"Guinea pig-kun, you really have it rough."
In the research room, Agnes Tachyon poured Chiya Fujiwara a cup of tea.
Chiya gulped down several mouthfuls, slumped back onto the sofa, and let out a long sigh.
These past few days had been brutal.
Central. Reporters. Business partners. And on top of all that, he had to deal with a herd of furious uma musume.
They had been launching an all-out bombardment over the marriage ceremony. One careless move, and he would find himself writing his name on some marriage registration form disguised as who-knew-what.
Chiya was certain.
The second he wrote his name, he wouldn't even have to wait.
By the next day, he would be a married man.
At this rate, if he dragged things out much longer, he might end up marrying one of his uma musume right on the spot.
But Shirayuki still had one final retirement race left.
As an uma musume with influence across the entire world, there was no way she could get married while she still had a race ahead of her.
The earliest possible date would be after the Arima Kinen.
New Year's Day.
"Everyone is terribly fixated on that sheet of paper," Agnes Tachyon said, sitting beside Chiya. "They view the words written upon it as a kind of promise. Or perhaps… calling it a restraint would be more accurate. Once a name is written there, it means staying by each other's side forever. But in my opinion, what keeps two people together is not that sheet of paper. It is the affection between them."
She set down her teacup and looked at Chiya.
"In truth, to us, that paper is already something dispensable. No matter whose name is written on it, your relationship with everyone will not change."
Agnes Tachyon leaned closer and gently blew into Chiya's ear.
Seeing him twitch from the ticklish sensation, she curved her lips and couldn't help laughing.
"Guinea pig-kun, I believe the reason you are so fixated on that paper is also because of Shirayuki. The maiden heart within you is acting up. It longs for a happy, romantic marriage, so you absolutely refuse to write anyone else's name on it."
"Maybe."
Chiya did not deny it.
"A person's love for others can be seen through their behavior, their tone, and their movements. But love for oneself is almost impossible to observe. First, because modern people do not know how to love themselves. Second, because one's own love does not usually contain romantic feelings between man and woman."
Agnes Tachyon reached out and stroked Chiya's chin, staring into his eyes.
"But your love is highly unusual. It is more direct than self-love, and it contains the feelings between a man and a woman as well. As a research subject, you are quite the rare specimen."
"How are you still thinking about research at a time like this?"
"Of course I am. I am a researcher. Taking an interest in the person I love and beginning research because of it is only natural, isn't it?"
"I feel like your research obsession has gone completely off the rails."
"Hahaha! Correct, guinea pig-kun. Right now, my research subject is you. Several years from now, my research subject will be our child. I very much look forward to the day the little guinea pig is born, and what sort of data they might provide me."
"You…"
Looking at Agnes Tachyon like that, Chiya could only shake his head helplessly.
At this point, these uma musume were no longer merely uma musume.
They had every right to call him by name, and Chiya couldn't really scold them for it either.
"Would you like to rest for a bit, guinea pig-kun? You seem to have dark circles. You haven't been sleeping much lately, have you?"
Agnes Tachyon gently tugged down the corner of Chiya's eye with her thumb and asked.
"I've been working overtime nonstop. We won a lot of prize money from the Arc, and plenty of people want me to invest."
"Oh? In that case, you had better let me take a look. There are quite a few people out there who trick others into investing these days."
"You know about that stuff too?"
"Wuya, guinea pig-kun, am I truly worthless in your eyes outside of races and experiments? I oversee many of my family's businesses."
"Ah… Now that you mention it, you are an heiress."
Chiya had almost forgotten.
Agnes Tachyon was also from a distinguished family.
"My family is no worse than the Mejiro family, you know, guinea pig-kun." Agnes Tachyon smiled. "Winning the favor of two great families at once. Guinea pig-kun, you have truly made it in life."
"I guess."
As they spoke, Chiya's phone buzzed.
He took it out, glanced at the message, then stood up.
"Someone's looking for me. I'll go first, Tachyon."
"Mm. Goodbye, guinea pig-kun."
Agnes Tachyon waved goodbye to her man.
After Chiya left, the curtain in the middle of the room stirred.
Manhattan Cafe walked in.
"Oh my, Cafe. You were here?"
"I was here the entire time."
"Sorry about that. I let you overhear some family matters."
"Family matters…"
Manhattan Cafe frowned.
Her clear golden eyes turned toward Agnes Tachyon.
"I never expected Trainer Chiya to accept someone like you."
"The bond between guinea pig-kun and me cannot be explained in just a few words. Reaching this point was simply the natural course of things."
"What a shame… Trainer Chiya and Shirayuki, two pure souls, are going to be stained by impurities."
"How cruel. I am plenty charming to guinea pig-kun too, you know. That man gets quite enthusiastic when he calls my name."
The corners of Manhattan Cafe's mouth twitched twice.
She turned away.
"The next time Trainer Chiya comes here, even if he hears me, I am leaving the room. Please excuse my rudeness, but this curtain between us… does not block sound at all."
"I don't mind you listening from the side."
"Even after entering a relationship with someone… you remain as unpleasant as ever, Tachyon. I only hope your genes will not corrupt Trainer Chiya's child."
With that, Manhattan Cafe lifted the curtain and returned to the neighboring room.
Agnes Tachyon sat on the sofa.
What a roundabout way to offer congratulations.
She and Cafe really were a pair of natural enemies.
On the other side, Chiya arrived at the park and saw Grass Wonder standing there, holding down her skirt as she gazed at a dandelion.
When Grass Wonder noticed him approaching, panic flickered across her face.
But she quickly calmed herself, exhaled, and said, "You came, Trainer Chiya."
"Yeah. Sorry to keep you waiting, Grass-chan."
"Would you walk with me for a little while?"
"Sure."
The two of them strolled through the garden.
"I fell in love with Yuki-chan a long time ago. Probably around the third month after Yuki-chan transferred here."
"That's… really early."
Chiya had thought Grass-chan had only awakened to those feelings a few months ago.
He hadn't expected her to have set her sights on Shirayuki so long ago.
Wait.
Could it be that she kept inviting Shirayuki to bathe together because she wanted to take the chance to feel Shirayuki up?
Wasn't that…
The same as me?
He also wanted to feel up Grass Wonder.
In the past, Shirayuki had rubbed against Grass Wonder's chest plenty of times. Sometimes she had even secretly touched Grass Wonder's pale, soft thighs.
The body of a yamato nadeshiko really was captivating.
Of course, that was all long ago.
The current Shirayuki wouldn't do that anymore.
"I like Yuki-chan. Not just her body, but her personality too."
Grass Wonder stopped.
Then she asked the question she most wanted answered.
"Trainer Chiya… are you Yuki-chan?"