Someone once said that every ordinary day we live through might be a chain of miracles happening back-to-back.
Wake up. Eat. Class. Work. Sleep.
A bland life can feel like swallowing an entire towel that's been used to wipe up vomit.
Wake up. Eat. Class. Work. Sleep.
Over and over again.
And yet—even so—if there's someone you love beside you, life doesn't feel quite so unbearable.
On weekends, the subway was still packed to the brim. But compared to the dead-eyed office drones on weekday mornings, students heading out to have fun brought a little more life into the car.
That was when the value of having a horse girl at your side really showed.
Even in the crush, a small circle of space was forcibly carved out around Chiharu Representative.
Some people were intimidated by her unique aura; others were simply afraid of getting hurt by accident.
Which was fair. There'd once been a subway groper who preyed on high school girls. Since no one reported him, he got bolder and bolder—until one day he set his sights on a horse girl.
That day, as the police took statements, half the passengers in the car looked pale as sheets.
All they said was—
They would never, ever play the "watermelon-splitting" beach game again in their lives.
After that, nobody dared try anything with horse girls.
A pervert might be lecherous, but he's not suicidal.
In any case, good-looking couples drew attention everywhere—especially when they were in casual clothes.
Wuyou didn't need much introduction. Draped in an overcoat, he looked like an elegant British gentleman, and more than a few women stared with shining eyes.
Chiharu was no less striking: a white shirt underneath, a fitted dark-brown coat, jeans with a small leather belt, and clean white sneakers.
She had a girl's graceful charm, but there was also a crisp, handsome edge to her—almost boyish in the best way.
"Heh heh heh~" Chiharu hummed, her ponytail tail swishing happily behind her.
"You seem pretty excited," Wuyou said with a smile.
Chiharu gave a soft "Mm," her gaze skimming the cityscape whipping past the window, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"I looked it up. That hot spring inn has a great view from the open-air baths. At night, you can see the stars."
"You did your homework," Wuyou teased.
"Of course!" Chiharu puffed her chest a little, proud as anything.
In truth, she wasn't the type to plan.
Freedom was her nature. Even when she traveled, she preferred no destination, no direction, no plan—head empty, like a breeze that went wherever it pleased.
But last night, she'd originally intended to go straight to sleep.
Then she lay there in the dark, hugging one of Wuyou's clothes, and couldn't close her eyes at all.
"This is my first time going out with Yuu…"
Her whisper echoed in the empty room.
She sat up immediately, grabbed her phone and tablet, and started searching guide after guide.
Naturally, she wasn't about to admit any of that out loud.
Looking at Wuyou now, Chiharu licked her slightly dry lips and tested the waters.
"Hey, Yuu… tonight, do you want to—"
A chime sounded.
The subway stopped at the next station.
The doors opened, and the crowd poured in like a flood.
The already-tight car became instantly suffocating.
Chiharu moved without hesitation.
She turned sideways, using her taller frame to shield Wuyou from the incoming surge.
"Careful," she murmured.
One arm casually braced against the pole beside him, forming a half-enclosure that kept the press of bodies away.
But people kept packing in, far more than expected.
Chiharu frowned and stepped forward another half-step.
Now Wuyou was almost completely tucked into her front.
Her back bore the jostling of strangers, while Wuyou was protected in a narrow pocket of space—made by her arm, the rail, and the door behind him—so tight he barely had room to turn.
A flicker of discomfort crossed Wuyou's face.
They were simply too close.
He felt like the unfortunate "skewered chicken" in some soft-and-sweet catgirl game—wrapped up in warmth until he didn't know what to do with himself.
The scent at his nose was a mix of fresh shampoo and a girl's clean body heat, sweet enough to make him lower his head in reflex.
Chiharu dipped her head too, her voice coming from above him, carrying a barely-hidden chuckle.
"There are too many people. Can't help it."
One hand held the pole; the other nearly circled behind his back—casual on the surface, but her fingertips curled slightly, tense.
Her eyes lingered on the crown of his head. With every breath, she caught a faint trace of his shampoo.
The car swayed. Their bodies brushed. Each tiny contact felt like a spark, thickening the air.
Wuyou instinctively held his breath, the tips of his ears warming, his cheek faintly pink.
