"So she really agreed?"
After breakfast, Chiyono Representative and Rudolf Symboli were already waiting by the main gate. Half an hour passed, and aside from ordinary pedestrians, there was still no sign of any chestnut-haired girl on the street.
Thumping her chest confidently, Chiyono Representative declared, "Of course she did, Luna-chan~ When I handle something, you can relax. It's her first time coming to a place like this in public, so naturally she'd have to pay attention to her hair, her clothes, all that. Right?"
"Mmm... I'll be relying on you to help keep up the act later too." Rudolf folded her arms and looked up at the somewhat gloomy sky.
Ever since the Autumn Tenno Sho ended, she had been swept straight back into the frenzy of the fall racing season, so busy she could barely breathe.
In these three months alone, there were nearly ten G1 races. Before every single one, she had to rack her brains over every detail... and on top of that, there was also a JG1—the most dangerous obstacle race of them all. Every year, in the lead-up to the Nakayama Grand Jump, Rudolf found herself at her most exhausted.
The injury rate in obstacle races was far higher than on flat tracks. No matter how thorough the safety measures were, horse girls still got hurt with distressing regularity...
What pleased Rudolf most this year, however, was probably the emergence of a new Triple Tiara winner—and, in the Oaks, the rare sight of a dead heat.
Bearing immeasurable expectations and having fulfilled her dream, Hawaiian Bird should be able to breathe a little easier after completing the Triple Tiara.
Rudolf let her thoughts wander aimlessly—then Chiyono Representative slapped her on the shoulder.
"Look, there she is~ All dressed up properly, she really is very pretty. Quite cute, honestly. It's just that she never bothers to show it. Usually, the boss lady's taste in clothes is practically on par with yours, but she actually seems to understand fashion a little."
Rudolf, caught by that stray stab, almost protested on instinct—but when she recalled her usual "homeroom teacher" style of dressing, she swallowed the rebuttal.
There was not a single flaw in Chiyono Representative's statement.
Rudolf had always wanted to learn something about fashion, but every time she tried, she gave up. For an Emperor who only concerned herself with serious matters, such a thing was simply too hard—and had no "practical value."
"M-Miss Chiyono, President Rudolf... good morning..."
Dyna greeted them timidly. On top of the dress she had prepared, she had also added a pair of white over-the-knee stockings, the tops hidden neatly beneath the hem of her skirt. Even if the skirt swayed and revealed them now and then, they only made her already slender legs look a little softer, a little fuller.
"Morning~ Perfect timing. The students are all in class this morning, so Rudolf and I can show you around campus a bit first." Though Chiyono Representative phrased it like a suggestion, she had already started walking ahead, leaving no room to question her.
Chiyono Representative in front, Rudolf Symboli behind—just like that, Dyna was swept along, muddle-headed, through the gates of this grand place of misfortune.
On any road at Tracen not meant for training, the pavement was hardened to the highest standard. Even so, despite the school rules clearly forbidding horse girls from running through the academic district while wearing shoes fitted with horseshoe plates, there were always latecomers. Over time, the concrete had inevitably wound up scarred with all manner of marks.
Just from what Dyna could see, there were too many dents to count.
"Every vacation, the academy repairs the main roads," Chiyono Representative explained helplessly. "But the speed of the repairs never manages to keep up with how fast the horse girls ruin them."
Once, during winter break, Chiyono Representative had gotten fired up and declared that she would help the construction crew finish the roadworks herself.
Two days later, she had collapsed onto her bed and could only wriggle around weakly.
Apparently, having lots of stamina did not mean you could handle heavy labor...
Their first stop was the training grounds, which meant they had to pass through the academic district on the way. At this hour, rookie-period horse girls who had already debuted were allowed to skip class—but if a horse girl had committed a foul or received a penalty in one of her debut-period races, then these remedial lessons continued all the way until her Classic year.
At that very moment, up on the fifth floor, Golden Orfevre was currently suffering through a lesson delivered by three different teachers. Bored to death by the dry theory, she happened to glance out the window—and the sight of that chestnut-haired figure on the road below immediately set off something buried in her blood.
And this time, there really was red on her.
"Golden Orfevre! Pay attention! You'll be tested on this theory material again tomorrow morning!"
One hand propping up her forehead, Orfevre turned her eyes back toward the blackboard, almost as if she could bore a hole through it.
