No, this isn't it…
Shirayuki stopped running.
Her stamina consumption had increased by at least thirty percent compared with before. At this rate, there was no way she could take part in a race properly.
The moment she stepped onto the turf, Shirayuki's first impression was its thickness. Her horseshoes sank deep into the soil and stuck firmly to the ground. Pulling them back out took a surprising amount of strength.
That sensation grew stronger the farther she ran. The faster she went, the more obvious it became. Slowing her steps did reduce stamina consumption, but then she could not raise her speed. The "light steps" Symboli Sirius mentioned probably did not mean simply slowing down.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Shirayuki sat down on the grass.
Looking around, the training grounds were surrounded by a ring of lush trees, giving her the feeling of running inside a forest. Paris Tracen had a longer history than Japan's Tracen, and the trees here had clearly grown much denser and more magnificent.
After Rice Shower, Gold Ship, and Doto finished tidying their rooms, they had gone to play with Trainer Chiya. Matikane Fukukitaru was holding her crystal ball, staring at who knew what. Shirayuki had come here to test the field.
It looked like she would not be able to adapt quickly to this racetrack in a short time.
But…
She looked at her shoes, now covered in dirt.
It was not as bad as what people had said, that she would be completely unable to run. Her compatibility with the turf was acceptable, and she was still continuing to improve.
This was when the results of her special training with Café's "friend" showed themselves.
Shirayuki roughly understood how to control her body. On different kinds of turf, the way she used her strength also had to change. Just like that person, sometimes her steps were like nails, and sometimes they were like oars. Depending on the condition of the turf that day, her running style would also change.
That was probably the highest level of bodily control.
Shirayuki had not reached that point yet, but she could already unconsciously make movements suited to the turf.
In that case, maybe this could work.
While Shirayuki was resting, a lively figure sat down beside her.
That nimble presence made Shirayuki instinctively think it was Tokai Teio, until she saw the orange hair and that striking red ribbon. Only then did Shirayuki realize it was her again.
Treve smiled happily and sat beside Shirayuki.
Ever since Shirayuki said she was also participating in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, the way Treve looked at her had clearly changed. It went from interest to strong interest, and after that she had said a long string of things, so fast that even the translation app could not keep up.
To be honest, communicating across languages was exhausting.
Shirayuki could not understand even a single word. If it were a half-familiar language, she might still be able to guess based on a few scattered words. But when communicating with Treve, without a translator, she could basically only rely on gestures.
Although she had only spent a short time with Treve, Shirayuki had more or less understood her personality.
She was a very lively and warm girl. In that sense, she resembled Tokai Teio, but she did not show Teio's highly prideful expression. Instead, she was very approachable.
Just as Shirayuki was looking at the orange-haired girl beside her, Treve seemed to smell something. Her nose twitched, and her gaze shifted to Shirayuki.
She widened her eyes, said something, then pointed at Shirayuki's handkerchief.
After Shirayuki handed it over, Treve gently sniffed it. A faint blush appeared on her face.
Only then did Shirayuki remember what Agnes Tachyon had said about the hormones from her body.
At Tracen, there were simply too many uma musume clinging to her. Mejiro Dober, Grass Wonder, Tokai Teio, all of them stuck close whenever they had the chance. Even the juniors liked running over after she finished training. Over time, Shirayuki had almost forgotten about the special nature of her body.
But here, with no familiar people around her, that abnormality once again became apparent.
Treve's nose moved closer and closer to the handkerchief. Shirayuki could hear her breathing. After Shirayuki coughed a few times, Treve finally came back to herself. She immediately folded the handkerchief neatly and returned it to Shirayuki, showing a slightly embarrassed but still adorable smile as she scratched her head.
"I'm done training and getting ready to head back. If possible, could I ask you to take me to the cafeteria?"
Treve tilted her head, her gaze blank. Clearly, she did not understand what Shirayuki had said either.
"I mean…"
Shirayuki pointed at her own mouth, then rubbed her stomach.
Only then did Treve understand. She tapped her fist lightly against her palm.
"C'est prêt."
Following behind her, Shirayuki soon arrived at a place that looked rather like a church.
When the door opened, what came into view was a row of tables filled from end to end with food.
Even Shirayuki, who was close to being blacklisted by every buffet restaurant in Tokyo, had never seen such a grand display before.
Could all of this really be eaten freely?
Treve handed her a plate and led her along the table to choose food. Her pale fingers tapped lightly above the dishes. She held up a few fingers, then pointed at the plate.
Shirayuki roughly understood what she meant.
It was indeed a buffet, but she could not take too much at once.
However, they had only limited how much she could take each time. They had not said how many times she could go back.
In that case, Shirayuki could relax.
This trip was being paid for by Tracen anyway. They had probably reached some kind of arrangement with Paris Tracen, covering food and lodging.
Then she had to show them the kind of pressure the Tracen cafeteria had been enduring.
After finding a seat with Treve, Shirayuki finished the food in just a few bites. Then, under Treve's astonished gaze, she went back to the counter and brought over another plate.
The food here tasted a little strange. In general, it leaned sweet, and the staple foods were not rice, but bread and potatoes. Shirayuki was not used to it.
But being unused to it did not mean it was bad.
After experiencing airplane food, she felt these dishes were practically heavenly.
By the time Shirayuki brought over the tenth plate, Treve could no longer sit still. She grabbed Shirayuki's hand and carefully observed her stomach. Looking at Shirayuki's slightly bulging belly, Treve could not help widening her eyes, as if wondering where all the food had gone.
Not only Treve.
Almost every uma musume in the cafeteria was looking toward Shirayuki.
However, Shirayuki had long since grown used to being watched. She did not panic at all and continued moving food over with calm elegance.
The food counters, which had originally been packed full, became much emptier after being swept through by her. Looking across them now, everything appeared scattered and sparse.
Treve placed both hands on her knees and lowered her head at the table.
No one knew whether she did not dare look at the mountain of plates in front of her, or at the sharp gazes from her classmates behind her.
After eating the last steak in the cafeteria, Shirayuki let out a long breath.
Her stomach, which had been hungry for an entire day without eating much, was finally satisfied.
Treve silently helped collect all the plates.
After resting for a while, Shirayuki left the cafeteria with Treve.
Once Shirayuki got her phone back, she finally understood what Treve was saying.
"This is the first time I've ever met an uma musume like you."
"See you tomorrow, Shirayuki. I had a lot of fun being with you today."