He was almost grateful he couldn't see—otherwise he wouldn't know where to put his eyes.
Chiharu pretended to watch the blurred lights sliding past the window, but her tail swayed on its own, betraying how unsteady her heart was.
Still… Wuyou couldn't help thinking.
Was she truly just protecting him from the crowd?
Or was she simply using it as an excuse to cage him in her arms?
The silence stretched, filled only by the rumble of rails and the muffled chatter of passengers.
In the cramped space, something intimate seeped into the gaps.
Warmth. Breath. Skin brushing through layers of fabric.
All of it made the invitation she'd failed to finish feel far more dangerous.
Then Wuyou felt a ticklish, tingling sensation against his leg through his pants.
Something… had wrapped around him.
He lowered his right hand toward it.
The instant his fingers touched it, he felt a soft, silky texture—like hair, but thicker, denser.
"Ah!"
A stifled yelp came from above.
Wuyou froze.
Only then did he realize—
It was Chiharu's tail.
"Chiharu?" Wuyou lifted his head, puzzled.
Chiharu turned away, her face faintly flushed—whether from the stuffy car or from something else, even she couldn't say.
"N-Nothing… It's just crowded, and my tail didn't have anywhere to go," she mumbled.
If there had been any other horse girls or trainers nearby, they'd already be staring at her like she'd lost her mind.
A horse girl's ears and tail were sensitive, private places. Unless you were close—very close—touching them was basically forbidden.
And a tail deliberately winding around an opposite-sex body?
That had meaning.
A "tail hug."
It meant—
This person is mine. Don't even think about running.
A flicker of regret passed through Chiharu's eyes.
Yuu was a trainer that good—how could he not know what this meant?
What was wrong with her…?
And yet, even as she regretted it, her gaze kept drifting back to him, as if waiting—hoping—for his reaction.
Wuyou was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded calmly.
"Okay. I understand."
Which… made sense. Plenty of horse girls had done similar things to him before.
Even his own horse-girl sister used to do it. When she was little, she loved using her tail like a lasso—looping it around his waist, yanking him close, then ruffling him mercilessly.
Chiharu exhaled in relief.
But deep down…
a strange, wordless disappointment spread through her chest.
A little later, she gathered her courage again, wanting to finish what she'd been trying to say.
"Hey, Yuu… tonight, do you want to go look at the star—"
Another chime.
The subway slowed. The announcement called the station name. The doors opened.
Like the tide pulling back, passengers filed out, and the car suddenly became much emptier.
The pressure disappeared. The forced closeness vanished.
Cool air drifted in, and the warm, sticky intimacy seemed to scatter with it.
Chiharu opened her mouth.
And stopped.
Seeing Wuyou relax just a little as space returned, she felt the impulse—and the courage—drain away with the crowd.
In the end, she quietly withdrew her hand. Her tail sank, slowly, as if lowering itself in defeat.
Then Wuyou spoke.
"…You're not going to keep it wrapped a little longer?"
"Wha—?!" Chiharu startled.
Wuyou scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"I kind of liked being tied up like that… It was warm."
Chiharu's lips parted. The words she'd wanted to say—her invitation to stargaze—went down with a swallow.
She huffed and yanked her tail back decisively.
"Oh? Is that so~ Then we'll see if you can make me happy enough."
"Hey—That's unfairly devious!"
"Is it? I think it's perfectly normal"
Nearby passengers couldn't help glancing over. More than a few wore knowing, auntie-like smiles.
Chiharu noticed. Her face flashed with shy, girlish embarrassment—then, almost immediately, turned into a bright grin.
She hadn't said it out loud… but this felt pretty nice too.
…
Onsen Town Station.
Named for the many hot spring hotels nearby.
The train eased in. The doors opened with a mechanical hiss.
Chiharu stepped out first and turned naturally, reaching a hand toward Wuyou.
Her fingertips hesitated right before they could touch—so she shifted and only lightly steadied his arm instead.
"Watch the step."
Her voice was softer than usual. Her tail swayed in small motions behind her, as if trying to hide something—yet also unable to conceal the lingering excitement.
After exiting, they followed the map and walked.
As they went, the air grew faintly sulfuric, mixed with the clean scent of forest grass and mountain trees.
