Going out with himself, just once, was far more difficult than Fujiwara Chiya had expected.
The Mejiro family tea party was gone. The Triple Crown winner's signing event was gone. He had turned down invitations from friends, shopping plans with juniors, and even drinking parties with his colleagues.
Fujiwara Chiya felt as though he had missed out on a fortune.
But the moment Shirayuki finished getting ready and stepped out, he suddenly felt that every sacrifice had been worth it.
She was wearing the new black dress she had bought, paired with sheer black stockings. Her snow-white hair fell softly behind her, and her cheeks carried a faint, delicate pink. The outfit made her look pure, yet just mature enough to be captivating.
Cute, but with a quiet allure that made it hard to look away.
Speaking of which, weren't those stockings a little too sheer?
He remembered the shop assistant saying they were 15 denier. He had not expected the fabric to be thin enough that Shirayuki's fair thighs could still be seen clearly beneath it.
Fujiwara Chiya looked over Shirayuki's outfit with a serious eye.
The colour, the style, the balance, everything matched his taste perfectly.
Unlike other girls, who might first consider how they looked to others when buying clothes, Shirayuki chose based on what she herself wanted to see.
Her socks, her underwear, her coats, her dresses, all of them were things Chiya liked.
At first, Shirayuki had still considered value for money, but once Chiya's salary increased, she gradually began focusing more on dressing herself up.
No matter what other people thought, Shirayuki's first priority was simple.
When she looked at herself, she wanted to feel happy.
Just like now.
Fujiwara Chiya reached out and stroked Shirayuki's ears. A quiet satisfaction rose in his chest.
To avoid being discovered by everyone, he and Shirayuki had left separately. Fujiwara Chiya had gone to Central Park first, and Shirayuki had left half an hour later.
When he saw her running toward him with light, quick steps, his heart began to pound.
Whether it was her running posture or the small gestures she made in daily life, Shirayuki perfectly struck every one of Fujiwara Chiya's weak points.
To Chiya, the perfect girl was not only someone beautiful.
Her movements, habits, and way of speaking also had to match his preferences.
That was why Shirayuki had been shaping herself little by little.
When she waited for someone, she would clasp her hands behind her back and lightly rise onto her toes. When she ran, she would swing her arms in small, quick motions.
Those gestures had no practical meaning.
But Fujiwara Chiya thought they were cute.
He liked them.
After repeating them for so long, they had become part of Shirayuki's natural behaviour. Even when she was not consciously trying, her body would do them on its own.
At times like this, Fujiwara Chiya could not help but reflect on how habits stayed with the body. Like conditioned reflexes, they became an acquired instinct.
If he, as an adult man, made those same gestures, he would not be able to stand watching it.
Of course, he would not be the one seeing it.
Shirayuki would.
Because of that, Fujiwara Chiya had also begun improving himself from Shirayuki's perspective.
He wanted to look handsome when Shirayuki saw him. When she looked at him, it was almost like looking into a mirror from another angle. Through her eyes, he noticed his own flaws and slowly corrected them.
His habit of speaking too roughly in front of women, his occasional crude attitude, and the careless way he carried himself had all improved quite a bit.
The results were not bad.
Female staff members who had once kept a polite distance from him had recently become much friendlier.
Shirayuki was also increasingly satisfied.
Aside from habits, there was one other change.
Chiya's face.
Perhaps because his body had fully shifted toward an uma musume's constitution, Fujiwara Chiya's face had become fairer and softer. Even the lines of his face looked more refined.
Clothes that had once made him look handsome now gave him a slightly different impression.
Pretty?
No, that was not quite right.
After his hair grew longer, the feeling became even stronger.
It was a kind of androgynous elegance, with a gallant sharpness beneath it.
Maybe she should cut his hair later.
Shirayuki preferred Chiya when he looked more masculine. That version of him gave her a stronger sense of security.
