Maruzensky quickly pulled Ikezoe away with her until they had walked quite a distance away.
Once Orfevre and Curren Chan were out of sight, Maruzensky quickly scanned the surroundings to make sure they didn't follow them before finally letting go of Ikezoe, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Geez, my dear student. Isn't this your first year as a Trainer? How in the Three Goddesses did you get such possessive girls as your first few Uma Musume~? Sigh... I'm starting to worry about your future already."
"Heheh... but I, your teacher, found a little girl to balance your team! She should be able to make the situation between your Uma Musumes a bit better. Shouldn't you buy me a drink or something as thanks~?"
"I can, but... are you really intending on giving us two Winning Outfits? Even if I sold myself, I probably couldn't even afford them."
Ikezoe wasn't dumb. Though he could be quite slow regarding emotional matters, he was still capable of discerning Maruzensky's deliberate act of provoking Orfevre and Curren Chan just now.
And considering her later actions, Ikezoe was almost certain that Maruzensky's goal was to find an excuse to give the two Winning Outfits to them.
Of course, if Maruzensky had simply just arrived and gifted the two Winning Outfits to Orfevre and Curren Chan, it would've done the job.
However, the reason behind why she used such a convoluted method of giving the two Winning Outfits away was for the sake of Ikezoe, as, based on prior events, it was almost certain that his two Uma Musume would misunderstand something.
If his two Uma Musume received two custom-made Winning Outfits just like that, let alone Curren Chan, even Orfevre would feel something was off, wondering why Maruzensky had gifted this.
And, once they made the connection between their Trainer and Maruzensky, they might very well think that Ikezoe had paid some kind of price to get these Winning Outfits for them...
After all, who in their right mind would gift such exorbitantly pricey Winning Outfits to basically strangers for seemingly no reason at all?
Even T.M. Opera O and Meisho Doto couldn't afford their Winning Outfits back then, requiring them to take out a good amount of loans as well as gain access to specific Tracen Academy channels which took months until they could finally obtain their Winning Outfits; that was how hard it was to get a custom-made Winning Outfit, even as a privileged Central Tracen Academy student.
But, if they got these Winning Outfits, not as a gift, but from a bet, that would be an entirely different scenario.
If they believed that they had obtained these Winning Outfits through their own merit, it was likely they won't overthink things; and, seeing how neither of the two Uma Musume suspected anything, it seemed to be doing a pretty good job as an excuse.
"—Seriously, Teacher, did you really have to spend so much to buy Winning Outfits for Orfevre and Curren Chan?"
Ikezoe looked up worriedly and asked Maruzensky:
"This is no small sum, Teacher. Though you're probably not short on money... it's still two whole custom-made Winning Outfits, is it really okay? Do you really not need me to bear at least a bit of the cost for you?"
"Hmph hmph, my dear student. You said it yourself, even if you sold yourself, you probably wouldn't be able to afford them. So, are you sure you want to help bear some of the cost~?"
Maruzensky chuckled, a subtle smile on her face as she looked at Ikezoe, then waved her hand and said:
"This is nothing, Kouhai-kun. Back then, your teacher had run in so many races that she has already earned enough prize money to last for several lifetimes!"
"Honestly, I want to become a sugar mommy, find a handsome and gentle man to marry, then live happily ever after in one of those high-end apartments in Tokyo~"
"Is what I would want to say... but, both you and I know that there are better ways to spend this money."
"Kouhai-kun, this is basically a good chunk of your teacher's retirement funds. You must treat these two Winning Outfits well and let your lovely Uma Musume run properly too. I'm depending on you on becoming successful to borrow money from if I ever go broke, kay~?"
Maruzensky said words that shocked Ikezoe in a very normal, yet teasing tone.
Unlike one might expect, her expression also remained indifferent, as if spending a large amount of her savings just for her student's two Uma Musume's Winning Outfits was as inconsequential as a blink of an eye.
But this was clearly not the case! This was what Maruzensky described as 'a good chunk' of a legendary Uma Musume's accumulated prize money!
Although Ikezoe didn't exactly know how much Maruzensky's final prize money was, it was undoubtedly an eye-watering sum.
Even if she was considered an Imported Uma Musume, it should be close to around a hundred million yen, right? (T/N: Real-life Maruzensky's final earnings was about 76 million yen which translates into around 470k usd)
Though she might've spent lavishly, owning sports cars, her own house, and other luxuries, these two Winning Outfits undoubtedly took a majority of her remaining prize money.
However, it was also the case that these two Winning Outfits were something that the current Ikezoe, or his entire team for that matter, could afford. (T/N: Remember, their team only received around half of 62k)
Although they could go through school channels to get them, but... undoubtedly, Maruzensky chose this way because there were still some differences between the tailors contracted by Tracen Academy and the more independent ones Maruzensky chose.
