T.M.
Opera O was irritated.
It had started while she and Air Groove were still discussing Kitano Ryuuichi.
Then a commotion reached them from the cafeteria.
Opera O followed Air Groove there, spotted Kitano Ryuuichi, and before delight could even bloom in her chest, she saw Mihono Bourbon and King Halo standing right beside him.
Her irritation rose another notch.
Opera O did not know where this feeling came from.
All she knew was that the moment her eyes landed on Mihono Bourbon and King Halo so close to Kitano Ryuuichi, the unpleasant itch in her chest became impossible to ignore.
And the reason was painfully simple.
Mihono Bourbon and King Halo both had better figures than her.
It was a strange thing to care about.
Opera O had never cared much about appearances before.
Uma Musume were blessed by nature.
Even the least flashy among them possessed their own charm.
“Appearance anxiety” was practically a foreign concept at Tracen Academy.
And Opera O herself was not exactly the sort of Uma Musume people would call traditionally beautiful.
If anything, she was handsome rather than pretty.
She knew that.
She had always known that.
That was precisely why she had polished everything else.
Her presence.
Her grandeur.
Her radiance as the “Overlord of the Century’s End.” That charisma capable of sweeping countless hearts off their feet had not appeared from nowhere.
Opera O had forged it through practice after practice, performance after performance.
Her unrivaled confidence and composure existed so she could stand before anyone without fear.
Besides, Opera O was not the kind of girl who would grow jealous simply because someone else had a prettier face or a better figure.
If she were, how could she possibly remain so close to her dear “follower,” Meisho Doto, whose figure ranked near the very top of Tracen Academy?
No.
That was not it.
And yet, even Opera O herself was startled by how strange her reaction felt.
She could not stand this anxiety.
Every time she saw Bourbon and King Halo gathered around Kitano, some mysterious voice inside her whispered: Go.
Stop this.
And T.M.
Opera O had always lived by the call of her heart.
So this time, too, she obeyed without hesitation.
She did not know why she needed to step forward.
She only knew doing so would make her feel better.
“Since you are not yet a retainer of this somewhat self-deprecating Princess Consort, surely you cannot make decisions on his behalf.
Wouldn’t you agree?” “Princess… Consort…” Every gaze present went dead at once.
Even King Halo almost burst out laughing the moment she saw the look on Kitano’s face.
For one dangerous second, an image flashed through her mind.
T.M.
Opera O in a sharp tuxedo, carrying “Princess Consort” Kitano in a wedding dress.
The destructive power of that title was simply too much.
…Huh?
Why did her head suddenly feel kind of heavy?
King Halo did not understand it.
One moment she had been amused, and the next, her mood had sunk for no reason at all.
Unfortunately for her, no one noticed her tiny internal crisis.
After a brief silence, Mihono Bourbon replied in her usual expressionless tone.
“…Correct.
Mihono Bourbon has not yet confirmed Kitano-san as Mihono Bourbon’s highest authority.” Then she added, just as calmly, “However, Mihono Bourbon is currently transferring command rights to Kitano-san.
Once Kitano-san approves, Mihono Bourbon will move her legs according to Kitano-san’s orders.” “Hahahaha!
What an amusing cyborg retainer you are!
Such loyalty toward the Princess Consort!” Opera O took no offense whatsoever.
She was not the type to blame others in the first place.
Still, while she did not stop Bourbon, she certainly had no intention of approving this either.
Opera O had her own solution.
One she considered excellent.
“However, O loyal cyborg retainer devoted to the beautiful Princess Consort!
At present, you are not yet the knight sworn to serve him.
And a Princess Consort as radiant as this one is destined to draw countless excellent knights to his side!” Opera O raised one hand with a flourish, her voice swelling like the opening aria of an opera.
“If you do not possess the greatest strength, how can you possibly become the Princess Consort’s First Knight?” Kitano Ryuuichi rubbed his forehead.
“I feel like there’s way too much to unpack in that sentence, and I don’t even know where to start.” At this point, Kitano had completely lost the right to steer the conversation.
He had been reduced to the role of straight man.
Worse still, even as the designated straight man, he was beginning to realize something terrifying.
Every girl here was an Uma Musume he had trained in a previous loop.
And yet, their words and thoughts in this timeline were completely beyond him.
King Halo, who was weirdly hostile toward him.
Mihono Bourbon, who was suddenly friendly to a total stranger.
And T.M.
Opera O, who had shoved herself into this for no reason.
Well… actually, Opera O had always been the type to shove herself into things.
Usually, though, those things had something to do with him.
