"The Uma Musume are now entering the gate one after another. First up is the favorite, Admire Vega. This time, she looks absolutely determined to win this race, full of confidence."
"Next is the second favorite, Narita Road. She has achieved consecutive wins in the Kisaragi Sho and Yayoi Sho so far, and she also looks quite energetic. Without a doubt, they will present a spectacular race for everyone."
Under the commentator's voice, the Satsuki Sho officially began. The Uma Musume, after finishing their warm-ups, entered their gates one by one. As the top favorite in this race, Admire Vega, who had earned the top favorite spot with her excellent performance in the previous Yayoi Sho, although narrowly defeated by Narita Road in the Yayoi Sho, it seemed that due to her fastest final sprint burst on the track, the audience this time still generally considered her the favorite to win the Satsuki Sho.
Narita Road's second-favorite status also represented immense pressure in terms of strength. While her performance might not be considered breathtaking, her consecutive wins in one GIII and one GII race led many to believe she was more capable of clinching the championship—perhaps not as visually appealing as Admire Vega, but winning is king.
As for Wada's Opera O and Doto, although they secured spots in the race, their popularity rankings were certainly not advantageous. Opera O ranked seventh due to her second-place finish in the Mainichi Hai, while Doto barely squeezed in, her popularity ranking hitting rock bottom this time, at fourteenth place.
However, popularity rankings do not truly reflect an Uma Musume's strength; they are merely a predictive method. The Uma Musume are all very clear about this. Even the first and second favorites, Admire Vega and Narita Road, know that their biggest opponent is definitely not some third-favorite Uma Musume, but...
Thinking this, Admire Vega also looked at the approaching Opera O, not bothering to hide her voice, and said word by word, "Let's settle this, Opera O."
"—Hahahahaha! Then, as the Overlord, my answer remains unchanged: I will absolutely not lose!"
However, Opera O merely paused her steps slightly upon hearing this, then waved her hand with an exaggerated laugh. This incredibly confident, almost arrogant, demeanor made Admire Vega grit her teeth slightly.
You're always like this, Opera O, so confident, as if you always have victory in your grasp.
Why are you so confident? You didn't even participate in the Yayoi Sho, and you lost to Doto in the Mainichi Hai. Why can you still maintain such confidence?
What capital supports your confidence? You don't carry a 'mission' like me, and you haven't performed exceptionally well so far. Why do you always think you'll win?
Admire Vega didn't hate Opera O; she was just a little jealous, a little jealous of Opera O being so unburdened, without pressure, always full of confidence in every race, as if she never felt a sense of crisis.
This was completely opposite to her. That's why Admire Vega developed the idea of competing with Opera O. She wanted to see if Opera O, after being defeated by her, could still maintain that confidence.
"Fighting alone... winning alone... this is the path I must walk."
Finally, Admire Vega muttered to herself as she turned and walked towards her gate. On the other side, Narita Road, who was encouraging Doto, looked at her deeply obsessive friend with some unease, feeling that her emotions seemed a bit unstable.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the stands, a completely different scene unfolded... "I see. It seems Doto is indeed a troublesome child, just like my Vega, very difficult to reason with."
Admire Vega's Trainer did not take Wada's cigarette; instead, she bought Wada a can of drink. After several conversations, this seemingly young female Trainer was quickly charmed by the talkative Wada. She then began to share many stories about her time with Admire Vega.
"My Vega is also very difficult to reason with. She always seems to be under a lot of pressure, doesn't like to socialize, doesn't like to talk. Every day, she just trains diligently. When I first found her, she had trained so hard that she injured her own leg."
"Now, a year has passed, and my Vega's relationship with me has only just begun to ease a little. Honestly, when we first started, I really thought she might freeze me to death. She was truly as cold as a block of ice."
"That must have been tough, Senior. You should relax a bit too."
Admire Vega's Trainer also poured out her heart to Wada, her Kouhai-kun. Wada remained very patient throughout, offering comforting words from time to time and being an excellent listener.
Perhaps it was because Wada and this Trainer were of similar age; the other party looked only about five or six years older than Wada. Coupled with Wada's genuinely humble demeanor as a Kouhai-kun, the female Trainer, who had accumulated a lot of stress lately, felt her goodwill towards him increase significantly.
"Yes, I also feel I should find an opportunity to take a vacation, take this child somewhere to travel, and help her relax," the female Trainer said, leaning on the railing, clearly under a lot of stress.
"To be honest, there are some things I can't say directly in front of Vega, but I actually really hope this child can let go of her burdens. She's like a tightly wound spring right now, and I don't know when she might snap."
"I'm very worried that if she really has a chance to challenge for the Triple Crown in the future, she'll wear herself out first, and then it would be a losing battle."
"—What if my Opera O wins?"
At this moment, Wada's sudden remark made the female Trainer unconsciously freeze. She saw Wada with a half-smile on his face, no hostility, but he said with great confidence: "If my Opera O wins, Senior, perhaps you could try to let Admire Vega put down her burdens?"
"Very confident, Kouhai-kun! But my Vega won't lose, you know!" Wada's words also ignited the Trainer's competitive spirit, and she replied with a smile:
"However, if Vega really does lose, it might actually be good for her—of course, the premise is that your Opera O has to beat Vega first."
"Hahahahaha! Why are you two chatting so happily?"
At this moment, behind the two, a male figure walked over. He recognized them at a glance and immediately said, "Oh, isn't that Doto's Trainer? The one who beat Senior Tojo Hana—Wada Ryuji?"
"This is Narita Road's Trainer. He and I have been friends for many years," Admire Vega's Trainer said with a gentle smile. "We both entered Central together, then were assigned to Tracen Academy together. He's been bothering me since elementary school."
"Don't mind this big oaf, just treat him like an idiot."
"Congratulations, when's the wedding?" Wada immediately understood upon hearing this and asked with an ambiguous smile.
As Wada, who got married at 21, knew very well, for a Japanese woman to address him with such an ambiguous tone, it was definitely a done deal.
Sure enough, as soon as Wada spoke, the faces of the two in front of him visibly flushed. Narita Road's Trainer also scratched his head with a silly grin and said:
"Uh... no rush, no rush. At least wait until my Horse Girl wins the Triple Crown first—Ouch! Why did you pinch me? Alright, alright, I won't say anymore! Watch the race, watch the race!"
And this brief "misunderstanding" instantly elevated Narita Road's Trainer's goodwill towards Wada to a peak—when he first arrived and saw his childhood friend chatting happily with a young handsome guy, he was naturally unhappy and had originally planned to put the other party in their place.
However, Wada's assist completely disarmed him, and he no longer felt any caution towards Wada Ryuji as a Kouhai-kun; instead, he intended to look out for him more.
At this moment, everyone's eyes immediately turned to the track. Soon, with the sound of the gates opening, the Uma Musume all burst out from their gates!
"A beautiful start! All the Uma Musume took an excellent first step!"
"Oh! Admire Vega just tried to block Opera O's path, but Opera O bypassed her! The first skirmish happened right at the start; it looks like the competition in this Satsuki Sho is very fierce!"
The commentator's words made Admire Vega's Trainer slightly stunned. She had instructed Admire Vega to focus on Meisho Doto, because according to the Mainichi Hai's predictions, Admire Vega's strong rival this time should have been Meisho Doto. Why was she targeting Opera O?
However, Admire Vega's actions brought a hint of confidence to Wada's eyes. He knew that, barring any surprises, the victory in this Satsuki Sho would belong to Opera O!
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