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It was another victory on her list of achievements, yet it did not quite feel that way.
As she left the race track, she could hear the whispers of the crowd and the umas she had raced against. There were less cheers than there were in all of the races before. While there were still some who celebrated, there were also those who were frustrated by her victory. There were the whispers of disappointment and disapproval.
"What is the point of watching the race if we already know who will win?"
"I wish someone else won."
"Why does that annoying one always win?"
"She won again? What a disappointment..."
The words reached her ears and lingered, yet she did not let it show that she heard them. Instead, TM Opera O kept a bright smile on her face. After all, everyone saw her as a strong, unbeatable, and overly confident umamusume. It was how everyone saw her. And because that was all anyone ever saw of her, she wore the mask and continued to play the role. After all, who was she if she wasn't the powerful and unbeatable overlord? Would anyone accept her if they saw anything less than the bright untouchable star that her mask made her seem like?
The answer to that was unclear, and she feared to find it herself. So she left the question unanswered and did her best not to think about it. TM Opera O was a confident uma who never faltered after all. She could not show weakness in front of the watching audience. If she did that, the whole show would fall apart and everyone would forget about her.
"Good job out there, Opera." The voice of her trainer makes her ears perk up.
"Hana-san! Did you see my marvelous performance? Once again, the overlord is untouchable! The others gave it their all and helped to create the most glorious show!" Opera smiles brightly.
Hana chuckles. "You're as energetic as ever. While I love your confidence, make sure to get some rest. We can't have you exhausting yourself."
"Of course! The overlord must be at her best for the next race!" Opera says. She holds her chin. "I think a relaxing bath is due now."
"Make sure you don't stay there too long, okay?" Grass Wonder says as she approaches. "We are all going to eat out together, remember? I'll make sure El doesn't put anything spicy in your food this time."
"Grass! That was an accident!" El Condor Pasa complains.
"Hm? Was it?" Grass Wonder smiles.
While Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa argue about... something that Opera stopped paying attention to, Narita Brian approaches her.
"Opera, next time we should race against each other." Brian says.
"Hm? Brian wants to race against me?" Opera tilts her head.
"I want to beat all the powerful racers in a race here." Brian simply says.
Opera smiles. "Then I accept your challenge! It will-"
"Good. I will let Hana know." Brian leaves as quickly as she had come.
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After short conversations with Air Groove, Hishi Amazon, Taiki Shuttle, Symboli Rudolf, Maruzensky, and Fuji Kiseki; Opera had returned to her dorm room. She liked her teammates a lot and could see that they were all strong umas, but a small part of her wondered if they really liked her or if they were only being nice. After all, there were many umas she spoke to who only really tolerated having her around. It was hard to tell if anyone really liked her, even with her friends. Narita Top Road, Admire Vega, Curren Chan, and Meisho Doto were all umas she frequently spent time around, but she wasn't sure if they truly liked her.
But Opera did not let the doubts linger in her head. If she thought about it for too long, her mask would waver. So she pushed the thoughts away and went on with her day.
Upon entering the dorm room, she found it to be unoccupied. Her roommate, Biwa Hayahide, was nowhere to be seen, likely out with some friends. It did not bother Opera in the slightest to return to an empty dorm. That just meant she was free to do what she wanted on her own.
Her eyes scan the room, and she spots some letters on the ground addressed to her. Her heart skips a beat as the thought that she could have received some fan letters crosses her mind. She quickly picks them up and seats herself on her bed. For a moment, she hesitates. Shouldn't she let her trainer see them first? She did remember Hana and her teammates telling her to let them review anything she got first, but Opera was concerned that Hana would currently be busy. She could always wait, but one little peek couldn't hurt. ...right?
As she reads over the first letter, her smile falters. Then she reads the next. And the next. And the next. And the next.
It wasn't hard for her to tell that the senders were displeased with her for winning once again. Many of the letters were from people who wished she hadn't raced, some who wished she had never recovered from past injuries, and some who wished she had never gone to Tracen Academy. Then she understood why Hana and her teammates had said what they had. These were all things they had wanted to keep her from seeing. Were they trying to protect her, or did they just think she was weak and could not handle it? She couldn't tell.
"Opera?" A voice startles her and she meets concerned yellow eyes.
"A-Ah... Hayahide." She did not mean to let her voice waver.
"Are you crying? What happened? Didn't you win the race?" Hayahide quickly closes the distance.
Crying? No. She couldn't do that. She couldn't let someone else see that. Opera bolts to her feet, dropping the letters. She steps back, closer to the window. "You need not concern yourself, Hayahide. I am fine!"
"You do not look fine." Hayahide frowns.
The concern in Hayahide's voice felt like a knife cutting into her, and Opera couldn't take it. So she does the one thing she can think of doing: run.
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"Opera! Wait!" Hayahide leans out the open window and watches helplessly as her roommate bolts away. She had not thought for one moment that Opera would open the window and jump out of it. That certainly had not been part of her calculations. All of her theories and intelligence did not prepare her for this. Now she was left trying to piece together what could have possibly gone wrong.
