The dancing training room is supposed to be empty at this time of day. But just for tonight, a faint sound of music and dancing could be heard coming from that room.
The third dance in the ballroom had ended, and with it, the music of the ball. So in order for the couple's private dance, a certain long-haired umamusume uses her phone to play classical music.
"..."
"..."
In the poorly lit room, the long, violet-haired umamusume extended her hand toward the red-haired young man.
Normally, this wouldn't be a shock to anyone. An umamusume extending her hand to a man as an invitation for a dance is common to see at a dance party. But it is when considering who was extending the hand.
An umamusume who is known for having androphobia, a condition where she developed an illogical fear of men. Extending her hand toward a man is like offering herself to the devil for someone who suffers from androphobia.
The young man knows this, which is why he is anxious about grabbing the umamusume's hand. It was she who invited him, but this could also be a trap. The chance of that happening with Dober is incredibly low, but never zero.
"...please."
"...Okay."
Dober's quiet plea breaks through Igo's iron wall. With extreme care, Igo grabs Dober's hand, and both of them initiate the dance.
"..."
"..."
Why did I even hope…?
Dober curses herself in silence. From the very beginning, nothing was going smoothly. It's abundantly clear that Igo Heita is waltzing like he is in the middle of a field of landmines.
Normally, Igo Heita would put his right hand on Dober's back, just below the shoulder. But because Dober is Dober, Igo Heita doesn't dare to touch her skin. As if to make things more awkward, his feet act like Dober's feet would devour them if they even got an inch too close.
The scene is far from what Dober had seen when Igo Heita had danced with McQueen, Speed, and Palmer. There is no grace to be found, just a man trying his hardest to stay alive.
Normally, people would have thought that Dober was being threatened for her to dance with a man, but if they look at this, they would think that the man was being held at gunpoint.
Ahahahaha… How childish of me…
Dober laughed at herself for thinking that the impossible could happen if she hoped for it. An impossible thing is impossible. This is reality. There is no such thing as a miracle that turns the impossible into the possible.
"I think this is enough, Trainer Igo Heita."
"Huh?"
The young man was flabbergasted once again. First, Dober was asking him for a dance, and now, she is stopping it abruptly when they barely start.
Dober gently pulls herself away from the young man and stops the music from her phone.
"...are you okay?"
"Hahaha… Yeah… Don't worry…
I'm sorry for bothering you with my selfish request…
I shall be going first to the ballroom, Trainer Igo Heita. I hope to see you there…"
"..."
*Grab*
"...Trainer Igo…"
"..."
Dober didn't realize it, but her movement was in a hurry, like a heartbroken maiden. She also lied about going to the hall, as that is the last place she wanted to go with a heavy heart. She is afraid that she might get hurt more after seeing the thing she would never get to experience: a normal dance.
Realizing this, Igo Heita moves quickly and grabs Dober's wrist before she can move much further. He knew he would never catch up with an umamusume when she started to run, so he took initiative.
"Give me one more chance, please…"
"...okay."
Dober had already accepted that it would be impossible for her to dance with a man. But the heart always hopes for the impossible. Even after the brain makes a logical decision, the heart can still choose the illogical path and thwart it all.
Dober's heart instantly outranked her brain the moment Igo Heita pleaded for a last chance. Dober is a mangaka who has read thousands of manga from all ranges of genres. She is very accustomed to romance manga clichés of the male lead asking the heartbroken female lead for one more chance.
In the blink of an eye, Dober grabbed Igo Heita's extended hand and accepted his request for another dance. She restarted the music on her phone as the pair walked to the center of the room.
"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
This time, Igo Heita put all his soul into the dance. He gripped Dober's hand firmly. He put his hand on Dober's back and made sure that they were both touching skin-to-skin. His steps had zero doubt in them. Dober could feel Igo Heita's determination to make Dober's wish come true.
"Hahahaha…"
"Eh? What's wrong?"
"Nothing… Your face just has this serious expression on it…"
"Ah!! Sorry… I was… focusing too hard…"
In a dance, none of the participants should have a serious expression, except if their lives depend on it. And Igo Heita dances as if his life depends on it.
