Dressed in a black tailcoat and wearing a white mask, Fujiwara Chiya stood at the entrance receiving guests.
"Where did that brat even get those clothes?"
Inside the room, Nishizaki Ryu, who had changed into something relatively more formal himself, could not help but comment.
It was like Fujiwara Chiya had become a completely different person. Looking obedient and polished, he was standing at the entrance using perfectly practiced gentlemanly gestures to invite the female guests inside. Some of them were even taking photos with him.
Don't tell me he was pretending to play dumb on purpose just so he could show off at the entrance? Nishizaki Ryu found himself thinking exactly that.
"He's actually gotten pretty good at it…" Beside him, Katsumura Yota, dressed in a suit, sighed in admiration. Unlike Nishizaki Ryu, he had already seen that outfit before, so he was not particularly shocked.
Back when Chiya had said he wanted to become the sort of mysterious yet gentlemanly man a magician would be, Katsumura Yota had thought it sounded ridiculous. But now, after all this time, the guy had really made it look convincing.
Wait a second…
Did that mean he had hidden all those props on himself too?
Almost as if answering that suspicion, there came a poof and smoke rose from the man's hand, followed by the appearance of a flower.
"Welcome to the Tracen Fan Appreciation Festival, lovely young lady." Fujiwara Chiya handed the flower to a little girl who looked about ten years old.
"Thank you, strange big brother."
"Please call me Joker."
"Jo your head…" Nishizaki Ryu was already getting annoyed. At this point, he honestly wanted to go over there, beat Fujiwara Chiya up a little, and return him to normal.
"Ryu-aniki, calm down, Ryu-aniki. We're all brothers here. You can't drag a brother down just because he's finally getting a little recognition." As he spoke, Katsumura Yota quietly shoved a broom into Nishizaki Ryu's hand.
"Don't stop me. Today, I'm going to enforce justice."
"No, Ryu-aniki, you can't do this!" Katsumura Yota started physically pushing him away.
"Chiya! You…"
"Chiya."
A small orange-haired figure appeared at the side, holding an open fan on which the words Director were written.
"Director!? You're here." Fujiwara Chiya immediately bent forward and made a welcoming gesture.
"You changed clothes?"
"It's a special day today, so I wanted to wear something a little more formal."
Akikawa Yayoi stood there and looked him over.
"Not bad." She nodded in satisfaction. "Formalwear suits you very well. You look great."
When she noticed that part of Fujiwara Chiya's collar had turned up slightly, she reached out and straightened it for him.
"Director…"
Fujiwara Chiya instantly felt flattered beyond words.
"Take a picture with me." Akikawa Yayoi took out her phone. Fujiwara Chiya stood beside her, and the two posed together for a photo.
This was rare. The Director almost never made requests like this.
After checking the picture, Akikawa Yayoi put her phone away.
"Then I'll go in first, Chiya."
"Mm. I hope you have a good time today, Director."
"Of course I will." Her mood was exceptionally good today.
As she stepped into the venue, Akikawa Yayoi happened to catch sight of a familiar figure nearby. "Trainer Nishizaki Ryu, what exactly are you doing?"
"D-Director Akikawa, fancy seeing you here. I'm sweeping. There's garbage on the floor…" He gave a strained smile while awkwardly swishing the broom around.
"The duty students will be here in a moment, so you don't need to trouble yourself."
"Yes, ma'am!" Nishizaki Ryu immediately threw the broom aside and hurried back to his post in three long strides, while Katsumura Yota beside him stood there grinning and greeting Akikawa Yayoi.
"Work hard."
Just as Akikawa Yayoi was about to go in, she suddenly remembered something and stopped again.
"Oh, right. I seem to have heard that among the trainers, someone has been calling me Trainer Chiya's mother. That is a thing, isn't it?"
"What!?"
"Someone actually said that?"
Nishizaki Ryu and Katsumura Yota exchanged a look and then spoke one after the other.
"I may be a little strict with Trainer Chiya, but that is simply part of my duty as Director. And yet someone has taken my work and turned it into material for jokes. If I find out who has been spreading such nonsense…"
With a sharp snap, Akikawa Yayoi slapped her fan shut, making both men jump.
