[Speed +1]
[Speed +1]
[Mid-distance aptitude proficiency breakthrough: 6 km / 10 km.]
…
…
The girl listened as the system notifications kept chiming inside her head.
Fuka Shirayuki stood on a bench by the training track, white stockings on, bare feet planted on the wood, shouting at the top of her lungs:
"You're amazing, you're amazing! My baby's the best!"
"Go, Miss Kyokuhou!"
"You're totally going to kick Fuka Shirayuki to death! I'm cheering for you!"
She was one step away from whipping out two glowing light sticks and acting like Kyokuhou's number-one fan…
Except—
The emotional support she poured out was even more intense than what fans could give.
Watching Kyokuhou hit the line, she cheered again, and Kyokuhou—fired up by the encouragement—returned to the starting point and launched into another sprint.
It was as if she didn't feel tired at all.
Once again, the system prompts rang out in Shirayuki's mind.
The corner of her lips lifted slightly.
Amused. A little amazed.
Wow.
So there really are spinning tops that rotate on their own, huh?
Shirayuki couldn't help humming, "When I hear you say—"
But Kyokuhou had something to say, too.
This "King of Kings, Boot-in-Boot" was honestly obscene.
Years later…
Whenever Kyokuhou looked back on her brilliant life, she would always remember that distant afternoon—when she met an angel.
She pressed her lips together, thinking:
Training in these boots, you could clearly feel yourself getting stronger.
How should she put it?
It was like having a progress bar.
So many people in life can't stay focused long enough to finish anything—not because they lack willpower, but because they don't get enough positive feedback, and because they can't see the progress they're making. If you could just set a progress bar for things, she was convinced half the world would clear everything on platinum.
Right now, Kyokuhou was exactly in that second category.
She could see the progress bar at any time, and feel positive feedback at any time…
And—
There was even an "emotional support squad" on the sidelines!
As the eldest of three sisters, when had anyone ever encouraged her like this?
Hearing Shirayuki again—"You're doing great! Keep enduring it! Keep training!"—
Kyokuhou couldn't help it. She grinned like an idiot.
"Hehe…"
It had always been Kyokuhou encouraging others. Never the other way around.
She started gesturing with her hands—
Measuring Shirayuki's height.
Measuring Shirayuki's face.
Could it be…
Was taking care of people a "Fuka" family tradition?
And honestly, under Shirayuki's meticulous, doting care, Kyokuhou really, really liked this horse-girl she'd met by chance—senior, classmate, whatever you wanted to call her.
She just wanted to be closer.
Kyokuhou, right now…
Wanted a mom who was this tall!!!
She measured again—Shirayuki's height, Shirayuki's face.
…
What Kyokuhou didn't know was…
Seventy percent of it belonged to someone else.
Whether she'd ever get her thirty percent depended entirely on Shirayuki's mood.
…
Time in the training grounds always vanished in a blink.
For Kyokuhou…
Happy moments were always short.
After another clean finish, Kyokuhou sat down beside Shirayuki to rest.
The sun had gone out.
Stars crowded the night sky, and the moon shone bright against the black canopy.
It was seven in the evening.
The glow from a screen lit Shirayuki's face.
Noticing the time, she thought: I should head home, huh?
Tracen Academy wasn't close to where Shirayuki lived.
It was like that lonely girl commuting to work at "Starry"—even one way took two hours.
If she had a private car, it'd be manageable.
But Shirayuki clearly didn't. She had to take the subway, then transfer to a bus to get home.
A total hassle.
And besides…
She was worried about her little sister, alone at home.
She wondered—
What is my sister doing right now?
I miss her so much…
With that thought, Shirayuki lifted her head, made up her mind, and looked at Kyokuhou.
"I'm going home."
"…Huh?" Kyokuhou blurted out instinctively, surprised.
Then she realized what time it was—
She looked around in disbelief and finally noticed it was night.
Did time really pass that fast?
When did that even happen…?
Who stole her time?!
Kyokuhou's voice was full of reluctant pleading.
"Big sis… let me train a little more! Just a little!"
