The decision to find Orfevre was unknown to the Uma Musume herself, and even if she knew, she probably wouldn't care much.
At this moment, Orfevre was alone at Tracen's running track. There wasn't anyone around because it was recess time, and so Orfevre could safely hide in a corner of the track, completely unnoticed.
"That scumbag, idiotic, perverted, bastard…"
However, at this moment, Orfevre revealed a side she had never shown to others. She picked up an eight-petaled flower, plucked from who knows where, and tore off the petals one by one, cursing someone under her breath:
"How dare you trick me?! Who do you think you are? Just an inexperienced, new Trainer…"
Orfevre felt very wronged. Ever since she kicked Ikezoe yesterday due to an inexplicable urge, not only was she summoned to the Student Council for punishment and forced to issue an apology, but she was also publicly reprimanded.
Of course, she admitted it was her fault. After all, even Orfevre herself didn't know why she would suddenly find someone so displeasing that she had to attack them. This was something she had never dared to even imagine before. Although she acted aggressively, she would usually swiftly back down when faced with the slightest pushback.
But Ikezoe Kenichi just happened to be that existence whom "she unexpectedly hated" and who "didn't fight back." Orfevre herself didn't know what was going on; she just felt that after seeing Ikezoe that day, it was as if a switch had been flipped inside her. The moment she kicked him, she felt a sense of euphoria, as if a great revenge had been exacted—even though she knew it was wrong, her body's instincts drove her to do it. (T/N: Middle reference??!!!!! [Limbus Company])
She had been punished, and Orfevre had admitted her mistake. If she couldn't stop herself from attacking him on sight, couldn't she at least avoid him? What's more, Orfevre herself had seen that Ikezoe was getting along quite well with another Uma Musume. Although she was subtly annoyed, she hadn't said or done anything, had she?
She was just feeling irritable and ran a few laps on the track, but then suddenly, Air Groove, "The Empress," and Narita Brian, the "Shadow Roll Monster," stood before her. Two legendary figures, earnestly advising her that it was time to choose a Trainer.
To be honest, Orfevre considered herself to just be an ordinary Uma Musume. How could she possibly attract these truly awe-inspiring Uma Musume from the Student Council to personally urge her about a Trainer?—So, when Orfevre saw "The Empress" and the "Shadow Roll Monster" come before her, talking to her with a "kind" expression [A/N: They were actually kind, just not from Orfevre's perspective], Orfevre was terrified. (T/N: First author note?!)
"Orfevre, your potential is immense; you just haven't discovered it yourself. But the President and I have found the most suitable Trainer to unleash your potential, and that Trainer is called Ikezoe Kenichi."
Air Groove was truly earnest at the time, completely oblivious to Orfevre's panicked eyes, and tried her best to persuade her: "I know you might have had some, hmm… unresolvable conflict with Trainer Ikezoe, but the President and I still hope you can consider our suggestion carefully."
"If you miss this opportunity, there might never be another one like it. I imagine you don't want your Debut Race to be postponed indefinitely, do you?"
—Air Groove said that at the time, and Orfevre managed to calm down somewhat upon hearing it. Looking at Air Groove's hopeful gaze and Narita Brian's seemingly indifferent but subtly imposing Aura beside her, Orfevre, under semi-coercion, "voluntarily" said:
"Then, I'll go take a look… just a look, okay…?"
—And then, she saw Ikezoe and Curren Chan's signed agreement in the Student Council office. Orfevre, who had just held a glimmer of hope despite being coerced, felt devastated at that moment.
"How infuriating! T-that guy actually dared to screw with me! Dared to c-conspire with the S-Student Council to m-make fun of me?! I-I... I will NEVER forgive him for this!"
Orfevre's eyes were teary, and her tone became more and more slurred as she cursed. Behind her at this moment, Ikezoe was approaching almost silently, extending his hand… "Uh, Orfe…"
"!" The moment Orfevre heard Ikezoe's voice, her eyes instantly transformed from a pitiful, teary look to a fierce one. Before Ikezoe could react, Orfevre suddenly stood up, her body slightly bent, and instinctively delivered a powerful backwards kick!
"Bang!"
"PUWAH—!"
A full-force kick from an Uma Musume landed on Ikezoe's abdomen, sending him flying. However, Ikezoe's cry of pain immediately sobered the sobbing Orfevre, and she instantly panicked and shouted:
"Uwaaaah! W-why is it you again! Why are you coming close to me again?! You know I can't help but attack you!"
"A-are you alright? Did I kick your intestines out? D-don't die on me! I don't want to go to jail for murder!"
Orfevre was truly panicked. The moment Ikezoe's voice appeared in her ear, she immediately lifted her leg and kicked backwards. It was as if her body was automatically performing something like breathing. Orfevre had no time to react, and she really didn't mean to kick Ikezoe!
