Mejiro Dober confronted the black-haired man in front of her.
"What are you trying to do to Shirayuki…?"
Not good at talking to strangers and burdened with a fear of men, Mejiro Dober's face turned pale as she stammered out the question.
She had just seen him take off Shirayuki's shoe, and now he was about to remove her sock. From her perspective, his hands looked anything but clean, and Shirayuki herself seemed oddly tense.
Thinking her roommate might be in trouble, Dober rushed over and even picked up a small branch from the ground as a makeshift weapon.
It was useless, but it gave her a bit of courage.
"Dober-senpai?"
"Who are you calling senpai?! How do you even know my name?! And what are you trying to do to Shirayuki?!"
Realizing he slipped up, Chiya coughed awkwardly. "Please calm down, Mejiro Dober. I'm Shirayuki's trainer. I'm just checking her foot."
"Checking her foot? Then why do you look like that? That doesn't look like someone doing an examination."
Her legs trembled, but Dober still forced herself to push back.
"What do you mean, 'look like that'?"
"That look… it's ugly, dirty, full of desire. You're not examining her at all."
Even if I did have some questionable thoughts, that's way too harsh…
Chiya took a critical hit.
"It's a misunderstanding. Really. She stepped on something just now. I just wanted to check if she was hurt."
"She stepped on something… then what are you doing?"
"Checking."
Like putting on a ring. You can do it with one hand, but it's easier with two.
Chiya and Shirayuki were like a pair of hands working together.
"Really…?"
Dober turned to Shirayuki.
"Dober-senpai, I was the one who asked him."
"I wasn't lying," Chiya added, clearing his throat. "I was just checking her condition. Since everything seems fine, I'll get going. Shirayuki, you should stay with your senpai."
He gave a brief, symbolic nod to Dober before leaving.
Just my luck. Of all people, it had to be Mejiro Dober.
He had originally planned to recruit her. Instead, their very first meeting tanked her impression of him.
Why does my route feel harder than everyone else's? Is the world out to get me?
With that thought, Chiya trudged back toward the dorms.
Back at the training grounds, once he was gone, Dober collapsed to her knees as if all strength had left her body. Sweat covered her face as she panted heavily, the branch slipping from her hand.
"Dober-senpai!"
Shirayuki quickly put her shoe back on and rushed over.
"Are you okay?"
I'm the one who got yelled at, so why does she look like the victim…
"I'm fine…" Dober took a deep breath.
Just speaking to him had made it hard for her to breathe. The thought that he might suddenly lose his temper had frozen her in place. Even so, she could not ignore what she believed to be improper behavior, especially when it involved her roommate.
"Shirayuki… he didn't do anything to you, right?"
"No. Onii-sama wouldn't do anything like that."
"Even so, you shouldn't let male trainers handle things like that. They might have… improper intentions."
Like that man just now. His gaze had not been clean.
Dober had experienced that kind of look before. A man staring at her with desire. It terrified her so much that she could not even sleep at night.
"Improper intentions… I guess that's possible. But I think most men have thoughts like that to some degree. What matters more is whether they act on them, right? We can't expect every trainer to be some kind of saint detached from worldly desires."
Shirayuki found herself half-defending him, half-defending all male trainers.
It made sense, but Dober still shook her head.
"That's still not okay. You're new here, Shirayuki. You don't know yet. There are trainers who abuse their position and get handsy with Uma Musume. You need to be careful."
"I see… I didn't realize."
She definitely has a strong bias against men…
Sure, some trainers did try to take advantage, but they always got kicked flying for it. One kick from an Uma Musume was no joke.
No one would risk their life over something like that.
"Anyway, why are you here, Dober-senpai?"
Not wanting to continue the topic, Shirayuki changed the subject.
"I'm doing independent training." Dober stood up and brushed back her sweat-soaked hair. "My instructor signed me up for next week's mock race. I'm hoping a trainer will notice me."
"I see. So even those without a trainer can participate?"
Dober's expression darkened instantly.
Realizing her mistake, Shirayuki waved her hands. "That's not what I meant!"
"It's fine." Dober sighed. "Normally, we can't. But I've gone too long without choosing a trainer, so this is my only option."
"I understand. With your ability, I'm sure someone will pick you. At least, the trainer I know speaks very highly of you."
"The trainer you know… you mean that one just now?"
"…Yes."
Dober's face twisted in obvious disgust.
Ah… that hurts.
"Well, thanks for the warning, Dober-senpai. I'll be more careful. I won't disturb your training any longer."
With that, Shirayuki left the field.
She decided to turn her frustration into appetite.
Misunderstandings like this were hard to clear up. By the time Dober realized the truth, who knew how long it would take. Was she supposed to just let such a good opportunity slip away?
No way.
At the dining hall, a mountain of food nearly as tall as half her body sat in front of her.
Shirayuki devoured it at full speed.
For some reason, once she started eating, her stomach became a bottomless pit, endlessly craving more.
Well, the more Uma Musume eats, the faster she runs. She had already proven that during training.
So from now on, she would just eat.
Eat until all her worries disappear.
One plate wasn't enough. She went back for another, piling it just as high.
As she continued her feast, a silver-haired figure approached, carrying an equally ridiculous stack of food.
A/n:
Do tell me if there is anything that doesn't seem right. I was kind of in a rush translating today's chapter. Got preoccupied with making some ramen broth.