Time passed to the weekend. Mejiro Dober had gone home for a family gathering, leaving Fujiwara Shirayuki alone in the dorm.
Normally, she would just stay home and play games. But after several days of practice, she had become much more proficient at controlling two bodies. Now, she was fully capable of handling two tasks at once.
After thinking it over, Shirayuki finally came up with an idea.
Queue up ranked.
That's right, play with herself so she wouldn't get dragged down by teammates.
After losing five straight games in the bot lane duo queue, Shirayuki quietly closed her laptop.
"I'm so bad!"
This proved that even if she could split her attention, she couldn't excel at two things simultaneously, especially something that required intense focus like gaming. Once things got tense, she couldn't even tell which was Chiya and which was Shirayuki.
It sounded ridiculous, but it was actually a serious problem. She and Chiya were completely different identities, living entirely separate lives. If she mixed them up, it could lead to serious consequences.
Shirayuki made a mental note.
At that moment,
Knock knock knock.
The sound of knocking broke the silence.
Shirayuki tilted her head. Who could it be? Did Dober come back already?
She opened the door and saw a pink-haired girl standing outside, wearing a large red ribbon.
"Shirayuki-san," the girl called.
Shirayuki recognized her. It was the girl who had given her tissues in the changing room.
"Thanks for earlier."
"No problem, I had just gotten a nosebleed too," she laughed. "Oh right, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Agnes Digital, from the class next door."
As she said that, Agnes Digital leaned closer.
"Shirayuki-san, I heard that you introduced yourself in class by saying you came to this school because you like Uma Musume and want to run alongside them. Is that right?"
Her face was way too close. Shirayuki instinctively stepped back.
"That's right."
"That's amazing!" she shouted. "Me too!"
"M-me too what?" Shirayuki asked, startled by her energy.
"I also came here because I love Uma Musume. No, love isn't enough. I worship them! They're so beautiful, so captivating, they're basically divine creations!"
Agnes Digital clasped her hands, looking like she was about to ascend.
"I knew it when I saw you in the locker room. Shirayuki-san, you feel the same way, don't you? You love Uma Musume too, right? Right!?"
Rather than love, I'm just attracted to them physically…
"I understand you," Agnes Digital said, grabbing Shirayuki's hand. "I've been searching for someone like me. Tell me, who's your oshi?"
Oshi?
She didn't really have one.
"I do like Uma Musume, but I think I'm a bit different from what you imagine."
"Different?"
Shirayuki nodded. "I don't focus on just one Uma Musume or give special treatment. Anyone I care about, I treat them equally."
"Equally… so you support everyone the same?"
"Yeah."
"That's… amazing!" Agnes Digital cupped her face. "Of course, everyone shines equally! I knew you had the potential to be a DD. In that case, why don't we form a group together? We'll call it 'Universal Love: Equal Uma Musume Appreciation Club.' What do you think?"
"Huh?" Shirayuki blinked.
"Form what?"
"An Uma Musume appreciation group. We can gather together, discuss their strengths, what makes them cute, and even share photos."
As she spoke, Agnes Digital pulled out a stack of freshly printed photos.
"Here, take a look."
Shirayuki leaned in.
They were candid shots of Uma Musume daily life, eating, relaxing, training, everything. The quality was excellent, clearly taken by a professional.
As she flipped through them, she suddenly saw Rice Shower happily eating ice cream.
"This is?"
"Rice Shower! She's so cute! That was last summer, she won a second popsicle stick and said she wanted to give it to her 'Onii-sama.' That's way too precious! I want her to call me that too!"
Ice cream…
Yeah, that did happen. She gave him a winning stick, and Chiya kept it as a memento instead of redeeming it.
The next few photos were also familiar. Gold Ship, Meisho Doto, Special Week, Mejiro McQueen, all her teammates and classmates.
Then, near the end, she saw someone even more familiar.
Mejiro Dober.
She was holding a brown paper bag, smiling brightly.
"Where was this taken?"
Shirayuki asked.
"Let me think… outside a movie theater, near a merchandise shop," Agnes Digital replied. "I saw her coming out and snapped it. That cool and distant Mejiro Dober smiling like that, such gap moe! Ahh~"
"What's she holding?"
"…I think it's a 'Magical Carrot' anime poster."
"'Magical Carrot'… that kids' show?"
The protagonist was literally named Carrot. Chiya used to watch it as a kid.
Didn't expect Dober to like that.
"So, Shirayuki-san, are you interested in joining?"
Agnes Digital asked.
"There's even a bonus if you join now."
"What kind of bonus?"
"My personal Uma Musume photo collection! It even includes… swimsuit photos."
No way…
"Seriously?"
"Don't underestimate my dedication. Every angle, every pose."
"Rice Shower?"
"Yes."
"McQueen?"
"Yes."
"Rudolf?"
"Also yes."
"I'm in."
"My comrade!" Agnes Digital's eyes sparkled. "I knew you wouldn't refuse. Come, become an Uma Musume fan with me!"
She handed over the photos as a welcome gift, and Shirayuki carefully stored them in her desk.
After leaving the room, Agnes Digital took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she pulled out one photo she hadn't shown Shirayuki.
It was a white-haired girl wearing cat ears, smiling among a crowd.
"So cute…"
She hugged the photo to her chest.
"Shirayuki-san… she's just too precious!"