"But facts are facts: she hasn't performed that well in her last two races, especially that tenth-place placement in her previous race. An appropriate analogy for her is like a girl that peaked during middle school. So why are you this fixated on her, Sky?"
Mr. C.B. also found it a bit peculiar. Though Seiun Sky used to be quite arrogant and lazy, she had improved somewhat after becoming her disciple, especially in the personality department and how she conducted herself.
Seiun Sky's talent among her generation could only be considered upper-middle class. However, she possessed a natural desire for "freedom" that was very similar to her own, which was why Mr. C.B. chose Seiun Sky as her personal disciple, hoping that she might be able to achieve her unfulfilled dream of beating the "Symboli Rudolf" of this era.
However, at least across the Uma Musume she had seen so far, Mr. C.B. had not sensed the presence of the "Symboli Rudolf" of this era. Though, there was T.M. Opera O, who had already won two of the Classic Triple Crowns, whom she hadn't met in person yet due to time constraints. Plus, her "Overlord" nickname was quite similar to Rudolf's "Emperor" title.
Even just through watching T.M. Opera O's races during her spare time, Mr. C.B. did acknowledge that T.M. Opera O was likely a candidate for being a "Symboli Rudolf." However, she already had her "challengers" of this era, plus there was a whole year separating them, which severely limited their chances of racing against each other. Therefore, that "Overlord" is disqualified from being the person Seiun Sky would challenge. And by the time Seiun Sky reaches her peak, T.M. Opera O's peak period would've most likely passed by then, and even if Seiun won against her, it wouldn't be a fair victory.
A true battle, a true revenge match, should be when both parties are at their peak strength, to achieve a dignified, complete, and undeniable victory! At least, this was Mr. C.B.'s belief, and it was also why, even if she and Symboli Rudolf were to meet, they would still get along well despite their rivalry still being present. She had lost against Symboli Rudolf fair and square. Both she and Symboli Rudolf had clashed at their peaks. She was simply not as skilled or powerful as her, and there was nothing more to say about it.
But having said all that, in reality, although Seiun Sky had improved her mentality a lot, she still possessed some arrogance. From what Mr. C.B. had understood of her disciple, she usually would've targeted someone like Tokai Teio—a rising star at Tracen Academy who was already showing great promise despite not debuting yet. Logically, Seiun Sky should not be interested in some mediocre Uma Musume, let alone one that ran in sprint races, which she had no aptitude for. Why would she so insistently come to watch this Orfevre girl race? Just because she lost to her that one time? Mr. C.B. didn't think that Seiun Sky would be a narrow-minded person.
"N-no! It's just that she didn't feel like winning in those previous two races! She didn't even let out a sliver of that Aura she showed during our Debut Race!" (T/N: Sky is Orfevre's biggest glazer)
This time, Seiun Sky absolutely trusted her judgment. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the currently trying-not-to-fall-asleep Orfevre, completely unconcerned by her seemingly bad condition. Because what she felt from Orfevre was an Aura, the same Aura she experienced during her Debut Race—an Aura befitting that of a tyrant! Seiun Sky was now completely sure that Orfevre was going to do something big this race; she was also definitely stronger than she was during her Debut Race!
"Hurry up, Orfevre, let me see your strength now! You're definitely going to surprise everyone!"
As Seiun Sky excitedly talked about Orfevre to the point of gushing over her, she didn't notice Mr. C.B.'s increasingly strange gaze towards her… Was her disciple perhaps in love with Orfevre? Or, after that Debut Race, had this disciple awakened something within her because Orfevre scared her that badly?
..."The Uma Musume have begun to enter their respective gates! Now, only the first-favorite Curren Chan and the seventh-favorite Orfevre have yet to enter. It seems that they're having a pre-race chat."
"Hehe, Orfevre, looks like this will be our first time competing against each other. Are you nervous?" Curren Chan showed her usual smile and approached Orfevre while also passive-aggressively talking to her as if she were concerned about her physical condition: "Can you even walk like this? You seem to be in quite bad shape, huh, Orfevre?"
