"It's Orfevre! Orfevre is accelerating! What speed! She's overtaken her rivals and moved into fourth, third, second, first! Orfevre has taken the lead!"
The cheers crashed over the racecourse without end.
The crowd stared at the golden figure on the track, eyes burning with excitement. Her wild, untamed running form. Her powerful, ringing footfalls. That agile body left everyone else far, far behind.
"Across the line!"
With the announcer's roar, Orfevre shot past the finish line.
She waved an arm toward the stands, her expression calm and perfectly composed as she slowly jogged around the track. Compared to the other racers, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath, her condition was almost terrifyingly good.
"One thousand six hundred metres! The winner of the GIII Shinzan Kinen is—Orfevre!"
""Ooooooooh!!""
The entire racecourse erupted.
…
"It was merely a graded race. Look at how delighted my subjects are. For me, victory is simply the natural order of things."
After the race ended, Orfevre came to find Fujiwara Chiya.
She sat on his office desk with one leg crossed over the other, recounting how she had thrown each and every one of her opponents behind her. Her tone was calm, but the way her tail kept swishing gave away just how pleased she really was.
"As my trainer, I suppose you managed to prove your worth as well. Not that it is surprising. I am this powerful, after all. If my trainer were unworthy of me, it would only shame my name… Trainer?"
Noticing Fujiwara Chiya's gaze drifting beneath her skirt, Orfevre sprang off the desk and clamped her thighs together.
"I am speaking to you! Where do you think you are looking, you paint-stained degenerate!? Insolent beast!"
"I'm not! You're sitting on the training plan I just finished writing!"
Orfevre stared into Fujiwara Chiya's eyes, her cheeks faintly red. It took a good long while before that blush finally faded.
Honestly. She had finally decided to say something majestic for once, and her trainer had ruined the whole mood.
"Ahem. In any case, you have seen my strength for yourself. Therefore, it is only natural that you devote more of your energy to attending me."
"Hm? I'm not giving you enough energy already?"
Fujiwara Chiya had basically become Orfevre's personal sparring partner. Every day, whenever she did independent training, she dragged him along with her.
"I am not talking about training. I mean your other time."
"Other time…"
"This weekend, leave your schedule to me. I will decide how it is used. That is what you should do as my trainer, and I will not permit you to refuse."
Then Orfevre added, "Even if the Empress demands it, you will give that time to me."
With that, she turned and left the room.
So she wants me to go out with her?
It was Fujiwara Chiya's first time seeing such a tyrannical invitation.
Well, fine. If she wanted him to go, he would go.
Even without Orfevre, it would only be someone else. Those girls seemed to have reached some kind of unspoken agreement. Outside of work, he could go out with anyone at all, as long as that person was not Shirayuki.
The moment Fujiwara Chiya went out alone with Shirayuki, everyone immediately followed.
At this point, they had stopped even pretending.
They were openly refusing to let him spend time with Shirayuki one-on-one.
As a result, Fujiwara Chiya's life was full to the brim.
And yet, his heart always felt strangely hollow. The empty space inside him could not be filled, no matter how many people came.
Right now, Fujiwara Chiya was waiting.
Waiting for the day he headed to Europe again.
Once that happened, he would finally be able to act a little more freely.
"Lovesick, are we, Trainer?"
A teasing voice suddenly came from beside him.
"Darley!? Since when were you there?"
"I have been here the whole time."
Right.
She had been sitting there since morning.
Fujiwara Chiya pressed a hand to his forehead.
How was this person's presence thinner than Manhattan Cafe's? The moment he let his guard down, he completely forgot Darley was even in the room.
Which meant Darley had heard everything Orfevre said just now.
"Being popular is quite the troubling thing, is it not? Dividing your time evenly among everyone means the time left for yourself grows less and less."
Darley nodded, looking as if she deeply sympathized with Fujiwara Chiya's suffering.
"However, I do hope Trainer can enjoy this life. There are no enemies for you in this world. Everyone loves you dearly. Besides, do you not think affection that breaks through layer after layer of obstacles becomes even more resilient and pure? I, for one, am very fond of such feelings."
Darley smiled at Fujiwara Chiya.
For some reason, Fujiwara Chiya felt like Darley was enjoying this way too much. She was not sitting there to work. She was sitting there to watch the show.
"You're the same age as me. Don't act like you understand everything."
Fujiwara Chiya placed a huge stack of documents on her desk.
"If you're that free, process these."
Darley began working with a miserable expression.
Fujiwara Chiya's mood improved considerably.
When the weekend arrived, Fujiwara Chiya went outside the academy.
Orfevre had changed into a black coat. Beneath it, she wore a red dress, her pale legs exposed to the winter air.
"You are slow!"
"Everyone kept asking where I was going. It took a bit of time to explain."
"If you knew you were accompanying me, then you should have been waiting here half a day in advance, not making me wait half the day."
"Sorry… Wait, you were waiting that long?"
Orfevre turned her face away.
"Let's go."
"Have you decided where we're going?"
"Central Street. I knew Trainer would not have a plan. In the end, it still falls to me."
They arrived at Central Street.
Fujiwara Chiya looked up at the massive poster overhead.
It showed Shirayuki draped with the Arima Kinen victory banner.
Shirayuki had now entered her senior year, but Fujiwara Chiya felt no sign of decline from her. Clearly, Shirayuki was still growing. That was a good thing. It meant her body had not yet reached its peak.
In the past, some uma musume had entered their senior year while their full bloom had not yet ended, but their growth speed had clearly slowed down. That meant their peak had been during their classic year.
Different uma musume reached their peak in different years.
Aside from Shirayuki, other uma musume appeared here and there across the posters.
Among them was Orfevre.
Having just stepped into her classic year, she had already become this year's top seed.
Looking at the poster overhead, Orfevre frowned in displeasure.
"What is there to stare at? Come, Trainer."
With that, Orfevre pulled Fujiwara Chiya into a shop.
"Buying accessories?"
Fujiwara Chiya looked at the dazzling array of charms and ornaments.
"I am merely looking."
The way Trainer had stared at that poster just now was seriously irritating.
It was like he had been completely entranced by the white girl on it.
You are my trainer!
When you are beside me, you only need to look at me!
The Empress? I will surpass her soon enough. When that time comes, the entire world will belong to me! As my trainer, you should take pride in me, not Shirayuki.
"Since we're here, we might as well buy a few as gifts. Is there anything you want, Orfevre?"
"A gift? Very well. Since Trainer is extending such a heartfelt invitation, I shall not refuse."
While Orfevre was choosing her gift, Fujiwara Chiya suddenly noticed a blue necklace.
The clear blue crystal gave off a brilliant shine. Around it, beautiful silver threads had been woven into the shape of a rose.
His heart gave a small thud.
Fujiwara Chiya walked over and instinctively picked up the necklace.
"Trainer, I want this one."
After choosing her item, Orfevre turned toward Fujiwara Chiya.
Then she saw her trainer wearing a beautiful blue necklace around his neck, looking at himself as if checking how it suited him.
Hearing her voice, Fujiwara Chiya turned around.
In that instant, Orfevre almost thought she saw the Empress reflected in the mirror.