Luckily, the two of them made it in time before the bell rang. Miss Hayakawa didn't activate Phase Two.
"Yuu See you at lunch break"
Chihaya Representative waved. Her brown hair and horse ears fluttered lightly in the wind as she turned and slipped into the school building.
Wuyou listened to her footsteps recede and smiled faintly.
He should head back to the office and get to work…
But then his steps paused.
He still remembered the promise he'd made with someone yesterday—and today, the sunlight was perfect.
So he turned toward the garden.
Even though the darkness in front of him was the same as always, he'd walked this path to the garden so many times he could navigate it like second nature.
The subtle bumps of the cobblestones underfoot… the clean, elegant floral scent unique to autumn… and that stupid bird that kept calling "goo-goo-guu" every now and then.
Before long, the warmth deepened. The wind carried chrysanthemum freshness and the damp, earthy smell of soil.
Wuyou knew—
He'd arrived.
He stopped by the bench he always sat on, brushed the backrest with his fingertips to confirm position, then sat down with ease.
Sunlight filtered through leaves in broken shards across his shoulders. A breeze swept past, bringing with it the faint sound of girls attending class in the distant school building.
Almost immediately after he sat down, a light, brisk set of footsteps approached—quick, but with a distinctive rhythm.
They stopped a few steps from the bench.
Wuyou sensed it and tilted his head slightly.
"You came?" he asked softly.
"Hmph. Did you think I'd break my word?"
A proud, familiar voice answered—carrying a trace of amusement that didn't quite bother to hide itself.
Orfevre stood in the sunlight, golden hair spilling like a waterfall over her shoulders. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the quiet young man on the bench.
Just as promised yesterday—
She really came. And Wuyou really was here.
For reasons she didn't fully understand, that made her strangely happy.
"Sit. The sun's nice today." Wuyou patted the empty spot beside him.
Orfevre didn't sit immediately. Instead she walked in front of him, bent down, and examined his face closely.
She knew he couldn't see, but she still wanted to confirm what expression he wore right now.
Wuyou knew Orfevre was staring.
Orfevre also knew that Wuyou knew.
And since he was already a treasure she'd reserved long ago, as a king, she naturally had the right to admire her property.
If not for certain… considerations, she would've already reached out and played with his pale skin—so fair it almost looked like a woman's.
A long time passed.
Wuyou's gentle face still held the same warm smile, and only then did Orfevre pull back.
"You're pretty relaxed." She straightened and finally sat down beside him. "Didn't that Chihaya brat cling to you?"
Wuyou's lips curved. "She's not like someone. She isn't bold enough to skip class whenever she feels like it."
Orfevre flicked her tail, then casually draped her right arm across the back of the bench behind him—unreasonably suave.
"Hmph! Boring rules. Nothing in this world can bind my steps."
"Not even your sister?"
Orfevre stiffened for a heartbeat. On that eternally arrogant face, a sliver of fear actually flashed.
"…My sister."
She truly feared nothing—except there were two people in this world who could still keep her in line.
Gold Ship. And Dream Journey.
Being cornered like that, Orfevre shot an annoyed glance at the unbothered Wuyou beside her.
"You… how do you know about that?" she demanded.
Her golden tail swayed unconsciously, betraying both curiosity and a stubborn unwillingness to lose.
"When I was traveling, I teamed up with Dream Journey for a while," Wuyou said plainly. "She told me quite a bit about the Gold family."
Orfevre's eyes flickered with surprise. She muttered, almost to herself:
"So you're the trainer Journey Sis was talking about…"
"Hm?"
"Journey Sis mentioned it too—said she once traveled with a man."
"How did she describe me?" Wuyou asked without thinking.
Dream Journey was the most unusual Uma Musume he'd ever met. Unlike Gold Ship's extreme brand of chaos, Dream Journey carried a kind of effortless freedom.
It almost felt like she was an isekai traveler from another world.
Even Wuyou couldn't help being curious what she'd say about him.
And when Orfevre saw a ripple—just a ripple—appear on Wuyou's otherwise calm face, something strange rose inside her.
He reacted because of what she said.
That pleased her.
But the moment she realized he reacted because he cared about someone else's opinion, a sour edge rose too.
Still—pleasure won out over annoyance.
Orfevre leaned forward slightly, that devastatingly beautiful face coming close enough to steal anyone's breath.
"What? You want to know?" she murmured.
"Will you tell me?"
"That depends," she said lazily, voice dripping with smug testing, "on how you plan to entertain me."
Wuyou heard the pride and bait in her tone. He only smiled, then leaned back against the bench.
"In that case," he said lightly, "forget it."
Orfevre froze. Her golden eyes widened.
She'd expected him to bite—to press the question, to chase.
She'd already prepared a few "tiny conditions" to make him agree to.
Like spending time alone training with her next time.
Or admitting she was stronger than Chihaya.
But he let it go as if it weighed nothing.
"You…" Orfevre was briefly speechless. Her tail tightened without permission. "You really don't care what Journey Sis thinks of you?"
"Whether I care or not, her evaluation won't change anything."
Wuyou tilted his head toward the sunlight.
"And someone like Dream Journey… whatever she says probably comes with seven parts whimsy anyway."
He said it calmly—
And Orfevre's chest clogged up, for no good reason.
It was as if she was the one who cared too much, while he remained effortlessly above it all.
That feeling—being countered, turned around, made to look foolish—
Her proud eyes narrowed. Her golden hair seemed to burn under the sun.
"Hmph… putting on an act." She stood up suddenly.
Wuyou felt the space beside him empty. The wind shifted slightly—he knew she'd risen.
Orfevre circled to stand in front of him, bent down again, and pressed closer this time. Her warm breath nearly brushed his cheek.
"Wuyou," she said, biting each syllable clean and hard. "You think you can dismiss me like that?"
"Then, Your Majesty," he replied gently, almost indulgently, "what do you want?"
He was calm—too calm. Even his obedience felt like it had edges.
It made Orfevre feel like she was punching cotton.
She narrowed her eyes, then straightened, inhaling as if steeling herself.
"Next week, I have a selection race," she said, slow and absolute. "You will watch from the stands."
Not an invitation.
A decree.
Wuyou hesitated. Selection races were scheduled across different venues—and he'd already promised to watch Oguri Cap's dirt track that day…
So he shook his head. "I already have plans that day."
"Cancel them." Orfevre cut him off, tone sharpened to steel. "You must come."
Her hand settled on his shoulder—not heavy, but warm with unmistakable authority.
"I'll show you," she said, voice low, "who you truly belong to."
Wuyou fell silent.
The wind slipped past, carrying a few early-fallen leaves that brushed his pant leg.
"…Alright," he finally answered quietly.
Orfevre's eyes lit—
But then Wuyou added, still gentle:
"Not because you forced me."
He paused, then smiled.
"But because… I really do want to see what you look like on the track."
Orfevre's breath caught.
For a moment, she couldn't tell—
Who was pulling whom.
Who was being played.
And who had already, without a sound, stepped into whose trap.
But she quickly flicked her tail and shoved that faint dizziness away.
Whatever it was—
He agreed.
....
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