Three days later, Fujiwara Chiya received his senior trainer commendation from Central.
He stared at the glittering gold pin in his hand, a thousand feelings tangled up in his chest.
This had to be Central's biggest scam, right?
They said any trainer who won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe would be awarded senior qualifications. But unless you already had senior-level skill, there was no way you could win the Arc in the first place. Well, unless you hit the jackpot and stumbled across an absurdly strong uma musume who could win even if you trained her with your eyes closed.
But the odds of that were basically microscopic.
Even someone like Treve would have a hard time winning the Arc if she were handed to an inexperienced trainer.
A large part of an uma musume's ability depended on her trainer. The better the trainer, the deeper they could draw out her potential.
So for Central, the Arc was also a test of a trainer's ability. Those who passed would shoulder the responsibility of guiding the next generation of trainers.
Leaning against the car window, Fujiwara Chiya watched the streets slide past, plastered from end to end with Shirayuki posters.
Eventually, his gaze landed on four characters.
Arima Kinen.
That race would be Shirayuki's final race.
Once the Arima Kinen ended, Shirayuki would transfer from the Twinkle Series to the Dream Trophy. In plain terms, she would be retiring. Though even after retirement, uma musume would still continue racing, giving back to the fans who had supported them.
Compared to the Twinkle Series, the Dream Trophy was far less brutally competitive.
Everyone there was an accomplished uma musume. Everyone had already passed their prime. Their bodies had begun that slow, unavoidable decline, no longer as overwhelming as they had once been.
The atmosphere around those races was much more relaxed.
No uma musume could stay at the top forever.
Their peak usually lasted only a few years. Three years. Four at most.
Then, inevitably, the next generation would take their place.
Looking back through the whole history of racing, it was really just one grand, sprawling story stitched together from countless uma musume. So many races. So many records. So many legends left behind.
The moment Shirayuki won the Arc, the Twinkle Series reached a height it had never touched before.
But it was like fireworks.
They left behind their most dazzling moment, and afterward came the quiet wait.
Now, Shirayuki had finished showing the world her colors.
Her story would be forever fixed in the era that belonged to her alone.
"Trainer Chiya, we've arrived."
The car door opened.
Fujiwara Chiya thanked the driver and stepped out.
Looking up at the enormous school building, he let out a long breath.
He thought this was the meaning of uma musume.
Fireworks faded in an instant, but those beautiful colors remained in memory forever, changing the people who saw them, the people who heard of them.
As a trainer, he was not a character in the story.
He was the one who wrote it.
"Good morning, Trainer Chiya!"
"Morning."
"Chiya, why are you coming in from outside?"
"I just went to Central."
"Oh, right, the senior trainer commendation ceremony? So that's the new trainer badge? Lemme see!"
"Careful. This thing is expensive."
"Damn, look at you getting all full of yourself. Listen here, the expensive part of a trainer isn't the pin. It's their ability! Ability, got it?"
"So?"
"I'll give you two thousand yen for the pin."
"Get lost already!"
After chasing Katsumura Yota away, Fujiwara Chiya returned to his office.
On Darley's desk, there was a letter.
"Trainer Chiya, I've already passed my trainer license exam and flown far, far away. Don't miss me. But if you really do miss me, feel free to wire money into my bank account. Oh, and I left you a gift. Take it if you don't mind."
Fujiwara Chiya looked at the small box on the desk and opened it.
Inside lay a tiny golden plate, engraved with a sun pattern.
This shape looked familiar.
Fujiwara Chiya took out the gift Bally had given him. He compared the two and realized the only difference was the pattern engraved on top.
Oh, come on.
So the two of you gave me matching souvenirs?!
If I put them together, do I get a twenty percent discount?
Fujiwara Chiya shook his head and stuffed both little plates into his pocket.
That Darley.
She left without even telling him.
He had originally wanted to thank her properly and treat her to a meal. While Fujiwara Chiya had been in Europe, Darley had been the one taking care of the team back here.
He had no idea where she had gone, either. She had not written a single word about it in the letter.
Sitting in his chair, Fujiwara Chiya looked around the empty room.
Without that girl around, it really was quiet.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone rapped on the door.
Agnes Tachyon entered the room.
"Guinea pig-kun."
"Tachyon, you're here."
"Mm. I have a little something to discuss. About you and Shirayuki."
Hearing that, Fujiwara Chiya brought her over to the sofa, then brewed a cup of black tea.
"Add more sugar cubes."
"It's already about to overflow."
"Then make it overflow more."
"..."
Sipping what had basically become sugar water, Agnes Tachyon said, "I put in a little effort regarding you and Shirayuki."
"And?"
"The resistance was more intense than I expected."
Fujiwara Chiya's face tightened.
"That said, it's not as if everyone refuses to accept it. Rice Shower thinks there's nothing particularly wrong with you and Shirayuki being together."
"Rice Shower, huh… Well, she did want to drink Shirayuki's milk…"
"What?"
"No, nothing. What about the others?"
"Mejiro Dober and Hayakawa Tazuna are both extremely displeased. They think you're completely wasting your own feelings."
"I figured."
"As for the rest, there's your girlfriend from Europe, Orfevre, and your girlfriend on Shirayuki's side, Grass Wonder. You'll need to tell them yourself. After all, neither of them even knows about Shirayuki yet."
Agnes Tachyon looked at Fujiwara Chiya.
"By the way, guinea pig-kun, you really are energetic. Even with Shirayuki around, you still somehow let Orfevre get her hands on you."
"That's because… there were reasons deeper than the sea and higher than the sky."
"You really don't know how to turn people down, do you? No matter how rational you usually are, the second your lower brain takes over, everything else goes out the window. Though I suppose that works for me. With so many openings around you, I might be able to take a share for myself someday."
Agnes Tachyon took another sip of tea.
"So, what are you going to do now, guinea pig-kun? Follow my suggestion and get Shirayuki pregnant first, turning raw rice into cooked rice so everyone loses the right to object? Or…"
"No, no, no. That's way too fast."
Fujiwara Chiya waved both hands in frantic denial.
"I plan to marry Shirayuki after she retires. We'll think about those things afterward."
Agnes Tachyon's eyes widened.
"Is that so? You've already made up your mind, guinea pig-kun?"
"Yeah. Things have already come this far, so I can only explain everything to everyone properly. Call them to my room later."
"If you've already steeled yourself, then I won't say anything more. Still, the binding power of your marriage to Shirayuki is basically nonexistent as far as we're concerned. Even if you're married, you're no different from single."
"I know. My relationship with them can't be cut off anymore."
"Good. Whether the wedding can be held smoothly will depend on your performance, guinea pig-kun. Personally, I quite like the idea of living together with you and Shirayuki."
Agnes Tachyon waved and left the room.