"Who could have thought! Orfevre, who had an incredibly dominant showing in her Debut Race to the point she was called the 'Golden Tyrant,' actually faltered in this OP-level race, finishing in second place!"
"Did Orfevre commit a mistake? Or did she simply have insufficient rest? Yet, in the end, there is only one winner in a race! Let us congratulate JOY WHEREVER FOR WINNING THE RACE!!"
"Siiiiii…"
However, at this moment, in Team Miracle's building, the TV in Ikezoe's team room was repeatedly playing the race, showing Orfevre's loss, while Orfevre herself was silently bathing in the room's bathroom.
Finally, accompanied by the sound of the water slowly diminishing, Orfevre emerged wearing extremely childlike pajamas, a surprising contrast to her usual delinquent-girl attire. On the TV, the screen was frozen on the smiling face of the Uma Musume who won the race.
"—Tch!"
Orfevre clenched her fists in great indignation, raising her foot as if to kick the television. But after a few seconds of her leg being suspended in the air, she sheepishly chose to put it down.
"Damn it! Why can't I win?!"
"I already trained so much! Why, at the crucial moment, can't I run like I did in the Debut Race?! You useless thing!"
Orfevre fell into an unprecedented fit of self-hatred. She desperately wanted to vent without restraint, but the amount of expensive stuff in the room made it impossible for her to let loose. She could only rage impotently, cursing herself and roaring repeatedly.
However, this anger was not directed at the Uma Musume who had beaten her, whose name she couldn't even recall, but rather at her own incompetence.
"I clearly had the energy and strength to burst forth then! But whyyyyy?! What in the world was I thinking?! Why didn't I just accelerate at that moment?!"
"Was I too lazy? Did my brain just think, 'Man... I'm so tired, I can probably win even if I ran casually'—and then I lost?! IS THAT HOW I LOST?!"
Orfevre didn't know why she had such thoughts. She truly felt that her loss there was unfair. She hadn't given the race her all, nor had she displayed her true ability. It was simply because everything had gone too smoothly at the start, leading her own subconscious mind to become overconfident and underestimate her opponents.
Therefore, the sudden overtake by Joy Wherever made Orfevre incapable of reacting. By the time she realized what happened, it was already too late. Orfevre knew perfectly well that she still had energy, but why didn't she choose to go all out at that moment?
Orfevre didn't know. This feeling of having strength yet being incapable of using it made her anxious and flustered.
But no matter how angry Orfevre got, it was useless. After a period of venting, she silently stood up, changed into her training clothes, and chose to wander around Tracen Academy to ease her mood.
But just as she opened the door, a figure that almost collided with her made Orfevre's eyes narrow instinctively!
"Ho!"
"Watch out!"
Orfevre instinctively kicked forward once more, causing Ikezoe, who had brought hot tea and snacks, to immediately dodge. Fortunately, Ikezoe's reaction was quick enough, and he successfully avoided Orfevre's surprise attack for the first time. (T/N: He'll become a Touhou player at this point)
But the price was that the tea and snacks he was carrying all fell to the ground.
"Clatter!" The sound of the shattered plate instantly rang out. At this moment, Orfevre stared blankly at the startled Ikezoe in front of her, then at the hot tea still steaming on the floor, as well as the snacks. For a long time, she couldn't snap out of this stupor… For some unknown reason, Orfevre suddenly felt like she had done something wrong. This made Orfevre, who had just fallen into self-loathing, feel her mood instantly worsen, and her emotions began to spiral out of control. (T/N: From Great mood all the way to Awful in a single turn type beat.)
"...A-are you okay, Orfevre?" Ikezoe didn't bother with the spilled tea and snacks, immediately stepping forward to check on Orfevre's condition. He knew that Orfevre's emotions had been very unstable recently.
"—Don't touch me!"
However, Ikezoe's voice seemed to deeply provoke Orfevre, causing her emotions to instantly become angry again.
Orfevre slapped away Ikezoe's outstretched hand, and as if throwing caution to the wind, she shouted at Ikezoe:
"Why do you even bother with me! An Uma Musume like me doesn't need your concern!"
"I'll win! I'll definitely win next time! So for now—just leave me alone for a bit!"
With that, Orfevre almost bolted out of the team building. She didn't want to turn around and look at Ikezoe's current expression. She was afraid that Ikezoe would see her for the weak Uma Musume she is and then mock her once her emotions had stabilized again.
She just needed some time now to accept how weak she was, just like when she used to finish last back home. Every time, she would just comfort herself alone.