Ikezoe opened his mouth, but for a long time, he couldn't speak.
After a while, he simply shook his head and hung his head low.
"How can I thank you, Teacher?"
"It's simple: rest well, race well, win well, then return this money to me, and if you can, escape Japan alongside your lovely Uma Musume and never come back."
Maruzensky gazed at the surroundings and then patted Ikezoe on the shoulder.
"That's all I want. If I can see my student and his Uma Musume break out of Japan, carving a path to the outside world for the children who come after, I will be satisfied."
"Then shouldn't you be supporting T.M. Opera O instead, Teacher? She's about to challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, you know. And her chances of winning aren't low either."
"It's not the same, my dear student, it's completely different."
Maruzensky merely closed her eyes as she shook her head.
She had long done her due diligence and investigated deep into the backgrounds of promising Japanese Uma Musume, and there was a clear reason why she chose Ikezoe and Orfevre over T.M. Opera O.
Leaving aside whether T.M. Opera O could win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, even if she did, which would be a cause of celebration for Japan, the big shots would probably only focus on T.M. Opera O herself, rather than Japanese Uma Musume as a whole.
After all, strictly speaking, T.M. Opera O was not an Uma Musume of purely Japanese bloodline.
Even if T.M. Opera O won, based on Maruzensky's understanding of those braindead old geezers, they would just think that the reason she won the race was because of her Sadler's Wells lineage.
Thus, it could not be counted as a true victory for Japanese Uma Musume.
Moreover, even if T.M. Opera O received an invitation to leave Japan afterwards, she would most likely not accept it.
After all, the Japanese branch of the URA would raise absolute hell if she left Japan for France just like that.
And most importantly, T.M. Opera O would never leave Wada to go to France alone.
But Orfevre was different.
She was an Uma Musume of a completely native Japanese bloodline, with formidable strength.
Although it was still unknown how well she adapted to European tracks, Ikezoe had placed high hopes on her.
Based on Maruzensky's understanding of Ikezoe, her student had an unusually sharp eye, with him also having absolute confidence in Orfevre, despite not being one to blindly trust others.
Maruzensky dared to bet her everything on this team, on this 'Miracle.'
She dared, no, she was convinced that the pair of Ikezoe and Orfevre could carve out a path to the future for generations to come.
"Just repay me with these, Kouhai-kun~, nothing else is needed."
"No, Teacher, you've helped me so much already. If I have the chance, I will definitely help you too."
Ikezoe, hearing Maruzensky's rather simple request, shook his head and said to her with utmost seriousness:
"I will always remember your support for us, Teacher. When we gain enough power to have a say in the URA, we will completely change the current landscape for Japanese Uma Musume."
"From then on, there will be no such things as an Imported Uma Musume. Every Uma Musume who comes to Japan to race can participate in the Classic Triple Crowns. I promise you— if we make it, what happened to you will never happen to another Uma Musume ever again."
"...That's truly heartwarming, Ikezoe-kun."
However, when Ikezoe spoke these heartfelt words, even this experienced senior, who had lived for an unknown amount of years now, felt her heart skip a beat.
After a long period of shock, a relieved smile appeared on her face.
"But there's no such thing as an Imported Uma Musume anymore, they've already got rid of that idiotic rule quite a while ago."
"...Still, if you and your Orfevre had been born a decade or so earlier, perhaps... I wouldn't be so washed-up."
She didn't care about what happened to her; she stopped caring a long, long time ago.
Since she retired, she realized that all she could do was uselessly resent and rage against the world for being born too early, for just missing the opportune time.
Because the concept of 'Imported Uma Musumes' was abolished just one year after her retirement.
For Maruzensky, it could truly be said that the Three Goddesses played a rather painful prank on her.
But despite all this, Maruzensky didn't complain about it.
She only hoped that her efforts could bring a fairer, more promising future for the children who came after, hoping that no one will ever miss their 'opportune time' like she did.
"...But I'm still very happy, Ikezoe-kun."
"You are the first person to ever say such things to me."
A truly beautiful smile appeared on Maruzensky's face.
Although it was fleeting, she was genuinely touched by Ikezoe's words.
In the past, no one had ever said anything like, "I'm going to change the URA for you." Not even her own Trainer.
However, Maruzensky quickly suppressed her little stirrings, swiftly turning around and leaving the scene, jingling her car keys as she said:
"Well then, prepare yourself, Kouhai-kun. I didn't say I'll be going easy on you~ If you lose, I won't give you these two racing outfits!"
"I'll tell you about the race's rules and specific details later. Just don't be too surprised when you see them~"
-----+-----
I'm translating this at 11 pm, tired as shi man...
-----+-----
If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.