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

On the morning of the second day, after the morning dew had just receded a bit, Kyoto Racecourse was truly packed with people. The Chrysanthemum Viewing Race had been surrounded by a large group of horse racing fans even before the racecourse opened.

Most fans were dressed in formal attire, but a large number of fans were wearing very eye-catching support clothing. Among them, those wearing T-shirts printed with Megumi McQueen and those with Good Opera printed on them were the most enthusiastic. Clearly, the fans already knew who the real contenders were in this competition.

Megumi McQueen, who has been striving for the Emperor's Shot and has already achieved results, and Koukagi, who has already won two of the Triple Crowns and has the potential to become the next Triple Crown racehorse girl, are facing off. The competition between them has made countless spectators, both those present and those not present, eagerly anticipate the moment. At this moment, Kyoto Racecourse is more excited than it has been at many previous Chrysanthemum Shots.

"Welcome, enthusiastic viewers, to Kyoto Racecourse! I'm Misato Akasaka, your commentator for this year's GI Chrysanthemum Sho!"

"And my partner who is in charge of the live commentary is Junko Hosoe, a trainer who retired from Central Teresa Academy!"

"I am Junko Hosoe, nice to meet you." A beautiful woman with long black hair stood beside Junko Hosoe and greeted everyone quietly, "Thank you all so much for coming to the Chrysanthemum Appreciation. I can clearly feel the enthusiasm of the audience."

"After all, this competition is a highly anticipated showdown between a great opera and Mejiro McQueen for the Chrysanthemum Prize! It can be said to be a historic moment!" Akasaka Mitsuko said, unable to hide her excitement.

"Everyone is curious whether the next Triple Crown female horse will be born at Kyoto Racecourse. Will Mejiro McQueen prove the Mejiro family's bloodline is not just a name with the Chrysanthemum Sho, or will Good Opera surpass Mejiro with its ordinary bloodline and become the next Triple Crown female horse?"

"—By the way, the excellent opera trainer, Ryuji Wada, just led his other racehorse girl, the renowned Nyutō, to win the Autumn Emperor's Sho at the nearby Tokyo Racecourse." Junko Hosoe added with a gentle smile.

“I greatly admire trainer Wada. Although he may not be here right now, I have great respect for his ability to train two such excellent female racehorses.”

"Hehe, I think I sensed something off about what you were saying, Miss Hosoe." Akasaka Misako jokingly said to Hosoe Junko, and the audience erupted in excited cheers. Clearly, this topic was also very interesting to them.

Junko Hosoe only realized what was happening after a while, and said with a slight blush:

"It was just the trainer's appreciation back then. After all, I retired early and my previous record wasn't particularly impressive. Therefore, I greatly admired such a capable trainer..."

“Yes, I understand. I’ve seen Trainer Wada’s picture too. He’s quite good-looking, both talented and handsome.” Akasaka Mitsuko gave him a knowing look and immediately changed the subject.

"Alright, enough gossip, now it's time for the popularity announcement!"

"It's finally here, Chrysanthemum Viewing." In the stands, Tojo Hana stood there a little nervously, surrounded by a group of racehorse girls. Many of them were already successful and no longer participated in races, while others were rising stars. Without exception, they were all extremely strong racehorse girls.

Like Rudolf, Narita Shirohito, Kissou, Maruzensky, Amazon, Fujikishi, and so on, it can be said that a large part of the well-known and powerful racehorse girls in Tressen Academy are from Tojo Hana's team.

Many of them had participated in the classic Triple Crown competition. This time, it wasn't her own racehorse that was participating in the competition. As a trainer, Tojo Hana shouldn't be nervous, but at this moment, Tojo Hana couldn't hide her excitement.

"Are you nervous, Ahua?"

At this moment, Okino also arrived beside Tojo Hana at some point. He didn't have as many racehorse girls as Tojo Hana, but they were all familiar faces, such as Special Week, who had competed with Ryutō before, as well as Silent Suzuka, Yamato Akaki, and Vodka. This was all the horses he had.

However, the only member of the current Okino team who has a chance to compete with Good Opera is Special Week, and Special Week still needs to wait for a while to qualify for GI.

As for Silent Suzuka... her area of ​​expertise doesn't completely overlap with good opera, and Okino doesn't intend for Silent Suzuka to try out good opera.

"Relax, this is a chrysanthemum appreciation performance for a good opera, not one of our troupes. You should relax."

"I'm not nervous, Okino, I'm excited."

After taking a deep breath, Tojo Hana managed to control her emotions and said, "I'm excited to have the chance to witness the birth of the next Triple Crown female horse. My only worry is whether the public broadcaster will affect this exciting race."

"Don't worry, trainer, we've done our best."

Beside Tojo Hana, Rudolf said with a smile, "We have all tried our best to make this competition as fair as possible. We do not intend to throw the competition to let the best opera win, but we will also not allow others to interfere with this competition."

