Chapter 124: The Awkward Sisters
Standing beside Makoto was an Umamusume with long golden hair, her sharp presence tinged with a faint yet undeniable air of authority—Orfevre.
After deciding to attend the Spring Tenno Sho, Makoto had casually mentioned his plans to Orfevre the very next day.
He hadn't expected that, as soon as she heard it, Orfevre would immediately declare that she was coming along as well.
"It just so happens there'll be a training match afterwards. I'll take this opportunity to study Kitasan Black a bit."
Her reasoning sounded perfectly fine on the surface. But judging from the look she'd had during their video call, and from the fact that she'd been silent for almost the entire bullet train ride, Makoto couldn't help but wonder about one thing.
Could it be… that she was actually angry at Gold Ship, and that was the real reason she came?
Thinking it over, he felt that was most likely the case.
After all, one side had been openly showing concern before they even returned to Japan, while the other had spent the week before the race playing mahjong. Anyone would be a little upset.
Of course, refusing to even see her sister's face because of that—well, that attitude was hard to call reasonable.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Makoto muttered quietly to himself.
Compared to the world he remembered, a lot of things here lined up, but nothing was exactly the same.
And, more often than not, those small differences probably came from his own interference.
Like the Satsuki Sho—even though the victory had been narrow, the result had still changed.
If the Satsuki Sho's outcome had changed, could that affect other events too?
Or, even if it didn't, if Gold Ship got annoyed because of Orfevre's awkwardness…
Would something weird happen at this Tenno Sho?
He muttered to himself for a bit, but soon shook off the thought.
Even if the "worldline" really had shifted, that wasn't something he could control anyway.
Rather than worrying about things he couldn't fix, it was far more important to help Kitasan Black learn from the race ahead.
. . .
They arrived in Kyoto on Friday night. With a G1 race coming up and the weekend approaching, the ancient yet bustling city was filled with life.
Their hotel had been booked well in advance. After dropping off their luggage, the group followed Orfevre—who had visited Kyoto many times before—on a small sightseeing tour.
Lanterns shaped like goldfish floated along the Kamo River at night.
Morning mist drifted through the Fushimi Inari Shrine.
The sun blazed over the Kiyomizu-dera Pagoda at noon.
Green waves rolled through the Arashiyama bamboo forest at dusk.
And under the moonlight, the Yasaka Shrine shone with its rows of glowing paper lanterns.
The city's LED screens everywhere displayed promotional videos for the Tenno Sho. Every few steps, there was another poster of the competitors.
People walking by chatted excitedly, pamphlets and fan banners in hand, cheering for their favorite Umamusumes.
Caught up in the festive atmosphere, the group offered prayers at shrines, released floating lanterns by the river, and murmured words of blessing for their seniors.
Makoto did the same—praying and offering his own quiet wish—while also noticing, out of the corner of his eye, that when Orfevre tossed her coin toward the ema wall, her gaze flicked briefly toward a poster of Gold Ship.
He couldn't help but smile inwardly.
So she is still worried about her sister. Honestly, why can't she just be honest about it?
He didn't call her out, though.
As one of the most prestigious races among the G1s, the Spring Tenno Sho was, of course, scheduled as the second-to-last event of the day—the 11th race.
After watching the morning races and having lunch at the venue, the group headed to the lounge area to cheer for Gold Ship before the big race.
They weren't the only ones there—Daiwa Scarlet, Vodka, Special Week had also come along. Even Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, who had said they'd be busy all day, managed to show up in the end.
And just as she had promised, the long-absent Silence Suzuka had returned to Japan, coming all the way to offer her support as well.
Adding up everyone present, there were well over a dozen people—almost enough to fill an entire race lineup by themselves. What was originally a spacious corner of the lounge now felt rather crowded, filled with overlapping cheers, laughter, and the lively chatter of so many distinct personalities.
Gold Ship, however, was completely unfazed.
Positively radiant with excitement, she responded to each cheer and encouragement in turn, then raised her voice confidently:
"Don't you worry, everyone! Gold Ship-sama is in top condition today! I promise I'll give you a race so entertaining you'll remember it for the rest of your lives!"
In sharp contrast to that rowdy scene, standing some distance away with her arms crossed was Orfevre, occasionally casting over a cool, detached glance.
Two other Umamusumes stood beside her.
One was petite and wore chain glasses; the other had a knit cap on her head and a lollipop in her mouth.
Watching the brimming-with-energy Gold Ship, the petite one adjusted her glasses slightly and looked sidelong at Orfevre.
"So… Orf, you really don't plan on saying anything to Gold Ship?"
"She's about to race. What exactly would I say right now?"
Orfevre's tone was curt as she folded her arms tighter and flicked her gaze toward the lollipop girl.
"If there's something to be said, it should be said by Festa, shouldn't it? Wasn't she the one happily playing mahjong with that girl the other day?"
The lollipop slipped a little from the other girl's lips as she visibly flinched.
"Hey, hold on, Orfevre, you've got that backward. I was playing mahjong with Gimlet-senpai just fine until Gold Ship barged in, okay? How am I suddenly the one getting blamed here?"
"Then why didn't you make her go back to training?" Orfevre shot back with a sideways glance.
"I did! Go Ask Journey if you don't believe it!"
Scowling, the girl called Nakayama Festa turned to the petite one with glasses.
"Journey, back me up here—didn't I tell that idiot to behave and get back to training?"
The one called Dream Journey seemed completely unfazed by their squabble.
Pushing her glasses back up with a calm motion, she tilted her head toward the entrance of the lounge.
"If neither of you has anything to say to Gold Ship, then… You both know she's been struggling with her gate starts lately, right? Stop standing around. Go help her."
With that, she straightened her collar and started walking toward the noisy crowd surrounding Gold Ship.
The two who had been glaring at each other only moments ago both stiffened at her words.
Without another word, and keeping a very deliberate bit of distance between them, the two began heading for the exit of the lounge.
Just before stepping out, they both happened to glance back—at Dream Journey, who was now standing in front of Gold Ship, and at Gold Ship herself, who had quieted down somewhat.
"...Don't worry. If it's Journey talking, Gold Ship will listen."
Nakayama Festa spoke first, taking the lollipop from her mouth with a sigh.
"Besides, even if she's a bit out there sometimes, when it really counts… Gold Ship's someone you can rely on, isn't she?"
Orfevre paused for a moment, her steps halting briefly. Then, as she resumed walking, a quiet sigh slipped from her lips.
"Let's just hope Gold Ship thinks the Tenno Sho counts as one of those 'really count' times."
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