Before Mejiro Ardan could process what was happening, a pair of hands emerged from a cardboard box, yanked her off the bench, and then two Uma Musume who had burst out of the box promptly flanked her, pulling her into a hidden patch of grass behind them.
"Another usurper, daring to lay hands on the king's treasures?"
Crouched beside Mejiro Ardan in the grass, Orfevre's gaze was icy. Despite her undignified posture, she carried an air of royal authority in every other way.
"Boss, what do we do with this one? Smack her away with a baseball bat like the others?!"
Gold Ship, crouched excitedly on the other side, pressed down on Mejiro Ardan's shoulder as she spoke to Orfevre.
Then she turned her head, giving Mejiro Ardan a sinister grin and letting out two low, creepy chuckles in a strange tone.
"You might not know this, but our boss was once known as the toughest delinquent in Tracen Academy! Back then, with her face mask and fully dyed red hair, she was called the Tyrant by several rival bad-girl schools!"
Mejiro Ardan was stunned.
She hadn't even recovered from the shock of two Uma Musume suddenly jumping out of a cardboard box when Gold Ship immediately launched into her intimidation routine.
She looked at Gold Ship, then at the so-called Tyrant and strongest delinquent, utterly at a loss for how to react.
But before Mejiro Ardan could form a response, Orfevre had already taken action. She raised her arm high and brought it down sharply, chopping Gold Ship squarely on the head.
"This king has no such memories!"
Gold Ship didn't seem to feel any pain. Rubbing her head, she giggled and poked Orfevre playfully.
"Come on, Orfevre, you did have red hair and loved wearing a face mask back then—"
"Gold Ship!"
Just as the two were about to start another physical altercation, a melodious, soaring song suddenly rang out from in front of the bushes.
Not only the two of them, but even Mejiro Ardan couldn't help parting the grass to see.
"How bright the starlight, how enchanting the scent of the earth. The garden gate creaks open, I hear her footsteps on the path."
"She enters, fragrant as a flower, and falls into my embrace!"
The three of them, peering through the grass, saw T.M. Opera O, with her short orange-red hair, singing loudly in the setting sun. While delivering the lines in a splendid operatic voice, she winked at the surrounding Uma Musume.
But after winking at her fans, she turned her gaze toward Dream Weaver, who was walking this way in the distance, schoolbag on her back.
"What's all that gibberish?" Gold Ship muttered, bored.
Mejiro Ardan, hearing this, instinctively replied, "Those are lines from the opera 'Tosca,' right?"
"Practicing even after school? T.M. Opera O is really diligent."
As Tracen Academy's famously socially fearless extrovert, T.M. Opera O was well-known to Mejiro Ardan.
Similarly, she also knew exactly what kind of character Gold Ship was, which was why, when being intimidated earlier, she felt less panic and more sheer bewilderment about how to respond.
Orfevre snorted coldly, watching T.M. Opera O attracting attention like a flower drawing bees, and said disdainfully, "She is merely a thief coveting this king's treasures."
"A stage suits her better than a throne."
Mejiro Ardan didn't know why Orfevre had a conflict with T.M. Opera O, but she really wanted to say that Orfevre, currently crouching in the bushes with leaves stuck in her hair, wasn't exactly exuding much royal dignity either.
Orfevre shot a glance at Mejiro Ardan's hesitant expression, seeming to guess her thoughts.
With some annoyance, she tapped Gold Ship's head and said, "If it weren't for this one's terrible ideas, why would this king be hiding here?"
"You didn't object at the time either!"
Hearing this, Orfevre clenched her fist.
Previously, seeing Gold Ship manage to take Dream Weaver away from both her and T.M. Opera O, she had thought Gold Ship possessed some astonishing wisdom.
Who knew all her proposals would be such chaotic plans? As a monarch, Orfevre could only pick the one that seemed least embarrassing.
"My mistake…" Orfevre's voice gradually lowered, her gaze toward Gold Ship growing colder. "I should never have expected anything from you."
With that, she immediately stood up from the bushes, straightened her slightly ruffled collar and the leaves in her hair, and strode forward, intending to approach Dream Weaver in her own way.
"Ah, such a fool—"
Watching Orfevre's retreating back, Gold Ship shook her head and sighed with exaggerated solemnity.
Mejiro Ardan leaned closer and asked curiously, "So, what exactly are you all doing here anyway?"
Gold Ship didn't answer directly, merely pointing ahead at Orfevre's back, urging Mejiro Ardan to watch.
They saw Orfevre walk toward Dream Weaver and call out to her. After a brief exchange face-to-face, Dream Weaver simply stepped around her and continued on her way, leaving Orfevre standing alone on the spot.
"Ah, a defeated hound—"
Gold Ship repeated her sigh, clasped her hands together, and asked Mejiro Ardan serenely, "O seeker, have you... attained enlightenment?"
Staring into Gold Ship's eyes, which seemed to see through all the world's turmoil, Mejiro Ardan shook her head in confusion.
What was she supposed to understand here?!
Seeing Mejiro Ardan still didn't get it, Gold Ship dropped the act and returned to her usual slouching demeanor, pointing ahead as she explained.
"Right now, three Uma Musume present all want to get closer to Dream Weaver."
"Including you?" Mejiro Ardan asked, puzzled.
Gold Ship just waved her hand. "Hey, just listen first." She then pointed forward, signaling Mejiro Ardan to pay attention.
"T.M. Opera O chose to use her specialty, opera, to catch Dream Weaver's attention. Too bad the girl was in a hurry and only glanced her way."
"And Orfevre tried a direct approach. Unfortunately, the other party didn't engage, just exchanged a few polite words before leaving the scene."
"As for the third one…"
Gold Ship pointed toward a corner in the distance, nudging her chin in that direction.
"This newly entered contestant hasn't decided on her strategy yet, so she's just watching silently."
Mejiro Ardan looked at the strand of black hair drifting out from the corner. It looked familiar, and she whispered in disbelief, "It can't be…"
Before she could finish, Narita Brian suddenly peeked her head out from around the corner, gazing at Dream Weaver's retreating figure, lost in thought.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.