January first.
Fujiwara Chiya had not even opened his eyes when someone knocked his door open.
Akikawa Yayoi strode straight toward the man sprawled across his bed, crossing the room in three quick steps.
"Chiya! Why are you still sleeping?!"
She yanked his blanket away and slapped him right on the backside.
"Eek! Assassin!! What the… oh, it's you, Yayoi-nee."
Fujiwara Chiya sprang out of bed, then immediately sat back down once he saw it was Akikawa Yayoi. He let out a huge yawn.
"What's wrong, Nee-san?"
"What's wrong? What day do you think it is? Don't tell me you forgot!"
Akikawa Yayoi very nearly gave her lazy little brother another smack.
"I know. Of course I know. We still have time, don't we?"
Fujiwara Chiya pulled the blanket back up, fully intending to steal a few more minutes of sleep. He had been busy preparing the wedding until three in the morning, only to be dragged out of bed by Akikawa Yayoi at six.
"How can you still think about sleeping?! Hurry up and wash your face, brush your teeth, and change your clothes! You still have to go to the venue and receive the guests. If you arrive later than they do, you'll be a laughingstock!"
"Yes, yes…"
Fujiwara Chiya crawled out of bed, yawning the entire way. He had slept for a grand total of three hours. Asking him to greet guests with a bright, polished smile in that state was, frankly, asking a lot.
While Fujiwara Chiya washed his face and brushed his teeth, Akikawa Yayoi dragged over a stool, stepped onto it, and helped comb his hair.
Once everything was ready, Fujiwara Chiya changed into his groom's outfit. Looking at the black jacket and neatly tied necktie, Akikawa Yayoi nodded again and again.
"As expected of my little brother. So handsome."
Ever since the two of them stopped hiding their relationship, Akikawa Yayoi had put her little-brother complex on full display. These days, her favorite phrase whenever Chiya did anything was basically, "As expected of my little brother."
Back when he first came to Tracen, Akikawa Yayoi had constantly picked at him. This was wrong, that was wrong. Sometimes, she even kept him behind to do Tazuna's work.
But fortune had turned. Now, no matter what Fujiwara Chiya did, Akikawa Yayoi praised him.
Standing on tiptoe, Akikawa Yayoi hugged Fujiwara Chiya. She stretched her hand up with all her might, and only managed to pat his head after the man bent down for her.
"Go eat. Tazuna already finished breakfast."
As soon as he went downstairs, Hayakawa Tazuna came out of the kitchen.
"My, my. The groom has finally appeared."
"Good morning, Tazuna."
"Morning."
She walked up to Fujiwara Chiya.
"Don't you think this outfit would look perfect beside me?"
"Tazuna…"
"I know, I know. I'm just complaining a tiny bit."
Hayakawa Tazuna rested a hand against her cheek.
"I've gone all these years without even getting a boyfriend, all so Chiya could one day marry me into his family. And now look. All that waiting has turned into a regret."
"You say that, but you've done plenty already. Since Chiya isn't your boyfriend, maybe stop sneaking into his blanket," Akikawa Yayoi retorted.
"My, my. Even if I'm not the legal wife, I'm still someone who privately pledged herself to Chiya. Besides, little Shirayuki is adorable too. In the worst case, I'll take both of them. When you and Shirayuki have your moments, don't forget to invite me."
"Hey, Tazuna!"
Akikawa Yayoi smacked her with her fan.
"It was a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously, Yayoi? Come eat. We'll be heading to the wedding venue soon."
The group sat down for breakfast.
At the same time, Shirayuki had also been woken up by Mejiro Dober.
Dober crouched in front of her, carefully doing Shirayuki's makeup. After drawing a fine line at the corner of her eye, she put the brush away.
"Okay. I'm going to cover your eyes now."
"Mm. Please, Dober."
As per Shirayuki's request, she wanted to see herself in the wedding dress for the first time at the actual venue. To preserve the surprise, she had asked Mejiro Dober to blindfold her and only remove it once they arrived.
A knock sounded at the door, and Seiun Sky came in.
"I came to see how preparations are going. Hm? Why is she blindfolded? Are you two playing some kind of game? Isn't the timing a little off?"
"We are not! I'm just helping Shirayuki keep the wedding dress fresh."
"Ah, I see. You want to surprise yourself when you finally see it, huh?"
Seiun Sky walked over to Shirayuki.
"Trainer really has fallen all the way into girlhood, hasn't he? Even this part is exactly like a girl. At this rate, I'm seriously starting to suspect the first person spoiled by Shirayuki in the future won't be a baby, but Trainer himself."
"Hey! Sky!" Mejiro Dober snapped. "You can't say stuff like that today!"
"Ahaha, sorry, sorry. I started teasing Trainer out of habit."
"What are you all doing? Aren't we leaving yet?"
