After everything had been settled, Team Miracle finally returned to Tracen Academy, a day short of the students and staff from Tracen Academy who had returned after watching Gold Ship's Debut Race.
Once they actually stepped foot into Tracen Academy, it was obvious that Gold Ship had plunged everyone into a frenzy, with banners hung and even conducting little events as if celebrating some special holiday.
Yet, for those who had suffered at the hands of Gold Ship in the past, it truly was a day worth celebrating.
It really happened! That chaotic demon king finally went to race!
When everyone saw the scene of Gold Ship stepping onto the track, one of the Class Representatives, Sakura Bakushin O, even started shedding tears while constantly crying out the word 'Bakushin' over and over again.
However, it wasn't because they felt moved by Gold Ship's determination, but because they were finally free.
Many a time when Gold Ship stirred up trouble, a group of students, usually led by Sakura Bakushin O or Bamboo Memory, would launch 'siege operations' (chases) against her, which had never once succeeded.
Either they couldn't outrun Gold Ship, or Gold Ship managed to outsmart them in some way.
There was even a time when Gold Ship managed to trick Sakura Bakushin O and her team into running in circles for hours on end using some kind of hologram technology she snagged from Tachyon's lab.
That is to say, for the unofficial law enforcers of Tracen Academy, Gold Ship could only be described as a demon king, their pitiful authority completely ineffective in the face of this chaotic creature.
But now that Gold Ship was finally starting her career, it would surely mean that she would devote most of her energy into training and racing, right?
Thus, wouldn't that mean they were finally free?
It was for this reason that on this day, Tracen's usual group of unofficial law enforcers took the lead in holding a celebration ceremony, designating the day as 'Farewell Gold Ship Day,' with plans to officially commemorate their liberation today every year— unfortunately, Air Groove had already shot down their dreams.
Still, that didn't stop the bunch, as well as many others, from celebrating in their own little way, to the point that when Team Miracle returned to Tracen Academy, only bewilderment was present on their faces.
Only Gold Ship, after seeing all the banners and events, seemed to understand, as she laughed with her hands on her hips,
"Hahaha! I didn't expect Gold Ship-sama to be so popular! I already have so many fans!"
"Heh, this must mean that my prior efforts weren't in vain! From now on, I will work even harder to prank everyone in Tracen!"
—Fortunately for Tracen Academy, the very next day after her declaration, many people saw Gold Ship getting dragged away by Imanami to train.
And for the first time ever (yes, EVER), tranquility fell upon Tracen Academy.
Many years later, in the newly formed Disciplinary Committee of Tracen Academy, every new member who joined would see the statue of a young man dragging away an Uma Musume inside the club room.
Whenever they asked about the statue, they would only receive a solemn answer from their seniors,
"Although we also don't really know the full context either, according to our predecessors, it is because of this Trainer that our Disciplinary Committee gained true authority."
...
Returning back in time, after Team Miracle's dominant performance in March, their reputation skyrocketed.
Now, the subsequent GI races in April, such as the Satsuki Sho and Tenno Sho (Spring), truly made everyone else feel Team Miracle's fighting spirit.
Everyone who was paying attention to them would know that March was just an appetizer for Team Miracle; April would be when they would truly make their move.
Whether it was Orfevre, who was gunning for the Classic Triple Crowns, or Mejiro McQueen, who was going to participate in the Tenno Sho (Spring), both made the other teams and Trainers nervous.
In comparison, T.M. Opera O's promised showdown with El Condor Pasa in the GII Aoba Sho seemed somewhat insignificant.
After all, it was just a GII race, and the odds were heavily stacked against El Condor Pasa's favour; she was facing the Overlord herself, T.M. Opera O, after all.
With most people focusing more on the upcoming Satsuki Sho and the subsequent Spring Tenno Sho, as the first one to enter a race in April, Orfevre seemed to have become much more serious about her training recently.
"Hoo... managed to improve a few milliseconds this time..."
Orfevre breathed slightly heavily, and about fifty meters behind her, Rice Shower's small figure gradually caught up.