"Please relax… It makes it hard to dance while holding a laugh…"
"Aah… Sorry… I will…"
Seeing Dober's smile helps Igo Heita relax his body. The last thing he wants right now is to destroy Dober's heart when she tries her hardest to heal herself from her irrational fear.
"May I ask a question, Dober? I just want to confirm something."
"Go ahead."
"Do you not suffer from… androphobia?"
"I am, and it hasn't lost on me that I'm dancing with a man."
"Is it… going away?"
"I don't think so. I still feel fear of the men in the ballroom earlier.
It's just that… I don't fear you at all…"
"Am I… not a man?"
The young man tried to gauge whether his knowledge of Mejiro Doer could be used, and he got an existential crisis in return. The young man can still feel his rod between his legs, so he is still a man.
Is my [Methyl Sweat] skill interfering with her common sense?
I masked my scent with a heavy dose of perfume and kept my sweat level to a minimum, but maybe it has leveled up without me knowing.
"No. I believe you are still a man, Trainer Igo.
But…
I suppose I thought of you as something more than just a man…"
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing~~"
Dober didn't answer Igo Heita's question because she was trying to tease him. She didn't answer because even she couldn't put her own feelings into words. What she is sure of is that it's something positive.
"~~~~~"
Ah… That was quick.
Like rain in the middle of summer, the dance finished faster than Dober realized. Dober understood what this speed of passage of time meant. It meant that she was enjoying herself completely while dancing with a man.
"Thank you for the dance, Trainer Igo Heita."
"The honor is mine, Miss Dober."
Both take a step back and bow respectfully to each other.
It was a moment and feeling Dober will keep as a core memory. She thought that tonight's ball would be similar like last year where she just stood in the corner, but to her surprise, she managed to accomplish something important. It was themost fun she had all night.
"Mejiro Dober, if you need me, then don't be shy to ask.
Since you don't consider me a man…"
"As I said before, that's not what I mean.
In my eyes, you are a man, Trainer Igo Heita."
But there is an identity that overpowers that characteristic of yours in my mind, and I will find what that is.
"Maybe your identity as my future brother-in-law overpowers your identity as a man for me.
Whatever it is, you're the manliest man for me."
Although I doubt it's that…
I don't see him the same way as I looked at my other brothers in the Mejiro Family, but I don't need to explain that to him.
"I see… Hmm… Maybe we could use that to help you with your androphobia."
Heh… What a princely man…
The first thing he thinks of is how to help me.
"Hey now, aren't you focusing on Palmer?
Do you have time to think about how to help me?"
"I'm an adult. I can multitask."
"And how many tasks have you silently burdened yourself with?"
"...it's an adult secret."
"Fu~~ Don't worry, I can wait until some of those tasks of yours are finished."
Dober silently brings up her notebook and writes something on it before circling it. Igo Heita tries to peek into the book, but Dober quickly closes it as soon as she finishes writing.
It's probably for her R-18 Doujinshi. I don't want to peek into the Necronomicon.
Just as the proverb says,
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss starts jerking off because it's an exhibitionist.
"Trainer Igo Heita, you should return to the ballroom.
The dance might be over, but people are still socializing."
"I understand. How about you?"
"I'm going to my room. I just feel like writing something down right now."
An inspiration has struck her mind, huh?
Hope it's a wholesome one.
The 2 part way in front of the empty room that they had used to dance. The young man felt a surreal feeling when he saw a beautiful smile form on Mejiro Dober's face when she was talking with him–a man.
Dober…
I thought that I would have little to do with you, but it seems that fate thinks differently. If it was I who was fated to cure you of your fear, then so be it. I will help you in any way I can.
The young man could only blame his paternal instinct for why he wants to help Dober. Dober is still a teenage girl compared to a young adult like him. Is it not the older generation's task to help the younger generation accomplish more in their lives?
Heh… What the fuck am I saying?
I'm the worst fucking thing to have happened to this world. I have no right to put such lovely words in my mouth.
While the young man curses at himself in his mind, Dober was already in her room and furiously typing her notebook into a Word document. Amongst the many words she put into a document, a single sentence was put in a massive font size and was bolded. That sentence is,
"The prince will end up with the sixth princess!!!"