Orfevre wouldn't go back on her word… right?
The next day, Fujiwara Chiya sat in his office, waiting for her answer.
After their race yesterday, Orfevre had left without saying a single word. Her face had looked awful.
Chiya had done some reflecting too.
Had he gone too far?
Orfevre was still an uma musume who hadn't even debuted yet, and Chiya had treated her with the full European style right out of the gate. Then, the moment she finally managed to step into the Zone, he had slammed her straight back out of it.
If their positions had been reversed, he would have been absolutely furious.
But letting Orfevre enter the Zone had been way too risky. Who knew how fast she could run once she unlocked her body's full potential? Chiya didn't dare gamble on it.
If he lost, he would have to become Orfevre's babysitter. Not only would she refuse to listen to him, he would also have to hand Shirayuki over to someone else.
Wouldn't that be a massive loss?
While Chiya was reflecting on his actions from yesterday, there was a knock at the door.
An uma musume wearing glasses stepped inside.
Her blue-purple gradient eyes turned toward him. She walked up to Chiya's desk.
"Dream Journey."
"Good morning, Trainer Chiya."
She lowered her head.
"Orfevre asked me to give this to you."
Chiya took the form and skimmed through it.
"She agreed to become my uma musume?"
"Yes. A wager is a wager. Orfevre said that, from now on, she belongs to you."
"Where is she?"
"Taking a walk outside. If you want to find her, you should run into her near the garden."
Chiya stood up.
Before he left, Dream Journey spoke again.
"Trainer, Orfevre is a very good girl. She has always worked toward the very top of all uma musume, and she has never feared any obstacle. She longs to become the strongest uma musume. Please, if nothing else, remember that."
"Yeah. I know."
Chiya nodded, then ran toward the garden.
After he left, Dream Journey noticed the records on his desk. Notes about Orfevre's running style, her strategic flaws, and all kinds of improvement plans.
Over this period of time, Dream Journey had learned what kind of person Fujiwara Chiya was.
As the Empress's Scepter, he had always supported the training of uma musume.
With him by her side…
Orfevre should be fine.
Meanwhile, Chiya found Orfevre wandering around the garden.
She was staring blankly at a white jasmine flower. When she heard footsteps, Orfevre turned around. The instant she saw him, displeasure flickered across her face.
"My, aren't you impatient. You simply cannot wait to decide what to do with me, can you?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Hmph. I'm appreciating the flowers. Can't you understand something so simple?"
Orfevre grumbled in dissatisfaction.
At the same time, Chiya noticed the faint shadows and exhaustion around her eyes.
"Your eyes… Don't tell me you didn't sleep well last night?"
"You certainly do love meddling."
Orfevre said coldly, "What happens to me has nothing to do with you, does it?"
"It didn't before. It does now."
Chiya said, "I already signed that form. From this moment on, you're my uma musume."
He walked up to her.
"So I'm allowed to ask now, right? About you."
Orfevre clicked her tongue.
"I… simply did not sleep."
"Didn't sleep? Why? Because you lost to me?"
"Obviously. Any uma musume who can lose and still sleep soundly would be the strange one."
Orfevre muttered under her breath.
"Just like the Empress."
"So you're punishing yourself?"
"I only wished to engrave this defeat more deeply into my memory."
"Then you should sleep properly even more."
"…Hah?"
"Remembering a defeat seriously doesn't mean torturing yourself. It means taking care of yourself. Everything an uma musume has comes from her body. Only when she looks after that body can she face the next race. This defeat is the foundation for your next victory. If you torment yourself every time you lose, how are you supposed to have the energy for the next race? How are you supposed to wash away your humiliation and win?"
"You…"
Orfevre clenched her teeth.
Not a single rebuttal came out.
"I hate your lectures, Empress's Scepter."
"Call me Trainer."
Orfevre made a face like she had just swallowed a fly.
"What do you want to do, Orfevre? Regret today's loss over and over again, ruin yourself bit by bit, or sleep early, wake early, rest properly, and fight to take victory back in your next race?"
"I…"
"Orfevre is number one under heaven."
"Hah?"
"You wanted me to say that before, right? Back then, I thought you couldn't do it. I thought you didn't have the ability. But after yesterday's race, I'm sure now. You really do have the talent to live up to the title of number one under heaven."
"Are you mocking me? The words I tried so desperately to make you say, and you say them now, after my defeat?"
"That wasn't a defeat."
Fujiwara Chiya shook his head.
"That was the beginning of you becoming who you're meant to be."
Orfevre bit down lightly on her teeth.
"I… will absolutely become number one in the world. I will make the entire world cheer and praise me!"
"I know. I'll help you reach the top of the world."
Orfevre looked into the man's eyes.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"You are the only human who has ever defeated me. You are also the only human who has ever managed to interest me. Until I stand at the peak of the world, I shall temporarily obey your command. But do not forget this. The victory you stole from me, I will most certainly take it back."
"So…?"
"So I am now your uma musume. Prepare my training plan."
Fujiwara Chiya had earned Orfevre's recognition.
He now had this unbelievably gifted uma musume.
"Come, Trainer. I am going to train."
"No rush. Your mental state isn't good right now. Rest for a while first."
"You want me to spend precious training time sleeping?"
"Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting. Look around. This place is great. I used to sleep here all the time."
Chiya said it with a cheerful smile.
Orfevre stared at his face for a while, hesitating.
In the end, she slowly lay down on the grass.
Chiya sat beside her.
Neither of them said anything.
A gentle breeze brushed across Orfevre's cheeks. Her silver-white hair drifted softly in the wind. Orfevre closed her eyes, feeling a rare moment of peace, then spoke quietly.
"Trainer, there is one thing I lied about…"
"Hmm?"
"I said I did not sleep because I wished to punish myself. That was false. Last night, I kept reflecting on my race with you, trying to figure out exactly where I made mistakes. By the time I noticed, morning had already come."
"I see…"
Chiya looked at Orfevre as her breathing gradually evened out.
He reached out and gently patted her head.
"As expected of number one under heaven."
"Hmph~"
The corners of Orfevre's mouth lifted into a smug little smile.