11: Chapter Eight: The Overlord of the Century’s End, T.M.
Opera O (1/2) 11: Chapter Eight: The Overlord of the Century’s End, T.M.
Opera O (1/2) King Halo’s expression was, by every possible definition, the face of someone who was furious.
And the instant Kitano noticed it, the man who had just been making a roundabout jab at himself realized something.
The “tree” he had been pointing at had suddenly come to life.
Even though the person he had actually meant to scold was himself.
“Air Groove-san,” Kitano said stiffly, “why don’t we go take a look at the Senior Division?
I think I’ve gotten a pretty good grasp of the Junior Division already.” “…Very well.” Air Groove had seen it too.
Their conversation had probably reached King Halo’s ears, and now the proud young lady was offended.
Looking at Kitano’s painfully awkward expression, Air Groove considered stepping in to explain.
Then she decided against it.
Maybe it would be better if that young lady came to him on her own.
Air Groove had to admit, King Halo and Kitano did not exactly seem compatible at first glance.
One was proud, driven, and convinced she was destined to be first-rate.
The other was a new trainer so gloomy he looked like he had lost a race before even entering the gate.
And yet…
Somehow, Air Groove had a feeling that King Halo might be exactly the kind of girl who could drag a little motivation out of this defeated-looking trainer.
She might even work as his first trainee.
The more Air Groove thought about it, the more the idea began to sound plausible.
King Halo was someone she personally held in high regard.
She had both talent and work ethic.
The only issue was that the direction of her effort needed adjusting.
In that sense, perhaps Trainer Kitano could make up for what King Halo lacked.
And King Halo, in turn, might make up for what he had lost.
So Air Groove chose not to interfere.
If anything, she was curious now.
Could two people who seemed like complete opposites actually become complementary in the end?
At the very least, Kitano’s first trainee candidate was starting to take shape.
“The Senior Division is upstairs,” Air Groove said.
“This way, Trainer Kitano.” She led Kitano toward the upper floors.
A little while after the two left, the blue-haired Uma Musume who had been sleeping facedown beside King Halo finally turned her head.
“Don’t get too mad, King-san,” she said lazily.
“Honestly, Sei-chan thinks that trainer was kinda right.
If you trained the areas you’re already good at, I bet you’d become stronger than everyone else.” “What kind of first-rate Uma Musume only excels at what she’s already good at?” King Halo tossed her hair with a sharp, elegant flick.
“A true first-rate Uma Musume should master everything.
Sprints, miles, medium distances, long distances.
All of it.
That is what being first-rate means.” She lifted her chin.
“That gloomy man doesn’t understand a thing.
Just wait.
I’ll show him what a real first-rate Uma Musume looks like.” “Waaah…
King-san, you’re so cool.” “Seiun Sky.
Please stand up and answer this question.” The teacher at the podium had apparently reached the limit of her patience and issued her first warning.
As for why Seiun Sky was the one being called out?
Well, she slept in class every day.
King Halo, on the other hand, worked hard and studied seriously.
The teachers all knew that.
So if the two of them were slacking off together, naturally, the first assumption was that Seiun Sky had dragged King Halo down with her.
King Halo watched her friend rise with a pitiful groan.
Seiun Sky fumbled for words, then desperately gestured at King Halo, silently begging her for the answer.
But King Halo had no attention to spare for her.
That man…
why does he feel familiar?
She did not understand where the feeling came from.
The moment she heard the man named Kitano speak and looked over at him, her brows had knitted almost on instinct.
For some reason, the first time King Halo saw him, she felt angry.
And after the anger came something else.
A sudden, sharp sadness rose in her chest, enough to nearly push tears into her eyes.
Luckily, she held them back.
Crying in the middle of class would have been far too humiliating.
But now, after being provoked by Kitano’s words, King Halo had no urge to cry at all.
Instead, his comments had lit a fierce, stubborn fire inside her.
Just you wait.
When the time comes, I’ll show you exactly what it means to be a first-rate Uma Musume recognized by everyone.
I won’t be some Uma Musume who’s only good at one thing.
I’ll prove it to them.
I absolutely will.
King Halo repeated those words in her heart.
What she did not realize was where that sudden competitive streak had come from.
Nor did she understand why the idea of being looked down on made her so furious.
After all, King Halo had yet to debut.
With her talent and bloodline, she had already become the subject of admiration and expectation throughout Tracen Academy before ever setting foot on a proper stage.
Being mocked?
Being underestimated?
Those things had never once been part of King Halo’s life.
So why did simply thinking about them make her so angry?
Even if King Halo noticed the contradiction, she probably would not have been able to explain it.
But in that moment, she had already fixed her sights on one race.
The Japanese Derby.
The race every Classic year Uma Musume in Japan dreamed of chasing.
King Halo decided that the Japanese Derby would be her goal.
There, she would prove that she was first-rate.
That she was an all-arounder.
That everyone had no choice but to look at her differently.
And…
She would prove it to her mother too.
Her mother was wrong.
King Halo was already an Uma Musume who could stand proudly on her own.