That evening, while all of Team Miracle's Uma Musume had enjoyed a relaxing day without any troubles and returned to their dorms for a good rest, the three Trainers held another meeting late at night to discuss the 'problems' they encountered that day.
"Judging by everyone's expressions today, I'll assume that Shadai has targeted all of us today?"
Imanami, Ikezoe, and Wada were all sitting around the dinner table in the team building, with Gold Ship being the only one here besides the three of them.
Neither Ikezoe nor Wada had any objections to Gold Ship being here; they knew that Imanami must have his reasons.
And reasons he had; with Gold Ship present, even if she didn't participate in the discussion, she'll be able to keep up to date with the newest information and adapt from there.
In a sense, Gold Ship's role among the Uma Musume in Team Miracle was the same as Imanami's role among the three Trainers.
"Okay, firstly. Where did you all run into Shadai today?" As the leader of the trio, Imanami was the first to speak up.
"I'll start. I met with them at the baseball stadium. Unfortunately, we ended things off on a sour note."
"...Orfevre, Curren Chan, and I were at the dessert shop at the time." Ikezoe glanced at the two beside him and spoke in a low voice.
"They talked to Orfevre and me for a while, but we ultimately also parted on bad terms."
After saying that, Ikezoe turned his gaze toward the silent Wada and couldn't help but ask curiously,
"Wada, did you not run into Shadai today? I remember seeing T.M. Opera O and Meisho Doto being quite happy today, not like they'd been harassed by Shadai."
"...They didn't look for me; they looked for Fumino Nase." Wada glanced at Ikezoe and, after a long pause, said hesitantly,
"I noticed that after we left the amusement park, she separated from us very quickly. Probably to meet those guys from Shadai."
"I don't know the specifics, but when we met again a few hours ago, she didn't mention anything about Shadai to me, so I don't know what she discussed with them."
"Could it be... that she has ties to Shadai just like Yutaka Take? Did she become a mole for them?"
Ikezoe couldn't help but be startled upon hearing this, subconsciously thinking of this possibility. After all, in Ikezoe's mind, the idea that 'Fumino Nase = Yutaka Take' still held true.
Moreover, the incident where Yutaka Take and Shadai teamed up to block T.M. Opera O was still fresh in Ikezoe's mind.
Now that it's likely that Fumino Nase is involved with Shadai again, it was truly hard not to be wary of her.
"I don't know, but I don't think Miss Nase is that kind of person."
Surprisingly, despite being the victim of that incident, Wada expressed a different opinion from Ikezoe.
He shook his head and said, "Although she's clearly suspicious, I feel like... she hasn't betrayed us."
"Fumino Nase probably just hasn't made up her mind yet."
"After all, we are dealing with Shadai, an absolute giant in the Uma Musume scene; it's natural to be hesitant about being hostile towards them."
"That makes sense, but we should still prepare for the worst." Ikezoe still spoke cautiously to Wada.
"Orfevre and Curren Chan don't have any important races during this period, so I don't think Shadai will target them... but you and Imanami are different, Wada."
"Meisho Doto and T.M. Opera O are both going to compete in GI races—one is the Autumn Tenno Sho, and the other is the Kikuka Sho, the final leg of the Classic Triple Crowns! Wada, you need to prepare yourself."
"...Actually, there's no need for you two to stress about whether they'd really try something in the Kikuka Sho; the person from Shadai I met already hinted at it."
"It is almost certain they'll do something there."
At this moment, Imanami nodded, agreeing with Ikezoe's thought.
He certainly didn't want to think the worst of Fumino Nase, but as things stood, from a rational perspective, they really should prepare for the worst.
Of course, Imanami also felt that Fumino Nase wouldn't collaborate with Shadai like Yutaka Take did in their previous world.
If Fumino Nase really did collude with Shadai, then all Imanami and Wada could say was that they had misjudged her.
It would be a useful but extremely costly lesson.
"Don't worry, Wada. For this race, it's not just T.M. Opera O; McQueen will also be participating."
"Not only that, Mejiro Ryan will also be racing in the Kikuka Sho too. So, at least the three of them can protect each other from foul play whenever possible."
"But as for the other Uma Musume... Shadai probably wouldn't hesitate to pull some tricks."
Imanami knew exactly how powerful Shadai was. Since they already knew Shadai would be coming after them in the Kikuka Sho, plans will have to be made in advance.
