"Your condition is terrible."
Seeing Shirayuki stumbling unsteadily, Yaeno Muteki frowned.
Wearing heavy protective gear all day was certainly difficult, but it should not have left her exhausted to this extent. The feeling Shirayuki gave her was as though she had run a marathon, done over a hundred pull-ups afterward, then finished by forcing herself through a full set of seated forward bends, completely draining every last bit of energy from her body until only an empty shell remained.
She was unbelievably soft.
One push, and she would fall.
With Shirayuki's strength, this training should have been just right. Yaeno Muteki had watched Shirayuki's races before, so she had a rough understanding of Shirayuki's ability.
She was not some soft persimmon anyone could pinch as they pleased.
Could she be doing this on purpose?
No.
That was even more impossible.
Yaeno Muteki saw Shirayuki's eyes. In those sky-blue pupils, there was a light that had not been there before. The moment their gazes met, Yaeno Muteki actually felt a faint trace of wariness.
Other people might have ignored that sensation, but Yaeno Muteki could not. After all these years training in the dojo, her senses had long since become extremely sharp.
That was why she understood.
Shirayuki was somewhat different from yesterday.
It was as if she had recognized something.
Bang!
A kick landed against Shirayuki's chest. She flew backward, then crashed heavily onto the floor.
Beside them, Fujiwara Chiya, who was sitting with his eyes closed and concentrating, trembled all over and nearly collapsed face-first.
Shirayuki's body hurt so much that she could no longer stand. Seeing her pained expression, Yaeno Muteki knelt beside her.
"Where does it hurt?"
"Everywhere…"
"Take off the protective gear first."
Shirayuki struggled to do as she was told. After setting the gear aside, Yaeno Muteki took a deep breath, as though gathering something inside herself. Then she reached out and touched Fujiwara Shirayuki, who was lying on the floor.
So hot!
For an instant, Shirayuki thought someone had pressed a freshly boiled egg against her body. The temperature of Yaeno Muteki's palm was shockingly high.
Touching Shirayuki's arm, shoulders, and other areas, Yaeno Muteki began pressing gently. The aching pain and the burning heat gradually canceled each other out, and before long, Shirayuki felt waves of comfort spreading through her body.
"What is this…?"
"Kongou Yaegaki-ryu has a method specifically used to relax the body. I gather my own ki into my palms, then let it flow into your body."
"Martial arts?"
"Not only martial arts. It is also a path that leads to all paths."
Shirayuki had never studied this kind of thing, nor had she experienced it before. But Yaeno Muteki's hands were comparable to those of a professional masseuse. The pressure was just right, and her palms were softer than those of any uma musume Shirayuki had ever met.
Each knead and press sank into her skin.
It was nothing short of bliss.
From her shoulders to her waist, then to her thighs, Yaeno Muteki worked through her entire body. The body that had previously hurt so much she could barely stand now felt warm and comfortable, and more than half of the pain had disappeared.
Yaeno Muteki wiped the sweat from her forehead. She looked quite exhausted. It seemed that what she had said about gathering ki into her palms was not an easy thing to do.
"Thank you, Yaeno-senpai."
"It is nothing."
Yaeno Muteki rarely met an uma musume willing to train with her for this long. Usually, when she came to the dojo, she spent most of her time training alone with sandbags. Although it did not show on her face, Yaeno Muteki was actually rather happy to have someone accompany her in training.
"If you wish to learn, I can teach you as well. Learn Kongou Yaegaki-ryu, become my fellow disciple, and be my junior disciple."
"I'll pass."
Shirayuki had no intention of turning from a running athlete into a dojo disciple. She wanted to race all over the world, not go around challenging dojos.
"There is no need to rush. If you change your mind in the future, you may come find me anytime. Once my training here is complete, I will return to Tracen next month."
"In other words, even after I go back, I'll still be able to see Yaeno Muteki-senpai?"
"That's right, Shirayuki. Even after your race is over, you must not relax. Only through perseverance can you truly understand the mysteries of the body."
Watching Shirayuki put her protective gear back on, Yaeno Muteki also took a fighting stance, then threw a punch toward Shirayuki's chest.
Just as her fist was about to touch Shirayuki, Shirayuki's body suddenly retreated half a step. In the end, the punch landed steadily against the chest protector.
This was the first time Shirayuki had perfectly received the other girl's fist.
Retreating.
Lifting her abdomen.
Drawing in her waist.
Every movement flowed together in one seamless motion, without going through conscious thought. Her body moved before her mind.
Fujiwara Chiya watched Shirayuki's movements from the side.
Finally, she had begun to show a slight feeling of flowing water.
…
"Shirayuki's nutrition can't keep up anymore?"
Tazuna's voice came through the phone. Since he had received no useful answer from Oguri Cap in the morning, Fujiwara Chiya could only ask Tazuna for help.
"There is a way, actually."
"Really!?"
As expected, Tazuna knew.
Come to think of it, why had he thought that silly deer Oguri Cap would have any ideas? Had his own intelligence also begun approaching the average IQ of gluttons?
"The truth is, the composition of some foods is not very good. If an uma musume eats them, they will turn into useless extra weight. The more she eats, the more it may actually drag down her running speed. So rather than how much she eats, I think what matters more is whether she is eating well."
From the phone came the sound of Tazuna searching through something.
"I have a meal plan here that should suit Shirayuki's current physical condition. Originally, I was thinking of cooking for her every day, but there aren't enough ingredients at home… I'll send this meal plan to you now. Ask Hinata-san to prepare dishes for you according to it."
"Thanks, Tazuna."
"There's no need for thanks between the two of us. Actually, I wanted to go with you too, but work here is far too busy."
"It's fine. It's only training. There's no need for you to take leave and come over."
"Mm. The Director is calling for me. If anything happens, remember to call me… Even if nothing happens, call me too."
After hanging up, Fujiwara Chiya looked at the meal plan. There were some things on it he had never even heard of. He did not know whether the manager, Hinata, had them.
He should go ask.
Fujiwara Chiya opened the door and looked up, only to see a pink-haired uma musume walking past him. The other party had clearly heard the door opening as well and looked at Fujiwara Chiya.
Ah…
This is really awkward.
There had been countless misunderstandings between him and this uma musume, causing her impression of him to fall to the lowest possible point. Of course, more than half of those misunderstandings were Gold Ship's fault.
Kyoei March's eyes darkened for a moment, and she abruptly turned her head away.
"Hello."
Fujiwara Chiya forced out a smile.
"Last night… that white girl dropped something. I found it this morning and was just about to bring it to her."
Kyoei March took out a handkerchief and handed it to Fujiwara Chiya.
"You're her trainer, so I'll give it to you instead."
After saying that, Kyoei March turned around and left, not wanting to stay for even a moment longer.
Fujiwara Chiya looked at Shirayuki's handkerchief.
Could it be that the one who carried Shirayuki back to her room last night was Kyoei March?