"Shirayuki, how was the date?"
After returning to the dorm, Mejiro Dober asked Shirayuki in a slightly strange tone.
"It was fine."
They watched a movie and came back.
"Did anything special happen?"
"…No."
Probably not.
They had only kissed once.
It was nothing major.
Of course, although she said that, the deepest impression from today's date was still that kiss. Even though it had only been brief contact, that feeling had branded itself into her hippocampus like a first kiss.
Because of shared sensation, when their lips touched, their senses overlapped with each other, producing an effect several times stronger than an ordinary kiss. It was like being hit with a stimulant. Her whole brain had gone dizzy and light.
They had even both experienced a racing heartbeat at the same time. A primal desire had begun burning in their hearts. If they had not forcibly separated, she had no idea what would have happened afterward.
Compatibility.
That should be the word.
The compatibility between her two bodies was perfect.
When one body made a movement, the other would instinctively respond. Shirayuki did not know whether this was due to an innate factor or the result of being connected for so long, but either way, her body and Chiya's body had truly reached perfect conditions.
But that feeling was far too terrifying.
If just a kiss was already like that, then if they went any further, both their brains might melt.
Just thinking about it made Shirayuki feel lingering fear. If that happened, she would not need to do anything else anymore. She would spend all day with her two bodies together. On top of that, Chiya now had abundant stamina. After resting for a few hours, he could recover again. Once that door opened, there would be no going back.
No!
Just producing that thought made goosebumps rise across Shirayuki's body. Her heart also began pounding nonstop.
She absolutely could not sink into a world of desire.
If that happened, she would become useless.
"Really… nothing happened?" Mejiro Dober asked again.
"Nothing happened. What's wrong, Dober? Your face looks strange."
For some reason, the depths of Mejiro Dober's eyes looked a little dark.
"It's nothing. I'm just curious about what Trainer-san and Shirayuki did."
She smiled and spread out her bedding.
"Let's sleep early. Shirayuki must be tired too, after walking around with Trainer-san all day."
"You're right…"
Although Mejiro Dober's attitude seemed a little strange, Shirayuki still nodded. She went to the bathroom and quickly rinsed herself before lying back on the bed.
She was not especially sleepy. She had even taken a nap on Chiya's lap in the afternoon.
But Dober looked very tired. There was already no light in her eyes. Shirayuki did not know what she had done today, but if they slept early, Dober could rest sooner.
The two turned off the lights.
Mejiro Dober pulled her blanket tightly around herself.
In the afternoon, she had seen it.
The moment Shirayuki and Trainer-san kissed.
And the way both of them blushed afterward.
Mejiro Dober knew that expression all too well.
It was the expression Shirayuki showed whenever Dober held her.
It was desire.
Trainer-san had developed feelings for himself.
And they were extremely intense feelings.
Mejiro Dober had long since learned Shirayuki thoroughly. She knew exactly what Shirayuki was thinking.
The instant she saw the two of them kiss, Mejiro Dober felt as though something had snapped inside her head.
Unlike other uma musume, Shirayuki was an extremely special existence, both to her and to Trainer-san.
Mejiro Dober now understood why Trainer-san usually did not speak to Shirayuki.
Because Shirayuki was him.
There was no need to communicate.
But once Trainer-san turned his gaze toward Shirayuki herself, the meaning changed.
To Trainer-san, she was an uma musume. Rice Shower, Gold Ship, Doto, all of them were uma musume to him too. They were outsiders. Even if they built intimate relationships, their identities would never change.
But Shirayuki was different.
She was part of Trainer-san.
She was himself.
She was someone he could do anything with.
Once Trainer-san placed her in the highest position, everyone else would become optional.
After all, Shirayuki was the only perfect companion who would never get angry no matter what Trainer-san did, and who could stay by his side forever.
She could become exactly what Trainer-san liked.
Shirayuki was invincible.
Once Chiya fell in love with her, no one else would have any room to interfere.
Mejiro Dober absolutely could not allow that to happen.
She had to move Trainer-san's attention away from Shirayuki.
Looking at Shirayuki in the neighboring bed, Mejiro Dober made up her mind.
She would insert herself between those two.
She could not let them continue getting closer.
The next morning, Fujiwara Chiya opened his eyes in a daze and discovered Akikawa Yayoi sitting on top of him.
"Director?"
"Did you go on a date yesterday?"
"No…"
"Don't pretend. I saw through it. Who was your date? Someone from school or outside school? Human or uma musume?"
What was going on?
She looked as though she intended to dig to the bottom of this.
The Director should have known already, right?
Dating was not a particularly big deal for him.
"It's the first time I've seen you make the face of a lovestruck boy. Even when you went out overnight with Tazuna, I never saw you look like that. Did you find your fated woman? Tell me, who exactly is that person?"
As Chiya's older sister, Akikawa Yayoi knew everything about him.
That included what clothes he liked to wear, his eating habits, his hobbies, and even the uma musume photo books hidden under his bed.
Chiya had no secrets in front of her.
So when Chiya came back last night, Akikawa Yayoi had noticed his change at a glance.
He looked as though he was lingering over something and could not forget it.
"Lovestruck? No, I'm already in my twenties…"
"This isn't about age. I'm asking who your date was."
Looking at Akikawa Yayoi's serious eyes, Chiya hesitated for a moment, then said,
"Shirayuki."
"…Your younger sister?"
"Mm."
Akikawa Yayoi opened her mouth.
A long time ago, she had already wanted to ask what exactly the relationship between Shirayuki and him was.
She had watched Chiya grow up, and she could be considered half a member of the Fujiwara family. But she had never heard of such a person before.
No identity records.
No personal information.
If not for Chiya vouching for her, it would have been almost impossible for Akikawa Yayoi to let such a student enter Tracen.
"Shirayuki is your fated woman?"
"No, she isn't… Wait, maybe she is?"
"Is she or isn't she?"
"My relationship with Shirayuki is simple if you put it simply, and complicated if you put it in detail. She is indeed someone important to me, but exactly in what way she is important is something I still need to seriously consider…"
"Chiya, I don't know much about Shirayuki. She really is a good girl. She has strength, results, responsibility, and resolve. She's almost too perfect. It's not a problem if you like her. The important thing is that you must not only like her."
Tazuna had been constantly pressuring Akikawa Yayoi, telling her to let Chiya move back. Those uma musume also often came to Chiya's room, and judging by the number of them, there were already more than the limbs of a human body.
With the current situation, if Chiya made one careless move, there might not be enough of him to go around even if everyone took a piece.
She hoped he could be a little smarter.
He must not, for the sake of some so-called fated woman, lose everyone who already stood by his side.
That was Akikawa Yayoi's warning to him.