"Wait, Trainer. I've only learned how to needle uma musume acupoints. I've never learned how to needle humans!"
"Part of my body has already become uma musume, so my meridians and such should be the same as an uma musume's."
"What do you mean, 'part of your body has become uma musume'?"
Anshinzawa Sasami shook her head like a rattle drum.
"Even if you have an extraordinary bone structure, no means no."
"That's right, Chiya."
Akikawa Yayoi could not help speaking up as well.
"Your mother being an uma musume doesn't mean you're an uma musume too. Sasabari isn't the same as acupuncture. If she needles the wrong place, it can easily cause problems."
"Didn't Sasami-san say she was a once-in-a-million super genius? If that's the case, she shouldn't fail."
Fujiwara Chiya's words left Anshinzawa Sasami choking for a long while before she finally spoke.
"All right. If you insist on me needling you… But if there's a one-in-ten-million, one-in-a-hundred-million chance that I make a mistake, don't blame me."
Anshinzawa Sasami turned her head.
"Director, I need an absolutely quiet environment. No outsiders."
"Use the infirmary. It's quiet there."
They went to the infirmary, while Akikawa Yayoi waited outside. Sasabari usually did not take too long, roughly half an hour.
"Please take off your clothes, Trainer."
Anshinzawa Sasami swallowed and spoke to Fujiwara Chiya.
"This is my first time doing this to a man, so whether it succeeds or not is up to fate. How does that sound?"
"You said just now that the success rate was extremely high."
How did it suddenly become up to fate?
Good thing Fujiwara Chiya had not handed Shirayuki over to her. If she missed with one needle, the next race would be ruined. He himself was fine. He was not the one racing, after all. Even if she needled the wrong spot and he could not get out of bed, it would not matter too much. Besides, Darley was helping now, so even if he did not go to training, he could still ask her.
Fujiwara Chiya planned to use himself as the first test subject, to see how good her medical skill really was. If there was no problem on his side, then it would not be too late to bring Shirayuki over afterward.
"Trainer, is it true that you're half uma musume?"
"Of course."
"Could Trainer be… a futa?"
"Pfft—!"
This person looked a little unhinged, but he had not expected her to be this unhinged.
"I'm a pure man. But the blood of an uma musume flows inside me."
"There's such a theory? It wasn't written in the book. Unless it was in the half I haven't finished reading…"
"Hey, I heard that. What do you mean you haven't finished reading? You don't mean the books you're supposed to study, do you!?"
"H-How could that be… I've already memorized the secret manuals by heart. Ohoho… Ohohoho!"
She let out a strange laugh.
"All right, Trainer. Where do you want me to needle? I've currently learned four acupoints. One helps increase stamina, one awakens the power inside your body, one relaxes your muscles and makes you more flexible, one clears hidden ailments in your body and makes you healthier, and the last one makes your skin softer and firmer, increasing your charm."
There were quite a few effects. If not for that first half of her sentence, Fujiwara Chiya would have thought this was a blessing that had fallen from the heavens.
Fujiwara Chiya took off his shirt and lay down on the bed.
After thinking for a while, he said, "I think all of them sound good. Why don't you needle all four?"
"All of them!? Uh, well…"
"What's wrong?"
"It's not impossible, but I'm afraid you might explode."
"What?"
Fujiwara Chiya had never heard of Sasabari being life-threatening. What did she mean by explode? Physically?
"Everyone's meridians have a limit. Changing one acupoint can indeed awaken potential, but at the same time, it increases the burden on the body. Usually, needling one acupoint is enough. If there are too many, I'm afraid your body won't be able to withstand it. Your heart might go thump-thump-thump, and then you'd be thumped to death."
That did sound rather frightening.
"Then let's go with stamina. Make my stamina stronger."
"Okay."
Anshinzawa Sasami began preparing. She took out something that resembled an acupuncture needle, except it was one size thicker. That was the triangular needle used exclusively for Sasabari.
She looked at Fujiwara Chiya lying on the bed and took a deep breath.
Aside from serving tea and water, this was her first time facing a client as a Sasabari practitioner.
She took off her gloves and touched Fujiwara Chiya's skin.
So tender.
Is this really a man's skin?
It feels almost like a girl's.
And his muscles feel soft and springy. Didn't the book say men's muscles were usually hard? Why is Trainer Chiya different?
Wait, I'm touching a man right now!
Anshinzawa Sasami covered her face as blood rushed upward. She suddenly felt embarrassed. This was the first time in her life that she had been in such close contact with a man around her age.
"Sasami-san?"
Feeling nothing happening on his back for a long while, Fujiwara Chiya could not help calling out.
"Ahem. Trainer, I'm currently sensing the meridians on your body. Please be patient."
She patted her cheeks and forcibly focused her attention on his back.
She extended a finger and pressed it against Fujiwara Chiya's waist, then began sliding upward.
I remember Master said it's two fingers above Shiguan. If this is Shiguan, then it should be here, right?
There should be a reaction when I press it.
"How does it feel, Trainer? Pain or itchiness?"
"Pain…"
This is it!
Anshinzawa Sasami wiped the sweat from her forehead. She started to feel nervous.
"Next, there will be several needle pains. Please endure it, Trainer."
After saying that, she took out the triangular needle.
The meridian here connected to the limbs. She needed to perform a deep puncture and bloodletting here, then shallow punctures on the four limbs to activate the muscles and blood.
Taking out five triangular needles at once, Anshinzawa Sasami inserted them.
Blood immediately flowed out. She hurriedly caught it with a test tube. After seeing that there were several dozen millilitres, she pulled out the triangular needle.
"Sasami-san, you don't need to be nervous," Fujiwara Chiya said, comforting her. "My body is very sturdy. You won't break me by needling me."
He could hear her rapid breathing even from where he was lying.
"I… I understand."
She wiped her sweat. After bandaging the wound on his back, she began searching for the meridians in his limbs.
The entire process lasted close to an hour. By the time she wiped the blood clean from Fujiwara Chiya's body, Anshinzawa Sasami was so tired she could barely straighten her waist.
"H-How is it, Trainer?"
Fujiwara Chiya clenched his fist.
There was no strange feeling in his body.
Rather…
This was amazing!
For the first time, he felt his body was filled with strength.
With his current stamina, maybe he could even place in the top ten of a debut race.
Thinking that, Fujiwara Chiya grabbed her hand.
"Sasami-san, it worked!"
"Really!? That's great! See, I told you I'm a genius."
"A genius. You really are a genius. I'll leave those girls to you too!"
"Eh… Y-You want me to needle them now?"
"That's right. Your impression is freshest right now, so you definitely won't make a mistake."
After saying that, Fujiwara Chiya dragged her away.
"No! My power has already been exhausted! And this job is way too hard! I don't want to be a Sasabari practitioner anymore!"