After Shirayuki told Treve about her problem, Treve said she was willing to help her with special training.
She was very good at turning on bad ground.
Shirayuki thought about it for a moment. Right now, Treve was the only way she could improve her strength quickly. Chiya's side was progressing slowly. If she had to keep exploring while training, Shirayuki was afraid she would not make it in time.
So Shirayuki agreed.
Treve definitely understood what she was doing. Helping Shirayuki before the race meant helping her own opponent. But Treve clearly did not mind. She wiped Shirayuki's hair dry, her lips curved like a crescent moon.
"If Shirayuki is troubled, just come to me. I'm very good."
Shirayuki felt a little conflicted.
This meant she owed Treve a huge favour. Helping her would lower Treve's own chance of winning. It was almost like lifting a stone only to drop it on her own foot.
Shirayuki could not simply say thank you and leave it at that. She had to show something in return.
"As repayment, is there anything you want me to do?"
Treve's ears flickered. After thinking for a moment, she said, "I want to dance with Shirayuki."
"Dance?"
"Mm. Me and Shirayuki. Dancing together."
That was Treve's requested repayment?
Wasn't that a little too… intimate?
It did not sound like something an opponent should say.
It was almost like flirting.
But since this was to repay Treve's favour, Shirayuki could not refuse. So she nodded.
"Okay. I promise."
"Hehe."
Treve happily hugged her from behind. Her hands brushed against Shirayuki's body as if by accident. Treve's eyes flickered, and her fingertips touched lightly. A tingling sensation shot through Shirayuki, making her shiver.
Seeing Shirayuki react like that, Treve smiled even more happily.
The next day, Treve came to Fujiwara Chiya's side.
They were going to the training field in the outskirts. Treve had seen Fujiwara Chiya before, but their relationship had only gone as far as nodding and greeting each other. This was her first time formally speaking with him.
"Thank you for helping Shirayuki, Treve."
"Shirayuki is someone very important to me. I want to help her."
Treve spoke, then looked at Fujiwara Chiya and twitched her nose slightly.
"Trainer…"
"Mm?"
"No… it's nothing."
She felt that his scent was very similar to Shirayuki's. Both of them had that charming rose-like fragrance.
Come to think of it, Master had said that Chiya was also the child of the person Treve admired. Did that mean Shirayuki and Chiya were family?
In that case, Shirayuki's family was also her family.
The distance between them instantly shortened by a great deal, and Treve started chatting with him.
"Your Japanese has become really good, Treve."
"Thank you for the praise. But it's still not enough. I'll keep going. Next year, I hope I can have proper conversations."
"Do you want to visit Japan after the race?"
"I do." Treve took Shirayuki's hand. "I want to go to Japan Tracen and see the place where Shirayuki lives."
"Remember to contact me before you come. I'll pick you up."
"Yes. Then I'll trouble you, Trainer."
The three of them had none of the tense atmosphere one might expect. It felt almost like a casual outing.
Who could imagine that in just over a month, Shirayuki and Treve would be fighting each other on the racecourse?
Fujiwara Chiya could not help feeling emotional about the relationships between uma musume.
They were always so tense and exciting.
When they arrived at the training field, Treve tested the ground. She nodded, then gave Fujiwara Chiya a thumbs-up.
"No problem."
"Good."
Shirayuki followed behind her, and the two took their starting stances.
Fujiwara Chiya gave the signal. A white figure and an orange figure shot forward at high speed.
Shirayuki kept herself half a length behind Treve and slightly to the side. From there, she could see Treve's movements more clearly. Fujiwara Chiya observed from a distance, intending to record Treve's speed and angle while turning.
Soon, they reached the bend.
Treve lowered her body slightly, and her steps suddenly quickened. The moment her toes touched the ground, Fujiwara Chiya saw her body lean back just a little. After her foot fully landed, Treve's body shifted into a forward-driving posture. Then she kicked back against the ground at incredible speed, while her front foot remained firmly planted.
Behind her, Shirayuki's pupils contracted sharply.
Although it only lasted for an instant, Shirayuki could already judge many things from it.
Amazing…
She could not help sighing in admiration.
Even as a fellow uma musume, she had to be impressed by Treve's technique.
Treve avoided the risk of slipping on muddy ground by changing her centre of gravity. Was this running style taught to her by Nase Hideto, or was it something Treve had developed herself?
Either way, that single movement was enough to show the difference between Treve and ordinary uma musume.
Her control over her own body was astonishing.
If Shirayuki's guess was correct, Treve was definitely an uma musume with a zone as well. With body control at this level, the zone had already become something like an active skill for her.
After finishing one lap, Treve stopped and asked excitedly, "How was it?"
"It was amazing. You ran beautifully," Shirayuki said.
Treve scratched her cheek and said shyly, "I meant you. Did you learn it?"
"Me? I'll need to watch it a few more times…"
She did not have such powerful learning ability. She had always made up for her weaknesses with effort. Back when that ghost had trained her to master body control, Shirayuki had almost exhausted herself to death on the racecourse. It could be said that she had always broken through by challenging her own limits.
"I see. Then let's do it a few more times. Until Shirayuki learns it, I'll be your teacher."
"Okay."
After hesitating for a moment, Shirayuki asked, "Treve, why are you helping me? I'm your opponent, aren't I?"
"Mm. Opponent." Treve nodded. "Also important person."
She showed a bright smile.
Treve's words sounded almost like a confession.
Shirayuki felt that her races were different from other people's.
For others, an opponent was simply an opponent. Once they stepped onto the racecourse, they had to crush each other without mercy. The strong defeated the weak. It was survival of the fittest.
But her races were mixed with a strong emotional colour.
When exactly had her races started becoming like this?
Shirayuki felt that she had to correct this strange atmosphere.
An opponent was an opponent. They should not make it feel like a matchmaking event.
Now that she had reached the international stage, she had to show the bearing of a strong competitor.
"Treve, one thing is one thing. What I owe you is what I owe you, but in the race, I absolutely won't hold back! Don't think that just because you helped me now, I'll go easy on you!"
Shirayuki pointed at Treve's nose and delivered the traditional pre-race provocation, regardless of whether Treve fully understood it or not.
Treve blinked, then curved her lips into a smile. She brushed aside the hair by her temple and stood in front of Shirayuki.
The two of them were almost touching.
Looking at Shirayuki's beautiful face so close to her, Treve showed a delighted smile. She straightened her chest and said to Shirayuki:
"Come challenge the strongest uma musume in France. Right now, you are the challenger!"
The line Treve had practised for so long had finally found its moment.