"Until eight, okay? Just give me one more hour…?"
It was practically begging.
Shirayuki's voice stayed soft and sweet:
"It's not good for your health!"
And then she added, half like a tease—
As if she were letting some green-haired, forest-dwelling, mentally-unhinged girl laugh at her.
She interlaced her fingers, her small face serious.
"Sleep properly! If you sleep well, training becomes twice as effective!"
Hearing her say that…
Kyokuhou still looked unwilling, but she could only take off the "King of Kings, Boot-in-Boot."
And to be fair—
The boots' benefits didn't stop at speed gains and sudden insight.
Kyokuhou had destroyed plenty of training shoes before—ones with horseshoes, too. Under high-intensity training they'd end up collapsing into wrinkled, ball-like wrecks.
But these boots?
Not a scratch on the outside.
Not even the smell had changed.
They still carried a faint, lingering scent—like a girl's subtle body fragrance hovering in the air.
So good…
Kyokuhou couldn't help sighing again.
She was insanely jealous.
This classmate in front of her had received the blessing of the Three Goddesses—
And was generous enough to lend such a divine artifact to her, just like that.
Kyokuhou knew she was getting greedy, but she still asked:
"M—"
"…Classmate. Can you come to this training ground again tomorrow?"
She couldn't let go of that gentle warmth.
Even Shirayuki could tell exactly what she was thinking.
Shirayuki tapped her lips with a finger, wearing a smile that held no emotion.
Kyokuhou was definitely thinking:
With something like this, kicking Fuka Shirayuki would be like stomping the good leg of a lame stray on the roadside.
Shirayuki opened her system panel again.
She stared at the mid-distance aptitude bar that was just a little short of the next increase.
Look at you, you dummy…
Tilting her head, Shirayuki said, "I will. If I have time, I'll come."
"Really?" Kyokuhou lit up. "Then can I add your contact? Classmate? Classmate!"
Shirayuki lightly pressed a fingertip against Kyokuhou's forehead.
"Look at you—so impatient," she said in a syrupy tone. "If we're meant to meet, we'll meet again."
She didn't agree to exchange contact info.
After all, contact details were private.
If Kyokuhou added her on LINE and scrolled through her posts…
Even someone slow might realize the girl in front of her was Fuka Shirayuki.
Kyokuhou was dense, not stupid—so Shirayuki wanted to prevent that possibility as much as she could.
She was curious about just one thing:
That moment backstage—
When Kyokuhou, who had sworn so loudly to "snipe" her, saw the race entrant—
Fuka Shirayuki—
And realized the "angel" who helped her was the very person she planned to crush…
What kind of expression would Kyokuhou make then?
Delicious.
So exciting.
The nasty little part of Shirayuki tilted her head, finally showing a smile—happy, satisfied.
The way things were going now…
It was practically a perfect everyone-wins ending!
…
…
The bus stopped in the suburbs circling Tokyo.
Sitting by the window in the second-to-last row, Shirayuki turned off her screen.
She'd been thinking about her next race—what to enter.
Honestly…
She didn't care whether it was G-class, Open, Pre-Open, or a youth race.
She had only one goal:
The prize money.
The more, the better.
She'd actually found a few decent options…
She'd look up the details properly once she got home.
Thinking that, Shirayuki stepped off the bus, climbed the stairs, and returned to the door of her tiny rental.
The light inside was still on.
Warm yellow light—
Dim, dizzying, and comforting all at once.
She checked her phone again.
It was 9:23 p.m.
My sister…
Still awake?
That's normal. It's still early.
With that casual thought, Shirayuki unlocked the door.
The door creaked open, and inside the cramped room a muffled voice called out:
"Big sis?"
"…Yeah."
Shirayuki nodded and answered.
Tap-tap-tap.
Footsteps—like someone sprinting down the stairs.
Fuka Chiori came rushing over, unusually frantic.
She flew down in her indoor slippers and stopped in front of Shirayuki.
Shirayuki: "…?"
Looking a little confused, she asked, "What's wrong?"
…
Silence fell abruptly.
To be honest—
Before her sister came home, Chiori had rehearsed countless questions in her head.
