Gold Ship woke up, got out of bed, and left the upkeep of her bedroom to the household servants.
After washing up and changing into her Tracen Academy uniform, she went downstairs, had a breakfast of fried eggs and bacon, then headed to the academy together with her two older sisters and one younger sister.
That was one utterly plain, utterly unremarkable morning in Orfevre's life.
She technically had a room in the dorms, and her roommate was even Dream Journey, but Orfevre had never really wanted to stay there. There was always this feeling of being restrained at night. She liked freedom. If she suddenly felt inspired in the middle of the night and wanted to wander out to a night market until dawn, she wanted to be able to do exactly that.
"The Satsuki Sho is getting close," Gold Journey said suddenly from the front seat, breaking the silence inside the car. "This will probably be the first and last time it's ever run at Tokyo Racecourse."
Startled, Orfevre blinked.
From her debut season until now, she had only barely managed to scrape together enough prize money through placings and her finish in the Spring Stakes to qualify for the Satsuki Sho.
No one was optimistic about her chances.
She was temperamental, difficult, and had lost far too much. No matter how people looked at her, they could not see a winner on her.
Meanwhile, Light Dyna—the free-ranging horse girl who had remained undefeated through every race and still found time for charity work—had clearly already locked down more than fifty percent support before the official popularity rankings were even released.
Gold Journey had once walked the same path Orfevre was on now, but she was not sure Orfevre had the mentality needed to endure it.
After all, back then, Gold Journey herself had gone through a year or two of losing so much that she had basically ended up in a "whatever happens, happens" state of mind. For a long time, she had even been mockingly nicknamed Akan Lake.
"Why bring that up all of a sudden, Sis?" Orfevre asked.
"Nothing much. Just do what you need to do when the time comes. The competition in the Classic races has always been fierce and cruel. The fact that you're even standing on that stage already means you've surpassed the vast majority of horse girls. Just remember that."
Gold Journey spoke with mixed feelings.
Part of her wanted Orfevre to awaken a field at the Satsuki Sho and clash head-on with Light Dyna.
But deep down, she did not want that at all.
She was afraid Orfevre would turn out like Agnes Tachyon—a meteor that blazed brilliantly, then vanished without a trace.
Orfevre understood. She smiled.
"I know, Sis. Just trust me. I'll run in all three Triple Crown races. And I'll beat Light Dyna head-on."
Dream Journey watched quietly, saying nothing, but the fighting spirit in Orfevre's voice was enough.
The Gold family could lose on the racetrack.
But they could never lose in spirit before the race even began.
And besides, Gold Ship's debut was coming soon as well. With her ability, her results surely would not be bad.
Because of traffic on the way, they did not arrive at the academy gates until they were almost late. Gold Journey and Dream Journey, being retired horse girls, did not need to worry about that sort of thing. The only one in any danger was Orfevre.
She sprinted into the classroom in the very last minute before the opening bell. Her long orange hair was slightly messy from running. The moment she dropped into her seat, she felt a familiar gaze from beside her.
Whale Capture.
The silver-haired Classic horse girl from Trainer Ikezou's stable was another heavily favored contender, and currently one of the academy's strongest among the girls with major Classic-race results.
"Morning, Orfe," Whale Capture said, her tone teasing. "I heard you picked up your race outfit yesterday. I honestly thought you'd wear it straight to school to show it off."
Though the two of them belonged to the same stable, their relationship was closer to rivals than friends. The sharp contrast in their results guaranteed that much. Still, most of the time their exchanges were just mutual needling, nothing more.
Orfevre took a deep breath and turned her face away.
"At least mine has style. Yours is covered in feathers. Your name's Whale Capture, but you look more like a bird's nest."
Whale Capture's race outfit had a white base, covered in featherlike decorations. The pale green accessories fluttered when she moved, making her look like a peacock fanning its tail.
Orfevre had always mocked it as a "walking bird's nest."
Whale Capture was not offended. To her, this sort of back-and-forth was just another spice of daily life. In the end, the racetrack was what mattered. Smiling, she waved the training schedule in her hand.
"Trainer says we're doing a workout together this week. It'll be my last paired drill before the Oka Sho. So don't get left too far behind, okay?"
"..."
Orfevre had to admit her fists clenched a little.
But in an academy where results decided everything, she had no grounds to argue. She could only raise her chin proudly and let her determination speak for itself.
In truth, she was confident she could beat Whale Capture in a workout.
When the time came, they would see the truth on the track.
