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

She needs more friends and supporters, not just audiences, but also fellow Uma Musume members who compete and support each other. A lone overlord may be strong and cool, but Wada hopes to see a good opera with a fulfilling life.

Chapter 81: The Unusual Aspects of Good Opera?

"Orihime..."

At that moment, Orihime's trainer gently stroked her head from behind and softly said:

"I'm sorry, Orihime... I made the wrong judgment this time, which prevented you from showing your full potential. Next time, I will lead you to victory."

"Let's go back now. Running so hard just now must have been bad for your health. Let's go back and rest."

Even though she was Orihime's trainer and had been with her for a year, this was the first time she had ever seen Orihime so distraught. She didn't know what to do and could only turn to Wada for help.

After exchanging a glance with Hao Geju, Wada silently pulled Hao Geju forward. He knew that the shock that Hao Geju had caused Orihime was also something Hao Geju should help resolve.

"I admire Orihime. I am the trainer of fine opera and raging waves. You have seen me before."

"..." Ai Mu Orihime seemed somewhat stunned. After a long while, she turned her gaze to the Wada Kazuyoshi Opera beside her. Her emotions seemed to have stabilized, and she said calmly:

"...If you're here to mock me, then I don't care. But next time in the Japanese derby, I'll avenge this humiliation." Aigumi thought the other party was there to mock her. After all, based on her understanding of Good Opera, Good Opera's self-indulgent words were more unsettling than mockery.

"You misunderstood. What I meant was that both Good Opera and I are looking forward to facing you again in the Japanese derby."

However, Wada immediately understood upon hearing this. Ai Mu was a very sensitive and thoughtful racehorse girl—perhaps because of some past experiences. Wada could understand this thought, after all, he had once been a very sensitive person himself.

Because of the gossip around him, he was a novice rider who felt inferior and timid. But even so, he still rode alongside the opera to conquer all sides on the field. Therefore, he could understand the feelings of admiration for Orihime.

At times like these, what Orihime needs is not pity, but recognition.

"Everyone has their own reasons for running. My admiration for Orihime is like my admiration for Good Opera. I sent Good Opera to the competition so that she could win the triple crown."

“I want to train her to be a racehorse girl who surpasses ‘Emperor’. Perhaps she doesn’t look like a racehorse girl who carries such a mission… but I want to tell you that her reasons and beliefs for racing are no less than anyone else’s.”

"Good Opera won this time because it is stronger, but that doesn't mean it will necessarily be the strongest next time."

As he said this, Wada unconsciously glanced at the opera beside him and asked gently, "Is that so, opera?"

"—Hahahaha! Although I, as the Overlord, could never be defeated, Orihime is truly a formidable rival."

Upon hearing this, Good Opera immediately understood Wada's meaning. Maintaining his confidence as always, he laughed loudly and said, "The Overlord acknowledges you as one of my formidable rivals. If my journey to the Triple Crown is most likely to fail because of someone, then you will definitely be one of them!"

"So, you, Narita, and Nutao are the three musketeers who will challenge my throne, the throne of the overlord, right? Hahaha! I'm already getting excited!"

However, Good Opera's rather nonsensical words left Orihime and her trainer speechless. At this moment, Orihime's trainer finally understood why her child and Good Opera didn't get along so well.

This ability to indulge in self-admiration... even if she is indeed on the winning side, it's still quite embarrassing.

"Alright, Good Opera, now it's time to shake hands with your opponent." Wada was also reminding Good Opera not to get too complacent, as he was trying his best to win more goodwill from their opponent.

Wada's words made Good Opera immediately realize what was going on. After a brief exchange of glances with Wada, Good Opera chose to keep quiet this time and extended his hand to the woman who admired Orihime.

After a long while, Ai-Ai-Hime turned her gaze to her trainer. Only after receiving a nod and a smile from her trainer did she hesitantly shake hands with Oiran.

"...I will take the victory back in the next Japanese derby."

"Hahaha! Then let's go! I won't lose!" Good Opera broke down in less than three seconds, laughing confidently, which made Wada, who was standing next to him, slap his head with a face full of black lines.

Fortunately, this time Orihime didn't show any aversion. Instead, she nodded heavily and said calmly, "I will come back to challenge you, definitely."

"Alright, alright, now that everyone's made up, Orihime, let's go home~"

The trainer who admired Orihime gently patted Orihime's shoulders and slowly left the scene with his assigned racehorse girl.

Of course, she didn't forget to turn to look at Ryuji Wada and mouth "thank you" to express her gratitude.