So this time, it was just business as usual. She wasn't the kind of Uma Musume who needed others' concern; all she needed was to be left alone.
But this time, Orfevre seemed unable to get her wish.
"Snap!" Almost faster than Orfevre could escape, Ikezoe immediately grabbed Orfevre's hand, trying to hold her back, but the strength of a human was no match for an Uma Musume.
Therefore, after being dragged for a distance by Orfevre, Orfevre finally reacted to Ikezoe and almost immediately shouted:
"YOU! DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO KICK YOU?!"
"No no no! I just feel that I have an obligation to share your burdens too!" Ikezoe desperately held onto Orfevre's arm, trying to prevent her from running away. He used all his strength to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth:
"It's just a single OP-level race, isn't it? There's no need to act like this! Orfevre—you are the strongest Uma Musume in Japan!"
"The strongest Uma Musume in Japan wouldn't lose in an OP-level race!" Orfevre retorted to Ikezoe almost with a roar. At this moment, being held tightly by Ikezoe, she didn't dare to actually kick him—if she kicked him and couldn't control herself, she could really kick Ikezoe to see the Three Goddesses.
"Grhhhhh! I told you that you misjudged me from the start! How can an Uma Musume like me be the strongest in all of Japan?! Are you trying to make fun of me?"
"No—I truly believe it! Orfevre! You are the strongest!"
However, this one point, as if it were a bottom line, was stubbornly held onto by Ikezoe. As Ikezoe's words fell, it was as if someone cast a spell on Orfevre. He quickly noticed Orfevre's strength slowly diminishing, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief, slowly releasing Orfevre's hand.
"Orfevre, I know your current performance isn't the best… but I'm not that great of a Trainer either. I know I still have a long way to go before I can truly help you."
"But, don't give up just yet. Let's try again—after all, we're aiming for next year's Classic Triple Crowns. We still have plenty of time to train you up."
"Losing one or two races doesn't matter at all in the grand scheme of things. You are an Uma Musume destined to break out of Japan and into the wider world. A few initial low-level failures domestically are completely fine."
"When you truly step onto the big stage, no one will remember your past failures. They will only remember your figure dominating in GI races both in Japan and beyond. These achievements will turn your past failures into fun little stories to tell."
Ikezoe was undoubtedly speaking the truth. Whether now or in the past, Orfevre's initial performance was not considered good, and Ikezoe had gone through this process of adjustment with Orfevre. He originally thought he might truly be incapable of managing Orfevre, but later, he realized that Orfevre's true strength was not something someone of his level could easily handle.
But Orfevre's future achievements would undoubtedly completely overshadow her past failures. Therefore, facing Orfevre's loss, Ikezoe's reaction was completely different from other Trainers. Other Trainers would be sad, some would talk it out with their trainees, and some might even blame the Uma Musume, but Ikezoe alone considered it "within expectations."
He had never thought that Orfevre would be such an easy Uma Musume to train. Therefore, he had already prepared himself mentally to give Orfevre more room for trial and error.
"…Really, try again?" Orfevre, now clearly a bit calmer, asked with some doubt:
"I—I can't guarantee a win, you know. On the racecourse, I feel like my own body isn't under my control. Even so, you still want me to try again?"
"Curren Chan's Debut Race isn't until July, so besides you, I don't have any other choice." Ikezoe also smiled bitterly, unable to help but feel that the time he had set for Curren Chan's Debut Race was a bit too late.
But Curren Chan is different from Orfevre. Curren Chan's chances of winning are almost a guarantee for Ikezoe, but when facing Orfevre, Ikezoe didn't dare to say she will definitely win—especially with her current inconsistent performance on the track. Ikezoe really can't help Orfevre much at all; it was entirely up to her own ability to overcome this block.
"Next week, I've arranged another GIII-level race for you, Orfevre. Go ahead and try to learn how you want to run without any fear."
Ikezoe tried his best to encourage Orfevre, saying, "It doesn't matter if you lose; the most important thing is for you to find your own rhythm."
"Believe me, once you find your racing rhythm, your growth will definitely become very fast!"
"…Alright, I'll trust you one more time."
Orfevre finally, albeit reluctantly, believed Ikezoe's words. After a long pause, she hesitantly said, "B-but if I finish second again, you're not allowed to laugh at me."
"I won't," Ikezoe said immediately, relieved.
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(Orfevre finishes last place)
Hey Ikezoe, I'm watching you right now, why you trynna not to laugh bruh, that's disrespectful as shit man...
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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.