Fujiwara Chiya had not expected Rice Shower to come looking for him again.
He threw on a jacket and opened the door. At the same time, Shirayuki slipped into the inner room.
Rice Shower had only just seen him earlier, so this did not feel like a casual visit.
The door opened, and Rice Shower stepped inside, looking up at him happily.
"Sorry for bothering you, Onii-sama."
"Come in, Rice. What brings you here so late?"
After taking off her shoes, Rice Shower looked around the room with bright excitement.
"Rice made some dessert, so Rice wanted to eat it with Onii-sama. Also…"
She took out a colourful deck of cards. The word UNO was printed on the box.
"They taught Rice this game. Rice wants to play it with Onii-sama!"
"A card game?"
"Mm!"
"Sure."
Chiya had nothing else to do that night anyway. Playing cards with Rice Shower sounded nice. It was rare for the little one to come find him like this, so he had Rice Shower sit on the sofa and poured her a drink.
"Was Onii-sama about to sleep?"
"Not yet."
"I see."
Rice Shower secretly glanced at him, wearing only that jacket, and lightly licked her lips.
"How do we play?"
Rice Shower explained the rules to him.
Action cards, skip cards, wild cards, and so on. After getting used to it over a few rounds, Chiya started playing with Rice Shower properly. But once they began, he unexpectedly became more and more absorbed.
"I won!"
Chiya shouted.
"Onii-sama is like a little kid."
"This game would probably be even more fun with more people."
Chiya excitedly gathered the cards. Rice Shower blinked.
"Do you want to keep playing, Onii-sama?"
"Hm?"
Chiya looked up at the time. It was already eleven o'clock. Before he knew it, he had spent three whole hours enjoying the game with Rice Shower. Shirayuki had already fallen asleep on the other side.
"Right. Let's stop here for today. I'll walk you back."
"Um!"
Rice Shower slapped the sofa.
She had not come here to play games!
Actually, Rice Shower had wanted to say it for a while, but she never found the right timing. Boys seemed to have a mysterious obsession with tabletop games. Once they started playing, they forgot everything else. Even when she had wanted to sit on Fujiwara Chiya's lap and get close while they played, he refused, saying he was afraid she would look at his cards.
Seeing that he was about to send her back, Rice Shower finally spoke.
"Onii-sama, Rice doesn't want to go back yet."
"Then let's play two more rounds. The dorms don't lock up anyway."
Chiya shuffled the cards.
He liked games with strategy. Usually, he played cards or mahjong with his colleagues, and sometimes he went out for baseball or bowling. But he rarely played tabletop games with them.
Next time, he should bring Gold Ship and the others over too. If his colleagues were not interested, he could just play with his own uma musume. He was already practically part of their group, so he no longer cared too much about status.
Just looking at Rice Shower, it was clear these girls also liked tabletop games.
Chiya thought this to himself.
However, what he did not know was that Rice Shower did not want to play the game at all.
What Rice Shower wanted to play with was him.
After drawing her cards, Rice Shower asked, "Onii-sama, can Rice sleep here tonight?"
"Mm… hm?"
Rice Shower played an action card.
"What's wrong, Rice? Why do you suddenly want to sleep here?"
Chiya played a doubt card.
"It's been a long time since Rice slept together with Onii-sama. Rice wants to be close to Onii-sama once in a while. Also, sleeping alone is lonely. Rice is still unfamiliar with this place, and at night, Rice often gets scared. Recently, Rice keeps waking up in the middle of the night and can't sleep properly. If Rice can stay with reliable Onii-sama, Rice can sleep peacefully."
Chiya failed the challenge and drew six cards.
"I see. If you're used to sleeping in a shared room, suddenly being alone would feel strange. But you still need to learn to live independently. Independence is important for an uma musume too."
"Yes, Rice knows. Rice is working hard. But Rice needs time to adjust, so Rice hopes Onii-sama can help."
Rice Shower continued playing her cards.
"Rice won't trouble Onii-sama forever. Just occasionally is enough. Just until Rice gets used to it."
Rice Shower raised her head. Her ears flickered softly. Her long bangs covered half her face, and the one purple eye left visible looked at Fujiwara Chiya with a pitiful, tender expression.
"Can Rice stay, Onii-sama?"
Rice Shower played her trump card.
Fujiwara Chiya looked at his hand.
"All right…"
He played GG.
"I'll take a shower first, Rice."
"Yes!"
Rice Shower smiled, ten times happier than when she won the game.
After Fujiwara Chiya entered the bathroom, Rice Shower went into the bedroom.
Shirayuki had been forcibly woken up by Chiya and was now hiding in the wardrobe.
She needed to wait until Rice Shower fell asleep before sneaking back. But now Rice Shower had blocked her escape route completely. If she was discovered, things would become even more troublesome.
With both hands behind her head, Shirayuki copied Seiun Sky's pose and leisurely lay back on the clothes, trying not to make a single sound.
Outside, there came the faint rustling sound of Rice Shower changing clothes.
Hearing the movement, Shirayuki could not help leaning toward the gap in the wardrobe door.
She saw Rice Shower take off her clothes, then take out a black sleepwear set. The dark fabric was light and delicate, with a sheer, elegant design. The outfit had a slightly more mature feel than Rice Shower usually wore, showing a hint of her slender figure while still looking soft and cute.
It was exactly the style Shirayuki had seen in the lingerie store.
Rice Shower had actually bought it!
After putting it on, Rice Shower stood in front of the mirror and looked herself over. Her face flushed slightly as she held her hands close to her chest, letting out a small laugh.
"Onii-sama should like it…"
Rice, you've grown up too much!
Shirayuki tugged at her collar and leaned forward a little. The clothes piled messily inside the wardrobe suddenly lost balance. Shirayuki's centre of gravity shifted forward sharply. Just as she was about to knock into the wardrobe door, she twisted her waist and grabbed the clothes above her head.
Rustle!
A strange sound came from inside the wardrobe.
Rice Shower, who had been looking in the mirror, tilted her head, a question mark almost appearing above her.
Just as she walked over to open the door, Fujiwara Chiya rushed in wearing a bath towel.
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
He shouted, successfully drawing Rice Shower's attention.
Seeing his still-dripping body, Rice Shower froze for a moment. Soon, she understood.
Onii-sama couldn't wait anymore.
What a coincidence.
Neither could she.
Fujiwara Chiya dried his hair and coughed a few times.
"Rice, that outfit is…"
"Rice thought it looked pretty, so Rice bought it. What does Onii-sama think?"
"It's… very nice."
"Let's sleep, Onii-sama."
"I'll change into sleepwear first."
"You don't need to wear sleepwear."
Rice Shower looked at his damp body and swallowed softly.
"Onii-sama is fine like this. Rice wearing sleepwear is enough."