Uma Musume: Why Do We, Horse Trainers, Still Have To Train Uma Musume? Chapter 99 99: Doto Also Feels

"This question... Wada, I actually want to ask you a question in return."

"For you right now, who is more important: , or isho Doto?"

At this mont, T.M. Opera O showed a subtle expression, a half-smile, as if she was angry, but also as if she was simply asking out of curiosity. It was the first ti Wada had seen an expression other than chuunibyou, shyness, or confidence on T.M. Opera O's face, but as soon as he rembered that it was "T.M. Opera O" in front of him, he imdiately cald down.

Wada was not the kind of person who would be tripped up by simple rhetoric such as this. He knew very well what to say to whom; it was just that in front of T.M. Opera O and isho Doto, he didn't need to disguise his true feelings so much. But this didn't an he would willingly jump into a pit just because T.M. Opera O dug it. Although he admitted he couldn't help T.M. Opera O much with training, when it ca to dealing with people, he had to teach T.M. Opera O a good lesson, to let her know why he was the Trainer.

"Well... to say I'm completely fair and unbiased would be a lie on my part. I've known that from the start."

Wada also took this opportunity to speak so of his heartfelt thoughts. "T.M. Opera O" being beside him allowed him to speak these unspoken words without restraint—of course, these words couldn't actually be said to isho Doto. Wada was afraid isho Doto would actually bawl until she was sick if she heard them.

"isho Doto is my first Uma Musu. I can't give her up, but I also can't stop her from pursuing the path she has chosen. However, I also don't want your Triple Crown path to be ended as a result, T.M. Opera O."

"Opera, do you know why I chose Doto to be my Uma Musu back then?"

"...Wasn't it because isho Doto was the only Uma Musu willing to help you at the ti?" T.M. Opera O's tone, upon hearing this, carried a hint of jealousy, and she couldn't help but comnt: "If you ask , if soone told to 'win for the sake of another girl,' I wouldn't have trained under such a Trainer. Only a dumb, naive girl like isho Doto would ever accept that."

"...That's only part of the reason." Wada was uncharacteristically at a loss for words for a mont. T.M. Opera O's sharp retort made Wada a bit embarrassed.

However, on second thought, it was true. If it weren't for isho Doto, Wada wouldn't even have had the chance to recruit T.M. Opera O into his team. And besides isho Doto, which Uma Musu would Wada have found to challenge T.M. Opera O at that ti? Narita Top Road? Admire Vega? Agnes Digital?

Wada wasn't quite sure, but considering that at the ti, Admire Vega and Narita Top Road both had Trainers, he really didn't feel right about poaching other people's Uma Musu. And even if he could poach one of them, they probably wouldn't be as united with him as isho Doto, nor as obedient to his arrangents.

As for Agnes Digital... Wada hadn't had much contact with her, and Agnes Digital's running style was different from isho Doto's and T.M. Opera O's. Wada wasn't absolutely confident that he could train Agnes Digital to the sa strong level as isho Doto. After all, isho Doto was the only one who Wada could apply the training template for T.M. Opera O exactly as it was without any incompatibility, and who was also obedient and willing to strive for the goals Wada set.

It could be said that in his situation, unless a Tokai Teio-level Uma Musu was thrown in front of Wada on the spot, almost none of the other Uma Musu besides isho Doto could be up for the task of defeating T.M. Opera O.

"It's true that only isho Doto helped at the ti, but there's another part of the reason why I felt isho Doto was my best choice, and I think it was the most important point for to be able to defeat you back then."

"isho Doto... she's very much like the old ."

It was the first ti Wada had said these words in front of T.M. Opera O. This conversation made him feel much lighter, because by "T.M. Opera O's" side, he could speak his mind freely, expressing these unspoken thoughts to two people at once.

"When I t isho Doto for the first ti, she was exactly like when I first entered the JRA: unconfident, timid, and constantly worried about getting into trouble. Her shy deanor deeply resonates with , even now. When she steps onto the track and achieves victory, she doesn't even feel like she deserves the credit. She cares imnsely for those who are good to her, as if they are her sole reliance on the track—perhaps that's how isho Doto feels about ."

"...Isn't that pretty good then?"

However, the more T.M. Opera O listened, the more she felt an unpleasant taste rise up from the back of her mouth, and she silently turned her head away. Even the real T.M. Opera O had completely fallen silent.

Clearly, Wada's words had struck them both to so extent. "T.M. Opera O" believed that she would be the one Wada valued most, and now hearing Wada praise her competitor... Although she didn't dislike isho Doto, and even admired her sowhat, hearing it from Wada's mouth just didn't feel right.

