French girls were relatively open-minded, and activities like bathing together or washing each other's backs were not uncommon. Treve often did this with her classmates.
She wanted to become friends with Shirayuki. She felt this girl was very distinctive, cute, and unlike anyone she had ever met. Bathing together could bring two people closer, and Japan seemed to have similar customs too.
However, once Shirayuki began washing her back, Treve realized this was different from what she had imagined.
Shirayuki's lively fingers seemed to know the weak points on her back, precisely brushing across her nerves. Not only her back, but even her waist and sides were not spared.
"Uwi!"
Treve's tail shot up.
Her underarm had accidentally been touched, and her sensitive body reacted instantly.
Were Japanese girls all this bold?
In Paris, they usually stopped at a proper point. They would not touch places outside the back, otherwise it would feel like too much. But Shirayuki clearly had no such awareness. After washing her back, she put some shampoo in her hands, then took hold of Treve's tail.
Treve's body jolted as if electricity had run through it.
"Sh-Shirayuki!?"
She called out softly.
"What's wrong?"
The girl tilted her head, her gaze blank.
Treve had originally wanted to tell Shirayuki to be a little more careful, but when she saw those pure blue eyes, she closed her mouth and turned around again.
Maybe this was how people bathed together in Japan.
Maybe she was the one overreacting.
Thinking that, Treve shrank her body a little and sat there obediently, letting Shirayuki handle her.
For uma musume, the tail was one of the most private parts of the body. They would not let outsiders touch it casually unless the other person was very close. Since she wanted to become good friends with Shirayuki, she had to be prepared for this much.
Besides, the way people interacted in their two countries was different. Perhaps to Shirayuki, this was simply a friendly gesture.
Treve endured the strange pleasant sensations coming from her tail.
Behind her, Shirayuki was combing through Treve's tail.
Ordinarily, uma musume would not let outsiders touch their tails. But there was one exception.
Bathing.
Even if their relationship was not especially close, they would help each other smooth out their hair, much like washing someone's head.
At first, Shirayuki had thought this was something done only with close friends. Then, after she began racing, whenever she went to the public bath, juniors would come over to serve her of their own accord. She would also groom their hair in return. Over time, she became used to washing tails with uma musume she was not particularly close to.
Of course, most of those who came over were juniors from Tracen. Shirayuki always treated them the same way she treated Rice Shower, helping them wash their hair and clean up after training.
Later, whenever she went to the bath, those juniors would compete to gather around her. Whether their relationship was intimate or not became less important.
She had become an "Empress" entirely different from Air Groove, someone who maintained dignity while still being approachable.
Otherwise, why would those little foals call her "Empress-sama" while also saying things like, "Shirayuki-senpai is the kind of uma musume who could become my mother!"
Of course, Shirayuki, who still held great ambitions, had never known how to respond to such outrageous statements.
After she won the second crown, some students had even formed a new Empress fan club at Tracen. But she had been busy with racing and student council work, so she had never really looked into it.
To Shirayuki, washing a tail was one way of taking care of others.
Any uma musume who passed through her hands would become soft and docile. Even those with rougher tempers would end up that way. This included Shinko Windy. When Shirayuki washed her tail, she became unbelievably obedient, leaning against Shirayuki's shoulder while breathing heavily.
Now that Shirayuki had come to Paris, the adorable juniors who liked to surround her were no longer nearby. When bathing, she could only do so with Rice Shower and the others.
Today, Treve had invited her first, so naturally Shirayuki wanted to show off her skills.
She worked her fingers into Treve's tail and gently washed it for her.
Those girls all seemed to like this feeling very much. Whenever Shirayuki washed their tails, they would curl up, their ears flicking rapidly on top of their heads. Some would even hook Shirayuki's hand with their tails in return.
Just like Treve now.
Treve's tail wrapped around Shirayuki's hand and began rubbing against it on its own.
Judging from Treve's expression, she probably had not even noticed what she was doing.
Shirayuki skillfully cleaned the tip of her tail. After Treve let out a small sound, her tail softened and loosened.
This sensitive spot seemed common to all uma musume.
Shirayuki herself was the same.
When Chiya stroked her tail, touching the very tip gave her an almost floating sensation. She liked it very much.
After being washed, Treve's skin looked faintly pink under the light. Perhaps because she often wore crop tops, Shirayuki noticed that her waist was slightly darker in colour, and the texture beneath her hand was excellent.
As expected of Europe's genius uma musume.
This body is outstanding.
Among Shirayuki's friends, the one with the best natural quality was Tokai Teio. When Shirayuki helped her bathe, her soft and springy muscles felt almost as if they could ripple under the touch.
But Treve was on an even higher level.
When Shirayuki's fingers moved from Treve's tail to her waist, her supple body seemed as if it could gently draw the fingers in, then bounce back with graceful elasticity after Shirayuki let go. Shirayuki had never felt anything quite like this from another uma musume.
She really can't be underestimated…
Shirayuki marvelled at Treve's body.
The orange-haired girl's eyes gradually grew hazy. Every one of Shirayuki's movements seemed to touch exactly where she was most vulnerable. Treve covered her mouth tightly to prevent herself from making any strange sounds. It was as if Shirayuki understood her body better than she did, using practised, smooth movements to loosen her reason and nerves.
Shirayuki…
Do Japanese uma musume all wash each other like this?
Her sense of embarrassment was almost overflowing.
The moment Shirayuki took hold of her tail, Treve felt as though her privacy had been completely exposed before the other girl. Yet behind that embarrassment was a comfort she could not help wanting to linger in.
This is…
This is way too good…
Treve had many friends. In all of Paris Tracen, she had more than could be counted on both hands. But when people interacted with her, they always kept a certain distance. Even if they occasionally pinched her cheek or tapped her head, they stopped at the right point.
Treve had never been this close to a friend before.
Today's contact with Shirayuki seemed to open the door to a new world for her.
They showed each other honesty, helped each other relax, and cared for each other directly.
It really was effective.
This method of shortening the distance between people worked incredibly well. Right now, Treve felt that Shirayuki had leapt from an ordinary friend straight to a close friend. Her fondness for Shirayuki was rising rapidly.
Embarrassment, nervousness, and excitement intertwined, forming an intense sense of comfort. This stimulation, which she had never experienced before, made Treve sink into it.
Without realizing it, she leaned closer against Shirayuki.
Shirayuki picked up the showerhead and rinsed Treve's tail.
These little foreign uma musume really had fuller hair. Even Treve, with her petite build, had a longer tail than Shirayuki.
In more ways than one.
"Next time…"
Treve lifted her head slightly and looked at Shirayuki.
"Together again?"
"Mm. Of course."
Hearing that, Treve smiled.
She had already begun looking forward to it.
That lingering, unforgettable comfort.