Wada and his two Uma Musume were initiating a new round of training and rest, with the Satsuki Sho as their target. However, for Ikezoe, Curren Chan's Debut Race was still far off, and he still had ample time to make thorough preparations for her Debut Race.
"Onii-chan~ can I really not run middle distances? Not even a mile race?"
"Curren Chan, you saw how you performed against McQueen and the others. In terms of stamina, you simply can't compare to Uma Musume who run middle and long distances. Instead of trying to train your non-existent stamina, which won't yield results overnight, it's better to focus on training for short-distance races."
On the track, Curren Chan, who was wearing a gymnastics uniform unique to Fillies—different from most other Uma Musume, with her two fair, long legs exposed—asked with a smile. However, she was met with a rejection from Ikezoe. (T/N: That description was NOT necessary)
To be honest, Ikezoe only recently learned that, depending on the Uma Musume, the training uniforms for Fillies and Colts were different—although Ikezoe was curious why there was still this level of distinction in a world where all Uma Musume were female, he didn't ask further since it was probably common knowledge.
But the most important thing was that unlike other colt Uma Musume whose training uniforms were long pants, hers were super short shorts—they could barely be called pants anymore.
And due to the imbalance in the ratio of colts to Fillies at Tracen Academy, Uma Musume dressed like this were extremely rare—Ikezoe wanted to remain calm, but eventually, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Um... Curren Chan, why don't you go change into some long pants?"
"Hehe, no need to worry, Onii-chan. Curren Chan is an Uma Musume, you know? I'm not afraid of the cold at all~" Curren Chan initially smiled, misunderstanding him. It was late March, and the weather in Japan was still quite chilly, making it easy for people to catch a cold.
However, Curren Chan quickly realized what Ikezoe meant. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't back down. She said mysteriously and teasingly:
"Could it be... Onii-chan is captivated by Curren Chan's cuteness? Hehe, Onii-chan is so perverted~"
"But if it's Onii-chan, it's okay, you know? But you'll have to wait until I finish my studies at Tracen before we can consider anything; otherwise, Onii-chan will be flamed by Curren Chan's fans~"
...Huh, there was also this intensity of an unmasked offensive. It truly left Ikezoe dumbfounded. However, Ikezoe didn't take Curren Chan's teasing seriously; to him, her provocation was merely a jest.
He and Curren Chan were as close as father and daughter! How could he have any wicked thoughts? (T/N: Broski...)
"Tch, what a perverted guy..."
However, at this moment, a cold snort suddenly sounded behind Ikezoe. Upon catching the sound, Ikezoe almost instinctively dodged to the side. Finally, after turning around, he came face to face with the figure of Orfevre, who had appeared at some unknown time.
"...Why are you so afraid of me? I won't kick you." Orfevre also felt that Ikezoe's reaction was a bit too exaggerated. With her hands in her pockets, she said, "Last time was an accident; it was your fault for appearing behind me."
"Suddenly appearing behind me is also scary you know...?" Ikezoe patted his chest, still feeling a lingering fear. He looked at Orfevre, who hadn't appeared since their heart-to-heart talk that day, and asked with a renewed smile, "Orfevre, do you need something from me?"
"Can't I look for you if I don't need anything? Also, I don't think we're close enough to call each other by name, are we?"
Orfevre said to Ikezoe with some emotion. However, Curren Chan, listening to Orfevre's tone, couldn't help but ask with a hint of curiosity:
"Um... Orfevre, why do you feel... a little different from usual?"
Orfevre was quite meek among Uma Musume. While not as timid as Meisho Doto, she was quite shy. Furthermore, Orfevre was prone to overreacting, which made her rarely interact with anyone outside of her close acquaintances.
Many people at Tracen Academy mistakenly believed Orfevre was aggressive due to her appearance, and thus were reluctant to interact with her, even calling her "Golden Tyrant" in private. But in reality, Orfevre spoke very meekly.
But now... at least in Curren Chan's eyes, Orfevre's tone had absolutely no connection to the word "meek."
"Huh? Different? I- is it?"
However, Orfevre belatedly realized that her tone did seem a bit different from usual. Her usual speaking tone would definitely not be as... overbearing? Orfevre couldn't find any other adjective.
