After more than ten hours in the air, Fujiwara Chiya finally returned to Tokyo, with Orfevre supporting him by the shoulder.
"This plane ride… is actually going to kill me…"
"You've done this several times already. Still not used to it, Trainer?" Orfevre patted his back and handed him a bottle of water.
"For me, the hardest part isn't living in Europe. It's the trip there… I seriously thought I wasn't going to make it."
"Enough. A man should be a little tougher. It is only airsickness. What is there to make such a fuss over?" Orfevre lifted her chin. "Pull yourself together. Stand tall. This time, you have returned home in glory."
"Trainer, there are a ton of people over there!" Gold Ship shouted from behind him, pointing toward the arrivals gate.
Following her finger, Fujiwara Chiya saw a crowd standing outside, all holding flags.
And every single one of those flags was Shirayuki's support flag.
"Orfevre, let go of me."
"Do not push yourself. If you collapse halfway, I will not be impressed."
"Don't worry. If that happens, I'll resign as a trainer, move into the mountains, and never show my face in public again."
"Hey! Trainer, it is not that serious!"
Fujiwara Chiya straightened his tie and forced himself to look alive. Beside him, Shirayuki scratched at her ears, slapped her cheeks lightly, and dragged herself out of her airsick stupor through sheer willpower. Orfevre and Gold Ship naturally fell in behind them.
The instant they stepped out of the gate, Shirayuki heard a roar like a tidal wave crashing down.
"Lady Empress!"
"Miss Snow Dancer!"
"The strongest! The strongest! The strongest!"
The sound almost became something physical, shaking her eardrums with wave after wave of cheers. In the middle of that storm, Shirayuki smiled and waved.
I'm starving… I'm sleepy… I want my bed.
As a public figure, Shirayuki had to appear onstage in her best form. Uma musume only ever showed the bright, dazzling side of themselves. They were symbols of hope and dreams.
"Helloooo! Ni men hao! Flowers, please! Cash donations welcome! Spare some change for poor old Gold Ship!" Gold Ship waved wildly at the crowd behind the railings, trampling all over that hope and dreams thing without hesitation.
Orfevre's expression turned complicated for a moment, but she quickly returned to her usual wild, confident smile.
This time, the applause and cheers belonged to Shirayuki.
But next time, the one bathing beneath the spotlight would be her.
As he greeted the crowd, Fujiwara Chiya led the group forward. Before long, he spotted a cold, sharp-looking woman in a suit and glasses. Several men, also dressed in suits, followed behind her.
The moment he saw them, Fujiwara Chiya's pupils shrank.
No trainer in Japan would fail to recognize them.
The organization responsible for managing and operating the entire Twinkle Series. Tracen's investors. Central.
And standing at the front was the highest-ranking official in charge of races and uma musume management, Central's Chairwoman.
Fujiwara Chiya had met her several times before.
The Central Chairwoman stopped before him and bowed.
"We have been waiting for you, Trainer Chiya."
"Chairwoman… I'm honored that you came in person."
"This is the treatment you deserve, Trainer Chiya. You created history for all of Japan." A smile appeared on her normally stern face. "In three days, Central will hold a commendation ceremony for you. At the same time, we will also hold the formal conferment ceremony for your senior trainer qualification. I hope you will attend."
"O-Of course."
Fujiwara Chiya's heart gave a hard thump.
Senior trainer qualification.
From the day he became a trainer, Fujiwara Chiya had dreamed of reaching that rank. Originally, he thought he might not earn the senior badge even by retirement.
But life had a strange way of playing with people.
Only three years after becoming a trainer, he had already obtained the ability and achievements required for it.
"Once again, congratulations on your Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe victory, Trainer Chiya. And thank you for everything you have done for Central."
Looking at the Central Chairwoman as she thanked him, Fujiwara Chiya smiled.
"I feel the same. I hope I can continue to rely on your support from here on."
"You certainly can. Then, I will see you in three days."
Under the flashing cameras of countless reporters, the Central Chairwoman shook Fujiwara Chiya's hand, then turned and left.
"Chiya, you little monster, look at you now!"
A familiar voice rang out as a heavy arm suddenly dropped around his neck.
Fujiwara Chiya turned his head and saw Katsumura Yota, dressed up properly in formal wear for once. Behind him were Tracen's trainers.
And behind them were the uma musume, led by Akikawa Yayoi.
Rice Shower and the others had already completely surrounded Shirayuki. Mejiro Dober had even pulled Shirayuki into her arms and started nuzzling her.
The dignified Empress image Shirayuki had barely managed to maintain in public was instantly reduced to that of a tiny kitten being hugged and pampered.
My tail… Who's secretly touching my tail? Sky!
Fujiwara Chiya saw Seiun Sky leaning behind Shirayuki. From a distance, she glanced at him, the corner of her mouth curling into a mischievous grin.
That girl was absolutely doing it on purpose!
"To think even Central came out specifically to meet you. You're a real celebrity now." Katsumura Yota slung an arm around his neck and laughed loudly.
"More or less… Also, get off me already. Aren't you hot?"
"Hold on. Let those people take more photos. Make sure I get in the shots too. I'm borrowing some of your spotlight, so I can look cool in front of the media for once."
"Oh, really? I can't wait for them to capture you clinging to me like a shameless leech. The internet's going to roast you into depression."
"Damn, can your mouth say something nice for once?"
Katsumura Yota finally let go. Nishizaki Ryu and the others came over, patting Fujiwara Chiya on the shoulder.
"One piece of Arc history, and one piece of trainer history," Nishizaki Ryu said. "You're probably the youngest senior trainer now, aren't you?"
"If I remember correctly, the previous youngest senior trainer was Nase Hideto, and he was already in his thirties," Kuronuma said, rubbing his chin.
"Looks like our Chiya beat that old man by ten years." Nishizaki Ryu burst out laughing.
"Speaking of old men, aren't you one now too, Ryu-Aniki?" Katsumura Yota said, running his mouth as usual.
"You little brat. Come here. I'll show some color to that old-man-faced guy who still goes around pretending to be everyone's big brother!"
"What? You get beaten up for telling the truth these days?!"
"Oh, you've done it now!"
Nishizaki Ryu chased after Katsumura Yota. These grown men in their thirties were still acting like children.
"Chiya."
A voice with a very particular cadence pulled Fujiwara Chiya's attention back.
He turned and saw Akikawa Yayoi, fan in hand, walking up to him.
"Direc…"
Fujiwara Chiya opened his mouth, then swallowed the word right back down.
In the end, he changed it to something else.
"Yayoi-nee."
"The first word you learned back then wasn't 'Papa.' It wasn't 'Mama,' either. It was 'Yayoi-nee.' Did you know that?"
"Yeah. I know."
Akikawa Yayoi lowered her fan. Her face looked so happy she might cry. She wrapped her arms around Fujiwara Chiya's waist, her short height just barely letting her reach his chest.
"Welcome home, Chiya."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, nee-san."
After nearly four months, Fujiwara Chiya had returned to Japan with victory from an overseas expedition.
"Onii-sama!"
Rice Shower, having finished nuzzling Shirayuki, ran over and hugged Fujiwara Chiya from behind.
"Welcome home, Onii-sama! Rice… Rice missed Onii-sama the whole time."
In front of him, Akikawa Yayoi let go and coughed a few times.
"Let's head back first, Chiya. There are too many people here. When we have time, the two of us can talk properly. I reserved a restaurant, so call your uma musume and your friends along."
"Chiya, Yayoi, I've brought the car over."
Hayakawa Tazuna opened the car door and waved to them.
Following Hayakawa Tazuna, the returning group set off for Tracen.