After telling Rice Shower the truth about himself, the stone weighing on Fujiwara Chiya's heart finally dropped.
The hardest hurdle was over.
Honestly, Fujiwara Chiya never expected the one who would struggle the most to accept it would be Rice Shower, the girl closest to him.
Just hearing the secret out loud had made Rice Shower cry no fewer than three times.
Fujiwara Chiya reflected on his own impulsive decision.
They were not Shirayuki. He could not simply do whatever he wanted and expect everything to work out. When he was with other people, Chiya first had to consider how they felt.
Fortunately, Rice Shower accepted it in the end.
In the past, when Rice Shower saw Shirayuki, she would only nod at most and say, "Good morning, Shirayuki-san."
Now, when Rice Shower saw Shirayuki, she would come closer, call her "Onii-sama," and show a happy smile.
Her expression was still a little stiff. Clearly, she was not used to saying it yet.
But Fujiwara Chiya believed that as long as Rice Shower had a little more time, she would be able to fully accept Shirayuki's identity.
When that time came, Fujiwara Chiya hoped Rice Shower would call Shirayuki "Onee-sama."
How should he put it?
As the ideal girl inside his heart, Shirayuki still felt better being addressed as a woman.
In the past, Fujiwara Chiya had preferred other people to treat Shirayuki more like a man. It made Shirayuki more comfortable. But things were different now. After accepting her body, Shirayuki had become a true girl in every sense.
That shift in mindset also brought changes to other parts of Shirayuki.
Before, whenever Shirayuki saw Mejiro Dober, Grass Wonder, and the others bathing, her face would flush red, and her body would grow hot. Those pure white, girlish bodies stirred something in Shirayuki. Even though spending so much time with them had gradually made her used to it, and she no longer looked like some lovestruck teenage boy with his heart written all over his face, it still made her heartbeat quicken.
But ever since she spent that night with Chiya and helped him release some of his pent-up emotions, Shirayuki noticed that her interest in other girls had rapidly faded.
When she saw Grass Wonder, Mejiro Dober, and the others again, Shirayuki's heart remained as calm as before.
Not only that, even when Mejiro Dober climbed into bed with her at night and cuddled close, Shirayuki still did not feel especially excited.
At first, Shirayuki thought her interest in Mejiro Dober had grown faint. Maybe she had entered some kind of emotional slump.
But when Mejiro Dober went over to Chiya's side, Chiya reacted the same as always.
So the problem was not their relationship.
The problem was Shirayuki.
She no longer looked at those girls from the perspective of the opposite sex. Instead, she had begun seeing them as the same sex.
"Friendship" was taking up more and more space in Shirayuki's heart. She could no longer look at those friends with her old eyes.
When she heard Mejiro Dober's breath catch, what Shirayuki felt was not temptation.
It was embarrassment.
Of course, that did not mean Shirayuki liked men.
She had always maintained a careful distance from men and had never had any physical contact with them.
They could not spark Shirayuki's interest.
In terms of appearance, none of them were as handsome as Chiya.
In terms of ability, Chiya was one of the best among the younger generation.
In terms of compatibility, nobody could possibly be a better match for her than herself.
Even if it came down to assets alone, Chiya counted as wealthy.
Shirayuki could not find anyone better than Chiya.
Girls could no longer awaken Shirayuki's interest.
Men were people Shirayuki did not want to touch and did not even think highly of.
It was as if her interest in outsiders had been stripped away entirely.
Why outsiders?
Because when she leaned beside Chiya, Shirayuki's heartbeat sped up.
It felt very similar to what a man and woman might feel on their first night together. Her blood warmed. Her breathing quickened. At the same time, Shirayuki felt an itch deep in her abdomen.
A little below the center of her stomach.
Chiya stirred a physical impulse inside her.
She wanted…
After spending so many years as a girl, Shirayuki understood a girl's body inside and out. She had felt impulses before. More than once.
But all of those had come from Chiya's desire.
Not once had Shirayuki herself truly produced that feeling.
This was the first time Shirayuki had felt such thoughts as a girl.
It was completely different from before.
It felt as if countless ants were crawling through her stomach, constantly brushing against sensitive nerves. Even Chiya's side became uncomfortable along with her. But even after the man dealt with his own desire, Shirayuki's symptoms still did not ease.
Every time she saw Chiya, Shirayuki felt that unbearable sensation again.
"Empress."
A cool voice rang out behind her.
Shirayuki turned around, and a domineering golden figure entered her sight.
"Good morning, Orfevre."
It was rare for Orfevre to take the initiative and come greet her. Normally, Orfevre would not even look her straight in the eye.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm helping the exchange students prepare their teaching materials. They still need to attend academic classes while they're here." Shirayuki paused, then glanced at her. "Speaking of which, Orfevre, your academic grades aren't very high, are they? Have you not been paying attention in class lately?"
"Shut it. What I do has nothing to do with you… Even if it did, you still have no right to lecture me."
"If your grades drop too low, the teachers will drag you away for mandatory make-up exams. When that happens, your trainer won't be able to save you. It'll also cut into your training time."
"Guh…"
This Shirayuki was just like her trainer. Silver-tongued and annoying.
As expected of siblings.
"My grades have always been stable. I won't be dragged away by the teachers, so you don't need to worry. Even if my grades do fall, my sister will help me."
"Dream Journey?"
Shirayuki remembered the last year-level exam. Dream Journey had ranked second in the high school division.
An excellent result.
That said, Shirayuki was no slouch either. She had ranked fifth in the middle school division. Rudolf had even sighed in admiration before, wondering how Shirayuki could manage the student council, train, and still score so well.
To that, Shirayuki only had one thing to say.
Try going through school once already, and you could score this well too.
"That's good, then. Come to me if there's anything you don't understand."
"You really do love playing the good Samaritan, don't you, Empress?" Orfevre snorted. "You help everyone else, but who helps you? In the end, aren't you still preparing the exchange students' materials by yourself? If even some petty little chore like this needs the Empress to handle it personally, then it seems to me you're being treated like a servant."
"The others are busy with different tasks. This is part of my own responsibility. There are no idle people in the student council… probably."
Inside Shirayuki's mind appeared the image of Narita Brian sitting on the sofa, chewing on a twig and staring into space, along with Tokai Teio circling around Rudolf.
When everyone else was drowning in work, only those two were serving as the atmosphere crew.
"Nothing more than a servant comforting herself. Where are you going to prepare the materials?"
"You're coming too?"
"Enough nonsense. When I ask, you answer."
"The Central Building. I need to meet the person in charge of teaching materials."
Orfevre turned and started walking.
"Wait for me."
"No need. I simply think that Tracen Academy making the Empress work alone is utterly disgraceful. Once I stand at the top of Tracen, I will make sure this academy is properly reformed."
"Orfevre… You're actually a really good kid, aren't you?"
"Empress, stop acting like you have the right to judge me!"