So far, among the Uma Musume running in the Kikuka Sho, aside from the Uma Musumes from their own team, which were T.M. Opera O and Mejiro McQueen, they could only guarantee that Mejiro Ryan wouldn't be swayed by Shadai to participate in a coordinated attack.
Shadai probably also wouldn't go so far as to display a blocking scandal without any pretense, especially in a race as big as the Kikuka Sho, else they'd receive massive public backlash.
But undoubtedly, many Uma Musume that weren't originally a part of the roster will appear in this Kikuka Sho. They'd also probably be placed outside the top ten in popularity to avoid being too obvious.
Of course, there would also be a few Uma Musume who belonged to Shadai but were actually qualified to compete in the Kikuka Sho.
As for how much of a threat they were... that was hard to say.
The worst-case scenario was that in this race, besides T.M. Opera O, Mejiro McQueen, and Mejiro Ryan, the rest were either bribed by Shadai to sabotage them or Uma Musume arranged by Shadai to interfere with the race.
Shadai might not resort to outright blocking yet, but taking turns to disrupt your rhythm is a normal tactic.
Especially in such an important race, where targeting the first and second favorites is a pretty common and effective strategy.
Even if you complained to URA, they would have excuses. And even if those excuses were exposed, the vast majority of Japanese Uma Musume fans probably wouldn't stand on their side.
Wada remained silent for a long time after hearing this, but in his heart, he was still hoping that Fumino Nase would come clean about her situation with Shadai as soon as possible.
He believed Fumino Nase wouldn't betray them, but... who wouldn't want such trust to be confirmed, even if just verbally?
Meanwhile, while the three Trainers were having their meeting, Fumino Nase wasn't focusing at all on the fact that she hadn't been invited.
Currently, she was in her own residence, her mind filled with memories of her conversation with Shadai today.
"Trainer Nase, a large portion of your study funds currently comes from Shadai."
"Shadai has trained you to become a top-tier Trainer in Japan in the hope that you will achieve success and win key races for Shadai's Uma Musume at critical moments."
"Now, the time for you to prove yourself has come. Although Shadai is somewhat dissatisfied with your decision to join Team Miracle, you might be able to do something now to make up for it."
"For example, in the upcoming Kikuka Sho, observe what tactics T.M. Opera O and Mejiro McQueen plan to use, and then send your analysis to Shadai... pretty simple, right?"
"Don't forget, you've only made it this far because of the support Shadai provided you."
"If you lose Shadai's support, your plans for studying abroad and attending foreign Trainer schools will likely have to be delayed indefinitely..."
...
...
"...What should I do..."
Fumino Nase lay on her bed, her mind filled with these exchanges with Shadai, murmuring to herself in distress.
On one side was her own future; on the other were the promises she made to Maruzensky as well as her own morals. For a moment, Fumino Nase didn't know how to choose.
Although Shadai's threat was blatant, they were right.
Without Shadai's support, Fumino Nase's plans to study abroad would undoubtedly fall through, and Shadai wouldn't write recommendation letters for those schools either.
The troubled Fumino Nase slowly sat up from the bed, picked up her phone again, and opened her contacts.
However, looking at the names "Shadai" and "Wada Ryuji," she knew that by clicking either one, she would be making her choice.
Yet she hesitated for a long time, unable to press either... but finally, Fumino Nase swiped the screen and tapped on another contact.
"...Hello? Trainer, it's so late, is something the matter?"
"Hello... Super Creek... I have some things... I want to tell you. I hope you can give me some advice."
With no one else to rely on, Fumino Nase lost her usual decisiveness and asked Super Creek over the phone:
"Super Creek, do you think... I should break a promise for the sake of my future? I—I know asking this is silly, but I really don't want to betray this promise..."
By this point, Fumino Nase was starting to sound incoherent. However, the silence from Super Creek on the other end of the line made Fumino say with a bitter smile:
"...I'm sorry. I'll just... make the decision myself."
"—No, Trainer, actually I think you've already made your decision."
At that moment, Super Creek's gentle voice came through the phone:
"Trainer, although it's the first time you've said something like this, what you just said was 'you don't want to betray that promise,' right?"
"That means subconsciously, you actually don't want to betray that promise. Otherwise, you would have said something like 'I really want to cherish this opportunity,' wouldn't you?"
"So Trainer, do what you feel is right. No matter what choice you make, I just hope you can be a little happier."
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Super Freak to the rescue!
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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.