Chapter 182: The Peach Letter
Because of Kitasan Black's sudden cry earlier, the classroom—already quieter than usual right after school—fell into an even deeper hush. The abrupt noise from the back door made quite a few Uma twitch their ears sharply, turning to look toward the rear entrance in startled confusion.
The back door was still gently swaying. Standing there was an Umamusume with her eyes wide open.
She wore her short hair neat and tidy, yet the strands flared freely with a wild edge. Her eyebrows were thick and straight, and paired with her large eyes they gave her a distinctly gallant air. She was dressed in Tracen Academy's training uniform, the jacket tied around her waist, a snug short-sleeved shirt tucked tightly into her long pants, outlining a stretch of firm abdominal muscles.
Faced with the stares of the entire classroom, she didn't shrink back. Instead, she snorted lightly and curled her fingers to rap on the door.
"Hey, hey—so which one of you is that Kitasan Black, huh?"
"Um…"
Still stunned by the sudden turn of events, Kitasan Black instinctively spoke up and unconsciously started to raise her hand.
Satono Crown had also been startled at first, but she quickly remembered her duties as class representative and frowned slightly. Seeing Kitasan Black about to identify herself, she quietly pressed Kitasan Black's arm down, stepped forward, and looked at the uninvited visitor with visible displeasure.
"According to school rules—"
"Wait, you're… from the Second-Year, Class Two—Angel Wing, right?" She recognized the Umamusume at the back door.
"That's right, it's me!"
Unfazed by Satono Crown's frown and stern tone, the Umamusume named Angel Wing flicked her short hair and grinned smugly.
"Looks like the fame from my two consecutive wins has spread already, huh? Heh~ Oh right, before that—may I ask who you are?"
Her earlier aggressive presence had softened noticeably. Satono Crown paused for a moment, then replied with a frown:
"I'm the class representative here, Satono Crown."
"So, may I ask what business you have, Wing-san?"
"Satono… so you're Satono Crown."
A clear flash of surprise crossed Angel Wing's eyes, quickly replaced by seriousness. She nodded heavily.
"Sorry about that. I only remembered your Signature Racewear, didn't recognize you just now."
"But I'm not here for you. I'm here for—"
As she spoke, her gaze drifted over Satono Crown. When she spotted Kitasan Black standing behind her with a blank, bewildered expression, her eyes lit up and she abruptly changed course.
"You're Kitasan Black, right?!"
"No doubt about it—that dopey look gives you away!"
"Catch this!"
With an exaggerated flourish, she plunged a hand into her clothes. When she pulled it back out, she was holding a letter, her face full of smug pride.
With a sharp flick of her arm, she sent the envelope flying far through the air.
It spun once midair, then fluttered down unsteadily, landing on the floor between her, Satono Crown, and Kitasan Black.
"…Wait, that one doesn't count! I'll throw it again—"
Angel Wing's triumphant expression froze. Her face flushed visibly red as she rushed toward the envelope lying on the floor.
But while the envelope was still drifting down, Satono Crown had already caught sight of the writing on its surface. Her eyes widened in surprise for an instant, then turned serious as she dashed forward, beating Angel Wing to it.
"…As expected of Satono Crown—so fast…"
A look of renewed seriousness appeared in Angel Wing's eyes. Instead of reaching for the envelope, she took two steps back.
"Anyway, that's what it's about."
"I'm delivering a challenge letter to Kitasan Black on someone else's behalf."
"Got it? A challenge letter!"
Holding the envelope, Satono Crown glanced once more at the words written on it. Alongside her serious expression, a hint of something strange flickered across her face.
When she heard Angel Wing's explanation, that odd look only deepened.
"A challenge… but—"
She was cut off as the classroom suddenly erupted into loud chatter.
The Umamusume in the back rows lit up with excitement, whispering animatedly to the classmates beside them while sneaking glances at Kitasan Black and Angel Wing, their eyes full of curiosity.
"Whoa! Someone actually sent a challenge letter to Kita-chan—this is way too exciting!"
"My god, school just started and there's already this much drama…"
"That Angel Wing has some serious guts, doesn't she…? Uh, but it doesn't seem like she's the one challenging Kita-chan?"
Plenty of Umamusume in the front were also visibly shocked, but even more voices in the classroom carried the eager, egging-on tone of people enjoying the spectacle.
"Open it! Open it and see, Kita-chan!"
"Yeah! Who's the challenger, anyway?"
"Oh right, Kita-chan's next race is the St Lite Kinen, right? Who are the competitors in that race again…?"
Amid the clamor, Kitasan Black's eyes were wide as saucers, locked tightly onto the envelope in Satono Crown's hand.
Her mouth fell slightly open as if she wanted to say something, but the sudden situation left her momentarily speechless.
In the end, unable to resist the curiosity that was spreading wildly in her heart like creeping vines, she hurried over to Satono Crown's side and tried to pull the envelope free.
"So what is this exactly—eh? Crow-chan?"
After tugging a few times without success, she instinctively looked up at Satono Crown.
Satono Crown's feelings at that moment were complicated.
Ever since she was young, she had always been the center of attention, one of the most highly anticipated members of her family. After debuting in the Twinkle Series, she had received no small number of challenges herself.
Yet this time, the challenge letter she was holding wasn't addressed to her at all—it was for Kitasan Black.
Kitasan Black was a friend she had known since childhood. She knew she shouldn't be thinking this way.
And yet, the more she told herself she shouldn't, the more her mind uncontrollably replayed the scenes of this close friend defeating her—twice.
Kitasan Black sensed keenly that something about Satono Crown's mood was off, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly felt different.
Before she could decide whether to ask about it, Satono Crown suddenly snapped back to herself.
"…Ah. I'm curious too."
She bit her lower lip and turned her head away, not letting Kitasan Black see her expression, then passed the envelope sideways toward her.
"I'm curious about who's so bold as to challenge you."
"And also…"
"Whether this bold Uma has ever passed the basic Japanese test."
Focused entirely on what might be inside the envelope, Kitasan Black didn't notice the faint sense of finality lingering at the end of Satono Crown's words—though she did catch their meaning.
"Basic Japanese…?" she couldn't help but blink in confusion.
Across from her, Angel Wing also froze.
"How did you know I failed basic Japanese—wait!"
Her face flushed bright red all at once.
"That has nothing to do with what we're talking about right now, does it?!"
"How does it not?"
A strange, almost cathartic emotion filled Satono Crown's chest. She folded her arms and shot Angel Wing a sidelong glance.
"Looks like you didn't just deliver the letter—you wrote it too."
"Then why don't you take a good look at what you wrote on the envelope?"
"What you wrote is 'Peach Letter'—the peach from 'peach fruit.' That's not 'challenge letter' at all."
Including Kitasan Black and Angel Wing, every gaze in the classroom turned toward the envelope.
On its surface, white characters against a black background spelled out three unmistakable words:
Peach Letter.
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Note:
In the raw, the words Peach and Challenge look similar to each other.
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1617249?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/155512898?collection=1617249
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/155512898?collection=1617249
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1617249?view=condensed