Fujiwara Chiya realized that once he told more people his secret, the amount of trouble that came with it also increased.
Seiun Sky ran over to Shirayuki's side and whispered, "From now on, when I do independent training, please have Trainer guide me too. That way, I don't have to trouble Trainer Kiryuin."
So you came to trouble me instead?
Shirayuki was rather speechless. It felt like Seiun Sky's attitude toward her was becoming more and more casual. Before learning the secret, Seiun Sky's attitude toward Shirayuki had been that of a close friend. After learning it, she had turned directly into a sworn best friend. The two of them were close enough to wear the same pair of trousers. No, the same skirt.
"By the way, can Shirayuki keep one person asleep while the other stays awake?" Seiun Sky asked question after question like a curious child.
Shut up! Woman, you're interfering with my training!
"Can you?"
Seeing her expression, which clearly intended to dig to the bottom of everything, Shirayuki patiently explained her condition to her.
"If I could do that too, it would be great. One person sleeps while the other stays awake. That way, I could keep sleeping forever."
"I don't believe that. Even if there were two of you, you'd definitely both sleep together."
"You really do understand me." Seiun Sky smiled. "That's true. Letting one person sleep while the other stays awake would be too unfair. If you're going to treat them, you should treat both equally. Shirayuki thinks so too, right?"
"I don't really separate it that clearly…"
"Then that makes things easy. You should treat your own body equally, and I should treat Shirayuki equally too. If I don't do the same things I did before to Trainer, then wouldn't that be a little biased?"
"The same things you did before?"
Seiun Sky showed a smile with an unclear meaning, then quickened her pace and ran off, leaving Shirayuki full of question marks.
Is it me who has become strange, or is it you who has become strange?
Or maybe both of us have become strange.
On the other side, Fujiwara Chiya and Kiryuin Aoi stood together, recording the training.
Kiryuin Aoi's eyes occasionally drifted toward Chiya. After opening her mouth twice, she finally found a topic.
"Right, Chiya. I heard Trainer Nase Hideto is also going to participate in the Triple Tiara."
"I heard from Ryuu-aniki. He'll be very difficult to deal with."
"Have you checked the information already?"
"Trainer Nase's?"
"No, his Uma Musume, Kyoei March."
"…Not yet."
"I once saw her before." Kiryuin Aoi recalled that pink-haired Uma Musume. "She's not quite like other people."
"Not like other people? Do you mean she's very strong?"
"Whether that counts as strength or not, I'm not really sure how to explain. But I think you'll understand if you watch her once. You're already an intermediate trainer now, after all, so you'll definitely see more than I can."
As she spoke, Kiryuin Aoi showed a lonely smile. Fujiwara Chiya noticed it.
"Actually, there isn't that much difference between an intermediate trainer and an ordinary trainer. It's mostly just the amount of knowledge. Only once someone becomes an advanced trainer, or even a senior trainer, can they see things we can't. That isn't something you can achieve just by studying."
"I see."
Kiryuin knew he was only comforting her. The two of them had clearly been classmates, yet Fujiwara Chiya always completed certain things faster than she did. Entering Tracen, earning promotions, he was always half a step ahead of her.
"If only… I could be like you," Kiryuin Aoi said, hugging the training plan in her arms.
"Aoi, I'm not as excellent as you think. I just took a bit of a shortcut."
With Shirayuki there, Fujiwara Chiya could memorize things with two heads, producing twice the result with half the effort. In terms of pure effort, Kiryuin Aoi was above him. After all, she had written an entire trainer's handbook, recording every single thing she needed to pay attention to.
That perseverance was rare among all trainers. Fujiwara Chiya admired her deeply. When he had just entered university, he had once seen Kiryuin Aoi sitting in the library from morning until closing time, quietly studying trainer knowledge. She had continued like that for several months. Back then, Fujiwara Chiya had been unable to hold back his curiosity and had spoken his first words to her.
"You want to become a trainer too?"
From that moment on, Fujiwara Chiya had already treated Kiryuin as someone he wanted to learn from.
However, Fujiwara Chiya's words did not make Kiryuin Aoi relax. The smile she forced onto her face remained bitter.
"How about… I teach you?" Fujiwara Chiya scratched his head. "I'll teach you everything I know, then help you become an intermediate trainer. That way, we'll be the same again. Training will be more convenient too. Two intermediate trainers working together won't be worse than one advanced trainer."
Hearing those words, Kiryuin Aoi's eyes immediately lit up.
"All right! Chiya, teach me. Then we'll become intermediate trainers together. After intermediate, we'll become advanced trainers. After advanced, senior trainers. Let's become senior trainers together!"
Kiryuin Aoi tightly held his hand. The softness unique to a girl wrapped around Fujiwara Chiya's hand, but at that moment, he had no improper thoughts.
When it came to this close friend of his, Fujiwara Chiya would help whenever he could. His bond with Kiryuin Aoi was far stronger than his bond with his university roommates. Honestly, if their genders had not been different, Fujiwara Chiya would have slung an arm around her shoulders a long time ago.
"Of course." Fujiwara Chiya nodded seriously.
"Onii-sama!"
Suddenly, a voice drew Fujiwara Chiya's attention. Rice Shower trotted over on her little feet.
"What should I do next?"
"Let me see…" Fujiwara Chiya took out the training schedule. "Rice is growing quickly right now. We're already using the third-stage training content earlier than expected. Next is indoor training, so we'll go to the training hall later. For now, take a break."
"Yes!"
Rice Shower lowered her head toward him. Her meaning was already obvious. Fujiwara Chiya reached out and patted her head. Rice Shower made a soft "hehe~" sound, and faintly, one could almost see her tail swaying from side to side behind her.
Onii-sama's hand is so warm…
For some reason, Rice Shower felt that her Onii-sama was becoming more and more handsome. She liked him more and more. Although she had already liked him enough before, now it had already gone beyond the limit.
But after that happiness came worry.
Rice Shower had noticed that more and more people were developing feelings for Onii-sama. Mejiro Dober, who had secretly called Onii-sama out. Seiun Sky, who was always whispering to him. Kiryuin Aoi, who smiled like a young girl after exchanging just a few words with him. And Nase Fumino, who had forcefully kissed Onii-sama.
And finally, the person who worried Rice Shower the most.
Hayakawa Tazuna.
Rice Shower felt that Onii-sama was gradually being occupied by more and more people, and the time he spent by her side was becoming less and less.
That would not do!
Rice Shower quietly clenched her small fist.
Even if she gave Onii-sama the most important thing she had, there was no guarantee that Onii-sama's heart would not change. Rice Shower decided that she would stay beside her Onii-sama forever and absolutely would not allow anyone else to come from behind and overtake her.
"Onii-sama, come with me to the training hall later."
"Hm? But over here…"
"Please, Onii-sama. Stay with me."
Looking at Rice Shower's drooping ears, Fujiwara Chiya hesitated briefly before gently stroking her hair.
"All right. I'll train with you first."
Hearing those words, Rice Shower's face blossomed into a smile again.
Beside them, Kiryuin Aoi narrowed her eyes, seemingly thinking about something. Farther away, Seiun Sky quietly watched them. Her hands rested lazily behind her head as her gaze shifted from Fujiwara Chiya to Shirayuki.
Then she let out a soft laugh.