"…then I'll make them run thirty laps around the training grounds."
Thirty laps! One lap was two thousand meters. The Director was basically trying to kill them.
"To think someone like that exists, daring to joke about the Director. What incredible nerve!" Katsumura Yota stood up straighter at once. "Director, if I find out who said it, I'll report it to you immediately."
"Same here, Director," Nishizaki Ryu quickly added. "That kind of disrespect is outrageous. Who would dare provoke the Director like that?"
Akikawa Yayoi looked at the two of them for a moment.
"Thank you." She tucked her fan away. "Then I'll leave it to the two of you to keep an eye on the gossip among the trainers."
"Yes, we'll definitely complete the mission!"
Both of them saluted.
Akikawa Yayoi turned away.
Of all things they could say, why "mother"? Why not call me his older sister? It's not like there are that many years between Chiya and me.
Thinking that, Akikawa Yayoi entered the venue, leaving Katsumura Yota and Nishizaki Ryu behind to pat their own chests in relief.
"Ryu-aniki, what do you think…"
"Think about what!? We know nothing. Pretend we never heard any of this, got it?"
"Ryu-aniki, if they trace it back to us and one of us has to die…"
"Listen, idiot. After the attitude we just put on, if it traces back to us, both of us are done for."
"Director! I have a confession…"
"You bastard!"
Nishizaki Ryu lunged and tackled Katsumura Yota to the floor. While the two of them wrestled noisily inside, Fujiwara Chiya outside removed his mask.
This thing really was hot. After wearing it a while, he was already sweating all over.
Listening to the commotion from inside the room, Fujiwara Chiya once again reflected on his rotten luck. Why was it that every time, he always seemed to draw the worst possible role? Whenever there was an event, he inevitably ended up as part of the organizing staff, stuck playing the most overworked role in a sea of cheerful people.
That good-luck charm Matikanefukukitaru had given him really was useless. Fujiwara Chiya pulled out the little yellow pouch.
Fukukitaru, Fukukitaru, can't you bless me just once? Give me a little good luck.
"Onii-sama!"
Just as Fujiwara Chiya was silently praying to one of his Uma Musume, a small black figure came running up.
"So it really is Onii-sama." Rice Shower stopped in front of him on tiptoe.
She had been watching from a distance for a while. The man at the entrance looked very much like her Onii-sama, but because he had been wearing a mask, she had not dared go over to check. Only after he removed it had she finally relaxed.
"You look so handsome, Onii-sama!" Rice Shower's eyes sparkled. It was her first time seeing Fujiwara Chiya dressed in a tailcoat. He had already been handsome to begin with, but now that he was dressed up, he looked even more so.
"Thank you for your praise, lovely young lady."
"Ahhh, Onii-sama!" Rice Shower held her cheeks and squealed like an ecstatic fan.
If she kept reacting like this, Rice might really end up devouring him.
"Onii-sama is receiving guests here?"
"Mm."
"That's amazing, Onii-sama!"
Seeing more and more people approaching, Fujiwara Chiya put his mask back on. "Rice, go in and enjoy yourself for now. And remember to watch the race later."
"Yes, Onii-sama. When will you be done here?"
"At this point, probably never."
There was an endless stream of people coming and going.
"I see…" Rice Shower's ears drooped unhappily. "Then Rice will go on ahead, Onii-sama."
After the two of them said goodbye, Fujiwara Chiya returned to his post at the entrance.
Although he could not walk around the festival himself, Shirayuki could. At this very moment, she was off playing a shooting game with Special Week and Mejiro Dober. The people who popped all the balloons got prizes, and nearby there was a special photo spot as well.
The fan appreciation festival was an event for the fans, meant to thank them for their daily support. During the festival, fans could interact up close with the Uma Musume they liked, take pictures, and get autographs.
Fujiwara Chiya had attended the fan appreciation festival when he was little too, but back then he had not gotten to meet the Uma Musume he had hoped to see.
"Trainer Chiya."
Just as Fujiwara Chiya was falling into memory, a voice called out to him. He turned, saw the warm, familiar face, and instinctively straightened his posture.
