Early the next morning, Shirayuki stirred awake to the sound of birds chirping outside her window.
She opened her eyes and yawned. A comfortable, tingling warmth lingered through her body. Looking at the bright window, Shirayuki rolled over, planning to sleep a little longer.
"Mm~"
A girl's soft hum sounded beside her ear.
A milky-white arm rested across Shirayuki's chest, while a smooth thigh slipped between Shirayuki's legs.
Turning her head, Shirayuki saw the adorable girl lying beside her.
Trêve's short orange hair looked especially vivid beneath the sunlight, like ripe citrus in summer giving off a tempting glow. Her soft, springy strands brushed lightly over her forehead, forming a clear contrast with her fair skin.
Perhaps because Shirayuki's movement had touched her, Trêve's long lashes trembled gently. Her cheeks were flushed, and the corners of her lips were raised slightly, as if she had dreamed of something pleasant.
Lying on her side, Trêve instinctively bent her arm and drew Shirayuki into her embrace. From this angle, Shirayuki could just see Trêve's delicate collarbones and the soft curve of her chest pressed together beneath her posture.
Ah… right.
Now that she thought about it.
Last night, Shirayuki had thought Trêve was coming to talk to her about the race. Instead, for some reason, Trêve had shown up in a nightdress. On top of that, Shirayuki had just happened to be changing clothes. A strange atmosphere had formed between them.
After that, Trêve had suddenly kissed her.
Shirayuki had been a little dazed too.
Maybe it had been because of the atmosphere. At the time, Shirayuki had not felt any dislike. On the contrary, seeing Trêve hold back her embarrassment while kissing her had been rather lovely.
And then, somehow, things had naturally become like this.
It was true that her relationship with Trêve had been very good lately.
They often ate together, bathed together, hugged each other whenever they had the chance, and pressed their cheeks together. According to the level of intimacy, the two of them were already close friends. Even sleeping in the same bed would not have been strange.
Except this sleeping in the same bed had come with extra scenes.
At Tracen, even when her friends became this close, they did not suddenly start communicating physically like this, right?
Probably not…
They had even skipped the step of officially dating.
Shirayuki could not understand why Trêve had suddenly pierced through the final layer of paper between them. At the very least, she should have confessed first and made their feelings clear, not launched a surprise attack like that.
Though Shirayuki did not hate it.
Would anyone really refuse a beautiful girl offering herself so directly?
Shirayuki looked at Trêve's cute face. Her breathing was steady, her chest rising and falling gently.
What should I do?
Their relationship had suddenly become like this, and Shirayuki had not been mentally prepared at all. She had still been thinking about how to deal with Trêve on the racecourse, only to end up dealing with her in bed first.
Also, should I tell her about Chiya and me?
But even if she did tell her, Trêve might not necessarily understand. Who knew what the translator would turn it into? And if she asked Mei for help, the secret would be exposed directly.
No matter how she thought about it, now was not a good opportunity.
It seemed she could only wait until later.
Later…
Shirayuki did not know when "later" would be.
She had only come here for the race. Once the race ended, she would go back. At that time, she and Trêve would be separated. Even if Trêve liked her, how long would this feeling last after they parted?
Trêve probably had not thought about those problems.
Shirayuki touched Trêve's sleeping cheek.
Under her caress, Trêve finally woke up as well. She opened her eyes and saw the white-haired, blue-eyed girl lying beside her. As if remembering what had happened last night, Trêve's face immediately turned red. After a brief moment of shyness, she bent down and leaned into Shirayuki's arms.
Her sprout-like toes curled slightly, and Trêve spoke in a clear voice.
"Good morning, Shirayuki."
She lifted her head and kissed the corner of Shirayuki's lips.
"…Mm. Good morning."
Actually, Shirayuki quite liked this cute little orange foreign uma musume too.
Before, she had simply thought Trêve was cute.
Now, that "cute" contained another layer of meaning.
Trêve really was soft and lovely.
However, there was one thing Shirayuki needed to confirm.
"Trêve, do you like girls?"
"Girls?"
Trêve blinked.
"I like Shirayuki."
"What does that mean?"
"If Shirayuki is a girl, then I like girls. If Shirayuki is a boy, then I like boys. That's all."
"Is that so…"
Hearing those words, Shirayuki breathed a sigh of relief.
She had been afraid that once Trêve learned the truth, she would black out from the shock. If that happened, her relationship with Trêve would probably end right there. Thankfully, Trêve did not seem to care about that sort of thing.
Should she say she was lucky?
It seemed that everyone connected to her did not care very much about gender. Whether it was Chiya as a man or Shirayuki as a girl, they could accept both. There had not been a situation where someone could not tolerate his male body or could not accept her female body.
For that, Shirayuki was grateful to them.
After learning the truth, they had been willing to understand and accept her, then protect this secret together.
After nuzzling against Shirayuki for a while, Trêve finally sat up in satisfaction. She was bare beneath the sheets, holding the blanket against her chest as she pointed behind Shirayuki.
"My underwear…"
It had been thrown over there when she and Shirayuki had rolled around last night.
"Here… Um, I'll go buy breakfast."
Shirayuki changed into her clothes and said this to Trêve.
For some reason, Trêve's attitude toward her did not seem that different from before. Instead, Shirayuki was the one who felt a little at a loss.
Leaving the school, Shirayuki breathed in the fresh air.
Her mind gradually cooled down.
She went to the cafeteria, picked up a few croissants and some milk, then returned to the dorm. Trêve had also changed clothes by then and was tidying the room.
The result was that the room was even messier than before Shirayuki had left.
"I'll clean it up."
"Sorry. I'm not very good at this kind of thing."
Trêve scratched her hair and smiled. She sat on a chair and drank the milk Shirayuki had bought.
"Well then, I'm going to class. Shirayuki, see you later."
Trêve slung her shoulder bag over herself and waved goodbye to Shirayuki like a husband heading off to work, then left the room.
After Trêve left, Shirayuki opened the window to ventilate the room. Only after going out and coming back did she notice the thick scent that still lingered inside.
She stripped off the damp bedsheets and stuffed them into the washing machine in the bathroom, then put on her outdoor training clothes.
This morning, she and Chiya were going to train at Byerley's place.
It was all to prepare for the approaching race.
As soon as they arrived, Byerley began speaking in riddles again.
"Not bad."
"Hah?"
"You are steadily developing in an increasingly correct direction. I believe that through your efforts, the uma musume will become better and better."
"What is with that lofty, slightly ominous praise of yours? I'm warning you, it's better not to place any unrealistic expectations on me."
"Don't worry. I'm fairly confident in my eye for people. Since they have all accepted you, the rest will be much easier."
Byerley walked in front of the two of them.
"For this month, you will race against me. Use every method you have, exhaust every ounce of strength, and try to get close to me. Awaken the blood within your bodies completely, until you become outstanding uma musume."