"...I'm fine."
Despite Orfevre's denial, her slightly hoarse voice clearly indicated that she was, in fact, not fine. She was indeed no longer sick, but it hadn't been long, and she was still in a weakened state because of it. Yet she still stubbornly came to participate in this race—a race that, now that the misunderstanding between her and Curren Chan had been resolved, held no particular meaning.
But Orfevre still wanted to race. She wasn't simply being her usual idiotic self; what she wanted to do was to prove herself in this race. Though her consciousness was very erratic right now, she had never felt an urge to race this strong before. She could feel that anxious sensation within her, a feeling very similar to what she felt during her Debut Race.
"I won't go easy on you this time, Curren Chan."
"Hehe, what a declaration! That reassures me a lot~"
However, Curren Chan narrowed her eyes slightly at her words and suddenly unleashed her Aura in response, which she had only ever shown to Orfevre. Although she had only released it for a brief moment, it was enough to make all the Uma Musume present start unconsciously trembling. They all felt a sense of unease wash over them, as if they had encountered a natural predator.
Upon feeling this Aura, Orfevre also instantly perked up. However, instead of trembling in fear like before, she merely frowned slightly and her pupils constricted a few times, creating a truly demonic expression on her face.
"But Curren Chan won't hand over victory just because you're still weak~" Curren Chan's eyes also emitted a dangerous glint. Although she quickly reined in her Aura, that small amount of Aura still stimulated Orfevre's nerves. "Curren Chan is determined to win this time. If you want to win, you'll have to go all out to beat Curren Chan."
With that, Curren Chan returned to her usual state and once again displayed her usual smile, as if nothing had happened, saying to Orfevre: "Then I will be going ahead. See you at the finish line, Orfevre~"
Curren Chan waved her hand and turned to leave. However, behind Curren Chan, Orfevre's frown remained as she pulled down her mask slightly, saying faintly:
"Provocation, huh? Did you really think me so dumb that I wouldn't see you're deliberately provoking me? I might have fallen for it the first time, but do you think I'd fall for it a second time?"
Orfevre was indeed a bit dumb, and a bit stubborn too, but she wasn't a complete idiot. After she was convinced that Curren Chan didn't really harbor such great malice towards her, she had come to understand the reasons behind Curren Chan's actions. Curren Chan was simply helping her in a roundabout way, as this kind of provocation was way more effective at empowering Orfevre than gentle praise.
Orfevre also admitted that if she got angry, she would be able to release her potential, just like her current state. The more her rationality evaporated, the more she could release that ever-elusive potential of hers. But that wasn't a reason for others to treat her like a kid who didn't know better. She just performed better when enraged; she wasn't a Spartan warrior who only knew how to unleash Spartan Rage!
"Although I know she didn't mean it... her provocation still really annoys me..."
"This time, even if Ikezoe scolds me, I'll show you... I'm not the kind of Uma Musume you can easily manipulate."
Orfevre muttered to herself, and at that moment, someone suddenly placed a hand on her back. It was a female staff member behind her, seeing that Orfevre hadn't entered the gate after a long time, who assumed she was having trouble and began to guide her into her gate.
"Miss, please cooperate."
"Hmph—I'll go in myself, don't touch me."
Orfevre snorted coldly, not-so-gently telling the staff member to let go before entering the gate by herself. She assumed her running posture, recalling the key points of the race in her mind: 1200 meters, turf, sunny weather.
So that meant... all she needed to do was run as hard as she could all the way to the end!
"Clang!"
"And they're off! As expected of a 1200-meter race, these sprint Uma Musume all had perfect starts and already displayed good speed from the beginning."
"Oh! This is unexpected. It seems like Orfevre isn't employing her usual Pace Chaser strategy, but rather a Runaway strategy?! Does this 1200-meter distance pose no difficulty for her at all?"
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Curren Chan: Why I manipulate others and have no morals.
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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.