So that girl really had come into Tracen?
Although her gaze seemed fixed on the lesson, her thoughts were already in chaos.
How could there be a horse girl who, at a single glance, made it utterly impossible to suppress the flames rising in her chest?
Under Gold Journey's guidance, Orfevre had done her utmost to restrain herself. And yet the instant she saw that chestnut hair again, that same sense of fate welled up in her heart.
"She's just some outsider horse girl. Why does she make me feel like this? Exactly the same as that red apple..."
Brooding internally, Orfevre rose as soon as class ended, grabbed her handbag, and left the school building at once.
She intended to find Dyna inside the academy.
Though she had clearly glimpsed Chiyono Representative and Rudolf Symboli around her just now, Orfevre was not going to seek Dyna out this time to pick a fight.
She was going to apologize.
No matter what, the blame for what had happened lay with Golden Orfevre. Since childhood, Gold Journey had drilled into her sisters that once you knew you were wrong, you corrected yourself.
Yet under the influence of that incomprehensible sense of destiny, Orfevre had somehow managed to completely forget the matter. At first, she had even stubbornly insisted it was all that chestnut-haired brat's fault...
Fortunately, Gold Journey was a dependable elder sister. She had dragged Orfevre through the race footage again and again, over a hundred times if necessary, pointing out every mistake Orfevre had made and forcing her to clearly see the foul she had committed.
"Orfevre, you need to understand this. At any time, you must know how to accept victory and defeat. Win with honor, and lose with honesty. That is the Golden spirit. And I can tell you this much—if you hadn't startled Dyna in that race, her burst speed was stronger than yours."
Now, walking down the road with that same low-pressure aura unconsciously radiating off her, Golden Orfevre was alarming the students around her.
She had chosen this hour because she wanted to try her luck in the cafeteria.
Whatever Dyna currently thought of her, today was the best opportunity Orfevre would have to apologize—and with so many horse girls around to witness it, it would also help shape public opinion.
"Ah, Orfevre."
Carrying her bag, Dream Journey spotted her little sister the moment she entered the cafeteria. Then, when she saw the chestnut-haired girl seated with Chiyono Representative and Rudolf Symboli on the other side, sharing lunch with them, she blinked in surprise.
And the instant she realized Orfevre was walking straight toward that table, Dream Journey hurried after her.
But there was still some distance between them, and too many tables in the way.
Golden Orfevre reached Dyna first.
Chiyono Representative and Rudolf Symboli both watched the scene in silence. If Orfevre caused trouble again here, there would be no saving her...
"Dyna."
"Eek?!"
With a dumpling speared on her fork halfway to her mouth, Dyna nearly dropped it when that all-too-familiar voice suddenly came from behind.
She turned—and found Golden Orfevre standing right there in front of her.
Looking up at her from her seat, Dyna felt absurdly small.
She honestly thought her luck was terrible.
The two old-guard horse girls at the table, however, merely exchanged a silent glance and did nothing at all. Clearly, both of them understood exactly what the other was thinking.
"For a long time, I avoided facing the mistake I made in that debut race. Because of that, I only made my wrongdoing worse. And not finding you sooner to apologize was also because I could not let go of my pride."
Orfevre took a step back from Dyna and met her eyes directly.
"My sister was right. The Golden spirit means knowing how to accept victory and defeat."
Then she bowed deeply.
"I am here to apologize for what I did in that debut race—and for my attitude afterward."
"An... apology... huh?"
Dyna blinked.
Golden Orfevre... was apologizing to her?
Was she still dreaming?
Beside her, Chiyono Representative shot Rudolf a smug grin and lightly slapped her thigh in triumph.
"But if we meet again in a future race—"
Orfevre's tone shifted.
The violence that belonged to her nature entered her voice once more.
"Then I will use absolute strength to make you understand the gulf between us."
"The track is my territory. The Triple Crown belongs to me. And so—I will personally take them back."
It was an unmistakable declaration of war.
Golden Orfevre's smoky-violet eyes locked onto Dyna's pale crimson ones.
"...Mm. Sure."
Dyna answered softly.
Her voice was light, but in the now-silent cafeteria, everyone heard it perfectly.
Satisfied, Orfevre closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and walked away.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 26
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 32
Uma Musume: From Beginner 26
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