"ORFEVRE! ORFEVRE!"
Orfevre, who had crossed the finish line and won the race, slowly stopped. Her gaze swept over the cheering crowd, and for a moment, she felt a sense of disbelief.
She, Orfevre—the one who always placed last when she raced against her family, a mediocre Uma Musume—actually won this race with no contention. She had barely trained, and even her running style was decided on the fly, actively shifting during the race. Yet she actually won.
Suddenly, the thought, "Is running a race actually that simple?" even flashed through Orfevre's mind. But she quickly shook her head, dismissing such arrogant thoughts.
Orfevre pulled her mask back up, then raised her fist high into the sky in what she considered a victory pose, declaring herself the winner of the race. And with the increasingly fervent applause, Orfevre was convinced that her pose was undoubtedly very cool.
A few days later, Orfevre would see in the newspaper her self-proclaimed victory pose; due to the fierce expression still on her face, and the sight of her pulling her mask back up with one hand while raising a fist with the other, combined with her menacing eyes, it had earned her the moniker "Golden Tyrant." This title would accompany her throughout her entire racing career from then on.
Behind Orfevre, the defeated Seiun Sky also walked over, panting, and said to Orfevre, who had just turned around:
"Orfevre... You're very strong... and also very clever. You made me think you were just an inexperienced junior, which made me let my guard down."
"Although I failed to win this time, I will definitely win next month's maiden race! When we meet on the track again, let's have a fair and square showdown!"
"?" Orfevre was a little puzzled, watching Seiun Sky leave disheartened after delivering her declaration of war. She then belatedly muttered to herself:
"Wait... wasn't it her fault that I was late? What did I do?"
Orfevre scratched her head, unable to understand the current situation. Fortunately, she wasn't the type of person who liked to overthink things, so she quickly put the matter out of her mind. Even if that Seiun Sky came back looking for her, she wasn't scared! She won the race, and even if they raced again, she would definitely win! Even if she wanted to brawl, Gold Ship would surely have her back!
But if Mr. C.B. came looking for her... she'd probably have to let Oldest Sister handle it; they couldn't afford to offend her... "Orfevre!"
Just then, a voice from the other side made Orfevre immediately turn around. She saw Ikezoe, who had run down from the stands at some point, now running towards her with a joyful expression, excitedly spreading his arms as if to give Orfevre a big hug.
However, as Ikezoe got closer, Orfevre's pupils instinctively dilated, and she unhesitatingly raised her foot and kicked him! (T/N: Ikezoe is getting folded like a lawnchair again...)
"Bang!"
"Puwah!"
The merciless kick sent Ikezoe flying. The next moment, Orfevre didn't even think; she pounced on him, pinning Ikezoe down, and unleashed a barrage of punches on his body! (T/N: Stop!!! He's already dead!!!!)
"Oh, oh, oh! What is this that I'm seeing?! Orfevre is... BEATING UP HER TRAINER?! We've never seen an Uma Musume so angry towards her Trainer after a victory!" And at this moment, the commentator on stage, for some reason, excitedly began to describe everything happening on the field.
However, this did not stop Orfevre one bit. In fact, apart from the initial kick, Orfevre's small fists didn't contain much power, though they were quite rapid. Of course, they still stung a bit when they landed.
"PWHAAA! STOP HITTING ME! Orfevre, what's wrong with you?! Aren't you happy after winning?!"
"Ah, ah, ah! It's all because of you, you idiot!" Orfevre was fuming, pounding on Ikezoe as she said, "Why did you buy me such expensive shoes?! I was still thinking about it when I entered the track; otherwise, I wouldn't have been late!"
"Couldn't you have given me the gift after the race ended?!"
She vented her anger without reason, but Orfevre didn't make it difficult for Ikezoe this time. After letting off some steam, she stood up from Trainer Ikezoe, then turned her head and, feigning indifference, extended a hand to him.
"Here." Orfevre pretended to naturally want to pull Trainer Ikezoe up, though she didn't hold out much hope, since she was the one who had kicked him down.
Orfevre didn't want to explain her instinctual action. She just felt like kicking him, and kicking him again... and many more times after that. Anyway, it wasn't the first time she had done this... Besides, she just wanted to prove that she could win a race without a Trainer, so Symboli Rudolf wouldn't bother her further.
Anyway, with this, he definitely wouldn't choose her, right? What Trainer would want a hot-tempered Uma Musume like her... "Slap."
"Hmm?" Orfevre's hand was suddenly grasped. She instinctively tensed up, but then realized that Ikezoe had already gotten up from the ground, his joy still evident on his face. With an expression that was both pained and delighted, he said:
"Orfevre, you really won! Just as I thought! You truly are the strongest Uma Musume!"
"...You really are a strange guy..." Orfevre was slightly stunned, then instinctively grabbed Trainer Ikezoe's hand, but quickly turned her head away without speaking.
How to describe it... she suddenly felt a little happy inside after hearing him praise her. Orfevre found it hard to describe this feeling, only thinking that a hot-tempered and ordinary Uma Musume like her actually had a fool who, even after being treated roughly, was still willing to believe in her.
"Congratulations, Orfevre, you won this race."
And at this moment, Symboli Rudolf, Air Groove, and Narita Brian slowly walked down from the stands. Symboli Rudolf continued to applaud in congratulation, while also saying to Orfevre:
"Although it was a race filled with your unique... quirks, Orfevre, you have proven your potential, and you have validated my trust in Trainer Ikezoe—you are an Uma Musume with immense potential."
"Winning a Debut Race without any technique, relying purely on instinct and strength. Honestly, even I find it hard to believe such a thing was possible. If you can develop your abilities to a reasonable level, I wonder to what extent your achievements will reach..."
"And now, Orfevre, I want to ask you one more time: are you willing to become Trainer Ikezoe's assigned Uma Musume?"
This time, Symboli Rudolf asked Orfevre the same question as before. Back then, Orfevre hesitated and dared not speak, which left the matter unresolved.
But this time, faced with the same question, Orfevre fell silent, which was rare. She looked at Symboli Rudolf, then at Ikezoe's gentle and hopeful gaze beside her. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Before, she could say that she was just a mediocre Uma Musume, but now that she had won her Debut Race without any real training, even pulling ahead of the second-place finisher by three lengths, her claim to being an ordinary Uma Musume... somehow didn't sound quite right anymore.
Trainer Ikezoe also seemed like the kind of person who could truly accept her... But Orfevre couldn't help but worry: did she really have as much potential as they said? Why did everyone else seem to think her potential was boundless, but she herself couldn't feel it? Orfevre was a little bewildered.
And just then, suddenly, a slightly cool voice faintly came, breaking the deadlock.
"Orfevre, agree."
"That voice is— OLDEST SISTER?!"
However, when this cool voice came, Orfevre inexplicably shivered all over. Even Symboli Rudolf and Air Groove looked slightly surprised to the side—at an Uma Musume wearing a long black dress with long black hair. (T/N: I believe that this will be the last Uma Musume that deviates from their official design)
At this moment, Symboli Rudolf was surprised by the newcomer and instinctively said:
"Stay Gold? Why are you here?"
-----+----- Dad's finally back with the milk. -----+-----
If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.