Huu—!
The overwhelming pressure erupted again, startling the Umamusume onlookers into shrieking as they stumbled backward.
They stared at Orfevre in fear.
Normally, even when things like this happened, Crafty classmate Orfevre wouldn't say much—so why was she suddenly angry this time?
"But even when she's mad… she's so handsome!"
"Ahh… I think I'm wet—"
"Huh?"
Orfevre gazed at the now-empty corridor and fell silent for a long moment.
Her anger slowly settled, sinking into something more complicated.
She lifted a hand and lightly pressed it to her chest.
The warmth that had bloomed in the garden was still lingering there… along with that sour twinge that had surged up the moment she heard Wuyou already had a partner Umamusume.
In the end, she gave a very soft snort—yet the corner of her lips rose into an almost invisible curve.
"…He runs pretty fast."
Defied. Deceived. Slipped away right in front of her.
All of it was outrageous insolence.
And yet, strangely, she didn't truly feel the urge to punish him.
Instead, the desire to catch that "little kitty" only grew stronger.
"Wuyou…"
Orfevre repeated the name in a low voice, a deeper meaning flashing through her eyes.
"Very well. You have captured my attention."
She quickened her pace and continued toward the teaching building.
She wanted to see for herself exactly who the one was—this "partner Umamusume" of Wuyou's!
…
Hearing Orfevre's footsteps finally fade away, Wuyou—hiding around a corridor corner not far off—let out a breath.
That was close… thank goodness I reacted fast.
From the first glance, he'd sensed that this Umamusume's "handsomeness" was no less than Mr. C.B.'s. In this academy, she had to be absurdly popular.
And right now was lunchtime—right by the teaching building, full of Umamusume just getting out of class. There were definitely plenty of her fans here.
Wuyou had deliberately waited for the crowd chaos, then slipped away without a sound.
Shameless?
No—this was tactical brilliance, baby.
"But I didn't expect… she was Orfevre."
Wuyou couldn't help sighing.
He actually knew a few of the Gold-family Umamusume.
Like the one whose behavior was so alien it was practically extraterrestrial: Gold Ship.
Or the one who loved traveling to different places every day: Gold Journey.
Two years ago, when he'd toured different countries, he'd even traveled with her for a stretch.
And from her, he'd heard plenty of "Gold family intel"—including information about Orfevre.
Matching that "king" personality… was talent just as top-tier.
To be honest, Wuyou was tempted too.
But for now, he shelved the thought.
Gold-family Umamusume were just too hard to "tame."
He shook his head and went upstairs from another direction.
"Better go find Mr. C.B. first. Don't let her worry…"
…
"Lady Mr. C.B., is something urgent going on? You look so rushed."
In the hallway, a group of Umamusume clustered around Mr. C.B., asking curiously.
"I'm looking for someone," Mr. C.B. forced out a smile.
She'd gone to the office as planned, intending to head to the cafeteria with Wuyou—only to find he wasn't there.
Mr. C.B. knew Wuyou wasn't the type to stand her up for no reason. He must have been pulled away by something sudden.
But for some reason… she couldn't shake an ominous feeling, like Wuyou had been targeted by someone very troublesome.
So she decided to search for him herself—only to run into this overly enthusiastic fan group halfway.
"Looking for someone… don't tell me Lady Mr. C.B. is looking for your trainer?!"
One Umamusume shouted excitedly.
Instantly, the whole area buzzed.
After yesterday's performance on the training grounds, Mr. C.B.'s name had already spread like wildfire.
"Really, really?! Lady Mr. C.B. has a trainer now?!"
"What kind of person is he? Is he good-looking?"
"Waaah… getting chosen by Lady Mr. C.B.—that guy's luck is insane!"
"Why can't I be a trainer tooooo…"
Everyone talked over each other. One Umamusume very deliberately cleared her throat, patted her rather flat chest (not far off from a certain orange-haired Umamusume's), and declared:
"Ahem! Yesterday I just so happened to be—right there on the training grounds~"
In an instant, she became the center of attention.
They swarmed her, hungry for gossip about the mysterious trainer—especially what he looked like.
She didn't answer directly. Instead, she covered her flushed cheeks and started to squirm bashfully.
But that reaction told them everything.
"Eeeee—that handsome?!"
"Handsome and strong?! Oh my god, is he the protagonist of a light novel?!"
"He was chosen by Lady Mr. C.B.—of course he's the real deal!"
Watching her fans get carried away, Mr. C.B. helplessly shook her head.
Though it was probably for the best they hadn't demanded to see Wuyou's face…
Now that she thought about it—
She didn't even have a single photo of him on her phone.
…All right. Decision made! Later, I'm taking a selfie with him!
Just as Mr. C.B. was plotting to herself, an extraordinary pressure rolled in from the far end of the corridor.
She turned.
There, striding forward with chin lifted high, surrounded by yet another crowd, was a golden "Pikachu" of a presence—radiating dominance.
It was Orfevre.
Mr. C.B.'s fan group instantly erupted too.
"Huh?! No way, no way—Is that Lady Orfi?!"
"Orfi? Isn't that Orfevre classmate?"
"Idiot! 'Orfi' is Lady Orfevre's nickname! You don't even know that?!"
"Why would we? We're Lady Mr. C.B.'s fans, okay? Wait—are you a spy?!"
"…Dual stan bliss, get it?!"
At Tracen Academy, there were plenty of Umamusume with "handsome faces"—so many that there was even a list called Tracen's Must-Eat Handsome Rankings.
Symboli Rudolf, Air Groove, Sirius Symboli, Fuji Kiseki, and so on…
Every school festival, the Student Council's "Butler Café" would gather the academy's "handsome" Umamusume in one place—
And every time it was packed to bursting, reservations required days in advance.
Mr. C.B. and Orfevre were both top favorites on that "must-eat" list.
So when the two "factions" met in the hallway, the atmosphere subtly sharpened into something like a standoff.
Of course, it was mostly among the fans.
The logic was simple:
Mr. C.B. was sunny and bright-handsome.
Orfevre was cold and noble-handsome.
The two were like the extremes of an "XP" spectrum—"pure love" versus "NTR."
Some friction between fanbases was inevitable.
And while Mr. C.B. herself was gentle…
Her fans were, unexpectedly, terrifyingly combative.
After all, they were "Ming fans."
And Ming was M.
So they were both M-lovers… and keycaps.
Mr. C.B. and Orfevre had no real beef. They were acquainted, exchanged a polite nod, and each intended to move on.
They were both in a hurry to find someone, after all…
Seeing that, Mr. C.B.'s fan club smoothly returned to the previous topic.
"Right, right! So—Lady Mr. C.B.'s trainer… what was his name again?"
"I remember! His name is Wuyou!"
Tap.
Leather shoes struck the floor with a crisp sound—like someone had pressed pause on the world.
Mr. C.B.'s fans whipped their heads around.
Pure black flames ignited again.
Orfevre's aura immediately… surged! exploded! roared!!!
"Wuyou?" she murmured lowly.
Cold sweat slid down Mr. C.B.'s back.
Orfevre turned and walked up to Mr. C.B., her expression icy.
"So… it's you."
....
My Patreon : patreon/RuneA
If you want to read the novel in advance, you can subscribe for early access. I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length. If you're following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it