Grass Wonder stepped into the room. When she saw Shirayuki with her eyes covered, she covered her mouth.
"Yuki-chan… what kind of game is this?"
"Why do all of you see a girl with her eyes covered and immediately think that way?!"
"Because Yuki-chan really is so soft and adorable. Sometimes, I imagine covering Yuki-chan's eyes and teasing her a little, just to hear her reactions."
"You're really good at this, Grass. Actually, I've had the same thought once in a while. Playing little tricks on Shirayuki, I mean."
"Huh? You too, Sky?"
"Exactly. Shirayuki has this mysterious ability to awaken a person's curiosity. Have you ever tried it yourself, Shirayuki? Like covering your eyes and letting yourself be led around?"
"…"
The girl lowered her head, her face turning red.
"My, my…"
"Yuki-chan…"
"That's enough, you three!"
Mejiro Dober hugged Shirayuki protectively.
"A bet is a bet. Shirayuki won the race. Since that's the case, we need to respect her wishes."
"Yes, yes. We bridesmaids will behave and watch from the back."
Seiun Sky laced her fingers behind her head.
"It's fine. Whether it's my husband or Yuki-chan, I love them both the same," Grass Wonder said, folding her arms.
"Come to think of it, this feels a little unfair. Only Shirayuki has her eyes covered. Trainer should be blindfolded too," Seiun Sky said, raising a hand.
"True. Since they're husband and wife, they should share joy and hardship alike," Mejiro Dober agreed.
"N-no, that's not necessary, right? I've already seen it anyway," Shirayuki said timidly.
Her feelings right now were indescribably complicated. By all rights, she should have been the star of this wedding. Somehow, though, Mejiro Dober and the others had completely dragged her around by the nose.
It was like one of those scenes on TV where the bride got surrounded by her closest girlfriends.
Except these girls were not exactly her girlfriends.
They were more like… wives without marriage certificates.
Maybe that was the right way to put it.
"Then I'll go to Trainer's side. Remember to make him wait downstairs for me, okay, Shirayuki?"
Seiun Sky dashed out.
By the time she found Trainer, Gold Ship and Rice Shower had already arrived, and the man's eyes had already been covered by Gold Ship.
"What are you doing, Trainer?! Mystery! You need mystery! If you stand there staring with both eyes open, you'll ruin the whole atmosphere!"
This girl… could she see the future?
Seiun Sky stared at Gold Ship.
"Hoh? So this is my groom?"
Orfevre walked over, studying Fujiwara Chiya's outfit.
"Not bad. This puts me in quite a pleasant mood. Come, Trainer. I shall take you around."
"Onii-sama is getting married! He's not going with you!"
Rice Shower stood in front of him.
"Tch."
Orfevre clicked her tongue.
"If you lot hadn't gotten in my way during that race, I would have won."
At the final turn, Orfevre had been ready to charge. But those uma musume, who had all gone half-mad from the heat of battle, had completely surrounded Shirayuki. They had crowded together at the front, leaving Orfevre with no path to break out. She could not even activate her Zone. Shirayuki, meanwhile, took the inside turn, shook them off, and ran straight to the finish.
"Rice Shower. And you too, Gold Ship. The two of you were right beside me! I should have knocked both of you aside and charged through!"
"What did we do? We were just running normally. Also, knocking people aside? That's so nasty, Orfevre. Even if Japan's rules have gotten more lenient, that kind of hit would still be a foul."
"I know that! Damn it!"
Orfevre raked a hand through her hair.
This was already her second loss to Shirayuki. Worse, it had been an incredibly frustrating loss. She did not even get a chance for revenge.
No, that was not entirely true.
Shirayuki had retired and entered the Dream Trophy League. Her training schedule was relatively relaxed now. Orfevre decided she would challenge Shirayuki to a one-on-one race and crush her properly.
"She stole my victory and stole my marriage. Unforgivable! Trainer, prepare yourself for my punishment."
"Scary. Trainer, if you married Orfevre, you'd definitely be under your wife's thumb. By the way, how exactly are you planning to punish him?"
"I shall make him suffer sweetly enough that he forgets how to beg for mercy."
Fujiwara Chiya shuddered.
"That is… quite the powerful punishment. Trainer, it's honestly a good thing you didn't marry Orfevre," Gold Ship said, sounding unusually speechless.
These days, Orfevre had stopped bothering to hide this side of herself in front of people.
"Rice… feels like she learned something new again. This will surely be useful next time!"
The tiny uma musume clenched her fists.
"Is everyone here? Then let's head out."
Hayakawa Tazuna came out after finishing her preparations. Seeing everyone outside, she smiled.
The wedding venue was being handled by the same shop where Fujiwara Chiya and Shirayuki had taken their wedding photos before. The wedding dress the shop staff had once kept safe for them would finally be worn by Shirayuki today.
