That Gold Ship bastard.
She actually dared to ambush me!
Fujiwara Chiya cursed under his breath.
Last night, Gold Ship seemed to have taken off her hat and leaned beside him. He had no idea what she had been trying to do.
Why "seemed"?
Because before his brain could finish processing that piece of information, everything had cut off. On Shirayuki's side, she had caught a fleeting glimpse of Gold Ship's face right in front of him, and immediately after that, Chiya's vision had gone completely black.
When he saw Gold Ship again and asked her about last night, she started playing dumb.
"What? Can't hear you. I can't hear anything at all. By the way, Trainer, where are you going? Don't tell me you're off to flirt with girls again?"
Gold Ship made a show of it, her expression as casual as ever. Fujiwara Chiya stared at her for a long while but still could not figure anything out.
"What? Why are you staring at me like that? Don't tell me Trainer has finally discovered the charm of the great Gold Ship-sama? No, no, that won't do. My goal is the stars and the sea. I won't stop just because Trainer tries to hold me back. Of course, if you dance a Brazilian war dance for me, I might change my mind. Recently, I've been practising capoeira."
As she spoke, Gold Ship threw a couple of punches.
The movement looked somewhat familiar.
Fujiwara Chiya held his forehead, which had begun to ache for some mysterious reason.
"I'm going to train."
"Oh-ho? Going on another date with Shirayuki and that mysterious person? When are you going to introduce her to us too? Maybe she'll become Mrs. Trainer."
"Be careful, Gold Ship. That person is a genuine Spartan. Even I don't dare say random things and offend her."
"Hah! Who could possibly make me—mm!"
Before she could finish speaking, Gold Ship suddenly felt her body go cold, a chill running down her spine.
After forcibly swallowing the rest of her sentence, Gold Ship gave a few dry laughs.
"Ah, is that so? Then I won't disturb Trainer anymore. Bye-bye, then!"
Gold Ship ran off while saying things that did not match at all.
What exactly had she been trying to do last night?
Fujiwara Chiya returned to the original question.
In truth, he had a vague idea in his heart.
He remembered that not long ago, Gold Ship had said in a half-joking tone that she liked him. Now, the sincerity behind those words was becoming stronger and stronger. Although Gold Ship's attitude toward him had not changed much from before, but… how should he put it?
The atmosphere.
That should be the right way to describe it.
Fujiwara Chiya felt that the atmosphere between him and Gold Ship had become more intimate than before.
The man lamented his own lack of vocabulary.
He could not find suitable words to describe the relationship between the two of them.
Perhaps Gold Ship herself was a creature that transcended language.
"Morning, Trainer."
Someone patted him on the back.
Trêve hopped over with light steps and came in front of him. With her hands behind her back, she bent at the waist and looked up at Fujiwara Chiya, showing him a bright, cheerful smile.
This little girl was as lively as a fairy.
"Morning, Trêve. Going to train?"
"Mm! With Trainer."
Trêve pointed behind the man.
Fujiwara Chiya turned around and saw the wrinkled face of a middle-aged man.
"Ugyi—&￥%…&!?"
"Trainer Chiya, that wasn't Japanese."
Trêve laughed so hard she could barely close her mouth.
"Is my trainer really that scary?"
"I hold deep reverence for middle-aged men in suits…"
Nase Hideto snorted lightly.
"During this period, you've been taking your uma musume for special training?"
He asked.
Fujiwara Chiya immediately became wary.
"Talent is the hardest wall standing before an uma musume. It cannot be broken so easily. Step by step, accumulation before release. Shirayuki's strengths lie in her solid footwork and resilient will. Do not chase an uma musume's raw qualities too much and end up abandoning the fundamentals."
After leaving Fujiwara Chiya with those words that sounded like advice, Nase Hideto took Trêve and left.
Even after walking a fair distance away, Trêve still turned back and waved at him.
Before Fujiwara Chiya could think about what Nase Hideto had said, Satake Mei walked over.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Chiya. Let's go."
"Okay."
Shirayuki arrived beside the two of them.
Next, they were going to Longchamp Racecourse.
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was almost here, and the racecourse had begun opening to the participants. They allowed the uma musume to come in advance to adapt to the track, and to use the grounds as their training field.
But before training, Fujiwara Chiya had somewhere else to go.
The representative uma musume press conference for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Uma musume from various countries gathered together.
Fujiwara Chiya sat below the stage, while Shirayuki and the staff went backstage, waiting to be called out.
Satake Mei looked nervous. Her hands were pressed tightly against her thighs.
Present here were well-known French media outlets. Provence Uma Musume Daily, Yangma Group, Uma Musume News Agency. Several major media companies covered all of France's news and even held considerable influence across Europe.
This press conference was not only to build momentum for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in a few days.
It was also to promote the uma musume of each country.
They were the very best runners sent by their respective nations, representing the pride and dignity of their country's uma musume.
"It'll be okay."
Fujiwara Chiya held Satake Mei's hand.
"Leave it to me."
He comforted her gently.
"Chiya… Mm. I'm counting on you."
Satake Mei took a deep breath.
All the race-related documents had been handled by her. The closer the race came, the more matters there were to deal with. She had taken care of every miscellaneous task outside of training, all so Fujiwara Chiya could focus solely on training.
This was a project she had prepared for a very long time.
Central had also placed great expectations on her.
One could say that Satake Mei's pressure was in no way smaller than Fujiwara Chiya's.
But there was no use in her being anxious.
The key to deciding victory did not lie with her.
Satake Mei only hated that she was not a trainer herself and could not help directly. Otherwise, she would have wanted to bring her own uma musume onto the track.
She was only the project manager.
Even so, she would continue struggling with everything she had for the sake of her dream.
From the first day she entered the academy, she had hoped that, one day, she could lead Japan's uma musume to victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Now, Satake Mei had entrusted that dream to Fujiwara Chiya.
She was happy about that.
Chiya was a reliable man.
He could give her comfort when she was at her most nervous.
If only you weren't Yayoi's younger brother…
Fujiwara Chiya gave her a thumbs-up.
Soon, Shirayuki stepped onto the stage.
The reporters asked, "Snow Dancer, first of all, congratulations on your victory in the Prix Niel the other day. As the fourth uma musume from Japan to compete here, is there anything you would like to say to the audience?"
The interpreter relayed the question to Shirayuki.
The girl lifted her head and thought for a while.
"Coming to Europe for the first time has truly opened my eyes. Everyone here is an incredible powerhouse, far beyond what I imagined. At the same time, it has made my heart race with excitement. I am not a genius. I can only grow through trial and error, through making mistakes and learning from them. Even so, I have walked step by step until I reached this place. No matter what race it is, I will give everything I have. And finally, toward the world's number one position, something that once seemed impossibly far away but is now right before my eyes, I will charge with all my strength!"