By the time Fujiwara Chiya returned to the dorm, his body was so exhausted it felt like it was about to fall apart.
He had no idea who started it, but afterward, he had kept completing all kinds of uma musume training exercises. Single-leg jumps, tire pulling, starting dash practice… Somehow, training meant for uma musume had turned into training for him.
It was the first time Fujiwara Chiya had seen his uma musume so excited. Even Mejiro Dober, unprecedentedly, held his hand and said, "Trainer-san, do one more."
No, wait.
Are you the uma musume, or am I?
Even if I am, you should be training Shirayuki, not me.
In any case, under their enthusiastic invitation, Fujiwara Chiya somehow completed the entire training set. Those exercises that far exceeded human limits were forcibly endured by Fujiwara Chiya.
The surrounding trainers' mouths all hung wide open, almost as if an egg could be stuffed into each one. Katsumura Yota went even further. He came directly to Fujiwara Chiya's side and asked earnestly,
"Chiya, when did you turn into an uma musume?"
Fujiwara Chiya's constitution seemed to have changed somehow. It now sat somewhere between human and uma musume. He was not as powerful as an uma musume, but he was far stronger than an ordinary human.
Just as training ended, Agnes Tachyon made another ridiculous request.
She wanted him to train together with the uma musume every day.
That completely stunned Fujiwara Chiya.
Since when did trainers have to personally enter the field too?
From ancient times until now, he had never heard of a trainer who could train alongside uma musume.
Even with Shihandai, their training was limited to the dojo. If he had really run alongside uma musume every day, there was no way he would have lived to such an old age.
Agnes Tachyon said she would need to go back and run some simulations before explaining the details. Perhaps she could find a training method that no one else would be able to imitate.
He would go ask Agnes Tachyon about it tomorrow.
Right now, Fujiwara Chiya only wanted to rest. Shirayuki's side often ran, but he did not. Today's exercise volume had clearly gone beyond his limit, and waves of soreness spread through his body.
He did not have the energy to take care of Shirayuki today.
He wanted to take a nice, comfortable bath, then sleep early.
Wait…
He could have Shirayuki come over and massage his shoulders!
If the two bodies served each other, would the happiness not double?
But this was the Director's room. Calling Shirayuki over to massage his shoulders probably was not very appropriate.
Just as Fujiwara Chiya had taken off his clothes and started washing himself, the bathroom door suddenly opened.
Akikawa Yayoi, wrapped in a bath towel, walked in.
Fujiwara Chiya looked at her.
His brain short-circuited for three seconds.
Then—
"Ahhh!!"
He let out a scream.
"Why are you always shouting? Am I really that scary?"
"No… Director, why did you come in?"
Fujiwara Chiya instinctively stood up.
"I came to care for my subordinate."
As she spoke, Akikawa Yayoi pinched her chin and looked at Fujiwara Chiya with a mischievous smile.
"Looks like you've been growing properly."
Noticing the Director's gaze, Fujiwara Chiya hurriedly turned his back.
"You're already this old, and you're still embarrassed?"
"Director, isn't it bad for a man and woman to be alone together like this?"
"What's bad about it? Are you going to attack me? Don't forget, I'm an uma musume. If anyone attacks anyone, it would be me attacking you. All right, hurry up and sit over here."
Akikawa Yayoi pulled over a stool and beckoned to Fujiwara Chiya.
"What is this… for?"
"Obviously, I'm going to scrub your back. It's a reward for all your hard work these past few days."
I've never heard of this kind of reward!
"Does the Director do this for other people too?"
"Of course."
"Seriously…?"
"I often scrub Tazuna's back."
"…"
That's different, right?
Under Akikawa Yayoi's forceful invitation, Fujiwara Chiya had no choice but to sit in front of her. The moment he thought about the Director being behind him, he immediately stiffened.
What if this gets out?
His colleagues would explode.
The training just now had already been shocking enough. Did things really have to become even more explosive?
Was he ever going to have peace at Tracen again?
However, Akikawa Yayoi behind him did not think that much. She squeezed out some shampoo and began scratching Chiya's hair from behind, even humming a song in a very good mood.
Fujiwara Chiya looked at the mirror covered in a layer of steam and wiped the bubbles from his brow.
Strange…
Looking at the blurry reflection in the mirror, Fujiwara Chiya narrowed his eyes.
It felt familiar.
It was as though he had seen this a very long time ago.
