"France! Your emperor has returned!"
The moment she stepped off the plane, Orfevre planted her hands on her hips, breathed in the fresh Paris air, and let out a grand, triumphant laugh.
"I AM BACK!" Gold Ship shouted right after her.
Behind the two of them trailed a pair of half-dead shadows, one black and one white.
Fujiwara Chiya was yawning like his soul had already left his body, looking utterly wilted. Shirayuki was even worse. Her ears drooped, one hand covered her mouth, and her face was pale enough to scare people.
"I feel awful… I want something sour…"
"What are you two doing?"
Orfevre turned back, clearly displeased.
"We finally made it to Paris, and you cannot even show a little excitement? This is the sacred hall of international G1 racing! Trainer, show some spirit! And you, Empress, you came here for revenge this time. Where is your aura?"
"I'm a little airsick…"
"The airplane food was so bad. Just remembering it makes me… urk, cough, cough…"
Looking at the two sickly figures leaning against each other, Orfevre rubbed her brow. She had come to Paris ready to make a grand charge, only for her trainer and the Empress to get destroyed before the battle even began.
Ugh. Fine.
They should find somewhere to rest first.
"Trainer Chiya! Shirayuki!"
A bright, lively voice rang out from the distance.
A small uma musume with a low ponytail, a bow on her head, a pale blue dress, and white stockings waved excitedly at them. Then she came running over in quick, eager steps.
The instant Orfevre saw her, her pupils shrank to pinpoints.
She took half a step back as if facing a mortal enemy, her entire body snapping into alert mode.
"Treve!?"
The moment Treve drew closer, Orfevre immediately shielded Fujiwara Chiya behind her.
"Careful, Trainer! She comes with ill intent!"
"It's fine. She's here to pick us up."
Treve ran straight to Shirayuki's side, threw her arms around her waist, and started rubbing her cheek against her.
"Welcome back, Shirayuki. Welcome back… I missed you so much."
As she spoke, she even sniffed Shirayuki's scent. Her face melted into bliss.
Ahh, the real Shirayuki really was the best. So much better than the virtual version in the VR world. This scent was something they could never imitate properly.
"…Hah?"
Watching Treve act so close with Shirayuki, Orfevre's eyes went wide.
This was not what she had imagined at all.
Logically, the two of them should have been deadly rivals. The kind who would trade sharp words the moment they met, then glare at each other like sparks were flying.
So what was with all the hugging and sniffing?
Had they gotten married or something?
"Treve, I'm hungry…"
Shirayuki hugged Treve back weakly. She had not eaten in ten hours.
"My trainer already prepared a welcome banquet for you. We can head there right now."
As she spoke, Treve hooked one arm under Shirayuki's legs and scooped her straight into her arms.
"Trainer, we'll be going on ahead."
"Hm? Wait…"
Before Fujiwara Chiya could finish, Treve had already vanished with Shirayuki in her arms.
That little brat carried off my Shirayuki!
"Treve, you fiend! Where are you taking the Empress?! Put her down!" Orfevre shouted.
"Fear not."
Gold Ship pulled out her phone.
"I planted a tracker on Shirayuki ahead of time. I know where they are."
"You what?" Fujiwara Chiya stared at her in shock.
"I was worried our excellent Empress might get kidnapped, so I prepared some safety measures in advance. There are a lot of thieves in Paris, you know?"
"Thieves don't steal people. Gold Ship, what kind of shady nonsense are you up to this time?"
"I, Little Gold Ship, am a great philanthropist! How could you say that about me, Trainer… Hm? She's right nearby?"
Fujiwara Chiya rummaged through his clothes and pulled a small metal chip out of his pocket.
"That's the tracker on Trainer. Let me find Shirayuki's…"
"You little—!"
Fujiwara Chiya crushed the metal chip between his fingers.
"Ah! I was going to use that to locate where you two sneak off to do naughty stuff! Why would you do that, Trainer?!" Gold Ship cried, looking genuinely heartbroken.
"Naughty stuff? What naughty stuff?"
"Oh? You want to know? Do you really want to know?"
Gold Ship sidled up beside Orfevre with a wicked grin.
"I have no interest," Orfevre said.
"No, you definitely do. Any uma musume belonging to Trainer would be interested."
"Enough. Shut it, Gold Ship!" Fujiwara Chiya cut in. "I know where they went. Follow me."
With that, he firmly took Orfevre by the hand.
Orfevre startled. She looked like she wanted to say something, but soon closed her mouth and obediently followed behind him.
"Hmph. See? Told you. You're definitely interested."
Gold Ship snorted as she watched Orfevre's face.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Fujiwara Chiya met an old acquaintance.
Nase Hideto.
The man was sitting with his legs crossed, sipping red wine as he waited for Fujiwara Chiya to take his seat. Shirayuki and the others had been arranged in the room next door.
"Chiya, you brat. I've been waiting for you."
"Orfevre, you and Gold Ship go to that room."
"Yes… Do you need me to stay with you?" Orfevre asked quietly.
"No. This happens all the time."
Orfevre glanced warily at Nase Hideto, then nodded and went into the next room, where the table was already packed with food.
Shirayuki had already swept through more than half of it.
"Empress! I have not even taken my seat yet! Where are your manners?!"
After the two of them left, Fujiwara Chiya sat down.
Nase Hideto poured him a glass of wine.
"I don't drink."
"You quit?"
"Yeah."
Fujiwara Chiya could no longer endure how embarrassing he became when he was drunk.
Even Shirayuki had reached the point where she could not bear to watch.
"This is famous wine, you know."
"Still not drinking."
"It has a mild aftertaste. Sweet and refreshing."
"…"
"It's my treat this time. You can drink as much as you want."
"Waiter, bring me three bottles!"
The two of them ate and drank.
"I heard from Trainer Musaka that you started some kind of trainers' exchange meeting. Everyone gathered to discuss training plans and suggest improvements."
"Yeah."
"How did it go?"
"We pooled everyone's ideas. It's finished now."
Fujiwara Chiya now had a Western training method suited for local uma musume. At the moment, Nishizaki Ryu and the others were already using it to train their own uma musume.
"Actually, I wanted to do something like that a long time ago. Your theory is very similar to mine. Combine the strengths of different trainers, then use that to train uma musume. If you can cover every angle, gather the different methods each trainer specializes in, and summarize them properly, it will be a great benefit to the uma musume."
"But you didn't manage to pull it off, did you?"
Nase Hideto did not deny it. He nodded.
"Trainers are selfish too. They all want their own uma musume to win. They do not want to share the secrets that bring them victory."
"Is that really how it is…"
"You think not?"
"Maybe that is part of it. But—"
Fujiwara Chiya thought of Nishizaki Ryu and the others cheering him on before they parted.
"Uma musume are opponents, but they are also friends. Trainers are the same. They are opponents, but they are also friends. Trainer Nase, you understand uma musume, but you do not understand trainers."
"I don't understand trainers?"
"No. You don't."
"And what about you? You understand them so well?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
Fujiwara Chiya took a sip of wine.
"Because I can see myself."