Shirayuki was lying on top of Treve.
She had been caught completely unprepared when Treve brushed against her.
Although it had lasted only a moment, the sensation had been astonishing. Shirayuki's body was already more sensitive than most uma musume, and that single touch had drained the strength from her.
This little foreign uma musume's legs are way too dangerous!
Was that on purpose, or was it an accident?
Just as Shirayuki propped herself up and prepared to say something, Treve turned her face away.
Beneath those clear blue eyes, her flushed cheeks looked tender and delicate. Her small lips parted slightly, and her breathing was a little unsteady. Her hands rested at her sides, leaving her with an utterly defenseless air.
Shirayuki's mind short-circuited for a moment.
What is going on?
Why is Treve making that kind of pose?
I only knocked you down by accident. I didn't mean anything else.
And if you hadn't brushed against me first, I wouldn't have fallen in the first place!
This shouldn't be my fault, right?
"Rice suddenly remembered something! Rice will leave first!"
As if sensing something, Rice Shower shot out of the room.
She left the dorm room to the two of them.
Shirayuki swallowed.
She felt that the atmosphere had become strange.
She had always seen Treve as her greatest rival, the final opponent she had to defeat. For that reason, Shirayuki had desperately gathered information about her, grown closer to her, and tried to find flaws in Treve's training.
Treve was not Seiun Sky.
She would not deliberately disguise herself, pretend to be in poor condition, or lower others' guard. Even when she suppressed her strength, it was because she was following Nase Hideto's instructions.
After spending time with her, Shirayuki understood that Treve respected every opponent. She was also very confident in her own strength.
She would not hide her flaws. She would not deliberately change her running style before a race to mislead others.
So if Shirayuki stayed beside Treve long enough, she would eventually find an opening.
At first, Shirayuki had approached Treve for only one purpose.
To defeat her.
Now that she and Treve had become friends, that feeling had changed.
She felt that Treve was a very cute and warm-hearted girl. Even if racing was set aside, Shirayuki would still be willing to be friends with her.
She hoped the two of them could maintain this good relationship.
Uma musume were creatures who often became close through rivalry. The moment they became opponents, they were destined to become involved with each other.
Rather than being purely competitive, it would be better to build a friendship on top of that.
Friends and rivals could coexist.
The problem was that things often developed in unexpected directions.
Shirayuki realized that the connection between the two of them seemed to have gone a little too deep.
It even showed signs of moving beyond friendship.
They clearly had not done much, and even their conversations were not especially smooth. They still needed to rely on a translation app.
Yet Treve's affection toward her was strangely high.
Why?
Is my social ability really that strong?
Shirayuki had always thought she was bad with words. Compared with those eloquent uma musume, she was far behind. If she had to negotiate, she would probably ruin everything within three minutes.
The way she built relationships with others had always been the simplest and most direct method.
Action.
She watched what the other person wanted to do, what they did not want to do, and then cooperated with their pace.
In the past, Shirayuki had not had this ability. It was something she had been forced to develop after her career entered a low point, because doing so made her uma musume happy. And if they were happy, they would be more willing to listen to her.
After that, it became Shirayuki's habit.
She rarely argued with people directly. More often, she followed the other person's pace, then guided them from there.
Using this method, she had corrected the bad habits of many students.
Air Groove often praised her as a good teacher, someone with the ability to guide others.
She had used this method with Mejiro Dober, with Grass Wonder, and with Special Week.
And now, with Treve too.
Could it be that, without realizing it, she had already become this close to Treve?
That uma musume who dominated Europe was now lying beneath her, obedient as a kitten.
Seeing Treve as if she were waiting for something, Shirayuki swallowed. She could not help reaching out and gently touching Treve's face.
So cute…
The more impressive Treve was on the racecourse, the more charming she looked here in the room.
Shirayuki had watched the footage of her Prix de Diane victory. In an internationally famous race, Treve had pulled far ahead and won under the thunderous cheers of tens of thousands of spectators.
And now, that same star-like uma musume was lying quietly on the floor.
The intense contrast stirred a strange feeling in Shirayuki.
Her thumb brushed over Treve's lips. Those pretty lips shifted slightly under Shirayuki's touch, faintly revealing the girl's white teeth. Treve's body trembled. A trace of nervousness flashed through her eyes, but very quickly, that nervousness turned into anticipation.
Treve closed her eyes again, her soft pink lips pressing together.
That expression, offering no resistance at all, seemed to say, "Do as you like."
What should I do?
Originally, the two of them should have been training on the racecourse in order to defeat each other.
Yet now they were doing this in a room.
Shirayuki also felt that this was wrong.
At first, she had not planned to develop things with Treve to this point. She had not approached Treve for this kind of reason either.
But Treve's gap moe was too powerful.
On one side, she was the dignified representative of France.
On the other, she was delicate and shy, like a flower bud just about to bloom.
Shirayuki's hand slid from Treve's cheek to her ear. She gently pinched that soft orange ear.
"Mm…"
Treve let out a small whimper. She lifted a hand to cover her mouth, her eyelids trembling. Her legs unconsciously drew closer together, and her slightly raised thigh brushed against Shirayuki, making Shirayuki's heart beat faster.
Enduring that unbearable ticklish feeling, Treve still remained in the same position, pinned beneath Shirayuki without moving.
Shirayuki was not a mean-spirited person. When she was with Mejiro Dober, she was usually the passive one.
But looking at Treve beneath her, Shirayuki suddenly had the urge to tease her.
That innocent, untouched expression seemed to possess a strange magic.
"Fuu…"
Leaning over Treve, Shirayuki blew gently into her ear.
The warm breath reached her ear, and Treve's soft orange hair visibly fluffed up. The hand covering her mouth slipped weakly downward.
A small, dazed sound escaped her.
Drip.
Ring, ring, ring!
The two sounds overlapped.
A phone rang.
The clear ringtone cut through the soft, pink haze in the air. Treve startled, and the gradually unfocused look in her eyes regained clarity. Shirayuki, who had also been swept along by the atmosphere, snapped awake as if from a dream and quickly moved away from Treve.
Treve hurriedly took out her phone and answered it.
Nase Hideto's voice came from the other end.
"Treve, where are you?"
"Trainer, I'm… I'm in a friend's dorm room."
"Come out. You have training."
"Yes!"
Treve hung up and looked at the white-haired girl in front of her.
After hesitating for a moment, Treve stood on tiptoe and lightly kissed Shirayuki on the cheek.
"See you tomorrow."
After saying that, Treve quickly ran away.