Fujiwara Chiya was sweating.
No matter how many times he thought about it, he still couldn't understand how Mejiro Dober had managed to come all this way after them. He hadn't told anyone where he was going, so how did she find him?
Did the Director tell her?
No way… right?
Once inside the room, Mejiro Dober flipped open the futon and checked the bedding. After confirming there were no terrifying red marks anywhere, she finally let out a breath of relief.
Thank goodness.
The two of them hadn't crossed that line.
At least, not all the way.
"Dober, why are you here?"
"I came to find Trainer."
"To find me?"
"Yes." Mejiro Dober stared at him. "Why did Trainer go out with Shirayuki without bringing me? Was it on purpose? Were you trying to avoid me?"
"No. Of course not. Why would I avoid you?"
"Really?"
"…Of course."
Fujiwara Chiya wiped away a bead of cold sweat without letting it show.
It wasn't that he had gone out of his way to avoid her. He and Shirayuki had only wanted a little quiet time alone. Whether it was Dober or anyone else, bringing someone along meant he would have to look after them. Only with Shirayuki could he let all his guard down.
Though admittedly, they had let it down a little too much.
Shirayuki had only just finished tidying herself up and climbed back onto him when Mejiro Dober knocked on the door. The two of them had nearly jumped out of their skin and scrambled into their clothes.
"I've been too busy recently and forgot to ask you. I should've asked what you wanted first. Those reporters were so noisy that I didn't even dare stay at Tracen. Once the Director told me I could take a break, I left right away."
"Yeah… right. Trainer and Shirayuki really have been especially busy lately."
Mejiro Dober's emotions slowly settled. Once she knew Shirayuki had not gone all the way, the string that had been pulled tight inside her finally loosened.
"When Trainer goes out, remember to call me too. I want to come with you."
"Yes."
Fujiwara Chiya quietly sighed in relief. If she had arrived even one step later, this room would have been impossible to explain.
Trying to change the subject, he asked, "Dober, did you come here by yourself?"
"I came with… Bright. Right, Bright! I'll go check on Bright. Trainer, wait here a second."
With that, Mejiro Dober left the room.
Taking that chance, Shirayuki went pata-pata across the floor with quick little steps and carried the towel from earlier into the bathroom. It was damp, clinging unpleasantly to her fingers, and carried a heavy lingering scent.
The memory of what had happened moments ago flashed through her mind.
The soft warmth. The closeness. The way her heart had almost burned straight through her chest.
Shirayuki gave a tiny shiver.
She hugged herself, but the heat in her heart had yet to fade.
Now Shirayuki understood.
A complete soul longed for another soul.
But half a soul longed only for its other half.
She lowered her face, caught the scent on the towel once more, then, cheeks flushed, soaked it in the sink.
"Sorry to intrude, Trainer Chiya~"
Not long after, Mejiro Dober brought Mejiro Bright into the room. Bright greeted him in that soft, leisurely voice of hers.
"Good evening, Bright. You came to play too?"
"Mhm. It was my first time seeing Dober make that kind of face, so it was very interesting. She kept saying, 'I've been dumped, I've been dumped,' the whole way here. Dober like that was very cute too, but Trainer mustn't bully her too much, okay?"
"Bright! I did not say that!"
Mejiro Dober's face turned bright red as she lightly thumped Mejiro Bright on the shoulder.
Honestly, when Dober learned that Trainer and Shirayuki had secretly run off behind everyone's backs, she felt like someone had handed her divorce papers. She had asked everyone if they knew where Shirayuki went, but no one had known a thing.
"Cute, isn't she, Trainer?"
"She really is."
"Honestly…"
Mejiro Dober puffed out her cheeks, her face still red. Beside her, Mejiro Bright let out a small yawn.
"Speaking of which, do you two have a room?"
"I booked one. It's right across from here."
"That's good." Fujiwara Chiya nodded. "It's getting late, so you should sleep early, Dober. We can talk tomorrow."
"True. Then I'll just… hm?"
Mejiro Dober suddenly realized something was wrong.
She had come here to separate Trainer and Shirayuki.
So why was she about to sleep across the hall while leaving Trainer and Shirayuki alone together?
"No. I'm staying in…"
Wait!
Was she going to sleep here and leave her dear friend Bright all alone in the room across the hall?
No!
"Trainer, Shirayuki can come with us…"
Hold on!
Wouldn't that mean leaving Trainer all by himself in this room?
Mejiro Dober was suddenly trapped in an impossible room-assignment puzzle. She couldn't abandon her friend, but she also wanted to separate Trainer and Shirayuki.
"Then why don't we all just sleep together?"
Mejiro Bright clapped her hands lightly.
"I would like to deepen my bond with Trainer too. If everyone sleeps together, it will be just like a girls' night, won't it?"
"But I'm a man."
"Oh my? Well… that's fine. I'll simply think of Trainer as a girl. Come now, let's all sleep together."
Mejiro Bright directly lay down in the futon.
"It smells nice…"
"Bright…"
Mejiro Dober frowned slightly, then looked at Fujiwara Chiya.
"I'll sleep on the outside. That's fine, right?"
"Yeah."
Mejiro Dober needed to stay in the middle and block things off. She was worried Bright might somehow get tangled up with Trainer too. Trainer and Shirayuki were already giving her enough headaches. If her own close friend got involved on top of that, just how complicated would her relationship web become?
The group lay down together.
Mejiro Bright leaned against Mejiro Dober. Mejiro Dober held Shirayuki's hand. Fujiwara Chiya slept beside Shirayuki.
With Bright there, there were some things Dober couldn't say outright. So she gave Shirayuki a pointed look and said, "Shirayuki, next time, no matter what you do, if you go out, you have to bring me. Understand?"
"Yes."
Mejiro Dober hugged Shirayuki's arm against her chest.
After a full day of tension, her nerves finally relaxed. She yawned and closed her eyes.
A hot spring inn booked and paid for in advance.
No hot spring.
No dinner.
Just coming all this way to sleep.
What a terrible loss.
Still, Shirayuki and Trainer hadn't made any irreversible mistakes. That was enough. More than enough.
Mejiro Dober drifted off in a daze. Her breathing gradually evened out.
On the outermost side, Fujiwara Chiya lay with his back turned, gazing at the bright moon outside the window.
For the next few days, he probably wouldn't be able to spend time alone with Shirayuki.
That was a little disappointing.
In truth, Fujiwara Chiya had already expected this. Once they returned to Tracen, the people around them definitely wouldn't just let him and Shirayuki go out together as they pleased. Their time alone would be squeezed tighter and tighter.
But the more that happened, the more Fujiwara Chiya treasured every moment he had with Shirayuki.
A soft tail stretched over and wrapped around Chiya's hand.
The relationships he had formed with these uma musume meant that his path with Shirayuki was destined to be anything but smooth. Yet before he knew it, the white girl he had once placed at the very end had risen above everyone else.
Perhaps one day, he would explain his feelings for Shirayuki to everyone.
But for now—
He should say good night to himself first.