"Haha, that's really impressive. But next time, my kids and I will try our best to win this victory back."

Meanwhile, Narita and her trainer walked past Wada. This cheerful man didn't care about winning or losing. Just like his racehorse girl, he left after declaring that he would fight again next time.

"Trainer..."

At this moment, Nu Tao silently walked up, looking extremely aggrieved. Tears even clung to his cheeks as he anxiously grasped He Tian's sleeve and asked:

"Why, why did I lose... I won the Daily Cup once—why did I lose?"

"...Because, Nutao, you've always been competing with the good operas you 'recognize' in your mind."

Wada gently stroked the hair of his first female racehorse, and then rubbed the ear of the raging waves, saying in a low voice, "It's my fault too. I planned a training program for Good Opera a while ago, and I used the same program on you, but Good Opera's growth rate is faster than we imagined."

“Nutao, next time I will change your tactics and training methods. If you want to defeat Good Opera by simply using the same methods, it will be difficult. But if you start with other focuses, your chances of winning may be greater.”

"—Before the Japanese derby, you've been training under my plan. I'll do my best to help you surpass the level of a good opera."

"Trainer..."

However, He Tian didn't utter a single word of blame, which warmed Nu Tao's heart, who had been prepared to be scolded for her poor performance—even though He Tian had never reprimanded her.

"I understand. I will take the example of a good opera student and train with you, the trainer, every day."

"Yes, that's my good boy." Wada nodded with a smile, vigorously rubbing Nutao's head with his palm, making Nutao laugh softly, as if he found it ticklish.

Meanwhile, the opera singer watched the interaction between the two with gentle eyes, neither showing any jealousy nor trying to curry favor with Hetian—because she knew that her position in Hetian's heart would not change.

She simply wanted to stay by Wada's side, to find out the secrets he had hidden from her, and the many strange things happening to her body...

"Am I seeing things? I have a feeling that when I was sprinting... there was a racehorse girl next to me."

The good opera murmured to itself, its gaze unconsciously drifting towards the racetrack, where the racehorses were already heading to the rest area to prepare for the winner's stage.

Good Opera couldn't find that figure, but she felt that the figure seemed very similar to herself, not only in appearance, but even in the rhythm of the race.

When she sprinted down the straightaway, she was actually running after this figure. She remembered that she overtook this figure, but she had no idea who it was.

Was it her imagination? Or was it something else entirely?

"—Indeed, I'll explore this further once we get back! Now it's time for me, the overlord, to take center stage!"

Good opera didn't pay much attention to this, and now that she has taken the first step in winning the classic triple crown, she should prepare well for her winner's stage.

She'll need to prepare well for the upcoming All-Japan Derby and Chrysanthemum Festival. This victory might just make the "Three Musketeers" even more formidable than before...

Chapter 82: The Second Great Opera?

"So, let's celebrate our team members achieving their first GI, taking a truly impressive first step!"

"Oh!"

Back at Treson Academy, in the private meeting room of the three trainers, Iwanami, Ikezoe, and their racehorse girls were celebrating the return of the victorious team, represented by Wada. So, that evening, they held a small banquet inside, sponsored by Mejiro McQueen, the eldest daughter of the Mejiro family.

"As expected of you, Wada! Although I felt that the Satsuki Prize was a sure thing for you and the Koei Tecmo, my senior Imai and I were still truly amazed after watching the live broadcast!"

"When we saw Ai-Ai-Orihime unleash her power on this straightaway, both I and Senior Jin-Nang were taken aback. We thought you were going to capsize in the first race, but we didn't expect you to win this race!"

"It's all thanks to the great opera; I'm just a trainer." Wada maintained his humble attitude even after returning to the team, but this humility was his true nature, not the eagerness he showed on the competition stage.

Wada knows his own level. The reason he can still teach opera well is because he has almost all his skills come from teaching good operas. He still has the ability to teach this good opera, which is far from reaching its peak.

But in another year, when Good Opera has officially reached its peak, it will be really uncertain who will teach whom between Hotan and Good Opera. By then, Hotan will probably have to turn around and focus solely on teaching Nutao, who will still be on the rise a year later.

"Wada, congratulations. This victory in the Satsuki Prize is not only a great achievement for opera, but also a significant boost to the morale of our team."

Jin Lang then stepped forward and patted Wada on the shoulder, saying, "The next Japanese derby will be a clash between the two of us, Wada, you'd better be prepared."

"Compared to you, senior Jinlang... I suddenly feel so much pressure..."