She remembers Opera had been holding some papers when she came into the room, so she picks up the papers on the ground and reads over them. Then she understands and her instincts as an older sister kick in. She folds up the papers and tucks them into the folds of her clothes before heading off to find someone who could help. The names of many people pop into her head, so she seeks them out. It isn't long before she finds one of them.
"Fuji Kiseki." She calls out.
The black haired uma turns to her. "Did you need something, Hayahide?"
"I need your help finding TM Opera O." Hayahide says.
"Ah... did she do something to upset you again?" Fuji sighs. "I can-"
"She didn't do anything. I am concerned about her." Hayahide interrupts.
"Concerned? Did something happen to her?" Fuji asks.
Without a word, Hayahide hands over the letters. As she watches Fuji's face turn pale, it dawns on her. "You already knew about this."
"Yes, but we always made sure she never saw any of them herself." Fuji says, panic evident in her voice. "How did these slip past without me noticing?!"
"So your whole team knows." Hayahide states. She rubs her forehead. "I had tried speaking to her, but she ran away."
"Ran away?! I'll let everyone know. That is not good. El and Taiki are going to be disappointed... they had a party planned!" Fuji mutters. "And Grass is definitely going to intimidate whoever sent those now... I am sure Brian and Amazon will-"
"Let's not think about how your teammates and my sister are going to make some people suffer. Even if that is questionable... We can talk about the issue with your idea later. Right now we should go look for her." Hayahide frowns.
"Right. Let's hurry and find her." Fuji nods.
Surprisingly, it had not taken too long to gather all of Team Rigil minus their trainer. Hayahide would have thought they would have to find everyone individually. She hadn't accounted for the idea that they may all have a cellphone and be in a group chat together... or rather multiple group chats together.
"First order to action is finding out where she could have gone. The question is if she left campus or not." Air Groove states.
"If she did, then the area we will need to look will be a lot bigger." Grass Wonder says with a frown.
"I hope she is okay..." Taiki Shuttle frowns, tapping her chin.
"Hm... A search for a runaway umamusume. If we do not leave soon, she could get far far away." Symboli Rudolf says.
"Do not make a joke right now." Air Groove frowns.
"That was not a joke. I was being serious, unless-" Rudolf starts.
"We don't need a joke right now." Brian shakes her head.
"Let's just hurry and go already!" Amazon huffs. "We can't just stand around!"
"We should split up and search in pairs. That way we can find her quicker." Maruzensky suggests.
"Wouldn't it be better if we go alone? We'd cover more ground that way." El Condor Pasa asks.
"If we split up, this can go faster!" Amazon agrees.
"No no. What if we get into trouble ourselves when we are alone?" Maruzensky says.
"That wouldn't do." Air Groove shakes her head. "We should stick in pairs. Let's head out now."
"Aren't all of you being a little too calm about this?" Hayahide frowns.
"Calm? I'm not calm." Grass Wonder smiles. "I'm very angry."
"Think about hunting those people down later." Brian mutters. "Let's go search."
"We'll kick their asses." Amazon cracks her knuckles.
"I'm starting to wonder if any of you are actually worried..." Hayahide rubs her forehead. But her words go unheard as everyone splits off.
"Try and relax." Fuji squeezes her shoulder. "It won't do us any good if we work ourselves up worrying too much."
"Are they all really worried?" Hayahide asks. "It seemed to me that they were more concerned about finding whoever sent those letters."
"They are. Everyone just isn't expressing it out loud. If we did that, we'd just end up running circles. We'll find her." Fuji says gently.
"I hope you are right." Hayahide sighs.
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As she stares at her reflection on the lake's surface, she wondered if she had made the wrong choice. Hayahide had only been concerned about her, and she just ran away instead of staying to talk to her.
"Ah... how unbecoming of me..." Opera mutters to herself.
The sound of rustling leaves reaches her ears and she tenses. Had some wild animal come across her? She holds her breath and stays as still as possible, and the rustling sound grows louder. Then a pink shape rolls out of the bushes.
"Oof!" The pink haired uma falls on her face. "Owie..."
Opera does not dare to more or breath, waiting in silence and hoping she does not get spotted.
But things did not go her way because the pink floral eyes of Haru Urara meet hers. Then those same eyes shine brightly with recognition and unbridled joy. And before she knew it, she is tackled to the ground. "Ope!"
"A-Ah... Urara. I was not expecting you." Opera barely manages to keep both of them from toppling over the edge into the lake. "What are you doing out here on your own?"
"I got lost!" Urara says cheerfully.
"Lost?! That will not do! A beautiful princess such as yourself should not be lost in the woods alone." Opera quickly puts on her usual mask of the overlord, putting on a smile to hide her own pain. "My dear, let me-"
"Why is Ope out here alone? Is something bothering you?" Urara interrupts.
"Huh?" Opera's smile falters. "Urara, why would you ask that?"
