Fujiwara Chiya never imagined he would one day get to play a real-life battle royale inside Tracen.
After he announced he was going to marry Shirayuki, the uma musume nearly tore him to pieces.
Honestly, if he hadn't had the physique of an uma musume himself, he would have died in that dorm room last night.
They had grabbed him by the shoulders and interrogated him, and in the heat of their emotions, their grips made his body creak like a condemned building. If the commotion hadn't gotten so out of hand that nearby staff came running over, even his uma musume-level body might not have survived the night.
Of course, even if Fujiwara Chiya made it out alive, Shirayuki still had plenty of trouble on her end.
Mejiro Dober had pinned her down on the bed.
"Why, Trainer?! Why won't you marry me, but you'll marry yourself?! Is the Mejiro family not good enough for you? If you don't want to marry into us, then I can marry into the Fujiwara family!"
That was not the problem here.
"Or do you like being a girl now?! Because girl-on-girl is fine with me too! Even if you only want me for stress relief, I can do that!" Mejiro Dober slapped a hand to her chest.
"So marry me, Trainer! Next year, no, we can hold the ceremony tomorrow! I'll have Mother start preparing right now! Mother already approves of you, Trainer. She said you're a good man and told me to bring you into the Mejiro family!"
This was the first time Shirayuki had ever seen Mejiro Dober this worked up.
Also, wait.
So the Mejiro family really had been preparing to take me in as a live-in son-in-law?!
Shirayuki hurriedly raised a hand and stopped Mejiro Dober before she could actually make the call. Judging from the look on her face, she was genuinely ready to speedrun the wedding.
That would not do.
How should she put this?
Her decision to marry Chiya was not about marrying into a family. It was not about desire. It was not because she had fallen in love with being a girl.
She chose to marry herself because of love.
Would you fall in love with the perfect girl you created with your own hands?
Shirayuki would.
She liked Mejiro Dober. She liked Rice Shower. She liked Tazuna.
But that feeling had never reached the point where she would throw everything away for them.
Only Chiya.
Only when the two of them were together did Shirayuki feel that selfless fusion, that dizzying sense of becoming one. It was hard to describe what kind of experience it was. When she joined with Chiya, her mind filled with nothing but happiness and love.
In those moments, Shirayuki felt that as a person, she had finally become whole.
To Shirayuki, nothing was more intoxicating than two divided souls fitting together again. She would not look for a man. She did not want to look for a girl. Chiya could not find that spiritual refuge in anyone else either.
The hollow space inside both of them could only ever be filled by the other half of themselves.
So they would not do.
No outsider would.
"I like you, Dober. But I want to live with myself more."
That was Shirayuki's answer to Mejiro Dober.
Fujiwara Chiya was glad he had managed to speak his feelings for Shirayuki out loud to everyone.
But the trouble had only just begun.
"Chiya."
The next day, Hayakawa Tazuna walked into the room with a bright smile and placed a sheet of paper on the desk.
"The Director asked you to sign this. It needs to be sent to Central later."
"Sure."
Looking at Hayakawa Tazuna's smile, which was somehow making his survival instincts scream, Fujiwara Chiya swallowed. Just as he was about to write his name, he suddenly noticed that one corner of the paper was curling up.
He peeled the paper apart.
Underneath the notification form, whose signature section had been cut out, was a marriage registration form.
"..."
"..."
"You have very sharp eyes, Chiya."
"Tazuna, I already told you..."
"Why, Chiya? Why do you insist on playing house with Shirayuki all by yourself? Acting as both the father and the mother? If that is what you want, then why not choose me? I would never drive Shirayuki out of the house. The three of us can live together. I'll raise the child. I'll wash your clothes every day and cook for you. Can't I become your wife?"
"I... once longed for that kind of life. But the person I still want to marry is Shirayuki. I want to dedicate this vow to her."
"What a waste. What a terrible waste!" Hayakawa Tazuna clenched her fists. "Such a precious day, and you want to give it to yourself. Am I really that worthless in your eyes?"
"Of course not. You were the first person I fell for after coming to Tracen. You were the goal I wanted to work hard toward and someday pursue. Even now, that hasn't changed. But Shirayuki is different to me. My feelings for her aren't the same as they are for anyone else."
Hayakawa Tazuna gritted her teeth.
"I'll come again, Chiya."
She took back the marriage registration form.
"Your feelings for yourself won't last. What you need is someone else. Two people are the ones who support each other. Even if it's only for a vow, you should choose me."
Hayakawa Tazuna left the room.
Her attitude was about what Fujiwara Chiya had expected.
Even if him marrying Shirayuki would not affect their relationship, Hayakawa Tazuna still wanted to be his marriage partner.
Girls really were attached to marriage.
But it still was not over.
After Hayakawa Tazuna left, Rice Shower came running in that same morning.
"Onii-sama, your fans want your autograph. How is your handwriting, Onii-sama?"
"I actually practiced just for moments like this."
"Amazing! Can you show Rice, Onii-sama? Right here."
"Sure."
Fujiwara Chiya took the little slip of paper. Just as he was about to sign it, he froze.
Silently, he unfolded the paper.
Then he saw the five big characters written on it.
Marriage Registration Form.
"...Why did Onii-sama open it?"
"Rice! You too?!"
"Because... because Rice wants to be Onii-sama's bride too! Rice wants to be Onii-sama's bride!"
Rice Shower, who had not stopped him and Shirayuki before, had jumped in at the very last moment too.
"Rice wants to be Onii-sama's bride. Rice wants to stand beside Onii-sama and receive everyone's blessings. Even if Onii-sama ends up with Shirayuki in the end and doesn't choose Rice, Rice still wants to stand with Onii-sama on the wedding stage."
Looking at the longing on her face, mixed with just a little pain, Fujiwara Chiya gently stroked her head.
"As if I could ever ignore you. How could I abandon you?"
"Rice can kiss Onii-sama. Rice can love Onii-sama. But Rice still can't become Onii-sama's bride?"
"I'm sorry, Rice. I want to dedicate this vow to the person who is most special to me."
"I see... Onii-sama really is an amazing person. Even after becoming an uma musume, Onii-sama could run such a wonderful race. Rice... is proud of Onii-sama."
"Thank you."
"Can you promise Rice one thing?"
"What is it?"
"After Onii-sama's child is born, Rice wants to become her mother. Rice can no longer receive Onii-sama's vow, but Rice still wants to become Onii-sama's partner. Rice wants to become the mother of Onii-sama's child."
"Okay."
"Hehe~ Onii-sama has one baby by himself, and Rice will have another baby with Onii-sama. That's twice the happiness."
Rice leaned against Fujiwara Chiya and nuzzled into his chest.
The marriage Rice had dreamed of was gone.
But the person she loved would still stay by her side.
What a shame.
She wouldn't be able to receive everyone's blessings.
Still, as long as they could live together, Rice was satisfied. She was not especially opposed to Onii-sama marrying himself.
Meanwhile, Shirayuki found Orfevre sitting in the vegetable garden, staring into space.
She sat down beside her.
"Orfevre, what are you thinking about?"