When Treve arrived at the cafeteria, she saw Shirayuki.
Sitting opposite Shirayuki was a small black-haired filly.
That child should be Rice Shower, the one her friends had mentioned. Just as they had said, she was a very cute little girl.
But not as cute as her.
Treve quickly walked over to Shirayuki's side and greeted the two of them.
"What a coincidence, Shirayuki. You're here too."
"Here for lunch?"
"Mm."
Treve looked at Rice Shower beside them.
She noticed the lunch box in Rice Shower's hands. Back when Treve had gone to play in Shirayuki's room, the same pure white lunch box had been sitting on the table.
Could it be…
She glanced at Shirayuki.
These two were exchanging lunch boxes!
Treve's heart gave a strange jolt.
The good mood she had felt after seeing Shirayuki immediately sank.
How strange.
She had never felt this emotion before.
What was it called?
Treve thought for a long time before finally finding two words.
Jealousy.
Yes, this was the first time she had ever felt jealous of someone.
She had felt something similar when she saw the photos of Shirayuki together with her friends from the academy. Treve had not thrown those photos away. She had tied them together with a rubber band and stuffed them into a drawer, hoping she would never see them again.
She was jealous of those friends who were close to Shirayuki.
After last night's dream, that feeling had reached its peak.
Shirayuki had confessed to her. That meant Treve's place in Shirayuki's heart was different.
If that was the case, shouldn't their relationship be the closest?
And yet Treve kept seeing people sticking close to Shirayuki.
The people in the photos were like that.
Rice Shower was like that too.
She had never even eaten Shirayuki's lunch box before!
After answering casually, Treve sat down beside Shirayuki.
She looked at Shirayuki with complicated eyes, then turned toward Rice Shower sitting opposite them.
Rice Shower took small bites, pausing every few mouthfuls as though she were savouring something. Her little fists were clenched.
Treve did not miss that detail.
Rice Shower did not seem very pleased?
Come to think of it, interactions between Japanese girls were already very close. When they washed each other's backs, they would even touch each other's tails. In that case, exchanging lunch boxes and the like should probably be normal too.
Maybe this was simply how they expressed friendship.
Yes, that had to be it!
Treve comforted herself.
Rice Shower and Shirayuki did not have a special relationship. They were just ordinary friends.
Thinking this, Treve felt a sense of relief.
She quietly studied Shirayuki's profile. The line of her jaw was as beautiful as if it had been drawn by the tip of a pen. Her collarbone was also pretty, and her fair skin carried a faint pink glow. She looked both mature and full of youthful charm.
Normally, Treve barely cared about other people's appearances. At most, she would glance casually.
But with Shirayuki, Treve looked at her as though she were observing something precious, taking in every detail.
At first glance, she was cute.
Looking closer, she was even more beautiful.
Those ears were like drifting snowflakes, and her soft tail looked as light as feathers, making people want to reach out and touch it.
Shirayuki really is wonderful.
Treve stared blankly.
Shirayuki's ears twitched, and she turned her head.
Treve had been staring at her for almost five minutes now without going to get any food. What was she looking at?
Shirayuki noticed the dessert in her own hand.
Ah, so it's this.
If you want to eat, just say so. I'm not stingy.
Treve was seriously considering the matter of racing her, so Shirayuki naturally had to show her sincerity too.
Pinching a piece of dessert between her fingers, Shirayuki brought it to Treve's mouth.
"Ah."
Shirayuki made the sound.
Treve froze.
She looked at Shirayuki's face, which stirred her imagination, then at the dessert in her hand.
T-this is…
She's feeding me!?
Treve's emotions surged instantly.
Shirayuki was feeding her?
She secretly pinched her thigh. The pain made her tremble, forcing her back to her senses. Then she opened her small mouth and ate the dessert.
It was sweet.
So sweet that Treve's heart began pounding rapidly.
What should I do…
This feels amazing!
A rush of excitement no weaker than winning a race struck Treve's mind. She held her cheeks, savouring the taste of Shirayuki's dessert.
After finishing, she could not help opening her mouth again.
Why does Treve look like a little kid?
Shirayuki held another piece of dessert.
Well, she is kind of like one.
Judging by height alone, Treve and Rice Shower were about the same. But because Treve always walked with her head high and her chest out, her expression full of confidence, she looked taller than she actually was.
Rice Shower, on the other hand, habitually held her hands in front of her and instinctively lowered her head when meeting others. That made Rice Shower look shorter than her actual height.
In truth, both of them were petite girls.
Shirayuki placed another piece into Treve's mouth.
Treve happily curved her lips into a smile. Her ears flickered, and her tail swayed back and forth. Anyone could tell that her mood had soared to the sky.
The surrounding students stared with their mouths open.
Treve's arrival had naturally drawn their attention.
They had seen Treve happy before, but they had never seen her acting like a small kitten, waiting to be fed.
Was this still their unreachable little princess?
She had actually gone soft!?
Opposite the two of them, Rice Shower watched their interaction.
She suddenly felt like she was the extra person here.
But Rice Shower was not angry.
Instead, she felt a little happy.
Based on her many years of being fed by Onii-sama, Treve's expression definitely carried special feelings.
That look clearly had desire in it.
Rice Shower understood.
When Onii-sama fed her, she had the same kind of eyes.
Without realizing it, she would look at his lips, his chest, and his waist.
What Rice Shower wanted to eat was not dessert.
It was her Onii-sama.
Just like Treve right now.
While eating, Treve's gaze kept drifting over Shirayuki's lips and chest, as if she were treating those parts as side dishes.
Could it be that Treve also had that kind of feeling for Shirayuki?
After sensing something similar to herself from Treve, Rice Shower instantly understood.
Very quickly, she came up with a little plan.
Recently, Shirayuki had always been preventing her from meeting Onii-sama, while secretly running to Onii-sama's room herself. Then she still acted as though she were being nice to Rice.
Even if Rice Shower would not damage her relationship with Shirayuki, that did not mean she had no temper at all.
Rice Shower had some complaints about Shirayuki's actions.
Now that she knew Treve had feelings for Shirayuki, Rice Shower wanted to take this chance to help Treve get closer to Shirayuki and push the two of them together.
That way, Shirayuki would no longer have time to stop her from dating Onii-sama!
Treve would keep clinging to her!
I really am bad!
Even Rice Shower herself was a little shocked by this idea.
But in order to gain time with Onii-sama, she had to deal with Shirayuki, who stood in her way.
This was a necessary sacrifice.
Shirayuki, from now on, you can live happily with Treve!
I wish you both happiness!
Thinking this, Rice Shower said to the two of them:
"Shirayuki-san, Treve-san, would you like to come play in Rice's room later?"