She had so much she wanted to say.
So much she wanted to ask.
She wanted to ask: What was that medicine about?
And she wanted to ask—
Are you unhappy, big sis?
Is there sadness under that cheerful face?
Say it out loud. Maybe I can't fix it, but we're family. I love you.
All those sincere thoughts dissolved in the face of her own clumsy hesitation.
Because the moment Chiori saw her sister's cheek, every question disappeared.
There was—
And only one—
The most serious question.
Can I help my sister right now?
No.
This wasn't about splitting chores or helping around the house.
This was about money. About responsibility.
For adults…
Society had already been reduced to "make money or don't," and all the answers that branched from that.
Just like Shirayuki had said before:
"Some people are born into a peaceful life. Others have to bow their heads to trade for it."
Chiori fell silent.
She pressed her lips together.
She was reminded all over again of the burden her sister carried…
Even she wanted to run away from this family.
So how did her sister…
How did she manage it?
And…
Maybe my sister hates me.
In the end, all of Chiori's emotions collapsed into a single line:
"It's good you're back."
"Did you eat dinner outside?"
"If not, I'll heat something up! I accidentally made too much tonight—I thought you'd come back to eat…"
Chiori rambled as she spoke, then turned around and started moving briskly.
Shirayuki didn't really understand what was going on…
But she could sense her sister's low mood with unsettling clarity.
What's up with her?
She scratched her head, thinking.
Then she didn't hesitate.
She took off her shoes, stepped forward from behind, and suddenly hugged her sister around the back.
Chiori jolted in surprise.
"…Big sis!" Her voice carried a clear, complaining edge.
Like a small animal, Shirayuki rubbed her cheek against Chiori's, breathing in her sister's scent, and chuckled foolishly.
"It's okay~ I already ate outside. Don't fuss over me."
And…
"Chiori Away."
Chiori: "…Huh?"
She'd finally heard that special nickname again—one she hadn't heard in a long time.
"Let's sleep together tonight," Shirayuki said casually. "It's been so long since we slept together."
"…Huh?" Chiori hesitated. "Don't we sleep together every day?"
"There's only one bedroom. We sleep together every night."
Shirayuki sounded smug.
"I mean—sleep hugging."
It really had been a long time since they did that.
Sister and sister—
Sleeping while hugging each other… that's normal, right?
That's just what close family does.
So why stop once you grow up?
Anyone who's slept with someone else knows: unless you're exhausted to the point of collapse, it's hard to fall asleep while holding someone. Your arm goes numb easily.
Unless the other person curls into your arms like a little animal, tucking themselves in.
That's the comfortable way.
Otherwise, most people just sleep separately, each in their own space.
…
…
"Chiori Away?"
"Mm?"
Shirayuki's expression was serious.
"Don't wiggle. Curl up in my arms, okay? Otherwise I can't fall asleep."
"…Mm."
Her sister sounded helpless.
Staring at the ceiling, Shirayuki thought only one thing:
She had to speed up her next race plan.
She couldn't lie and say she didn't need money.
Not just because of herself—
But because of her sister.
Shirayuki could feel it—whether it was this body's sense of responsibility, or her own feelings, or whatever you wanted to call it.
There was only one desire:
I want my sister and me to live a better life.
Her sister was never dead weight.
She was her last family in this world.
A perfect artwork blessed by the gods.
A romantic artwork named family.
How about that G3 race called the "Challenge Cup"?
It started in December…
Seems…
Doable?
Decided.
Tomorrow, she'd sign up.
"…"
Curled up in Shirayuki's arms, Chiori just wanted to cry.
Tears traced faint lines beneath her eyes…
Even she wanted to run away from this family.
So how did her sister…
How did she do it?
And she also thought—
Her sister was an idiot who always cared about everyone else's feelings, forgetting that she herself was hurting, too.
…
What kind of beautiful flower was being prepared to bloom—
That life made them go through hardships again and again?
All of this suffering…
Was preparation for that flower's blossoming.
[CARVED: FLOWER]
The flower of youth will bloom at last.
-------
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