Not every Uma Musume is qualified to become a professional Uma Musume. In this world, an Uma Musume is not just a profession, but a species. Not only that, they are also not as numerous as humans in terms of population size, which means that the number of Uma Musume that even have the aptitude to become a half-decent Uma Musume is incredibly small.
Becoming an Uma Musume requires talent, and the transition from local dirt racecourses to turf for Uma Musume from local regions is another layer of screening. Even after you reach the central circuit and could run in the Twinkle Series, whether you can run in OP, GIII, GII, or GI races is yet another series of screenings, categorizing the strength and talent of all Uma Musume into different tiers.
An Uma Musume capable of joining central Tracen Academy and is considered to have the potential to win a GI will have basically reached the pinnacle of what the Uma Musume profession in Japan has to offer. However, the competition and tensions at this "peak" level are still completely unimaginable to most ordinary Uma Musumes who only look on with awe and envy.
Orfevre had long since reached this "peak." Everyone around her, whether it be her Trainer or the Student Council President, told her that she possessed a potential within her that could allow her to stand above everyone. Once unleashed, she would become unstoppable.
Orfevre, of course, was skeptical of this claim, but was actually inwardly delighted. As an Uma Musume who considered herself mediocre, she was suddenly told that she possessed potential capable of rivaling those who stand at the zenith. She had also long since fantasized about becoming an Uma Musume who could win lots of races—after all, one of their main reasons for existing is to run.
But now, Orfevre's successive failures had crushed that inner resolve she had just managed to grasp. Everyone said she had talent, everyone believed in her… even when she failed so terribly. They all encouraged her, saying, "This is just a single failure," "Trust me, this failure means nothing to you," "You will achieve greater things in the future." So why, then, did the Three Goddesses bestow this "talent" upon her, yet not even giving her the key to open the door to that future?
Wouldn't it have been better to just not tell her about this talent, to let her be content as an unremarkable Uma Musume…? If she didn't have any expectations, she wouldn't be so miserable now… "Ikezoe… I can't do it… I can't do it…"
"The 'Orfevre' in your heart… I'm not even close to her…"
At this moment, Orfevre finally broke down. Under the pressure of running, the pain of the rain hitting her body like needles, and seeing Trainer Ikezoe's pained expression, she could no longer hold back her tears.
"Waaah—Waaahhhhhhh!"
Kneeling on the ground, Orfevre broke down into tears. T.M. Opera O, Mejiro McQueen, and even Imanami, Wada, and Tokai Teio, who arrived later, all fell silent as she cried. Even Gold Ship silently turned away when she saw Orfevre crying, her ears drooping sadly, unable to bear seeing her sister cry this badly.
But she also couldn't comfort her sister, because this was something every Uma Musume from the Gold Family has to go through. Perhaps one day in the future, she too would cry out like Orfevre, simply because she couldn't overcome her inner flaws.
Ikezoe, however, remained silent. He simply knelt down, and then extended his arms to embrace Orfevre, allowing her to cry in his arms.
"Waaah waah waah waah…" Orfevre certainly knew Ikezoe meant good, but with her mind in complete disarray, she kept resisting. She continuously punched and tugged at Trainer Ikezoe's clothes, like a child throwing a tantrum.
"Why are you doing this to me, Ikezoe! Why did you tell me I have talent…"
"I don't want this kind of talent, t-this talent I can't even use… I want to go back to being mediocre!"
"Why… why did you tell me all this, but not give me the answer to unleashing my potential…"
As Orfevre cried, her attacks became slower and slower. In the end, even the crying was gone, leaving only the sound of heavy rain and the quiet sobbing of Orfevre in Ikezoe's arms…
"…Let's go back, Orfevre, you're tired."
"…"
Orfevre did not answer Ikezoe's question. It turned out that, exhausted as she was, despite being under such a storm, she had actually fallen asleep.
Seeing this, Ikezoe did not hesitate to carry Orfevre's sleeping body. Wada and Imanami, who were nearby, also quickly stepped forward to help.
"—Gold Ship, you and everyone else go back to the dorms and take a quick shower. Don't catch a cold," Imanami said to Gold Ship while supporting Orfevre alongside Ikezoe and Wada. "We'll take good care of Orfevre, don't worry."