"Ha... ha... Orfevre, your stamina is so strong..."
"You're not bad either, Rice Shower. I really didn't expect someone so small to be able to run for so long."
Ever since the day Rice Shower requested Orfevre's permission, she had implicitly allowed her to follow her when she trained, with the both of them even recently agreeing to do simultaneous running where Rice Shower would follow Orfevre at a distance of around fifty meters.
Orfevre had to admit, she had underestimated Rice Shower. Her endurance was comparable to hers.
In fact, Orfevre believed that she would have to completely exhaust herself before she could wear down Rice Shower; there was no doubt that no long-distance race in Japan would be a problem for her.
With this understanding, Orfevre also gradually began to take Rice Shower seriously, even imparting her insights (repeating what Ikezoe taught her) to this Uma Musume who had lost to her in the Yayoi Sho.
She even tried to provide the meger theoretical knowledge she had to Rice Shower.
Although Orfevre was not the best teacher or Trainer, Rice Shower cherished the opportunity Orfevre had given to her, noting down every word no matter how poorly Orfevre explained it.
To some extent, Rice Shower could be said to have taken advantage of Orfevre's kindness.
Rice Shower herself was well aware of this but had never spoken up despite the guilt... because she knew that if she lost this opportunity, she would most likely have to return to inefficiently training herself.
However, on this day, Rice Shower could not take the guilt anymore, and she walked forward with her eyes looking down.
"Um... Orfevre, although I'm very grateful that you're willing to help me and even share Trainer Ikezoe's training plan... are- aren't you afraid that one day... I would cause your defeat?"
It took a lot of courage for Rice Shower to finally reveal her inner doubts.
She had originally thought that she was quite the naive type, but she didn't expect Orfevre to be an even bigger airhead.
Rice Shower didn't even have to trick Orfevre; after they got to know each other, Orfevre herself proactively started to help Rice Shower wholeheartedly without any reservation.
It was also for this reason that Rice Shower felt that she was 'taking advantage' of Orfevre. She was so kind to her, yet, if one day she became as strong as Orfevre, and then backstabbed her during one of the Classic Triple Crown races... how would Orfevre see her then?
Rice Shower only had Orfevre as a friend, so she felt especially guilty, which was why she chose to speak up about this topic now to warn Orfevre.
However, upon hearing Rice Shower's words, Orfevre only showed a stunned expression before she burst into a fit of laughter.
"Bahahaha! You're quite intresting, aren't you? Why don't you save those words when you manage to get second place? Right now, you're not nearly strong enough to say those words yet."
"You don't even know how to use 'Aura' or 'Zone.' There's not a single chance you can actually beat me."
"Aura...? Zone...?"
Hearing these unfamiliar terms, Rice Shower couldn't help but ask curiously,
"I heard you say those things before; is it the power you used during our runs? But... Rice Shower doesn't seem to have the talent. Is there any way I can learn it?"
"Well... I don't know either. My only advice is to run in more races, I guess."
Orfevre scratched her head, unsure of how to explain or teach Rice Shower about this topic.
As one of the few people who weren't afraid of her at all, Orfevre became very caring towards Rice Shower.
Of course, Orfevre was only willing to give this level of help because she didn't feel that Rice Shower would ever be a threat to her if she grew on her lonesome.
Mihono Bourbon might be considered a threat, but she also hadn't grasped Aura yet, so she was no problem either.
As she pondered about this, Orfevre suddenly remembered something and lightly snapped her fingers.
"Oh right! Rice Shower, I seem to remember Trainer Imanami saying that McQueen needed a training partner."
"She's about to run in the Spring Tenno Sho and your stamina is quite impressive. So why don't you try to run a few races with McQueen to see if you can get something?"
"Even if you can't learn Aura from her, I feel like you and McQueen are quite similar. If you manage to learn a few tricks from McQueen, you might even have a chance to surpass Mihono Bourbon. Then, I'll truly consider you a rival."
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Late at night, translating again...
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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.