The end of the Yayoi Sho marked the end of the first half of the races in March.
The remaining three races would all take place in the latter half of the month, which meant that Team Miracle was given a short period of respite.
"Ikezoe went to coach Curren Chan again... No one's around, I'm so boreeeddd~"
It was another boring rest day for Orfevre; everyone in the team had been very busy lately.
Wada, Ikezoe, and Imanami's teams all had important races coming up, and so were actively preparing.
Meanwhile, Orfevre, having just finished her race, was given a single task: to rest.
However, despite feeling extremely bored, Orfevre never forgot or slacked off from doing her daily training.
On this particular day, she had just finished her usual six-lap jog and was about to grab a bottle of water. Yet...
A chilling sensation from behind made Orfevre unable to ignore it.
Orfevre did not think it was some pervert; after all, she considered herself to be quite average looking among other Uma Musume.
Moreover, this presence... felt quite familiar, it was just that Orfevre couldn't recall where she had felt it before.
However... Orfevre knew exactly where this chilling sensation was coming from.
Did Orfevre sense their location through a sixth sense? Maybe through the use of Aura or Zone? Well... no.
Orfevre glanced at a bush nearby that suspiciously had two long Uma Musume ears sticking out of it, the person it belonged to fully believing she was well-hidden.
If it had just been the ears, Orfevre might have missed it, but the bright blue rose on her hat completely betrayed her position.
When Orfevre began sizing out this Uma Musume's Aura, it felt... ethereal and elusive, like an assassin about to strike, making it impossible to sense its existence unless you already knew it was there.
Though Orfevre found this Uma Musume's Aura unique, she had to deal with the peeping situation first.
So, grabbing one of the bottles of water from the pile Ikezoe had prepared for her, she chugged it down, then casually tossed it...
Smack
Landing straight on the peeping Uma Musume's head.
"Ow—!"
With the precise hit of the bottle, Rice Shower, who fell out of the bushes clutching her little head, finally revealed herself.
Orfevre then walked straight up to her before taking a good look at Rice Shower, her eyebrow raised.
"So it's you. If I remember, you're called..."
"Eh?! O- O- O- Orfevre?!"
As Rice Shower realized the person who hit her was Orfevre, she panickedly stood up, still clutching her throbbing head.
Rice Shower was a very small Uma Musume: in front of Orfevre, who was already considered lacking in the vertical department, she was still half a head shorter.
This made Orfevre, who usually never had a height advantage within the team, unexpectedly feel a sense of superiority.
Speaking of which, the last couple of Uma Musume who recently joined the team were all quite small in stature, weren't they?
Orfevre couldn't help but get distracted, thinking of Tokai Teio and Sweep Tosho, two Uma Musume who looked like little kids.
With the addition of these two Uma Musume, Orfevre, who was still ignorant of the wider world, even began to have the mistaken impression that she was actually average, or even above average in terms of height.
The small Rice Shower in front of her sure didn't help Orfevre resolve this delusion.
"A- ah, I'm sorry, Orfevre! I... I really didn't mean to spy on you..."
Orfevre's distracted appearance seemed to make Rice Shower think she was contemplating how to beat her up, so she quickly threw up her hands and nervously explained,
"I- my name is Rice Shower... I don't know if you remember me... but I competed against you in the Yayoi Sho..."
"Yayoi Sho...? Ah, it's you, the one who came in sixth."
Orfevre quickly recalled several competitors from yesterday's Yayoi Sho, and among them was indeed a small, somewhat conspicuous Uma Musume.
"Y- yes... I lost to Orfevre... Ah! Bu- but, but I'm not here to find trouble or anything!"
As soon as Orfevre mentioned 'sixth place,' Rice Shower's ears drooped a little, but, gathering all the courage she had, she asked Orfevre,
"I hope Orfevre c- can let me run alongside you..."
"Ah! Rice Shower doesn't mean she wants to train with you; I just hope you can let Rice Shower follow you during your daily training sessions. I will definitely not trouble you..."
Rice Shower acted incredibly nervous throughout her request, perhaps because she felt the gap in status between her and Orfevre was too great, or perhaps because she had never interacted with Orfevre before, only meeting her once on the racecourse.
Regardless, Orfevre's scary appearance didn't help with Rice Shower's impression of Orfevre, making her speak very cautiously...