As for T.M. Opera O, she was even more different. She really liked isho Doto, because Doto was the one who had always been with her from the very beginning. Even when she had to run her Debut Races three tis, isho Doto stayed on her side, never abandoning her. Could T.M. Opera O hate isho Doto? Of course not. T.M. Opera O always called isho Doto her "most beloved retainer," and this was not just an idle remark. At least Admire Vega and Narita Top Road, her competitors from the sa year, were still only at the level of rivals in T.M. Opera O's eyes. Only isho Doto could be considered a true friend to her.

But even so, as T.M. Opera O listened as an observer to Wada, who hadn't realized (A/N: though she had long since realized) what he was saying, her chest felt heavy, and she didn't know what she was thinking... Yet, at this mont, the expression of T.M. Opera O, whose mood was so low that her horse ears drooped slightly, all entered Wada's eyes. Seeing this, Wada smiled faintly.

T.M. Opera O is really easy to understand... no matter what form she takes, it's the sa.

"But you are still the one I trust most, T.M. Opera O. That will never change."

Wada reached out and stroked T.M. Opera O's head, using a technique of bitterness followed by sweetness that greatly soothed T.M. Opera O's emotions. Under Wada's gaze, T.M. Opera O's ears, which had been drooped listlessly, visibly perked up and beca lively again. Her tail began to wag slowly, indicating her good mood at this mont.

"So I don't know what to do now, T.M. Opera O. I want to pursue higher goals with you, to break the Emperor's legacy of the 'Seven Crowns.' But I also don't want to let isho Doto fall into obscurity. isho Doto is a good girl; she deserves more opportunities to shine, and not just be a background character, a stepping stone for the Overlord—T.M. Opera O, do you understand now?"

After Wada had helped T.M. Opera O sort out her feelings and soothed her emotions, he explained his purpose again. He knew very well that if you want to ask soone for help, you must first make them feel comfortable rather than approaching them as if they owe you sothing from the start—if he had acted like that, even if he gets help this ti, he probably won't get it next ti.

Wada understood this principle very well; even T.M. Opera O, after becoming an Uma Musu, was no exception. Especially since Wada held a unique significance for T.M. Opera O, his praise and comfort could better calm T.M. Opera O's emotions.

"...So, what do you want to do?" At this mont, T.M. Opera O also seed to have been appeased. Although she still looked a bit unhappy, she was willing to compromise.

"After the Japanese Derby, I want to try to persuade isho Doto to make her races not have any overlap with yours as much as possible. I hope that you can help make isho Doto accept this better."

Wada smiled slightly and imdiately continued, "isho Doto will have the chance to surpass you in the future, but only in the future. I need your help to allow Doto to pass through her Classic year steadily, towards the future where it will be her ti to shine. At that ti, what will erge will be a isho Doto who can rival T.M. Opera O, not just a re stepping stone for the Overlord. T.M. Opera O, will you help ?"

"...I will not refuse you, Wada, no matter what your request is."

After a long pause, T.M. Opera O finally revealed her long-awaited smile, looking directly into Wada's eyes and saying word for word: "Whatever you want to do, I will support you wholeheartedly."

"...Thank you, T.M. Opera O. too."

They both smiled faintly as they looked at each other. Neither of them needed to say much; since they had decided what to do next, the rest was simply a matter of mutual understanding. Fortunately, they never lacked understanding between them. Even with a glance, even with a small change in expression, they could understand each other perfectly—even though it was the first ti T.M. Opera O had interacted with Wada so directly, and it was also Wada's first ti.

For a mont, even T.M. Opera O, as an observer, couldn't help but feel relieved. For so reason, even though her body wasn't controlled by her, what "she" was doing at this mont seed exactly the sa as everything else. At this mont, T.M. Opera O completely relaxed. She couldn't even distinguish the difference between herself and her other self anymore. Perhaps... there really was no fundantal difference between the two of them.

And at the mont as this pair of partners leaned on each other, nearby, the figure of an Uma Musu was quietly hiding in a corner, watching everything... She didn't attract their attention, or perhaps the two were subconsciously oblivious to everything, but she was indeed there.

"Trainer... T.M. Opera O..."

isho Doto murmured softly, but she didn't step forward. She was worried that her appearance would disrupt this beautiful scene—even if this beautiful scene didn't seem to have much to do with her. However, she still heard Wada and T.M. Opera O's conversation, their concern for her, and many other things.

And at this mont, when she was about to participate in the Japanese Derby, she also recognized a very important fact... the massive gap between her and T.M. Opera O. So, in the end, what path should she choose?

But clearly, she had already made her decision. A decision she wouldn't regret. And this decision would be realized on the Japanese Derby, with her own two feet.

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Holy, long ass chapter.

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If you spot any errors, feel free to comnt about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.