The woman named Darley gave Fujiwara Chiya a strangely familiar feeling.
Although her face was subtly different from the person in his memories, and her skin color was also wrong, that fiery red hair and those eyes made Fujiwara Chiya connect her with that shop clerk.
Fujiwara Chiya felt that there could not be a second person in the world with eyes like hers.
So clear they seemed capable of seeing through a person's soul.
He took out her identity file.
Name: Darley.
International student from Britain.
Majored in uma musume research.
Returned to Japan last year and had been searching for suitable work ever since.
The résumé had been sent over by the Student Council. It had already been verified, and there were no problems.
"Have we met before?" Fujiwara Chiya asked.
After experiencing so many strange incidents, this world had long since become anything but normal to him. Inexplicable memories, ghosts and spirits, strange beings, powers beyond common sense. Unlike the surface world of science and logic, the hidden side of the world had far exceeded his understanding.
So even if that person appeared before Fujiwara Chiya in a different form, he would not be surprised.
However, documents like identity information also truly existed, which made Fujiwara Chiya unable to help suspecting that she might simply resemble that person.
"This is our first meeting, Trainer Chiya. If Trainer has seen me somewhere before, perhaps it was at a nearby convenience store. After all, I rent a place in Tokyo and need part-time work to support myself."
"Your educational background is impressive. You graduated from a famous university and studied overseas. Couldn't you find a good job?"
"I found a few, but none of them really suited me. There was finally one that seemed good, but my companion rejected it. This morning, I saw Trainer Chiya's recruitment notice and thought I'd try my luck. Perhaps Trainer might take a liking to me and let me become an assistant trainer."
A smile appeared on her fair, clean face.
The more Fujiwara Chiya looked at her, the more he felt she resembled that shop clerk. But the subtle differences, along with her attitude of firmly refusing to admit anything, made it impossible for Fujiwara Chiya to say for certain.
He looked at her résumé again and thought for a long time.
In the end, he nodded.
"All right. You're hired."
"Really? Thank you so much, Trainer. After entering Tracen, I won't have to worry about dinner every day anymore. I'll definitely work hard!"
Is that person really her?
It does not feel like it.
At least, their personalities do not seem alike.
"I'll explain your daily work."
Fujiwara Chiya went through the details and handed her his training schedule.
The work of an assistant trainer was simple. Each day, she would help the trainer, record times, look after the uma musume, and spend the remaining time studying.
Fujiwara Chiya had obtained a senior trainer's notes from Oguri Cap. He needed to finish reading them during this period. He would not train together with Shirayuki every day.
Right now, the one who needed to break through was not Shirayuki.
It was him.
There was only a little over half a month until the second race. It was not much time. If he wanted to balance both sides, he would have to work overtime.
"In short, your task is to look after my uma musume and supervise their training. Can you do that?"
"Of course. Please leave it to me."
She bent down slightly and showed a highly professional smile, carrying the air of an elite university student.
Fujiwara Chiya stared blankly at her face.
"What is it, Trainer Chiya?"
"Nothing…"
Forget it.
When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go straight.
Thinking too much now would not help him.
"Oh, right. Have they given you an employee dormitory yet? Where are you staying now?"
"There aren't suitable beds available in the staff dormitory at the moment, so Tracen has temporarily arranged for me to stay in the student dormitory. They said many assistant trainers live there."
"I see. Which room exactly? If something comes up, I'll contact you."
"The Miho Dormitory. As for the room…"
She looked at Fujiwara Chiya and smiled.
…
"Hello, Shirayuki-san. I'm Darley, the assistant trainer who just moved here. Please take care of me."
"P-Please take care of me too…"
In the student dormitory, Shirayuki looked at the red-haired uma musume walking out of the room and stiffly greeted her.
She had not expected that Darley would be living right next door!
"Shirayuki, who is she?"
Mejiro Dober walked out and looked at Darley.
"Trainer-san's assistant trainer? Hm…"
Mejiro Dober narrowed her eyes.
Speaking of assistant trainers, were they not the people who stayed beside trainers every day?
Judging by her age, she seemed about the same age as Trainer. She was also very beautiful, especially those eyes. Emerald-green eyes like hers were rarely seen at Tracen.
If Trainer spent every day with someone like this, would he develop strange thoughts?
As someone from a prestigious family, Mejiro Dober had heard plenty of rumors about company presidents and secretaries. That was not too different from the relationship between a trainer and assistant trainer.
Somehow, a person like this staying beside Trainer felt even more dangerous than an uma musume.
Just as Mejiro Dober started having all kinds of ominous thoughts about her, that person walked up to Shirayuki and raised a hand to stroke her head.
"I've heard Shirayuki's name for a long time. Today, I finally get to see you in person. You're even cuter than I imagined."
As she spoke, Darley reached out and began rubbing Shirayuki's ears, teasing her almost like she was playing with a cat.
Faced with such an intimate gesture, Shirayuki not only felt no resistance, she actually found it very comfortable.
Even more comfortable than massaging herself.
She could not help raising her head and rubbing against Darley's palm, almost letting out a meow.
"Shirayuki!?"
Seeing this, Mejiro Dober immediately pulled Shirayuki back and held her in her arms.
This person!
Not only had she suddenly appeared beside Trainer, she was also using my Shirayuki without permission!
Too much!
Shirayuki blinked in a daze, completely unaware of what had just happened.
"Ara~ I simply thought this child was cute and wanted to get close to her."
Darley let out a light laugh.
"Seeing my team being so harmonious and affectionate puts me at ease."
"It's not your team. It's Trainer Chiya's team," Mejiro Dober corrected.
"Hehe, you're right. Trainer Chiya's team."
She waved to the two of them and said goodbye before returning to her room.
After Darley left, Mejiro Dober let out a sigh of relief. Just now, Shirayuki's expression had looked as though she was about to melt. In an instant, Mejiro Dober had felt a crisis, as if Shirayuki was about to be taken away by that person.
Trainer was not going to elope with Shirayuki anymore.
Now, someone had suddenly appeared who might steal both of them at the same time!
Could this be a trial sent by the heavens?
Isn't this too cruel?
Couldn't you just safely hand both of them over to me?
Mejiro Dober could not help complaining in her heart.
In her arms, Shirayuki touched her own ears.
Just now, when Darley had reached out and touched her, Shirayuki had suddenly felt an urge to act spoiled.
Her hands seemed to possess some kind of magic, making people sink into them without realizing it.
Shirayuki recalled the résumé she had seen in the office.
It had said: "Frequent contact and interaction with uma musume; able to establish good relationships with uma musume in a short period of time."
So that was what it meant.
She possessed an unmatched affinity with uma musume.
Darley.
Her identity was definitely not simple.