At the sound of Shirayuki's voice, Orfevre turned her head.
She stared blankly at her for a moment, then turned right back around.
"Shirayuki…"
Looking out over the spotless vegetable patch, Orfevre murmured, "I think I had a nightmare. I dreamed Trainer turned into you. What a terrifying dream."
Shirayuki scratched her cheek.
Looks like Orfevre still hadn't recovered from the whole secret between her and Chiya.
Well, who could blame her? Anyone would short-circuit after hearing something like that. The uma musume who had spent every day by your side was actually your trainer all along? Yeah. That was enough to fry anyone's brain.
If they left Orfevre alone, she might eventually accept reality on her own.
But Shirayuki felt she owed her a proper explanation.
"That wasn't a dream. I… am Chiya, and I'm also Shirayuki. Orfevre, I've been like this since the very first time we met."
"Not a dream…? Impossible. That's… that's impossible." Orfevre covered her face. "You are the Empress. Are you telling me you've been training yourself this entire time? Then what am I? Trainer worked so hard to raise me so that one day I could surpass the Empress, so what was the point of training me? To defeat yourself?"
Orfevre lifted her head.
Her blue-violet eyes fixed on Shirayuki.
"You two went through an awful lot of trouble just to mess with me. Shirayuki, I am already falling apart here. Isn't it about time you told me the truth?"
"Orfevre… I have never lied to you. The person you met from the very beginning was me. The person who trained you was me. And the person you wanted to surpass was also me."
Shirayuki reached out and, out of habit, gently stroked Orfevre's head.
Orfevre hated being touched by others.
The only exception was Fujiwara Chiya. She allowed him, and only him, to pet her.
Yet when Shirayuki's hand touched her, Orfevre's body offered no resistance at all. Her ears flicked along with Shirayuki's fingers, and that familiar motion stabbed straight into her heart.
She had always thought Shirayuki and Trainer were alike.
Their expressions. Their gestures. Their tone.
It was like they had been molded from the same clay.
And now, as Shirayuki stroked her head, Orfevre saw her image overlap with Trainer's.
"Helping you defeat me is my duty as your trainer. Surpassing you is my duty as an uma musume. Contradictory, right?" Shirayuki smiled. "I think so too. But I'll give everything I have to both. I want to be a good trainer, and I want to be a good uma musume. Orfevre, I have always been proud of you. As your rival, I can truly feel how much stronger you've become. Right now, you may already be strong enough to surpass me."
Orfevre's eyes went wide.
"No. Don't you dare try to trick me. Shirayuki, you can't be Trainer. You aren't him. Trainer and I are… we're…"
That was right.
This was the part Orfevre found hardest to accept.
If she admitted Shirayuki was Chiya, then those nights she had spent with Chiya meant she had, in a roundabout way, been with the Empress too.
Just thinking about it sent goosebumps racing across Orfevre's skin.
She admired the Empress.
She admired Shirayuki.
She couldn't let Shirayuki see her being so… mature.
In front of her, Orfevre wanted to remain a magnificent, awe-inspiring uma musume forever.
"Even after all this, you still don't believe me, Orfevre?"
"Empty words prove nothing. I will not fall for your tricks."
"Then I'll mention something only you and Chiya would know." Shirayuki thought for a moment, then said, "Back then, the day you came to my room and stepped on me, you were wearing white lace panties. Afterward, you even threw those panties onto my face. That should be something only—"
"Eek!"
Orfevre let out an incredibly girlish shriek and seized Shirayuki by the collar.
"Stop! Don't say another word!"
"I just wanted you to be sure. I won't say it. Okay, I won't!"
"Guh…"
Orfevre gritted her teeth and released her.
"This… this…"
She wanted to say Trainer had simply told Shirayuki.
But she knew better.
No matter how empty-headed Trainer could be sometimes, there was no way he would tell Shirayuki something like that.
There was no escaping reality anymore.
Shirayuki was Trainer.
"What have I even been working so hard for all this time…?"
"Wasn't it to become the number one uma musume in the world?"
"…"
Orfevre's expression twisted into something complicated.
She no longer knew whether she should look at Shirayuki the way she looked at Trainer, or the way she looked at the Empress.
Her head was a complete mess.
"I… need time to sort out my feelings. I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"Mm. I'll wait for you."
Orfevre rubbed her face.
"Right. Trainer. No, I suppose I should call you Shirayuki." Orfevre looked at her. "I will let the matter of you hiding your secret slide for now. But what is this nonsense about marriage? That part had better be a joke."
"…"
"Shirayuki?" Orfevre frowned. "Hey. Don't tell me the person you want to marry is yourself. You already did those things with me, so you are going to take responsibility, aren't you?! Or are you planning to run away?!"
"Of course I'll take responsibility. For your training, and for your life."
"What about marriage?"
"Marriage is a vow between me and myself."
"Hah??"
Orfevre slapped a hand against her chest.
"There is a limit to how ridiculous you can be! I have already accepted your identity. Are you seriously expecting me to accept you and Shirayuki playing house with each other too…? Wait."
Orfevre suddenly remembered the day Shirayuki and Trainer had gone out to the amusement park together.
No way.
"You! You really did start entertaining yourself!"
Orfevre was stunned.
She had suspected for ages that Shirayuki wasn't innocent. The things she said and did all felt far too experienced. Because of that, Orfevre had even gone to Trainer to voice her concerns, and Trainer had said it was impossible for her to have been involved with anyone else.
Impossible with anyone else.
Which meant herself!
Orfevre abruptly understood what Trainer had been implying.
That bastard had been hiding a second meaning in his words all along!
So that was what he meant by never lying to her!
Word games! He had been playing word games!
Orfevre puffed out her cheeks in fury. She grabbed Shirayuki by the collar.
"Explain yourself. What exactly do you mean by marrying Shirayuki?! I'm supposed to be your wife, aren't I?! Even if you secretly snuck off to play around with Shirayuki, that should only be because you were frustrated! Now that I am here, there is no need for Shirayuki to do anything! Of course, I'm not letting Shirayuki leave either. From now on, Shirayuki can stay by my side as my little sister!"
"O-Orfevre, calm down…"
"How am I supposed to calm down?! Take that back right now, then obediently marry me! Do you hear me? I am your wife!"
"No. Marriage is something only I can do," Shirayuki replied stubbornly.
"What? Have you gotten addicted to playing house?! I will never acknowledge this. You are mine. Whether as Trainer or as Shirayuki, you are mine!"