Of course, she couldn't say such a thing directly; otherwise, her position within the Kasamatsu squad would become incredibly awkward.
It was precisely because of her lack of honesty that Bell Glory nearly chose to go for a walk alone. In fact, both Horse Girls did go for a walk together, but neither of them had their mind on the scenery.
Having sensed Bell Glory's fixation on Fujimaru Ritsuka—and her refusal to admit it—Arpalan took the initiative to bring up the topic of Ritsuka and Gloria, "guiding" her friend with a leading question:
"I wonder what the Trainer and Miss Gloria are up to... I'm a little curious."
Just as Bell Glory was reeling in shock, beginning to worry, 'Why is little Arpalan interested in this too?' Arpalan gave a mysterious smile. She leaned in close to Bell Glory and whispered a suggestion: "Hey, Glory, since it's just the two of us right now, why don't we act as each other's alibis and quietly follow them to see what's going on? What do you say?"
After saying it, Arpalan felt she might have sounded a bit too certain, as if she had already seen through Bell Glory's special feelings for Ritsuka. She quickly clasped her hands together in a mock plea. "Please! This is really important to me!"
She silently added in her heart: If we don't do this, I'm afraid Senior Maruzensky is going to be heartbroken.
Whether Arpalan herself had any ulterior motives was another story entirely.
And so, the two girls reached a consensus and began their covert observation.
Once the observation truly began, Arpalan desperately wanted to ask: Wait, is this guy actually a pro at this?
On the surface, Ritsuka was being perfectly fair. He consulted both Fujimaru Ritsuka and Noren Ace for their opinions, playing the role of the impartial listener. But... this Gloria woman actually had incredible taste, didn't she? She didn't leave a single inch of space for Noren Ace to actually offer a suggestion!
In truth, that was exactly what was happening. In front of Gloria, Noren Ace had turned into a "Yes-Girl." No matter what outfit Gloria picked out, Noren Ace could only shower her with praise, unable to think of a single way to improve the look.
But if it had stayed like that, the shopping trip would have ended far too quickly. Gloria put together several sets of clothes—some cute, some highlighting her figure. Each time she changed, she showed the outfit to Fujimaru Ritsuka first, making adjustments based on his micro-expressions.
For example, Gloria initially paired a V-neck sweater under a trench coat, revealing a sliver of pale skin. She even leaned forward slightly, subtly showcasing her cleavage.
Fujimaru Ritsuka's first reaction was: "Gloria, the winters in Kasamatsu are quite cold. I think keeping warm should be the priority."
Noren Ace didn't pick up on the nuance. Instead, she praised the look: "Trainer, what does it matter? Miss Gloria looks more like a champion every second in this—cool and charming. I think it's great."
Most people are willing to sacrifice comfort for fashion, and Horse Girls are even more cold-resistant than the average person.
However, Gloria ignored Noren Ace's praise and swapped the V-neck for a crew neck. Now, forget the cleavage; not even that small patch of pale skin was visible.
Noren Ace felt it was completely unnecessary. A crew neck was more suited for children or the elderly; a V-neck was much better at showcasing a young girl's charm—especially since Gloria's figure was "well-endowed," far beyond what an average Horse Girl could boast. Noren Ace even suspected that in all of Japan, the number of girls who could compete with Gloria in terms of physique could be counted on two hands.
Fujimaru Ritsuka also felt his suggestion might have been a bit inappropriate. After all, a love for beauty is second nature to girls; if she buttoned the trench coat, a V-neck wouldn't matter.
Despite that, Gloria stuck with the crew neck. She even thanked him: "As expected of the Trainer. This really is much warmer. Let's go with this; I prefer this combination."
This only made Noren Ace feel more out of place. she felt like a complete bystander, utterly useless.
While Gloria went back to change again, Noren Ace gently nudged Ritsuka's arm with her elbow and made a small joke: "Trainer, Miss Gloria isn't here for you, is she? It feels like your suggestions are way more important than mine."
Then, feigning surprise, she continued her teasing: "Wait, am I actually just a pawn in your little romance game?"
