The next day, according to their promise, Shirayuki was going to race Narita Brian.
As the previous Triple Crown winner, Narita Brian had always been known as the "Shadow Roll Monster." Her running style was also called the "Hungry Wolf."
Wild.
Powerful.
The two of them arrived at the racecourse, drawing many uma musume over to watch.
Among them was Orfevre.
She came to Fujiwara Chiya's side.
"Here to watch Shirayuki race?"
"Foolish. I merely came to watch this little farce after tea, as a way to pass the time."
Orfevre snorted lightly.
"Yesterday, I saw several trainers looking for you. Were they trying to sign a contract with you?"
"They were merely people conquered by my strength, who came of their own accord to become my subjects."
"Did you agree?"
"What does that have to do with you?"
Fujiwara Chiya was rebuffed into silence.
Seeing the man stumble, Orfevre's mood improved.
"No."
"Why?"
Fujiwara Chiya remembered that there had been senior trainers among them.
"They are merely my subjects. In that case, why should I obey the arrangements of my subjects? Those conquered by me have no qualification to become my trainer."
Translated simply, Orfevre would not sign with someone who thought she was amazing.
What kind of logic was that?
Trainers signed with uma musume they thought were strong, but Orfevre would not sign with that kind of trainer. Wasn't that completely blocking her own road to forming a contract?
Her blue-purple eyes looked at Fujiwara Chiya.
"To worry over useless things like that… Even without a trainer, I will still be the strongest uma musume in the world."
"If you don't have a trainer, you won't be able to race."
"I…! I will find a way myself…"
Even Orfevre could not stubbornly talk her way around the rules of racing.
"If you run into trouble, you can come find me."
"Meddlesome fool. I do not need you worrying about me."
"What a troublesome child…"
"Guh… Empress's Scepter, you can only act arrogant for now. Soon, you will become the defeated loser beneath my feet."
"You've decided you're going to race me?"
"Naturally. At the beginning of next month, that will be the time you lose to me."
"I can do that, though I'm not an uma musume."
Fujiwara Chiya looked at her.
"But I'll say this first. I'm pretty strong."
Thump!
Her heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly. Orfevre's pupils contracted.
She lowered her head.
"Hehe… hahaha! As expected, out of all the trainers, you are the most interesting! Those others are not worth looking at at all! Fine, resist me, Trainer. I shall see how long that stubborn mouth of yours can last."
Orfevre pinched the man's chin and showed an arrogant smile.
"I'll be the judge for your race!"
Hishi Amazon's voice came from the training ground. Narita Brian and Shirayuki had already finished their preparations.
Orfevre released her hand and turned to look at the racecourse.
No matter how much she spoke poorly of the Empress, she would still seriously watch Shirayuki's race.
What a headache-inducing uma musume.
When would Tracen have fewer problem children?
Fujiwara Chiya touched his chin and leaned against the rail.
On the other side, after Shirayuki finished warming up, Narita Brian approached her.
"Shirayuki, in this race, both of us have to go all out."
"Mm. Of course."
Against a Triple Crown winner, there was no reason for her to hold back.
"When I say go all out, I mean use every technique you can use. The racing rules over in Europe are different from Japan's, right? Race according to how they do things over there."
How they do things over there?
Did she mean physical contact?
With Shirayuki's current body strength, actively clashing with other uma musume would actually bring more advantages than avoiding battle. But Shirayuki did not want to deliberately start conflicts with other uma musume.
That would increase the risk of injury.
As a trainer, even if the other party was not her own uma musume, Shirayuki did not want her opponent to get hurt.
"You seem to be hesitating over something. Where is your wildness? That hunger for racing! As the White Wolf, you should cast aside all hesitation, follow your instincts, and give everything to defeat your opponent. Can you still call yourself an uma musume like this? Answer me, Shirayuki."
Hearing those words, Shirayuki froze.
That was right.
Right now, she was not a trainer.
Worrying about her opponent was not what an uma musume should be doing.
Right now, she should be thinking about how to defeat her opponent and seize victory.
Shirayuki took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, firm resolve appeared in her blue eyes.
Seeing that, Narita Brian smiled.
She could finally see Shirayuki in serious mode.
The two arrived at the starting point.
"The race begins!"
With Hishi Amazon's voice, two figures, one black and one white, shot forward together.
At the start, Shirayuki was slightly faster. Narita Brian fell behind Shirayuki, and the two entered the inside lane one after another.
Narita Brian watched Shirayuki's movements and noticed that her running posture seemed a little lower than before.
That degree of forward lean had already surpassed even Narita Brian at her peak.
Heh.
Interesting!
In just half a month, Shirayuki had broken through again.
She was like a sponge absorbing water, constantly expanding.
Narita Brian's heart began to beat faster. The corners of her mouth lifted. Her blood gradually boiled, and the wildness in her heart that pursued victory let out a long howl.
As expected, only racing against the strong could satisfy her hunger!
Soon, the race reached the first turn.
Narita Brian watched Shirayuki's movements, waiting for an opportunity. However, whether it was her running rhythm or her distance from the rail, everything had reached a perfect level. Even with Narita Brian's experience, she could not find the slightest opening.
If she wanted to overtake Shirayuki, she could only attack from the outside.
Narita Brian lowered her body, preparing to use the overtaking technique she was best at.
Relying on her incredibly tough strength, she would enter the outside lane in the blink of an eye, then accelerate.
Finding the right timing, Narita Brian stepped hard onto the ground. Her forward momentum suddenly shifted, sending her flying sideways. Immediately after, she stepped onto the ground again, and her momentum shifted once more, becoming a forward charge.
However, the instant Narita Brian accelerated, Shirayuki seemed to have eyes on the back of her head.
She suddenly lowered her body and sprinted forward.
Their speeds matched perfectly.
The sudden change caught Narita Brian off guard.
She had never expected Shirayuki to accelerate at that exact moment. Originally, she had planned to pass in front of Shirayuki, but after that burst of acceleration, the two of them became side by side.
At this point, the race had already reached the second turn.
No choice.
She had to change lanes.
Narita Brian watched for the timing to enter the turn, intending to move to the inside.
However—
Shirayuki tightened her shoulders and leaned toward her.
Thud!
A heavy sound echoed across the training ground.
Narita Brian let out a strained sound. The impact nearly shook her organs apart. Her momentum, which had been rushing toward the inside like lightning, was forcibly stopped.
At the entrance to the turn, Narita Brian was forcefully pushed out to the outside by Shirayuki.