"Here, I made some special café au lait. If you're feeling shaky, drink up."
"Ah… th-thank you so much…"
"Good grief, Spe, are you alright? I told you not to eat that much, but did you listen? No. Honestly, you're hopeless."
"Maya is fine… because Maya is a total lady…"
"Since when?"
Special Week was already on the verge of losing her battle with sleep. Realizing she probably couldn't handle straight coffee in her state, I handed her the café au lait I'd prepared as a compromise. Maya, meanwhile, was already nodding off, her head bobbing like a fisherman's buoy. I offered her my lap to rest on as I finally settled onto the sofa.
"Still, I'm sorry, Rampage-san," one of them said. "We really pushed our luck, staying all the way through dinner."
"Don't sweat it. It's been a while since I've had such a lively meal."
The members of Team Pleiades had gathered at my place to watch the live broadcast of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Since it was the Arc, we'd decided we might as well watch it together. After practice, we'd all gone out to buy groceries and huddled around a hot pot.
Now, we were watching the pre-race coverage, but our resident glutton, Spe, had been unable to control her appetite in the face of a luxury hot pot funded by my wallet. She was currently a ticking time bomb of drowsiness. Maya was simply sleepy because it was well past her usual bedtime.
"The crowd abroad is surprisingly welcoming," Stego muttered, sipping her café au lait with feigned elegance as she watched the cheers raining down on Laurel and Flora as they emerged from the paddock tunnels. "I figured your rival would be viewed with a bit more suspicion."
"It might just be a sign they don't see her as a threat," I replied. "Objectively speaking, she's a veteran Senior Girl. They probably think her challenging the Arc is nothing more than a commemorative entry—a final bucket-list trip."
"They think that of Flora-senpai…?" Air Groove said, her brow furrowing. "How foolish."
"I agree," Dober added.
Both Air Groove and Dober had been lectured by Flora in the past; among the juniors, they respected her more than anyone—though I wouldn't go as far as to say they adored her.
Agnes Flora: the "Great Flower," one of the Greatest Tyrant's fiercest rivals. She was the one who had fought that absolute powerhouse to the bitter end, even managing to snatch the lead from him. The world overseas clearly didn't understand just how dangerous it was to underestimate her.
"But seriously," Stego chimed in, "is that total weirdo actually that amazing? I mean, I know you don't win two Japan Cups by being a fluke, but still."
"Hey, Stay, that's a bit rude, don't you think?"
"She's right. I mean, sure, Flora-senpai is… well, she's… um…"
"Don't bother trying to defend her, Sunny," I interrupted. "The woman is a genuine eccentric. A total freak."
Even Stego, who lacked a single respectful bone in her body, had to acknowledge Flora's strength. After all, Flora had beaten girls who had actually won the Arc during the Japan Cup. She was currently on a world tour; refusing to acknowledge her talent at this point was the height of stupidity.
Still, I could understand why her brilliance was hard to see. It was mostly because of the way she acted whenever I was around.
"That 'weirdo' is actually incredible, so show some respect," I said. "Along with Ikuno, she's one of the few who stood toe-to-toe and traded blows with me for years. Plus, she's the only girl who ever physically stood in my way."
A hallmark of my racing style was the "Great Escape"—bolting ahead so far that no other girl could catch up. The instances where that strategy was broken were few and far between; I could only really recall the Dubai World Cup and the Shuka Sho.
"You know Kuronuma's philosophy? Not the man himself, but his creed?"
"The one about the spirit surpassing the flesh?"
"Flora embodies that better than anyone. She can close the gap on me through sheer 'love,' or whatever she calls it. Just look at my final race. Seriously, the woman is out of her mind."
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