"Dumbass... Idiot..."
"How could I have taught such a foolish student like you... To give up your own future for an old woman you've only known for a year... it's not worth it...!"
"It's not worth it at all...! I- I'm not worth you doing this..."
Maruzensky did not know how to exactly describe what her feelings were at this moment.
She felt that she was the luckiest, but also the most foolish person in the world.
The dream, the wish she had unconsciously given up on was now truly before her eyes; yet she could not treat it as good luck, because the cost of this dream had to be borne by another.
Maruzensky simply could not accept this with a clear conscience, and her first instinctive reaction was not to accept, but how to refuse.
For her, a retired Uma Musume who was about to fade away completely, an opportunity like this was completely wasted on her.
There was no way she could accept this... It should rightfully go to her most cherished and proud student, the one who would carry on her will to the world stage.
Indeed, she wanted to be the one who personally sent this country's children to the world stage.
Indeed, she wanted to one day see one of these children successfully win a world-shaking race and then be able to proudly point at the television and shout to those people in the URA who used to treat her like trash:
"Do you see her?! That's my student! That's the student I personally taught! I helped her reach the world stage!"
However, as time passed, and she grew older and older, seeing the many children she guided return from failed expeditions one after the other, spiritless and even covered in unrecoverable wounds, a thought began to form about herself.
'Perhaps I'm not suited to be a Trainer...'
It was for this exact reason that she never even attempted to take on any official Trainer exams, only continuing to do such... 'volunteer work' as an expedition coach.
But, with the arrival of Ikezoe, Maruzensky, even if only a tiny bit, started to dream again.
Perhaps she truly didn't have the talent to personally teach other children. However, through passing on her knowledge and experience to an excellent Trainer, they could carry her will to help the children run on the world stage.
And it seemed her expectations were not misplaced this time; Maruzensky did not in fact choose the wrong person.
Just seeing Ikezoe and his Uma Musume grow made her extremely satisfied, like seeing her will being successfully carried on, her dream becoming more of a reality by the day.
Similarly, as Ikezoe and the others became more skilled, Maruzensky also felt... that she was no longer needed anymore, her purpose becoming more unclear each time she saw them reach higher heights.
Maybe she was a failure, as both an Uma Musume and a Trainer.
But at least, she wanted to prove that her dream was not impossible, that someday, someone would bring her dream to fruition.
This was the reason why Maruzensky so readily spent so much of her money, giving most of it to Ikezoe as if it was worth nothing to her.
She was gambling, gambling that Ikezoe would be able to reach a bigger stage, gambling that he was the one that would bring her dream to reality in her stead.
Yet, now, the person she was gambling on was so eager to give it all back to her and more, even cutting his own path short in the process.
This was his future, their dreams... How could she take it away...? How could she ruin the future of these more promising people for her own selfish desires?
"Teacher... no matter what, you are, and will be my teacher; that will never change. Orfevre and I could only reach where we are today all thanks to your help."
Ikezoe, evidently, also saw Maruzensky's internal struggle.
But, in usual blockhead fashion, he only thought Maruzensky was too emotional; so, he kept encouraging Maruzensky to accept what he thought rightfully belonged to her.
"Leaving aside whether Orfevre and I could actually get through the current situation... if we do one day reach the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and succeed, it would only be possible because of you, Teacher."
"You gave your everything for me and Orfevre, and this opportunity... is not my everything. How could this even compare to a fraction of what you've given us."
"—What's more, it's not like I could never obtain this opportunity again. Who knows? Maybe I'll manage to challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a new Uma Musume and then meet you and Orfevre again in another year or two!"
"After that, I'll even bring Curren Chan and Sweep Tosho along. Teacher, please accept my meager gift for all you have done."
Ikezoe had said everything he could; though it was inevitably a bit dry, these were the most sincere sentences he could form from his vocabulary.
"Don't you want your future to be brighter? To help more Japanese Uma Musume go out to the wider world?"
"For your students to achieve something outside this small place. Isn't that what you deserve?!"
"..."
Yet, seeing Maruzensky silently lower her head, not answering him, it was only then that Ikezoe finally realized that perhaps she really didn't want to accept his help.
However, before Ikezoe could change his words, Maruzensky suddenly took a step forward.
"Ikezoe-kun..."
"Can... can I borrow your chest for a moment, just to lean on?"
Without even being able to react, Ikezoe suddenly felt Maruzensky's luscious hair touch his body, with her even deliberately wrapping her arms tightly around Ikezoe's back, as if to prevent him from escaping.
Ikezoe, naturally, was startled at first; but he managed to quickly calm down, after all, such situations were actually quite common within his team, especially with Orfevre back when she was not as confident.
What's more... Ikezoe could feel a slight dampness on his clothes. It was probably better not to disturb her.
"Why... why couldn't you have been born ten years earlier...? Why couldn't you have let me meet you ten years earlier..."
"If only I had met you when I started, if only you had appeared earlier... I would definitely have made you my Trainer..."
"If you had told me to leave Japan... I would have become your proud Uma Musume and wouldn't have had to suffer from everything that came with it..."
"Even with the Imported Uma Musume rule, no one advised me to change. Even with my Japanese Derby record invalidated, no one advised me to change. Even when I didn't qualify for the Arima Kinen after winning eight out of eight races... no one advised me to change."
"Why didn't you appear earlier... why didn't you advise me to give up earlier..."
If only I met you earlier... I would never have willingly given you up to the others like this...
Still, these words ultimately languished behind Maruzensky's tongue; because in the real world, there are no ifs or buts, the fact was that he was simply ten years too late, it was an unbridgeable chasm, a difference that no amount of effort could mend.
But at least... she wanted to indulge in this warmth for a little longer.
Just for a little longer. After that, I can let go of you.
Thinking this, Maruzensky slowly closed her eyes, and the arms embracing Ikezoe showed no sign of loosening at all...
-----+-----
(Yapping of an insane rambling man ahead)
I gotta say, this is prob one of my least favourite mini arcs in this fic.
For how well the author has done to make side Uma Musumes not worship the MCs like other SI Uma Musume fics, it just feels icky for Maruzensky to just completely dismiss her previous Trainer like that.
Plus, I just find it weird how the author considers a 10 year age gap between consenting? adults to be problematic, when if we use this same thinking to evaluate Wada, he would be considered as one of Epstein's personal disciples alongside Rudeus.
This feels especially worse considering the fact that I thought the author did a pretty good job in the last Maruzensky mini arc after Orfevre's mock race.
Still, I'm just a dumb little translator, so what would I know?
-----+-----
If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.