The man seated at the head of the table had a slightly high hairline and a gentle, approachable look about him. He was none other than Fei Bohua, the trainer of Worldly Collection and Master Painter. The moment he saw Shinji Terumi step into the room, he hurriedly rose to his feet.
Shinji had seen Fei Bohua's interviews before—especially after Master Painter won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe the year before last. Back then, the man had laughed again and again during the interview, unable to hide the pride on his face because of Master Painter's achievement.
This was one of the top trainers in the world. Shinji could say that with absolute certainty, because the level of his training had long since been proven by the race girls he had produced, and acknowledged by racing fans across the globe.
"Hello. My name is Fei Bohua."
He extended his hand first, and Shinji immediately took it. The man's voice carried a faint rasp.
According to Worldly Collection, he had been out enjoying himself these past few days. Looking at the smile that never seemed to leave his face, Shinji guessed he must have been in an especially good mood lately.
"It's an honor to meet you. I'm Shinji Terumi."
He had the odd feeling that ever since arriving in France, he had done nothing but introduce himself. With that thought in mind, Shinji gestured behind him.
"This is my horse girl, Offside Trap."
At once, a bright gleam flared in Fei Bohua's eyes. Shinji could clearly see the delight there—this was a trainer who truly loved race girls, especially talented ones like her. It was his lifelong pursuit to train the very best, and whenever he encountered an outstanding race girl, his face would light up with unmistakable amazement.
"I rewatch your races all the time. They're genuinely incredible. If I had to choose the single race from last year that impressed me the most, it would definitely be last year's Japan Cup."
The field had been dazzling, the conditions brutally demanding, and the decisive finish breathtaking.
It was the kind of race that would be remembered for generations.
Fei Bohua was not exaggerating in the slightest.
His words made Worldly Collection glare at him on the spot.
After all, she had been one of the stepping stones in that race.
"Let's eat first."
Seeing the two trainers sink into formal pleasantries, Worldly Collection seized the moment to cut in.
"There's plenty of time to talk afterward."
Fei Bohua looked at Worldly Collection's impatient face and nearly choked. Whether it was Master Painter or Offside Trap, both of them were sitting properly, composed and dignified.
Only Worldly Collection was sprawled in her chair with no grace whatsoever, looking completely unruly, and Fei Bohua found himself instantly annoyed again.
"Could you at least try to look like a proper person?"
"I'm not even a person!"
Worldly Collection shot back indignantly, making Fei Bohua laugh out loud. It turned out that people really could laugh from sheer exasperation. He smacked the top of her head, prompting a dramatic yelp from her.
The pained cry was so obviously exaggerated that Offside Trap and Master Painter exchanged a smile at once. They both understood exactly what Worldly Collection was doing.
Sure enough, after her little interruption, Fei Bohua finally dropped the subject, and the meal could properly begin.
After a full morning of training, both Offside Trap and Worldly Collection were already starving. So from the bottom of her heart, Offside Trap fully approved of Worldly Collection's antics just now.
"What race are you planning after the Coronation Cup? Have you decided yet?"
As he spoke, Fei Bohua speared a piece of meat with his fork and brought it to his mouth. Even the way he ate had an effortless elegance to it. He had style, even in something as simple as speaking over a meal.
Shinji swallowed what was in his mouth before replying after a slight pause.
"At the moment, the plan is the Eclipse Stakes."
Fei Bohua nodded, then looked at Offside Trap again, the more he looked, the more satisfied he seemed.
"You really are bold—and you have an extraordinary amount of faith in your horse girl. Dolomei is very likely to run in the Coronation Cup. Unlike in the Japan Cup, the course and the ground conditions there won't be things she's particularly bad at. In all likelihood, the Coronation Cup will feature Dolomei in peak condition. And yet you're not even having Offside Trap run a prep race to acclimate to European turf before throwing her straight in against Dolomei."
So confident.
That was Fei Bohua's honest opinion of Shinji.
And it was precisely why, at certain moments, this young trainer reminded him of himself in his younger days. Back then, he too had believed his training methods were among the best in the world, and that the horse girls he trained could defeat any opponent.
With age, that certainty had naturally been tempered by experience and more rational judgment.
But once in a while, Fei Bohua still found himself missing that youthful arrogance.
Looking at Shinji's face, he suddenly asked,
"How's Offside Trap's physical condition?"
"Of course it's amazing! Haven't I told you already? Her legs are basically made of steel!"
Worldly Collection jumped in again. Shinji couldn't help smiling, while Master Painter had already turned her head away, laughing. The sound of another smack landing squarely on Worldly Collection's head came as no surprise to her.
"She's always like this. Never listens," Fei Bohua said with a helpless expression. Then he looked back at Shinji. "I mean her ability to handle collisions."
"It's actually pretty decent."
Shinji's answer wasn't based on any specialized collision training or anything of the sort. It was simply that with her boosted strength stat, Offside Trap now had enough power to hold her own in physical contests with other horse girls.
"There won't be many runners in the Coronation Cup, so using positioning to restrict Dolomei probably won't be very realistic. If Offside Trap has confidence in her collision ability, then using that to interfere with Dolomei might actually be an option."
"She's not the type who handles that kind of disruption very well."
Fei Bohua's words made Worldly Collection stare at him in disbelief.
It wasn't that he was giving advice to another horse girl—or suggesting another horse girl physically challenge one of his own.
It was that Dolomei was actually quite tall and broad, while Offside Trap looked clearly smaller by comparison. No matter how one looked at it, it didn't seem like Offside Trap should be the one knocking into Dolomei.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Just because you're frail doesn't mean every horse girl is."
He shot Worldly Collection a sideways glance and, with one sentence, nearly shattered her on the spot.
"Hmph!"
The snort she let out was full of grievance. At that moment, Worldly Collection silently decided that if Fei Bohua didn't coax her later after the meal, she was absolutely not speaking to him again.
"It's not really that simple," Shinji said, shaking his head slightly. "If it comes down to a direct clash, there are too many uncertain variables. According to the weather forecast, race day for the Coronation Cup will most likely be heavy ground—at the very least, it should be soft."
"Dolomei only struggles on extremely heavy going, because her stamina isn't the kind that leaves a big reserve at twenty-four hundred meters. But for the sort of ground conditions the Coronation Cup is likely to have, she should still be able to cope just fine."
Fei Bohua's explanation was perfectly reasonable, but Shinji shook his head again.
"That's not what I mean. I'm not saying Dolomei will be especially uncomfortable with the ground or anything like that."
Fei Bohua was taken aback for a moment. Then he remembered Offside Trap's performance in the Japan Cup.
At once, he understood.
What Shinji meant was simple: Offside Trap was exceptionally suited to heavy ground. So if those were the race-day conditions, then the track would actually favor her.
With that realization, Fei Bohua relaxed.
As a close friend of his own horse girl, there was a part of him that genuinely hoped Offside Trap would win.
"Since you've already made your decision, I won't say any more. Every trainer understands their own horse girl best, after all. So let me just wish you both victory in your first race on European soil."
He raised his glass.
Shinji did the same.
A crisp, clear sound rang out as the two glasses met.
Join here to read ahead.
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Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
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