Chasing Light's group did not even need to wait until the third day. They had already finished handling everything on this side.
Kuroha also quickly applied to the URA Association for the use of a private international flight.
After all, beyond the expedition itself, he also had to bring certain more personal matters back to Tracen.
Narita International Airport.
As the roar of the engines rose, the URA Association's private jet carried Tracen's hope toward France.
...
High above the earth.
An endless sea of clouds spread beneath the fuselage like a vast white ocean, rolling with soft, gentle waves.
The purple-haired girl pressed both hands against the window, her eyes shining as she gazed at the boundless, magnificent world unfolding before her.
Beside her, Kuroha leaned over and teased her softly. "Didn't you already see this when I took you to Tōkō before? What? Still haven't had enough?"
"...It just feels new, that's all."
After a brief silence, McQueen shook her head. "Before, I always came along with the others."
"But this time, this is my battlefield."
Her pale hand, resting against the glass, slowly curled into a fist and trembled faintly.
But not from worry or anxiety.
It was fighting spirit.
In the eyes of this white-haired girl, there was only fighting spirit boiling to its absolute peak.
On this journey, she would set her sights on the summit of the world and challenge the strongest Uma Musume racers across the globe.
It was not only Tracen's spectators and fans whose blood was running hot.
How could she not feel the same?
"Confidence is a good thing." Kuroha smiled and leaned back, then opened his phone. Three chat groups were displayed on the screen.
[Chat Group for Beating Up the Kuroha Bad Guy (3 members)]
[My Little Horse: I'm heading to Europe, but France comes first this time. McQueen has a race late this month, so it may be a while before I can return to Ireland.]
[My Little Horse: @Haitoshi @Haito Star.]
That was the message Kuroha had sent a few minutes ago, when they boarded.
And now, sure enough, someone had already replied.
[Haito Star: kitten nodding.jpg]
[Haito Star: I understand, Kuroha-nii.]
[Haito Star: My sister is still training and is a little busy. It sounds like she's preparing for her debut race.]
[My Little Horse: Her debut race? That's faster than I expected.]
[My Little Horse: All right. Star, be good, okay? I'll go see you when the time comes.]
[Haito Star: kitten nodding.jpg]
A fluffy little kitten sticker popped up on the screen, its head bobbing side to side.
Kuroha looked at the screen, and the corners of his mouth lifted without him realizing it. Then the smile gradually faded, replaced by a complicated, wistful expression.
He had not expected that Haitoshi would be making her debut already.
Time really did pass quickly.
Though, if he remembered correctly, in the original world, Haitoshi seemed to have run two debut races.
He wondered whether, after the tempering he had given her last year, along with the advancement of seasonal training theory, she would still go through that failure this time.
"I hope not. Otherwise, she'll definitely cry..."
Thinking of Haitoshi's slightly haughty face, Kuroha could not help shaking his head with a quiet laugh.
Suddenly, a bottle of juice was offered before his eyes, and a girl's crisp voice sounded beside his ear.
"What are you looking at?"
He raised his eyes and saw a strand of silver hair enter his vision, followed by a pair of cool blue-red barriers.
Folkqueen.
What Godolphin had said really had been right.
Kuroha had only tentatively asked her one question, and this New Zealand girl had shown little intention of continuing the conversation afterward.
Combined with the strange feeling he had noticed before, as well as Godolphin's self-proclaimed "goddess of love" attitude, Kuroha more or less understood what Folkqueen truly thought.
"Nothing much. Just two Uma Musume I know who live in Ireland. I'm planning to find some time to visit them."
"Oh."
Folkqueen pursed her lips, brushed the silver hair by her ear back, then sat down beside Kuroha.
"You really do know a lot of Uma Musume. You've seen them all over the world."
Kuroha chuckled at that and slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"I have traveled across more than half the world, after all. Sooner or later, I was bound to meet a few little fillies I got along with."
"Besides, the Uma Musume around me are all so dazzling. It would be hard not to remember them."
"..."
Hearing that, Folkqueen froze slightly and turned her head just a little, only to meet Kuroha's gentle eyes directly.
In the depths of those familiar pupils, her reflection was clearly visible.
As if she had been shocked by electricity, the silver-haired girl hurriedly withdrew her gaze and pretended nothing had happened as she twisted open the drink in her hand and took a sip.
If one ignored the faint cherry-red flush on her cheeks, she really did look almost composed.
Kuroha helplessly turned his head away as well and rubbed his temples.
It seemed that during this expedition, there was one more problem he would have to deal with.
In the row of seats behind them, a blue figure was resting her chin on one hand, watching the interaction between the two ahead with great interest.
"How nice..." she murmured softly.
After coming to the mortal world, she found herself increasingly convinced that emotion, or rather love, was truly the most interesting thing in existence.
"But when will I meet a love of my own...?"
The Blue Goddess pondered the question with some distress.
...
After a brief chat, the cabin gradually fell quiet.
After all, this flight would last more than ten hours. No one could remain excited the entire time.
The plane flew steadily through the sea of clouds. The roar of the engines was blocked outside the cabin, leaving only the occasional turbulence to remind them that they were crossing thousands of miles of open sky.
McQueen still leaned against the window, her fingertips lightly tapping the glass while her gaze followed the drifting clouds near the horizon.
Folkqueen, meanwhile, stared at the cabin wall ahead, lost in thoughts no one else could read.
As for Godolphin, she had put on an eye mask and gone straight to sleep.
After the Three Goddesses descended to the mortal world, the bodies formed from the power of their Blessings did not actually need to eat or sleep at all.
Yet they were extremely enthusiastic about experiencing this world as ordinary people.
Eating, sleeping, dreaming.
These actions, which should have been entirely unnecessary to them, had instead become the most interesting experiences.
Kuroha put away his phone, leaned back in his seat, and looked at the three girls beside him, each distinct in her own way. A faint smile rose to his lips.
Because of their arrival, France's racetracks were destined to be swept up in a very different storm.
...
Time slipped quietly away amid his thoughts.
Half a day quickly passed amid the rolling cloud sea.
The private flight crossed the entirety of the Asian continent, swept over countless mountains and rivers, and finally approached its destination.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will soon begin our descent and are expected to arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport in twenty minutes."
"Please fasten your seat belts and return your seat backs to the upright position..."
The flight attendant's gentle announcement woke everyone from their respective thoughts.
Kuroha steadied himself and looked outside.
The clouds were thinning, and the view gradually opened up.
Through the thin mist, the land of France could already be seen.
Across the vast plains, forests and rivers were scattered here and there, while fields had been neatly divided into countless geometric blocks.
It was a landscape completely different from that of the far eastern island nation.
Farther away, the outline of a city shimmered faintly beneath the afternoon sun.
That city was Paris.
And it was also where the stage of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe awaited.
(End of Chapter)
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