Tokai Teio had never imagined she would be rejected. Or rather, the possibility of being "rejected" had never existed in her mind.
Because since she was young, from the day she joined Tracen Academy, she had always been the darling of the student council, the new star of the academy. Countless trainers, both male and female, all of whom were the best of the best, had tried to recruit her.
In fact, many promising young trainers didn't even dare to invite her, feeling they were not qualified. A prime example was Biwa Hayahide's trainer, Mr. Morishima Ryuu, who joined at the age of 28. He was one of the few who hadn't extended an olive branch to her.
The reason was simple. He considered himself too old at the time. Although he had explicitly stated that he had honed his skills in the local circuits for two years before joining Tracen, otherwise a high-standard Uma Musume like Biwa Hayahide would not have chosen him.
But even so, he felt he was too old and unqualified to invite her. This shows just how high her recognized status was at Tracen.
Although Kitano Ryuichi was the youngest trainer to be hired, the fact that she had proactively announced her intention to join his team was already extremely hard for outsiders to understand.
And just when everyone thought this genius of Tracen was finally going to have her own trainer, what no one expected was that he, Kitano Ryuichi, had actually refused her invitation.
It was like a stone cast into a calm lake, creating a thousand ripples. The entire cafeteria erupted at his words. The Uma Musume all took out their phones to record this historic moment.
"No way! That trainer actually rejected Teio's invitation? That's Tokai Teio!"
"This is huge news! I have to record this!"
"Is it okay for us to take pictures? Won't Teio get mad?"
"Don't worry, she's too busy to deal with us right now. Can't you see how angry she is?"
The girls gathered in small groups. Meanwhile, Mihono Bourbon's eyes narrowed slightly. Soon, she seemed to understand his choice, a slightly shy expression appearing on her face.
Master... did you reject her because of me?
What she didn't know was that her current thought had also appeared in the mind of another green-clad ojou-sama. For now, the two girls hadn't noticed each other, but their thoughts were perfectly aligned.
"Why! Why did you reject me!"
On the other side, in front of him, Tokai Teio was already shouting in disbelief. She was so angry she looked like she was about to jump. Her tail swung back and forth, and her horse ears stood straight up, clearly angry at being rejected.
"It's impossible! Why would anyone reject Teio-sama's invitation—ah, I get it! You must be testing my resolve, right? This is just a test, right?"
"Honestly, even I get angry with tests like this! Please don't tease me like that!"
"...But, I'm really not kidding." He was silent for a moment, but ultimately chose to stick to his guns. It wasn't easy for a soft-hearted person like him to be firm, but he continued.
"For a trainer of my level, student Teio, your talent and ability are far beyond what I can handle. For the sake of your bright future, I don't think you need an ordinary trainer like me to hold you back."
"You should have many better choices, right? Why choose a mediocre trainer like me? I'm truly not worthy."
"Hmph, at least you know your place," said King Halo, whose mood had instantly cleared up after his rejection. She concealed her previous sadness and looked at Teio with a proud expression.
"Student Teio, although I don't know who misled you into asking him to be your trainer, I must tell you, you might have been deceived."
"This guy is a complete second-rate trainer who just got a little lucky. But you absolutely must not be fooled by his appearance."
"As a first-class me, I can tell at a glance. This guy has no substance at all. Student Teio, as a genius recognized even by a first-class me, you mustn't be deceived by his looks~"
Her words were full of condescension. However, she was never one to put others down to elevate herself; she even found it shameful. But now, she didn't know why she was saying such harsh things.
She just felt that she had to lower his impression in Teio's mind as much as possible, so that she would give up the idea of making him her trainer.
Don't misunderstand. King Halo isn't a Uma Musume who cares about this sort of thing. She, as a first-class individual, just can't bear to see a genius she recognizes be deceived, and fall into this den of demons with no escape! That's all it is!
Chapter 37: The Heart That Increasingly Wants to Monopolize You (2/2)
And sure enough, as her words fell, she clearly noticed a flicker of hesitation in Tokai Teio's eyes. Her heart couldn't help but leap with joy, and even her horse ears perked up spiritedly.
