"Hero! I have returned!"
The door to Fujiwara Chiya's office slammed open with a bang.
A tiny uma musume burst in from the hallway, clutching a black dragon head in both hands like she had just conquered a kingdom.
"Happy Year of the Dragon, Hero! Now, onto the stake with you!"
The dragon head in her hands promptly spat fire.
Fujiwara Chiya stared at the little filly radiating pure brat energy from head to toe, and his brow twitched.
Last year, Bamboo Memory had dragged Shinko Windy off and given her a brutal disciplinary lecture. After that, Windy had gone suspiciously quiet. Chiya had honestly thought she had finally learned her lesson.
Apparently, she had only waited until New Year's to respawn.
Had she turned over a new leaf at the end of the year, only to immediately decide, Nah, acting like a normal person is overrated?
Unfortunately for her, the Fujiwara Chiya of today was not the Fujiwara Chiya of the past.
As Shinko Windy marched toward him, dragon head belching flames, Chiya calmly opened his desk drawer, pulled out a magic wand, and pointed it beside her.
Fwoooosh!
A thick pillar of flame erupted from the tip, roaring across the floor with scorching heat.
"NYA!?"
Shinko Windy shot more than three metres into the air like a startled cat, limbs flailing wildly. She came dangerously close to smacking into the ceiling.
Fujiwara Chiya also froze.
He had not expected the spray mechanism to be set to maximum output.
It had been a while since he had played with this kind of thing. Clearly, his touch was rusty.
While Chiya was still looking around for Shinko Windy, who seemed to have vanished from sheer fright, she rolled out from behind the sofa and grabbed his clothes with both hands.
"What was that!? Hero, show me again! Show me again!"
Her eyes sparkled with the pure, innocent excitement of a child who had just discovered explosives.
"No. My mana bar is empty."
Fujiwara Chiya glanced at the scorched patch on the floor. The corner of his eye twitched.
"I wanna see it! I wanna see it, Hero!"
She tugged at his clothes with both hands.
Even after Bamboo Memory had scolded her half to death, her bratty nature had not decreased in the slightest.
Fujiwara Chiya pulled out a tissue and started wiping the black marks off the floor while brushing her off.
"Out of mana. Can't cast."
"Do you want me to bite you? I still remember how you tricked me into the Demon King's Castle! That was a lifelong humiliation for the great Windy-sama!"
As if the memory had just come roaring back, Shinko Windy clenched both fists.
Ever since Bamboo Memory had disciplined her, she felt a phantom ache in her backside every time she saw Bamboo.
And the true culprit behind that tragedy was the heartless man standing right in front of her!
"I'm gonna bite you to death, you cruel Hero! Awoo!"
Then she sank her teeth into Fujiwara Chiya's shoulder.
"Hey! Shinko Windy!"
The spot Hayakawa Tazuna had bitten still had not healed yet, and now Shinko Windy had taken a bite too.
Worse, she had bitten the exact same spot. Not even a millimetre off.
"Hm?"
Shinko Windy's brows furrowed.
"The texture is wrong."
Then she started tugging at Chiya's collar.
"What!? Someone already bit you before me? And this mark... Whoever did this is a master biter!"
"Shinko Windy, didn't your instructor teach you not to randomly pull open other people's clothes?"
At those words, Shinko Windy finally realized what she was doing.
She had yanked his collar aside, exposing the firm line of his shoulder and back beneath.
Shinko Windy froze for two full seconds.
Then her face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
She let go with a swish and hopped backward like a frightened rabbit.
"H-Hero! W-what are you trying to do to me!?"
She hugged her chest with both arms.
"You're the one who pulled my clothes open, and now you're asking what I'm trying to do?"
Fujiwara Chiya calmly adjusted his collar.
This was exactly why Shinko Windy was still a child.
Her pranks were childish. Her reactions were childish. Even her embarrassment was painfully pure.
But maybe that purity was why Chiya's impression of her improved a little.
After all, look at the people around him lately.
Hayakawa Tazuna, who dragged him off to hotels.
Rice Shower, who specialized in night raids.
Mejiro Dober and Grass Wonder, who climbed into his bed whenever they felt like it.
Compared to that lineup, Shinko Windy was practically the most normal child in the room.
"All right. I'll give you some snacks, so hurry up and leave. I still have work to do later."
"Snacks! Yay!"
Her attention snapped over instantly.
Fujiwara Chiya suddenly felt a little worried about her future.
Was this kid really not going to get lured away by some random stranger one day?
"Oh, right, Hero. I have a trainer now. I'm not training with Instructor anymore."
Shinko Windy said this while munching on her snacks.
"Seriously...? Who?"
"Trainer Kiryuin!"
Shinko Windy's eyes lit up.
"That trainer is amazing! She saw through my trap and even used it against me! And when I climbed up a tree, she chased me right up there! I've never seen a trainer who could do that!"
Vaulting over rooftops. Scaling walls. Capable of anything.
Fujiwara Chiya had no idea what kind of expression he was supposed to make.
"Um... why was Kiryuin chasing you?"
"Because I picked something up, and then she chased me like her life depended on it. If someone chases me, obviously I have to run."
"What did you pick up?"
"A photo. It was a picture of a black-haired man sleeping... Hm?"
Shinko Windy blinked.
"Now that I think about it, wasn't that you, Hero!?"
"Me?"
"That's right! It was you, Hero. I think you were sleeping on someone's lap. I didn't get a clear look, because Trainer Kiryuin came charging at me right after that. I fought her for three hundred rounds, and in the end, the great Windy-sama won heroically! But I acknowledged her strength, so I signed a contract with her."
As she spoke, Shinko Windy proudly wagged her tail.
The pudding in her hand wobbled along with it.
Fujiwara Chiya completely failed to understand the logic that led to those two signing a contract.
What were they doing? Some kind of martial arts marriage tournament?
And if Shinko Windy called it three hundred rounds, just how long had Kiryuin Aoi been chasing her?
Shirayuki had already been mentally drained after dealing with Windy for half an hour.
"What kind of relationship do you have with Trainer Kiryuin, Hero? When I got caught, she stuffed your photo into her wallet."
"We were classmates in university. We're friends."
Wait.
So you did get caught.
"I see. Then I can come here often from now on!"
"Why?"
"A trainer's friend has to take care of the trainer. And the trainer has to take care of the uma musume. Therefore, the friend also has to take care of the uma musume."
Shinko Windy puffed out her chest proudly.
"In other words, you have to take care of me! I am currently in the position of being cared for, so obediently become the Demon King's slave, Hero!"
"If you don't disturb my work, I'll give you another pudding."
"Are you trying to bribe me? Don't make me laugh. How could the great Windy-sama be bought so easily?"
She held out her hand.
"Hand over the pudding. I'll shut up now."
And so, Chiya temporarily sealed Shinko Windy's mouth with snacks.
From now on, this child would be Kiryuin Aoi's responsibility.
Fortunately, Chiya had plenty of methods for dealing with problem children. He should be able to help Kiryuin survive this difficult period.
This year marked Fujiwara Chiya's third year at Tracen.
And he had officially been promoted from junior trainer to intermediate trainer.