Becoming a Winning Uma Musume is not an arduous task for most talented Uma Musume. But to still get promoted even after they lost? Now, that's extremely difficult.
The usual ruling stipulates only one qualification: get first place in your Debut Race. However, there are some rare cases where an Uma Musume can still qualify even after losing. The criteria for such cases are not set at all, with it being determined solely by the judges' moods and deliberations, but without exception, the Uma Musume in these cases all had a uniquely outstanding performance.
For instance, Admire Vega, one of T.M. Opera O's so-called "Three Musketeers," entered her Debut Race as the favorite. One would expect her to win decisively, but she accidentally veered off during the final straight, dropping her straight down to fourth place. However, considering how far ahead she was over the others before the accident, the judges concluded that "it would be a waste of time for everyone to make her run another race" and allowed her to become a Winning Uma Musume, not requiring her to run in another Maiden Race.
Becoming a Winning Uma Musume is not some exceptional feat, but exceptional cases are few and far between. In a sense, it was completely luck-dependent if the judges were to acknowledge an Uma Musume's strength.
"Wait... That's great, woohoo!"
Curren Chan also hadn't expected such a fortunate thing to happen to her today. For a moment, even this battle-hardened Uma Musume, who had learned how to not react much to things due to the numerous idol activities she participated in since childhood, was visibly stunned, revealing a grin of genuine joy.
She had originally planned to intentionally lose the race and help Orfevre win. After all, she could win a sprint race anytime she wanted to; losing a single race wasn't something she had to care much about, the focus now was to help Orfevre regain her confidence. Curren Chan had even secretly planned that, if Orfevre didn't perform too terribly this time around, she would emulate Meisho Doto and drag down every other Uma Musume in the race to help Orfevre win.
Of course, this tactic was something Curren Chan didn't want to do. And to be honest, when Curren Chan saw how terrible Orfevre's condition was earlier, even she began to feel uneasy. But it seems like it was completely unnecessary. Orfevre succeeded, and she also unexpectedly gained something too. It was almost as if the Three Goddesses were smiling down on her today.
"Curren Chan! Orfevre!"
"—Ikezoe (Onii-chan)!" x2
As Ikezoe's relieved cry echoed into the racecourse, Curren Chan and Orfevre looked over in unison. At that moment, a smile also appeared on Curren Chan's face.
No, maybe the blessing they gave me was already used up in order for me to meet someone like you, Onii-chan?
"Orfevre~! Curren Chan~!"
The excited Ikezoe quickly rushed to embrace his two Uma Musume, smiling with immense joy. Unfortunately, due to him drowning in joy, he completely failed to notice the simultaneous tensing of his two Uma Musume's bodies.
"Y-yo-y-YOU IDIOT! Don't suddenly hug me like that!" After being stunlocked for a moment, Orfevre's face visibly reddened, and her petulant little fists began to rain down on Ikezoe's abdomen again.
With a dull thud, Ikezoe staggered back, wincing with a smile while clutching his stomach, almost getting knocked down by Orfevre's punch.
"Hehe, don't expect Curren Chan to help you with this, Onii-chan. You also startled me quite a bit, you know?"
Curren Chan's cheeks also unconsciously flushed slightly. Trainer Ikezoe's enthusiasm was completely unexpected for her. However, compared to Orfevre's obvious embarrassment, Curren Chan quickly calmed herself down and restored her mental state. She even proactively opened her arms, posing as if to ask for a hug from the still-in-pain Ikezoe, and said playfully and cutely:
"But, I didn't say Onii-chan can't hug me, you know~"
Curren Chan's cheeks were rosy, and she wore a cunning yet somewhat shy smile. It was hard to discern the true meaning behind her actions, as if she was a devilish junior who wanted to get closer to her crush but couldn't find an excuse to.
Unfortunately for Curren Chan, or perhaps for Ikezoe, he was still too pain-stricken to react to her actions, and it was Orfevre who was the first to react.
"H-h-how can you do such a thing in public?! Do you have no shame?!"
Orfevre fearlessly clamped Curren Chan's outstretched arms back to her body, and then didn't forget to glare at Ikezoe with an expression that said, "If you embarrass me like her, you're dead," scaring the still-groaning Ikezoe into immediate stillness. Indeed, Orfevre was the one who scared him the most...
"That was a wonderful race, the three of you. You deserve to receive some recognition from me."
Just then, an unfamiliar female voice broke the silence of the trio. As Ikezoe and the two looked over, they saw a rather lady-like Uma Musume walking towards them, as well as Seiun Sky, who both appeared out of nowhere.
Though they didn't recognize Mr. C.B., they did recognize Seiun Sky, with Orfevre remembering her as "that girl who schemed and sabotaged her in her Debut Race, causing her to be late," and thus, immediately said:
"Huh... So it's you, huh?"
"Hi~ Orfevre, that race was amazing!" Seiun Sky, however, seemed completely oblivious to Orfevre's hostility and greeted her kindly.
On the other side, Mr. C.B. turned her gaze to Ikezoe and said with a smile, "Hello, you're Trainer Ikezoe Kenichi, right? I am Mr. C.B., the Student Council President of Tracen Academy Branch School. Your two Uma Musume were a joy to watch; I never thought such a low-graded race would make my heart pump like that! Their talent and hard work, as well as their bond with you, have deeply impressed me."
"Trainer Ikezoe, I am not like Rudolf. She was always a quite conniving person, and after becoming Student Council President, she has become even more cunning. Meanwhile, I like to keep things straightforward. I won't beat around the bush, Trainer Ikezoe. I see great potential in both you and your two Uma Musume. Your team is one of the more unique, yet capable ones I have ever seen in my career."
"What do you say? Are you interested in joining our Branch School? I guarantee, on my honor as the Student Council President, that after I successfully step down, I will wholeheartedly support Orfevre to become the next Student Council President."
Mr. C.B.'s personality was truly as free as the wind, acting without any hesitation as long as she considered herself to be in the right. In fact, she had laid out her intentions and her bargaining chips so quickly that Ikezoe and the two didn't have the time to fully comprehend what she was saying.
But just then, another voice from not far away broke the silence, and this voice was immediately recognizable at first listen to the three.
"—Mr. C.B., isn't it a bit inappropriate to try and poach people from Tracen Academy while I wasn't looking?"
"Oh, Rudolf, you're finally here."
Mr. C.B., however, was not at all surprised by Rudolf's arrival. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked behind Ikezoe's group, and then at Symboli Rudolf, who was silently approaching. Symboli Rudolf wasn't even alone; she was flanked by both Air Groove and Narita Brian, her right and left-hand women. As these three heavyweights appeared, the atmosphere around them immediately became charged with tension.
To be clear, they weren't here to beat Mr. C.B. up. Hell, there wasn't even much animosity between them. But as Student Council members, they would absolutely not allow Mr. C.B. to poach like this.
And for a brief second, the Auras of four legendary Uma Musume instantly collided with each other in the area. In front of Ikezoe's group, "phantoms" could be seen enveloping them, which immediately caused all the Uma Musume nearby to start trembling in fear, incapable of even moving.
Besides Ikezoe, who was unaffected because he was human, Curren Chan and Orfevre were both trembling and hiding behind him, not daring to even take a deep breath. Clearly, they were intimidated by those four powerhouses. No matter how strong their talents were, Orfevre and Curren were still rookie Uma Musume at the moment. Facing the literal top Uma Musume in Japan, they could only meekly surrender. Even if T.M. Opera O were here, she too would be rendered to a similar pathetic state of hiding behind Wada while trembling...
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Coughing babies VS Hydrogen bombs
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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.