CB's Side
Two weeks had flown by since we arrived in Ireland, filled with training and interviews. Wow, having Hachiman here with me makes such a huge difference! ♪ Before, I'd get my training regimen through pictures, but now he's right here, adjusting my training based on my condition. I feel even better than I did for the 2000 Guineas and the Derby! ♪
And this is amazing, isn't it? Would they really go this far for a foreign Uma Musume going for the Triple Crown? There was this incredible decoration at the racecourse entrance, and it said:
[Grab the three crowns and catch it, Japan's young samurai!!]
That's what it said! I asked Hachiman, who seemed to understand it, and he told me it means "Grab the three crowns, young samurai of Japan!!" I don't really feel like a samurai, though~ Well, I guess samurai and ninja are famous overseas.
Anyway, today is the day of the final Irish Triple Crown race, the Irish St. Leger.
Hachiman: "It's quite a crowd, isn't it? Do this many people usually gather for races overseas?"
CB: "...No, not this many. Not for the 2000 Guineas or the Derby. It's probably because my Triple Crown is on the line, isn't it?"
Hachiman: "Even so, this many?"
Ruto: "Hello, CB, it's been a while."
CB: "Oh, Lut~! Long time no see! ♪"
Ruto: "Yes. And that's your trainer, the 'clairvoyant,' I presume? Nice to meet you, I'm Lutdaraak. I'm an Uma Musume who raced with CB before."
Hachiman: "I'm Hikigaya, her trainer. So, are you here to watch today? Your name wasn't on the entry list."
Ruto: "Yes, that's right. I'm sort of a fan, captivated by CB's running. I'll be cheering for CB today."
Yay! ♪ That makes me so happy, having a local girl cheer for me like this! ♪
Ruto: "I'm sure the 'clairvoyant' knows, but this race has some incredibly tough opponents. It's going to be very challenging. So, CB, be careful, okay?"
CB: "What kind of opponents are they?"
Ruto: "Well... Oh! It looks like they've just arrived, those are them. They're all Senior-class Uma Musume, and very strong, so I'll explain them in order. The bay-colored Uma Musume at the very front is Certex, last year's winner of this race and this year's Cara C. She's one of Ireland's top stayers. The second one, the dark bay further back, is Sonarise. She won last year's German Oaks, and this year she's taken the Dubai Gold C and the Australian Sydney C. She's also a formidable opponent."
CB: "Just hearing the race names, I can tell~ most of them are long-distance."
Ruto: "And the one at the very back is the Uma Musume known as the strongest in all of Europe, Eruticle. She completely dominated the Stayers' Million just recently... and not only that, she also won last year's Prix Cadran. She's a super dreadnought stayer, practically beyond the 'stayer' category."
Hachiman: "Seriously? That's incredible... The Stayers' Million 'complete domination' means winning the 4000m Gold C, the 3200m Goodwood C, the 3300m Lonsdale C, and also winning designated races held between March and June. You're saying she conquered all of that...?"
Ruto: "That's right, and that's not all. In her Classic class days, she competed in three long-distance races and won them all. This race is one of them, along with the British St. Leger in the UK and the Prix Royal-Oak in France. Her extraordinary strength began to awaken when she started running long distances."
"Seems like you're quite the chatterbox about other people, little Derby girl?"
Ruto: "!"
"Well, I don't have business with you this time. My business is with..."
CB: "Me?"
Ticle: "Yeah, you. Looks like that one already introduced us, so I won't bother with names, alright? What's your name?"
CB: "Then I won't bother either. You probably aren't interested anyway, and you wouldn't remember it even if I told you, right?"
Ticle: "...Hah, you're an interesting one. Were there always such daredevils in Japan? Well, you're right. I have no intention of remembering it. You're just going to lose miserably in front of me."
CB: "..."
Hachiman: "Already acting like you've won, huh? But is that really a good thing to say?"
Ticle: "Huh? Who are you? Don't butt in. I have no business with you."
Hachiman: "I'm her trainer, so I'm not unrelated. More importantly, is it really okay to say such things?"
Ticle: "...What are you trying to say?"
Hachiman: "Nothing, just that if you talk such a big game and then lose to us, you'll be going home with a terrible amount of egg on your face, won't you?"
GRIP!
Ruto: "Eh, wait!?"
Ticle: "You're interesting too, aren't you? So what, are you saying that I will lose to such a small-fry?"
Hachiman: "Overestimating your own strength can lead to some disastrous consequences, you know?"
Ticle: "You—!" "Hey, can you let go already? That hand." "Huh!?"
CB: "Your opponent is me, right? Isn't it out of line to do that to my trainer? Let's settle it in the race. That'll be clearer."
Ticle: "..."
Ticle T: "Ticle!! Are you doing this again?! How many times have I told you, just because someone picks a fight—" "Hey, shut up, you're noisy." "Wha— you again..."
Ticle: "..."
CB: "..."
Ticle: "Hmph, fine. As you wish, I'll settle this in the race."
CB: "That's good, so can you let go quickly?"
Ticle: "You're yapping too much, fine. Next time we meet will be in the race. And you, one last thing."
CB: "?"
Ticle: "Don't think you can beat me in long-distance."
With that, she—Eruticle, I think—left. To have such a personality... Sirius is still cuter.
Ticle T: "I'm so sorry, truly! I've told her countless times, but her personality just won't change..."
Hachiman: "No, it's quite alright."
Ticle T: "Let's both have a good race. Well then, I'll excuse myself too."
CB: "Her trainer looks like they have it tough."
Hachiman: "Completely agree."
Ruto: "No, no, more importantly, both of you!! My heart almost stopped! How could you talk back to her like that...? She's the strongest stayer in the world, how could you even say such things?!"
CB: "Well, it's not like I plan on losing. Besides, we came all this way intending to win."
Hachiman: "Exactly. And besides, that much is fine, isn't it? She said worse things about us, so we're even."
Ruto: "...In a way, you two are quite fearless."
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