"So tired. I can't do this anymore."
By evening, Seiun Sky lay flat on the floor, completely deflated. Shirayuki was good at teaching, but listening to lessons for too long was too much for the mind. Seiun Sky's willpower had already been worn down to nothing. Right now, she wanted to rest, and no one could stop her.
Seiun Sky turned over and rested her head on her arm. Just then, something soft touched beside her ear. She looked up and saw a white pillow being placed down.
"Good work, Sky-chan."
"Shirayuki..." Seiun Sky hugged the pillow. "Be my mother, Shirayuki."
"What are you talking about? Is Sky-chan the type who calls anyone with comfort 'mother'?"
"This is the conclusion I reached after objective thinking. From now on, I'll be in charge of acting spoiled, and Shirayuki will be in charge of spoiling me. Everyone gets a wonderful future."
"I don't understand what's wonderful about that future..."
"Of course, the wonderful part is that Shirayuki gets to win over Sky-chan's heart. When I'm asleep, you can do whatever you want with me. How about it? Not bad, right? Sky-chan is pretty confident in her figure."
As she spoke, Seiun Sky lightly swung her legs.
"Do whatever..." Fujiwara Shirayuki swallowed and looked at Seiun Sky's soft, pale legs. Before she could show any reaction, she suddenly felt a chill. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Grass Wonder smiling at her.
A sense of danger instantly surged up. Fujiwara Shirayuki shuddered and hurriedly looked away. "You really know how to joke, Sky-chan."
"I'm not joking~" Seiun Sky leisurely swayed her tail. She sniffed the pillow. "This is Shirayuki's pillow, right?"
"Mm."
"No wonder it smells nice." Seiun Sky pressed her face against it, as if she had already fallen asleep.
"Sky, if you want to sleep, it's better to go back to the dorm," Grass Wonder reminded her gently, eyes narrowed.
"Too troublesome... Sky-chan will sleep here today."
Crack.
The pen in Grass Wonder's hand made a crisp sound. The hard plastic casing had been crushed between her fingers. Since earlier, Seiun Sky had been saying things that sounded increasingly inappropriate. What was going on? Had Seiun Sky not only started dreaming at night, but begun dreaming during the day too?
"Grass, I made you tea."
"Yuki-chan... thank you."
Hearing Shirayuki's voice, Grass Wonder's tone immediately became lighter. She accepted the tea and took a small sip.
The taste was good, though there were some issues with the brewing time and process.
"Yuki-chan, have you studied tea ceremony before?"
"No."
"Are you interested in learning?"
"I don't really..." Before Shirayuki could finish, Grass Wonder gently took her hand and pulled her closer.
"Coincidentally, my parents are also very interested in Japanese culture. If possible, Yuki-chan should find some time to visit my house. I can teach you some things in that area."
"This..."
"Find some time to come sit at my house."
"Yes."
Only after hearing that answer did Grass Wonder let go. Fujiwara Shirayuki wiped away her cold sweat. Just now, she had the illusion that Grass Wonder was about to swallow her whole. She had not expected Grass Wonder to have such a strong presence outside of races too.
Speaking of going to Grass Wonder's house, would she have to stay overnight? What if Grass crawled into her bed again in the middle of the night?
Wait.
Why was she against sharing a futon with Grass Wonder in the first place?
Although Grass Wonder's actions that night had certainly startled her, thinking carefully, it was not that terrible. It was just hugging, pressing close, and being affectionate. If anything, it had been rather comfortable. For a man, that had been something he could only dream of, yet now it had somehow become easy to experience.
Since Fujiwara Shirayuki was now a girl and an Uma Musume, there was no reason to refuse this privilege.
After pouring tea for Grass Wonder, Fujiwara Shirayuki went to Special Week's side. She took several carrots bought from town out of the cabinet.
"Shirayuki! Are these for me?"
"Mm."
"Thank you!"
Special Week had studied until her mind was dizzy, and she could barely make out the words anymore. She felt like thirty percent of her brain cells had died in one afternoon, all from exhaustion. Even with Shirayuki as her teacher, Special Week still struggled greatly with studying.
She had never been good at studying in the first place. Why couldn't exam scores be decided by racing?
Opening the package, Special Week happily began eating. Instantly, she felt as if she had been reborn.
For Uma Musume, carrots could be staple food or snacks. That crisp texture and sweet flavour made them irresistible. Unlike humans, Uma Musume had a special attachment to carrots. They could endure a day without eating, but they could not endure a week without carrots.
