"Welcome everyone to Niigata Racecourse! Today a maiden race will be held here! This race covers a distance of 1600 meters on turf! The Uma Musume who wins this race will become a newly victorious Uma Musume and start their career!"
"Now, we will announce the popularity rankings for each participating Uma Musume!"
"It's finally here… I honestly thought that during my years as Student Council President, I might not see Orfevre step onto the Racecourse."
At the spectator stands of Niigata Racecourse, as expected, Symboli Rudolf, Air Groove, and Narita Brian—the three main members of the Student Council—had all arrived to watch the first race of this rookie from the Gold Family.
This was Orfevre's first race, and her first step as an Uma Musume after a long period of waiting—if she could win this Debut Race, then by the following year, she would embark on the path to conquering the Triple Crown.
And regarding this, Symboli Rudolf, who had high hopes for Orfevre, was very confident. Of course, this confidence was under the premise that Orfevre could discover and unleash the potential within her, which was the biggest obstacle currently troubling them.
"President, do you think Orfevre can win this race?" However, Air Groove held a somewhat pessimistic view. She watched the Uma Musume who came from other central academies or local academies and couldn't help but ask anxiously:
"Orfevre hasn't undergone much training before this. Although I occasionally saw her training on the Racecourse during this period, to be honest… it most likely wouldn't have had much of an effect."
"She needs a Trainer, a Trainer who can give her systematic training, and moreover, one who can earn her trust, unleash her potential, and truly understand her."
"And we still don't know how high Orfevre's potential is," Narita Brian, who was sitting idly with a blade of grass in her mouth, said indifferently: "We only know she has great potential. At such a young age, without even training, she had managed to unleash an Aura of such power… She's definitely a promising talent."
"Her talent could even surpass Tokai Teio's, whom the President cares so much about… But why can't it be unleashed?"
Narita Brian was quite puzzled by this. She and Orfevre were actually quite familiar with each other. Because their personalities were similar—Narita Brian appeared cold and fierce to others, but in reality, it was because she was timid and lacked a sense of security, even getting scared by her own shadow.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have the title "Shadow Roll Monster." Few people knew about these things concerning Narita Brian; everyone thought she was aloof. As for Orfevre… from the first moment Narita Brian saw her, she understood that this seemingly fierce Uma Musume's inner self was actually just like hers.
It was precisely because of this that Narita Brian was the first Student Council member to recognize that Orfevre is an Uma Musume with immense potential. But to this day, even though everyone in the Student Council had acknowledged this, Orfevre had not shown anything particularly special.
"I don't know either… Perhaps Orfevre is an existence beyond our comprehension," Symboli Rudolf said indifferently, not knowing what else to say: "The Gold Family is known as a family where risks and miracles coexist, and also famous for being 'difficult.' But without exception, all their family members possess very high potential, not inferior to the Mejiro Family at all."
"But the biggest flaw is that every Uma Musume in the Gold Family is extremely individualistic and difficult to manage. To this day, only Trainer Imanami was able to subdue a member of the Gold Family… I initially thought he was the most likely to control Orfevre as well."
"But, I am certain, if there truly is one person who can control Orfevre, then that person can only be him."
As she spoke, Symboli Rudolf's gaze also turned to the other side of the stands. Air Groove and Narita Brian followed her gaze and noticed a row of new Trainers and their assigned Uma Musume. Of course, Symboli Rudolf's main concern was Ikezoe—because he was unusually absent at the moment.
Symboli Rudolf didn't believe Ikezoe wouldn't be there; he couldn't possibly miss Orfevre's Debut Race. So… where did he go?
…"Hehe, today is Orfevre-nee's Debut Race! I never thought I'd actually see Orfevre-nee participate in a race one day."
At this moment, Gold Ship, next to Imanami, had half her body leaning on the railing, saying with a face full of anticipation and joy: "I wonder if Orfevre-nee knows we're all here. She's probably so stressed she's about to cry, right?"
"Gold Ship… Orfevre is your sister, is it really okay for you to be like this?"
Beside her, McQueen also rubbed her head helplessly—her Debut Race had already concluded successfully, and everything went very smoothly. After systematic training from Imanami, McQueen's growth was significant, and her weight had also been controlled.
However, due to the timing of McQueen's Debut Race, the Satsuki Sho was undoubtedly out of reach. McQueen was now preparing for the Japanese Derby, actively training and planning to win several key races to secure priority qualification for the Japanese Derby.
"Trainer, even though we've come all this way… If I may be frank, is it necessary?" Mejiro McQueen clearly didn't understand Imanami's actions and couldn't help but corner her head to ask: "If Orfevre wants to challenge the Triple Crown, that won't be until next year. Why do we need to watch her race?"
Was it just because she was Gold Ship's sister? Mejiro McQueen didn't voice this question. She felt this reason shouldn't be valid; the Trainer was a very fair person and wouldn't show such favoritism.
"Just coming to watch Orfevre's race, that's all," Imanami merely said in response, a faint smile on his face as he spoke to Gold Ship and McQueen:
"McQueen, Gold Ship, you two must watch carefully. Orfevre's race will definitely be very beneficial to you."
"Study her race and running style well. Even if we don't encounter her this year… eventually, we will face her."
To face the Uma Musume hailed as the strongest in All Japan. Imanami didn't voice this sentence, but he, Wada, and the temporarily absent Ikezoe all knew this.
"T.M. Opera O, Meisho Doto, you two should pay close attention to Orfevre," On the other side, Wada also said very solemnly to his two assigned Uma Musume: "Orfevre… might be the most threatening opponent we could potentially face in the future."
"Observe her running style and strategy carefully; this will be very helpful to us."
Orfevre… this world truly makes one feel full of miracles. Wada's heart was also incredibly uneasy. He never thought that one day he would compete in almost the same era as the Racehorse hailed as the strongest in All Japan.
Fortunately, they were separated by a year; otherwise, many of T.M. Opera O's goals of winning the Triple Crown would probably have to be restrategized… Ikezoe, it seems your luck is much better than mine…
"...WhatshouldIdowhatshouldIdowhatshouldIdowhatshouldIdo…"
"I got carried away and now I'm actually racing. I'm even the second most popular—how could a mediocre Uma Musume like me be the second most popular?! If I end up in last place, wouldn't that be a huge embarrassment?!"
Orfevre was currently standing alone in a corner, trembling against the wall. However, the more she feared, the stronger the Aura unconsciously emanating from her became, causing the surrounding Uma Musume to be terrified and quickly move away.
At this moment, many Uma Musume also noticed Orfevre. Their expressions changed drastically, and in their hearts, they all considered Orfevre at this moment their great enemy—completely unaware that Orfevre was currently in a panic, almost wanting to withdraw from the race on the spot.
"Orfevre? Someone's looking for you outside, it's your Trainer!" At this moment, a staff member suddenly walked in and said to everyone. Orfevre, startled from her panic, subconsciously turned around.
"Trainer? I…"
However, before Orfevre could finish her sentence, a figure slowly walked in. She was slightly startled and subconsciously said:
"Trainer Ikezoe? Why are you here?!"
"Of course, I came to cheer you on, look."
As Ikezoe spoke, he raised the box he had been holding, saying to the slightly stunned Orfevre: "I even brought you a gift, as a congratulatory present for your guaranteed victory in your Debut Race!"
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Orfevre's Aura is just like King's Engine fr fr
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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.