'She just wants to follow me? Why is she acting like it's a confession or something?'
Orfevre thought to herself, finding the timid Rice Shower in front of her a bit strange.
"Running alongside me, I don't mind... but don't you have any other friends or teammates to run with? Have you not found a Trainer yet?"
"Y- yes... Rice Shower hasn't found a Trainer yet; I've al- always been training alone..."
Rice Shower nodded somewhat dejectedly, her ears drooping even more than before.
"Rice Shower has always been unlucky, so I've never found a Trainer, even after five years."
"Oh... that's unluck— Wait, five years?! You're a high schooler?!"
Orfevre initially felt a bit sorry for Rice Shower, but then, belatedly, she realized a problem and looked at the tiny Rice Shower in shock.
This little girl was actually her senior? She- she doesn't look like one at all...!
"It- it's true!!!"
Rice Shower said with a rare hint of urgency, it was clear that this wasn't the first time someone doubted her actual age.
But what could she do about her small body? She had always made sure to eat a lot and drink lots of milk every day, yet nothing has changed!
Only when Rice Shower realized she had raised her voice did she immediately shrink back into her usual anxious self, saying in a flustered tone,
"I- I'm sorry, I got a little emotional just now..."
"No, no, no... I'm the one who should be saying sorry... I really didn't see it."
Orfevre swallowed, shelving her suprise as she calmed herself down.
"Well, Rice Shower, if you can't find a Trainer, why don't you join our team? I remember Trainer Wada's side still needs one..."
"No, no, Rice Shower is a bringer of misfortune... I can't join your team..."
Rice Shower nervously declined Orfevre's invitation.
However, when she was given a chance to join Team Miracle, a visible hint of longing appeared on Rice Shower's face.
Especially when she thought about being in the same team as legendary Uma Musume like T.M. Opera O, who ushered in a new era.
But when Rice Shower thought that her joining might bring misfortune to everyone, causing them to miss victories or even fall from glory, she immediately rejected Orfevre's offer.
She couldn't bear such a heavy sense of guilt...
"Rice Shower just hopes to become more confident and stronger, like Orfevre. If I can learn from you, perhaps the gap between me and you can be narrowed a little..."
"Oh? Can I interpret that as a challenge?"
As soon as the topic of racing came up, the bored Orfevre's spirits immediately fired up.
Although she was still inwardly a little timid, in front of an Uma Musume smaller than herself, she still looked quite intimidating.
And facing Rice Shower, who only placed sixth in the Yayoi Sho, now having the courage to say she'll catch up to her, Orfevre had to admit, she was intrigued.
"Nonono, it's not that, I just—!"
Rice Shower quickly wanted to take back her words, but before she could say anything more, Orfevre placed her hand on Rice Shower's shoulder, interrupting her.
"But you're still too weak, Rice Shower. You probably don't even know what Aura or Zone is right? So, it's too early to think of challenging me."
"Instead, think about how to go from sixth place to fifth, then from fifth to second; only then should you talk about challenging me."
"In this race, hmm... I remember the Uma Musume who came in second was Mihono Bourbon, right? Try to surpass her first."
"I'm looking forward to the day you can reach my side and actually threaten me."
"—But even then, I'll still win."
With that last statement, Orfevre released her Aura for a split second before retracting it, causing Rice Shower to step back in fear.
By the time Rice Shower realized she was sweating, Orfevre had already walked far away.
It wasn't until Orfevre had made sure that Rice Shower wasn't nearby that she, who had intentionally acted cool the entire time, couldn't resist cheering a few times, throwing a few punches and jumping with joy, squealing.
"Hell yeah! I was so damn cool just now! Rice Shower must think I'm such a badass!"
"Finally! After all these years, I finally got to be cool for once!"
However, while some of Orfevre's words just now might have just been said to sound cool, she genuinely hoped that Rice Shower could become stronger.
But what Orfevre didn't know at this moment was that her words today had caused a butterfly's small wings to flutter throughout the rivers of time.
Her encouraging words to Rice Shower today would become one of the main driving forces for Rice Shower in the time to come.
Perhaps, one day, the 'assassin's dagger' might even find itself aimed at Orfevre's back...
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Orfevre: I am the Golden Tyrant which means I run very fast.
Rice Shower: Dude, I'm a fucking assassin, I don't care. I'm going to take your wins, and then stab you with my dagger.
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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.