Chapter 183: I Want to Challenge You, Kitasan Black
The classroom fell silent for a brief moment, then instantly filled with amused snickers and a lively buzz.
"—Aaaah! Give it back to me!"
Her face turning the color of pig's liver, Angel Wing bared her teeth and lunged forward.
"Don't laugh! Let me rewrite it—I'll rewrite it, okay?!"
Just then, a long-haired Umamusume burst in through the classroom's back door, which Angel Wing hadn't had time to close.
She must have run all the way here in one breath. A fine sheen of sweat covered her delicate face, her cheeks flushed red, and her rosy lips parted as she panted for air.
The moment she took in the chaotic scene and the stifled laughter in the classroom, a flicker of panic—and understanding—passed through her lively eyes.
Her slender brows knit together, a troubled expression appearing on her face. She bit her lower lip and, still slightly out of breath, reproached in a low voice:
"Angie… just what are you doing…?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but Angel Wing froze stiffly, stopping in her tracks at once.
A moment later, Angel Wing's mouth drooped, her shoulders slumped, and she lowered her head as she looked over.
"I was… just trying to help you."
Hearing that, the Umamusume by the back door looked momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
"…How is this helping me, exactly?"
"How is it not helping?"
As if provoked by the doubt, Angel Wing lifted her chin stubbornly.
"I heard it from a senpai—formal duels like this can bring out hidden potential, so I wrote the challenge letter for you!"
"And besides, Ri-chan, don't you complain to me every single day, talking nonstop about how you want to beat Kitasan Black?"
The moment those words left her mouth, the Umamusume called Ri-chan flushed bright red.
She glanced around in a panic, her gaze sweeping across the classroom. When she finally spotted Kitasan Black and Satono Crown, her eyes stiffened. She abruptly lowered her head, both hands clutching the hem of her school uniform skirt.
"See? I hit the mark, didn't I?"
For reasons unknown, the Angel Wing who had looked so wilted just moments ago now puffed up with pride.
She turned toward Kitasan Black and snorted.
"So then, are you going to accept it or not? You're not scared, are you—mmph?!"
Her mouth suddenly covered tightly, Ri-chan shot a flustered look over, her eyes darting about. The corners of her mouth twitched as her cheeks burned red, and she stammered:
"Th-that is— I'm sorry!"
After the loud apology, her voice dropped several notches.
"Angie… I… she… she's my good friend. She's not a bad person, it's just… just that she's too impulsive…"
"S-sorry about this. We didn't cause you any trouble, did we? I'm really sorry—truly, very sorry…"
Seeing this, Satono Crown glanced at the still somewhat bewildered Kitasan Black beside her. After a moment's thought, she stepped forward.
Though her personality differed from Kitasan Black's, becoming class representative had led her to know quite a few classmates and senior through various duties.
She had recognized Angel Wing earlier because of that, and more or less recalled her situation.
The reason she hadn't recognized her at first was that Angel Wing had been injured during her debut race last year. Between treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation, she didn't return until May of the first half of this year.
And just as Angel Wing had said, she came back with an impressive two consecutive wins—proof that her strength was nothing to scoff at.
The other Umamusume, however, was different. Satono Crown had recognized her at a glance.
She was Ribbon Victory—the rival who, along with Satono Crown and Kitasan Black, had competed in the Satsuki Sho and the Japanese Derby.
To prepare for those two G1 races, her family had invested considerable effort into gathering information on every opponent, Ribbon Victory included.
From those reports and what she had seen around the academy, Ribbon Victory and Angel Wing had known each other for a long time, having attended the same elementary school.
When Angel Wing had been hospitalized due to her injury, Ribbon Victory had taken time off on multiple occasions to care for her—more than enough to show just how close the two of them were.
Now that everything was clear, it was probably just as Angel Wing had said: after losing to Kitasan Black twice, Ribbon Victory had been determined to win it back.
To motivate her friend, the clearly impulsive Angel Wing had taken matters into her own hands and created this whole "Peach Letter" incident.
Since the situation had been sorted out, a proper explanation should be enough.
After all, challenges between racers weren't anything unusual, and because competition was beneficial to race performance, the academy generally didn't interfere.
"It seems Angel Wing's peach—ah, challenge letter wasn't discussed with Ribbon-san beforehand."
After a moment's thought, Satono Crown spoke in a steady voice. "But if I remember correctly, Ribbon-san's next race is the St Lite Kinen. That's also Kita-chan's next race."
Hearing this, Ribbon Victory froze for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Angel Wing broke free from her grip and pointed at Kitasan Black.
"That's right! And it's my next race too!"
"So that challenge letter wasn't just written for Ri-chan—it includes me as well!"
"Well then, Kitasan Black, are you going to accept it or not?"
Satono Crown frowned slightly at Angel Wing's impatience, then thought for a moment before stepping a couple of paces to the side.
Since the two visitors weren't here for her, it would be better to leave what came next to Kitasan Black.
"Ah, about that—"
"N-no, it's fine! Please don't take it to heart, Kita-san!"
Before Kitasan Black could finish her hesitant reply, Ribbon Victory rushed forward, reaching toward the letter in Kitasan Black's hand.
She didn't snatch it, though—her hand stopped in midair.
"In any case, this was Angie making a mountain out of a molehill. I—I… Kita-san, let's just run the St Lite Kinen normally…"
"Ah, um…"
Kitasan Black broke into a sheepish grin and scratched her head.
"I was actually thinking the same thing. Since we're racing together anyway, it feels like we don't really need a challenge letter…"
Ribbon Victory's face lit up instantly.
"Mm-hm! That's exactly what I thought too! Thank you so much for understanding, Kita-san! Then this letter—"
"Huh? You want it back?"
Blinking in surprise, Kitasan Black smiled and handed over the still-unopened letter.
"That's fine, then… oh, right. I don't think I know your name yet."
"It's Ribbon Uta, right?"
In that instant, Ribbon Victory's hand froze as she reached for the envelope.
Her expression stiffened. The faint blush on her cheeks drained away, leaving her face pale.
In the next second, embarrassment and disappointment surfaced in her eyes—along with a faint, barely concealed trace of resentment.
Beside them, Satono Crown froze for a moment before covering her forehead, clearly unable to bear watching any further.
On the other side, Angel Wing also stared wide-eyed.
"Hey! How can you not even—"
"It's fine! Let's… let's go, Angie…"
Raising her voice abruptly, Ribbon Victory spun around, grabbed Angel Wing by the hand, and hurried toward the classroom door.
Standing there in a daze, watching the two figures about to disappear through the back door, Kitasan Black instinctively felt she had made a serious mistake—though she couldn't quite understand why. All she could do was subconsciously lift the letter in her hand.
"Th-then… what about this… what should I do?"
The figures at the back door stopped. One of them trembled slightly.
After a long silence, without turning her head, she spoke in a low, calm voice:
"Just as it says. The St Lite Kinen…"
"I want to challenge you, Kita-san… no."
"I want to challenge you, Kitasan Black."
<+>
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/1617249?view=condensed
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