Unlike Ikezoe's living hell of a journey, or Imanami's satisfactory experience, the only one who returned to the Student Council's office, inquired about the Uma Musume T.M. Opera O from Symboli Rudolph, and then proceeded to harbor a feeling of unease was Wada.
Wada didn't know how to describe what he was feeling; he only felt his heart beating incredibly fast, his steps lighter than ever before, and he couldn't even hear any sounds from his surroundings.
He only had one goal—the place Symboli Rudolph had indicated T.M. Opera O would most likely be at. He didn't even notice Symboli Rudolph's hesitant look before he rushed out immediately after getting the location.
Wada himself didn't know what his expression looked like on the way. If he had paid attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed many passing Uma Musume startled by Wada's hurried, almost vengeful appearance, quickly moving away and not daring to approach, as if fearing that this man would pull out a knife out of nowhere and stab them.
Behind Wada, Symboli Rudolph and Air Groove, who had been secretly following him from a distance, saw his aggressive aura, and Air Groove furrowed her brows slightly, asking,
"Is it really okay, President? Trainer Wada's appearance... it seems he isn't well."
"He is currently in an extremely urgent state of mind, much like an Uma Musume chasing victory on the racecourse... No, this level of obsession only belongs to those truly wild Uma Musume. The level of heightened emotion that he is displaying is quite rare, especially since Trainer Wada is a human." Symboli Rudolph also nodded solemnly and replied lightly,
"But it's precisely because of this that we must follow and observe, to prevent any unexpected incidents."
"We still don't know what kind of relationship Trainer Wada and T.M. Opera O might have had. I've never heard T.M. Opera O mention it before... I hope things don't get too messy."
"He's almost there. Let's catch up and observe."
Symboli Rudolph and Air Groove followed Wada closely, harboring a slight sense of unease. They weren't worried that Wada would try to do anything to T.M. Opera O, as an Uma Musume's power was far greater than a human's. Even if Wada were to truly have the intention to harm T.M. Opera O, a single kick from her would send him straight to the hospital, or perhaps even to the afterlife.
The main concern was the subsequent impact on Tracen Academy's reputation, which would certainly be negative. So they had to make sure to prevent such things before they happened...
"Ha... ha..."
Reaching T.M. Opera O's location was nothing for an Uma Musume, but for a human with an anxious mind, it was truly exhausting. When Wada arrived at the training ground Symboli Rudolph had indicated, he was panting heavily, but he quickly straightened his back again.
"This is it..." Wada muttered to himself, quickly catching his breath, while his hands instinctively adjusted his clothes and cuffs as he wiped away the sweat from his forehead.
After completing all the necessary preparations, Wada finally calmed himself, took a deep breath, and walked with very solemn steps, pushing the training room doors open.
"Click."
Wada pushed open the door to the training room and entered the seemingly large, well-equipped facility. There weren't many Uma Musume training there. Soon, Wada's gaze fixed on an Uma Musume with short orange-yellow hair and a slightly slender build, who had her back to him.
"...T.M. Opera O?" Wada instinctively muttered after catching sight of the Uma Musume's back, his voice echoing slightly in the enclosed training room.
"Um... T.M. Opera O, I think someone is looking for you over there."
Beside the orange-yellow-haired Uma Musume, a slightly timid voice prompted her to turn around, revealing her finely sculpted, delicate face, and the small, crown-like ornament she wore.
"Someone is looking for me? Hahaha, are they here to admire the heroic figure of me, the strongest, most beautiful Overlord?"
"Tru-truly worthy of T.M. Opera O. You've already gained fans after just winning a Debut Race."
Unlike the slightly timid voice, the Uma Musume called "T.M. Opera O" appeared incredibly confident, almost to the point of seeming overly arrogant. She slowly approached Wada, who was looking at her with increasing surprise.
"Hello, first, do not be stingy with your praise. If you are here to admire this Overlord's figure, please do praise me to your heart's content!"
"T.M. Opera O... this gentleman seems a bit troubled..."
Beside T.M. Opera O, the Uma Musume to whom the timid voice belonged had a body that was unexpectedly quite "large," in both physique and 'assets'. Compared to the modest build of T.M. Opera O, this Uma Musume, though not as confident in personality, had a figure that stood out from the crowd, making it hard for people not to notice.
However, all of Wada's attention was still on T.M. Opera O, and T.M. Opera O, who had initially been in a state of self-admiration, unexpectedly fell silent after meeting Wada's gaze.
This man... he's so strange.
She didn't know his name at all, but she felt as if this wasn't the first time she had met him.
Ah... this throbbing feeling in my heart... what's going on? (T/N: Wada is so cooked...)
T.M. Opera O instinctively placed her hand on her chest. She had suddenly felt a tightening there, a feeling of heartache.
But... she didn't feel sad; instead, she seemed... very happy?
But why was she feeling this way?
"What's going on... am I sick?" T.M. Opera O murmured, touching her forehead, but suddenly she couldn't quite meet Wada's gaze, as if avoiding his gradually gentler gaze that made her somewhat uncomfortable.
"Even if it's me, the Overlord, staring like this is no good at all, and not even 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, subtly wiping away the tears of joy he had shed, and then looked directly at T.M. Opera O again.
Alright, although she was slightly different from what Wada had initially imagined, Wada was certain that the Uma Musume in front of him was T.M. Opera O. It was the peculiar psychological effect of his many years of being with T.M. Opera O, originating from the depths of his heart.
"I..." Wada opened his mouth, looking at T.M. Opera O in front of him, seeming to want to say something. However, those words were stuck in his throat, leaving Wada at a loss for what to say.
There was too much he wanted to tell T.M. Opera O, too many times he had imagined meeting T.M. Opera O and what he wanted to say.
This was the first time I saw you so cheerful. T.M. Opera O, would you have had this personality if you were a girl? I thought you were a gentle Racehorse who never lost his temper...
But it's fine as long as you're doing well in this world.
Do you know? I'm no longer that useless Jockey who only won a GI by riding on your back and doing nothing. I've also won a GI with my own strength.
I felt you pushed me from behind then; you helped me one last time then. Now I can finally face you with dignity.
I once said that if I had a time machine, I would definitely go back to 1999 and win the Japanese Derby and Kikuka Sho with you.
However, unfortunately, there is no time machine in my original world; but I am very lucky that I can see you again in this way.
Though a thousand words were ultimately left unsaid. Wada slightly opened his mouth several times, wanting to say something, but in the end, he couldn't utter it.
Finally, Wada chose to close his mouth again. With a slight swallowing motion, he swallowed all his longing and emotions back into his heart.
"—My name is Wada Ryuji. I am a new Trainer at Tracen Academy, and I am currently looking for an Uma Musume to be my trainee."
Wada showed a relieved smile, suppressing all his emotions, and facing T.M. Opera O in front of him, he spoke softly, saying the words he wished so dearly to say,
"Nice to meet you, T.M. Opera O. No... it should be..."
Long time no see, T.M. Opera O.
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T.M. Opera O the GOAT! One of favourites alongside the likes of Fuji Kiseki. I love my charismatic women.
Also, I will be releasing the final batch of initial chapters later in the day, so stay tuned for that.
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it, and I will fix it as soon as I can.