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

He felt he should learn from Chi Tian and be a "wooden person." At least, before Nu Tao finished her competition career, it was best not to let these budding emotions affect her performance.

"Alright, now that the raging waves are ready, how about the opera?" Wada turned his gaze to the opera and said in a gentle tone.

When Wada brought up this point, Good Opera shuddered involuntarily, its tail standing straight up for a moment, but quickly began to wag unnaturally, as Good Opera tried to appear calm.

"—Hahahaha! My most loyal subject, although your advice makes a lot of sense to this overlord, as the overlord, can I obtain some special pardons... I'm sorry."

However, she only got halfway through her operatic remarks when, faced with Wada's rather helpless smile, she finally drooped her ears, apologized somewhat reluctantly, and looked rather aggrieved.

Good Opera really didn't want to apologize to Fumino Nase, even though she herself didn't know where her dislike came from. She just didn't like Fumino Nase. Maybe it was because the other person was a little closer to Wada, or maybe it was because she rarely disliked someone.

However, despite knowing that her actions were wrong, she listened to Wada's words, even though she was unwilling to do so.

"You should apologize properly, Good Opera." Seeing this, Wada didn't make things too difficult for Good Opera. Instead, he pressed the shoulders of his two horse-riding girls and took the initiative to step forward and say to Naze Fumino, who was in a daze at the moment.

“Miss Nase, I’m so sorry. It seems that my two racehorse girls did something very bad to you… As their trainer, I sincerely hope that you will forgive their hurtful reaction and my incompetence in training them.”

"Good Opera and Raging Waves are both good kids. I hope you won't mind their reaction today. Just think of it as... they're a little shy, okay?"

After returning home last night, Wada spent the whole night thinking about it. He kept pondering the relationship between Naze Fumino and the Taketoyo in his memories. In the end, he came to a conclusion—Nase Fumino is definitely not the Taketoyo in his memories.

It's not just because of their gender difference, or their personalities—speaking of personalities, Wada feels that Fumino Nase and Yutaka Takeshi are quite similar, even in their experiences and family backgrounds.

But what truly solidified Wada's decision was Naze Fumino's attitude. It was her constant self-doubt and reflection on her actions during their drinking session.

Throughout, Fumino Naze was constantly examining herself, wondering if she had made some mistake that offended Good Opera and Raging Waves. Unlike Taketoyo in Wada's memory, she didn't subconsciously feel that she was not at fault and that others were.

...Of course, this statement may not be entirely accurate. After all, it's normal for Taketoyo, who rose to fame at a young age, to be arrogant and look down on Wada, who had risen to prominence through horse racing. However, Naze Fumino's reaction convinced Wada that she and Taketoyo were fundamentally different.

Fumino Naze is someone who truly loves Uma Musume, and she is someone who will go to great lengths for her own career and the future of Uma Musume—for this alone, she deserves the respect of Wada, as well as the respect of Good Opera and Nutō.

Although Wada didn't know why Good Opera and Ryutō disliked Naze Fumino, his stance was quite clear now that he was standing here to express his opinion.

He wanted his two racehorse girls to respect Fumino Nase as much as he did, and to truly consider her a part of their team.

This is good for everyone in the team. In a while, it will be the time for the great opera and the epic battle. If internal conflicts break out at this time, it will not benefit anyone. I'm afraid the TV station will be very happy.

At this time, Fumino Naze could easily become a weak point. If the company were to use Fumino Naze to harm Wada and the others, it would be a very bad situation. Therefore, from both an emotional and rational perspective, maintaining a good relationship with Fumino Naze is absolutely the right choice.

Most importantly, Wada had a premonition that if he could get along well with Fumino Naze, the breakthrough in the relationship between their team and the company might just lie with her.

"...This, this is just a small matter. I'm not as sad as you say, nor am I acting as badly as you think."

After a strange silence, Fumino Naze closed her eyes and said calmly, "Don't take what I said when we were drinking seriously. I was just talking nonsense."

"...Drinking? Trainer, you and Trainer Naze...went drinking?"

However, Fumino Naze's seemingly calm words inadvertently revealed an important piece of information: the fact that she hadn't been able to find Wada's Angry Waves and Good Opera all day yesterday immediately turned her inquiring gaze to Wada, making him feel quite pressured.

"Ahem... I'm sorry, I didn't tell you in advance, and I got back too late that day."

