The dance party preparations were in full swing when Rice Shower ran to Fujiwara Chiya's office.
"Onii-sama, can you come with Rice?"
"Sorry, Rice. I can't." Fujiwara Chiya shook his head. Since this was an event specially held for the students, teachers were not allowed to participate. Especially for a highly social event like a dance party, the moment trainers like them stepped inside, the atmosphere would instantly change. So they could only watch from the sidelines.
It was not only Rice Shower. Just now, Nase Fumino and the others had also come to ask him the same thing, and Fujiwara Chiya had turned them all down.
"Go with your friends, Rice. For example, Urara."
"Y-yes, you're right. Then Rice will go find Urara."
Even though Urara was the one who had told her to come find Onii-sama.
"Yo, Chiya, got free time?" Katsumura Youta pushed the door open and strode in carelessly. Seeing Rice Shower, he greeted her too.
"Hello, Trainer Katsumura. Then Rice won't disturb Onii-sama anymore."
After saying that, she bowed to the two of them and left with quick little steps.
"Must be nice, Chiya. I want a well-behaved little sister like that too."
"Don't you have a little sister?"
"How did you know that? Don't tell me you investigated me!?"
"You told me yourself."
"Oh, so that's it. Then it's fine." Katsumura Youta laughed a few times.
"What are you here for? Don't tell me you're here to invite me to dance too. If you dare say that, I'll throw you downstairs."
"Like hell I am!" Katsumura Youta jumped as if someone had stepped on his tail. Then he carefully studied Fujiwara Chiya's face. "Speaking of which, you look a lot more delicate than before. Did you start caring about your appearance?"
"No."
"Then maybe I'm imagining it…" Katsumura Youta looked at his face, which had somehow gained a few traces of feminine softness. "I came because I have something to ask of you."
"No."
"Hey, you didn't even listen!"
"Ninety-nine percent of the things you ask me for are ridiculously troublesome. I'm not doing it."
"Really, this time it's simple. You just need to nod."
"What is it?"
"I want to let my kid meet Shirayuki."
"Your kid?" Fujiwara Chiya looked at him suspiciously.
"A relative's kid. A distant relative. I wouldn't even know her if my mom hadn't introduced us. That child is a fan of Shirayuki and hopes to meet her."
"So you were entrusted with this and came here as a little errand dog."
"Don't say it like that. That kid is going to come to Tracen too, this year. So she'll be Shirayuki's future junior. Meeting once in advance won't hurt anyone. Chiya, help a brother out. You're Shirayuki's trainer, and you're also her brother."
"I'm not her brother."
"Hm? What's wrong? Did you two have a fight? Ah… is it because she lost the race? Don't be like that. Isn't it normal for an Uma Musume to lose a race? You can't just disown your family after one loss."
"Can you stop randomly inventing tens of thousands of words of emotional drama for me?"
Fujiwara Chiya slapped his own face. "Fine, meeting once is fine. When?"
"How about tomorrow? Her family lives in Tokyo."
"What's the kid's name?"
"Cesario. By the way, her goal is also the Triple Tiara. I heard she was influenced by Shirayuki."
"Tomorrow is too soon… how about…"
"Then it's settled, Chiya. I'll leave that kid to you tomorrow!"
"Wait a second!"
But Katsumura Youta ran away right after saying that, as if he could not wait to report back to them. Fine, just you wait. When Shirayuki meets her, I'll expose every embarrassing thing you've ever done.
"We-i! Is Shirayuki-san here?"
Right after Katsumura Youta left, an Uma Musume with a side ponytail and a gyaru-like appearance pushed the door open and greeted Fujiwara Chiya.
"They said Shirayuki wasn't at the Student Council, so I wondered if she might be at the trainer office. Yahoo☆, Trainer-san!"
The gyaru winked.
"Do you need something?"
Shirayuki was now the "Little Empress," and he was the "Little Empress's Cane." He was fairly famous in Tracen too, so if people could not find Shirayuki when they needed something, they came to him instead.
"I heard the stage still needs a singer, and I want to sing!"
"What can you do?"
"I can sing, dance, and rap. I'm super good at heating up the mood too. Ahem… Burn it up, burn it up, burn it up~~ Come on, Trainer over there… yoiccho! I'll give everyone the strongest, greatest live, START~☆ Yeah!"
Fujiwara Chiya held his head. How did she manage to turn the entire room upside down all by herself?
"How was that, Trainer? Let me go on stage!"
"I already wrote your name down on the paper. Now hurry out and let me have some quiet."
"Thank you! I'm gonna become D-J!"
After that walking microphone finally left, Fujiwara Chiya let out a long breath. He had not expected to be even busier after the race than before it. How did the previous Empress's Cane keep going?
No, that was not right. In the end, the Empress and the Empress's Cane were two separate people, while he and Shirayuki were always one person. Naturally, the pressure felt different.
Fujiwara Chiya rubbed his face. At that moment, a pair of warm little hands began gently kneading his shoulders. Turning back, Fujiwara Chiya saw that green figure.
"Tazuna… when did you get here?"
"Just now. It seems you didn't notice."
Her slender fingers pressed against Fujiwara Chiya's back with just the right amount of pressure. The man's stiff body gradually relaxed.
"How does it feel?"
"Much better."
Hayakawa Tazuna smiled. "By the way, Chiya, I've decided I'm going to start training from now on too."
"Training? Tazuna, you… you're not seriously planning to become my Uma Musume, are you?" Fujiwara Chiya was shocked. Back then, he had only mentioned it casually. If he really brought Tracen's Director Secretary into a race, never mind the result, the headline alone would be enough to shatter everyone's eyes.
"What are you thinking? How could I possibly enter races?"
"You're not? Then why train?"
"To become Shirayuki's training partner, of course."
"Ah…"
Fujiwara Chiya's excited heart gradually calmed. Shock aside, if he could send Hayakawa Tazuna onto the racecourse, he might not have to worry about lacking strength for an overseas expedition.
"Although I don't mind becoming Chiya's Uma Musume, I do currently have a registered trainer."
"Really? Who?"
If it was Hayakawa Tazuna's trainer, the person's identity definitely had to be extraordinary.
"In the past, there were two legendary trainers in the racing world. One was Nase Hideto, known as the 'Racecourse Magician.' The other was the 'Racecourse Trickster.'"
"Racecourse Trickster?"
"That's right. He used very unusual training methods and tactics. Many races that seemed certain to end in defeat were brilliantly turned into victories through his arrangements. That's why Central gave him the title 'Trickster,' placing him alongside Nase Hideto as one of the two great geniuses of the trainer world. He was my trainer."
"How have I never heard of him?"
"Because he didn't like being famous. Every time there was a press conference, he would put a little bear plushie on the stage to represent him."
"What the hell…"
He even dared to mess around at press conferences? Was there something wrong with his brain?
"After Trainer got married, he stopped scouting Uma Musume. His registration is still in Central, but it's mostly just nominal now. These days, very few people know about the 'Racecourse Trickster.'"
"That really is a shame. If he were still active, he definitely could have raised very strong Uma Musume."
"A shame… maybe." Hayakawa Tazuna leaned against him. "But I think sooner or later, someone will inherit his title of 'Trickster' and become an incredible trainer."
"You're not talking about me, are you? I can't. I'm just an ordinary person."
"Not necessarily."
Hayakawa Tazuna opened her mouth and took his ear between her lips. Feeling her smooth tongue slide along the rim of his ear, Fujiwara Chiya broke out in goosebumps.
"T-Tazuna…"
"Relax. I'll help massage your body. You've worked really hard lately."
Hayakawa Tazuna spoke while licking his ear.