As the words left her mouth, Noren Ace felt a faint pang of bitterness in her heart. She was hit with a sudden, inexplicable urge to say: 'I was here first, it was supposed to be...'
But she couldn't say it. After all, she was the newcomer.
Fujimaru Ritsuka, naturally, didn't think that way at all. He sighed, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "To me, you are all juniors who need care and guidance. As a senior on the path of life, isn't it normal for me to view your words, actions, and attire from an elder's perspective?"
After all, Horse Girls developed very quickly. It was easy to get the feeling of, 'She was just a child two years ago, and now she's suddenly blossomed into a graceful beauty.' Dealing with them from an elder's perspective felt like the right move.
But for Noren Ace, one of the parties involved, that explanation was incredibly subtle in a bad way. She would have preferred it if Ritsuka had become a trainer out of a simple thought like, "Horse Girls are so cute, I want to marry one!"
After all, someone as considerate, capable, and able to withstand the physical impact of a Horse Girl's frontal charge was exceedingly rare.
Noren Ace wasn't just boasting; she could honestly say: forget "freaks" like Oguri Cap, even an ordinary Horse Girl like her—who barely touched the edge of Graded Stakes—could leave a Trainer-shaped crater in the ground if she charged at them for a hug. A trainer like him was a waste if he didn't marry a Horse Girl!
One had to remember that the first lesson Horse Girls learned after entering Tracen Academy wasn't how to run faster, but how to maintain a proper distance from their Trainers.
In the distance, Bell Glory and Arpalan had no idea what was going through Ritsuka's mind. They only felt that Gloria's advances were textbook perfection. That is, the opinions of others didn't matter at all; the only thing that mattered was what Fujimaru Ritsuka thought.
In Arpalan's eyes, compared to Senior Maruzensky's subtle hints, Gloria's approach was a bit more blunt, but it was effective. It easily made a person feel like their suggestions were being given serious consideration. In the realm of romance, this was more useful than any grand confession. However...
Arpalan felt that Fujimaru Ritsuka's reaction was so steady it was almost impregnable.
She made a mental note: Target (Fujimaru Ritsuka) has his own views on aesthetic attire, generally preferring simple and practical styles; when faced with direct inquiries from a female, he remains calm and handles them appropriately, showing no specific preferences or emotional fluctuations.
Arpalan really wanted to give a sharp critique: He's a block of wood.
But she couldn't. Because in the face of a beautiful girl, Ritsuka had the reactions of a normal person—it was just that his stance was a bit peculiar. To put it bluntly, Arpalan felt that Ritsuka hadn't come here to be a Trainer, but rather to bring the warmth of a family to the Horse Girls who trusted him.
The girl thought: Should I call him a 'big brother who is like a father'? Or...
Or should I skip the formalities and just go straight to 'Fujimaru Ritsuka is a man who could become my father'?
At the very least, Arpalan was quite willing to have a father like Fujimaru Ritsuka.
While Arpalan's mind was racing with wild thoughts, Bell Glory spoke:
"Little Ar... do you think... Miss Gloria, is she..."
Bell Glory trailed off, her pale face flushing with a faint red hue. It was hard to tell if she was overheating from jealousy or simply too embarrassed to say it out loud.
"This is just my intuition, so it might not be much, but I think the probability that she harbors romantic feelings for the Trainer is very high," Arpalan declared boldly.
Though she was stirring the pot a little, Arpalan felt her judgment was fundamentally sound. If Gloria had no interest in Ritsuka, why on earth would she stay in Japan? She'd be back in France enjoying her life.
And Arpalan didn't feel like she was exaggerating. If she really wanted to stir the pot, she could have said: 'I'm not just overthinking it—I think Noren's presence is completely unnecessary. She's just a "prop" used to rationalize this private invitation. She's nothing more than a "person to provide translation needs."
Bell Glory was left speechless by Arpalan's blunt analysis, her heart feeling like lead. If even a bystander like Arpalan could see it so clearly, then her own suspicions had to be correct. That Gloria was definitely after Fujimaru Ritsuka!
"Then we..." Bell Glory was nearly swallowed by a sense of loss. She didn't know what her next move should be.
