Under Tazuna's care, Chiya's body gradually improved, and colour slowly returned to his face. It was clear that if Tazuna stayed normal, she was a flawless woman.
Although the reason she had exploded was inseparable from him, and he had pushed her step by step to that point, this was exactly what Fujiwara Chiya found so confusing. What part of him was so attractive to Tazuna? Even though he did have affection for Tazuna, that feeling had always been hidden in his heart and had never been expressed.
He felt that Tazuna definitely had some other emotion toward him, and that emotion did not seem to come from Tracen.
Today, Hayakawa Tazuna came to his office as usual and brought him a bento. Inside were eel, prawns, quail, and other ingredients he rarely ate. His lunch had basically been taken over by Hayakawa Tazuna.
Of course, Fujiwara Chiya had no complaints. Whether in terms of taste or nutrition, it was perfect. It also saved him the trouble of going to the cafeteria.
"Chiya, let's go out together again this weekend." Hayakawa Tazuna smiled brightly. Her emerald-green eyes seemed to be assessing something. Looking at the man's body, which had recovered somewhat, Hayakawa Tazuna licked her lips, feeling somewhat unsatisfied.
"Sorry, Tazuna. I have something to do this week."
"Something to do... Could it be that you're going out with Rice Shower?" Hayakawa Tazuna narrowed her eyes, unable to believe that Chiya still had not learned his lesson.
"It's not Rice Shower. She's meeting a friend this weekend. It's my own matter."
Hayakawa Tazuna observed Fujiwara Chiya's face. After confirming that he was not lying, she nodded.
"All right. Then next time."
In any case, her ban from entering his room was almost over, so there was no need to rush.
"Remember to finish all your food."
"I know."
Hayakawa Tazuna left the room. Fujiwara Chiya bit into the cooked prawn. Since the shell had already been removed, it saved him a lot of trouble. He could tell that Tazuna had made it with great care. Even the vein had been removed.
And correspondingly, Fujiwara Chiya felt the weight of her incredibly heavy emotions.
It had the feeling of something green on the outside but black when cut open.
As for the weekend, Fujiwara Chiya had not been brushing Tazuna off. He really did have something important to do.
After that celebration banquet ended, Fujiwara Chiya had fallen into a tight financial state. He needed to do some part-time work so he would not have to live so cautiously. Next month, things would be better. The two graded race victories had made Central evaluate him again, and Tracen was also preparing to raise his salary. So next month, he would have much more breathing room.
Of course, one person doing part-time work had limited energy. In order to make the greatest use of time, he also found a job for Shirayuki.
A job that could earn money and train the body at the same time.
That's right. Delivery work.
On the weekend, Shirayuki set off wearing a sun hat and a light blue hoodie. Aside from her, there were also quite a few Uma Musume delivering food on the road. They carried insulated delivery boxes on their backs and ran quickly through the streets. Their speed could not match cars, but they were much faster than electric bicycles. They could also take narrow paths, making them far more efficient than humans.
Because of that, they were very well received as delivery workers. Tracen students also chose this job when doing part-time work. The rest usually worked as supermarket cashiers, servers, and so on. The hourly wages were all about the same.
"Hello, I'm here to pick up an order."
The one receiving her was an Uma Musume with a ponytail and a sun hat. She wore a short skirt and a sweatshirt, with a few freckles on her face.
"You're here. Sorry, I was supposed to deliver it myself, but the shop is too busy, so I can't get away... Whoa?"
After seeing who had arrived, the Uma Musume could not help making a sound.
"Aren't you Fujiwara Shirayuki from the Student Council? You're working part-time too?"
"Ah... yes. I'm helping with household expenses. May I ask who you are...?"
"My name is Ines Fujin. I once received your guidance during training."
The Uma Musume introduced herself.
"Ines-senpai."
"I don't have anything proper to offer you. These are my toughness bars. If you get tired while running, eat one. They can restore quite a bit of strength..."
"Ines—"
"Looks like there's no time today. Let's talk next time when we have the chance. I'll leave the delivery to you!"
After saying that, Ines Fujin hurried back inside to work.
Shirayuki packed the order and looked at the toughness bars Ines Fujin had given her. Their ingredients were similar to compressed biscuits. They were high-nutrition foods.
From what Ines Fujin had said, this seemed to be an extremely tiring job that required energy replenishment midway.
Good. She liked challenges.
Following the address on the delivery order, Shirayuki began running around various parts of Tokyo. Due to legal restrictions, Uma Musume were limited to a speed of sixty kilometres per hour. Any faster and they would be reported to the police. The streets were not racecourses. With so many pedestrians coming and going, if an Uma Musume ran too fast, one accident could be enough to kill someone.
This was not a joke. Uma Musume bodies were several times tougher than human bodies. Being hit by them was about the same as being hit by a car. It was only because their bodies were more flexible than vehicles that the probability of collisions was lower.
For public safety, several Uma Musume traffic officers were also stationed along the streets.
Uma Musume did not make up a large proportion of society, but quite a number of important positions were held by them. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Uma Musume supported half of society.
Of course, if there were Uma Musume who supported society, there were naturally also parasites of society. When Shirayuki took a side path, she saw several delinquent Uma Musume squatting in a corner, smoking and drinking. When Shirayuki passed by them, the leader seemed to smell something. Her nose twitched, and she stood up.
"Hey, you."
"Eek!"
Shirayuki instantly ran away.
"Wait! Damn it—!"
After escaping the alley, Shirayuki clutched her chest. Getting tangled up with Uma Musume was no joke.
"This is the last order."
Looking at the sky dyed red by the setting sun, Shirayuki let out a long breath. She had run the whole day. Orders had come one after another, leaving her no time to eat. She had only stuffed a few toughness bars into her mouth along the way.
Thanks to that, Shirayuki had earned quite a lot. In one day, she had made a total of nine thousand yen.
It really was exhausting. Even as an Uma Musume, Shirayuki felt intense fatigue. Without those bars, she might not have been able to keep going.
Tonight, she had to take a bath and relax properly. While she was at it, she would ask Mejiro Dober to massage her shoulders. She was working this hard for the sake of Uma Musume, after all.
Arriving in front of a spacious apartment, Fujiwara Shirayuki knocked on the door. A few seconds later, there was a click from inside, and a brown-haired figure stepped out of the room. The familiar appearance made Shirayuki freeze for a moment, while the other person also let out a "whoa?"
The one who answered the door was none other than Symboli Rudolf's friend, the Uma Musume known as the "Supercar"—
Maruzensky.