"Where's Trainer?"
"He twisted his waist. He's lying down in his room."
"How'd that happen?"
"He got thrown by an uma musume seven times."
"Hah?"
By the time they finished touring the training grounds, the sun was already close to setting. Fujiwara Shirayuki and the others were sitting in the dining hall, eating dinner. Gold Ship glanced around but could not find Trainer anywhere.
In truth, Fujiwara Chiya had already gotten fired up after being thrown for the third time. He had been ready to fight Yaeno Muteki to mutual destruction. By the sixth throw, all that anger had been smashed out of him. The seventh time was his desperate final counterattack.
Though the dojo floor was covered in tatami, getting thrown still hurt quite a lot.
Through the sparring match with Yaeno Muteki, Shirayuki had also discovered all sorts of problems. The other girl's expression had not changed in the slightest, while Shirayuki herself had gotten completely furious. Just from their mental states alone, the difference between them was obvious.
Her heart was too easily disturbed by her opponent's attitude. Being merciless toward an opponent and simply venting anger were two completely different emotions.
She had not expected to be taught a lesson on the very first day here.
"Um… should we bring this to Trainer-san?" Meisho Doto asked, pointing at the food on the table. It had originally been prepared for Fujiwara Chiya.
"Just bring it to him after we finish eating," Fujiwara Shirayuki said absently.
Everyone nodded.
Before anyone realized it, Shirayuki's words already carried the same weight as Chiya's. But that was not because she had a special relationship with Fujiwara Chiya. It was because Shirayuki was no longer as soft and cute as she had been at first.
Her voice and attitude now carried a few traces of dignity.
This was the change that had appeared after Shirayuki took on the title of "Empress."
Gold Ship smacked her lips. She looked at Shirayuki, then stood up.
"I'll bring it to Trainer!"
With that, Gold Ship grabbed the tray and ran off.
"Eh? Gold Ship-san!?"
Rice Shower blinked, but before she could finish speaking, Gold Ship had already vanished.
Such a perfect chance, and Gold Ship just ruined it!
Rice Shower stomped her little foot, then could only lower her head and eat her dinner in frustration.
"Shirayuki, what are you going to do later?"
"I want to take a walk nearby and find a quiet place to think."
"Do you want me to go with you?" Mejiro Dober asked.
"No. I'll be fine alone."
Meanwhile, Gold Ship ran to Fujiwara Chiya's room. The moment she arrived, she grabbed him and started shouting.
"Trainer, you absolutely can't let Shirayuki turn into that!"
"What the hell are you doing?! My waist still hurts, so don't climb on top of me!"
"I'm not getting up unless you promise me!"
"Aow!"
Gold Ship pressed herself against him, and Fujiwara Chiya cried out in pain on the spot. Over in the dining hall, Shirayuki's hand trembled, spilling all her rice onto Agnes Tachyon's skirt.
"Gold Ship… if you want to kill me… just say so."
Fujiwara Chiya lay on the bed, twitching.
"Trainer, you twisted the wrong place. How did you even twist it there?"
"I twisted it from getting thrown, not from walking…"
"In that case, I, Gold Ship-sama, shall use my power today and heal you."
"Don't come near me. I'm going to scream. I'm seriously going to scream! Gah… hm?"
Gold Ship placed both hands on his waist. There was a crisp crack, and the uncomfortable catching sensation in Fujiwara Chiya's lower back disappeared.
Aside from a little lingering pain, he could now turn normally without obstruction.
"How about that, Trainer? I'm amazing, right?"
"I thought I was going to die. I even had my last words ready."
"Then you can write them down first, so you don't forget them when you're old."
As she spoke, Gold Ship began kneading Fujiwara Chiya's waist, helping him loosen the stiff muscles.
"You're not Gold Ship. Who exactly are you? Where did you hide Gold Ship? Don't tell me you're a ghost too?"
"I, Gold Ship-sama, am rarely being generous for once. If you keep talking, I'll twist your waist back."
Fujiwara Chiya closed his mouth.
He was genuinely afraid that Gold Ship's hand might slip and dislocate his waist. After a moment, Gold Ship said, "Trainer, you can't let Shirayuki become like Air Groove."
"What's wrong? Do you think Shirayuki isn't easy to bully anymore?"
"Exactly… as if! That's not what I'm thinking at all!"
Gold Ship loudly denied it.
"Shirayuki is Shirayuki, and Air Groove is Air Groove. They're different. If you insist on making Shirayuki learn from Air Groove, it'll turn bad."
"How will it turn bad?"
Unexpectedly, Gold Ship's massage was actually rather comfortable, so Fujiwara Chiya asked in a relaxed tone.
"She'll be led off track! Shirayuki will become less and less like herself. Isn't there a saying? No matter how perfectly you imitate someone, you can never surpass the original. Air Groove is definitely amazing, but does Trainer want Shirayuki to stop at Air Groove's level? Isn't Trainer's goal to make Shirayuki surpass Air Groove?"
Hearing those words, Fujiwara Chiya's heart trembled.
"…What do you mean?"
"I think it's fine to listen to Air Groove, but only part of it. Shirayuki wants to become an 'Empress,' but she needs to become an 'Empress' different from Air Groove! She needs to become a gentle, adorable, yet still dignified Empress. Not the kind of stern, unsmiling existence Air Groove is!"
Gold Ship clenched her fist.
"We must firmly resist cold arrogance and let gentleness shine across the earth!"
Just when he thought Gold Ship had finally started saying something serious, she immediately came out with this.
"So, Trainer, you absolutely can't let Shirayuki copy everything she sees Air Groove doing! If that happens, Shirayuki won't be Shirayuki anymore. Then I won't be able to bully her as much as I want!"
Fujiwara Chiya could not tell whether Gold Ship had come to give him advice or to cause trouble.
Even after spending so much time with Gold Ship, he still could not see through her at all. He had no idea what she was thinking.
But Gold Ship's bizarre training methods, which had somehow been reproduced even by senior trainers, the way she seemed to slack off every day yet mysteriously possessed outstanding ability, and her unique understanding of the Domain, all made it impossible for Fujiwara Chiya to dismiss her words lightly.
Perhaps ninety percent of what Gold Ship said was nonsense.
But the remaining ten percent was the most important part.
After thinking for a long while, Fujiwara Chiya said, "I understand. I'll tell Shirayuki not to spend all day copying Air Groove. She also needs to summarize and build her own method."
Hearing those words, Gold Ship's face relaxed. Very quickly, she returned to her usual careless expression.
"See? I knew it. Trainer, you like Shirayuki's soft and cute side too, right? She looks like anyone could just knead her however they want. If I could, I'd even take Shirayuki home and raise her as a body pillow."
As she spoke, Gold Ship stood up.
"Then I'll head off first, Trainer. I'll leave Shirayuki to you! Bye-bye!"
"Bye-bye… Wait, Gold Ship, where's my food?! Didn't you come here to bring me dinner?"
"I brought your food back. Since your waist is better now, just come eat in the dining hall. Everyone's waiting for you there anyway."
"You really had to make me walk there myself…"
"What's wrong with that? How can a team meal not have its trainer? Hurry up and come over!"
After saying that, Gold Ship slammed the door shut.
That annoying alien crazy uma musume!
Fujiwara Chiya struggled to prop himself up, then made his way toward the dining hall.