"Master—!"
Treve had, for once, cleaned herself up properly. Smelling fresh and neat from head to toe, she popped into view in front of Wangzu, leaving the older woman momentarily stunned. After all, whenever they met before, Treve usually carried some strange, indescribable smell around with her.
Wangzu looked her over, then nodded. "Mm. Good morning, Treve. For once, you're not late."
"Hey, Master, that's way too hurtful." Treve sidled up beside her with practiced familiarity. "Today's such an important day, I got up at three in the morning, okay? Even though I still don't get why you're bringing me along, if I'm going, there's no way I'm going to embarrass you~"
Wangzu lifted a hand and rubbed Treve's silky pink hair, smiling in resignation. This child really had excellent natural features—she just never cared for them. Such lovely hair, and yet it was usually greasy. Seeing this ultra-rare clean version of Treve almost made Wangzu wish it could become permanent.
"The truth is, the other side specifically asked for you to come," Wangzu explained while they stood by the road waiting for their car. "You mentioned it before, didn't you? That someone from Qatar kept wanting to meet you, and you kept dodging him. This time, you can't dodge it."
Treve tilted her head.
"The person in question is a member of the Qatari royal family," Wangzu continued. "In your own memories, I'm the one who raised you—and that part is true—but besides your parents' dying request, there was also his request. He really is a bit of a relative on your family's side."
Treve's brain processed that information in a fraction of a second. Then she stroked her chin and said, "So, if we're being literal… does that mean I'm basically Qatari royalty too?"
That answer made even Wangzu pause. She had expected Treve to be surprised. She absolutely had not expected her to go in that direction. Still, she nodded.
"Strictly speaking, yes."
"But right now, the most famous horse girl in that Qatari royal line is probably Frankel, who's active in Britain. She's still undefeated."
"Who?"
Treve's blank look made Wangzu press a hand to her forehead. "Frankel. The horse girl who just won the British 2000 Guineas. Don't tell me you've stopped following European racing altogether."
Treve looked away and stuck out her tongue a little. "I've been watching Japan the whole time, so I haven't paid any attention to Britain. I have been keeping up with the French races, though! But Frankel… has she only won the British 2000 Guineas so far?"
"And the Dewhurst Stakes from her debut year. Six starts, six wins so far, including two G1s, one G2, and one G3. She's an extremely high-profile horse girl, and on top of that, she's a member of the Qatari royal family. Do you think you'll be able to reach that level by the time you debut next year?"
Wangzu laid out Frankel's basic résumé. Treve thought it over, though there was more dismissal than awe in her voice when she answered.
"But those are all short-distance and mile races, right? I'm not impressed. My goal is an undefeated Arc victory. If Frankel doesn't even have that as a target, then there's nothing much to compare."
Wangzu only smiled. That sort of thing could be left for future generations to judge. For now, a horse girl only needed to know her own path. As a Golden Generation Arc winner herself, Wangzu had long since developed a very sharp eye. Frankel was strong. Treve was also strong. They just specialized in entirely different areas.
The only horse girl Wangzu truly still could not see through was Japan's Dyna.
She had watched the Prix Marcel Boussac replay over and over. After the Satsuki Sho, she had dug up those race tapes too and compared them. In both races, she could not find a single moment where Dyna had looked truly strained.
Dyna had won them as easily as drinking water and eating a meal.
Wangzu had never looked down on Japanese horse girls. No G1 was ever that easy to win. Dyna, however, felt like a perfectly still lake—bottomless and impossible to sound. Even a stone like Orfevre, thrown into that water, seemed incapable of stirring the slightest ripple.
"Even if I don't think you'll ever actually clash with Frankel," Wangzu said lightly, "you could look at your good friend instead. Dyna probably won't retire as an older horse in her second year, and may even race into her third. By then, you might get the chance to… test yourself against her."
This was only speculation, of course. Dyna might also win the Classic Triple Crown and retire on the spot. Wangzu knew very well that Dyna wasn't running for herself.
"Then of course I'll race her!" Treve replied at once, full of confidence. "And if I'm going to face her, it'll be in the Arc. Anything else is small-time!"
Master and disciple exchanged no more words on the drive. Only when they arrived and got out did Treve finally register how absurdly luxurious the place was.
"Master… this is where he wanted to meet?"
"Didn't expect it, did you?" Wangzu had seen far more of the world than Treve had, so this sort of thing no longer surprised her.
A servant had already been waiting in front of the hotel and led them inside. In the end, Wangzu and Treve stopped outside Room 608.
"Wow… rich people really are different. Guess that's what you'd expect from someone from Qatar," Treve muttered under her breath.
She had always been a little shy around strangers, so she tucked herself completely behind Wangzu and followed her into the room.
The room's furnishings, oddly enough, didn't match the flashy luxury of the hotel itself. It wasn't all gold and glitter the way Treve had imagined. Instead, there was a great deal of wood furniture, all carrying a faint, elegant fragrance.
"Good evening, Miss Wangzu. Miss Treve."
A man dressed in flowing white traditional Arab attire rose to greet them and shook hands with Wangzu. Naturally, he didn't forget Treve either.
But there was another horse girl in the room too—and the moment she laid eyes on Treve, she moved like a hawk spotting prey. She lunged over, grabbed Treve in a tight hug, and mashed her cheek against hers.
"So this is the real Treve! She's so cute, so tiny, and all soft too!"
"Eek?!"
Treve froze. What was this fearless brown-haired giant dog doing suddenly plastered against her?!
"Xiao Fan, that's rather impolite for a first meeting," the man said with a laugh, exchanging an amused glance with Wangzu. In their eyes, both horse girls were just children.
"Aww, fiiine~" The other girl finally let Treve go, stepped back, and offered her hand with a bright grin. "Hi there! I'm Frankel! I've heard your name for a long time, Treve!"
Treve stared at her. Frankel?
So this was the person who wanted to meet her.
Treve was still trying to process that when Frankel seized her hand and began pumping it enthusiastically. By the time Frankel finally let go, Treve felt like her arm was about to fly off.
Wangzu tactfully looked away, clearly uninterested in saving her, while the somewhat elderly man invited Wangzu to sit and discuss some matter or another.
So for the moment, Treve had absolutely no chance of escaping this overly affectionate big dog named Frankel.
Still…
If the other side was an active Classic-year horse girl, then maybe she'd also need a summer training camp, right?
And if that was the case…
Then maybe Frankel could help solve Dyna's summer camp problem.
That was the very last thought in Treve's head before she was dragged away.
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 138)
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 (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
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 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
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 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
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