"Rice, how did it go, Rice? How are things progressing with your trainer?"
It had apparently become the question of the day. As soon as class ended, Haru Urara ran over to Rice Shower, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Wasn't my strategy super effective?"
"Yes, very effective." Rice Shower nodded. She had come so close to making Onii-sama lose control, and yet his willpower had been beyond anything she expected. Even after things had reached that point, he still had not made a move.
He was too rational. Why couldn't Onii-sama be just a little more impulsive?
For once, Rice Shower found herself quietly complaining about one of Onii-sama's flaws.
"And then? How far did you get? Don't tell me you actually succeeded? From now on you won't be Rice Shower, you'll be 'Mrs. Fujiwara.'"
"W-We're not at that point yet, Urara!" Rice Shower's face turned bright red. The moment she heard the words "Mrs. Fujiwara," all sorts of fantasies instantly filled her head.
"Not there yet? Then where are you now?"
Rice Shower leaned closer and whispered something into Haru Urara's ear.
"You already kissed!?"
"Don't say it so loudly, Urara…"
"Sorry." Haru Urara glanced nervously around the classroom, then, after confirming no one was paying attention, lowered her voice. "Then your feelings are already confirmed, right? Next comes a date."
"A-A date…"
"That's right. Go on a date with your trainer. And when the timing feels right, the two of you can spend some special time together, and then Rice will really become a grown-up."
The moment she heard the word "date," Rice Shower's face grew even redder. She had gone out with Onii-sama before, but that did not count as a real date. A real date should be the two of them holding hands, sharing an apple candy, drinking from the same milk tea, going to watch a movie, and finally… a kiss.
Just imagining that scene made Rice Shower's heart pound wildly. She absolutely wanted to go on a date with Onii-sama, but she probably could not go as far as Urara was suggesting.
"Why not?" Haru Urara asked, puzzled by Rice Shower's denial. By all logic, if two people's feelings had already been confirmed, then that should be enough, right? Rice and her trainer had not known each other for just a day or two. They had already known each other for over a year. If things moved further at this point, would that really be so strange?
"Onii-sama said he wants to wait until the day Rice becomes an amazing Uma Musume. He said that only after Rice becomes an amazing Uma Musume can he properly accept Rice's feelings. Until then, Rice can only be Onii-sama's little sister."
"Until you become an amazing Uma Musume… ah, I get it! Does that mean your trainer wants to accept you on an important, meaningful day?" Haru Urara seemed to have figured something out.
"That's probably it."
"I totally understand now." Haru Urara planted her hands on her hips. "The best possible gift is a victory that you and your trainer win together through your shared effort. Only after getting that gift can your trainer accept your feelings."
In other words, right now he does not think he has the right to!
Hearing Haru Urara explain it that way made Rice Shower feel as though her own thoughts had suddenly become much clearer.
So Onii-sama was doing all this for her sake.
A wave of emotion filled Rice Shower's heart.
"That means, Rice, you have to win a graded race for your trainer! Otherwise, if he loses too much, he might feel like he's failed you and decide he can't accept your feelings after all."
"What!?" Rice Shower was horrified. She imagined herself standing on the brightest stage of all and confessing her feelings to Onii-sama there. If she could never stand on that stage, then didn't that mean she would never get to become his bride?
No. That could never be allowed to happen! A future without Onii-sama was no future at all!
Rice Shower steeled her resolve. From now on, she had to train even harder. She would first offer Onii-sama the fruit of victory, and then the two of them would keep walking forward together.
That was right. Rice belonged to Onii-sama, and Onii-sama belonged to Rice.
…
"Chiya, what the hell are you staring at?"
Inside the office, Nishizaki Ryu-aniki waved a hand in front of Fujiwara Chiya's face, but for a long moment there was no response.
"What's with him?" Katsumura Yota, lounging on the sofa with his feet up, sounded baffled.
"Who knows. He's been like this since this morning."
"Hey, brat, stop zoning out! We're talking business here!"
Ryu-aniki slapped a hand down on the desk, and only then did Fujiwara Chiya's eyes finally move.
"Ryu-aniki? When did you get here…"
"I've been here ten minutes! What's wrong with you? Did you stay up all night? You look like you've gone stupid from it."
"Stayed up… no. I just didn't sleep at all."
"Damn! Did you think yesterday was Friday or something?"
Fujiwara Chiya rubbed at his sore eyes.
Rice Shower had been on his mind the entire night.
Even though he had told her that everything had to wait until the day she made a name for herself, if that day really did come, would he actually be able to accept her feelings? Fujiwara Chiya had serious doubts.
And as a trainer, was it really right to use something like that as a condition tied to racing success?
The truth was, "win big first" had only been an excuse he had come up with on the spot to prevent Rice Shower from confessing fully right then and there. He could not accept her feelings casually.
Rice Shower truly cared for him. She cared enough to entrust him with everything. But could he really take responsibility for her future? She was still just a high school student, after all. If their relationship were exposed to his coworkers, or to the other Uma Musume, what kind of consequences would follow?
Fujiwara Chiya did not know.
But there would undoubtedly be trouble from every direction.
And that was not even considering himself first. Just thinking about Rice was enough. If people found out that Rice Shower had become her trainer's girlfriend, she would definitely be subjected to all kinds of strange looks and gossip.
Rice's personality was timid to begin with. There was no way she could endure that kind of attention. Even for the sake of letting her keep living normally on campus, Fujiwara Chiya could not say yes now.
So in the end, the excuse he had desperately thought up last night really was the best possible answer to the problem. Once Rice Shower had become an amazing Uma Musume, once he himself had built a proper name and standing, then it would not be too late to revisit the question.
For now, Rice was his little sister.
Maybe something even closer than that.
But absolutely not at the point of marriage.
Alright. I've finally sorted it out.
Fujiwara Chiya nodded to himself in satisfaction.
"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."
"Hm… leave what to me?" Hearing Nishizaki Ryu say something out of nowhere, Fujiwara Chiya finally snapped back to the present.
"The fan appreciation festival reception, obviously. Didn't the drawing pick the three of us? You're going to be the face of the event out front, greeting people."
"Hah? No way. I'm staying inside as part of the background."
"That's not what you said just now. Yota, you heard him too, right? I asked if he was willing to handle front reception, and he nodded right away."
"Absolutely. Saw it crystal clear, Ryu-aniki. I even recorded it." Katsumura Yota pulled out his phone.
"You two definitely teamed up to screw me over while I was spacing out!"
"When a man says something, he sticks to it. You admitted it yourself. Too late to take it back now!"
"Wait, I was in the middle of thinking about my entire life just now. I didn't hear a single word you said."
"You don't even listen to your seniors now?" Nishizaki Ryu glared at him. "As punishment, you're doing front reception."
"So I was already destined to do reception either way?"
"Of course. Who do you want doing it instead, me, some scruffy old man, or Yota, that rough little idiot? You trying to scare people away?"
"Who are you calling rough? I'm sharp as hell!"
"Then you go," Fujiwara Chiya shot back immediately.
"Haha, just kidding. I'm a clown."
Nishizaki Ryu clapped Fujiwara Chiya on the shoulder.
"When the time comes, dress sharp. The trainers' pride is riding on you."
"Fine." Since the conversation had already reached that point, Fujiwara Chiya had no choice but to accept the burden.
On the day of the fan appreciation festival, Fujiwara Chiya stood at the entrance of the event venue wearing a black tailcoat and a white mask, immediately drawing a wave of attention.