Wada awkwardly chuckled and explained, but quickly changed the subject, saying confidently:

"However, we returned safely after drinking yesterday. Trainer Naze was brought back by Super Small Bay. It was too late and everyone was resting, so we didn't tell you."

"Yeah……"

This was a reasonable explanation, and both Good Opera and Raging Waves looked a little better, but there was still a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"Alright, alright—that's the end of it. Good opera, Raging Waves, you two go to training. Nase and I still have some things to discuss regarding your upcoming competitions."

Unable to bear the undisguised scrutinizing gazes of her two racehorse girls any longer, Wada practically pushed them out of the team's house, leaving only Wada and Fumino Nase inside.

But without a great opera and raging waves, the atmosphere between the two seemed even more awkward. In the end, it was Naze Fumino who broke the silence first, taking out the gift she had prepared beforehand as a token of gratitude from her pocket.

"Um, thank you so much for what happened yesterday. You were very considerate, and my embarrassing drunken state didn't get out. I owe you all of this."

"This... is a small gift. If you don't mind, consider it a testament to the improvement in our relationship."

Fumino Nase turned her head slightly away, seemingly a little uncomfortable with her own friendly attitude, but she still forced herself to express her gratitude properly.

But Naze Fumino herself didn't know why. She could face this matter with a very normal attitude, but... only when facing Wada, when she took the initiative to express her goodwill, a strange sense of embarrassment would suddenly surge into her heart, making her feel uncomfortable.

Why do I feel like I'm making up with an old enemy?

Chapter 161: "Good Opera" Exposes

Naze Fumino is certainly not an impolite person. She was born into a family where her father was one of the legendary trainers. This gave Naze Fumino a lot of experience with horse racing and racing from a young age. She also took her father as her goal and wanted to surpass his achievements.

Therefore, she learned a lot about Uma Musume from a young age, and among them, the one thing that Naze Fumino remembers most clearly is that there are no truly unsuccessful Uma Musume in this world, only trainers who don't understand Uma Musume.

Therefore, she was raised to be very good at socializing from a young age. She understood the personalities of all kinds of racehorse girls and knew how to get along with people of different personalities. Although she discarded many of her pretenses after joining Treson Academy, she never lost her politeness.

Respect and courtesy are reciprocal; only when you show equal respect will the other party reciprocate. This applies to both people and racehorses.

But today, it seems that Naze Fumino's long-standing principles have been somewhat broken... She doesn't know why, even though she could openly express her gratitude to Wada, whenever she thinks that, when she faces Wada, she feels a strange embarrassment welling up in her heart, making her want to avoid him.

But in the end, Naze Fumino, forcing herself to remain calm, expressed her gratitude to Wada, awkwardly took out her gift, and turned her head away, saying:

"Please accept it quickly, it's quite embarrassing. Let's get this over with as soon as possible."

"Uh... well."

Is it really that uncomfortable to be with me? Of course, Wada also noticed Naze Fumino's extremely awkward expression. He then took the small gift from Fumino's hand, opened it, and saw a crystal-clear pendant inside the box.

It seems to be something that hangs on a keychain or a phone? This kind of small decoration is actually quite useful for someone like Hetian who doesn't change his phone case much.

"In that case, I'll accept it." Wada casually tied the pendant to his phone, making a small knot. Then, he remembered something and immediately took something out of his pocket.

"Oh right, yesterday... after you got drunk, I called Super Bay, but I forgot to return your phone."

"So it was here after all." Naze Fumino quickly retrieved her phone, then suddenly remembered something and looked at Wada, asking hesitantly:

"Um... yesterday, before you called Super Bay... did you receive any other calls?"

"For example... my father or something..."

Fumino was still somewhat hesitant. She wanted to treat the things that had happened in her mind yesterday as hallucinations, but she couldn't deceive herself, especially since these things were related to her father.

Fumino desperately hoped that Wada would deny her words, but as she watched Wada's increasingly indescribable expression, her lingering hope slowly sank.

"...You've met my father, haven't you?"

"……Yes."

"Then... my father saw me drunk and with you—did he see that too?"

“That’s right…” Wada explained, forcing a smile, “Your father also said that he would call to confirm once you, Miss Nase, are fully awake.”

“Miss Nase… I think it’s better to take the initiative to explain things clearly. After all, everyone has bad days… Don’t you agree?”

“If all else fails, you can blame it on me. With me here to vouch for you, I believe your father will not make things difficult for you.”