After arriving at the venue, Fujiwara Chiya stood at the entrance and greeted guests.
"Trainer Chiya, I'm here!"
A bright, booming voice rang in his ears. Wearing the blindfold, Fujiwara Chiya took two seconds to react.
"Yaeno Muteki?"
"What is going on, Trainer Chiya? Why are you wearing a blindfold? Could it be…"
"I'm not injured."
"You're training!"
"…Huh?"
"As expected of you, Trainer Chiya! Even on such an important day, you do not forget your training! Yes, we martial artists must improve ourselves at every moment. That is the spirit of the Vajra Yaegaki style. As a disciple of our school, you have carved that spirit into your very bones. You are truly a model for us all. That said, on a joyous day like this, you may still relax a little."
Yaeno Muteki patted Fujiwara Chiya on the shoulder.
"Also, this is my wedding gift to you. May you and Shirayuki be blessed with children soon. Please come visit our dojo often."
Yaeno Muteki placed the dojo token she always carried into his hand.
"Then I will see you later, groom."
With that, she walked into the venue.
"My husband, allow me to help."
Grass Wonder took the token from his hand.
"Grass, you're here."
"Yes. Yuki-chan and the others are in the preparation room. You already know that, don't you?"
"I do. Speaking of which, can I take this blindfold off now? I can't see anything."
"No, my husband. To preserve the final bit of mystery, you must wait until the ceremony."
With no other choice, Fujiwara Chiya continued wearing it.
This was the first time both sides of his vision had been completely sealed.
"Grass! Trainer Chiya! Suzuka, over here!"
Special Week and Silence Suzuka came running over.
"Happy wedding, Trainer Chiya!"
"Um… congratulations on your marriage."
"My, my. Spe-chan, Suzuka-senpai, welcome."
"Why is Grass greeting people here?" Special Week asked.
"Because Trainer Chiya is here."
Grass Wonder leaned against Fujiwara Chiya.
"Spe-chan, now the two of us finally aren't rivals anymore."
"Huh? What are you talking about, Grass? Oh, right, where's Shirayuki?"
"Yuki-chan is inside. You'll see her soon."
"Trainer Chiya, this is only a small gift, but please accept it."
Silence Suzuka placed the congratulatory envelope she had prepared into Fujiwara Chiya's hand.
"You two are Shirayuki's friends. You didn't have to prepare anything like this."
"No. It is because we are Shirayuki's friends that we want to wish her happiness."
Silence Suzuka paused for a moment.
"Trainer Chiya, I hope you will treat Shirayuki seriously. Also… if you do not mind, would you let Shirayuki go out with Spe-chan and me again sometime?"
"Of course."
The two of them happily went inside.
"My husband, is it truly all right not to tell them?"
"It's fine. Not every secret needs to be told. Sometimes, it's better not knowing."
"Yes."
For the next while, Fujiwara Chiya continued greeting guests. His uma musume, his coworkers, and then—
"Chiya. As promised, I came."
"…Byerley?"
"And me too, Chiya."
"Darley? Where did you go?"
"To see a friend. Oh, and we brought someone with us."
Fujiwara Chiya was just about to pull off his blindfold when a pair of soft hands stopped him.
"This is my gift, Trainer Chiya. May your future child be filled with love, just like you."
A warm, smooth token was placed into Fujiwara Chiya's palm.
He had heard that voice before, but he could not remember where.
"Please honor your uma musume's request and keep the blindfold until the final moment, Trainer Chiya," the gentle voice said.
"We'll head in first, Chiya."
Darley patted his shoulder.
"Mm…"
After the three of them left, Fujiwara Chiya called to Grass Wonder beside him.
"Grass, help me look. What's carved on this token?"
"One moment, my husband… Hm. It seems to be the sea."
"The sea?"
"Yes. A very calm ocean. Just looking at it makes the heart feel peaceful."
"I see…"
Fujiwara Chiya slipped the token into his pocket. The token engraved with the ocean overlapped with the sun and earth tokens he already carried. A dazzling flash of light swept across Chiya's body.
"Thank you for your blessings… Goddess-sama."
The last to arrive were Fujiwara Chiya's parents.
The two of them walked up beside him.
"Chiya, your old man waited years after your mother retired before getting married! You really couldn't hold yourself back, could you? Still, that's fine! Once the meat is in your mouth, you never let it fly away!"
His father really had never helped him with anything except causing trouble.
Actually, that was not entirely fair. The reason he had been able to become family with Hayakawa Tazuna and Akikawa Yayoi was all thanks to this unreliable father.
"I haven't told your father about your situation," his mother whispered by Fujiwara Chiya's ear, standing on tiptoe.
"What? You still haven't told him, Mom?"