During this time, Orfevre had not met Ikezoe. On one hand, she wanted to see what Curren Chan, Ikezoe's assigned Uma Musume, was capable of. She already knew that Curren Chan was a talented short-distance runner, but there wasn't much to compare in other aspects.
On the other hand... Orfevre had a messy mindset during this period. She was tormented by strange dreams, unable to wake up properly for many days and nights, and her mental state was not good, severely needing rest.
It was only during this time that she barely managed to get a little relief from those chaotic dreams... but now it seemed she still hadn't completely recovered.
"I haven't been sleeping well lately; I'm really a bit tired." Orfevre rubbed her eyes to clear her head, then looked up again and said:
"Ikezoe, I'm participating in my Debut Race next week. Will you... come?"
"—Let me be clear, I'm not inviting you! I heard what the President said; she said she's coming to watch my race in person! And she told me to invite you along!" Orfevre quickly realized her tone was a bit off and added:
"The President keeps wanting me to be your in charge Uma Musume; it's such a hassle! But I can't refuse, so you have to help me!"
"...How can I help you with this? I can't stop the President and them from watching the race, can I?" Ikezoe also found it inexplicably amusing. He waved his hand and said:
"If you ask me, with the President coming to watch your Debut Race, you should be happy, right? Why come to me?"
"Of course, it's for you to reject her request!"
However, Orfevre's unhesitating words made Ikezoe slightly stunned... Did Orfevre dislike him that much?
Could it be that Orfevre genuinely disliked him that day? It wasn't a tsundere act? At this moment, Ikezoe, who considered himself the person who understood Orfevre best, for the first time felt unconfident in his judgment.
"Anyway, you don't like me either, do you? Those were just words to comfort me at the time." However, Orfevre's understanding was clearly different from Ikezoe's. She stood with her arms crossed, looking indifferent, but as she recalled the scenes from that day, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed and turned her head, saying:
"I'm just an ordinary Uma Musume...'strongest Uma Musume' or anything like that... you're flattering me too much."
"The Debut Race, I will win it, but I really think that we're still not suitable. I get angry and want to kick you just by looking at your face. How could the two of us ever get along?"
Orfevre had thought a lot, a great deal, about Ikezoe's encouragement to her that day. Ikezoe's words, "I think you're the strongest!"... Orfevre didn't want to lie; she wanted to say that she was genuinely happy for a long time.
But when she thought back carefully, she realized those were most likely just words of comfort. That feeling of unconfidence returned to her mind, forcing her to come to Ikezoe now to discuss her situation.
Indeed... she still wasn't good enough, was she? The strongest Uma Musume, what kind of talk is that... she spoke too confidently; hasn't she already been targeted by that "Emperor"?!
Orfevre was quite clear about her own capabilities. She even doubted if she could outrun Gold Ship—Gold Ship was her younger sister, yet she was taller and bigger than her! How in the world could that happen?!
Orfevre's lack of confidence made Ikezoe inexplicably find it amusing. Seeing his strongest partner being so unconfident in herself now, Ikezoe felt that the Orfevre in his perception seemed a little different.
"Orfevre, you..."
"Oh my~ If Orfevre thinks she can't do it, then Curren Chan won't mind taking Onii-chan for herself~"
Curren Chan suddenly smiled and hugged Ikezoe's arm, saying with a cheerful yet cunning smile to Orfevre in front of her:
"Anyway, you don't think he is compatible with you, and Curren Chan doesn't want to share her Onii-chan either. Since Orfevre is so generous, I am very happy to have him alllll for myself~"
"..."
However, in an instant, just as Ikezoe felt something was amiss, he immediately noticed Orfevre, wearing a mask, suddenly becoming aggressive—as a victim of Orfevre, Ikezoe's vigilance immediately went into overdrive, not daring to relax in the slightest.
Orfevre's Aura also began to unconsciously spread as well. However, while Curren Chan smiled, a hint of coldness flickered in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
The subtle confrontation between the two girls made all the surrounding Uma Musume feel immense pressure, and they scattered like birds, trying to avoid it.
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First Wada, now Ikezoe. Only the old man is safe and even then that might not be true in the future...
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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.