"Tazuna-san."
"It really is Trainer Chiya." Hayakawa Tazuna smiled. "I almost didn't recognize you with the mask on."
"This is, um… part of the image."
"I see. It looks wonderful." Her voice was gentle and pleasant. "By the way, if you don't mind, would you come walk around the festival with me?"
"This…"
"Even reception staff get break time. You've already been working quite a while, haven't you, Trainer Chiya?"
"Not really. It's only been two hours."
"That's already long enough. Take a thirty-minute break and come walk around with me, Trainer Chiya."
Under Hayakawa Tazuna's enthusiastic invitation, Fujiwara Chiya eventually nodded and agreed. The two of them walked through the students' attractions, and before long they arrived in front of a haunted house.
"Would you like to go in and have a look, Trainer Chiya?"
Looking at the gate, with its exaggerated fangs and claws, Fujiwara Chiya hesitated for a moment before nodding.
This was his first time walking around with Hayakawa Tazuna like this. He wanted to show her a more dependable, manly side of himself.
"For the two of us… Tazuna-san?"
"Mm, for the two of us." Hayakawa Tazuna smiled at the Uma Musume who had sounded a little surprised.
"Alright, then please come this way."
Throughout all of Tracen, maybe there were some people who did not recognize a given trainer. But there was no one who did not know Hayakawa Tazuna. As Tracen's second-in-command, she knew practically every single student in the school.
"Let's go, Trainer Chiya."
Hayakawa Tazuna naturally took Fujiwara Chiya's hand, so naturally that he himself did not even notice. By the time he realized it, the two of them had already stepped into the haunted house.
At once, a cold sensation rushed over him.
Fujiwara Chiya shivered. It felt as though cold air had slipped right inside his clothes.
Did they turn the air-conditioning on in here? Fujiwara Chiya looked around curiously. The classroom had been transformed into a maze, divided apart by black panels. Pale light flickered eerily through the dark, and he found himself staring at an unnervingly realistic tombstone.
These kids had really put their hearts into this. Though, honestly, they maybe did not need to make it this realistic…
Fujiwara Chiya swallowed as he looked at a deathly pale skull.
"Trainer Chiya." Without warning, Hayakawa Tazuna moved closer. "Um, I'm not very good with scary things like this…"
A troubled smile appeared on her beautiful face as she leaned against him.
"So Tazuna-san is scared of things like this?"
"Mm."
"Then don't look, Tazuna-san." Fujiwara Chiya tightened his hold on her hand. "I'll get you out of here."
With that, he started to turn back.
"That way is the entrance, Trainer Chiya."
"But…"
"Let's go out through the exit. It would be awkward if we ran into people coming in."
Looking at Hayakawa Tazuna's warm smile, full of maternal gentleness, Fujiwara Chiya nodded.
For the rest of the way, Hayakawa Tazuna remained leaned against his chest while he guided her through the dark room. Every now and then, a few ghostly Uma Musume would jump out to scare them.
"Grahhh~"
A small Uma Musume in a wolf skull mask popped out from the side and shouted at Fujiwara Chiya. Startled, he instinctively pulled Hayakawa Tazuna tighter into his arms, while she lightly buried her face in his chest.
Then, just as the scare should have ended, the little Uma Musume apparently noticed something and let out a surprised "Ah."
Fujiwara Chiya froze. Looking at the girl, he thought the voice sounded strangely familiar. The two of them stared at each other through the eye sockets of the skull mask for about two seconds. Then suddenly the wolf mask lunged at him and bit down.
"Is this part of the haunted house too, Shinko Windy!?"
"I'm gonna bite you! I'm totally gonna bite you!"
"Enough, enough, two bites is enough!"
"You just wait, you horrible hero! I won't forgive you!" The skull wolf opened its jaws wide and then quietly crawled back into the hidden gap in the wall.
"Trainer Chiya, what was that just now?" Resting against Fujiwara Chiya's chest, Hayakawa Tazuna asked carefully, never opening her eyes once.
"It's nothing. Just a kid who likes causing trouble. I chased her off."
"I see." Hayakawa Tazuna rubbed her head lightly against him and relaxed.
