confidence and ability to mold you into a legend that rivals—no, surpasses even the Emperor!"

"Surpass, surpass the emperor?"

However, Wada's bold words not only startled the timid racehorse girl beside him, but even a slightly self-conscious person like Good Opera was slightly taken aback. Looking at the young trainer who had only met him for less than ten minutes, and hearing his confident and expectant eyes, he felt a slight pain in his chest.

How strange... this feeling... why do I have this feeling?

Why did she feel so uncomfortable hearing the slightly arrogant words of a seemingly confident young trainer?

Moreover, my first reaction wasn't to question him, but rather to think that he might actually be able to do it.

"—Air tank, did you hear that? What Trainer Wada just said."

Outside the training room, Rudolf Symbol and QiCao, their ears practically pressed against the door, ignored the surprised looks from the passing racehorse girls. Rudolf Symbol, however, looked at QiCao with interest and said:

“It seems that our assessment of Trainer Wada was too one-sided. We thought he was a conservative trainer, but now it seems that he is even more radical than Trainer Ikezoe.”

“…I think he’s a bit arrogant.” Qi Cao’s opinion differed somewhat from Rudo’s, especially since He Tian had just seen a good opera and made a bold statement about “surpassing the emperor,” which made Qi Cao slightly less impressed with his previous comments.

It's good for a trainer to have goals, and even better if they have ambitious and clear goals. However, to confidently say such things on the first meeting is a bit too arrogant and irrational.

“I think he’s not arrogant, but more confident.” Rudolf, however, smiled slightly and continued to listen intently to the door.

"What I'm more curious about now is the source of Trainer Wada's confidence. Is it his own ability? Is he the type who's better at actual combat? Or is it..."

Or perhaps he discovered some potential from good opera? Rudolf symbolically didn't say this aloud, because even she, the "Emperor," couldn't see all the potential in the racehorses.

Each racehorse girl has different potential. Some mature early, some late, some are good at short distances, and some are good at long distances. Even the "Emperor" cannot see these things at a glance. It takes countless trainers and racehorses to explore and study countless times to finally know what kind of approach suits them and what their potential is within.

At least for now, Rudolf's symbolism doesn't show much potential in the opera that just ended its debut performance, but perhaps... this young trainer can see it?

"—You two, have you been listening long enough? Now it's time to let me in."

At that moment, a slightly cold female voice suddenly interrupted the eavesdropping of Qi Cao and Lu Duo. The two legendary racehorse girls turned their heads at the same time and were met with a tall, bespectacled, and slightly mean-looking strong woman.

"Trainer..." X2

"Alright, since you have no objections, it's my turn to speak now." The strong woman didn't care about Lu Duo's slightly apologetic expression and Qi Cao's expression, and stepped forward to push open the door to the training room.

“Trainer Wada, although according to the tradition of Treson Academy, as a senior trainer I should not compete with a newcomer for the role of racehorse girl, now I must step forward.”

"Good Opera is the star of my team. If you insist on taking Good Opera away from my team, you'll have to have the eloquence or ability to convince me."

The strong woman walked straight up to Wada, who had turned around, as she entered the training room. Her eyes were practically glaring at him as she spoke, word by word.

However, before Wada could speak, the opera singer beside her immediately reacted, bursting into laughter as he stood in front of Wada and said to the aggressive, powerful woman:

"Haha, trainer, please don't be so aggressive. A newborn hero has extended an invitation to me, the overlord. Don't ruin such a beautiful scene, lest you tarnish your beautiful face~"

“What a wonderful opera… You stay here for now, I need to speak with this Mr. Wada.”

Faced with such a wonderful opera, even this strong woman couldn't get angry. She gently told the opera not to get involved in the matter.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Tojo Hana, and I am the trainer for 'Rigil' (South Gate II), the strongest team at Treson Academy." Tojo Hana was almost as tall as Wada, and her aggressive demeanor demonstrated the pride in this woman and the extraordinary strength that matched it.

"I know you, Ryuji Wada. You're one of the three new trainers who joined Treson Academy this time, and you ranked third in the written test, right?"

"...Nice to meet you, Tojo-senpai. Please take care of me."

Wada glanced at Hao Geju, who was standing to the side, and saw Hao Geju smiling at him with an apologetic expression, which was rare for him. He then realized that Hao Geju had not yet told Wada that he already had a trainer.

However, this made no difference to Wada, as he had long been mentally prepared for this. Moreover, he was determined to snatch the fine opera from someone else, even if it meant forcing it.

Moreover, so far, although Ms. Tojo Hana seems aggressive, she hasn't escalated the issue to the level of "robbery".

"Since this is our first meeting, as a senior, I should personally offer to welcome the newcomer. However, I cannot pretend I didn't hear your grand ambitions just now."