"I'm entrusting my troublesome big sister to you, Trainer Ikezoe~" Gold Ship quickly reverted to her usual mischievous self, saying to Trainer Ikezoe, who was holding Orfevre at the moment: "You better take good care of her, or else you'll receive a flying kick next time you open the mail!"
"Alright, alright, Gold Ship, let's go back." Mejiro McQueen, as an upstanding Uma Musume, immediately heeded Imanami's words. She also knew that in this situation, they couldn't be of much help.
On the way back, Tokai Teio also followed McQueen and the others. However, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at Orfevre being carried away by Ikezoe and the two others. For some reason, that scene of Orfevre, surrounded by three powerful Uma Musume in the storm yet still standing tall, felt very cool to her, even protagonist-esque. The "young lady" of Tracen Academy felt for the first time that beyond talent and mindset, an Uma Musume also needed another aspect…—which is an indomitable spirit. A being that, no matter the circumstance, no matter the difficulty, will never give up until they completely fall.
"Is this also what the Prez wanted to teach me? The thing she hopes I can learn here?"
Tokai Teio murmured to herself. Though she couldn't fully comprehend the complete importance of such a principle, her perspective on many things had already begun to slowly change. Previously, she only focused on Uma Musume she considered "worthy rivals." Even if she treated other Uma Musume politely, she wouldn't truly take them seriously.
But now that she saw the power an "indomitable spirit" can release, Tokai Teio's confidence in her "talent" actually began to waver.
"Perhaps there's something more important than 'talent' that I haven't learned yet?" Tokai Teio continued to murmur to herself, but at this moment, she had come to the conclusion that joining this team was undoubtedly the right choice...
"Come on, Orfevre, drink this ginger tea, and you'll be fine~ Say ah~"
Back at the Team room, Orfevre was lying in bed. She had woken up when Trainer Ikezoe carried her back. With the help of Curren Chan, who had just arrived, Orfevre had taken a shower and changed her damp clothes. Curren Chan had also brewed some ginger tea for Orfevre to prevent her from catching a cold. Orfevre did look quite weak after what she did; after all, even with an Uma Musume's physique, it's hard to withstand such a storm while undergoing such intense activities.
"In any case, Orfevre probably can't participate in that race she promised you, Curren Chan. Since it has come to this, I'll leave that race to you."
Ikezoe touched Orfevre's forehead and felt a slight fever, and immediately decided to call off the now meaningless bet between Curren Chan and Orfevre. After all, this was also Curren Chan's Debut Race, and it was a GIII. At Curren Chan's current level, winning a race on this level shouldn't be hard barring any surprises, and there was no need for Orfevre, who would likely be sick, to participate.
At this moment, Orfevre, with a somewhat pale face, immediately spoke up, saying in a slightly hoarse voice: "Ikezoe… I want... to participate."
Facing Ikezoe, who had turned around, Orfevre, although feeling unwell, insisted, "I want to go. Let me have another go. I swear, I will recover well. I'll get back to normal by the day of the race. If I still lose, then I will listen to you forever and will never do anything rash again."
"This…"
However, Ikezoe hesitated upon hearing this. He wanted to reject Orfevre's proposal on the spot, but seeing Orfevre, who had just experienced a breakdown, recover so quickly and want to race again, he just didn't know how to refuse. Ikezoe subconsciously gave a helpless look at Curren Chan beside him, only to see Curren Chan smile slightly and say to him:
"Onii-chan, let Orfevre try one more time."
"…Alright, but, Orfevre, you must take good care of your body within this time. Otherwise, I won't allow you to participate in the race."
In the end, with Curren Chan's support, Ikezoe reluctantly chose to compromise. After all, no matter what, this time he still had Curren Chan. Even if Orfevre lost again, as long as Curren Chan was the one who won, the media wouldn't be able to say much about their team.
"Stopped acting like you did before, huh?" Orfevre saw Ikezoe return to his normal state and slightly parted her lips, but still silently swallowed the words—she wasn't very good at acting like a child after all. But she always felt that when Ikezoe comforted her like that, a mix of both anxiety and joy boiled up from her heart… what kind of emotion was it exactly?
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Wholesome, slightly abusive relationship with Orfevre or manipulative, very cute relationship with Curren Chan.
Pick your choice, asian boy.
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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.