"Chiya… no, I should say Chiya-senpai now."
"I've only been working for a year. Just call me Chiya."
"…Chiya. It's been a while since I've said that."
Kiryuuin Aoi smiled with a nostalgic look.
Back in university, the two had been classmates. By chance, they discovered they both wanted to become trainers, and from that point on, they began sharing notes and studying together, aiming to obtain a central trainer license.
Chiya passed on his first attempt. Aoi failed the first year, but succeeded on her second.
"You're amazing. When I joined, I wondered if you might already be at Tracen. Turns out you got here a year ahead of me."
"It wasn't easy."
They continued catching up.
"So how many uma musume are in your team now?"
"Three… four… five… six?"
"…Six?"
"More or less."
What did "more or less" mean? Aoi decided not to press it.
"What about you? If we're doing joint training, you must have your own team too."
"Yes. I currently have three."
"Do I know them?"
"Happy Meek, Seiun Sky, and Special Week."
He didn't recognize the first name.
The other two, however, he knew very well.
So Special Week's trainer was Aoi. That made sense. With her eye for talent, she would definitely be able to spot strong uma musume.
"Got it. Then I'll take the lead for today's joint training. I'm still new myself, but I'm familiar with how things work here."
"Thank you. And… if you're free sometime, would you like to go out and talk?"
"Of course. Anytime."
Aoi smiled.
At the training field, Chiya stood in front of the group.
"This is the trainer who will be joining us for joint training, Kiryuuin Aoi. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask her."
"For the next week, I look forward to working with all of you."
Aoi stepped forward and bowed.
"These are the uma musume joining us from Aoi's team. Happy Meek, Seiun Sky, and Special Week."
They each gave a small bow.
Chiya's gaze shifted to the white-haired girl beside them.
Mid-length white hair, straight bangs, pink eyes.
This was Aoi's first uma musume, and someone Chiya had never seen before.
"…They look alike."
Gold Ship spoke up.
"Happy Meek, what's your relationship with Shirayuki?"
"…Shirayuki?"
She tilted her head.
Gold Ship pointed behind her.
"You two look almost identical."
Aside from their eye color, the resemblance was uncanny. Shirayuki's ears were just a bit longer.
"…Could it be?" Gold Ship widened her eyes.
"Could it be what?" Shirayuki frowned.
Happy Meek suddenly stepped forward and said calmly,
"Could it be… you're my long-lost sister?"
"What!?"
"…Huh?"
Everyone reacted at once.
"I knew it. You look too similar not to be related," Gold Ship said proudly.
"That's impossible. I'm an only child. Where would I get a sister?" Shirayuki denied immediately.
"Are you sure? Are you really sure you're an only child?" Gold Ship leaned in suspiciously.
"…I think so."
Even Shirayuki hesitated.
She still had doubts about this body. Was "Fujiwara Shirayuki" something that suddenly came into existence? Was it split from Chiya? Or did this body originally belong to someone else, whose consciousness had been overwritten?
That was way too complicated. Chiya could practically imagine a whole novel out of it.
Looking at Happy Meek, Shirayuki cautiously asked, "Am I really your sister?"
Happy Meek half-lowered her eyelids and studied her carefully.
"…Yes."
Wait, seriously!?
"Eh!? Shirayuki and Meek are related?" Special Week's eyes widened.
"This is getting interesting," Seiun Sky smirked.
Before anyone could react further, Happy Meek tilted her head again.
"…Actually, I don't think I have a sister."
She straightened up and bowed.
"Sorry. I got it wrong. That was just a character I imagined when I was bored. I don't have a sister. If I did, I probably wouldn't have enough snacks."
"…That girl…" Chiya muttered.
"…sometimes says things that don't make sense," Aoi added calmly.
"I see… that scared me for a second."
She really was a bit absent-minded. They almost sent Shirayuki off for a DNA test.
So it was probably one of the earlier explanations.
"Alright, let's start training. Everyone, go warm up."
After they left, Chiya began explaining the training flow to Aoi. She listened carefully, occasionally taking out a notebook to write things down.
Her seriousness made Chiya a little nervous.
Though she had always been like this.
"Chiya."
Aoi brushed her hair back.
"What's your goal now?"
"My goal?"
"You said before that you wanted to become a trainer and enter Tracen. You've achieved that. So what's next?"
She looked straight at him.
"Is it still the same?"
Chiya lowered his head and thought for a moment.
"Yes. Still a trainer. But… a better one."
A veteran trainer.
He was still a rookie, but he was moving toward that goal step by step.
"Getting into Tracen isn't the end. Whether it's uma musume or trainers, we have to keep moving forward."
Aoi's expression softened.
"You haven't changed. You're still chasing that dream for the sake of the uma musume."
"It's what I've always wanted."
"To hold onto that kind of dream for over a decade… that's rare."
Back then, Chiya had only been a child.
"…I'm the same."
Aoi met his gaze.
"My goal is the same. To become a veteran trainer. So this time, as your junior, your classmate, and your colleague, I want to work hard alongside you again."
"…Alright."
Chiya extended his hand.
"Let's take care of each other."
"Yes!"