Gold Ship was chaotic twenty-four hours a day without pause, and there were very few times when she seemed normal. More accurately, for an Uma Musume who was always in an abnormal state, being normal was the abnormal thing. So Gold Ship was always in an extremely twisted state. Her words were best treated as entertainment.
"What? I'm serious! Think about it carefully. You sit on a throne, all the Uma Musume around you prostrating at your feet while flattering you and calling you 'Lady Shirayuki.' Isn't that something worth getting excited about? Trainer lies on a bed, and every day, the Uma Musume who comes to serve him is different. In the future, the entire racing world will belong to the Fujiwara family. And I, Gold Ship, will take on the role of choosing the consorts, presenting you with the finest bodies. Then, using the convenience of my position, I'll mess around with Uma Musume. Actually, I'm the true mastermind behind the scenes."
No good. If she kept talking to Gold Ship, her brain would become strange.
The people around them had already stopped paying attention to her. Only Gold Ship was still chattering nonstop by herself.
"I'm very interested."
Suddenly, someone spoke.
A pair of dull, dark-red eyes looked at Gold Ship.
"Tell me more."
"Tachyon-senpai, don't mess around with Gold Ship."
"I'm quite curious about how far Shirayuki's constitution can be developed. Perhaps she really can achieve what Gold Ship described. Wouldn't that be a very interesting experiment?"
"It's not interesting at all. Tachyon-senpai, if you're like this, I won't go to your lab anymore."
Agnes Tachyon closed her mouth.
As her one and only test subject, if Shirayuki ran away, it would be rather troublesome for her.
"Tachyon, you're giving in already? Giving in beneath soft, adorable Shirayuki?"
"After all, I still have other experiments to do. But if you work hard enough on your side, perhaps you won't need my help."
"The strong are always lonely. Looks like I alone must complete this great undertaking."
Don't you start doing strange things either, Ship!
Shirayuki screamed inwardly.
Doto was still the best. From the beginning, she had not said a word and had completely ignored Gold Ship. As expected, this kind of Uma Musume was the best.
"What about you, Doto? Join me in achieving this great undertaking."
Just as Shirayuki thought that, Gold Ship went to bother her.
"Eh... me? I can't..."
That's right, Doto. Reject her firmly!
"The position of Harem Member Number One can be reserved for you."
"C-Can it? I understand. I'll do my best!"
Meisho Doto clenched her fists.
There's no saving them. My team is beyond saving.
The light disappeared from Shirayuki's eyes.
After messing around for a while, everyone wrapped themselves in bath towels and went to the hot spring. Hayakawa Tazuna and Akikawa Yayoi were already sitting in the bath. For some reason, both of them had wrapped their hair in white towels, and their bodies were also covered in the same way.
"Paradise, paradise~"
Akikawa Yayoi let out a comfortable sound.
The group formed a semicircle. Shirayuki leaned beside Tazuna.
"Speaking of which, where is Trainer?"
"Next door."
Hayakawa Tazuna answered leisurely.
Gold Ship looked toward the fence in the middle of the outdoor hot spring.
"Trainer, are you okay?"
"If you have something to say, say it."
Chiya's voice came from the other side.
"Just one wall away from you are the uncovered bodies of nine beautiful girls. Are you interested in coming over for a look?"
"Eh? Is Onii-sama coming over?"
Rice Shower's ears stood up.
"Not interested."
"Could it be that Trainer plans to imagine it by himself?"
"That's right. I'll just imagine it."
Chiya spoke leisurely. Shirayuki looked at Gold Ship as if looking at an idiot, not knowing what this person was trying to bait.
Boring.
Gold Ship sat back down and blew bubbles in the water out of boredom.
This was far from what she had imagined. She had thought Trainer would blush furiously and stammer, "I-I'm not imagining anything!" like some herbivore type who could be teased endlessly. But this was it?
I'm disappointed in you, Trainer.
Gold Ship sat in the water and continued blowing bubbles.
"Shirayuki."
Hayakawa Tazuna spoke beside her.
"Tazuna-oneechan, what is it...?"
Oneechan?
Hearing that, Mejiro Dober turned around. Shirayuki looked at her. Her eyebrows twitched twice before she turned back to Hayakawa Tazuna.
This oneechan was not that oneechan.
"Nothing. I just suddenly remembered that when you first enrolled, you said you really liked Tokino Minoru, right?"
Akikawa Yayoi, beside them, opened her eyes slightly and secretly listened to their conversation.
"Yes."
"Which of her races have you watched?"
"I went to watch all of them."
"I see..."
Hayakawa Tazuna showed a gentle smile. Whether because of Shirayuki's relationship with Chiya or because of her feelings for Tokino Minoru, Hayakawa Tazuna had a very good impression of her. Taking this opportunity, she wanted to get closer to Shirayuki.
"How did you come to like her?"
"A long time ago, when I watched a race for the first time, my father brought me to sit in front of the finish line. Then I saw Tokino Minoru cross the finish line right in front of me. Her coolness and beauty fascinated me, and from then on, I came to like her."
"I-I see."
As expected, hearing the other party say it like this still made her feel embarrassed.
But in front of the finish line, huh?
That was the same as Chiya. Every time she raced, Chiya would come to the venue, and he would always sit in the spectator seats beside the finish line. After Hayakawa Tazuna crossed the line, she could always see him.
That little one who had always supported her. She had wanted so badly to go over and hug that child. Unfortunately, due to the strict alias system at the time, Hayakawa Tazuna could not do that. She could only watch from afar.
Could Shirayuki have been beside him at that time too?
It was possible. After all, in her eyes, there had only been Chiya. She could not see anyone else.
Speaking of which, her serious growth period had arrived far too early. When Chiya was still small, she had already grown to about the same height as Kitaji Maito. Their ages were clearly not that far apart, but she had become like an older sister, directly creating a generational gap between them.
"Was there any race that left a deep impression on you?"
Hayakawa Tazuna continued looking for topics.
"Japan Derby."
Shirayuki answered without hesitation. That was a race she would absolutely never forget.
While recalling it, Shirayuki said, "I sat in the spectator seats like usual. That day, Tokino Minoru's condition looked bad. It was the first time I had seen her complexion look so awful. But in the end, Tokino Minoru still won. Even though her physical condition was very poor, she still broke Central's record. And when she won the race, she even glanced in my direction. Speaking of which, Tokino Minoru's eyes were just like Tazuna-oneechan's, a beautiful emerald green."
Hayakawa Tazuna listened to Shirayuki's words. Slowly, a trace of confusion appeared on her face.
The scene Shirayuki described gradually overlapped with Hayakawa Tazuna's own memory.
She still remembered what had happened back then.
Because her foot had not been in good condition, running had been difficult. When she crossed the finish line, she saw the figure she had longed for with all her heart. In the end, she gathered her strength and crossed the finish line.
"At that time, I was even wearing the Tokino Minoru merchandise clothing I had just bought. And after she crossed the finish line, she waved at me."
Shirayuki's face showed a happy smile as she told Hayakawa Tazuna about that unforgettable memory.
Hayakawa Tazuna's heart began to pound.
Waved...
She had indeed made that gesture toward someone.
And that person had been wearing her merchandise clothing.
But that person had not been Shirayuki.
It had been Chiya.