"Ugh… my head hurts… my stomach too…"
It wasn't until the next morning that Fumino Nase, after a rare good night's sleep following her hangover, woke up way past the early hours.
When she opened her eyes, bright sunlight had already seeped into the room through the partially drawn curtains on the windowsill, making her cheeks feel slightly warm.
Fumino Nase struggled to sit up. The surroundings were somewhat unfamiliar to her, but she quickly realized that she was in Tracen Academy's dormitory building.
Having worked here for quite some time, Fumino Nase still recognized the layout of the room.
But the question was… who brought her here?
At the thought of this, Fumino Nase's expression immediately tensed.
She instinctively inspected her body, but upon finding that she was still wearing the clothes she wore yesterday, she quickly relaxed.
"No… now isn't the time to relax. I remember getting drunk drinking with Wada… Could he have brought me back?"
This possibility wasn't low. Thus, Fumino Nase quickly shifted through her pockets for her phone. She wanted to call Wada and ask if he had brought her back yesterday…
'Huh? Where's my phone?' However, despite double, triple checking all of her pockets, she couldn't find her phone.
As she began to wonder if she had lost her phone, memories from last night suddenly surfaced in her mind.
"I remember… I think I answered a call… Did Wada answer it for me? So did I leave my phone with him?"
"Who called… I remember… I remember it was… dad…?"
As Fumino Nase's mind finally woke up, her body instinctively trembled.
She gradually began remembering some things during her drunken state, such as… the fact that she seemed to have had a call with her father.
Although Fumino Nase's consciousness was a bit blurry due to being drunk, she could still recall some things.
But at this moment, Fumino Nase deliberately cut off her own train of thought, avoiding reality as she covered her head, saying with a forced laugh:
"Nah... no way that's possible… Father isn't the type to proactively call me."
"Plus, we haven't been in touch for almost an entire year now, why would he call me out of the blue like this? Especially that late."
"I must've just remembered wrongly, yes, remembered wrongly..."
Fumino Nase repeated that sentence like a mantra, closing herself off from the truth while taking advantage of the fact that her phone wasn't on her person right now, waving the thought off with a forced laugh.
Just then, a sound from the door made her alert again. She instinctively grabbed the blanket and covered her body.
Fortunately, her worries were unnecessary. The person entering was Super Creek.
"Ah, Trainer, you're awake."
Super Creek held a bag in her hand, approaching Fumino Nase with her familiar, motherly smile, and said to her:
"You were drunk yesterday and ate a lot. Although you didn't vomit, you must feel very uncomfortable, right?"
"I specially borrowed the school cafeteria and made you some warm porridge and stew. You should feel much better after eating some."
"Super Creek… did you carry me back yesterday?"
"Yup, Trainer Wada called me using your phone and asked me to bring you back to the dorm."
And at the mention of Wada, Super Creek's face showed a knowing smile, and she said to Fumino Nase very thoughtfully:
"Trainer Wada is a good person, you know? The reason he called me to bring you back was because he was worried that others might misunderstand if he brought you back."
"Is that so…"
After hearing Super Creek's words, Fumino's worries relaxed a lot. She was very grateful for how Wada handled the matter.
'So he didn't take advantage of the situation... it seems like fiction is just fiction in the end; there's no way something like those novels would actually happen in real life.'
Fumino couldn't help but find her own suspicion a bit amusing. Although she hadn't known Wada for long, she knew that Wada wasn't the kind of person to take advantage of others.
And Super Creek being here also solved another mystery for her.
'So the person who called yesterday was Super Creek… That means the part about Father must have just been a nightmare?'
At this thought, Fumino Nase relaxed a lot. Her appetite also opened up.
She picked up the porridge brought by Super Creek and began to eat, alternating between porridge and stew, slowly recovering from her hangover.
"Speaking of which… I probably should thank Trainer Wada for yesterday. Should I buy him a small gift as thanks?"
Fumino Nase, who had received a strict upbringing since childhood, thought of this at this moment while drinking porridge.
