"This is our first time meeting, isn't it, Trainer Ikezoe? I must say, your training methods sure are innovative. Even Maruzensky wanted to promote them."
"And now that I'm seeing both of you here... you two do make a good duo."
The strongest pair.
This was Deep Impact's impression of this duo who was no less formidable than T.M. Opera O and Wada, who were known as the 'perfect pair.'
If she really had to explain it, T.M. Opera O and Wada leaned towards complementary abilities, with neither being dispensable.
They had specific personalities and skills that made up for each other's weaknesses, forming a 'perfect' runner without any obvious weaknesses or blind spots.
Ikezoe and Orfevre, on the other hand, were quite different— or rather, the way they balanced each other out was different.
Wada and T.M. Opera O mutually dominated each other; during downtime, Wada was the one in charge, taking care of T.M. Opera O and stabilizing her emotions; then when it finally came to racing, Wada would hand over the reins to T.M. Opera O, letting her carry him to victory.
However... Orfevre and Ikezoe did not share this civilized approach; instead, the both of them constantly fought for dominance, with the end result being a one-sided relationship where one was more dominant than the other.
But now that she was thinking about it, Deep Impact was not sure who was the dominant one between Orfevre and Ikezoe.
Orfevre was clearly prone to anger and irrationality, restless and unpredictable; these are the traits you do not want to see in your Uma Musume.
Thus, one might think that Ikezoe was the one restraining her, making him the dominant one— yet, he was surprisingly lenient with Orfevre, constantly acting submissive in front of her too, which would make Orfevre the dominant one.
'Truly, relationships are way too complicated. I mean like, come on, what the hell is going on with these two...?'
"Regardless, I'm going to have to defend myself here~ I'm not here to lecture Orfevre, Trainer Ikezoe. I'm just here to give a friendly reminder. Otherwise, the Classic Triple Crown might just slip through your fingers~"
"You gotta take this more seriously. You don't just have to face those girls in the Classic Triple Crown, you know?"
"Knowing you two, you'd probably participate in the Japan Cup, right? Then I'm sure you'll have to face a child I'm very optimistic about."
"Oo~ I'm looking forward to it! Two Triple Crowns of the same year in the Japan Cup. No matter who wins in the end, I'm sure either of you will have the qualification to face me."
"Huh? What kinda nonsense are you talking about! The Classic Triple Crowns only happens once a year!"
Orfevre, somewhat confused was then suddenly held back by Ikezoe, who understood Deep Impact's wording.
"You didn't specify what kind of Triple Crown it is... so, is it the Triple Tiara?"
"That's right, how clever~ Ten points to Trainer Ikezoe!"
As if she hadn't just threatened Orfevre with her Zone, Deep Impact spoke with a demeanor similar to that of a very approachable older sister.
"Another friendly reminder, don't underestimate her just because she ran in the Triple Tiara instead of the crowns!"
"To be honest, you can consider her as something akin to my disciple. And even though she is a Filly Uma Musume, she's definitely strong enough to challenge the Classic Triple Crown. It's just... things don't always go our way~"
"But again, remember! I have absolute confidence in that child! She is way stronger than the likes of that Mihono Bourbon and Special Week!"
"...Then what's her name?"
After a moment of silence, Orfevre couldn't help but ask in a somewhat serious tone, yet hidden underneath it was a tingle of excitement.
Now Orfevre understood that Deep Impact was likely the final and strongest obstacle in her path, and if she wanted to be like T.M. Opera O, leading the dawn of a new era, the effort she would need to put in would only be greater.
This was an opponent equally as terrifying as the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf, an existence who she could not logically surpass in one short year.
But since she couldn't defeat Deep Impact in her Classic Year, Orfevre knew that she would need to first build up experience.
The Classic Triple Crown, then the Japan Cup and the Arima Kinen, and that possible, elusive Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe— all of them would need to be won by her.
And of course, aside from these important GIs, a new, additional goal of defeating Deep Impact's disciple was added to Orfevre's to do list.
Although she was a Filly Uma Musume— hearing such an evaluation from Deep Impact made Orfevre really want to beat her up.
"Ah, right, she's called Gentildonna."
Casually giving her disciple's name, Deep Impact continued,
"She's a really strong Uma Musume. And I rarely use the word 'strong' to describe someone, 'kay~?"
"So be on your toes, Orfevre, and Trainer Ikezoe. I hope that one day, we'll have a thoroughly enjoyable race, just like T.M. Opera O and Rudolf-senpai."
"Well then, I really need to leave now. See you two~!"
Checking her watch, Deep Impact finally left the area, leaving the place as if nothing had ever happened.
After staring at Deep Impact's slowly departing figure for a while, Ikezoe was the first to break the silence to comfort Orfevre.
"It's okay, Orfevre, we will definitely win— even if we're against Deep Impact."
"...You're really confident in me, huh... Well, I guess that's all you're good for anyway, I suppose."
Casually glancing away from Ikezoe, Orfevre's eyes suddenly widened as Ikezoe started unexpectedly ruffling her hair.
And man, Ikezoe had to say, Orfevre really had comfortable hair, as both a horse and also as an Uma Musume.
The way it appeared golden under the sunlight, the way it flowed so smoothly like a waterfall, it was fantastic— it sure was a blessing that Orfevre was an Uma Musume, otherwise Ikezoe was sure he definitely would've gotten kicked to death by a horse right now.
"Coff, coff... For now, let's keep our focus on the Classic Triple Crowns, okay? Although Deep Impact's words were quite harsh, she is partially right."
"Orfevre, don't underestimate your opponents. Whether it be Mihono Bourbon, Rice Shower, Special Week, or any other rivals, they'll definitely have grown stronger since the Satsuki Sho."
"...You don't need to lecture me, just tell me how to run and I'll do the running for you."
After the events a few moments ago, Orfevre's emotions seemed to have calmed significantly.
Although her words were still a tad bit prickly, her attitude had softened a lot, showing some resemblance to the Orfevre of a year ago who had yet to unleash her talent.
Of course, this was likely just temporary.
Ikezoe accepted this brief reprieve before he felt a bit uneasy... because of the words Deep Impact had left them.
'Gentildonna... she'll definitely be no less dangerous than Deep Impact, especially for Orfevre. This should be one of her main threats...'
'But Orfevre isn't strong enough yet, what can I do to help her...?'
Troubled by his powerlessness, Ikezoe suddenly envied Wada; the way he and T.M. Opera O were truly one...
Unfortunately, he and Orfevre... had yet to reach that level.
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To be honest, I don't really like the stallion/ filly divide the author made.
Like, I get the theme of gender inequality the author is trying to insert, but the execution feels really unnatural.
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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.