"Sorry to keep you waiting, Onii-sama."
Seeing Fujiwara Chiya waiting for her at the street corner, Rice Shower quickened her steps and ran to his side. Then she spun around once.
"How is it, Onii-sama? Rice's yukata."
"It's very... beautiful."
Fujiwara Chiya looked at Rice, wrapped in the beautiful yukata like a little rose. When she walked, the side slits faintly revealed her pale calves and ankles.
Why did it feel like Rice was becoming more and more mature? Ever since that night they had slept together, her growth speed had been like a rocket.
"Onii-sama looks very handsome too!" Rice looked up and said happily.
Fujiwara Chiya had also changed into a yukata. The deep grey fabric outlined his muscular build, and the long sleeves hung at both sides, giving him a slightly scholarly air. The moment Rice saw him, she felt as though electricity had passed through her.
Amazing! How could Onii-sama be this amazing? Every inch of his skin and every strand of his hair seemed to strike exactly at Rice's preferences, captivating her completely. Even Onii-sama's scent was so tempting.
Rice sniffed lightly and smelled the scent of soap on Fujiwara Chiya. He had probably bathed before coming out.
No good. That would wash away Onii-sama's own scent. What Rice wanted was the original Onii-sama!
Forget it. Today was not the time for that.
Candied apples, masks, chocolate bananas. Holding Fujiwara Chiya's hand, Rice enjoyed the festival to her heart's content.
"Onii-sama should try some too."
There was still a little trace of Rice on the chocolate. Fujiwara Chiya bit into it, and his mouth was immediately filled with sweetness. It was a little too sweet, and he did not really like it. But seeing Rice so happy, Fujiwara Chiya felt that everything was worth it.
As the night deepened, more and more people came to the festival. The crowd gradually became packed, and Rice was bumped to the side.
"Get on my shoulders, Rice." Fujiwara Chiya bent down. Rice was too short. In a crowd like this, she could not see over anyone and could easily be swept away by the flow of people. Even if he kept holding her hand, Fujiwara Chiya still felt uneasy.
"Yes! Onii-sama."
Rice showed a happy smile and lifted her leg over Fujiwara Chiya's shoulder. Her Onii-sama always noticed how she felt. Every time she was in difficulty, he would reach out to help her.
Rice still remembered one time when she was sick in bed. Fujiwara Chiya had stayed beside her and taken care of her for an entire day, then stayed up late to finish the work he had missed. Although Onii-sama had not told her, Rice's roommate, who was a library committee member, had said she saw Trainer Chiya carrying documents and hurrying toward the already-closed school building that night.
Sometimes Rice wanted to say words of gratitude, but when the words reached her mouth, she could never say them. Her feelings could not be expressed by language alone.
She liked Onii-sama. He was the person she liked most in the whole world.
"Do you want takoyaki, Onii-sama?" Rice picked one up and bent down to place it near Fujiwara Chiya's mouth.
"Ah, thanks."
Fujiwara Chiya ate it. Under Rice's feeding, the two walked toward the fireworks display. During that time, Rice's legs would occasionally draw close to his cheeks.
This was the good thing about a slit yukata. It allowed her legs to move more freely. A normal yukata would not have let her ride on his shoulders like this.
"Rice."
"What is it, Onii-sama?"
"Are you afraid of falling?"
"No. Rice is holding Onii-sama, so Rice feels very safe."
"I see."
If she felt safe, she did not need to hold on quite that tightly.
Fujiwara Chiya felt as though his head was about to sink into Rice's thighs. Perhaps because she had entered her growth period and was developing quickly, Rice's appetite had grown larger and larger, and her body was becoming fuller too. Her once slender legs now had a soft, healthy fullness, like smooth cotton to the touch.
It was not a bad thing. As the saying went, a horse would not grow strong without eating well. Once Rice started eating more, her body would grow stronger day by day. Fujiwara Chiya had personally felt Rice's growth.
"Onii-sama, this way."
As if she had seen something, Rice moved her legs as though steering and forcibly turned Fujiwara Chiya toward a side path.
"What is it, Rice?"
"There's something dirty over there..."
"Something dirty?"
Rice did not answer. From far away, she had seen Nase Fumino together with several colleagues. Fumino seemed to be looking for someone in the crowd.
Fujiwara Chiya was full of question marks, but he still followed Rice's choice and took the side path. At the end of this path was where Shirayuki and the others were. At that moment, Fujiwara Shirayuki was competing with Mejiro Dober, Special Week, and the others at goldfish scooping, seeing who could catch the most.
Fujiwara Chiya's hand trembled slightly, and from his view, a goldfish quietly slipped into the net.
"Is there anything else Rice wants to play?"
Fujiwara Chiya felt that Rice interacted too little with the others. Whenever she had free time, she ran to his side. He was a little worried about her relationships. No matter how much he spoiled Rice, he could not replace the bonds she should have with her classmates at school.
Surely he could not use Shirayuki to fill that role too. Fujiwara Chiya did not want Rice's whole world to be only him. This child needed to interact with different people.
"Rice wants to watch the fireworks with Onii-sama."
As expected.
"Does Rice have any very close friends?"
"Urara-chan~" Rice answered immediately. "Rice chose this outfit together with Urara-chan."
"I see..."
That Uma Musume named Urara must be a very mature girl. Otherwise, she would not have chosen this style of yukata.
Knowing that Rice had a good friend, Fujiwara Chiya felt relieved. Uma Musume could deepen their bonds through races. As Rice continued racing in the future, he believed she would gain many more friends.
"Onii-sama, can we take a slightly longer route?" Rice suddenly asked as they approached the square.
"What's wrong?"
"Rice... wants to go somewhere a little quieter with Onii-sama."
She pointed out a path for Fujiwara Chiya.
That place was a little far from the centre of the fireworks display, and the view was not especially good. But it was very quiet, completely different from the noisy square.
The pleasant sound of insects rang out, and faint points of light floated through the grass. They were probably fireflies. You could hardly see them in the city. Only remote countryside areas still had such sights.
So beautiful.
Fujiwara Chiya felt that being able to enjoy this scenery with Rice was a very happy thing.
"Rice... wants to ask Onii-sama to do one thing."
Rice spoke softly. Her tail slowly wrapped around Fujiwara Chiya, and her arms gently hugged his head.
"What is it?"
"Rice wants Onii-sama to kiss Rice's leg."
Fujiwara Chiya thought for a moment.
"Hm?"
"Today is the last day of summer. Rice wants to make a promise with Onii-sama. Rice will help Onii-sama fulfil his dream, and Onii-sama will help Rice fulfil hers."
Fulfil each other's dreams?
Fujiwara Chiya had never heard words like that before. A trainer would help an Uma Musume fulfil her dream, but very few Uma Musume would say they wanted to help a trainer fulfil his dream.
So sudden. Why was Rice saying this?
"Onii-sama wants to become a senior trainer, right? Rice will listen to Onii-sama, become an amazing Uma Musume, and then tell everyone that it was all thanks to Onii-sama. Rice... will make everyone see Onii-sama differently."
So that was it.
While he had been thinking about Rice, Rice had also been thinking about him. She had been thinking about how she, as an Uma Musume, could help her trainer. The answer was that after becoming famous, she would express her gratitude to her trainer in front of the whole world. That was the greatest repayment an Uma Musume could give a trainer.
"Why kiss your leg?"
"Because Urara-chan said that a horse girl's legs are very important. Kissing them represents the most important kind of resolve."
"Isn't it the feet that are most important to Uma Musume?"
"Hehe~ Onii-sama can also choose to kiss Rice's foot."
Rice smiled. Sitting on his shoulders, she lifted one foot and lightly swayed it in front of Fujiwara Chiya.
"Does Onii-sama want to kiss Rice's leg or Rice's foot?"
"I feel like I've somehow fallen into a difficult choice..."
"Rice... wants to create a memory with Onii-sama," Rice said softly. "An Uma Musume likes her trainer. A trainer likes his Uma Musume. Rice likes Onii-sama, and Onii-sama likes Rice too. So Rice will fulfil Onii-sama's dream, and Onii-sama will fulfil Rice's dream."
Rice would prove it.
The one who would walk beside Onii-sama in the end would not be Trainer Nase, not Trainer Kiryuin, and not Miss Hayakawa.
The one who would finally be with Onii-sama would be Rice.
Whoosh!
Along with the sound of fireworks rising into the sky, dazzling colours burst above them. Fujiwara Chiya looked up. One flower of light after another bloomed brilliantly across the night. Beneath the crisp echoes, Fujiwara Chiya finally lowered his head and gently kissed Rice's leg.
"Complete our dreams with me, Rice."