It was not until Orfevre came looking for him herself that Fujiwara Chiya finally understood what those words meant.
"So, if I lose, I have to become your trainer?"
"Correction. If you lose, you will become my subject. Then you will obediently arrange training plans for me."
Wasn't that basically the same thing as being her trainer?
Fujiwara Chiya had never expected Orfevre to come to him on her own and ask him to become her trainer. Sure, the way she phrased it was incredibly twisted, but this was already a miracle on the level of the sun rising from the west.
Wait.
Do I have some kind of built-in talent for attracting problem children?
Pick any one of his uma musume, and they were all packed with personality. And now here came Orfevre on top of that.
"Then what happens if I win?"
"Oh? Trainer, do you truly believe your strength can surpass mine?"
"Whether I can win or not, if you're setting conditions, they should be equal, right?"
"Fair enough. If Trainer wins, then I shall let you do as you please with me."
"Do as I please…"
Fujiwara Chiya stared straight at Orfevre.
Noticing his gaze, Orfevre suddenly hugged her chest tightly. A faint blush colored her cheeks.
"You shameless scoundrel! What exactly are you fantasizing about?! If you truly dare to do something indecent to me, I will never forgive you!"
"Hey! I haven't even said anything yet! I wasn't thinking about that kind of nonsense. I was just wondering what I should make you do!"
Orfevre stared hard into his eyes.
Then, slowly, she lowered her arms.
As expected of the Empress's Scepter.
He carried the same scent as the Empress. The scent of someone who enjoyed secretly gazing at the bodies of uma musume from the shadows.
Still, as long as he was a man, he would naturally have some degree of desire in that regard. The only difference was whether it was strong or weak.
It did not count as a mark against him.
"I've got it," Fujiwara Chiya said. "If I win, you have to behave. No being selfish."
"Oh? And when have I ever been selfish?"
"You're always selfish, aren't you?"
"I am simply doing what I wish to do. Those who stand in my way are the ones in the wrong. I have no reason to obey incorrect instructions."
That was exactly what people called being selfish.
Orfevre really had zero self-awareness.
"Then just listen to me."
"You wish to turn me into your possession? How arrogant of you, Trainer."
"Not my possession. I'm just telling you not to cause trouble."
"I have never caused trouble."
It was over.
There was no reasoning with Orfevre.
Fujiwara Chiya decided to just roll with it.
"Fine. Then you'll be my possession. If you lose, you belong to me."
"I knew it. Trainer, you have been coveting my body all along."
Fine.
Great.
So she got to twist both the nice version and the bad version however she liked, and now he was forced to play the villain, huh?!
"Very well. If I lose, I become Trainer's possession. If Trainer loses, you become my subject. This is a fair wager. However, I will add one more condition."
Orfevre looked at him.
"After Trainer becomes my subject, you must give up your position as the Empress's Scepter."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you will no longer be Shirayuki's trainer. You will focus only on serving me."
What?
Give up his position as Shirayuki's trainer?
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible.
"Since you will be my subject, Trainer, you will have no right to refuse. Or did you think I would become your uma musume? Do not make me laugh. Understand our relationship clearly. I am giving you an order, not making a request."
Orfevre turned around.
The hem of her skirt fluttered gently.
"I shall look forward to Trainer's performance in the race. Do not disappoint me. After all, a subject represents the dignity of their monarch. If Trainer loses too miserably, that would be terribly dull. Even I would feel embarrassed."
With that, Orfevre left the office.
Fujiwara Chiya sat in his chair.
"It seems you have found yourself in quite the mess, Trainer."
"Uwah! Darley? Weren't you at a party?"
"I came back to grab something. I didn't expect to stumble upon such an interesting scene."
Darley smiled brightly.
"What will you do, Trainer? If you go and apologize now, Orfevre might give up on the wager. Though the price is that she may never look up to you again."
"Apologize? Like I'd ever apologize."
"In that case, Trainer, you will have to put Shirayuki on the line and face her. Will you win?"
"My strength isn't weak."
"That is true. Trainer is strong. But by that same logic, Orfevre is also strong."
Darley crossed her arms and rested a hand against her chin.
"According to Trainer, Orfevre is a child touched by the goddess's fingertip. Her talent is extraordinary. Even with Trainer's strength, you may lose to her before you realize it. And if that happens, you will have no choice but to give up Shirayuki and go serve Orfevre."
Fujiwara Chiya's heart sank.
He did not hate the idea of serving Orfevre.
After all, he had more than enough experience dealing with problem children. He could probably steer her back onto the right path eventually.
But giving up Shirayuki?
That was absolutely not allowed.
It would be no different from cutting him cleanly in half.
So this race was simple.
Fujiwara Chiya was allowed to win.
He was not allowed to lose.
"Darley, I need to head out."
"Not working anymore?"
"You help me."
"I am on vacation, Trainer."
"Please. I'll make it up to you with another day off."
Watching his back as he left, Darley's lips curled upward.
As long as she stayed near Trainer, she would always run into something interesting.
Still, work really was such a hassle.
To think that one of the Three Goddesses herself had to do these petty tasks every day.
She might as well slack off and jump directly to a future timeline where everything was already finished.
Darley's figure vanished from the office.
On the desk, the notebook began flipping open by itself, though there was no wind.
In the quiet room, the soft scratch of a pen moving across paper echoed steadily.
Meanwhile, Fujiwara Chiya arrived at Agnes Tachyon's laboratory.
"Tachyon, help me turn on the VR."
"Hm? What's this, Guinea Pig-kun? There are no experiments today."
"Set up a few simulated races for me. I want to check how strong I am right now."
Agnes Tachyon's head practically filled with question marks. She had no idea what Trainer was trying to do.
Still, she turned on the VR and had Fujiwara Chiya put on the headset.
"Oh, right, Guinea Pig-kun. The VR software received a major update a few days ago. It supports online play now."
"Online play? What can it do?"
"You can race together with other uma musume who own VR equipment. Everyone is sent to a place called the World Racecourse. You can see quite a few powerful uma musume there. If you want to test your strength, I believe real combat will suit you much better than racing against AI."
"Got it. Send me to the racecourse."
"You may feel a little dizzy. Bear with it."
The moment her voice fell, a flash of white light swept across Fujiwara Chiya's vision.
The image of Shirayuki's side disappeared.
When Fujiwara Chiya opened his eyes again, he found himself standing on a familiar racecourse.
Looking at the massive four-story structure behind him, Fujiwara Chiya murmured,
"Longchamp Racecourse?"
"Isn't that Trainer Chiya? Long time no see!"
A lively voice caught Fujiwara Chiya's attention.
He turned his head.
In the distance, a cute uma musume was waving at him.
Trêve.