"Well then, it's time for me to be off. My journey hasn't ended yet; there are still many races out there."
"Oldest Sister, are you really not coming home for a few days? Everyone misses you so much; we can normally only see you on TV…"
The winner's stage had concluded, bringing a perfect end to Orfevre's Debut Race victory. Stay Gold was satisfied by how things went down and so announced her intention to leave immediately. Even when facing the pleas of her sisters to stay, Stay Gold had no intention to stay longer. (T/N: Toji deadbeat dad energy right here)
"This visit had pushed my already busy schedule to its absolute limit; I can't stay with you all for too long." Stay Gold gently shook her head and, with a faint smile, replied to Orfevre and Gold Ship:
"However, coming back this time and seeing that both of you little rascals have found your respective Trainers, I am very relieved. I look forward to the day I can compete on the same stage as you. By then, perhaps you would surpass me."
"Little Gold Ship, listen to Trainer Imanami. You are the most annoying one in our family, so don't cause your Trainer any trouble."
"What do you mean… Golshi-sama has been very obedient lately…" Gold Ship hid her sadness, saying with an air of indifference, "McQueen is in the same team as me, you know? She causes sooo much trouble that I can't even rest properly every day!"
"That's good." Stay Gold nodded, ignoring Gold Ship's attempt to slander McQueen, then turned her gaze to Orfevre, who was standing beside her, and spoke:
"Orfevre, you are the one I have the highest hopes for. Your potential is far greater than you imagine—although it's not the first time I've said this, you've never taken it to heart, have you?"
"I hope this time, with Trainer Ikezoe, you can find the place to unleash your potential."
"O- o- sniff- ok..." Orfevre's attitude towards Stay Gold was much more honest than Gold Ship's. Her eyes were already brimming with tears as she nodded, promising that she would work hard by Ikezoe's side.
After receiving affirmation from her two most worrisome sisters, Stay Gold felt much more at ease. However, just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly remembered something and turned her head back to look at Ikezoe.
"Trainer Ikezoe, can we talk for a moment?"
"Ah?" Ikezoe, who had initially been a mere observer watching the harmonious interaction between the three sisters, was suddenly called out. He looked left and right, and finally, only after Stay Gold nodded, did he scratch his head and walk forward.
"Alright then… Curren Chan, you can take Orfevre and the rest to get acquainted. I'll go talk to Stay Gold over here."
"Leave it to Curren Chan, Onii-chan~" Curren Chan, displaying her reliability to Ikezoe, took it to the extreme. Even though Curren Chan and Orfevre were at complete odds just a week ago, she now very familiarly wrapped her arm around Orfevre's, saying to her:
"Orfevre, come on, come on! We're in the same team now, so let's get along well~"
"Hey—don't grab me! Wha- you're so strong!"
Stay Gold and Ikezoe watched the group gradually depart. However, after a long moment of silence, Ikezoe couldn't help but ask with some doubt:
"Um… Stay Gold… Mrs.?"
"It's Ms. I'm not married." Stay Gold corrected with a light chuckle, her tone carrying a hint of teasing as she asked, "What? Do I look like I'm old enough to be married?"
"No, that wasn't what I meant…" Ikezoe waved his hand awkwardly. He belatedly realized that in this world of Uma Musume, Stay Gold and Orfevre referred to each other as sisters, not the relationship he remembered.
"Trainer Ikezoe, you are a very special person. I can feel that you have some extraordinary qualities."
Soon, after the teasing ended, Stay Gold reverted to her initial calm expression from when they first met, speaking to Ikezoe with a hint of curiosity in her voice:
"You are the only person I've ever seen who can accept Orfevre. And you are also the only person I've seen who Orfevre can accept."
"Before you, I had never seen her get along so well with anyone. Even within our own family, Orfevre's relationship with us isn't that great; even a bit rebellious."
"Orfevre… is indeed a bit difficult to get along with." Ikezoe replied, almost as if complaining, a helpless smile appearing on his face: "Actually, I didn't think I would accept Orfevre at first, but in the end, I understood."
