After that terrifying speeding incident, Shirayuki discovered that she seemed to have gained a new ability. When her elbow accidentally knocked against a cup, her heart suddenly jumped. The cup seemed to draw a slow arc through the air as if in slow motion, and even the water inside appeared to hang suspended in midair.
Shirayuki had once heard that when people approached their limits, time would seem to slow down. Even lightning could be seen tracing its path. Even if someone was not near their limit, a similar sensation could occur during a sudden emergency. And now, Shirayuki had entered that state.
She caught the cup steadily from the air, but the spilled water still fell onto the floor. She could see the path of the falling droplets, but her body could not keep up.
This should be a sign that her reaction speed had reached a certain level. It seemed she had gained something from misfortune, accidentally awakening her potential.
Could pushing herself to the limit allow her to break through herself?
Shirayuki suddenly had that thought.
The conclusion was still unclear for now. But regardless, her improvement was real, and she would make proper use of this unique advantage in the future.
"Is Trainer Chiya here?"
The next day, Air Groove came to find Fujiwara Chiya, who was sitting in his office. He was lying on his desk, secretly taking a nap. Hearing the voice, he hurriedly raised his head. Seeing the pressure marks on the man's face, Air Groove's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Air Groove... Is something the matter?"
Fujiwara Chiya instinctively touched the corner of his mouth. Realizing there was still drool there, he hurriedly wiped it away.
"I wanted to meet Shirayuki's 'Empress Sceptre.'"
"Hm?"
"Sorry..."
Realizing the problem with her wording, Air Groove shook her head. This was a term she had invented, so the trainer naturally would not understand what it meant. She simply changed it into something close enough.
"I hope she can become Student Council vice president."
"Hah..."
Fujiwara Chiya blinked. Even so, shouldn't this matter be discussed with Rudolf? As a trainer, he had no authority to tell the Student Council how to operate.
"But Shirayuki currently has several areas where she is unqualified."
"Please explain."
Fujiwara Chiya suddenly became interested. Shirayuki was the perfect girl he had shaped bit by bit. Everything about her perfectly matched his own aesthetic sense. Chiya did not believe that anyone could still find flaws in Shirayuki.
"As an 'Empress,' there are two indispensable conditions. The first is the imposing presence of a guide. Her words need to carry weight and convince others. In this regard, Shirayuki is lacking. Her personality is too weak. Once someone loudly refutes her, she becomes vague and hesitant. She cannot bring out the confidence needed to refute the other person."
Fujiwara Chiya listened. He could not deny that this was indeed true.
But there was a reason Shirayuki's personality was weak. It was because Chiya liked girls with slightly softer personalities. Generally speaking, gentle girls would show a helpless expression when refuted by others. This applied to Rice Shower and Grass Wonder as well, and Chiya found that kind of expression wonderful.
So the reason Shirayuki had become like this was entirely because of Chiya's preferences. He wanted Shirayuki to live according to the ideal image in his heart.
"Furthermore, as her trainer, you spend too little time beside Shirayuki."
For Air Groove to say this might have been somewhat improper, but she still had to say it. Shirayuki was the target she intended to cultivate seriously, and she hoped Shirayuki could have a suitable environment for growth.
Air Groove could help change her personality, but matters concerning her trainer could only be handled by Chiya.
The Empress and the Empress Sceptre could not remain separated forever. Only when the two became one could they complete each other.
"You mean I should accompany Shirayuki when she works?"
"Not accompany her. Help her. Shirayuki is a good seedling. She can definitely become an incredible Uma Musume, but she cannot do so without her trainer's assistance. Since Shirayuki chose you, I hope Trainer Chiya will take responsibility properly until the end."
Why does she sound like a mother?
And helping her from the side—was that really necessary? Problems Shirayuki could solve were problems he could solve too. Problems Shirayuki could not solve were also beyond him. He and Shirayuki were not complementary existences. They were completely the same type, substituting for each other.
Wouldn't this waste too much of my time...?
But judging from Air Groove's expression, she seemed determined to make him agree. If he refused, Air Groove probably would not look kindly on him in the future.
"I understand. I'll go."
Hearing this, Air Groove let out a sigh of relief. She had come here under considerable pressure. If President Rudolf found out, she would definitely scold her. How could an Uma Musume order a trainer around?
Only when an Uma Musume and her trainer became one in heart and body could they reach the most perfect state. If these two were never together, how could they ever have the chance to become one?
So even if she had to step near the line, Air Groove would bring them together.
Everything was for Shirayuki's future.
"Then please show Shirayuki a little more concern, Trainer Chiya. Sorry for disturbing you."
Air Groove nodded and prepared to leave.
"Wait, Mom."
"...Huh?"
"I said it wrong. Air Groove." Fujiwara Chiya coughed awkwardly. "What time is today's Student Council activity?"
"Two hours from now. Today, I want Shirayuki to try handling things alone. Even without learning from me, that child should already have the ability to guide others independently. So... if Trainer Chiya is beside Shirayuki, it should reduce her pressure quite a lot."
"I understand."
Air Groove's ears moved slightly, and then she left the room.
Reduce her pressure quite a lot... huh.
Would a programmer typing on two computers really double their efficiency?
Forget it. He would treat this as the entry ticket to building a good relationship with Air Groove. Seeing how much Air Groove cared about Shirayuki, he felt that even if he made a somewhat excessive request, she might agree.
Two hours later, during Student Council activity time, Chiya and Shirayuki met in the corridor and began searching for students who needed help.
Fujiwara Chiya noticed that Air Groove was secretly observing from not far away. Her sneaky appearance did not resemble Tracen Student Council's Air Groove at all.
When I was in kindergarten, my mom watched me from the side exactly like this.
For no reason, Fujiwara Chiya had such a thought.
A strange sense of embarrassment suddenly rose in him.
Fujiwara Chiya hurriedly gave guidance to a little foal who looked about the same size as Rice Shower. After thanking him, the other party bounced away happily. Fujiwara Chiya glanced behind him and noticed Air Groove writing something in a notebook.
A familiar scene. A familiar posture.
It instantly stirred Fujiwara Chiya's memories.
She isn't scoring my performance, is she...?
He remembered that his mother, Kitaji Maito, had once shown him a little notebook used for scoring. Then she hugged him and said, "To me, Chiya is a perfect child!"
Although he was grateful that his mother had said that, at the time, Chiya had only felt so embarrassed he wanted to die.
And now, it seemed that this scoring system was about to spread through Tracen.