"Graaah!"
With a strange shout, a small brown-haired girl burst into Shirayuki's classroom.
"It's you again!"
Every break, Shinko Windy would show up just to challenge Shirayuki, turning it into a game of cat and mouse.
"That's right, it's me, Windy-sama! Hurry up and call Shirayuki out. I sharpened my teeth just for today!"
She said it proudly.
"Shirayuki went to the trainer exchange event."
Mejiro McQueen answered patiently.
"…Huh?"
Windy's ears perked up.
"Exchange event? What kind of event?"
"A trainer exchange. She's one of the participants."
"I see… Then when is she coming back?"
"Tonight. But she'll be staying out for the next few days."
Hearing that, Windy slowly lowered her raised hand. Her tail swayed lazily as she walked over to Shirayuki's seat, lingering for a moment.
Then, without another word, she turned and left.
Meanwhile, at the central hall.
More than a dozen trainers and dozens of Uma Musume sat together, listening to a speech.
Chiya let out a quiet yawn.
The man on stage had been talking for nearly thirty minutes about how he climbed from a nobody to where he was now.
After listening for a while, Chiya only came to one conclusion.
Connections.
"I knew so-and-so back then,""Luckily I had help from this person,""My friend is an executive…"
Chiya suspected the man was not here to share his journey at all. He was just showing off how well-connected he was, trying to intimidate the new trainers.
Honestly… annoying.
…and a little enviable.
Imagine starting a speech with something like "my chairman father" or "my secretary mother"…
That alone would make people take you seriously.
…Yeah, not happening.
He shook his head and looked over at his Uma Musume.
Mejiro Dober sat upright, seriously listening to the speech despite how empty it was.
Beside him, Rice Shower sat quietly, looking like she did not care about the speech at all.
Her expression clearly said, I just want to be with Onii-sama.
Seeing Rice Shower's sparkling eyes focused on him, Chiya reached out and gently touched her cheek.
"Hehe~"
Rice let out a soft, happy sound.
Soft… smooth… warm…
Her skin felt almost like a baby's.
This is way better than listening to that speech.
Petting Rice Shower was far more enjoyable.
Shirayuki's face probably felt similar, but touching her would feel… strange.
Petting and being petted by the same person… that sounds unhealthy.
So naturally, petting someone else was better.
"Onii-sama~"
Rice's voice grew softer.
Perhaps enjoying it too much, she grabbed his hand and rubbed against it. Her ears and tail started swaying rapidly.
This girl… she's way too precious.
Chiya felt like his heart was melting.
In a team full of problem children, Rice Shower was the only one who brought him comfort.
He gently stroked her soft ears.
Her face flushed red, and she immediately leaned into his chest, rubbing against him like a cat.
Mejiro Dober glanced at the two of them with a strange expression.
"Shirayuki… is this normal?"
"Yes, this is completely normal."
"Onii-sama… Onii-sama…"
Rice's voice drew attention from the people around them.
Chiya coughed awkwardly and patted her shoulder.
Realizing she had gone too far, Rice suddenly froze.
Her face flushed even deeper as she quickly pulled away from his arms.
I couldn't stop myself again…
The comforting scent from Chiya made her completely relax.
Every night, she would take out the coat he gave her, hold it close, and fall asleep peacefully.
After passing the time like that, the speech finally ended.
"Now, please proceed to the racecourse."
Chairs scraped loudly as trainers and Uma Musume began to leave.
"Chiya."
Just as he stood up, a familiar voice called out.
"Sorry, I didn't see you earlier."
Aoi walked over.
Behind her were Special Week, Seiun Sky, and Happy Meek.
"I arrived pretty late myself."
"No wonder."
She smiled.
"Let's go to the track."
At Tokyo Racecourse, inside the waiting room.
Chiya was giving final instructions.
"Did you all remember what I taught you yesterday?"
"Rice remembers everything."
"Yes, Trainer," Dober nodded. "Though there are quite a few conditions. I'm not sure if we can actually use it in a real race."
"If you can use it, great. If not, that's fine too. Your strength alone is already solid. The strategy is just extra insurance."
Then—
Chiya looked closely at Dober.
"W-What is it, Trainer? Why are you staring at me like that?"
She instinctively stepped back.
"No, nothing."
She can talk to me normally now… did her androphobia get better?
"Hey, over here!"
"Eek!"
A man's voice came from the hallway.
Dober reacted instantly, hiding behind Shirayuki like a startled animal.
…Nope. Definitely not cured.
Mental conditions were far harder to fix than physical ones.
It had not even been a month.
"Alright, let's get going."
Chiya stood up.
Under the staff's guidance, the runners were divided into nine groups of four.
"This might be your first time actually stepping onto a real racecourse, right?"
"Y-Yes."
"Rice too…"
They were clearly nervous.
"Think of this as a preview. This track is much larger than Tracen's, and the terrain is more complex. Especially the slopes. Tokyo has a two-meter incline. Nakayama goes up to four meters. It feels almost like running up a wall."
"You'll have proper hill training later. For now, just get used to the real thing."
"Yes!"
As the process continued, Rice Shower, Dober, and Shirayuki moved to their respective groups.
Chiya wanted to tell them to win.
But he held back.
No need to put unnecessary pressure on them.
In her group, Shirayuki spotted a familiar white-haired figure.
"Meek."
"Big sis."
"…Huh?"
"Wrong one."
Happy Meek tilted her head, thinking for a moment.
"…Shiroko-san."
"My name is Shirayuki…"
"Shirayuki?"
She blinked slowly.
Even without much expression, Shirayuki could feel her confusion.
She's… kind of airheaded.
Will she even remember the strategy?
Shirayuki was not confident.
"Let's do our best in the race."
Happy Meek stared at her blankly.
"…Okay."
After a pause, she finally responded.