This singing voice.
This scene.
Back then, he had also been sitting in a bathroom while someone washed his hair. On the blurry mirror surface, that faint orange figure seemed to overlap with an image from his memories.
Splash!
Just as Fujiwara Chiya was trying to remember, a basin of water was suddenly poured over his head.
"Why does your body feel much thinner than before?"
Akikawa Yayoi asked while drying his hair.
"I've been paying attention to my figure."
"Even so, you should eat more. Boys should be a little more sturdy."
As she spoke, Akikawa Yayoi patted his back. Fujiwara Chiya immediately grimaced. After relaxing, his muscles had begun collectively protesting against what had happened earlier, sending waves of pain through him.
"What's wrong?"
"I got a little tired during training earlier."
"I see… Then after you come out later, I'll help you relax."
"There's no need to trouble you, Director!"
"Why are you getting shy now? I've already seen everything."
Akikawa Yayoi laughed a few times.
"Take a bath first. I'll come back later."
After saying that, she left the bathroom.
Fujiwara Chiya lay in the bathtub.
Even if the Director separated work and private life, this difference was way too huge. At school, she was very strict, rewarding and punishing clearly. But during this time living with her, Fujiwara Chiya had discovered that Akikawa Yayoi was basically an older sister with a loli body.
In the morning, she woke him up, made breakfast for him, and tidied the room. At night, she even called him to watch movies together.
And just now, she had come in to scrub his back.
Even if Fujiwara Chiya was not a narcissist, he could not believe that Akikawa Yayoi did all this merely because of a superior-subordinate relationship.
Could the Director know me?
But… when?
Fujiwara Chiya had basically forgotten everything from elementary school. Before that, he only had a few deeply impressed fragments of memory, and none of them contained the Director.
Unless it was even earlier than that.
So early that he was still a baby who could not speak.
His memories from that period were completely blurry.
But at that time, the Director should have only been around ten years old, right?
Ten years old…
An uma musume who developed early could enter her true development period around then. In another year or two, she would have grown into a neat and capable young girl, widening the gap even further. Changes in the body could also affect memory.
Thinking about it this way, it was not impossible that he had met the Director before.
"Chiya."
While half-dazed, Fujiwara Chiya heard someone calling him from outside.
"Don't soak for too long and pass out. If you heard me, say something."
"I'm coming out now."
Fujiwara Chiya tied a bath towel around himself and walked out of the bathroom.
Akikawa Yayoi had changed into white sleepwear. The thin fabric faintly revealed the outline beneath, and seen like this, the Director looked even more like a loli.
She placed her hands on her hips and patted the bed.
"Come here, Chiya. I'll massage your body."
Fujiwara Chiya lay face down on the bed.
A pair of soft little hands pressed against his back.
"Director, do you remember the first time we met?"
"The first time?"
"I mean when I first came to Tracen."
"Ah… I remember. What about it?"
"When I went to the Director's office to report in, before I left, you called me back. At that time, was there something you wanted to ask me?"
But later, she had shaken her head and said, "Perform well at Tracen, Trainer Chiya," then let him leave.
Fujiwara Chiya wanted to know what the Director had meant to say when she called him back then.
Akikawa Yayoi's hands paused.
A few seconds later, she stood up.
Just as Fujiwara Chiya was feeling puzzled, there was a soft patter.
Akikawa Yayoi stepped onto his back.
Along with warmth and pressure, Akikawa Yayoi said, "I thought you were dieting to maintain your figure, but your body is actually quite sturdy."
As she spoke, she turned her feet and kneaded back and forth.
"At that time, I was thinking, some greenhorn boy had come to Tracen, and I wondered whether he could shoulder the heavy responsibility of being a trainer. Later, I decided to believe in you. I believed you could overcome difficulties and become a qualified trainer. Facts proved that you did."
"I… see… Wait, Director, why are you massaging me like this?"
Was being stepped on by a loli some kind of tradition?
The last person who got stepped on like this seemed to still be in prison.
"I remembered something unpleasant, so I'm venting a little."
"So I'm… the one you're venting on…"
"That's right. Does it hurt?"
"Not really…"
If anything, it felt pretty good.
The Director's weight was just right. The force of each step was strong, but not enough to hurt his back. Perhaps because she took care of herself regularly, the soles of her pink feet were cool and soft, as smooth as a baby's feet that had never walked outside.