However, it would have been better if Jinlang hadn't brought it up; the mere mention of it sent chills down Wada's spine. How was he supposed to compete with Jinlang-senpai? Jinlang-senpai had probably seen more horses than he had seen people; he was a veteran among veterans, a retired senior rider from back in the day. When Jinlang won the championship, Wada was still in his mother's womb.

The thought of competing with Mr. Jinlang made Hetian, despite his confidence in his opera skills, start to have second thoughts.

"There's no need to be so nervous, Hotan. Our goals are actually different."

However, Jinlang could see Wada's concerns and said with a faint smile, "You want to win the triple crown for a good opera, while McQueen and I only aim for the Emperor's Award. In addition, McQueen is getting old, and if he doesn't participate in the final competition now, he won't participate next year either."

"So this time in the Japanese derby, your determination is much stronger than mine—of course, McQueen and I won't hold back either, after all, it's a GI race, and nobody wants to hand over the victory so easily."

“That’s right.” At this moment, Megumi McQueen also stepped forward with a smile and said gently to Kokaku and Wada, “Kokaku’s figure galloping on the track is really exciting, but I am also a racehorse girl from the prestigious Megumi family. I will never give up the victory in the races I want to participate in.”

"Although my trainer and I have promised Grandmother that I will compete under the premise of being healthy and free from illness, I will still do my best, but I will not do anything beyond my ability."

"But if Good Opera can't beat me like this—I suggest Good Opera avoid the Chrysanthemum Sprint. After all, the 3000-meter Chrysanthemum Sprint is my forte, Meguro-kei no Umaru-chan."

Mejiro McQueen wasn't lying, nor was he being arrogant; he was simply stating the truth. The Mejiro family's stamina in racehorse girls is renowned throughout the racehorse girl community. As a family aiming for the Emperor's Prize, the Mejiro family is practically born at the top of Japanese racehorse girls in terms of endurance and stamina.

Both Jinlang and Wada were well aware of this, so even though Jinlang told McQueen to play within his limits, he still had the confidence to win the championship. The Japanese derby might not be McQueen's forte, but the Chrysanthemum Sho was the most suitable competition for McQueen.

"Hahaha! Another brave warrior dares to challenge my position as the Overlord? Not bad!"

Good Opera, however, was very confident. She patted Wada on the shoulder, encouraging her trainer to be more confident, and then stepped forward to look directly at McQueen and said:

"As the overlord, I will never lose. With the classic triple crown, both my Ryuji and I are full of confidence!"

"Even if the 'Emperor' is blocking our way, Ryuji and I will join hands to overcome this obstacle!"

However, just as Good Opera was saying this, a voice suddenly echoed in Good Opera's mind, speaking to Good Opera:

"You're really confident. The victory in the Satsuki Sho is nothing out of the ordinary for you, but you'd better watch out for the Japanese Derby and the Chrysanthemum Sho."

"Don't forget, this competition isn't just about admiring Orihime and Naritaji. Ryu and McQueen are both capable of making your victory go down the drain."

"?who?"

However, Good Opera suddenly came to its senses and subconsciously looked around, but found no one who could get close enough to speak to it.

"What's wrong, Kogeki?" Wada noticed the change in Kogeki's mood and immediately asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell? Did you get injured during the Satsuki Sho competition?"

"...No, I'm fine." Good Opera looked around but still couldn't find the source of the sound. She just touched her head and said, "I guess I used up too much energy on the winner's stage today, and the fatigue came on belatedly."

"We shouldn't leave our fatigue for tomorrow! I'm going to rest now—Ryuji, remember to comfort Nutao properly, I'm really looking forward to seeing her at the Japanese Derby and the Chrysanthemum Appreciation~"

Good Opera eventually left the scene absentmindedly, heading towards her dormitory. Along the way, she kept rubbing her head, trying to recall the source of the sound she had just heard…

That voice... it seems somewhat similar to my own? Even I, the opera singer, felt a little strange. Why would another voice of my own suddenly appear in my mind?

But the tone of that voice... it didn't sound like the tone of a good opera at all. Instead, it sounded like a completely reversed version of a good opera, not so confident, not so narcissistic, and so normal that it didn't seem like the consciousness of a good opera at all.

"Because I am another 'you' myself. Beautiful opera."

"!"

At that moment, Good Opera suddenly realized that in front of her, there was a faint, shadowy figure staring at her. Even from just the outline, Good Opera could tell that the figure was herself.

"This is..." Even for a good opera singer like her, this was the first time she had encountered such a situation. She was somewhat surprised, even though she usually seemed to have everything under control. She asked in astonishment:

"You...are me? Why? I don't have a split personality—"