Mejiro McQueen, who immediately ran off after hearing the flash of the camera, had no idea what her unintentional action had done.
Sprinting over to Imanami, McQueen almost crashed into him before she suddenly stopped a step away, taking a step back in feigned modesty.
Though she looked more composed now, her bubbly excitement was still evident on her face.
"T- Trainer! I did it! I did it!!"
"Yes you did, McQueen. You did very well."
Imanami, of course, wouldn't dampen McQueen's excitement by exposing her obvious request for praise, affirming her with a smile.
"I'm sure your Grandmother is very proud of you; this was truly a victory befitting Mejiro McQueen."
"But this will not be the end, McQueen. This will only be the first of many GIs you will win. So, how about we challenge the Autumn Tenno Sho next?"
"A consecutive win in both the Spring and Autumn Tenno Sho has only been achieved by Tamamo Cross before. It's time for you to show everyone you're a top tier Uma Musume in both medium and long distances."
"Only by dominating medium and long distances can an Uma Musume be considered truly excellent" was not something Imanami said, but rather a shared opinion in the Japanese Uma Musume scene.
It was not a baseless claim either; for example, the only Racehorse who managed to enter the hall of fame through primarily running in sprint races was Lord Kanaloa, and only him.
As for long distance races... though they have greater prestige than sprint races, only running in long races also won't grant you much renown either.
The most famous, or rather infamous example was Rice Shower, who was disliked for only being able to run in long races, forcing his owner to enter him into medium races due to insufficient resources for him to retire.
Although it was later found out that Rice Shower's bloodline undoubtedly had good medium distance adaptability, Rice Shower had long since perished by then.
Looking back at things in hindsight, Imanami felt very upset.
As a former Jockey, stablehand, and now a Trainer, Imanami had always hoped to help the children he was responsible for to achieve all they can.
Now, thrown into this world filled with Uma Musume, with his past knowledge, Imanami knew very well that McQueen was excellent in both medium and long distances.
What remained now was to show the world this fact.
As long as they achieved a consecutive victory in both the Spring and Autumn Tenno Shos, everything else would come naturally to them, and Imanami would be considered to have fulfilled his responsibility to McQueen.
"The Autumn Tenno Sho... I understand."
Without a sliver of hesitation, McQueen nodded in agreement with Imanami's suggestion as it aligned with her own thoughts.
Although she had technically already achieved the goal of winning the Tenno Sho, the founder of the Mejiro Family did not actually specify which Tenno Sho she wanted for them to strive for.
Therefore, McQueen felt it was reasonable to strive to win any race that included the term 'Tenno Sho.'
What made McQueen feel fortunate was that T.M. Opera O would absolutely not be able to participate in this year's Autumn Tenno Sho since she will have to participate in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October if nothing goes awry.
The last time she will have to face T.M. Opera O this year would probably be the Takarazuka Kinen, right? Wouldn't that mean... her main rival is Meisho Doto?
She would be a formidable rival for sure; Doto was, after all, the winner of the previous year's Autumn Tenno Sho, and was also way more skilled at medium distances than her.
Still, McQueen would not give up. Challenges and obstacles are natural on the path she chose to walk on. Even if her opponent was Meisho Doto, she would absolutely not concede.
"Yay!! McQueen!! Our group has our first GI now!! You did it!!!"
From her body language, it was obvious that Tokai Teio wanted to pounce on McQueen in celebration; but, she managed to hold herself back, congratulating McQueen in the most appropriate manner she could.
"But I, Teio-sama, will never lose! I will debut later, and next year, I will be the first Undefeated Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume of Team Miracle!"
"You better watch your back! Before you know it, I will win more GIs than you!"
"Hehe, I look forward to that."
Despite McQueen's answer, she didn't actually take Teio's statement too seriously.
Perhaps it was because Imanami was rubbing off on her, but McQueen had now gone from seeing Teio as a rival to genuinely treating her like a child.
Teio was quite short, she looked very young, and she acted very childish; none of this had changed.
However, the situation and the people around her had completely changed, yet, she still managed to be as energetic as ever.