And so, while maintaining her balance, she moved rhythmically. The perfectly measured weight completely relaxed Fujiwara Chiya. The exhaustion from training slowly faded, and before he knew it, the man fell asleep.
After hearing his even breathing, Akikawa Yayoi stopped and sat down beside Fujiwara Chiya.
Actually, that day before Fujiwara Chiya left, the question Akikawa Yayoi had wanted to ask was:
"Chiya, do you still remember me?"
But when she saw the look in the man's eyes, Akikawa Yayoi understood.
This brat had long since forgotten everything.
Perhaps it was better that he did not know.
If he did not know, it would avoid all kinds of trouble. And she could be harsher on him too.
Looking at Fujiwara Chiya lying on the bed, Akikawa Yayoi turned him over, covered him with a blanket, then lightly pinched his cheek. Her touch was almost more like a caress.
"Don't think about such improper things. I'm your older sister."
After saying that, Akikawa Yayoi quietly left the room.
Once the door closed and her footsteps faded, Fujiwara Chiya opened his eyes.
"Older sister…"
Fujiwara Chiya's gaze slid down to the part of the blanket that had instinctively lifted.
Then, his face turned bright red, and he curled up.
Today really was humiliating beyond belief.
…
The next day, Agnes Tachyon called Fujiwara Chiya to the laboratory.
"In conclusion, if you and Shirayuki train together, efficiency should be maximized. Do you understand, Guinea Pig-kun… Guinea Pig-kun?"
Agnes Tachyon waved her hand in front of the man's eyes.
"What are you spacing out for?"
"Tachyon, last night I discovered something shocking. I might be related to the Director."
"Hah… and then?"
"Don't you think that's unbelievable!? I always treated the Director as my superior. Then last night, she personally said she was my older sister. Now I finally understand why she's always given me special treatment. If that's the case, why didn't she before…"
Agnes Tachyon grabbed his ear.
"Something like that doesn't matter right now. I'm talking about something very important. About you and Shirayuki."
To Agnes Tachyon, even if someone revealed that the Central Committee Chairwoman was Trainer's mother, it would still not be as important as her experiment.
"I'm listening, I'm listening."
Fujiwara Chiya's ear hurt from being pulled.
"It's just me and Shirayuki training together, right? I understand. You really don't care about anything else, do you?"
"Even if the Director is your older sister, she definitely has her reasons for not telling you. You shouldn't tell everyone about it either. Besides, you're now an intermediate trainer, and a very young one at that. If it gets out that you have a special relationship with the Director, people will inevitably overthink it. If it reaches Central's ears, that would be even worse. So let this matter rot in your stomach. Exposing it will bring you no benefit."
Fujiwara Chiya was left speechless.
In the end, he could only nod.
"You're right."
"Then let's return to you and Shirayuki. As for training intensity, Trainer should first follow the standard for newly enrolled uma musume. Your stamina should be enough."
"I'm a trainer, and now I have to start running too. This world has gone insane…"
"That's because you're special, Guinea Pig-kun. You need to acknowledge that you're different. Don't always treat yourself like an ordinary person. A genius is called a genius because they have self-awareness. If you keep treating yourself as a normal person and drift through life in a daze, you'll eventually become indistinguishable from everyone else. Show the world what makes you special and make the whole world revolve around you."
"If you put it that way, I guess there's nothing I can do."
That afternoon, Fujiwara Chiya stood in front of everyone and instructed training.
After giving the warm-up order, Fujiwara Chiya walked beside Shirayuki.
"Trainer-san is going to run with us?"
Mejiro Dober asked in surprise.
"That's right. If I watch Gold Ship from here, she won't dare slack off."
"Trainer, if you really dare to lead the charge, I'll follow you even if I die!"
Gold Ship shouted from behind.
"You're the one who said that. Nobody is allowed to slack off! Today, I'll train with all of you!"
""Yes!""
Not far away, Rudolf, Air Groove, and the others were patrolling the training ground. When they saw Fujiwara Chiya running together with his uma musume, indescribable expressions appeared on their faces at the same time.
"Air Groove, have you ever heard of a trainer who trains together with uma musume?"
"No."
"Heh… In that case, Trainer Chiya is the first."
A trainer who trained in coordination with uma musume.
"If one wishes to become an unprecedented Empress, then naturally, one must have an unprecedented Scepter of the Empress. It seems Trainer Chiya has also gained awareness different from ordinary people."