"Onii-sama's cousin…"
The last to speak was a petite girl. She had long, beautiful black hair flowing down her back, with long bangs covering her right eye. A hat adorned with a blue rose rested on her head.
She was the final member of the team, Rice Shower.
Strictly speaking, she was actually the first Uma Musume Fujiwara Chiya had properly signed with. The others had either been bait or accidents.
Facing the girl who held her hands tightly against her chest like a timid little animal, Fujiwara Chiya nodded.
"Yes. Fujiwara Shirayuki is my cousin. She just transferred to Tracen today."
"Whew~" Gold Ship let out a whistle. "You seriously dragged your own little sister in just to pad the numbers? Trainer, what am I supposed to say about you?"
"…Huh?" Veins popped on Fujiwara Chiya's forehead.
"I-is something wrong, Gold Ship?"
"Of course not. But listen," Gold Ship stepped up beside Shirayuki and casually draped an arm over her shoulder. "This trainer here has a habit of tricking clueless Uma Musume into joining his team. I should know. I got scammed myself. So Shirayuki, if you ever run into trouble, feel free to come to me, the great Gold Ship, for help."
She pointed at herself and gave Shirayuki a wink.
Faced with her shameless invitation, Shirayuki immediately turned her head away.
"That's impossible."
Her gentle voice echoed clearly.
"My cousin is kind, upright, brave, and strong. He is practically the most perfect man in the world. There's no way he would do something like that. Please don't slander him."
Everyone froze.
"Hah! Nice try, Gold Ship. You think you can ruin my reputation? My little sister isn't buying any of that!"
"…What the hell? Trainer Chiya, you've already brainwashed your own sister into this? That's seriously messed up."
"The hell are you talking about? You're the one dragging my name through the mud!"
"Yeah right, you psycho!"
"Hey, who are you calling a psycho?!"
"U-um… p-please stop arguing!"
Seeing the two of them about to escalate, Meisho Doto hurried over to stop them. But just as she lifted her foot, she accidentally stepped on her own shoelace. She stumbled forward and, by sheer coincidence, crashed straight into Shirayuki.
A faint fragrance filled the air.
With no time to react, Shirayuki was knocked to the ground, while Meisho Doto landed in an extremely awkward position between her legs.
It was a perfect faceplant.
Warm breath brushed against Shirayuki's thigh, sending a strange tingling sensation through her body.
"Whoa… Shirayuki just got tackled. Teammates, are we just going to stand here? Trainer Chiya…"
Gold Ship turned around and saw that Fujiwara Chiya had also collapsed onto the ground.
What are you even doing?
"Ah—s-s-sorry! Shirayuki!" Realizing what she had done, Meisho Doto scrambled to her feet and bowed repeatedly. "I didn't mean to! I'm so clumsy… what do I do, what do I do… ah!"
Her eyes spinning, she hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief.
"I'll wipe it clean!"
Before Shirayuki could react, Meisho Doto started wiping her thigh. From the outside inward, even reaching dangerously close to her inner thigh.
"W-wait, Doto… don't—"
"Eek… I-I'm so sorry!"
She wasn't listening at all. Her hands moved faster and faster, sending waves of tingling sensation through Shirayuki's body. Her face flushed red as she felt like she was about to lose it.
"Alright, that's enough. This is getting way too inappropriate. If you're going to do that, take it inside. No public play allowed!"
Gold Ship stepped in, grabbed Meisho Doto, and pulled her away.
Shirayuki tried to get up, but her legs felt weak and refused to cooperate.
Seeing her disheveled breathing, Meisho Doto immediately bowed again.
"I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry… I'm really that clumsy!"
Clumsy?
Your hands seemed pretty skilled to me.
Shirayuki's cheeks burned as she looked at her.
"You do realize this kind of situation is just going to benefit someone, right?"
"Benefit… someone?"
"That's right. Him."
Gold Ship pointed behind them.
Fujiwara Chiya was sitting cross-legged on the ground like a monk in meditation.
"Is something wrong with Trainer Chiya?"
"Huh?" Gold Ship blinked. Just moments ago, he looked like a starving wolf. Now he had completely changed.
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form… illusions come and go…
"Everyone, let's focus on training."
Fujiwara Chiya slowly opened his eyes.
"Onii-sama…"
"What is it?"
Rice Shower hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
"She's probably wondering why you're sitting on the ground," Gold Ship cut in.
"It's cooler down here. Helps me calm down."
"And you're planning to stay like that?"
"I'll get up once I've calmed down."
"Suit yourself." Gold Ship clicked her tongue.
"I-I'm really sorry about earlier, Shirayuki…"
Meisho Doto was still apologizing.
"It's alright, Doto. It wasn't a big deal." Shirayuki smiled gently. "Since we'll be teammates from now on, I'd like us to get along. Let's just forget about it and start fresh."
"Ah… y-yes! Please!"
Meisho Doto quickly took her hand.
So this is what a girl's hand feels like.
Shirayuki looked at her.
It's so soft…
At the same time, Meisho Doto's heart was racing.
Her hand is so soft and smooth… and she smells so nice… w-wait, what if my sweaty hands rub off on her…
Standing nearby, Rice Shower watched with a complicated expression.
"…a little sister…"
"Alright, everyone."
Now fully composed, Fujiwara Chiya stood up.
"I have something important to announce. This year, we're all going to compete. Our goal is to win a graded race."
"A-graded race…?" Meisho Doto trembled. "C-can we really win…?"
"Whoa, what's this? Trainer finally getting serious?" Gold Ship stared in shock. Just days ago, he had looked completely defeated. Now he was suddenly fired up.
"From now on, every time you win a race, I'll treat you to a feast. And if you win a graded race, I don't care if it's GⅠ, GⅡ, or GⅢ. As long as you win, I'll reward you with an entire cart of carrots!"
The moment the word carrots was spoken, everyone's eyes lit up, including Shirayuki.
Wait… why am I reacting to that too?
…Whatever.
"You heard me. A whole cart. Of course, if your performance is poor, there will also be punishment."
""What?!""
"Come on. Rewards come with consequences. I haven't decided the details yet, but trust me, you won't like it."
Fujiwara Chiya smiled dangerously.
Meisho Doto shivered.
Why does it feel like the trainer suddenly had some kind of enlightenment overnight? Now he's using both carrot and stick…
"That's only the first point. The second is expanding our team."
"Most of the strong Uma Musume are already taken, but from what I've gathered, there are still some talented ones who haven't signed with any trainer because of their personalities. Those are our targets."
"So what's the plan, Trainer?" Gold Ship raised her hand.
"We sell them a dream. Figure out what they want, what they desire, and then guide them into joining our team."
Fujiwara Chiya finally understood what his senior had meant.
Being a trainer required boldness, attentiveness, and thick skin. Only then could you make them follow you.
"That's right. This is my training philosophy!"
As Fujiwara Chiya declared this passionately, Gold Ship looked at him like he had completely lost his mind.
This trainer is beyond saving.