In any case, there was no way Dyna was going to eat the rest of those charcoal cookies.
Judging by the look on Orfevre's face, she really had done her best, so Dyna couldn't quite bring herself to say much more.
"I already ate some. That means it's your turn now, right?" Dyna said.
But she refused to suffer alone. If she'd had to endure this, then Orfevre had to be dragged into the same pit and made to suffer with her.
Orfevre still didn't turn her head. "That was a gift for you. I gave it to you."
"..."
Oh, really now?
So Orfevre knew perfectly well how disgusting they were, and still brought them here on purpose. That wasn't sincerity anymore. She just wanted to watch Dyna eat them.
A vein throbbed at Dyna's temple, but she somehow managed to suppress the urge to stuff every last cookie into Orfevre's mouth.
"To be honest, you really shouldn't cook anymore. It kills without profit," Dyna finally concluded.
For once, Orfevre was left speechless.
Since that was simply the truth, she had nothing to argue with.
In the end, Orfevre said nothing at all. Just sitting there under the gaze of so many people in the shop was already putting her under immense pressure.
"Hm? That's Orfevre, isn't it? I was wondering why she looked so familiar."
"Right? After finally breaking her maiden, she's been losing ever since. Hard to believe she's a child of the Gold family."
Someone had recognized Orfevre. They were speaking quietly, but with a horse girl's sharp hearing, every word landed clearly.
And of course, in Dyna's home turf, most of the comments were full of confusion and criticism over what Orfevre had done to Dyna in her debut race.
"Sigh. She could've won just by racing normally. Why did she have to do something so weird?"
"Exactly. There's really no explaining it. I'm honestly scared she'll do it again this year if she ends up in the same race as the boss lady."
The voices grated against Orfevre's ears. Her ears flattened involuntarily against her head—
And then, all at once, the murmuring stopped.
Because Orfevre had been keeping her face turned aside, Dyna was squarely in her blind spot. She never saw Dyna raise a finger to her lips, silently telling the others to stop.
"Next time, your bread costs double. Call it emotional damages," Dyna said coolly.
She lowered the finger from her lips, stood up, repacked the box neatly, and pushed it back toward Orfevre.
"But I'm not taking this. I understand the thought behind it."
On any other day, Dyna probably would have accepted the inedible thing. At the very least, it conveyed intent.
But today was Valentine's Day.
In public, in front of everyone, there was no way she could casually accept something from Orfevre.
Otherwise rumors would explode instantly.
"I suppose... that's fine," Orfevre muttered. "If we meet again on the track, I'll face you with my strongest self. That kind of thing will never happen again."
Dyna didn't find much comfort in Orfevre's verbal promises. Still, having the promise was better than not having it, so she gave a vague nod and let it pass.
Meanwhile, over at the counter—
"Hey, Oguri. When did Orfevre get here?" Gold Ship asked, gripping a rolling pin. Her apron was dusted with flour, and she and Oguri Cap were both staring hard in that direction.
Oguri Cap multitasked effortlessly, taking payments while answering, "Just now, I think. She went straight to the boss lady. It looked like she even brought her something."
"Huh? What?! She brought her something? You mean that gift box?"
For a split second, Gold Ship's brain completely disconnected from Planet Gold.
Today was Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day gift = confession!
"No, no, no way! Orfevre, Orfevre... y-you absolutely cannot do that!"
The horrifying possibility set off every alarm in Gold Ship's soul. If the boss lady fell into Orfevre's hands, then her entire happy life would be utterly ruined!
So without the slightest hesitation, Gold Ship charged forward with all the grim valor of someone marching to certain death. She wedged herself between the two of them, blocking Orfevre's line of sight to Dyna.
"?"
Orfevre could not understand in the slightest why Gold Ship, who had been in the kitchen just moments ago, had come barreling over like that.
"You—you absolutely cannot do something like that! It won't end well for either of you!"
Gold Ship snatched the box containing that unknown abomination. Then, under the stunned gaze of both horse girls, she tore it open and began shoveling fistfuls of the charcoal cookies into her mouth.
The bitterness and gritty texture filled her mouth, but after only a couple of chews, she forced herself to swallow.
"I absolutely, absolutely have to stop your evil plan... Orfevre!"
Gold Ship cried while eating, because it was genuinely so awful it brought tears to her eyes. Handful after handful disappeared into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and kept going until the box was empty.
"G-Gold Ship... y-you okay?!" Dyna squeaked in alarm, her voice absurdly cute from shock.
Anyone who could finish that stuff was surely ICU-bound.
Seeing Gold Ship's cheeks bulging out, Dyna hurriedly thrust a bottle of water at her, watching as Gold Ship used it to force the sludge in her mouth down her throat.
For the first time in her life, Gold Ship felt as though she was burning herself away. For the sake of Nakayama Festa's request—for the sake of properly protecting Light Dyna—Gold Ship had thrown herself into the flames.
"Ghk... Boss lady, don't be afraid..."
She managed to squeeze out those few words through sheer willpower. When she smiled, even her teeth were black.
"That is not the issue right now! Is your stomach really going to be okay?!"
"Don't worry. Chopsticks can't even poke through my eyes. Mere food? My stomach can digest it!"
"Um... Gold Ship, do you maybe have the wrong idea? I was just trying to sincerely..." Orfevre tried to explain, but the long-standing misunderstanding gave her no room.
Gold Ship raised a hand and cut her off.
"You were just pretending to sincerely make peace with the boss lady, so you could gradually worm your way closer to her. Then, once you'd gotten close enough, you'd lure the innocent, unworldly boss lady into your bed, and that would erase every bad thing you've ever done. Isn't that right?!"
"?"
Wasn't that... wildly off the mark?
How could Orfevre possibly fall for Light Dyna, some... some ugly chestnut-haired girl like that?!
She had come here for one reason only: to express her apology with absolute sincerity.
And also... to eat something tasty!
So Orfevre shot back, "Gold Ship! Your delusions are way too severe! Why would I ever do something like that? I just wanted to improve my relationship with Dyna!"
Gold Ship opened her mouth, ready to say more—
But the poison she had ingested finally took effect.
The invincible alien from Planet Gold went down on the spot, collapsing bonelessly onto the sofa, unable to utter another word.
"..."
Dyna looked at Orfevre, scratched her cheek awkwardly, and said, "Maybe right now we should take Gold Ship to the hospital? We can deal with everything else... later?"
"...Yes. I think that would be very appropriate."
Orfevre nodded. She lent Dyna a hand, and together they carried Gold Ship out of the shop.
The little incident didn't affect business much.
It did, however, give rise to some delightfully scandalous rumors around Tracen Academy afterward...
Though no one took them seriously.
After all, Orfevre's reputation was already deeply etched into everyone's minds.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
Uma Musume: I Want All 35
I Can Copy Unique Skills 36
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
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