"Damn you! This is not fair! You tricked me!!"
"Waaaa~~ Waaa~~ I'm a sore loser~~~ Uwwwaaaahhh~~~"
"You!! Not fair!! I promise I'll have my revenge on you!!!"
"Well, too bad. Now you owe me something powerful, Goldship. A ticket that I can use to ask you to do anything I want."
"I never agree to that!!"
"Cry about. Cope, seethe, and mald."
"Gggrrrrrrrrr!!! Kkkkkhhhhh!!!!!"
Goldship could only grind her teeth at her cocky trainer. Something inside her tells her to pin that bastard to the ground, hump his ass, and rearrange his insides. Turn him into another Mister Hand.
Kuh!! What is this feeling?! It's as if the three goddesses are talking to me. I can't rearrange his guts, can I? I lack the necessary limb to do that! And who is Mister Hand anyway?!
While Goldship was fighting with an unknown feeling inside her that may or may not have come directly from the 3 Goddesses, Air Groove's eyes are glued to the young man's skin. The little bead of sweat on his face teases Uma like a bottle of water to a dehydrated person. All she needs to do is bring out her handkerchief and wipe him clean. But will it be enough? He was barely breaking a sweat. That amount of sweat would be barely enough to last a day.
Someone please make him move more! Make him sweat more!
"Oooh… That looks interesting."
Whether it was because Brian heard Air Groove's plea or something else, the delinquent-looking vice president walked forward. By her expression, it's clear that she is eager to duel the young man. Air Groove silently celebrates, as there's no one better for the job than Brian.
"Let's play, Igo."
"I'm sorry, but I only play when I see a prize that I want."
"That ticket or whatever… I'll give you one."
"Ooohh~~ Are you sure that's a good idea, Brian?"
"Kukuku~~ You have to win, remember?"
"I like you, Brian."
"Win against me, and I'll consider your proposal."
The 2 individuals dropped to a stance. Eyes clash, feet planted, fist tightened, and ears sharpened. The atmosphere thickens to the point that bystanders feel like they can cut the air with a knife.
"Here I come, Brian."
"Cocky bastard."
Brian could only smile at the young man's confidence. He can just start moving without telling Brian, and that would give her a few milliseconds of a head start, but nope. He announced to her when he would start. A mark of someone confident in their ability.
The young man dribbles the ball forward, kicking it from one foot to another at high speed. Brian buckles down and calms herself. She doesn't want to get too engrossed in the ball movement and fall for the trick.
"Smart."
*Tap*
"As expected."
Knowing that he wouldn't get passed Brian easily, the young man tapped the ball to the side. Brian had watched what happened to Goldship, so she made sure not to take too big a leap so she could always intercept the young man's attempt to slip the ball under her.
"What now, smart guy?"
"Fufufu~~ You'll love this."
The young man put his foot in front of the ball, perpendicular to its path. As the ball climbed on top of that foot, the young man flung it upward with that foot.
"What the?!"
Before Brian could process it, the young man had already turned over. He then kicked the ball with the heel of the same foot that flung it upward, kicking it to the opposite side of where Brian is facing.
A scorpion kick?! Nice, but!
Brian plants her feet firmly on the turf before turning around and accelerating toward the young man. Everyone can see the difference between a newly debuted Uma that is Goldship and an experienced Triple Crown champion that is Brian. Before the ball could even touch the ground, she was already side by side with the young man.
"I'm not a rookie Uma Musume, Igo. Don't look down on me."
"I am not."
The young man's answer brings chills down Brian's spine. She finally sees the black hole eyes of the young man, almost as if light couldn't escape the information-gathering monsters that dwell inside those sockets.
As if to mock the Triple Crown Champion, the young man lightly tapped the ball between her legs. And he does so with his left leg, not his dominant right leg.
On such a narrow gap!!
Brian couldn't believe what just happened. She had made sure to keep the space between her legs to a minimum, and the young man still found a way to slip it between them. Finding the short moment when her race's instinct kicks in and her legs open at their widest.
"Prepare your body, Brian."
The young man said mockingly as he slid past the vice president and reunited with the ball on the other side.
"If you're this talented at football, why become a trainer? Surely becoming a professional football player would pay more than being a trainer."
"It's complicated."
"Did a football kill your family?"
"Goldship, I'm going to murder you."
"You're one creepy man, Igo."
"Okay! Sore loser Brian! Screw you, too! It's not my fault that you're required to have a large stride as a racing Uma Musume!!"
"That's what I'm talking about. You never even look at your own body. Only at your opponent's."
"Why would I need to? It's my body. I know how it works."
"..."
The young man's choice of words makes it sound as if he is being arrogant, but his tone suggests he is genuinely confused. It was a question that rings inside everyone's heads. Why would they need to watch how their bodies move? It's their bodies, they should know it.
"It's like you girls watching your feet as you run. You don't need to do that, right?"
"We kinda do that, too…"
"What!?! Why?! It's your legs!! It's not going anywhere without you!! If it does go anywhere without you, then you have a bigger problem there."
"Are you that confident in yourself?"
"Well, yeah. Who else if it won't be then? What? Are you expecting me to scream 'MOM! Please carry me to school!! I don't trust my legs!!' every day?"
"..."
"You are in the middle of a competition. Don't you think it's more arrogant to look at yourself rather than your adversaries and surroundings? You can only focus on one thing at a time, so why focus on something that you can just feel?"
"Mmm hhhmmm…"
"Pres said, 'I see'."
"How?"
The young man wonders how Rudolph can see when Teio is up on her face. Can she echolocate? Can horse echolocates? Did they evolve that ability in the other world, and now Cygames patches it into the game?
"Mmmhh mmmh, hmm mhh mmhh hhmm mmm hmmmmhh?"
"Pres said, 'Air Groove, can you take Teio for a second?'"
So you're her translator, huh?
"Teio, a big Hachimi, just walk by!"
"Where?!"
*Pop*
Air Groove take advantage of Teio's addiction to hachimi to distract her for a brief moment. Teio turn around, and her grip on Pres's face weakens for a single moment, a moment that Air Groove notices and grabs. With ease, Air Groove grabs Teio by her waist and then pulls her off Rudolph's face.
"Aaah… Aaaah… You tricked me… Sniffle…"
Teio acts like a turnover beetle once she can't feel Rudolph's face. Her limbs wail around, trying to find the warmth that is lost to them.
"Mind having a match with me, trainer Igo?"
How can you act as if nothing happened, Rudolph?
"What's the chip on the table?"
"The same as Goldship and Brian."
"Booo~~ That's cheap! I'm challenging the President of StuCo, you know? The prize can't be the same as fighting a normal student."
"Then what do you want then?"
"For each win, I want the soul and body of a member of the StuCo."
"And what do you offer on the other hand then?"
"Mhh… What do you want? I understand that you're putting a lot on the table, so I'll give you anything if you win."
"That's fine by me."
It's finally time! I'll sacrifice everything to grab what is rightfully mine!