She, of course, knew that if Wada was the one who brought her back and they were seen by others, she would gain even more attention at Tracen Academy today, and that attention was not the good kind.
Especially since she had always deliberately maintained an indifferent attitude towards the opposite sex.
It wasn't that she did so out of malice, but it's just that when you're popular enough, the public would assign you a persona like "ice queen" or "class clown."
And Fumino had indeed been maintaining her image.
She felt that her image as a cold and strict Trainer helped her to quickly establish authority and her position in the Academy—a strong and competent Trainer was indeed more respected than a mere beauty.
Thinking this, Fumino Nase didn't notice Super Creek's smile beside her, which was gradually shifting towards a subtle feeling of amusement…
After some time, having tidied herself up and restored her valiant Trainer image, Fumino Nase returned to the Team Miracle building.
In her pocket was a small box containing a gift she had bought for Wada as a token of gratitude.
"I don't know if he'll like it… well, as long as it gets the message across, it doesn't matter."
Muttering to herself, Fumino Nase pulled open the door, only to come face to face with Wada, who was discussing something with T.M. Opera O and Meisho Doto.
"Ah, Trainer Nase, you're here. I was just about to look for you."
When Wada saw Fumino Nase, his first action was to stop her from speaking to prevent his two Uma Musume from knowing they had gone out drinking last night.
He quickly followed up, "Opera, Doto, and I are discussing our race schedule. I plan to have Meisho Doto participate in the Tenno Sho. Do you have any differing opinions?"
"The Autumn Tenno Sho?" And as soon as work was involved, Fumino Nase immediately entered work mode, and said seriously:
"It's very close to the Kikuka Sho, only a few days apart. And with strong rivals like Mejiro McQueen, Mejiro Ryan, Narita Top Road, and Admire Vega all preparing for the Kikuka Sho…"
"—It's an excellent choice. It can be said that almost all the powerful Uma Musume of the current era have already decided on going to the Kikuka Sho."
"If Meisho Doto participates in the Tenno Sho, victory will be almost guaranteed."
"Exactly, Meisho Doto, this will be your first GI. Treat it well."
Wada nodded in agreement at the words, then turned to look at T.M. Opera O beside him, and also said:
"T.M. Opera O, I haven't had time to personally train you lately. How are your preparations for the Kikuka Sho going? Is it smooth?"
"Hahahaha! Ryuji, This Overlord never boasts; everything I say is true. I, the Overlord, am now just one step away from obtaining all three crowns, and absolutely nothing can hinder me at this last step!"
However, despite her confident outward demeanor, T.M. Opera O was actually still quite uncertain.
She still hadn't managed to win against her "other self," and according to her, if she couldn't surpass her, then the Kikuka Sho... will be difficult to say the least.
Moreover, after they had recently offended Shadai, it wouldn't be a surprise to anyone if they tried to do something at the Kikuka Sho.
Not only that, although T.M. Opera O was very confident in herself, she still had a void of information about her rivals in the Kikuka Sho.
Several months of preparation were enough to bring about a drastic change in any Uma Musume after all.
Though T.M. Opera O thought that she hid it well, the worries flickering in her eyes were fully seen by Wada.
He, of course, understood what T.M. Opera O was worried about… In fact, his worries were the same as T.M. Opera O's.
The Kikuka Sho, a race that was a nightmare for Wada back then, even though he and T.M. Opera O had only run it once, it was enough to make him tremble with fear just recalling that scene.
And now, even though they managed to pass the hurdle which was the Japanese Derby, the Kikuka Sho was still a major challenge.
Currently, it was a time where both he and T.M. Opera O were under immense pressure, but Wada couldn't show it… For he had to do everything he could to help T.M. Opera O.
He had to help T.M. Opera O relax, regain her confidence, and participate in the Kikuka Sho with a stable emotional state.
Thinking this, Wada clearly already had a plan in mind to achieve it.
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Super Freak strikes yet again!
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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.