"...President, you seem very excited?"

At this moment, Qi Kao also noticed the change in Lu Duo's emotions. The "Emperor" nodded without any attempt to hide it, his eyes burning as he looked towards the arena, saying with a hint of excitement:

“Yes, I’m excited. This competition will completely determine my view of good opera, and it will also determine whether I will perform at this year’s Arima Kinen.”

"You're going to participate in the Arima Memorial Tournament, President?"

"Really?! The Emperor is going to war with Arima Kinen?!"

When Rudolph said this, not only the crowd of female racehorses around him were startled and looked at Rudolph. At this moment, there was no hint of joking on Rudolph's face, he just smiled faintly.

And that smile... made those who knew her feel a little dazed. For a moment, they seemed to see the "Emperor" galloping on the racetrack again, the undefeated triple crown racehorse girl.

She was excited, thrilled that she had finally found a racehorse girl who could truly threaten her position. Her fighting spirit made everyone realize that Rudolph's identity as a racehorse girl had not diminished in the slightest.

"Yes, but all of this will have to wait until after today's match."

Lu Duo also toned down his imposing manner, reverting to his usual amiable demeanor as the student council president, and said with a faint smile:

"If a good opera performance truly impresses me, then I will compete against her at Arima Kinen. But if I simply win and it doesn't exceed my expectations..."

"Then let this era briefly belong to this overlord."

Rudolphine is not someone who can inspire her fighting spirit against any racehorse girl. Only when she feels that a racehorse girl can truly surpass her and reshape a new era will she have the opportunity to ignite her fighting spirit.

At least for now, Rudol has never again set out for Arima Memorial, and even the Emperor of the East Sea has no intention of going to Arima Memorial to fight her—because she can see that the Emperor's potential does not threaten her.

But the situation is different now. During our brief meeting at the hotel last night, Rudolf sensed that good opera is currently in a bottleneck state. Her condition is very unstable. She is distressed and confused. This is the final stage of her "training".

Once this barrier is broken, good opera will undergo a complete transformation, and she will become a true, top-tier racehorse girl.

"Then let me see if you can break through your limits, fine opera."

"This will be your last breakthrough. The opportunity to break free and transform into a butterfly is right in front of you. If you can do it, then come and challenge me."

But has the trainer from Hotan not arrived yet? Rudo looked around. The competition was not far from starting, and according to the Shinkansen schedule, if he hadn't arrived by now, he was probably stuck in traffic.

Now, Rudolf is more worried about... more than just traffic jams.

Chapter 177: Mr. Nase's Rescue

Just twenty minutes earlier, before the official opening of the Chrysanthemum Viewing Festival, Nutao and Wada had already disembarked from the Shinkansen and arrived in Kyoto.

"We've finally arrived in Kyoto. Hopefully we'll make it in time." Wada glanced at the time on his phone, breathed a sigh of relief, and then took Nutao's hand beside him, saying:

"Nu Tao, there are so many people here, we mustn't get separated by the crowd. We need to find a taxi to the racetrack quickly, and if we're lucky, we might even catch a good opera before the race starts."

"Hmm...we won't get separated."

Nutao obediently held Wada's hand. Although she had just won the Autumn Emperor's Prize yesterday, the newspaper hadn't acted quickly enough, and not many people knew about it yet. Otherwise, if a GI racehorse girl came here, it would probably attract a lot of attention and be photographed.

However, this also saved Nu Tao and He Tian a lot of trouble. They didn't have much time to waste on interacting with fans. Their top priority was to get to the racetrack as soon as possible before the opera started.

Just as Hotan and Nutao squeezed out of the crowded station hand in hand, before they could even catch their breath, Hotan noticed that several figures had suddenly surrounded them.

"Good morning, Trainer Wada." One of them stepped forward and said to Wada, "We probably don't need to introduce ourselves. We've been waiting for you here for a long time."

"Is now a good time? Could you talk to us? There's still a little while before the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Competition starts. Perhaps you still have a chance to salvage everything, and to change your relationship with us?"

"...Have the influence of the gangsters already spread so far? I feel that if I don't agree, the next time it won't be you guys, but the gangsters."

Wada immediately recognized who these people were. Nutao, realizing the seriousness of the situation, immediately took a step forward, but was pulled back by Wada.

In situations like Nutao, it's absolutely unacceptable to go up and clash with the people from the Shetai. Otherwise, they might seize on a pretext against you, and if a physical altercation breaks out, things will be even worse. Regardless of the outcome, they will definitely be in the wrong.

Moreover, the other party's current stance is quite obvious. Wada knows that if he doesn't go with them, they probably won't let him leave.