Tazuna-san…
Looking at her like this, Fujiwara Chiya's heart was pounding wildly.
The woman he admired most was now right there in his arms. For a moment, Fujiwara Chiya genuinely felt as though he had reached the peak of his life. It was only when they stepped out of the haunted house and Hayakawa Tazuna withdrew from his embrace that the feeling faded.
"That was truly frightening, Trainer Chiya." Hayakawa Tazuna returned to her usual smile. "Those children really worked hard, putting together so many scary little details."
"Y-Yeah. Whoever came up with the idea definitely has a talent for this sort of thing." Fujiwara Chiya agreed, though in truth his mind had been almost entirely occupied by Hayakawa Tazuna.
"Next… ah, this way, Trainer Chiya."
Before Fujiwara Chiya could react, Hayakawa Tazuna tugged him away. For an instant, he thought he saw Kiryuin Aoi at the end of the corridor, but it was only a brief glimpse before Hayakawa Tazuna led him up to the second floor.
"Some of the students have opened a dessert café. They hoped Trainer Chiya would try it."
The two of them entered a sweet-smelling room and took seats by the window, ordering two desserts.
"The cake is delicious. Would you like a bite, Trainer Chiya?"
Hayakawa Tazuna cut off a piece with her fork and held it up in front of him.
From some point earlier, Fujiwara Chiya had already started to feel it.
Everything the two of them were doing felt exactly like a date.
Holding hands, feeding each other, walking around together. Wasn't this a date no matter how you looked at it?
He had no idea whether Hayakawa Tazuna saw it that way too, or whether she was simply trying to help him relax a little.
But would relaxing really involve coming to a place like this? And feeding him cake, on top of that?
Fujiwara Chiya did not understand.
Almost on instinct, he opened his mouth and accepted the bite of cake. Hayakawa Tazuna rested her cheek against one hand and smiled happily.
After that, the two of them bought takoyaki and cotton candy as well. The entire time, they remained hand in hand.
"Uwah…"
At some point Hayakawa Tazuna made another small sound, then abruptly changed direction. "Let's go this way, Trainer Chiya."
At that very moment, Fujiwara Shirayuki happened to be on the opposite side. She clearly saw Rice Shower and a pink-haired Uma Musume pass by in front of her, just missing Fujiwara Chiya and Hayakawa Tazuna.
This route was strange, almost suspiciously so. Was Hayakawa Tazuna deliberately avoiding someone?
"Shirayuki, Shirayuki, it looks like there's an eating contest over there!"
"What!? Hurry, Special Week, let's go see!"
"They really are energetic, those two."
"Mm."
Silent Suzuka and Mejiro Dober followed behind them like parents.
After being suspicious for a few moments, Shirayuki decided not to dwell on it further. Unless absolutely necessary, she would not interfere in Chiya's affairs. The two of them had already decided long ago that their matters needed to be kept separate.
What was originally supposed to be a thirty-minute break somehow turned into over an hour. Fujiwara Chiya and Hayakawa Tazuna ended up sitting together on a bench in the school courtyard.
"This has been so much fun, Trainer Chiya." Hayakawa Tazuna looked at the man sitting beside her. Then, noticing something, she took out a handkerchief and wiped a little sauce from the corner of his mouth.
"S-Sorry…"
"It's alright. I'm very happy I got to walk around the festival with Trainer Chiya."
"Me too. It's almost like… almost like…"
Fujiwara Chiya trailed off before saying it aloud.
"Almost like a date." Hayakawa Tazuna said the words he had been unable to finish.
"Tazuna-san, a date…"
"Wasn't it? Because I've been spending this whole time thinking of it as one."
Fujiwara Chiya stared blankly at the bright smile on her face.
A date?
Hayakawa Tazuna had just called it a date.
What exactly did she mean by that?
Fujiwara Chiya felt as though the answer was right in front of him.
Looking at the way his face held equal parts disbelief and shock, Hayakawa Tazuna gently took his hand.
"Trainer Chiya," she said softly, "would you be willing to go out with me?"
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A/n: Starting tomorrow, I'll be busy for the next two weeks, and I might not be able to update at all, or at least only update once or twice.