But in this loop, Opera O was not supposed to know him.
So why was she so invested?
“Leaving aside the way you’re referring to me, Opera O…” Kitano said weakly, “I really don’t think I have the kind of charm that would attract a bunch of ‘knights.'” He sighed.
“And even if I did, so what?
By ‘First Knight,’ you mean my first assigned Uma Musume, right?
Is that really something worth fighting over?” Kitano genuinely did not understand.
Despite looping so many times, he had never once tried training multiple Uma Musume at the same time.
The reason was simple.
He could barely handle one.
Trying to train several at once would not be confidence.
It would be delusion.
So, in every loop, once Kitano had an assigned Uma Musume, he never recruited another.
All of his effort went into one girl at a time.
That was why he had never imagined a talentless, charm-free guy like him could attract multiple Uma Musume.
In fact, with several of his past trainees, he had spent ages desperately trying to convince them before finally securing a contract.
Where was this so-called charm supposed to be?
And was the position of “first assigned Uma Musume” really worth competing over?
Kitano did not get it at all.
“Hahahahaha!
There is no need to belittle yourself, beautiful Princess Consort!” Opera O placed a hand over her chest.
“Your face is not the only treasure capable of bringing countless knights to their knees.
Your heart is the true jewel they seek!” As expected of T.M.
Opera O, she could find a way to praise absolutely anyone.
Even Kitano.
Never mind that, in this timeline, she barely knew him.
Or perhaps this was simply how Opera O treated everyone.
Her voice rang out, bright and theatrical.
“And do not underestimate your own charm, Princess Consort!
According to the Empress, you are the youngest new trainer in this grand palace known as Tracen Academy!
Your exam results rank within the top three among Central trainers!
At such a young age, with such achievements, who could deny that you are a genius?” Opera O swept her arm outward.
“A beautiful and wise Princess Consort such as yourself will surely never lack knights willing to devote everything to you!” “I’m telling you… would anyone believe me if I said I’m only decent at theory?” Kitano was speechless.
And as expected, the moment Opera O finished, Mihono Bourbon looked at him with faint surprise in her eyes.
Apparently, his achievements had exceeded her calculations.
Even King Halo stared at him in rare astonishment.
She had assumed he was just an arrogant rookie trainer with a big mouth.
But Opera O’s words forced her to reconsider.
So he really is a trainer worthy of a first-rate Uma Musume?
For some reason, that thought made King Halo feel the tiniest bit proud.
The Uma Musume watching from the sidelines were startled too.
The whispers grew louder, and several girls looked visibly impressed by the picture Opera O had painted of Kitano.
Just like that, even more curious gazes turned toward him.
Cold sweat slid down Kitano’s back.
No, wait.
Don’t believe her!
I’m serious.
Theory is the only thing I’m good at!
If any of you looped through the same exam pool as many times as I did, you’d absolutely score higher than me!
Could he say that out loud?
Of course not.
Kitano had never understood the phrase “suffering in silence” more deeply than he did at that moment.
Unfortunately, Opera O’s praise was not finished.
In fact, she pressed the advantage.
“And as for the position of First Knight, there is no need for further explanation, my dear Princess Consort!” She raised her chin proudly.
“Just as King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table had but one greatest seat of honor, so too must your First Knight be the chief among your knights!
The strongest of them all!
The one who stands closest to you!” Opera O’s eyes gleamed.
“Such an important position cannot be treated lightly!
After all, it decides who shall become your greatest protector!” The instant Opera O finished speaking, the gathered Uma Musume changed.
Their already stirred interest sharpened all at once.
Their eyes gleamed like wolves spotting fresh meat.
And the meat in question was Kitano, currently sweating bullets.
Strongest.
Closest.
Those two words carried overwhelming appeal to any Uma Musume.
Especially the competitive ones.
And the possessive ones.
Mihono Bourbon’s eyes changed.
King Halo’s eyes changed.
Even several spectators, who had only come to enjoy the drama, suddenly realized just how important this “position” sounded.
The girls who had already been restless became visibly fired up.
Seeing that the atmosphere had reached the perfect temperature, Opera O struck while the iron was hot.
“Therefore!” Her voice soared higher.
“The battle for the position of the Princess Consort’s Chief Knight cannot possibly involve only one challenger!
If many knights seek that honor, and only one may stand at the top, then there is only one way to settle it!” Opera O flung her arms wide, as though declaring the climax of a grand stage play.
“Gather all knights who covet the Princess Consort and hold a royal race before his very eyes!” “The true strongest shall become the Princess Consort’s Chief Knight!”