In the room, Fujiwara Chiya was doing push-ups with only two fingers.
For someone with an uma musume-like constitution, this kind of training was almost too easy.
He was not doing it to build muscle, nor was he doing it to show off.
He was doing it to make himself sweat.
His body had now started changing in the same way as Shirayuki's. The effect on other people was still within a controllable range, but the effect on Shirayuki was much greater. She would be directly ruled by instinct.
For some reason, this trait worked especially well on Shirayuki.
Physically speaking, Shirayuki did not seem that different from other uma musume. There was nothing particularly unusual about her body. Because of that, Chiya suspected it might have something to do with her training.
Back at the dojo, Shirayuki had undergone special training with Manhattan Cafe's "friend." She could temporarily suppress the rational part of her mind and hand her body over to instinct.
Because of that ability to switch between instinct and reason, Shirayuki's behaviour could become uncontrollable. It was like a switch. His constitution turned off the switch of Shirayuki's reason, and Shirayuki already had the foundation for that kind of state.
And aside from running, desire was also a kind of instinct.
Once reason was switched off, she would simply follow that desire.
Then she would pounce.
If that was the case, perhaps he could control it with strong willpower. Or, as he had first thought, he could repeatedly stimulate Shirayuki until she became used to the scent.
The weather was growing hotter, and he was sweating more when he slept. Sometimes, Chiya would feel something moving on him. When he opened his eyes, he would find Shirayuki there, half-asleep, drawn to him like a small animal searching for warmth.
Chiya did not mind Shirayuki doing that. If anything, the way she curled up against him was quite tempting, and it felt comfortable too.
But losing control of her body was a serious problem.
It was fine when they were alone in the room, but Chiya was worried that Shirayuki might suddenly lose focus outside and do something strange to him. That would be trouble.
Before that happened, Chiya needed to train Shirayuki's willpower.
The willpower to resist his temptation!
He refused to believe that he could not control his own body.
After finishing his workout, Chiya stood up.
Shirayuki opened the door and entered the room.
The moment she stepped inside, she smelled a sweet fragrance. The scent was so rich it felt as though she had been dropped into freshly made syrup. The intensely tempting smell tugged at her nerves.
Looking at Chiya's body, Shirayuki swallowed.
I want to taste it…
No!
I can't lose to desire!
My body belongs to me. I decide what it does!
Like an ascetic, she stood in front of Chiya and silently endured the waves of impulse rising from instinct.
A few seconds later, Shirayuki wiped her mouth.
What? My willpower is actually pretty good.
For some reason, she felt as though the temptation had weakened a lot.
Then she suddenly came back to herself.
At some point, Chiya had fallen onto the bed. There was still a sweet taste in her mouth, and Chiya's neck glistened faintly. His clothes had also become messy.
What… just happened?
Shirayuki was stunned.
She had no memory of the process at all. While her mind had blanked out, Chiya's side had apparently blanked out too.
I failed?
I lost to desire?
Shirayuki looked at her hands.
She understood now.
She could not endure it.
She could not endure it at all.
The moment she thought that the person in front of her was herself, and that she could do anything she wanted, her reason snapped instantly.
Shirayuki took out a handkerchief and wiped Chiya's neck and chest clean. At the same time, her own body faintly felt the sensation of the handkerchief brushing over skin.
If this really won't work…
Shirayuki thought for a moment.
Maybe it would be better to satisfy the craving first. Once it was released, it should not matter anymore.
She found that after tasting it, her mind became much clearer. Even when she smelled the scent again, she no longer lost reason.
It was the same principle as not feeling hungry after eating.
She held Chiya's hand and lightly bit his finger. His skin was sweet, almost like candy, and Shirayuki's own fingertip also felt the sensation of being bitten.
Even this level of contact was fine.
Sure enough, after satisfying the craving, she would not disconnect.
After nibbling a few more fingers, Shirayuki smacked her lips softly.
This tasted even better than proper food.
Unfortunately, it could not actually fill her stomach.
Climbing off Chiya, Shirayuki helped him straighten his clothes.
Now that her own problem was settled, he still had somewhere to go.
Today was a special day.
He was going to take part in the Longchamp Racecourse exhibition race.
Now, he really was about to challenge uma musume with a human body.
Longchamp Racecourse had even turned it into a selling point, announcing that a male special guest would be participating in the races. This had attracted a large wave of attention.
Chiya felt that one hundred euros per race might have been too little.
When they left the room, Chiya discovered that his uma musume were waiting outside.
Gold Ship stood with her hands on her hips.
"See? I told you. Once Trainer comes out, everyone's here."
"Why was Shirayuki-san in Onii-sama's room?" Rice Shower blinked.
"Why are you all here?"
"Mei said to gather up. Once everyone arrives, we're heading out together. We sent messages but couldn't reach you, so we came over."
Gold Ship rubbed her chin and stepped beside Chiya.
"What were you doing, Trainer? So busy you didn't even have time to check your messages?"
Chiya took out his phone. There were several unread messages, all sent about half a minute after Shirayuki had entered the room.
In other words, while his mind had short-circuited, this group had sent messages.
What perfect timing!
You did this on purpose, didn't you, Gold Ship?
"Why was Shirayuki-san in Onii-sama's room?"
Rice Shower asked again.
"I came to discuss training with Chiya," Shirayuki said, coughing a few times.
"Oh? Training?" Gold Ship smiled in a way that was not quite a smile. "What kind of training? Grass training, or bed—"
Chiya, feeling guilty, quickly cut her off.
"All right, everyone's here now, so let's go. Where's Mei?"
"Over here!"
Satake Mei was parked at the roadside, waving to them from the car.
Rice Shower frowned slightly. She glanced at Shirayuki, then at Chiya. After thinking for a moment, she seemed to make up her mind. A bit of determination appeared on her small face.
They got into the car and headed to Longchamp Racecourse.
The massive venue was packed with people. As an exhibition event tied to a major race, tourists from all over the world had gathered there.
Chiya found the racecourse staff, and they led him to the competitor preparation room.
The rest of the group followed Satake Mei to the restaurant on the third-floor observation deck.
There, Shirayuki ran into Treve, who had also come to enjoy the event.
Treve was wearing a light white off-shoulder top and blue shorts. She looked lively and cute. When she saw Shirayuki, she happily waved, then hurried over in a few quick steps and hugged her.
Then she stood on tiptoe and touched her cheek to Shirayuki's.