Thanks to Kitasan Black's earlier shout, the classroom had already grown quieter than it had been at dismissal. The sudden slam of the back door made several Uma Musume's ears twitch sharply, their eyes darting toward the doorway, startled and suspicious.
The rear door still swayed slightly. Standing in its frame was an Uma Musume with wide, fierce eyes.
She had cleanly-cut short hair, slightly wild and disheveled, thick eyebrows that were straight and assertive, pairing boldly with her large eyes to give off a spirited aura.
She wore Tracen Academy's standard tracksuit, her jacket tied around her waist, with her snug short-sleeve shirt neatly tucked into her pants, highlighting a firm, toned midriff.
Despite all eyes in the classroom focusing on her, she didn't back down in the slightest. Instead, she let out a small huff and impatiently tapped the doorframe with her knuckle.
"Hey, come on—so which one of you is Kitasan Black?"
"Ah, um..."
Initially frozen by the suddenness of it all, Kitasan instinctively began raising her hand to respond.
Satono Crown, startled at first as well, quickly recovered her composure, recalling her duties as class representative. She frowned slightly, discreetly pushing Kitasan's raised arm back down and stepping protectively in front of her, eyeing their unexpected visitor with displeasure.
"Excuse me, but school regulations clearly—"
"Wait a second, aren't you… Jun Tsubasa from the next class?" Satono Crown suddenly recognized the Uma Musume at the door.
"That's right, it's me!"
Not at all intimidated by Satono Crown's stern glare, Jun Tsubasa proudly flipped her short hair, a grin spreading smugly across her face.
"Looks like my back-to-back victories really have spread my reputation! Hehe… Oh, right, and you are...?"
In stark contrast to her fiery entrance, Jun Tsubasa's tone abruptly became less aggressive. Satono Crown paused for a moment, then replied with a slight frown:
"I'm Satono Crown, this class's representative."
"So, Jun-san, what exactly do you need?"
"Satono… Oh, so you're Satono Crown!"
A brief flicker of surprise flashed across Jun Tsubasa's eyes, quickly replaced by seriousness as she nodded firmly.
"Sorry about that. I only recognized your racing outfit—didn't realize it was you just now."
"But I'm not here for you, I'm actually here…"
As she spoke, Jun's eyes started wandering around Satono Crown, finally landing on Kitasan Black, who stood there blank-faced. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she immediately changed direction.
"You must be Kitasan Black, right?!"
"No mistake about it—that silly look on your face says it all!"
"Here, catch!"
With exaggerated flair, she plunged her hand into her pocket, pulling out an envelope with a smug flourish.
She dramatically flung the envelope forward—
Only for it to flutter awkwardly in midair, looping and swaying downward, before landing softly halfway between her and the two bewildered Uma Musume.
"…Wait! That one doesn't count! I'm throwing it again—"
Jun froze mid-motion, embarrassment turning her cheeks visibly red as she rushed forward to grab the envelope back up.
As the envelope had floated downward, Satono Crown had already glimpsed the large writing on its front. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, quickly replaced by a strange seriousness. Before Jun could reach it, Satono Crown swiftly stepped forward, grabbing the envelope herself.
"…As expected of Satono Crown-san. You're pretty fast…"
Jun Tsubasa withdrew her hand, backing away cautiously, seriousness returning to her eyes again.
"Anyway, that's how it is!"
"I'm here to deliver a challenge letter to Kitasan Black on someone else's behalf!"
"You got that? A challenge letter!"
Holding the envelope and glancing at the words written on its surface once again, Satono Crown's eyes took on an increasingly peculiar expression.
Upon hearing Jun's declaration, the peculiarity in Satono Crown's eyes deepened further.
"A challenge, but this is…"
The classroom suddenly erupted into excited chatter, cutting off Satono Crown's sentence.
Several Uma Musume sitting in the back row began whispering excitedly among themselves, sneaking curious glances at Kitasan Black and Jun Tsubasa, their eyes glinting with excitement.
"Wow! Someone actually sent Kitasan a challenge letter—how thrilling!"
"Oh my gosh, this commotion right after vacation…"
"Jun Tsubasa sure is bold… but it sounds like she's not the one challenging Kitasan?"
Other classmates around the front also joined in, their surprised voices quickly turning eager and encouraging.
"Open it! Open it already, Kitasan-san!"
"Yeah, hurry up—who's challenging you?"
"Oh right, Kitasan-san's next race is the St. Lite Kinen, isn't it? Who's running against her in that one again?"
Amidst the noisy chaos, Kitasan's eyes grew as wide as saucers, fixed firmly on the envelope held in Satono Crown's hand.
She opened her mouth slightly, wanting to speak, but the unexpected commotion left her momentarily speechless.
However, finally unable to contain the relentless curiosity that surged through her chest, she quickly moved next to Satono Crown, attempting to tug the envelope out of her hand.
"So what exactly is… Eh? Crown-chan?"
When the envelope didn't budge, Kitasan instinctively glanced toward her friend.
Satono Crown's emotions at that moment were complicated.
Since childhood, she had always been the center of attention, one of her family's greatest hopes. After debuting in the Twinkle Series, she herself had received numerous challenges.
Yet now, this challenge letter wasn't directed toward her—but toward Kitasan Black.
She knew Kitasan had always been a friend since childhood, and that she shouldn't feel this way.
Yet, the harder she told herself not to, the more vividly her mind replayed scenes of her two defeats at Kitasan's hands.
Sensing sharply that something felt slightly off with Satono Crown, Kitasan couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.
But before she could speak, Satono Crown suddenly snapped back to her senses.
"…Ah, I'm curious too."
She bit her lower lip, turned her head slightly away to hide her expression, and reluctantly held the envelope out sideways toward Kitasan.
"I'm curious to see just who's bold enough to issue you a challenge."
"And also…"
"Whether or not this bold classmate has ever passed her kanbun class."
Too eager about the contents of the envelope, Kitasan Black didn't fully notice the subtle bitterness lingering in Crown's voice—but she did clearly hear her friend's words.
"Kanbun… class?" she blinked blankly.
Jun Tsubasa, standing opposite them, also blinked blankly.
"How'd you know I've never passed kanbun—wait!"
Her face instantly flushed bright red.
"That has nothing to do with what we're talking about now, right?!"
"How doesn't it?"
Feeling an odd, cathartic release, Satono Crown folded her arms and tilted her head slightly, eyeing Jun sharply.
"It looks like you're not just delivering this letter—you wrote it yourself, too."
"So why don't you take a good look at what you wrote on the envelope?"
"You wrote 'Peach Battle Letter'—as in the fruit peach—not 'Challenge Letter'!"
Including Kitasan Black and Jun Tsubasa, every single Uma Musume in the room instantly fixed their eyes on the envelope.
Clearly, in bold white strokes on a black background, the envelope proudly proclaimed three characters:
桃战状. (Peach Battle Letter.)
---
T/N: ermm i did some research but it seems like its an OC horse? its not a real horse either
(FUTURE ME HERE!!!!!!!!! IT'S ACTUALLY JUN TSUBASA!!!) i used an oc name before
...
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