"Ope is usually running with friends, so I want to know why Ope is alone now!" Urara says innocently. "If something is bothering you, then I want to help! I like helping my friends smile!"
In that moment, Opera lets her smile drop away. "Ah... Urara, you truly have a noble heart. Your kindness is blinding."
"Huh? I don't understand, but I am happy you think that!" Urara smiles.
"I speak the truth. You are a noble umamusume with a heart of gold." Opera says quietly. She carefully scoots them away from the edge of the lake. "But if I may ask, why do you wish to help me?"
"Huh?" Urara tilts her head. "Because Ope helps me a lot! So I want to help Ope!"
"A-Ah... I see." Opera says.
"Ope is my friend too! So if something is bothering Ope, then I want to help!" Urara smiles.
"I see." Opera takes a deep breath. "Then will you lend me an ear?"
"Mhm! Ope can rely on me!" Urara throws her arms around the taller uma.
For a moment, she hesitates. But as Urara continues to stare at her with those expectant eyes, Opera makes up her mind. "I worry that I am disliked. The race today was... disappointing to the audience. I believe they were displeased with me."
"Huh? But I heard everyone cheering." Urara says.
"Not everyone, Urara. Not everyone was cheering. The other umamusume I raced against, they were not happy. They were angry. I could see that they do not like me." Opera looks away.
"But people were happy! You won and I was so so happy to see that! I want to be able to run as fast as Ope can!" Urara says.
Opera frowns. She knew Urara was trying to cheer her up, but she found it difficult to do it herself. "Urara, I do not-"
"Ope shouldn't worry about what they think." Urara grabs her face. "Because Ope is strong! Lots of people like Ope. If some people do not like Ope, then that's okay! I will always cheer for Ope! So Ope shouldn't be sad anymore, I will always believe in you!"
Opera hadn't known what she was expecting, but Urara's words bring a smile to her face and she feels a warmth in her chest. "Thank you, Urara. You are truly kind. And I will support you as well. When you have your next race, I will be sure to attend."
"Whoa! Really?!" Urara's eyes sparkle brightly.
"Really. I would love to witness your performance in the upcoming race." Opera says.
"Yay! I will do my best!" Urara cheers, hopping to her feet.
"I look forward to it." Opera hums.
"Then Ope will rely on me, right?" Urara asks.
"Huh?" Opera blinks in confusion.
"If Ope is having trouble, then I will help!" Urara says. She smiles brightly. "I will listen if you are having trouble, Ope! I don't know if I am good at fixing the problem, but I will try!"
Opera hesitates for a moment before nodding. "If that is what a princess such as yourself wishes to do, then I will not deny you of it."
"Yay!" Urara cheers, jumping in her spot enthusiastically.
"Kneel for a moment, my dear." Opera says.
"Okay!" Urara does as she is told.
Opera carefully removes her crown. Then she places it on Urara's head. "For today, I will let you wear this."
"Whoa! Really?! Is this really okay?!" Urara asks, her eyes go wide.
"Of course. A noble princess such as yourself should be adorned with a crown to allow your nobility to shine." Opera smiles.
"I'll take good care of it!" Urara smiles brightly. Then she grabs Opera's arm. "Let's go back to school now!"
"A-Ah... I may need your assistance with that." Opera says quietly.
"Huh? Is something wrong?" Urara tilts her head.
"I may have hurt my leg earlier." Opera says. Now that she actually thought about it, it probably had been a bad idea to jump out the window to her dorm room. Her landing had not been quite perfect.
"Eh?! Oh no! That's not good at all!" Urara shouts. "I'll help you!"
Urara is gentle as she helps Opera to her feet. The smaller uma positions herself to help Opera keep pressure off of her injured leg.
"Thank you, Urara. Shall we return now?" Opera asks softly.
"Mhm! I'm ready to go!" Urara nods.
"Slowly now, okay? I do not think I will be able to move too quickly." Opera says.
"Okay! I will go slow!" Urara says cheerfully.
Their trek back to campus had was slow. The walk back had given Opera enough time to clear her thoughts. Urara's genuine admiration and feelings warmed her heart, and she felt like she could be more open around the younger uma. She felt like she found someone who would accept her no matter what.
They had reached Tracen Academy as the sun began to set. As the gates had come into view, Opera spots a small crowd just outside of it. It wasn't hard to recognize them as some of her dear friends and teammates. They had all turned to her as soon as she was a few steps away.
"Opera!" Taiki cries out. dashing towards her.
Opera had enough sense to move away from Urara before Taiki tackled her to the ground. The pain that shot through her body when she hit the ground was unbearable that she couldn't help but let out a whimper.
"Ope!" Urara cries out.
"Are you okay?!" Taiki cries out, quickly getting up.
"A-Ah... I think that broke my leg..." Opera mutters quietly.
As she listens to her panicking friends, she concluded that they had all definitely cared. She makes a quiet vow not to worry them too much again. But perhaps she could be a little more open with them when something was upsetting her.