The moment they got off the train in Osaka, a balding middle-aged man came forward to greet them. He enthusiastically took Fujiwara Chiya's hand and shook it.
"Hello, Trainer Chiya. I'm Kojima, the Director of Sonoda Tracen."
Fujiwara Chiya nodded, then introduced his uma musume to the man.
When the middle-aged man saw Shirayuki, he immediately bent at the waist.
"To think Her Majesty the Empress would come to our academy. It is truly an honor for us."
"You flatter me, Director Kojima."
Shirayuki gave him a beautiful smile bright enough to dazzle the eyes.
Sonoda Tracen.
A regional academy located in Osaka.
Aside from Central Tracen Academy, Japan had many regional schools. They had their own campuses and their own racecourses. Oguri Cap, for example, had originally been a student of Kasamatsu Tracen before Symboli Rudolf invited her to Central.
Although the transfer procedures were not complicated, very few students chose to transfer.
The reason was simple.
Their level was not enough.
The physical ability of uma musume capable of entering Central was generally a whole tier higher than that of regional uma musume. Their learning ability was also stronger. As a result, uma musume with real talent all went to Central, while those slightly weaker stayed in the regions.
In the past, there had been many cases of regional uma musume transferring to Central. However, because their results were far too poor, they ended up finishing last in every race and had no choice but to return.
And aside from the students' level, the greatest difference between Central and the regions was educational resources.
Central possessed the best teaching environment. It had no fewer than ten racecourses alone, and they were all turf tracks with extremely high maintenance costs.
Most regional schools, on the other hand, only had one racecourse, and even that was usually dirt, which required much less maintenance.
That uneven teaching environment further widened the gap between Central and regional uma musume.
Because of that difference, a rumor had formed.
Any random uma musume from Central could be sent down to the regions and crush everyone there.
But Fujiwara Chiya did not think that way.
There were plenty of uma musume at Tracen who had been born in the regions. Every one of them was a top-class talent.
Never look down on an unknown uma musume.
Lower your stance.
There were masters hidden among the people.
Just like Byerley.
Fujiwara Chiya had never heard her name before, yet that person had been powerful enough to completely crush Treve.
If she ever raced, just how many people would she run into a mental shutdown?
Beyond that, there was another reason.
In the past, Chiya had also been looked down on.
He understood what that felt like.
That was why he would not inflict the suffering he had once endured onto others.
After warmly greeting them, the regional Tracen Director led Fujiwara Chiya toward the dormitory.
Hanshin Racecourse was close to Sonoda Tracen, so Fujiwara Chiya had asked the Director to arrange for them to stay here. It would also save them quite a bit on accommodation fees.
Although Central and the regional schools generally kept to their own business, the moment Sonoda's Director heard that the Empress wanted to stay at their school, he agreed without a second thought.
This was an excellent opportunity to boost the academy's reputation.
In the future, they could add one sentence to their admissions brochure.
"Empress Snow Dancer once trained at this academy."
It would be like coating the entire school in gold.
The dormitory they prepared for the group was a detached guest building specially reserved for visitors, with one bedroom per person.
"We'll be troubling you during this period, Director Kojima."
"Not at all, not at all. Trainer Chiya, you're too polite." The balding man smiled. "As an outstanding trainer who cultivated both the Empress and several other GⅠ uma musume, talent like you is always welcome here. Oh, by the way, if you have time, would you like to observe our races?"
"Once I finish arranging things on my side, I'll go watch."
"Wonderful. Trainer Chiya, feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything."
After saying that, the Director left.
That said, regional Tracen really had very few people.
They actually needed the Director himself to come out and greet guests.
Fujiwara Chiya looked around the room.
There was a living room with a kitchen and balcony, one bedroom, and one bathroom.
The walls were thick enough that he could not hear sounds from next door. The furniture was somewhat simple, but compared to the trainers' dormitory, it was pretty decent.
This was clearly meant for guests.
Ordinary staff would never get to enjoy this sort of treatment.
He placed his luggage to the side.
A knock came from the door, and Gold Ship walked in.
"Yahoo! Trainer, we finally escaped Tracen!"
She bounced onto the sofa like a dog let loose in a park.
"Why do you sound like you just got out of prison?"
"Because I did get out of prison! Over here, we're guests, so we can do whatever we want. I could roll around in the hallway and no one would stop me!"
"Hey, we're on someone else's turf. Behave yourself."
"Relax, relax. I won't pull out all the toilet paper in the bathroom and replace it with a roll of sandpaper. I found this one brand of toilet paper that looks super thick, but the second it touches water, it immediately..."
"That's enough. If you cause trouble again, I'm sending you back."
"Tch. No sense of exploration at all."
Gold Ship kicked off her shoes and sprawled across the sofa.
This girl was like this every single time.
The moment she went outside, she got so excited she stopped resembling a normal person.
This time, they had come for special training.
Fujiwara Chiya's eyes flickered slightly.
Special training...
Was he really here for special training?
With Shirayuki's current strength, steep-slope training would not bring her any major improvement.
On top of that, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe did not have a slope that steep, so the priority of this training was very low.
As for Rice Shower and Gold Ship, after experiencing training on Europe's heavy turf, their leg strength was already more than enough to handle changes caused by a steep slope.
No matter who it was, none of them needed to make a special trip all the way to Hanshin just for training.
The reason Fujiwara Chiya had agreed to Gold Ship's request was because he felt this was an opportunity.
An opportunity to go out together with Shirayuki.
An opportunity free from outside restraints.
His chest itched.
Shirayuki's body was connected to his. When Shirayuki felt uncomfortable, he suffered the same torment on his side. That sense of craving refused to disappear, even if he exhausted himself completely.
Fujiwara Chiya's soul instinctively searched for its other half.
Leaving the room, Fujiwara Chiya looked out the window.
His figure was reflected in the glass.
He closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, that reflected figure had become Shirayuki.
Her sky-blue eyes, blending into the heavens themselves, quietly gazed at him.
"Onii-sama~"
Rice Shower's voice drifted over.
Fujiwara Chiya turned his head. The figure moved along with him.
Then Fujiwara Chiya saw the girl in the mirror step out and stand before him.
A sweet smile appeared on that smooth, fair face.
It was still a mirror.
Only, this was a mirror in reality.
Fujiwara Chiya saw the other half that belonged only to him.
Thump!
His heart beat.
"Hehe~ Rice has two Onii-sama now."
Rice Shower reached out and took Fujiwara Chiya's hand, pulling both of them to her side.
"Let's go out for a walk, Onii-sama."
"...Yeah. Okay."
Her ears swaying, Rice Shower showed a puzzled expression.
She noticed that whether it was Shirayuki or Chiya, both of their palms were sweating quite a bit.
Sticky.
Sweet.
Fragrant.