And yet once class started, Orfevre could not focus at all.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to what she had seen yesterday in the logistics department:
Light Dyna, dressed in that pink race outfit, one hand covering the opening at her chest, like some startled little animal.
And yet because of that very outfit, she had given off a kind of beauty that was hard to describe.
Especially the way she had immediately slipped into a defensive posture the moment she saw Orfevre—that had added an odd, almost irresistible flavor to the whole image.
She shook her head, trying to drive the scene out of her mind.
The more she resisted it, the clearer that bright strip of white at Dyna's chest became.
Orfevre had never paid this much attention to another horse girl's race outfit before.
Much less the race outfit of her sworn enemy.
The teacher at the front was explaining the key things to watch for before the Oka Sho. Noticing Orfevre spacing out, she tapped the blackboard.
"Orfevre, tell us about the Hanshin outer-course route analysis."
Orfevre shot to her feet.
Her mind was blank.
A second ago, her brain had still been full of Dyna's race outfit.
Hanshin outer course?
All she could remember was Light Dyna in the Spring Stakes—flying out from the long straight on the outer course like a chestnut bolt of lightning, blasting past her.
She opened her mouth, but nothing complete came out. It was only because Whale Capture quietly whispered "backstretch length and uphill gradient" from below that Orfevre managed to muddle through.
The moment the bell rang for the end of class, Orfevre grabbed her bag and left.
Right now, she desperately needed something else to occupy her mind.
Otherwise that chestnut girl would fill it again.
By the time she reached the training grounds, plenty of older horse girls were already working out. Whale Capture had been held back by the teacher, probably to receive some final reminders for the race. After all, she was the only girl in Orfevre's class running in the Oka Sho, so special attention from the teacher made sense.
Trainer Ikezou had not come in yet, which left Orfevre with nothing to do.
Then she heard a burst of laughter she recognized immediately.
Turning toward it, she saw Gold Ship pushing a huge tire around while chatting with Special Week.
"Yo, Orfe, morning!" Gold Ship called.
Orfevre frowned. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the shop working?"
"Because the boss lady knows I'm debuting soon, she gave me paid leave. We'll talk about going back to work full-time after my debut. Though that means poor Nagakura's got more on her plate. But hey, when you went to pick up your race outfit yesterday, you saw the boss lady too, right? So? How was she? Pretty, right?"
Gold Ship planted the tire upright, then slithered over with all the boneless enthusiasm of some sea creature, curiosity practically dripping from her voice.
Orfevre froze for a second.
Then she pressed one hand against Gold Ship's face and shoved her away.
"We just happened to run into each other. And I was there first, got it?"
Gold Ship blinked, suddenly enlightened.
"Ooh. Just happened to run into each other. Yep, got it."
"Gold! Ship!"
Orfevre snapped, cutting her off. Quite a few nearby horse girls had already been drawn over by the noise.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the churning in her chest, she said, "I still have training. I'm leaving."
Then she turned and ran. In no time at all, she had disappeared beyond the training field.
The grin vanished from Gold Ship's face.
Looks like Orfevre really could be rattled by something this small.
Given how much friction there already was between Orfevre and the boss lady, if race outfits were enough to stir things up too, then the Satsuki Sho might turn into an even bigger disaster.
And maybe Dyna did not only need to keep an eye on Orfevre.
Maybe there would be other horse girls too.
Elsewhere, Orfevre ran all the way to the riverbank before finally stopping.
She gripped the railing and stared at the flowing water, her chest still heaving.
She did not understand why she cared about Light Dyna this much.
The foul in her debut race still gnawed at her. Losing the Spring Stakes still made her grit her teeth.
But when she had seen Dyna yesterday—awkward, stubborn, and blushing with embarrassment—she had not felt even the slightest urge to sneer at her. Instead, something close to panic had risen in her.
Light Dyna was supposed to be nothing more than a stumbling stone on the king's road ahead.
Orfevre only needed to defeat her and kick her aside.
"I've got to be losing it..."
She tugged at the bow at her chest, trying to calm herself.
But that chestnut figure would not leave her sore spots alone.
Just then, a light, quick set of footsteps came from behind.
Orfevre turned sharply, on guard.
And there, to her surprise, was Light Dyna herself—wearing a casual tracksuit, her damp bangs stuck to her forehead, her breathing still uneven. Clearly she had just finished training and was on her way back to the shop.
Orfevre had never imagined anyone would still be doing morning training at this hour.
Much less Light Dyna.
The two stared at each other.
The air congealed.
