Drizzle...
In the bathroom, Orfevre, having removed her clothes, washed away the accumulated sweat and grime from her body in the shower.
However, currently, her mind was completely occupied by what she had discovered that morning.
Previously, Orfevre had never really noticed the difference between running on different surfaces.
For her, as long as she could win the race, the type of Racecourse didn't matter.
After all, though she had inherited a lot of troublesome things from her family, the sturdiness of the Gold Family's legs never disappointed anyone.
Plus, her prided final spurt allowed her to divert less energy towards learning a Racecourse and its terrain compared to other Uma Musume and instead focus more of her effort into her training.
But, when she had curiously stepped onto the simulated terrain that El Condor Pasa had prepared for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she felt for the very first time in her entire life, that this terrain was perfect for her.
While the soft ground might not allow for very fast running, it's natural softness would provide cushioning, making it feel way more comfortable to run on.
Compared to the turf in Japan... well, Orfevre didn't have much to say about it.
Everyone already knows about how hard the turf in Japan is, with people jokingly calling it 'a layer of grass laid on concrete.'
Of course, this didn't really affect Orfevre except for making her feet hurt a lot more after running.
However, such terrain did allow for faster running.
If she was running on a surface similar to the one El Condor Pasa simulated, Orfevre had to admit she wouldn't be as fast compared to if she was running on Japanese turf, and the same would be true for other Uma Musume.
Plus, while the softness of the ground makes it more comfortable to run on, it would also be more exhausting.
But, Orfevre was a stamina heavy Uma Musume.
For her, any problem that could be solved with physical strength did not count as a problem.
This, combined with the feeling of compatibility of the soft ground, made Orfevre think that perhaps one day, she might be able to participate in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
"No... how is that possible? Get your priorities straight, Orfevre."
"You haven't even started your Classic Year yet, and you haven't even run in a GII race, let alone against international GI level Uma Musumes!"
"That is such a huge leap, you need to stay grounded, Orfevre!"
"The Spring Stakes in March... that's your first GII, Orfevre. Wake up."
After doing some pep talk to herself while showering like this, Orfevre finished showering and silently turned off the water.
After some time, she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a bath towel.
It was then, that she couldn't help but look at a photograph nearby.
It was a group photo of their team, taken at the Racecourse when T.M. Opera O won the Arima Kinen, with Ikezoe and the others saying something like "such a monumental moment should be documented well."
The three Trainers and the seven Uma Musume in their team had been well photographed in this photo, with Orfevre's gaze falling on the centre of the picture, where T.M. Opera O was.
After staring for a long while, she could only slowly sigh.
"Can I win against someone like that... 'The Overlord' and all them..."
"She has managed to usher in a new era, and I'm scared I'll forever live in her shadow, huh...?"
Just as Orfevre was lamenting about her bad luck and feeling sorry for herself, a knock on the door suddenly sounded, interrupting her thoughts.
"Orfevre? Are you in there?"
"Eh? Ah... Ikezoe... come in."
As Orfevre's words sounded, the door opened.
However, the moment Ikezoe opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of Orfevre, her hair wet and the only thing covering her being a poorly wrapped bath towel.
The two stared at each other wordless for a few moments, but in the end, neither showed any reaction at all.
It was then that Ikezoe silently closed the door and helplessly scratched his head.
"Orfevre... hadn't we already told you to dress properly before you leave the bathroom? It's a good thing it was me who came in. If it were Curren Chan, she might start lecturing you again."
"Tch, it's hard for us Uma Musumes to dissipate heat. Our body temperatures are naturally higher than you humans, so just let me do whatever I want."
Orfevre then sat on the sofa that was facing directly at Ikezoe, before casually asking,
"So, do you need something? Is it a new training plan?"
"There is a new plan, but it's a bit different from training."
Saying this, Ikezoe showed a couple of books in his hand to Orfevre, his expression becoming very proud.
Orfevre, seeing Ikezoe's face, knew at a glance that these books must be something useful.
"What are these?"
"These are some textbooks I got from teacher (A/N: Maruzensky if you forgot). They contain a lot of knowledge that will be beneficial for our training."