At that exact moment, she saw it: Gloria gave Ritsuka a smile so brilliant it was practically radiant, like she had just received some deeply moving praise.
And Fujimaru Ritsuka... though his expression didn't change much, that slight nod... In Bell Glory's eyes, it went way beyond the realm of "gentle"!
As it happened, Noren Ace was thinking the exact same thing. Because Gloria had just said to Ritsuka:
"Trainer, I'll be troubling you again from here on out. I want to learn more about the training and daily lives of Japanese Horse Girls. And," Gloria paused on purpose, casting a glance at Noren Ace, whose expression had almost completely shifted, before continuing, "You've been helping me all this time. In the days to come, please allow me to repay your guidance."
The girl tilted her head, her smile pure and dazzling, reminiscent of the bright sunshine falling over the banks of the Seine.
At that moment, the sun was high, the pedestrian street was bustling, and everything seemed so ordinary. Only the girls' racing hearts and whirling thoughts quietly traced the dark undercurrents hidden beneath the "ordinary."
Noren Ace felt as though she had been dropped into a pit of ice. She wanted to scream: Wait, you're actually serious?!
"Learn about training and life," and then "repay him"? This was a flat-out declaration of staying in Japan long-term! She had thought Gloria was just here on a whim to catch up with an old friend. Now it seemed... she was the only naive one!
The Horse Girls of Kasamatsu could never have imagined that Gloria's decisiveness was breathtakingly fast. It was as if she didn't need an adjustment period at all!
The day after they finished shopping for daily necessities, Gloria began to involve herself in the girls' daily training.
What was terrifying was that Gloria didn't put on the airs of a World Champion. She didn't act superior or try to lecture them from on high. Instead, she demonstrated a perfect ability to sync with Fujimaru Ritsuka's working rhythm, quietly "infiltrating" their lives.
In the morning, while Ritsuka was organizing the girls' training data, Gloria sat beside him watching race tapes of the girls, using her laptop to construct data models and analyze their racing rhythms.
During the afternoon training sessions, while the girls performed specific drills according to Ritsuka and Bell Glory's arrangements, Gloria watched quietly from the sidelines. She gathered more data to refine her analysis while simultaneously browsing the official NAR website for the information she needed.
Then, during a break, she walked over to Fujimaru Ritsuka and offered a small suggestion: "Trainer, you intend to have Oguri Cap and Arpalan participate in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun held by the regional association in a month, right? The soil at Kawasaki Racecourse is different from Ohi, and it's worlds apart from Kasamatsu. I assume you've collected soil samples for research and analysis, Trainer?"
Then the conversation moved to changing horseshoes based on soil quality and helping the girls adapt to the track.
Bell Glory: "?"
A sense of impending doom suddenly washed over Bell Glory. Because those were things she was supposed to do... no, those were things she was already doing!
What exactly was this Gloria trying to do? Was she trying to steal her job right from the start? But Gloria was a Horse Girl who ran on turf—this was a completely different discipline!
Deeply concerned, Bell Glory took the initiative to join the conversation. She managed to talk enough that Gloria was nodding along and even offered her a compliment.
But this only made Bell Glory feel more uneasy. Because Gloria left her with an enigmatic smile, like she was plotting something.
Evening came, and the fax machine in the Trainer's office finally spat out the registration form Ritsuka had been waiting for.
Bell Glory decisively presented a small stack of documents—explanations regarding the selection criteria for regional representatives and the regional-central exchange student system. To help Ritsuka achieve his goals, Bell Glory had mastered the regional rules and was already moving on to the central ones.
However, just as Bell Glory flashed a confident smile, Gloria arrived with black tea at the perfect temperature, one cup for each of the three.
This, of course, was nothing. Serving tea was something anyone could do.
But Bell Glory noticed that sitting at Ritsuka's hand was already a printed, neatly organized document. And the header read: "Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun."
She was shocked, her mind racing: Could it be that Miss Gloria put together all the data the Trainer needed in just one afternoon?!
But that couldn't be right. Gloria was a French Horse Girl. She didn't know Japanese. How was this possible? Was she just bluffing?
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Musume: Oguri Cap Grand Order (122 Chapters – Ongoing)
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