Dyna had not expected to see Orfevre here either. At first her ears started to fold back on instinct, but she caught herself and forced them upright.
To Orfevre's surprise, Dyna did not immediately turn into a frightened little horse-cat.
"Morning," Dyna said. "Are you cutting class?"
"I'm just passing by. None of your business."
Orfevre looked away, fixing her eyes on the tree trunk behind Dyna instead.
The cherry blossoms here would bloom soon. Once they did, the riverbank would become one of those seasonal photo spots everyone flocked to.
Still, the faint scent drifting off Dyna—warm and soft, like fresh bread—kept brushing at Orfevre's senses. Even the toast made by her family's servants had never smelled this rich.
Dyna was around flour and baking every day.
That had to be why.
"The Satsuki Sho," Dyna said at last. "How are you preparing for it?"
Orfevre turned back toward her.
"At Tokyo, on that racetrack, I'm going to beat you fair and square. From the Satsuki Sho all the way to the Arima Kinen. Every single race."
Just as she had expected.
A horse girl's mouth was always the hardest part of her body. Frankly, Dyna had been expecting total silence, so this answer was already more than enough.
She smiled.
"Then I won't let you win. Same for me—from the Satsuki Sho all the way to the Arima Kinen, I'm not going to lose."
As Orfevre looked at the light in Dyna's eyes, something clenched inside her chest.
She remembered her own foul in the debut race.
She remembered the helplessness of being overtaken by Dyna from behind in the Spring Stakes.
For the first time, a sliver of doubt surfaced in her.
Could she really beat a Light Dyna like this?
"Still," Dyna continued, "if you can get rid of those bad habits on the racetrack, I'd honestly look forward to having a proper race with you."
Orfevre's head snapped up.
Dyna's eyes were clear.
There was no mockery there. No hostility.
Only a straightforward, equal respect for another horse girl.
Orfevre parted her lips, wanting to say something.
What came out in the end was only a stiff, "That's none of your concern."
Dyna was not offended. She just gave a small wave.
"I'm heading back to the shop. See you."
Dyna truly believed that, at heart, every horse girl was a good kid.
Some of them just needed time to turn around.
Orfevre watched her walk away and suddenly understood that the Satsuki Sho was no longer just a matter of winning and losing.
That evening, after getting home, Orfevre shut herself in her room and pulled up the replay of the Spring Stakes on her computer.
Again and again, she watched Dyna accelerate from the outer course, surge past the others, and cross the line.
Again and again, she watched the smile on Dyna's face after the finish, when she looked toward the stands.
The pressure in Orfevre's chest tightened once more.
Maybe she really had hated Light Dyna during the debut race.
But after that?
Did she still hate her?
Dyna had been chestnut all along.
Not red. Not the color Orfevre had once mistaken her for.
"Big Sis, what are you doing?"
A small voice came from outside the door.
Sazanka had come upstairs to call her down for dinner.
"Mom told me to come get you."
Orfevre shut the computer and opened the door. Sazanka stood there clutching a stuffed toy and peering up at her.
"Big Sis Orfe, you haven't seemed very happy lately. Is it because of Big Sis Dyna?"
Orfevre paused, then reached down and ruffled her hair.
"That's not something kids need to worry about."
Sazanka was the child Orfevre had brought home herself. In barely any time at all, she had completely become part of the Gold family.
But now she stubbornly tugged at Orfevre's sleeve.
"Big Sis Dyna's really nice, you know. Last time she even gave me a super tasty cake and played Flight Chess with me for a really long time. Big Sis, why don't you like her?"
Looking into Sazanka's innocent eyes, Orfevre found she had no answer.
She could hardly tell a child that she kept treating Dyna like this because she had lost to her.
That would be far too much damage to a kid's worldview.
In the end, she sighed.
"It's nothing. We just have some rivalry on the racetrack. Don't worry about it. Go eat plenty for dinner."
"Mm-hmm! But you have to come down too, okay?"
Sazanka ran downstairs. Orfevre followed more slowly behind her.
For the first time, she had the uneasy feeling that maybe… maybe she really did need to reflect on herself.
At the very least, when it came to Light Dyna—
after all this time—
she had no choice but to start rethinking everything.
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 132)
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 (Chapter140)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter95)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter165)
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 145
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 135
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 95
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 155
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 125
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 105
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 62
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 80
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 80
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 62
Uma Musume: I Want All 65
I Can Copy Unique Skills 53
Summoning an Evil God, but the 41
Supernatural Multiverse 45
My Harem Is Indescribable 35
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 46
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 26
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 36
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin