With the end of the summer festival, the summer training camp officially came to a close. Tomorrow was the day they would return, and the Uma Musume began making their final preparations.
Shirayuki and the others went to town to choose gifts to bring back.
"Who is Shirayuki planning to buy souvenirs for?" Mejiro Dober asked casually while looking at the dazzling rows of goods. Beside her, Special Week and Grass Wonder quietly perked up their ears.
"Amazon, the dorm leader. She usually takes care of me a lot, so I want to bring her some local specialties."
Hearing that, everyone's expressions immediately relaxed.
"That makes sense. I should bring some local gifts for Fuji-senpai too. She takes care of me a lot. Oh, and Suzuka-senpai too. It's a pity she couldn't come with us." Special Week nodded along. Since the number of places for summer training camp was limited, not every student at Tracen could come together. Priority was given to students debuting or about to debut that year, while Uma Musume who had already entered the Dream Trophy League had to apply voluntarily and be selected by lottery.
Silence Suzuka had applied, but unfortunately, she had not been selected. She could only wait for next year's summer training camp. Fortunately, those who missed out this year would be prioritized next year, giving them a chance to come to the seaside dorm as well.
Special Week still remembered how lonely Silence Suzuka had looked before they left. Her ears had drooped on her head, and in the end, she had added, "Spe-chan, remember to get along well with Shirayuki."
Special Week's response had been simple.
"Definitely!"
She and Shirayuki had spent an unforgettable summer together. After returning, she planned to give Suzuka the photos she had taken with Shirayuki. There were pictures of them climbing mountains, swimming, and drinking together. If Suzuka saw them, maybe she could feel as if she had gone with them too, and would not feel too disappointed.
With that warm thought in mind, Special Week chose her gifts.
Beside her, Grass Wonder looked over the counter and suddenly spotted a blue cross-shaped hairpin. Her eyes immediately lit up.
"I'll take this!"
Her voice startled the people around her. Grass Wonder smiled awkwardly, picked up the hairpin, and called out, "Yuki-chan."
"What is it, Grass?"
After Shirayuki walked over, Grass Wonder clipped the hairpin into her hair.
"It really suits you."
Fujiwara Shirayuki touched the hairpin. "Is this for me?"
"Mm. As a keepsake. Mister shopkeeper, I'll take this one."
"Sure thing. That'll be 1,200 yen."
"There's a move like that too!?" Special Week refused to lose. Her eyes spun as she searched around the counter for a while before finally picking up a necklace. "Shirayuki, this one is good too!"
Spe-chan, we're choosing souvenirs, not giving each other gifts.
Forget it. Since things had become like this, they might as well exchange gifts. Fujiwara Shirayuki started preparing presents for Seiun Sky and the others too.
At the food shop beside Fujiwara Shirayuki's group, several trainers were also choosing local specialties. Fujiwara Chiya looked up at the jars and bottles on the shelves. From the corner of his eye, he saw a beautiful woman in formal clothes come to his side.
"Fumino, are you here to buy souvenirs too?"
She nodded absentmindedly. "Where did you go during the summer festival yesterday? I couldn't find you, and you didn't answer your phone."
"Sorry. Somehow, my phone got set to silent yesterday, so I didn't notice your call. I only saw the missed call notification this morning. Were you planning to go with me?"
"Mm."
"But when I passed by the dorm, I saw a lot of people asking you out. I thought I shouldn't disturb you..."
Hearing that, Nase Fumino's mouth drooped.
"They're just colleagues. I've only spoken to them a few times, so I wouldn't call them friends. I don't know why they all came to find me for the summer festival this time."
It was already one thing for fans to call her "Prince," but why were her colleagues calling her that too? Nase Fumino did not understand what those people were thinking every day. Since she had not managed to invite Fujiwara Chiya, Nase Fumino was in a bad mood as she picked through the jars on the shelf.
"I heard the barbecue sauce here tastes amazing. Fumino, are you interested in trying it?"
"Barbecue sauce... Wouldn't that mean we need to make barbecue too?"
"I'll grill it."
"...Then I'll go to your place and try the taste."
Nase Fumino's mood improved by more than half.
The summer festival had been a little regrettable, but it was not as if they only had the summer festival. Every day at Tracen held meaning for them, not only with the Uma Musume, but with other people too.
The day of the return trip soon arrived. The Uma Musume sat quietly on the bus. In truth, there were still many things they had not managed to do. Unfortunately, time waited for no one. They could only leave those regrets for the next chance.
Fujiwara Chiya sat in the front row, and Rice Shower naturally came to sit on his lap. At some point, this place had become her exclusive seat. But Rice sat comfortably, and Fujiwara Chiya found holding her comfortable too, so it was good for both of them. He had no particular complaint about it.
Holding Rice in his arms, Fujiwara Chiya stroked her head.
"I'm telling you, Chiya, at this point you might as well treat Rice as your daughter." Beside Fujiwara Chiya, Katsumura Yota could not help but comment. Every time he saw Rice and Chiya together, they gave off an atmosphere that warned others not to interfere. He had never seen an Uma Musume stay at zero distance from her trainer like this.
If it were any other Uma Musume, a trainer who dared touch them carelessly would be called a pervert and kicked away on the spot. Someone like Fujiwara Chiya, who could hold an Uma Musume in his arms and pat her head like this, was practically unheard of.
"Rice is not Onii-sama's daughter."
"She's your little sister. I know."
"She is his little sister, but not only his little sister," Rice corrected him. "From now on, Onii-sama belongs to Rice, and Rice belongs to Onii-sama."
"Hah??"
Katsumura Yota looked at Rice leaning against Fujiwara Chiya's chest, then looked at Chiya. Finally, he said, "Seriously?"
"It probably isn't the relationship you're imagining, but Rice and I did make a promise to work hard together."
"Looks like you gained quite a lot this summer... Why do I feel like my summer was just eating and drinking with a bunch of men?"
"You could also make some kind of promise with Opera O."
"Hey, now that you mention it, there actually was one."
"Hm?"
"On the day of the summer festival, Opera O made a promise with me. She asked me to support her in defeating the White Wolf."
"Isn't that good?"
"It's completely different from what I imagined. I once naively believed the summer festival was supposed to be a memorable and romantic day. In the end, I realized romance belonged to other people, while I was just suffering. I didn't even win a single game against Opera O. I'm never going again next time."
Fujiwara Chiya could only laugh awkwardly.
Speaking of romance, what happened between him and Rice was far too embarrassing. He absolutely could not let anyone know.
Several hours later, the red walls of the academy appeared before everyone's eyes.
They had finally returned to Tracen.