Within ten minutes along a stone-paved path, an elegant building came into view.
A wooden sign hung above, ink-brushed characters flowing with restrained, moonlit grace:
Oborozuki-an.
Hazy Moon Hermitage.
A deep indigo noren curtain marked the entrance, its edges embroidered with thin silver threads in a stream pattern. When lifted, it felt cool and smooth under the fingers.
The entryway floor was polished zelkova wood, gleaming softly. The air carried the faintest trace of incense—barely there, like sandalwood dampened by hot spring mist.
The front desk was a single slab of black stone. Only a paper-shaded lamp and a slender pot of irises sat upon it.
Ink paintings decorated the walls: distant mountains, a lone boat, a bird at rest.
The empty space—the deliberate blankness—made the room feel deeper, quieter, as if time flowed slower here.
Warm, dim light seeped through washi lampshades and fell on dark wooden pillars.
"Welcome to Oborozuki-an."
A receptionist in pale teal kimono bowed, her voice like water tapping jade.
Then she lifted her head—caught sight of Chiharu—and froze, eyes going wide.
"Um… e-excuse me… Are you… Chiharu Representative?"
Her voice trembled with excitement. Other staff noticed and looked over.
"It really is Chiharu Representative!"
"Chiharu-sama is so cool in person!"
"If it's Chiharu Representative, could I get an autograph?!"
This inn frequently hosted horse girls. The staff knew the racing world's famous faces well.
And Chiharu—still not debuted, yet already hugely popular—was practically legendary.
Several employees edged closer. Chiharu was generous, signing for them one by one.
That only made them bolder, until it almost resembled an idol handshake event.
At the same time, there were horse girls working at the inn too.
Their attention gravitated more toward Wuyou.
He carried a uniquely gentle scent—calm, soothing, almost impossible to put into words.
To horse girls with keen senses, it was naturally magnetic.
A few horse-girl attendants unconsciously paused their work, studying him and whispering.
"That person… his scent is strange."
"It's like… it makes you feel calm."
"Is he… Chiharu-sama's trainer?"
After a while, the crowd finally dispersed enough for them to reach the desk and check in.
The front-desk girl accepted the hot spring voucher Wuyou handed over, surprise flickering in her eyes.
"The day that voucher was won, I heard it was a handsome couple and caused quite a commotion… I didn't expect it to be Chiharu and Trainer Wuyou."
Wuyou and Chiharu both blinked.
Chiharu being recognized was one thing, but Wuyou wasn't exactly famous—at least not yet.
Seeing their confusion, the receptionist stood and bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry—I forgot to introduce myself. Thank you very much for what you did for our young lady before."
"Your young lady?" Chiharu echoed.
"Yes…"
"Ah! Chiharu! Trainer Wuyou!"
A bright, lively voice rang out from nearby.
Chiharu turned—and sure enough, it was someone she knew.
The pink-haired horse girl from before—the one assigned to that trainer who had tried to provoke Wuyou on the training field.
She ran over, tail wagging happily.
"I've been wanting to invite you two to our family's hot spring for ages! But I've been so busy with the contract termination these past few days that I kept putting it off…"
So Oborozuki-an was her family's property.
A young lady indeed.
Chiharu's eyes widened slightly.
"Termination… you mean…?"
The pink-haired girl's eyes dimmed with a trace of sadness.
"Yeah… After that day, I went to Carrot-sensei's stream. Once I compared things, I finally realized just how… um…"
She was gentle by nature. Even after ending the contract, she didn't want to speak ill of her former trainer—so she only shook her head.
Wuyou nodded, understanding.
It was for the best.
After being humiliated, that trainer had left without even caring about his assigned horse girl.
Someone like that had no business being a trainer.
"Anyway!" The pink-haired horse girl brightened immediately. "Since you're guests at my home, I'll make sure you get the best service possible!"
With that, Wuyou and Chiharu finished check-in, and she prepared to guide them to their room.
Just then—
the entryway erupted in a wave of barely-contained shrieks.
The commotion was almost on par with Chiharu's arrival.
Wuyou and Chiharu instinctively turned to look.
And saw seven dazzling figures standing at the entrance.
The seven Mejiro sisters.
....
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