“Opera O, you don’t have to make yourself that noticeable.
This is the school building, not your personal stage.
If you want to perform, there’s a public theater available whenever you like.” “Ha-ha-ha-ha!
As expected of the Empress!
Such presence!
Such dignity!
Almost enough to rival even my own!” The Uma Musume called T.M.
Opera O showed absolutely no sign of lowering her voice.
With her orange-gold hair, ringing operatic tone, and movements so exaggerated they looked choreographed, she carried herself like the lead actress of a grand stage production.
As if, by simply standing there, the entire hallway had become her spotlight.
Strictly speaking, among Uma Musume, who tended to be blessed with striking looks by default, Opera O was not the kind of beauty who immediately stunned people into silence.
But her aura was another matter entirely.
That blazing confidence.
That soaring voice.
That personality that seemed ready to burst into song or laughter at any moment.
Even the accessories she had so carefully chosen only sharpened the impression.
She looked like a protagonist.
And in a way, she was.
At Tracen Academy, Opera O already had plenty of devoted admirers.
Many students were drawn to her overwhelming confidence and pride.
She had called herself the “Overlord” from the very beginning, and somehow, the title didn’t sound completely ridiculous when she said it.
Of course, someday that nickname would become “The Overlord of the Century’s End.” Right now, however, she had not yet earned the kind of achievements that would make that title unquestionable.
Still, no one could deny her ability.
From what Air Groove knew, Opera O was already frighteningly talented.
The problem was that she still had not found a trainer who clicked with her.
Maybe Opera O’s personality was simply too “socially terrifying.” Not socially anxious.
Socially terrifying.
She could suddenly burst into song in public for no reason.
She had once stood on the school roof and laughed toward the sky for half an hour straight.
She had no issue positioning herself in the most visible spot possible to deliver a spontaneous speech.
And if she met someone who didn’t know her, or worse, had never heard of her, she would immediately begin evangelizing.
In her own words: “To have never witnessed the majesty of the Overlord would make one’s life far too tragic!” Yes.
She was that confident.
Confident enough that it occasionally crossed the line into full-blown narcissism.
That was exactly why Air Groove, along with a good number of other Uma Musume, found Opera O’s personality exhausting.
As for most trainers, even the cheerful ones usually possessed at least some sense of shame.
Opera O did not seem burdened by such a thing.
Which was also why she still had no trainer.
And why Air Groove had absolutely no intention of recommending her to Kitano.
What a joke.
Kitano Ryuichi was already self-deprecating, low on confidence, and faintly gloomy.
That did not mean the solution was to throw a heavyweight champion of overconfidence like Opera O at him.
Put the two of them together, and there was a very real chance Trainer Kitano would lose his mind from secondhand embarrassment alone.
“Opera O…” Air Groove pressed a hand to her temple.
“I’m showing the new trainer around Tracen right now.
Could you step aside for the moment?” “Ha-ha-ha!
So this is a new trainer!
Ah, every excellent trainer is like the morning sun.
And when a new sun rises, surely countless sunflowers will turn toward its light and bloom!
How beautiful!” Opera O placed a hand over her chest, looking utterly intoxicated by her own metaphor as she strode closer.
Kitano, meanwhile, still had not turned around.
Not even once.
Opera O seemed curious about that, but it did nothing to slow her down.
“Ah, new sun!
Why do you hide from the radiance of this Overlord?
Yes, my brilliance may be dazzling, but as another sun, you should join me in illuminating every corner of this world!” She extended a hand with theatrical grace.
“Now, do not be shy.
Let your passion bloom!” By then, Opera O was already quite close to Kitano.
And for some reason, the closer she got, the stronger her urge became.
She wanted him to turn around.
She wanted to see his face.
Opera O hid that impulse well.
She layered on all that grandiose language, moved with careful precision, and made it seem like nothing more than another one of her performances.
All she wanted was to guide the young man into turning around naturally.
Finally, her palm touched Kitano’s shoulder.
But in the next instant, the solid warmth beneath her fingers slipped away.
“—I’m sorry.
This really isn’t a good time.” Kitano’s voice was strained.
“Air Groove-san, thank you for showing me around until now.
But I think I’d like to look around the academy by myself from here.
I’m very sorry.” “Wait, Trainer Kitano?” Air Groove reached out to stop him.
Too late.
Kitano did not even look back.
He bolted down the stairs.
With the leg strength of an Uma Musume, either Air Groove or Opera O could have caught him in seconds.
