Recently, Rice Shower had noticed something strange about her Onii-sama.
To be more precise, the girl version of Onii-sama.
In the past, whenever Rice Shower got close to Shirayuki, her tone and attitude were more or less the same as Chiya's. At most, she gave Rice Shower a soft, motherly warmth.
Because of that, whenever Rice Shower felt like acting spoiled without any special ulterior motive, she would go to Shirayuki.
When she did want something more, she would go to Chiya.
In Rice Shower's heart, the two of them had a clear division of labor.
And yet, at some point, the feeling Shirayuki gave her had changed.
The maternal aura around her kept growing stronger and stronger. That gentleness, that thoughtfulness, that sheer girliness had already surpassed most girls. Rice Shower honestly felt ashamed of herself.
Gradually, a question appeared in Rice Shower's mind.
If Shirayuki was already this good, then what was the point of Rice Shower existing?
In front of Shirayuki, Rice Shower was taken care of like a little child.
No, rather, she was practically becoming Shirayuki's child.
This was wrong, right?!
As an uma musume who had climbed the staircase into adulthood with Fujiwara Chiya long ago, she was supposed to be the one taking care of Onii-sama. And yet now, Shirayuki was the one washing Chiya's clothes, cooking for him, and even massaging his shoulders when he got tired.
Once she finished taking care of that side, she came over and took care of Rice Shower too.
She was basically a housewife.
At first, Rice Shower had thought that since both of them were Onii-sama, there was nothing wrong with Onii-sama doing things for Onii-sama.
But the more Rice Shower thought about it, the stranger it felt.
The things Shirayuki was doing were girlfriend things!
No, that level of thoughtfulness was already beyond girlfriend. That was full-on wife territory!
Huh??
The moment Rice Shower realized that, her tiny brain crashed on the spot.
Suddenly, she felt like she had become completely unnecessary. All she did every day was act spoiled. She did nothing else. Every job that should have been hers had been taken over by Shirayuki.
Before she knew it, Rice Shower's position had changed.
When she went out with the two Onii-samas, to outsiders, it probably looked like two adults taking a child around. They could probably buy a family ticket at this point. People might even mistake her for Chiya and Shirayuki's daughter.
Problem.
Big problem!
And it was not just Shirayuki's behavior. It was Shirayuki's attitude toward her too.
Even if this Onii-sama had the heart of a girl, she could not treat Rice Shower as a pure little sister. At the very least, Rice Shower had shared that kind of relationship with Onii-sama several times already. The two of them were equals.
But Shirayuki had directly lowered her status by one whole level.
From lover to child!
That was absolutely not okay!
How could Rice Shower randomly get demoted by an entire generation?!
When she called Chiya "Onii-sama," it was mostly a term of affection. A sign of trust. It did not mean Rice Shower actually wanted to become Chiya's little sister!
Her feelings for Chiya were romantic feelings toward the opposite sex.
Not family affection!
She and Chiya were not related by blood.
They could get married!
Now Shirayuki's attitude had Rice Shower extremely panicked. The maternal aura around her was way too powerful. It had completely shaken the very foundation of Rice Shower's existence. If this kept going, she and Chiya might really turn into pure siblings. She might really become the child of those two.
Rice Shower had to change this situation.
She had gone through so much effort to take Onii-sama's first time, to make him look at her properly, to stop seeing her as just a little sister and accept her as a partner, as someone who could trust him and support him as an equal.
She absolutely could not be sent back to square one by a single move from Shirayuki!
She had given so much, only to end up as "just a little sister" in the end?
Rice Shower would never accept that result!
She had to reject Shirayuki's care.
She was not a child.
She was someone equal to Shirayuki!
Rice Shower had never imagined that one day, the person who would shake her position would not be one of her rivals, but her dearest Onii-sama herself!
This enemy was way too cruel.
But Rice Shower would not just sit there and wait for defeat. After everything she had experienced, her heart had grown plenty strong.
She was going to create a value that belonged only to her at Onii-sama's side.
"Rice Shower, let me comb your hair."
"Yes! Onii-sama!"
Looking at Shirayuki, who had come into her room holding a comb, Rice Shower's freshly made determination to resist scattered instantly. She broke into a happy smile, sat down on the chair, and swung her little feet as she enjoyed Shirayuki's service.
Mm…?
Wait. Why did it turn out like this?!
Rice Shower suddenly came back to her senses.
She had obeyed out of habit.
No!
This plot was wrong!
Screaming internally, Rice Shower turned her face around.
"After this, Rice Shower will comb Onii-sama's hair."
"Mm, sure."
Shirayuki stroked Rice Shower's soft hair. Before she realized it, she had already begun imagining whether her own child in the future might be as cute as Rice Shower.
Shirayuki did not have any plans to become a mother right now.
But when she considered the future, she felt it was necessary to learn about these things in advance.
So Shirayuki decided to practice with Rice Shower first.
She really did think Rice Shower was like a child.
After she finished combing Rice Shower's hair, Shirayuki gently rubbed her cheek against Rice Shower's smooth face. Rice Shower let out a pleased little sound.
"Good girl, good girl~" Shirayuki murmured, imagining herself hugging her own child.
"Onii-sama~"
Rice Shower's laugh sounded like it was about to melt.
So happy.
A motherly Onii-sama was seriously amazing!
Rice Shower wanted to become Onii-sama's child…
No!
That was not it!
Snapping back to reality, Rice Shower broke free from Shirayuki's arms.
She was Onii-sama's partner!
Not her child!
What am I even doing?!
Rice Shower grabbed her own ears and fiercely scolded herself for failing to resist temptation.
She could not keep sinking like this!
Her current situation was extremely dangerous. Shirayuki was slowly taking everything away from her.
"Onii-sama, Rice Shower will comb your hair now."
She had Shirayuki sit down on the chair, then began combing her hair.
Right now, Rice Shower had to prove herself.
At the same time, she had to make Shirayuki stop.
Shirayuki was completely stealing Rice Shower's job. It had reached the point where Rice Shower did not even know what she was supposed to do anymore.
When she sat in the office and watched Chiya and Shirayuki interact, Rice Shower felt like an outsider. She could not squeeze into their world at all. Even when she forced herself onto Chiya's lap, she somehow felt like she had turned into the child between the two of them.
It was still awkward.
Before, Rice Shower could enjoy being taken care of by both of them at once.
But now, for some unknown reason, whenever the two Onii-samas were together, there was this feeling that she could not quite slip between them.
As if they were a loving married couple.
Although Rice Shower really did not want to think in that direction…
Onii-sama probably would not be interested in herself, right?
No.
Definitely not!
Rice Shower shook her head again and again.
How could a person possibly have feelings for themselves?
It would be like looking in a mirror. There was no romantic element there at all.
This had to be my imagination…
Rice Shower quietly comforted herself.
No matter what, Rice Shower now had to make Shirayuki do fewer things.
The more Shirayuki did, the more Rice Shower panicked.
Because no matter how she looked at it, Shirayuki was basically her superior replacement.
If Rice Shower had to go up against Shirayuki, she had no chance of winning whatsoever.
Considering even that one-in-a-thousand possibility, Rice Shower felt that it was necessary to pay close attention to the movements of the two Onii-samas.