Unlike before, her ignorant innocence was now fully in the limelight, remaining as energetic as ever despite being at the bottom of the team— not because she didn't give up, but because she didn't understand what 'giving up' means in the first place.
Still, maybe McQueen would one day want to bash her past self in the head for thinking this.
"—Congratulations, Trainer Imanami. I see that my trust in you had not been misplaced."
Just then, supported by Mejiro Ardan and Ryan, the recovered Mejiro Family Head slowly walked over, signaling to the two sisters not to reveal what McQueen had just done.
Despite almost having her frail bones break, the Mejiro Family Head was still beaming, her expression incredibly joyful, clearly not minding what had just occurred.
As Imanami saw the approaching Mejiro Family Head, he immediately straightened his posture and displayed his most respectful attitude.
"It is not due to me, but rather McQueen's own excellence. I am merely an ordinary Trainer who stumbled upon a great talent."
"No need to act so humble, Trainer Imanami. I gave you a task and you have completed it as I have requested."
"McQueen, without any serious illnesses or accidents, has fulfilled our Mejiro Family's long cherished wish."
"Not only that, your team's actions against Shadai have also given our Mejiro Family a new opportunity, allowing us to reach a better, more prosperous future."
"Considering all of this, it can even be said that you saved the Mejiro Family, Trainer Imanami."
Although the Mejiro Family Head had actually been very unsure during their joint opposition with the Gold Family against Shadai; with the giant now extremely weakened, the Mejiro Family gained enormous benefits.
The once listless Mejiro Family suddenly welcomed new life, and with McQueen's victory, the buds were now starting to bloom.
They now no longer lacked resources, and there seemed to be no need to worry about talented new blood being enticed to join.
Seeing the Mejiro Family returning to its former glory and more made the Mejiro Family Head feel as if she had grown several years younger, greatly comforting the old woman who had once thought she might be the last true head of the Mejiro Family.
But... there was one last missing piece that McQueen seemed to have missed.
Turning her head, the Mejiro Family Head looked at McQueen, whose excited expression still lingered on her face after achieving victory, and couldn't help but recall what Wada and T.M. Opera O did after their victory at the Arima Kinen, shaking her head.
Huh? How did she know Wada and T.M. Opera O went to the hot springs? Well, aside from her many eyes and ears around Japan, Mejiro Ardan had gossiped to her about it before, so she was well aware.
At the time she merely sighed, "Youngsters these days are really bold"— but now, comparing her own 'purple glutton,' the Mejiro Family Head couldn't help but feel that McQueen was suffering from the exact opposite.
All her peers were already at the planning marriage phase while she hadn't even left the tutorial... this granddaughter of hers, why is her mind only focused on running like that Silence Suzuka?
'Perhaps I've been pressuring her too much... the mission of the Tenno Sho has been engrained into her since young, after all.'
Thinking this, the Mejiro Family Head's expression softened a little as she fully turned to Mejiro McQueen.
"McQueen, now that you've won the Spring Tenno Sho, you should rest for a while. You can even go out with Trainer Imanami if need be; it's about balancing running and resting."
"Grandmother, I still need to train for the Takarazuka Kinen against T.M. Opera O!"
Not even considering the suggestion her Grandmother gave her, McQueen's voice had an incredibly serious tone.
"There's the Autumn Tenno Sho and also the Kyoto Daishoten before that! We don't have time to rest like that!"
"Don't worry, Grandmother, I will definitely not let down anyone's expectations. I will dominate the Spring and the Autumn!"
Mejiro Family Head: "..."
'...Fine, so be it.'
Inwardly exasperated, the Mejiro Family Head was now convinced the late-blooming nature of their bloodline had also affected this granddaughter's emotional intelligence.
While Uma Musume her age were having their first stirrings of love, she only had eyes for running and racing.
Truly, was this a consequence of all the stress due to the expectations placed on her?
Potentially rethinking the way they raised the children of the Mejiro Family, the Mejiro Family Head didn't know whether this granddaughter of hers who was so dedicated to pursuing their family's honor was a blessing or a curse for the Mejiro Family.
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I'm so damn tired... genuinely struggling to even open my eyes
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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.