"That's not it!" However, Teio, after a moment of stunned silence, quickly refuted her. She said to Kitano, "I didn't come to you because of your talent, Trainer Kitano! I came because—"
She paused, suddenly remembering that Rudolf had told her not to tell anyone about their conversation. Therefore, she couldn't just tell everyone that she came because she had listened to Rudolf, because the President thought highly of him.
But if she didn't say that, what excuse could she use? For a moment, she stammered, unable to think of a good reason. But her expression made King Halo and Mihono Bourbon wary again.
Not for Master's (this guy's) talent? Then for what?
Suddenly, the two girls thought of a possibility, and their thoughts coincided with the rest of the onlooking Uma Musume. Instantly, countless gossipy gazes were once again fixed on him.
But this time, King Halo's gaze was strange, while Mihono Bourbon's was much sharper. At this moment, Bourbon was already considering whether she should step forward to get him out of this predicament.
Fortunately, just then, he sighed helplessly and stood up, intending to put an end to this farce.
He had enough on his plate already. He couldn't afford any more major commotions. Thinking this, he still spoke patiently to Teio.
"Student Teio, although I don't know why you came to ask me to be your trainer, my reason for refusing you is not just because I feel my talent is unworthy of you. A part of it is also because of the selection race."
"You should know about the selection race, right?"
"Of course I know that," she answered immediately, seemingly having calmed down a bit.
"I heard it's a competition held specifically for your first assigned Uma Musume, Trainer Kitano. But what does that have to do with me asking you to be my trainer?"
"Of course it's related, and very much so," he said, now very clear on her thinking. He answered with a smile:
"Teio, you are a genius, there's no mistake about that. And I would be very happy to become the trainer of a genius like you, to contribute my meager abilities."
"But, if I agree to you now, you would become my first assigned Uma Musume. Then, what about all these girls who are working so hard to compete for this position?"
As he spoke, he pointed to the crowd of onlookers. He said to the somewhat confused Teio, "They are all working hard for the arrival of that day. Although I don't think I'm a trainer worthy of such a grand lineup, I have seen them all working hard for the selection race."
"If I were to give this position to you now, just because you're a genius, should their efforts just go down the drain? Just because you are a recognized genius?"
"Which of the Uma Musume here isn't a genius? And who can decide who gets to enjoy special privileges, to get a step ahead of others? If the winner of this race was already decided, then what would be the meaning of this competition?"
"Student Teio, this is the biggest reason I am refusing you. I don't want to open a green channel for you just because you are a genius. In my eyes, every single Uma Musume here is worthy of my wholehearted efforts to help them succeed."
"They have the right to compete with geniuses. Even if they are not as talented as you, in my eyes, each and every one of them can be the most dazzling star, no matter how ordinary they may seem now."
His gentle response, he didn't know if it was for her or for the countless times he had been disheartened himself. But there was no doubt that his words had thrown the scene into a deep silence. For a moment, no one in the entire cafeteria spoke. All the Uma Musume were stunned.
And among the onlookers, T.M. Opera O, who had blended into the crowd at some point, was also stunned for a moment after hearing his words. But soon, for the first time, a genuine, unexaggerated smile appeared on her face. After shaking her head, she muttered to herself:
"Ah... this Princess of mine truly surprises me, the Overlord, again and again."
Finally, a helpless smile, as if representing her surrender, appeared on her face. At this moment, she finally admitted her "defeat." She, the Overlord, in what she had thought was a sufficiently broad heart, had lost to her Princess.
But what followed was a violent heartbeat. She felt the heat rising to her face. As if intoxicated, she said in her heart:
"What am I to do... I truly want to monopolize you more and more... my Princess."
But now, who knows how many outstanding knights will be drawn in by your words. They will be captivated by your noble heart, and will not fear any enemy.
You really are a trouble-making little honeybee, my Princess.
But... even so, the one to monopolize this beauty will only be me. I will absolutely not let this beauty slip from my grasp.
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