From the very first time Orfevre laid eyes on Curren Chan, she felt that Curren Chan would be someone who would be very difficult to get along with.
Perhaps it stemmed from their almost completely opposing personalities; Orfevre's initial impression of Curren Chan was that she was incredibly pretentious, constantly displaying her affection for Ikezoe openly. Even the simple-minded Orfevre could see it—presumably, only Ikezoe himself was unaware.
But even so, Orfevre never thought of intentionally going into conflict with Curren Chan. Although there were some unpleasant past experiences between them, and even an agreement to a showdown race, Orfevre felt that there was no need to make things too tense with her. After all, in the end, Curren Chan was on the same team as her.
While Orfevre found her annoying, her gentle nature was genuine, and she was also caring to others and her. Simply getting along with her posed no problem. After all, the only person Orfevre truly didn't like was Ikezoe.
She only agreed to become his trainee because Symboli Rudolf and her oldest sister both told her that he could awaken her imperceptible, perhaps non-existent, potential.
However, this time, Orfevre saw Curren Chan completely devoid of a smile for the first time. The Aura she exuded, like that of an apex predator on top of the food chain, made the now guilt-ridden Orfevre tremble in fear, and it completely overturned her perception of Curren Chan.
It turned out that Curren Chan could also get angry, and when Curren Chan gets angry, she was... very, very scary.
Most of the students and Trainers in Tracen only knew of Curren Chan's cuteness and her almost incomprehensibly large fanbase—but few remembered that Curren Chan was no ordinary Uma Musume. Curren Chan's parents are rich and influential people who were also very loving towards her to the point of pampering. With the resources and care that came from her parents, which allowed her to be the undisputed 'Number One Uma Musume' among her peers, she naturally possessed this intimidating Aura.
However, she had known of and appreciated her cuteness since childhood, and thus rarely released this Aura. She preferred to be, as everyone saw, the cute but slightly mischievous Curren Chan. No one would like a domineering and easily irritable girl, no matter how cute she was—Curren Chan understood this. Therefore, even as the best Uma Musume among everyone she knew, she maintained a gentle personality.
But this never meant that she wouldn't get angry, or that she had forgotten the dignity she should possess as a top-tier Uma Musume.
"Ha..." However, as if it was all an illusion, Orfevre felt the oppressive Aura abruptly retract, disappearing completely in an instant like it never existed. And when Orfevre came back to her senses, she saw Curren Chan had already returned to her usual gentle smile and said:
"—If Curren Chan was like this, neither you nor Onii-chan would like her, right? I also don't really like showing this side of myself, so I rarely show such an expression."
"Hehe, Orfevre, were you scared by me just now? But you can't tell Onii-chan about this, or else Curren Chan will really get angry!"
"Y-you deliberately scared me?" Orfevre was also startled, subconsciously frowning as she asked, "Then, why did you do that? Do you think I'm performing too badly and I'm dragging Ikezoe down?"
"Or... are you here to persuade me to leave the team?"
As Orfevre said this, she subconsciously tightened her grip on the blanket. She knew that her results in these two races were not good; compared to her Debut Race, it was as if they were run by two different people. If she was in another Trainer's team, it wouldn't be surprising to receive a request to leave the team.
Those Trainers would probably be like, "My ability is insufficient to bring out your talent," or "I'm very sorry, but please find someone who's more compatible with you." But ultimately, they wouldn't think it was their own lack of ability, but simply that the Uma Musume was not good enough.
But Ikezoe... Orfevre understood him; he wasn't that kind of person.
"No, I actually hope that you can stay in our little team forever."
However, unexpectedly, Curren Chan merely smiled slightly at Orfevre and said, "I do consider you a threat, but that's only from the perspective of romance, and it doesn't mean I can't be friends with you. After all, we are teammates in the same team. As a friend, I really like you."
"—But, as an Uma Musume, Curren Chan hopes that you cheer up quickly. I can certainly run a race to prove Onii-chan's ability, but as for my strong points... Orfevre, you know it."
As Curren Chan said this, a subtle expression appeared on her face. Evidently, Curren Chan's talent, which only allowed her to run short distances, also made her feel particularly annoyed. She also wanted to run all the popular middle and long-distance races so she could prove that Onii-chan wasn't useless, but a genius.
But there was no way; Curren Chan couldn't help Ikezoe much in this regard. However, she also knew that since not only Onii-chan, but Trainer Wada, Trainer Imanami, and Symboli Rudolf herself thought so highly of Orfevre, her talent was undoubtedly there, just not yet unleashed.
Ikezoe might be able to wait; Curren Chan, however, couldn't wait any longer. Or rather, facing the external doubts about her Onii-chan, she felt she couldn't stand by idly anymore.
"So, Orfevre, I hope you can cheer up a bit. Onii-chan thinks very highly of you. Even if I don't understand him, I trust Onii-chan's judgment. I hope that you can now understand that you're not just running to prove your own strength, but also to prove Onii-chan's ability as well."
"—I've put the apple here, Orfevre. Get some good rest today."
With that, Curren Chan placed the finally peeled apple on the bedside table next to Orfevre and then slowly left the scene, leaving Orfevre alone in the hospital room.
Orfevre, however, was stunned for a long time before she silently sat up from the hospital bed. She quietly got up and took out a box from the side, which contained the shoes Ikezoe had given her during her Debut Race.
These shoes, branded with the golden mark 'Japan's Strongest Uma Musume—Orfevre,' Orfevre had worn continuously ever since her Debut Race, whether for training or racing. Now, these recently bought shoes also started to show some signs of wear and tear, as with an Uma Musume's foot strength, a pair of training shoes, no matter how good the quality, would wear out within a few months.
But Orfevre had always worn these shoes to motivate herself. Yet, ever since she put on these shoes, she hadn't managed to succeed after her Debut Race, which made the current Orfevre feel somewhat stung when looking at the writing on them again.
"Japan's Strongest Uma Musume, huh..."
"The current me... isn't worthy of wearing these shoes yet, Ikezoe."
Finally, Orfevre, with a bitter smile, silently put the shoes back into the box. At this moment, she suddenly felt a sense of clarity, as if she had put down a heavy burden, and her whole body felt light.
'Ikezoe, I'm not yet qualified to bear your expectations. I'll take them out when I feel I'm worthy of wearing these shoes. The current me is neither Japan's Strongest Uma Musume nor the Orfevre you think I currently am. I am just Orfevre, an ordinary and common, irritable yet timid Uma Musume... But I will use this ordinary name to win for you, for our promise.'
Orfevre silently closed her eyes. Many memories surfaced in her mind—most of them were about when 'she' was a four-legged creature. She didn't know why Ikezoe appeared in her dream, or why he was with that four-legged 'her', even riding on 'her' back... But since she had already dreamt of Ikezoe, could it be said that her meeting him was due to fate?
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Ikezoe's fate is to be ripped apart (lovingly) by his Umas.
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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.