Fujiwara Chiya had honestly thought he wouldn't see Treve again until next year.
Turns out, they met again way sooner than expected.
Well, maybe not that soon. Counting from the day he left Europe, two whole months had already passed. The habits he'd picked up over there had been slowly overwritten after returning to Tracen.
Looking at the little filly in front of him, unchanged from his memories down to the tiniest detail, Fujiwara Chiya reached out and scratched her ears.
Yep.
Still fluffy.
Still unbelievably soft.
"You're using VR training too?"
"Mm-hm. The school said I can race other uma musume with this, so it's useful for building experience."
Treve narrowed her eyes in bliss and happily swished her tail. Chiya's way of petting her felt a lot like Shirayuki's. That familiar touch stirred up old memories, and Treve couldn't help asking, "Trainer, did Shirayuki not come?"
"Shirayuki, she… she'll come later."
"I see. Hehe. Trainer, are you here to train an uma musume?"
"Strictly speaking, I'm here to train myself."
"Yourself? Ohhh~ Is the strongest Trainer in history finally going to challenge an uma musume?"
"Pretty much."
Though he'd need to add the word physically after "strongest Trainer in history."
"Then wanna race me?"
"Hisss… Well, about that…"
Fujiwara Chiya's opponent was Orfevre. With Orfevre's current level, she had absolutely no comparison to Treve. At minimum, she would need another year of training before she could stand a chance against Treve.
But Shirayuki needed to break through herself.
And Fujiwara Chiya needed to do the same.
His experience could also be used for Shirayuki.
With that thought in mind, he nodded.
"Sure. Let's give it a try."
"An AI will come organize sign-ups in a bit. Trainer, you can enter with me then. There are more and more people now, and there are plenty of strong ones too."
Looking at the growing number of uma musume on the racecourse, Fujiwara Chiya could feel it.
VR was becoming more and more widespread.
Outside the VR world, Shirayuki received a notice from Agnes Tachyon telling her to come to the lab.
When she walked through the door, Shirayuki found Tachyon with the TV on. The screen was showing the Longchamp Racecourse.
Entering the VR world forcibly cut off Shirayuki's connection with Chiya, so she had no idea what was happening on his end.
"You called me, Tachyon?"
"Mm. Guinea Pig-kun is going to race Treve. I thought it would be best to call you over to watch."
"Huh?"
Shirayuki's ears flicked, her expression going completely blank.
She had only disconnected for a few minutes.
How had she suddenly ended up racing Treve?
At the center of the screen, Chiya and Treve were signing up with the AI uma musume.
"Looks like the little queen of Paris is also using VR equipment for training. Now taking revenge is much easier for you. Just call her up, and you can retaliate online."
"That's way too casual."
"Does Shirayuki prefer her revenge with more fire and spectacle? Well, races inside here truly can't compare to the outside world. People who own VR are still a minority. But I think this is a good trend. TV stations can broadcast the race feed worldwide through screen projection, and the competitors can complete the race from home."
"Wouldn't sports just turn into esports at that point?"
"Indeed. I'm merely suggesting a possibility. After the software update, they also added a real-interaction system."
"What does that mean?"
"It unlocks all actions. It was still in testing before, but now it's officially released. You can go on dates with others inside, watch movies, and even engage in physical contact. Every interaction gives genuine feedback."
"Huh? Why would a training program add that kind of stuff?"
"Who knows? Perhaps to get infinitely closer to reality. Personally, I think it's quite a good development direction. Not simply treating VR as a training device and nothing else… Oops, I may have said too much. The race is about to start."
Shirayuki saw Chiya warming up on the track.
"Do you want to say something to him? The login device can send wireless communication to the competitors."
"I don't really have anything to say."
"There should be plenty, no? For example, cheering Guinea Pig-kun on. I believe Guinea Pig-kun would be delighted to hear your voice."
"How could that be possible? Why would I feel happy from cheering myself on?"
"Who knows? Rice Shower often cheers herself up, doesn't she? You should try too. It may produce an unexpected effect."
Looking at the microphone Agnes Tachyon handed over, Shirayuki hesitated for a moment.
Then she took it.
Inside the VR world, Fujiwara Chiya was doing his warm-up stretches when a crackle of static suddenly flashed through his ear.
"Hello?"
The familiar voice made Fujiwara Chiya freeze.
"Chiya, can you hear me?"
"You're… Shirayuki?"
Fujiwara Chiya sounded half doubtful. Right now, he and Shirayuki were disconnected, so he had no idea what was happening outside.
"Mm. I'm watching your race from out here."
Listening to the girl's clear voice, Fujiwara Chiya felt something strange stir in his chest.
The Shirayuki speaking to him right now wasn't being controlled by him.
Fujiwara Chiya was talking to another version of himself.
"Treve is an incredibly strong opponent. You absolutely can't let your guard down… is what I want to say, but you probably already know that, right?"
Of course he did.
"I won't say anything unnecessary, then. I'll be here looking forward to your victory. Do your best, other me!" Shirayuki said, her voice bright and full of energy.
"Yeah. I'll show Treve what I, the strongest Trainer in history, can do."
"The strongest Trainer in history? The physical type?"
Shirayuki instantly understood what Chiya meant. Even if she didn't know exactly what she herself had been thinking, she could grasp his thoughts immediately.
The two of them thought the same way.
"Exactly."
"Haha."
The girl let out a crisp laugh.
"Do your best, Chiya! If you win, I'll agree to give you a hug."
"Then I really have to give it my all."
"Trainer, who are you talking to?" Treve asked curiously.
"I'm… talking to someone very important."
"Very important?"
Outside the screen, Agnes Tachyon looked at Shirayuki.
The girl turned her head away.
"Wh-What…? Isn't a person's self the most important person to them? What's wrong with that?"
"I did not say anything yet."
Agnes Tachyon pinched her chin, her gaze subtly flicking toward Shirayuki's slightly flushed cheeks.
She had once considered the possibility of a situation like this.
She hadn't expected it to actually become real.
And from the looks of things, it was not some momentary impulse either.
Now those uma musume were probably going to start panicking.
After dealing with Treve, Fujiwara Chiya waited for the race to begin on Shirayuki's side as well.
His heart thudded hard in his chest.
For some reason, hearing Shirayuki cheer him on made Fujiwara Chiya feel like his entire body was brimming with strength.
"Now, please welcome our next group of competitors!"
At the AI host's call, Fujiwara Chiya entered the gate.
He took a deep breath and slowly lowered into his starting stance.
"The race begins!"
Bang!
Twenty figures burst from the gates.