Wada knew that parents from families that could produce such excellent trainers as Fumino Naze must have very strict upbringing and would not allow their children to lose their composure in front of others. Although Mr. Naze did not scold Fumino yesterday, it was probably because Wada was there that he did not want to lose his temper.

Therefore, if Wada were still around this time, perhaps he could prevent Mr. Naze from getting angry so easily, and thus explain the matter more amicably—that's what he thought.

"...Thank you, but no need."

After a moment of silence, Naze Fumino quietly turned her head and said calmly:

“This matter has nothing to do with you, Trainer Hotan. I will handle it myself.”

"Thank you for what you did today. Now, please don't bother me."

"……All right."

Since Fumino Naze has said so, it's not easy for Wada to insist. These strong women rarely rely on the strength of others; they have their own pride. If Wada continues to insist, it probably won't be a good thing for Fumino Naze in her current state.

So he chose to obey and quietly leave. After Wada left the house, Naze Fumino silently picked up her phone and opened her call log.

Sure enough, in the communication records, under the name "Super Little Bay," there was the title "Father," which confirmed Hetian's words.

However, to everyone's surprise, Naze Fumino did not panic at all. Instead, she recalled Wada's words from earlier, asking him to take the blame for her.

"...Just how terrible a person does that idiot think my father is?"

"But it's still best to explain it to Father, lest he misunderstand something."

As Naze Fumino said this, she tapped the phone to call her father, but amidst the busy signal, another question suddenly came to mind.

...Could it be that she gave Wada the impression of being someone who didn't seem easy to get along with?

"Hey, Fumino, you finally called back. Are you sober now?"

“I’m fine, Father—and also, what did you and Trainer Wada talk about when I was drunk yesterday? Please answer me truthfully.”

"I hope you haven't gone around telling your neighbors about these things yet, and I would appreciate a positive response from you."

……

Wada was completely unaware of the sudden change that had taken place inside the house. As he walked out of the house with a heavy heart, he keenly noticed a commotion in the bushes beside him.

...At this moment, the glittering pink crown revealed who it was, and Wada found it quite amusing, immediately laughing as well:

"Alright, stop hiding, great opera! Even if you really turned into a tree, I would still recognize you at a glance."

"—Hahahaha! As expected of the most loyal subject of the Overlord, no, it should be said that it is as if I, the Overlord, possess such charm. You hid it so well that you were still seen through."

"Ah, my irresistible charm is truly intoxicating~"

Good Opera then took the opportunity to approach Wada with exaggerated movements, trying its best to cover up its embarrassment with acting skills. Wada, who was obviously used to Good Opera's behavior, did not say much, but simply took Good Opera's hand.

“Good opera. I know you’re worried about trainer Naze, but she’s a good person. We shouldn’t be so wary of her.”

"He's not a good person at all! That guy is the worst, silly child! Haven't you realized it yet?"

At that moment, the other "Good Opera" that emerged from Good Opera's body couldn't wait to speak. However, since she wasn't possessing Good Opera, her voice couldn't reach Wada. Anxious, she immediately spoke to herself:

"My other self, lend me your body again. I want to tell that silly kid Wada that Nase Fumino is definitely not a good person!"

"Wait—don't do anything unnecessary!"

Before Hao Geju's inner exclamation could subside, he felt a momentary lapse in consciousness, and soon, Hao Geju's pink eyes vanished with the next blink, replaced by a pair of eyes that Wada found familiar.

"It's changed again?" Wada was also somewhat surprised. Although he couldn't hear "Good Opera's" voice, he could actually see "Good Opera's" illusory body. He just didn't usually point it out, which was one of the reasons why he was so at ease letting Good Opera train alone.

After all, "good opera" will not harm good opera, and Hotan can be absolutely certain of this.

"My dear subject, you haven't seen the true face of that wicked woman at all; you've been deceived by her detestable appearance." "Good Opera," unaware of Wada's thoughts, tried its best to admonish him in this way:

"You have no idea what kind of heart lies hidden beneath that wretched woman's seemingly beautiful exterior, my dear subject. Don't you think her appearance is—"

"—It's very much like Wu Feng, isn't it? Great opera."

However, the next moment, Wada's words suddenly interrupted "Good Opera's" words. At that moment, "Good Opera's" smile froze, and he turned to look at Wada's smiling face with a surprised look, his eyes flashing with disbelief.