The next morning, Fujiwara Chiya felt someone shaking him. The force kept getting stronger, and when that wasn't enough, the person started pinching his cheek. Soft… warm… definitely a girl's hand. A girl? Since when were there girls in the male staff dorm? His mind was foggy, barely able to think. His eyelids felt like they weighed a ton. Groggily, he turned toward the hand. Stop pinching… it's annoying… let me sleep…
Chiya grabbed the hand and pulled it toward him. "Ah!" A startled cry rang out as something fell onto him. …What was that? Whatever. Don't care. His brain was mush. Thinking was too much effort.
"Chiya!" Right as he started snoring again, a furious voice exploded beside him, followed by a punch straight into his stomach. "Gah!" The haze in his mind vanished instantly. Chiya groaned and jolted like a flopping fish before snapping his eyes open.
"Th-there's an assa—""Get up!"
Before he could finish, another punch landed in the same spot. A strange force carried through it, sending him springing upright. Then he saw her. Collapsed on his bed, hat tilted sideways, face bright red from either anger or embarrassment… Akikawa Yayoi.
"Director!? Why are you here!?" Chiya nearly lost his soul on the spot. It felt like waking up peacefully only to find your homeroom teacher standing over you. There was no greater terror. In just two seconds, he broke out in a cold sweat.
"Do you know what time it is?""W-what time…""Ten.""And do you know what day it is?""W-what day…""Wednesday."
Chiya's sweat turned into a downpour. "You've skipped work for quite a while, Chiya. You didn't reply to messages, didn't answer calls. I had to come all the way here to drag you out. Are you trying to get yourself fired?" He shook his head like a rattle drum.
But she wasn't done. Fan in hand, she smacked it against her palm as she lectured him. "I already warned you. No more drinking. And what did you do? You drank anyway. Fine, you drank. But then you passed out like the dead! Clearly, you need punishment."
"Punishment!? What kind!?""There's a flower bed on the west side of Tracen. You'll be in charge of clearing weeds, watering, and fertilizing it. For the entire month.""…Director, isn't that flower bed huge?""Exactly. That's why it's a punishment."
Chiya grimaced but nodded through gritted teeth. He had already spent all the money he earned from the Mejiro family yesterday. As long as his salary was safe, he could endure anything.
But speaking of yesterday, he held his head. He couldn't remember how he got back or how he even made it to bed. He pulled off the blanket and looked down.
"Wahhh!""What now!?""My clothes… they're gone."
He was only wearing his underwear. Everything else had vanished. Did I take them off myself? Or did someone else? Where did they go? He searched everywhere but found nothing.
"Your clothes are gone?" Yayoi's expression instantly changed. "Don't tell me you did something while drunk.""No no no! I definitely wouldn't do something like that!" …Probably."You'd better not have. If you caused trouble, I won't forgive you.""Yes, ma'am!"
She sighed. This kid… he's nothing like Fujiwara Zenya. Hard to believe that kind, attentive trainer had a son like this. Drinking, skipping work… what a headache.
"Enough. If you can't find them, just wear something else. Where are your spare clothes?""In the closet."
Yayoi walked over and opened it. "Wait, Director! Don't—" Too late. Inside hung an entire row of body pillow covers, all printed with Uma Musume designs. Right at the front was one of the Triple Crown winners, Mr. C.B.
Chiya straightened up immediately. "Let me clarify. These are just a hobby. They have no special meaning. I don't actually use them much, and even if I do, it's purely for appreciation. I respect all Uma Musume deeply. I would never invade their privacy or stalk them. These items were legally purchased, and no Uma Musume were harmed in the process."
After a long silence, Yayoi finally responded. "Trainer Chiya.""Yes.""You can take care of the east-side flower bed too.""…Yes."
By noon, Chiya sat in the office, sighing endlessly. This was peak bad luck. At least everything he owned was all-ages merchandise. If she had found anything explicit, he might already be packing his bags.
Wait… how did she even get into his room? Does she have a spare key? That's terrifying. Worse than a landlord. No privacy at all.
As he mulled it over, he suddenly noticed something strange. His thoughts were unusually sharp. Getting up, going to work, eating breakfast, his body moved smoothly without hesitation.
Did drinking make him smarter? …No way.
He stroked his chin, eyes drifting to the training schedule in front of him. "Fujiwara Shirayuki." The moment he saw the name, it felt like lightning struck him from head to toe. He shot up from his chair.
Shirayuki! She hasn't woken up yet!
He shut his eyes tightly, like forcing himself awake from a dream. When he opened them again, a new image filled his mind. Shirayuki's dorm room. Without thinking, she hurriedly threw on her clothes, grabbed her bag, and dashed to school.
"I'm so sorry I'm late!" She burst into the classroom, panting. All eyes turned to her. The slightly balding teacher adjusted his glasses.
"Shirayuki.""Yes!""…Class is already over."
The lunch bell rang.
"…Impressive, Shirayuki. Late for the entire morning." Special Week and the others gathered around her.
"The longest I've been late is two classes," Seiun Sky leaned back in her chair, arms behind her head, bragging."I thought you got lost on the way to school, so I even tried calling you… but you didn't answer," Meisho Doto said timidly."Ah, how elegant! Even oversleeping has its own kind of charm!" Opera O declared grandly.
Shirayuki collapsed onto her desk, completely drained. She deeply regretted drinking so much last night. Her memory was completely gone.
Recalling how she woke up naked that morning, she thought to herself:
…I didn't do anything weird, right?