A soft warmth remained against her lips, almost like pudding, smooth and sweet. Of course, that sweetness might only have been in her imagination. Shirayuki had no spare attention to think about the flavour.
In the office, Fujiwara Chiya lay face-down on his desk, his mind in complete disorder.
He still remembered when Mejiro Dober had come to him during the training camp and said she wanted Shirayuki to be entrusted to her. At the time, Fujiwara Chiya had thought Dober meant she wanted to treat Shirayuki like a real little sister and take responsibility for her life.
But looking at things now, he seemed to have misunderstood. Dober clearly saw Shirayuki as someone she wanted to be especially close to, someone she wanted to build a deeper relationship with. And he had somehow agreed without understanding anything.
Things had become subtle.
In the room, Mejiro Dober hugged Shirayuki's head, her heartbeat quickening in a way she had never experienced before. It was a strange feeling. There was a shyness so intense that she almost could not face it, yet at the same time, there was an overwhelming sense of happiness.
Mejiro Dober held her tighter and tighter. Affected by that, Shirayuki also became more emotional. Finally, at a certain point, Mejiro Dober's arms seemed to lose their strength. They fell weakly to her sides, and her body trembled slightly as if her tension had suddenly broken. Only then did Shirayuki finally pull away.
She touched her lips, her face so red it looked like water might drip from it.
Shirayuki knew that her actions had crossed the line by far, but how could she possibly endure it? Mejiro Dober's appearance already matched her preferences very closely. Usually, Dober always looked cold and composed, but when they were close, she would become shy. That embarrassed expression, with her face turning red and her eyes shifting away, formed a sharp contrast with her usual cool image. It made Shirayuki unable to resist.
Mejiro Dober breathed heavily, lifting an arm over her forehead. Her eyes were damp, and her expression was completely overwhelmed.
"Are... are you all right, Dober-Onee-chan?" Fujiwara Shirayuki asked carefully. She had not expected that one careless moment would leave Mejiro Dober like this.
"I'm... fine." Mejiro Dober took a breath. The rush in her heart gradually settled. Experiencing something like this for the first time had simply been too much stimulation.
"Dober-Onee-chan," Fujiwara Shirayuki said quietly. "Are we... really in that kind of relationship now?"
"What kind of relationship? Aren't we already dating?" Mejiro Dober said softly between breaths. "Trainer Chiya already approved our relationship. He asked me to take care of you."
"I-Is that so? Cousin really is understanding, ahaha..."
Hearing that, Fujiwara Shirayuki laughed dryly. In the other room, Fujiwara Chiya had already collapsed face-down on his desk without making another sound.
After a while, Mejiro Dober recovered a little and sat up from the bed.
"Shirayuki, can you get my wet wipes? They're by the head of the bed."
"Here, Dober-Onee-chan."
"Thank you... And also." Mejiro Dober's face reddened. "Can you turn around for a moment? I need to tidy my clothes."
My goodness! What have I done!?
Fujiwara Shirayuki wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it. Their relationship had come so suddenly. The impulse had come so suddenly too. Now her head felt hot and dizzy, and she no longer knew what she should do.
Chiya's side had not made any real progress, yet things had developed on her side first. Could it be that, for Uma Musume, the same sex was more attractive than the opposite sex? No, probably not. Mejiro Dober was likely a special case. She naturally did not have much goodwill toward men, so her attention had shifted toward women. Shirayuki just happened to be the closest to her. After spending enough time together, their feelings naturally developed into this.
Fujiwara Shirayuki turned her back and listened to the quiet sounds of Mejiro Dober cleaning herself up.
"Dober-Onee-chan..."
"Mm?"
"Um... this is my first time dating someone, so there are a lot of things I don't understand. What I did today might have gone a little too far... I'm sorry."
Hearing this, Mejiro Dober's ears perked up.
What Shirayuki did was one thing, but the words "my first time dating someone" made Mejiro Dober feel very pleased.
Shirayuki was still completely new in that sense. In a way, Dober really had taken Shirayuki's first time as a girlfriend.
After finishing, Mejiro Dober moved closer from behind and hugged Shirayuki.
"Not at all. I'm very happy that I could become Shirayuki's first partner. But since Shirayuki was so bold with me today, next time it will be my turn."
What!?
N-Next time, I'll be the passive one? To be honest, I'd prefer to be the one taking the lead.
Fujiwara Shirayuki swallowed. Mejiro Dober lightly touched Shirayuki's ear with her lips, and the warm breath brushing over the tip of her ear made Shirayuki's whole body shiver. Her mind went blank, and almost as if possessed, she murmured, "Okay."
Her life might really be beyond saving.
By afternoon, Fujiwara Shirayuki and Fujiwara Chiya were sitting in Agnes Tachyon's laboratory. One was tracing a drawing, while the other was answering Agnes Tachyon's questions.
"Guinea pig, you even published a training paper on Central's website?"
"Unfortunately, it didn't make even the slightest splash."
"Having the courage to try is still better than empty imagination. On that point, I fully support you, guinea pig."
"Tachyon-senpai, I've finished drawing."
Agnes Tachyon took Shirayuki's paper and compared it under the light.
"Shirayuki, do you remember what I was talking about with the guinea pig?"
"You were talking about past training methods."
Agnes Tachyon nodded.
"It seems you two have completely adapted to your current lifestyle. Shirayuki's brain can now think normally."
"What do you mean? Was I not normal before?"
"Calling you a fool would not have been an exaggeration."
"That's so mean!"
"Listen until I finish. In the past, the guinea pig thought inside his own head first. After he finished thinking, you would then carry out the action. At that time, Shirayuki, you were like a machine without emotions, mechanically completing instructions. Only when the guinea pig fainted would your brain begin working. At all other times, it was basically in standby mode."
But now things were different. Shirayuki's mind was constantly active, basically no different from an ordinary person's.
"I have an idea. Shirayuki, close your eyes first. Guinea pig, you look at this paper."
On the paper was a long and complicated string of numbers.
"Normally, how long would it take you to memorize this sequence?"
"Four minutes..."
"All right. Now memorize it."
As she spoke, Agnes Tachyon started the timer. Fujiwara Chiya hurriedly stared at the numbers. Just after two minutes passed, Agnes Tachyon took the paper away.
"So fast? I haven't finished memorizing it."
"Remember as much as you can. Now tell me what was written on it."
"4582..."
Fujiwara Chiya began reciting the numbers. Halfway through, he got stuck. After all, he had only managed to properly look up to that point. Just as Fujiwara Chiya was about to stop, his originally blurry memory suddenly became clear.
Fujiwara Chiya widened his eyes and accurately recited the remaining numbers, including the parts he had not consciously memorized.
Seeing this, Agnes Tachyon showed a look of surprise.
So this was the result of two brains working together.