Even so, Wada didn't intend to give up so easily, and made a final attempt, saying:

"Surely the sports betting companies aren't so bad at losing? They're already planning to manipulate the races after just a few races? If that's the case, then wouldn't the sports betting companies want to control all the racehorse girls before they're satisfied?"

"If you have any grudges against me, come at me. Don't lay a hand on Nutao or Haogeju. I can talk to you."

"Trainer?!" Nu Tao was startled upon hearing this and immediately exclaimed, but He Tian quickly covered his mouth.

"I'll talk to you. Let Nutao leave. She's innocent." He Tian insisted on his last bottom line; otherwise, no matter what the people from Shetai wanted to do, they couldn't reach an agreement.

"Just as everyone says, Trainer Wada pays close attention to the condition of his racehorse girls." The person from the broadcasting station smiled slightly and said calmly, "—especially good opera."

"However, it is precisely because of this that we have the need to negotiate. So, this way please, Trainer Wada."

At least a consensus was reached on this goal, which relieved Wada. He immediately turned to the uneasy Nutao beside him and said:

“Nu Tao, go to the racetrack first and tell the others that I’m fine and not to worry them.”

“Trainer…” Nu Tao was still very uneasy, but she was immediately interrupted by He Tian, ​​who said:

“Raging Waves, now only you can find everyone, so you must go—and, whatever you do, don’t tell Good Opera about this, don’t distract her.”

"Also, if you feel things are out of control on the field, the opera singer is in very poor condition, or there is even a risk of injury—don't worry about anything else, even if it's a short-term suspension, stop the competition immediately."

What Wada fears most right now is that the racehorses arranged by the local broadcaster will relentlessly attack Good Opera, putting it in a dangerous situation. He absolutely cannot allow Good Opera to get injured, not even in an important race like the Triple Crown. He will not allow Good Opera to risk injury to fight a race that it is not guaranteed to win.

"Are you ready? Trainer Wada, it's time for us to set off." The person from the station seemed to have been waiting for too long, and he casually reminded him.

At this moment, Hetian did not answer, but silently patted Nutao's cheek. Nutao nodded reluctantly and watched Hetian slowly walk away.

But just then, another voice suddenly burst in, just as Wada was about to reach the person at the altar.

"—I didn't expect that after so long, this trick still works every time. Did you all have the same teacher? There's been no change at all."

"Wada boy, don't be scared by the people from the sports betting company. They might be able to manipulate GI matches like the Takarazuka Memorial, which rely on popularity, but the Classic Triple Crown... that's a tournament that even the central government is watching. No matter how much influence the sports betting company has, they can't directly influence the normal competition. If you get tricked, you'll be getting a free ride from them."

The moment the male voice burst in, Wada shuddered, instantly recognizing the undisguised voice. He looked in a certain direction and blurted out:

"Mr. Nase? You—"

"...I've been exposed. Oh well, I don't plan to keep hiding it any longer."

To Wada's surprise, a man dressed in a black coat slowly walked out, removed his mask and sunglasses, revealing the face that Wada had met once before.

"We meet again, you young man from Wada who is very close to my daughter. It seems that your relationship with the Shetai is not very harmonious."

"Thank you for your help, senior, but this is really important to me!" Upon seeing Mr. Nase appear, Wada knew that a solution had likely been found, and immediately pleaded for help.

"I have to get to the chrysanthemum viewing site right away! This is my last chance in my life!"

“I know.” Mr. Nase nodded upon hearing this, then turned his gaze to the group from the shaman's stage, whose expressions had changed, and said calmly:

"Hurry up and go with your lovely racehorse girl, oh, remember to hurry, we'll miss the taxi, let's use the racehorse girl's method."

"Leave this to me. Once I've sorted things out, I'll come find you at the racetrack."

"Thank you, senior!"

Wada and Nutao immediately bowed to Mr. Naise to express their gratitude, but before Wada could react, Nutao stepped forward, closed his eyes, and blushed as he said to Wada:

"Trainer—I'm sorry! My apologies!"

"Ugh!"

Before Wada could even agree, he felt his body lose its balance. It turned out that he was being carried on Nutao's back with astonishing strength. Without saying a word, Nutao carried Wada's 55 kilograms of weight and ran towards the Kyoto Racecourse.

So that's how "Uma Musume Pretty Derby" works?! Wada finally realized what Mr. Nase meant by what he had just said.

There was no other good solution at the moment. Wada's weight was no problem for Nutao, who was a racehorse girl. If Nutao were a racehorse, it would probably be like Wada riding a racehorse and galloping towards the racetrack, which would sound quite dashing.

Unfortunately, this is a female racehorse, and being carried to the racetrack by a female racehorse... has nothing to do with being dashing and heroic.

After Wada and his group left, Mr. Naze turned to the staff, his expression immediately turning serious, and said calmly:

"You can go back now. I don't blame you. I understand that this is the board's decision. You're just employees, and I can understand that."