By the time the weekend rolled around, Shirayuki and Rice Shower had gone out together.
Rice Shower had changed into a soft mochi-colored dress. A sunhat sat on her head as she leaned close against Shirayuki's side.
"Thank you for waiting, Onii-sama!"
With that, Rice Shower hugged Shirayuki's arm, pressing herself against her with a bright, beaming smile.
Looking at that innocent expression, Shirayuki reached out and patted Rice Shower's little head.
That's right.
This was what a little sister should be like.
The old Rice Shower had been a total little succubus. One moment they would be playing around, and before anyone knew it, things would drift somewhere completely dangerous. But today, Rice Shower seemed like she had gone back to the way she had been at the very beginning, all pure and clueless.
Cute.
So pure it practically sparkled.
"Where are we going to play, Onii-sama?"
"Let me think… How about the arcade? We can go play some games."
"Mm!"
Shirayuki took Rice Shower's hand.
At the same time, images from Chiya's side surfaced in her mind.
He had found Orfevre. She was still wearing that same haughty expression as always, but compared to the last time they had gone out, her tone had softened quite a bit.
"You did not keep me waiting. Barely acceptable."
That was what Orfevre had said.
Shirayuki had discovered that "barely acceptable" was probably the highest praise Orfevre could give. She only said it when there was absolutely nothing left to nitpick.
I really am starting to understand Orfevre more and more.
One day, she absolutely had to publish an Orfevre User Manual to help all the poor souls who had suffered under Orfevre's tyranny.
"Onii-sama, what are you looking at?"
Rice Shower tilted her head curiously. Shirayuki had been staring at an empty spot beside them.
"Ah… Is Onii-sama over there talking to someone?"
A flash of inspiration lit up inside Rice Shower's little head, and she figured it out.
"Mm."
"I see, I see."
In the past, Rice Shower had often seen Fujiwara Chiya staring off into space. So that had been because his attention was on Shirayuki's side.
Speaking of which, how exactly did Onii-sama control two bodies?
Wouldn't the signals get crossed and cause problems?
Rice Shower was very curious.
But she did not plan to ask too much. Even if she asked, she might not understand the answer anyway. Rice Shower knew her own limits.
Besides, compared to the matter of his body, Rice Shower had something much more important on her mind.
"So if 'Shirayuki' is Onii-sama… then the one who's been racing Rice Shower all this time was Onii-sama too?"
Rice Shower remembered the Arima Kinen.
During the second half of that race, she had locked her target onto Shirayuki. Her small body had erupted with a terrifying aura, and Rice Shower had clearly seen Shirayuki's hair stand on end.
Unfortunately, Shirayuki had still gotten away in the end. Rice Shower's assassination plan had failed.
Which meant the person she had been trying to kill was not Shirayuki.
It was her own Onii-sama?
The moment she thought that, Rice Shower's entire world went pale.
She had shown a terrifying side of herself in front of Onii-sama.
She had gone from a pitiful little animal into a ferocious beast.
No!
She did not want her image in Onii-sama's heart to turn into something like that!
"Um… Onii-sama, Rice Shower… Rice Shower was…"
"Mm. It was me from the very beginning. You were amazing, Rice Shower."
Shirayuki smiled and said, "I only understood after experiencing it myself. Rice Shower really is an incredibly powerful uma musume."
"Eh?"
"If anyone looks down on Rice Shower, I'll definitely be the first one to get angry. Because I raced against you myself, so I know. Rice Shower is a very strong girl. Let's race together again next time."
The moment she heard those words, Rice Shower's eyes lit up.
Thank goodness.
Onii-sama was not angry at her for targeting him!
Rice Shower had been worrying about how she should race against Onii-sama in the future.
If she won, she was afraid Onii-sama would blame her for making him lose.
If she lost, she was afraid Onii-sama would be disappointed.
That had left Rice Shower trapped in a terrible dilemma.
But now, what he meant was clear.
On the racetrack, they were opponents.
All they had to do was give everything they had and try to defeat each other.
What a gentle Onii-sama…
Rice Shower was captivated all over again. If affection points were visible, hers would probably have already shot past the limit and exploded.
"Speaking of which, when is the next race, Onii-sama?"
"It hasn't been decided yet. Right now, there are two options. One is the GⅠ Osaka Hai, and the other is the GⅡ Hanshin Daishoten."
"The Osaka Hai is that one…"
"Mm. The race I'm going to run."
"Then that one!"
Rice Shower answered immediately.
"Rice Shower, if you choose that, you'll become my opponent. Looking at your win rate, the Hanshin Daishoten actually suits you better. It's only a GⅡ, but it's still a graded race."
"Rice Shower wants to race together with Onii-sama."
"I'm very strong, you know. It won't be just a little difficult for Rice Shower to beat me. Do you really want to challenge a race where your chances of winning are that slim?"
"Onii-sama, Rice Shower is very happy right now. Back then, Onii-sama promised to let Rice Shower shine, and that dream has already come true. So now, Rice Shower's only dream is to stay by Onii-sama's side. Whether in life or on the racetrack."
Rice Shower tightened her grip on Shirayuki's hand.
"No matter who wins or loses, Rice Shower is already happy just being able to race with Onii-sama. And besides…"
She puffed up her cheeks, trying her hardest to look fierce.
"Onii-sama said Rice Shower is strong. That means Rice Shower has the ability to beat Onii-sama too. Don't think Rice Shower is easy to bully, okay!"
Her fighting spirit flared.
Like a dandelion trying to look terrifying.
"So that's how you feel, Rice Shower?"
"Mm!"
"I understand. I'll race with you."
"Yes, Onii-sama!"
Rice Shower's smile blossomed.
When she had first become a trainer, Shirayuki had thought that an uma musume's strength was everything.
But after all this time, Shirayuki realized that her way of thinking had been wrong.
Wanting to enter a race one could barely win.
Wanting to defeat an opponent stronger than oneself.
Strength was only the path.
What truly changed an uma musume, what truly completed an uma musume, was the heart that wanted to race against someone else.
Victory and defeat were nothing more than records.
What mattered was the process.
Ah…
So that was it.
Only now did Shirayuki finally understand the meaning behind Nase Hideto's words.
When Nase Fumino had lost her race, he had told her not to take it too seriously. The result was not everything.
Those words had made Nase Fumino explode with anger. She believed he had denied all of her hard work.
So this was what Nase Hideto had really meant…
Fumino.
You have a good father.
It was just that we were too young back then to understand him.
"Onii-sama?"
Rice Shower looked at Shirayuki, who had suddenly stopped in place, and called out in confusion.
Shirayuki raised her head and looked up at the sky.
"Is Onii-sama paying attention to what's happening over there again?"
Shirayuki took a deep breath.
She felt as if her thoughts had never been clearer.
"Onii-sama is smiling. Did something good happen over there?"
Am I smiling?
Shirayuki touched the corner of her lips.
She was.
But it was not because of Chiya.
Chiya was only drinking milk tea with Orfevre and watching an unofficial race at the uma musume club.
What made Shirayuki happy was the change she had undergone as a trainer.
Now, faintly, just barely, she had finally touched the threshold of becoming a veteran trainer.