"I want to see when that foolish man will figure it out on his own."
Northern Dancer smiled softly.
"That said, Chiya, you really did choose a road that belongs only to you."
"Sorry, Mom…"
"You don't need to apologize to me. No matter what you do, your father and I will support your choice."
Northern Dancer let him go and gently patted Fujiwara Chiya's head.
"I used to worry whether you could live well on your own. But now, it seems I don't need to worry anymore."
Beside them, Grass Wonder bowed her head softly.
"Remember to visit our home, Grass."
"Yes, Auntie… no, Mother."
Once all the guests had arrived, Fujiwara Chiya was taken to the groom's preparation room. Katsumura Yota and Nishizaki Ryu patted his shoulders.
"I don't get it, Chiya. Why are you the youngest one among us, but the first one to get married?"
In front of the blindfold, Katsumura Yota waved his fist.
"What's the rush? Men only get more attractive with age," Nishizaki Ryu said boldly.
"All right, Chiya. I won't say anything unnecessary. Anyway, I wish the two of you a long and happy life together."
"Thanks, Ryu-aniki."
"How many years have we known each other? When I get married next time, you'd better come support me too!"
Nishizaki Ryu burst out laughing.
"Ryu-aniki getting married? Don't tell me the other person is Trainer Tojo?"
"Yota, I'm starting to think your mouth has gotten worse and worse!"
The two grown men in groomsmen outfits started wrestling with each other.
"It's almost time. Get ready."
Kuronuma pushed up his sunglasses. For once, he was properly dressed, with none of his abs exposed.
Fujiwara Chiya took a deep breath.
His heart pounded nonstop.
Led by his friends, Fujiwara Chiya walked outside.
At the same time, Shirayuki was also brought out by Mejiro Dober and the others.
With his eyes still covered, Fujiwara Chiya could not see anything.
But he could feel it.
He was very close to Shirayuki.
"Now, please remove the blindfolds," the wedding host announced.
Katsumura Yota helped Fujiwara Chiya undo his blindfold.
The moment he saw Shirayuki, Fujiwara Chiya froze.
Her long white hair. Her soft pink cheeks. And that wedding dress, the one he had once seen before, now carrying an entirely different meaning as it wrapped around her figure.
In that instant, Fujiwara Chiya understood.
He and Shirayuki were getting married.
It felt like a dream.
"Trainer."
A voice rang out.
Seiun Sky stepped forward.
She was also wearing a white wedding dress.
Not just Seiun Sky. Rice Shower, Mejiro Dober, Agnes Tachyon, Grass Wonder, and Gold Ship all walked out one after another.
Looking at their pure white dresses, Fujiwara Chiya's eyes widened.
"Surprised, Trainer?"
Gold Ship planted her hands on her hips. The ship-shaped hat on her head had been removed, and her beautiful silver-white hair spilled down her back.
"Don't be nervous. We're just bridesmaids."
They all laughed.
"She's the star today."
The girls pushed Shirayuki in front of Fujiwara Chiya.
"Groom, do you take this bride as your wife? Whether she is rich or poor, healthy or unwell, do you promise to stay with her forever?" the wedding host asked.
"I do."
"Bride, do you take this groom as your husband? Whether he is rich or poor, healthy or unwell, do you promise to stay with him forever?"
"I do."
"Then, under the watch of the Three Goddesses, may the bride and groom be joined as husband and wife."
Amid the cheers of everyone around them, Fujiwara Chiya hugged the girl in front of him tightly.
This time, no one stopped him.
Under everyone's blessings, Fujiwara Chiya kissed Shirayuki's soft lips.
"Trainer Chiya, do you understand uma musume now?"
In a daze, Fujiwara Chiya seemed to hear the wish he had made back when he was lost.
And the one who had granted that wish was asking him a question.
"Yes," Fujiwara Chiya answered. "I understand them completely now."
"Congratulations, Trainer Chiya. Your wish has finally come true."
…
...
Two months later.
Ding-ling-ling.
Fujiwara Chiya's phone received a message.
"Shirayuki, I'll be arriving in Japan soon. Come pick me up. Your Treve is coming back!"
Seeing that message, Fujiwara Chiya smiled.
"Got it. I'll come get you."
He then walked up to the reporters who had already been waiting for him.
"Hello, Trainer Chiya. We're from Genius Trainer Interview. We have a few questions we'd like you to answer."
"Then, for the first question. What is the secret behind you becoming the youngest senior trainer in history?"
"The secret, huh?"
Fujiwara Chiya fell silent for a moment.
Looking at his own face reflected in the camera lens, Fujiwara Chiya smiled.
"The secret is this. I have an uma musume."
"That person…"
"Is me."
-------------------------------------------------
(A/n: Just so you know, there are side stories/after stories, so it's not finished yet.)