From a trainer's point of view, carrots were rich in nutrients, so eating more was not a bad thing. The only downside was that eating too many could lead to weight gain. As long as the amount was controlled, there was no problem.
Occasionally, Fujiwara Chiya would also buy some for Rice and the others as snacks.
"Shirayuki." Special Week looked up while biting the carrot. "You should try some too."
"Bite directly from it?"
"Mm." Special Week closed her eyes.
Could carrots be eaten like Pocky too?
What an interesting way to eat.
Just as Shirayuki was about to bite down, a pen flew over with a whoosh and directly knocked the carrot in Special Week's mouth into two pieces.
"Oh my, sorry. My hand slipped." From her seat, Grass Wonder smiled.
"Grass..." Special Week gritted her teeth.
Fujiwara Shirayuki swallowed, picked up the half carrot that had fallen to the floor, and hurriedly put it into her mouth.
So sweet!
After a burst of commotion, Fujiwara Shirayuki clapped her hands. "All right, everyone. Let's stop here for today. There's still training tomorrow, so everyone should sleep early. Good work today."
"You're the one who worked hard, Yuki-chan. You kept teaching us the whole time."
"I'm fine. If everyone can get good results this time, that would be the best."
"Yuki-chan..."
Even though they were the same age, Shirayuki gave off the atmosphere of a teacher. Grass Wonder could not get enough of it.
Unfortunately, she could not sleep with Shirayuki tonight.
"Sky-chan, it's time to wake up." Fujiwara Shirayuki called out to the sleeping Seiun Sky.
"I have already become a captive of the pillow. Sky-chan... has fallen."
"I'll take her back," Special Week volunteered. She carried Seiun Sky on her back, though her soft face showed a hint of disappointment.
Spe-chan, that warm-hearted personality of yours is troublesome too.
After saying goodbye to Fujiwara Shirayuki, the others left the room, and the world became quiet again.
Fujiwara Shirayuki cleaned the messy floor until Matikanefukukitaru and the others returned to the room.
"Where's Dober-Onee-chan?"
"Dober is in Bright's room. She said she'd stay a little longer."
"I see."
Ever since returning, Shirayuki had not seen Mejiro Dober. Her messages had been read but not answered. Dober was avoiding her a bit too thoroughly. She had not even had a chance to say a word.
There was nothing she could do. She could only sleep first.
Late at night, when everything was silent, Mejiro Dober quietly returned to the room.
She was an idiot.
A super idiot.
After kissing Shirayuki, her mind had gone completely blank. She could not think of anything. In the end, her head heated up, and she ran back to the dorm. She hid under her blanket for two hours. When Shirayuki and the others were about to return, she fled to Mejiro Bright's room.
She did not know what kind of expression she should use to face Shirayuki.
Since there were other people in the room, she had not told Bright what happened. She had only used exam revision as an excuse and sat there worrying alone.
Now that everyone had returned to their rooms, she had no choice but to go back.
Looking at the sleeping girls, Mejiro Dober covered her mouth and quietly lay down on her futon. She pulled the blanket over herself, trying not to make any sound.
She knew that running away like this was shameful, but she still had not sorted out her feelings. When she kissed Shirayuki, she had used up all her courage. After the kiss ended, all of it had leaked away.
Her heart beat loudly. Mejiro Dober quietly glanced at Fujiwara Shirayuki beside her. Shirayuki's body rose and fell evenly, clearly already asleep.
Sorry, Shirayuki. I'm really useless. I was the one who did it first, but I was the one who ran away.
Mejiro Dober decided to give herself one more night. Tomorrow... tomorrow morning, she would confess everything to Shirayuki properly.
Mejiro Dober let out a soft breath. At that tiny sound, Fujiwara Shirayuki's ears suddenly twitched. She slowly opened her eyes.
"Dober-Onee-chan..." she murmured, turning over sleepily.
Shirayuki!
She was awake.
"You're back... Dober-Onee-chan, welcome back..." Fujiwara Shirayuki's voice was vague and unclear, like a child's. She seemed to be half-asleep.
"I'm back, Shirayuki. Sorry I came back late."
Seeing Fujiwara Shirayuki like that, Mejiro Dober could no longer suppress the longing in her heart. She moved closer and hugged her.
"This morning, I said I liked Shirayuki."
"Mm..."
"That kind of like isn't the kind between sisters."
"Mm..." Shirayuki closed her eyes and gave a faint sleepy hum.
Mejiro Dober bit her lip lightly, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"Shirayuki, go out with me."
Having fully drifted into a dream, Shirayuki's mind could no longer think properly. Hearing the voice, her body responded instinctively.
"Mm."