"Perhaps this is some kind of destiny between her and me. I am honored to be her partner. Even though I think that someone with her potential could find a better Trainer than me, she still chose to stand with me… even if she's not that easy to get along with… I still feel incredibly honored."
As Ikezoe said, he always felt that it was his honor to be able to gallop on the Racecourse with Orfevre. His career reached its peak because of Orfevre, and he and Orfevre had once come so close to transcending the Japanese boundary. Although they ultimately missed out, the memories of striving for it still filled him with immense excitement.
"I didn't expect you to value Orfevre so much… I thought you simply valued her talent."
Ikezoe's answer, however, made Stay Gold uncharacteristically stunned for a moment. The emotion in Ikezoe's words just now left Stay Gold feeling somewhat bewildered.
She even had a feeling that this man in front of her understood Orfevre better than she, her own sister, did, and had even spent more time with Orfevre… But that shouldn't be possible.
However, the emotion in Ikezoe's words couldn't be false either. For a moment, Stay Gold didn't know whether to believe the facts or the emotional side—could there really be such a thing as a connection in a past life in this world?
Could it be that the Three Goddesses themselves sent this Trainer down specifically to be Orfevre's partner?
And when such a thought surfaced in her mind, Stay Gold couldn't help but have a bold idea and asked solemnly: "…Trainer Ikezoe, I wonder, would you be willing to help me train another one of my sisters?"
"She is also quite talented, but her temper… is probably even more volatile and irritable than Orfevre. Her name is Dream—"
—"Pleasesparemylife."
However, before Stay Gold's words had even finished, Ikezoe looked as if he was about to beg for his life before her, pleading with a tear-streaked face for Stay Gold to stop talking.
One Orfevre was already enough for him to die. If you were to add Dream Journey… Wouldn't it be an experience worse than the Avīci Naraka? (T/N: Avīci Naraka is a Buddhism concept which is known as the lowest level of the Naraka also known as hell [Canto 8 reference?])
Even in his previous life, he had ridden them one at a time. Where did several come at once?! Did she really think he was made of steel?
"Since you're so adamant, I won't continue."
Stay Gold found it somewhat amusing that her other sister was disliked so much by Ikezoe. It seemed like her journey would need to still stay in its dreaming phase for a bit longer. (T/N: You could even say it is a "Dream Journey")
But Orfevre's journey… undoubtedly began earlier than expected. Perhaps after Orfevre achieves fame and success, it wouldn't be too late to ask Trainer Ikezoe to train Dream Journey?
Stay Gold had already started scheming; a simple template had already formed in her mind. However, in the end, she proactively asked one last question.
"Trainer Ikezoe, I'd like to hear your future plans for Orfevre… if you don't mind."
"Ah, I'll probably have her run a few more races. Next year, she can challenge the classic Three Crowns. She definitely can't run it this year, so it's better for her to run some GIII level races first, and then consider GII."
Ikezoe had already made plans for Orfevre's future. Relying on his memory, he was full of confidence in Orfevre's future performance.
"First, win the classic Three Crowns, and then the Arima Kinen! Once all of that is in hand, it'll be about time for…"
"The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
And at that moment, Stay Gold uttered this word faintly, causing Ikezoe to freeze slightly.
"Let Orfevre go to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, break out of Japan, and reach the world stage—if she is as strong as you say." Stay Gold said to Ikezoe, who was still frozen in place, as she turned to leave:
"Do as you say, Trainer Ikezoe. Train her to be the strongest Uma Musume in all of Japan."
"If you can do that, I will grant you my eternal friendship; I will try to fulfill any wish you have, even if I have to climb mountains of knives or plunge into a sea of fire, I will do my utmost to achieve it."
It wasn't until Stay Gold's figure completely disappeared from Ikezoe's sight that the usually highly motivated Ikezoe's face showed an unconfident smile for the first time, and he muttered to himself:
"The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe… huh…"
"Yes… Orfevre can do it, she can do it… But perhaps I… am not qualified enough."
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My head cannon is that Stay Gold is just chilling with Toji in the milk store.
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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.