Hayakawa Tazuna was a little panicked.
The thing she feared most had still happened.
Chiya had become interested in himself.
As a healthy man in his twenties, Tazuna knew very well that Chiya had plenty of energy. She could feel that whenever they went out together. And Tazuna was not the kind of wicked woman who would deliberately tease Chiya, then leave him alone afterward. Every time she went out with Chiya, they spent the night outside.
By normal reasoning, Chiya should not have been dissatisfied.
There should have been no reason for him to turn his attention toward Shirayuki. Taking ten thousand steps back, with all those sneaky cats around him, Chiya should not have aimed his gaze at himself.
Tazuna came up with two guesses.
The first was that Shirayuki's appearance matched Chiya's tastes. After all, Shirayuki had now become one of Tracen's top beauties. She had results, looks, and ability. She was practically the object of admiration for every student.
The second was that Chiya wanted to fully experience what it felt like to be a girl.
Not just becoming a girl in appearance, but also experiencing things as a girl.
Tazuna had heard that some men had strange curiosities about what it would feel like to change sex, and that a woman's sensations were said to be far more intense than a man's. Perhaps Chiya was one of those people. And since he had two bodies, those sensations might even stack together. That kind of stimulation might be more frightening than taking drugs.
Just thinking about it made Tazuna's heart tremble.
She did not want Chiya to become like that, someone who blindly chased novelty and stimulation. If he became addicted, that would be even more terrifying. Chiya alone could do what normally required two people. He could shut himself in his room all day and never come out, and no one would be able to stop him.
Damaging his body would still be a small matter.
The truly frightening thing was if Chiya's mind broke too.
"Chiya, can I come to your room tonight?"
"My room? But… the walls in the trainer dorm are thin. What if someone hears?"
"No. I want to see what you're doing with Shirayuki."
He had even bought medicine.
Tazuna did not know what those medicines were for, but she recognized a few of them. Some were used to nourish the body and replenish energy.
Could Chiya have already started?
Just imagining Chiya spending every day tangled up with his own female body made Tazuna feel as though the sky and earth were collapsing.
If those sneaky cats slipped in, Tazuna could chase them away.
But Shirayuki?
Tazuna could not possibly chase her away.
To Tazuna, this was practically an unsolvable problem.
The three of them together, Tazuna, Shirayuki, and Chiya, might still be acceptable.
But just Shirayuki and Chiya alone was not.
Those two absolutely could not come into direct contact.
Unaware of the mental storm raging inside Hayakawa Tazuna's head, Fujiwara Chiya nodded and agreed. Then he began checking the medicinal ingredients. According to his classmates who studied medicine, these herbs needed to be crushed and boiled, then cooled to a warm temperature before being used to soak Shirayuki's feet and massage them. This could increase her metabolism and improve circulation.
That said, these things smelled pretty strong.
Fujiwara Chiya sniffed them. They gave off a mixed scent of soil and Chinese medicine. If he used these things to soak Shirayuki every day, would she end up marinated in the smell?
He did not want the fragrant Shirayuki to smell like Chinese medicine when he hugged her.
"Then I'll go first. I'll come by later."
"Okay."
After Hayakawa Tazuna left, Chiya placed the medicine aside.
At that moment, Gold Ship, with grass stuck in her hair, suddenly jumped out from nearby.
"Trainer, did Tazuna come here to catch you cheating?"
"She's just curious about what Shirayuki and I are doing. Also, stop randomly accusing people. Tazuna and I are innocent."
"You can use that lie on other trainers, but trying to fool this Gold Ship-sama is still a little too early for you."
She casually draped her arm over Fujiwara Chiya's shoulder.
"If nothing happened between the two of you with that kind of relationship, I'd start suspecting that Trainer isn't a man, but a girl instead. Haha~"
Fujiwara Chiya was so angry his teeth itched.
But he could not refute her.
Because this alien weirdo horse was not wrong at all!
His relationship with Tazuna had been exposed after all. And judging by Gold Ship's attitude, she seemed to have known for a long time. She simply had not said anything.
"Good thing Trainer is the carnivorous type. If you were a herbivorous dinosaur, then maybe the one hundred beautiful girls who super-super-super like you would turn into beautiful girls who super-super-super hate your uselessness and willingly become NTR heroines. At that point, the romance drama would turn into a comedy."
"I'm begging you. Please calm down for a while."
Something that had originally been very simple had turned into a complete mess after Gold Ship added her own seasoning to it.
At this rate, whenever he massaged Shirayuki in the future, this group of people would all come over. Now he really would have to share the favor equally.
"I'll keep an eye on all of their movements. Don't worry, Trainer. With me here, I guarantee every uma musume will become your wings."
As she said that, Gold Ship gave him a thumbs-up, then walked away with two pieces of grass still stuck in her hair.
Namu-san.
May there be no Gold Ship in the next life.
After everyone finished training, Fujiwara Chiya announced dismissal.
Returning to the dorm, he crushed the medicinal ingredients and boiled water. Before long, waves of herbal scent filled the room.
Knock, knock, knock.
After a series of knocks, the door opened. The people who had keys to his room were Rice Shower and Tazuna.
Very quickly, Hayakawa Tazuna walked in wearing her office-lady uniform. She also smelled the scent in the room.
"Wait a little. Shirayuki will be here soon."
She placed the cookies and pudding she had made onto the table, then came beside Fujiwara Chiya. Looking at the dark reddish-black water in the pot, she asked,
"Are these things for Shirayuki to drink, or for you to drink?"
"They can't be drunk. These are for soaking."
"Soaking?"
This did not look like enough to fill an entire bathtub.
When Shirayuki entered the room, Chiya poured the cooled water into a basin.
Hayakawa Tazuna sat beside them.
She watched as Chiya helped Shirayuki take off her shoes and socks, then knelt on the floor and held the girl's pale feet, carefully washing them with the water. Shirayuki lay on the sofa, her face slightly flushed, letting out comfortable sounds.
For a moment, the room went silent.
Only the breathing of the two could be heard.
Hayakawa Tazuna's eyes widened. She looked at Shirayuki's soft expression, then at Chiya, who also seemed to feel comfortable, and could not help walking over.
"I'll do it," she said.
"No need to trouble you…"
"I'll do it."
She stiffly interrupted Fujiwara Chiya and took Shirayuki's foot in her hands, beginning to wash it herself.
Seeing her act so forcefully, Fujiwara Chiya had no choice but to step aside.
Hayakawa Tazuna lowered her head.
The interaction between Chiya and Shirayuki just now had given Tazuna the feeling that no outsider could interfere. Especially with their senses connected, simply massaging a foot had already become this strange. If it were anything else, what would happen?
In order to shift Fujiwara Chiya's gaze away from Shirayuki and prevent him from developing strange curiosities, Hayakawa Tazuna decided to awaken the masculine awareness within Fujiwara Chiya.