That afternoon, Shirayuki had just finished training with Air Groove and was sitting on the grass to rest when Hayakawa Tazuna walked over.
"Good work, Shirayuki. Would you like some water?"
"Thank you."
"Where's Chiya? I don't think I've seen him today."
"He's in the library."
In order to improve his training ability as quickly as possible, Chiya needed to look through a huge amount of material, including the latest overseas training research from recent years. Some of it had not even been translated yet, so Chiya had to go online and struggle through the raw papers himself.
The European racing scene was even more complicated than he had imagined, and Nase Hideto's appearance had made Chiya sharpen his focus even further. Because of that, Shirayuki was temporarily handling the training side of things.
"By the way, doesn't that affect you two? Training on one side while studying on the other."
"You get used to it." Shirayuki drank her water.
"I really can't imagine what life is like for the two of you." Hayakawa Tazuna sat beside her and watched Shirayuki's ears sway gently. Suddenly, she felt the urge to tease her a little. "Say, if I kissed you right now, would Chiya be able to feel it too?"
"Of course. Our senses are the same, after all. Don't kiss me here…" Shirayuki immediately stopped her. Was Tazuna not even trying to hide it from people anymore? If other students saw the two of them doing something like that, it would be a huge problem. Hayakawa Tazuna was one of Tracen's most representative figures, second only to the chairwoman.
"After training myself for this long, I have now completely overcome that obstacle. Shirayuki, in my eyes, you are Chiya."
"You really didn't need to overcome it…"
"How should I put it? I'm still rather resistant toward the idea of same-sex relationships. It's probably like how Chiya, even after becoming Shirayuki, still wouldn't accept men."
"Mm."
"So I looked up some knowledge in that area. It was much deeper than I expected. By the way, Shirayuki, could you accept something entering your body?"
Hearing that, Shirayuki instantly choked and spat out her water.
"I couldn't accept that! Absolutely not! What exactly did you look up?"
"Things people often do when dating."
"Stop looking up those things!" Shirayuki shouted, her face bright red.
Hayakawa Tazuna's lips curved into a smile.
"So that means Shirayuki is still a virgin?"
"Isn't that obvious!?"
What on earth is Tazuna-san even saying!?
"I thought Chiya might have already done it with you. After all, as long as the two of you feel like it, you can do it any time, right?"
"I'm not that desperate!"
Hayakawa Tazuna quietly observed Shirayuki's reaction. After confirming that she was not lying and was still untouched, she breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, ever since Hayakawa Tazuna had learned about the relationship between the two of them, that thought had crossed her mind. Would Chiya have a relationship with his own female body? After all, there was no emotional barrier between them. Shirayuki was also very beautiful, exactly the type that boys would like, and Chiya could do anything he wanted with her.
Fortunately, things had not developed the way she had imagined. Their lives were very healthy, and they had not indulged their desires. Hayakawa Tazuna had even wondered what she should do if Chiya became "self-obsessed." Would she need to tie the two of them up and correct them? It was truly a relief that things had not gone in that direction.
Looking at Shirayuki's slightly flushed cheeks, Hayakawa Tazuna smiled.
"I was only a little curious. I'm sorry for bringing up something you didn't want to talk about."
Shirayuki huffed softly. She had no desire to keep discussing whether or not she was a virgin.
After the two of them chatted idly for a little while longer, Hayakawa Tazuna got up and left. Almost as soon as she walked away, Mejiro Dober approached.
"It feels like Miss Hayakawa has been coming over more and more often lately." She sat down beside Shirayuki. "Could it be that Shirayuki has a good relationship with Miss Hayakawa?"
"Something like that."
"What were you two talking about just now?"
"Just some… private matters."
"What private matters?" Mejiro Dober pressed further, which was rare for her.
Shirayuki was at a loss for words. She could not exactly tell her about Hayakawa Tazuna's situation. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Training matters."
Training?
Mejiro Dober's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She had not heard the conversation between Shirayuki and Hayakawa Tazuna, but she had seen the look on Hayakawa Tazuna's face. That attitude of concern and care made Mejiro Dober feel as if there were some special feelings hidden in her behavior.
Although Hayakawa Tazuna normally took very good care of the Uma Musume, and even Mejiro Dober herself had received plenty of help from her, her attitude toward Shirayuki was clearly different.
As her girlfriend, Mejiro Dober began to have a strange thought.
Could Miss Hayakawa have fallen for Shirayuki?
Of course, Mejiro Dober knew that this thought was rather stupid. Setting aside the fact that Hayakawa Tazuna's preferences were completely different from her own yuri tendencies, their ages did not match either. Hayakawa Tazuna was in her twenties, while Shirayuki was still in her teens. There was nearly a ten-year age gap between them.
With that kind of gap, they should not be within each other's strike zones. Unless Hayakawa Tazuna liked younger girls. But Mejiro Dober could not imagine the gentle and considerate Hayakawa Tazuna being not only a yuri woman, but also someone into younger girls. She was famous for being a kind older sister, and she maintained quite good relationships with many students at Tracen.
Even if that really were the case, Shirayuki would not be the first in line.
And yet Shirayuki's evasive attitude still made Mejiro Dober unable to suppress her suspicion.
"Actually, it was about Chiya. Tazuna-san asked me where Trainer had gone and whether he had any plans for the weekend."
Hearing that, Mejiro Dober's heart finally settled down.
Could it be that Miss Hayakawa's expression earlier was not directed at Shirayuki, but at Chiya?
Thinking about it that way actually made more sense.
"By the way, why did Shirayuki suddenly start calling Trainer 'Chiya'? Didn't you always call him Cousin before?"
"That title isn't needed anymore. Calling him Chiya is fine."
"…A rebellious phase?"
"No."
Then that probably meant Shirayuki had grown up. She had heard that once siblings grew older, they usually started calling each other by name and no longer used things like "cousin." Mejiro Dober was the same. In the past, she had called Mejiro Ramonu "onee-sama," but now she called her Ramonu-nee.
Speaking of growing up, Mejiro Dober looked at Shirayuki's body. Half a year had passed, and Shirayuki's figure had become better and better. Just sitting there, she already gave off a graceful, well-proportioned impression. Her face had also become increasingly beautiful, especially the corners of her eyes. Mejiro Dober did not know whether someone had applied makeup for her or something else, but there was a faint reddish eyeshadow at the corners of Shirayuki's eyes, giving her a rather bewitching charm.
In a few more years, Shirayuki would definitely become a great beauty. Mejiro Dober hugged her legs and quietly watched her.
Come to think of it, she had often seen Shirayuki spacing out recently. Just what was she thinking about?
Mejiro Dober felt curious.
Fujiwara Shirayuki put down the water bottle and closed her eyes, focusing her attention on Chiya's side. He was looking at the exam questions he had just finished, comparing them with the answer sheet. In the end, he wrote the word "Excellent" on the score.
Now, he had completely overcome the difficult stage of becoming an intermediate trainer and was advancing toward becoming a senior trainer.