Ikezoe held up one of the books, then picked up another book that looked brand new,
"And this one was kindly given to us by Trainer Wada, which had been gifted to him by Trainer Nase."
"It's a copy of a notebook from a senior Trainer, having a lot of practical knowledge we can learn from. It's a gift Trainer Wada specifically prepared for us, saying it's to sponsor our future expedition to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!"
"Wow... that's amazing. Trainer Wada actually gave us a copy of Trainer Nase's noteboo... Wait? What did you say?"
Orfevre was initially somewhat dismissive of these books. After all, she didn't really care about things like planning.
Planning was her Trainer's job; she was just the Uma Musume, and her duty was to complete the training given to her (A/N: though not always).
But Ikezoe's last sentence made Orfevre belatedly react.
She immediately widened her eyes and looked at Ikezoe, saying incredulously:
"Ikezoe, what did you just say? What expedition in the future?"
"Uh... the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe? What's wrong?"
"Don't say that in such a calm tone! That's the frickin' Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!"
Although Orfevre believed that she had gotten used to Ikezoe's sub-zero EQ, moments like these still caught her off guard.
Really, did his brain have a screw loose or something?
"Ikezoe, I haven't even won a single GI Race yet! Think about it! I might not even be able to win a GI, so why are you even talking about the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for?!"
"Plus, Japan has never been invited to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for two consecutive years, have they?"
"A- and T.M. Opera O is participating in the next one, right? No matter if she wins or losses, she'll definitely do something amazing there too!"
"Really, why are you putting so much expectations on me! I'm stressed enough already! Really I am!"
"I- I am actually really afraid right now! L- like what if I don't accomplish anything? What if I'll always live in T.M. Opera O's shadow and have my whole legacy be like 'the generation after T.M. Opera O'??"
"I mean, just WHAT am I supposed to do to stand out from her?!"
Orfevre pointed to the photo with heavy breaths.
Such words, normally, were hard to say to others considering they were teammates and, more importantly, friends, but Orfevre was genuinely worried that she would forever live in T.M. Opera O's shadow.
After all, T.M. Opera O had a practically flawless Classic Year, having won many major GI races and beating incredibly powerful Uma Musume; it was all any Uma Musume could dream of!
Classic Triple Crown Uma Musume, beating Symboli Rudolf in the Arima Kinen, becoming Japan's new strongest... Just how in the world is she supposed to beat such a record? Let alone just the year after?
Orfevre did not have faith in herself, truly, she didn't.
No matter how much Ikezoe, the other Trainers, or her friends believed in her, she didn't believe that she could even achieve a fraction of their expectations.
Seeing Orfevre openly revealing her struggles, Ikezoe gently nodded.
He actually wanted to say that T.M. Opera O's achievements were, in fact, first achieved by her.
If it weren't for Wada taking advantage of his transmigration, and everyone helping Wada achieve his dream, T.M. Opera O would most certainly not become the 'strongest in Japan' as she was now.
On the contrary, Orfevre had managed to achieve these accomplishments in their previous world without any of such interference at all!
Although she didn't have a showdown with Symboli Rudolf in the Arima Kinen, winning the Arima Kinen after the classic three crowns was something Orfevre was perfectly capable of.
It was just that telling Orfevre this now would violate the promise the three of them made.
Beep beep beep.
"Hmm? Who's calling?"
Just as Ikezoe became quite emotional when thinking how far Wada had grown, his phone suddenly rang.
"Hello, this is Trainer Ikezoe Kenichi."
"—Trainer Ikezoe, this is Fuji Kiseki."
A clear female voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Your Uma Musume, Curren Chan and I are together right now, and there's... a bit of trouble here. I hope you can come and handle it."
"Trouble? Did something happen to Curren Chan?"
Ikezoe paused slightly, instinctively asking with tension.
"No, it's not an accident, and Curren Chan is not involved either... it's just that the situation is not far from becoming an actual accident."
Fuji Kiseki's tone was somewhat strained, but she still insisted,
"Curren Chan insists that you can handle this situation, so... I hope you can come over."
"Please, Trainer Ikezoe. Tracen Academy needs your help."
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Ikezoe: Yo, sorry Orfevre, but could you stop mentally breaking down for a moment? I have a phone call to pick up.
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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.