It was just a reflex! Like muscle memory! It wasn't her intention!
"Ah… I'm fine... I'm okay..."
Fortunately, Ikezoe touched his painfully aching stomach but didn't feel like his guts were rearranged or anything. Besides a lingering, tolerable pain, there were no serious issues, and he felt relieved.
"Putting everything else aside, I'm incredibly experienced with being kicked by a Racehorse. Just based on the pain, I could know roughly what level of trauma I had received. In this case, it's at most a non-serious injury that'll go away on its own."
"It really wasn't my imagination. If it were before, a kick of that magnitude would have surely sent me to my ancestors, but now it's just a minor injury."
Ikezoe then sat up from the ground, clutching his stomach. Looking at the slightly dazed Orfevre in front of him, he managed a strained smile and said:
"So, how do you feel now, Orfevre? If you've calmed down, shouldn't we head back?"
"Everyone is worried about you, you know? Even if you're throwing a tantrum, you should at least let everyone know you're safe. Don't just run off anywhere."
"—Do I still need someone like you to lecture me? Hmph."
However, it was better that Ikezoe hadn't mentioned it. Because, as soon as he did, Orfevre became rather annoyed again, crossing her arms and saying: "Why are you looking for me again? To team up with the President and play with me again as revenge? Am I really that amusing to you?"
"No, no, you're misunderstanding the situation. I've never blamed you." Ikezoe also stood up from the ground, clutching his stomach, enduring the pain as he looked directly into Orfevre's eyes and said with sincerity:
"Being suddenly kicked or attacked by an Uma Musume is no big deal; I'm already used to it. As you can see from my experience with being kicked, you're not the only one who wants to beat me up. Perhaps my face is naturally just unlikable to Uma Musume."
"But Orfevre, I just want to tell you something. I initially thought that you could unleash your potential with or without me. But now, what Symboli Rudolf told me made me realize one thing—we truly are each other's best partner!"
"So Orfevre, be my assigned Uma Musume. Let us… let us try again, for a chance to challenge a broader stage."
"Because I believe in you, Orfevre. You will become the strongest!"
Ikezoe declared his grand ambition like a protagonist in a Shonen Jump manga. In reality, Ikezoe was indeed building such an image for himself. He had never thought before what it would be like if Orfevre became sentient and could communicate with him. After all, he was too busy trying not to die back then.
But if that day truly came, Ikezoe felt that even if his younger self and Orfevre disliked each other, they would still be the duo who made a name for themselves across Japan. Because Orfevre was his comrade, his best comrade.
However, when Ikezoe's words entered Orfevre's ears, she thought that it was just a foolish, passionate declaration. Orfevre was initially unmoved, but Ikezoe's last sentence made her freeze in place.
In a daze, a blurry scene suddenly flashed through Orfevre's mind. She couldn't clearly see what was in front of her, but vaguely, she heard a male voice very similar to Ikezoe's… only, he was sobbing and shouting:
"I BELIEVE THAT ORFEVRE WILL BECOME THE RULER OF THIS ERA! BECAUSE ORFEVRE IS THE STRONGEST IN THE WORLD!"
"—Ha."
Orfevre's expression instantly cleared, and she subconsciously clutched her head, her eyes uncontrollably beginning to well up with tears. But she immediately turned around and slapped away Ikezoe's extended hand.
"No way!" Orfevre didn't know what was wrong with her; tears fell uncontrollably, yet her current embarrassment made her blush fiercely. With her back still turned, she said viciously:
"I'll win the Debut Race myself! I'll show Rudolf that even without a Trainer, I'll never lose to anyone! I'll prove that I don't need anyone else!"
"When I run my Debut Race, you better watch me! I'm not the kind of Uma Musume who needs your help! I'm much stronger than what you imagine!"
With that, Orfevre, who was starting to lose control of her emotions, ran away in a flash. Ikezoe reached his hand out to pull her back but couldn't catch up to her.
Much later, behind Ikezoe, Symboli Rudolf and Air Groove slowly emerged. Symboli Rudolf looked in the direction Orfevre had fled and asked hesitantly:
"Does this count as… a failure?"
"...It's a success." Ikezoe, however, smiled and withdrew his hand, saying calmly: "From avoiding me like the plague, to now demanding I watch her Debut Race and claiming she'll win, I think I've succeeded."
—It seems I'm starting to understand Orfevre's thoughts too. As expected of my best comrade. Ikezoe didn't say this aloud, but he was already starting to be even more grateful for his transmigration. He could finally understand what his best partner was thinking.
Perhaps this time, he and Orfevre might just be able to aim even higher than before.
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Two whole extra chapters?! I'm cracked as hell!
Though really, the reason I released these extra chapters is because this mini arc was relatively short and I know the frustration of cliffhangers. Though, I'm not very sure how frustrated someone would be over fan fiction of all things.
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.