"You really are pathetic, Empress. A few months ago, you were standing on top of the world. And now you're already saying goodbye?"
Orfevre found Shirayuki, planted her hands on her hips, and looked down at her with all the arrogance in the world.
"Orfevre…"
Shirayuki met her gaze.
"It can't be helped. My peak is already behind me. If I keep running, I'll only be wearing down my own reputation. It's better to leave the stage to the girls coming after me."
"That sort of thing is nothing a little effort can't push through! If your ability is declining, then obviously your training is wrong. Aren't you a trainer? Then arrange better training for yourself!"
Shirayuki scratched her head.
"I've been trying everything I can, but my stamina really is dropping. In another few months, I'll probably be back at the level I was during my Classic year."
She smiled.
"Uma musume can't keep running forever. Everyone has to leave the racetrack someday."
Orfevre clenched her teeth.
Shirayuki's looming retirement made her furious.
And helpless.
She knew she was asking too much. She knew she was being selfish again. But she couldn't bear it. She couldn't bear to let go of Shirayuki, the opponent she admired most, and the one she wanted to defeat more than anyone.
"In this Arima Kinen, I will take victory back from your hands. Do you hear me, Shirayuki?"
"Orfevre, even if I'm about to retire, I'm still the Empress. Beating me won't be that easy."
"That is exactly what I wanted to say." Orfevre lifted her chin. "If I win, then on New Year's Day, you will marry me."
"…Huh?"
The bushes nearby rustled.
So now these uma musume had gotten smart. If soft tactics didn't work, they were going straight for brute force.
"Shirayuki, if I win the Arima Kinen, then you can't marry yourself. You have to marry me!"
Mejiro Dober said almost the exact same thing as Orfevre.
Apparently, the Mejiro family had already found out where Fujiwara Chiya planned to hold the wedding. If Mejiro Dober won, they would swap the bride with Mejiro Dober, while Shirayuki would become the bridesmaid.
"Hiss…"
Shirayuki sucked in a sharp breath.
And it wasn't just Mejiro Dober.
Even Rice Shower, rarely so aggressive, launched another attack.
"Rice will work hard to win… and stand beside Onii-sama!"
"Yuki-chan, I heard whoever beats you in the Arima Kinen gets to become his wife. Is that true?"
Grass Wonder came rushing over, her eyes practically sparkling.
Who the heck is spreading that rumor?!
Shirayuki found the culprit soon enough.
Gold Ship had one arm slung around Agnes Tachyon's shoulders.
"The Trainer said whoever beats Shirayuki in the Arima Kinen gets to replace her and marry him."
"Oho? How interesting."
"Gold Ship!"
Shirayuki stormed over.
"Stop spouting nonsense!"
Not long ago, Fujiwara Chiya had told Gold Ship the truth about himself and Shirayuki.
Gold Ship had let out a few bizarre shrieks, then stared at him in horror and shouted, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" before collapsing onto the floor and twitching like she was dying.
A moment later, she sprang back up and declared, "Prank successful!"
Fujiwara Chiya had been completely speechless.
Gold Ship didn't seem to have much of a reaction to the secret.
Or maybe she had reacted a lot, but everything she did was so exaggerated it felt fake. Whether she was genuinely shocked or just pretending, Chiya couldn't tell. And when she added, "Actually, I figured it out ages ago," it only made him scratch his head harder.
Truth? Lie?
Fujiwara Chiya had no idea.
Gold Ship was forever impossible to read.
Of course, Chiya had also told her that he planned to marry Shirayuki.
Gold Ship's immediate response was, "Bride-stealing, huh? I'm gonna steal the bride that day! Trainer, you'd better watch out!"
Right then and there, Fujiwara Chiya knew that with Gold Ship's personality, there was no way she would let his wedding go smoothly.
For something this important, he truly hoped Gold Ship could behave herself for once.
The result?
Forget behaving herself.
Before the bride-stealing even started, she went and spread a whole new rumor first.
"What's the big deal, Shirayuki? We agreed that whoever wins the Arima Kinen gets to marry Trainer, didn't we?"
"I never agreed to that!" Shirayuki snapped, practically bristling.
Gold Ship puckered her lips.
"Shirayuki, oh Shirayuki. Don't tell me you've forgotten what kind of creatures uma musume are. We respect strength above all else. The victor holds absolute power. You must have realized that when you became Empress, right? Your words became truth. No matter what you said, everyone under you would throw themselves into it. Even Rudolf's orders were basically background noise in front of yours."
Gold Ship patted Shirayuki on the shoulder, her expression suddenly solemn.
"So when an uma musume wants to take what's most precious to you, there's only one way to do it. Beat you. Survival of the fittest. The law of uma musume. Don't wait until it happens to you before you start sighing about it. Accept reality early."
"That's way too dark!"
"Uma musume are dark creatures by nature. So do your best. Protect the man you love, Shirayuki. Otherwise, we're going to steal him away."
Beside her, Agnes Tachyon looked deeply convinced.
Even if Tachyon didn't oppose Shirayuki and Chiya being together, if there was a chance to claim Chiya for herself, there was no way she would let it slip by.
"You… you people…"
Shirayuki's mouth hung open for a long moment, but no words came out.
So after all that noise, this was the real bride-stealing!
He was the one these uma musume were trying to steal!
"I knew it. There was no way you'd just let me get married peacefully."
"That's not quite right, Shirayuki," Agnes Tachyon said, lips curving into a smile. "You may fall in love with yourself, but we're allowed to do the same. As fellow uma musume, in the end, we must decide victory and defeat the uma musume way."
"Winner takes all, Empress-sama," Gold Ship said with a giggle.
"Fine. Fine, fine."
Shirayuki closed her eyes.
A moment later, she slowly opened them again.
"I'll show all of you what happens when you challenge the Empress."
Pinned by those sharp blue eyes, Agnes Tachyon and Gold Ship both swallowed without thinking.
Even if Fujiwara Chiya had said Shirayuki's body was gradually declining, she was still the winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. She was still the uma musume who had stood at the summit of the world.
Her presence alone made it hard to breathe.
Shirayuki turned and left the hallway.
Only then did Gold Ship and Agnes Tachyon manage to breathe again.
Apparently, beating a declining Empress wouldn't be easy either.
Outside, Shirayuki walked to the courtyard behind the school building.
Fujiwara Chiya was sitting on a bench.
Shirayuki went straight over and plopped herself onto his lap.
She wrapped both arms around his neck.
Looks like nobody wants to give up.
Everyone wanted to fight for that final sliver of a chance.
Honestly, facing this many opponents at once left Shirayuki feeling a little overwhelmed. Especially Orfevre. Her strength might have already surpassed Shirayuki's.
But Shirayuki couldn't lose.
This was a race with her and Chiya's future on the line.
Looking at the man's face, Shirayuki closed her eyes and kissed him.
Chiya…
Inside Shirayuki's mind, she kept calling her own name.
On top of him, she spoiled herself as much as she wanted, without restraint and without a single worry.
He was hers.
No one was taking him away.
As Shirayuki kissed him, Fujiwara Chiya wrapped his arms around her soft waist in return. His hands traced the slender line of her body, and he gently bit her rosy lips.
The position of wife.
She would not hand it over to anyone.
This was Fujiwara Chiya's final race.
And also a race he absolutely had to win.
Fujiwara Chiya held Shirayuki's hand, pulled her close, and whispered beside her ear.
"Get through this final hurdle with me, Shirayuki."
His voice slipped into her ear.
Her heart gave a hard, blazing thump.
And in that instant, Shirayuki and Chiya, one soul in two bodies, found that peak feeling once again.