Meanwhile, inside Tracen Academy, with Wada's help, Orfevre and Curren Chan had been temporarily subdued.
Although they were worried about their Trainer, Ikezoe had clearly stated on the note he placed that he was going to Tracen's Branch School to talk with Mr. C.B. and would be back soon. Unlike his emotional intelligence, Ikezoe's smarts were generally good; he knew that if he came up with an excuse like "I'm sick," these two little devils would definitely become anxious and force Wada to reveal his location, exposing his lie.
Of course, Ikezoe couldn't just tell the truth—that he had run off with Maruzensky—unless he wanted to be torn to shreds by Orfevre. So, he came up with a credible excuse: using Mr. C.B.'s poaching attempt at the Racecourse, he claimed he went to the Branch School to smooth things out with her.
There were many reasons why this excuse was good. First, Mr. C.B., as the Student Council President of Tracen's Branch School, was not someone just anyone could contact; even Symboli Rudolf only had one contact method, and the difficulty for Orfevre and Curren Chan to specifically seek out Rudolf for Mr. C.B.'s information would be much higher and more troublesome. On the other hand, this wasn't something unexpected; after all, Mr. C.B.'s attempt to poach them was still fresh in the minds of Orfevre and Curren Chan, and Ikezoe certainly wouldn't leave Tracen Academy. Therefore, it was perfectly normal for him to make a special trip to the Branch School to have a good talk with Mr. C.B.
Moreover, Ikezoe also said that his absence wouldn't be long—at most a few hours. These few hours weren't even enough for a dating couple, so there shouldn't be any problems.
"I've now arranged very physically demanding training for Orfevre and Curren Chan... Ikezoe-kun... I've done everything I can to help you now; it's now up to you to do what you need to do."
Wada was also feeling a lot of pressure; putting aside everything else, neither Curren Chan nor Orfevre were easy to handle. Wada could see that although Curren Chan appeared kind and playful on the surface, deep down, she harbored a very strong possessiveness. Though it usually doesn't show its head, once it surfaces, things could quickly spiral out of control. Luckily, Curren Chan controlled herself very well, so much so that she didn't even realize this possessiveness herself, but when it did emerge, he would most likely be incapable of stopping her.
As for Orfevre, she was an even heavier hitter. Unlike Curren Chan, she plainly displayed her dangerousness on her face; ever since she secured her second victory, she had been constantly training herself, causing her to be constantly in "race mode." This led to Orfevre's temper becoming even more unpredictable. Normally, Orfevre seemed like the same Uma Musume who was fierce on the outside but actually timid inside. But now that she was in race mode, she genuinely acted how she looked, becoming even more unapproachable.
This is so troublesome...
How much alcohol would he have to drink tonight to release all this pressure? Wada couldn't help but break into a cold sweat, feeling that he absolutely had to drink until Ikezoe's wallet was completely drained tonight.
"Alright, Orfevre and Curren Chan, you can stop now."
Wada still had his responsibilities as a Trainer, so he gave them tasks and timely orders, allocating appropriate distributions of training and rest times. He then handed out water to everyone, and Orfevre, with her endless stamina, was already impatiently asking:
"Trainer Wada, how long is my Trainer going to be at the Branch School? Why isn't he back yet?"
"...Orfevre, Trainer Ikezoe left less than half an hour ago, and you've already asked that question seven times." Wada replied, quite helpless. "Your Trainer will definitely be back today; I can guarantee it. He already told you why he's gone, right? That's why he temporarily handed your training over to me. I'm only helping with the training for one day, Orfevre; please rest assured, your Trainer will be fine."
"Hehe, Orfevre, we shouldn't trouble Trainer Wada, okay?"
At this moment, Curren Chan also smiled slightly and hugged Orfevre's arm—ever since the GIII race, the relationship between Curren Chan and Orfevre had greatly improved. Compared to their initial tensions, the two girls now genuinely considered each other friends.
Curren Chan smiled and said to Orfevre, "Onii-chan has very important matters to attend to; there's no need to constantly search for him; that would be very bothersome. You also don't want Onii-chan to be embarrassed, do you, Trainer Wada?"
"Ah... yes."
Trainer Wada was speechless for a moment; looking at Curren Chan's smiling expression, he also felt a lot of pressure, as if Curren Chan had already seen through the truth of the matter but was deliberately not exposing it to save Ikezoe's and his face.
Ikezoe... you really know how to take on crazy Uma Musume, huh... can't you just pick at least a single easy one?
Wada silently complained in his heart, already beginning to miss his own two Uma Musume. Unfortunately, they had already completed their training schedules, and T.M. Opera O was currently doing extra training with Meisho Doto every day. There also weren't any big races for their group for now, which made their team particularly ideal...
Meanwhile, Ikezoe, who was being furiously complained about by Wada in his heart, was completely unaware of the situation at Tracen Academy. At this moment, he was still very excited by Maruzensky's words, unable to calm down for a long time.
"—Excuse me, you aren't just teasing me, right, Maruzensky-senpai?" Ikezoe swallowed, asking with a hint of excitement. "Are you really willing to help Orfevre challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?"
"You've even switched to polite language, my dear Kouhai-kun; it seems you're really quite moved~" Maruzensky also smiled rather mysteriously, and then said: "But you've got it wrong; I'm not just helping Orfevre; I'm helping her, and you along with her, don't get it wrong. Although I am still somewhat of a big shot, I don't have enough power to let you leave Japan directly without you two performing well; ultimately, it still depends on how you and that child perform."
"So what do you want me to do, Senior?" Ikezoe nodded solemnly upon hearing this, then immediately said, "I will do anything! Please tell me!"
"Just keep doing what you're doing, my dear Kouhai-kun. You got second place in that Central Trainer exam or whatever it's called, right? You should know what to do as a Trainer." Maruzensky smiled and said, "The spot for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe isn't easy to get, and there are only a few chances to break out of Japan. I can't always help you; in the end, it's up to you. What I can help you with now is how to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, and also, how to help you, the Trainer, improve yourself."
"...Improve myself?"
Ikezoe was slightly stunned upon hearing this and only belatedly remembered this matter: to go to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Orfevre's ability alone wasn't enough; he also had to improve his own abilities. But Ikezoe's daze was misunderstood by Maruzensky; she didn't get angry, but only said with a slightly chiding tone, "What, do you think I can't teach you? Hmph! Don't just think I'm a clueless Uma Musume who only follows her Trainer's instructions. I've been in this game long before you were even in your mother's womb."
In her haste, she even forgot the taboo of her age.
At this moment, Maruzensky also said, quite displeased, "Though I haven't been on a Racecourse these past few years, I've been doing some real research on foreign countries so that children like you can break out of Japan. Every child who wants to conquer the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe needs to be vetted by me first. I'm planning to give you all my knowledge now; even that child Tokai Teio wasn't so lucky. Kouhai-kun, don't be ungrateful to me, okay~?"
"—How could I be?!"
However, Ikezoe's subsequent actions after realizing the opportunity startled even Maruzensky. Ikezoe quickly stood up, bowed deeply towards Maruzensky, and immediately said:
"MARUZENSKY-SENPAI—no! TEACHER! Please! You must teach me how to become a better Trainer! I beg you!"
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By the end of this training arc, Ikezoe's going to be the one running the l'Arc.
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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.