Neither of them moved.
Air Groove stared after him for a moment, then turned toward Opera O, whose arm was still frozen in midair.
“Well.
There you have it,” Air Groove said dryly.
“You scared him off, Opera O.” “—Ha-ha-ha-ha!
I do not believe that is quite what happened, Empress!” Opera O looked awkward for only the briefest second.
Then she planted her hands on her hips and laughed as confidently as ever.
How much of that confidence was real?
Air Groove had no idea.
But Opera O’s words made her think.
Kitano seemed shy.
Maybe even reluctant to get close to others.
But so far, he had never shown any real dislike toward anyone.
Even toward Symboli Rudolf, who had scolded him, he remained deeply respectful.
Someone like that would not simply snap and run away just because Opera O was a little too intense.
Trainer Kitano was not that rude.
“…Looks like our new trainer has more secrets than expected.” A faint smile touched Air Groove’s lips.
Now she was curious.
The arrival of a single new trainer had already caused strange reactions from several people she knew.
Even Air Groove herself had felt it.
She wanted to know.
Just how many Uma Musume would feel that strange familiarity toward Kitano Ryuichi?
Or perhaps… Did every Uma Musume in Tracen Academy feel the same thing?
Air Groove did not notice.
As she watched Kitano’s retreating back with that faint smile, Opera O’s eyes lost focus for the briefest instant.
Only for a moment.
But in that moment, the expression on Opera O’s face was one she had never worn before.
Shock.
Wariness.
Jealousy.
A swirl of ugly emotions flashed across her features and vanished immediately after.
So quickly that even Opera O herself did not notice.
… Kitano ran.
There was no dignified way to put it.
He ran like a man fleeing for his life.
The reason was simple.
He did not want Opera O to catch up.
Of course, he knew perfectly well that if Opera O truly wanted to chase him, she would close the distance in a few seconds.
A human’s physical ability simply could not compare to an Uma Musume’s.
Thankfully, neither Opera O nor Air Groove came after him.
Only after he had run all the way to the area near the school gates did Kitano finally slow down.
“Hah… hah… hah…” He bent over, dragging air into his lungs.
“I’m sorry, Opera O…” “I’m sorry…” “But I can’t face you like this.
I really can’t…” Unsteady on his feet, Kitano made his way toward a nearby fountain.
Above it stood the statues of the Three Goddesses.
In the world of Uma Musume, they were true deities.
The legendary goddesses said to have created all Uma Musume.
Rumor had it that their statues carried real divine power, and many Uma Musume had gained something from praying before them.
At that moment, however, the only blessing the fountain offered Kitano was cold water.
Enough to wash the sweat from his face.
Enough to make him look slightly less like a defeated soldier.
He splashed water over his face again and again.
The chill helped.
A little.
When Kitano finally lifted his head and saw his reflection trembling in the water, he gave a bitter smile.
“I really am useless…” “I couldn’t face Rudolf.
And I’m even worse with Opera O…” “Some retainer I turned out to be.” Retainer.
Kitano Ryuichi was painfully self-deprecating, yes.
But even he rarely referred to himself as his assigned Uma Musume’s “retainer.” Because that word meant something specific.
It meant he had placed himself completely beneath them.
It meant they had been the ones leading him, supporting him, teaching him.
It meant he had offered almost nothing in return.
Up until now, Kitano Ryuichi had only ever thought of himself that way toward two of his assigned Uma Musume.
The first was his beginning.
The “Emperor,” Symboli Rudolf.
She had taught Kitano everything she knew.
Even now, the few teaching skills he possessed still carried traces of Rudolf’s influence.
The second was T.M.
Opera O.
The “Overlord.” Like Rudolf, Opera O had held nothing back from him.
No.
In a sense, Opera O had gone even further.
She was the only truly all-purpose Uma Musume Kitano had ever trained from beginning to end without finding a single place where he could genuinely help her.
But there was one difference.
Kitano might still have enough courage to meet Rudolf’s eyes.
But when it came to Opera O… He could not even lift his head.
Not because Opera O had treated him badly.
The exact opposite.
Opera O had cared for Kitano so thoroughly it was almost maternal.
If there was any Uma Musume in this world who had made him feel completely at ease, it was undoubtedly her.
And that was precisely why.
Only with Opera O could Kitano not raise his head at all.
Because compared to Rudolf, the feeling that he had betrayed Opera O’s expectations was far, far heavier.