In any case, with two bodies, there was no need to leave the matter of taking care of herself to someone else.
Haircuts, for example.
Whether it was Shirayuki or Chiya, either one could cut the other's hair into the most ideal style.
Wasn't that much better than trying to explain things to a barber?
So, aside from cooking, Shirayuki planned to learn more daily-life skills too.
In the future, she could cut Chiya's hair, choose his clothes, cook for him, and perhaps do many other things.
The more she thought about it, the more Shirayuki felt that living together with Chiya had only benefits and no drawbacks.
Every day would be happy.
Even if they did nothing, simply sitting together and looking at each other would be enough to make the whole day feel pleasant.
Of course, for now, she could only think about it.
If they actually tried to put it into practice, there were still too many problems.
The Director.
Tazuna.
The student dormitory.
All sorts of troublesome matters still had to be solved.
Shirayuki could only keep pushing the idea further into the future.
But as long as she did not give up, there would come a day when those problems were resolved.
The two held hands.
After entering the amusement park, Shirayuki's first destination was the seasonal dessert area.
Chiya had been paid.
Today, she could spend freely.
Originally, Chiya had planned to buy several games and the newest console. Unfortunately, he had been too busy, and Shirayuki was the same. Even if he bought them, he barely had time to play.
Besides, Gold Ship kept monopolising his resources.
She already owed him ten dates.
Right now, Fujiwara Chiya's greatest form of entertainment had become satisfying Shirayuki's appetite.
Of course, that did not mean Chiya had nothing to enjoy on his side.
He could buy Shirayuki several outfits and admire her from the side.
A skin bought in a game could only be looked at.
Clothes bought for Shirayuki could be looked at, touched, and hugged.
Wasn't that far more cost-effective?
Sometimes, simply watching Shirayuki come out in different outfits made Fujiwara Chiya feel healed.
When they reached the autumn event area, Shirayuki was immediately captured by the glittering stalls.
"Wagashi!"
Her eyes lit up.
"Shopkeeper, five pieces, please."
"Coming right up. Would Onii-san like some too?"
The shopkeeper looked toward Fujiwara Chiya.
"I'll pass… Actually, give me two pieces too."
Today was for relaxing.
There was no need to overthink anything.
He just had to enjoy himself.
With the two of them, flavours would overlap between their senses. Once, Shirayuki had been eating salad while Chiya drank tea, and the result was that Fujiwara Chiya felt as if he were drinking salad-flavoured tea and eating tea-flavoured salad.
That strange layering of taste often created unexpected effects.
"I'll take two rice crackers and two dango as well."
"Heave-ho~"
Holding the sweets, Shirayuki narrowed her eyes in happiness.
Fujiwara Chiya walked beside her. As Shirayuki's tongue moved, a soft sweetness spread faintly to his side as well.
Delicious.
Fujiwara Chiya put a dango into his mouth.
The two flavours blended together, forming a gentle rhythm. Shirayuki's ears flicked happily, almost sparkling with joy.
Fujiwara Chiya reached out and stroked those ears.
Shirayuki naturally leaned against him.
Sweetness filled her mouth.
Warmth rested against her side.
A gentle hand stroked her ears.
Shirayuki could not imagine a more wonderful feeling.
A deep, quiet happiness filled her chest.
The last time she came to an amusement park, she had been with Rice Shower, with Fujiwara Chiya accompanying them from the side.
Compared with a game, an amusement park was more like a place for socialising.
Friends came together.
Couples came together.
Families came together.
Everyone moved in groups.
But the more people Fujiwara Chiya met, the more he understood how precious peace and quiet were.
Sometimes, bringing no one along and coming here alone like this was also quite nice.
He placed another dango into his mouth, then gently tightened his hold on Shirayuki's hand.
Their footsteps matched perfectly as they walked toward the nearby Alice in Wonderland Maze.
This rare time alone together was something he wanted to treasure.
Every single minute of it.