Fujiwara Chiya had thought Gold Ship was about to play wingman.
Turns out, she just wanted to throw a pajama party.
Never try to guess what goes on inside Gold Ship's head.
You won't win.
Since Rice Shower was determined to tag along no matter what, Chiya simply went with Gold Ship's suggestion and agreed to the pajama party.
It wasn't like he could ditch Rice Shower and run off with Shirayuki, right?
The moment he imagined Rice Shower standing outside all alone, small, pitiful, helpless, and waiting there like a lost little animal, guilt stabbed straight through him.
He had to trick Rice Shower into Gold Ship's camp first.
Still, why had Gold Ship suddenly decided to do this?
Normally speaking, an uma musume and a trainer couldn't exactly hold a pajama party together. If they were the same sex, sure. But opposite sex? Absolutely not.
Wait.
Did Gold Ship also see him as one of the girls?
Chiya remembered the day Mejiro Dober and Mejiro Bright had come looking for him. After waking up, Mejiro Bright invited him to a nearby café and chatted about gossip with him like they were sisters. She had even taught him how to drink tea more elegantly.
At first, Chiya had thought Bright saying she saw him as a girl was just a joke.
Apparently, she had been dead serious.
Later, she had even invited Chiya to bathe with her. It wasn't until Mejiro Dober came sprinting over in a panic that the two were forcibly separated.
Any slower, and they might have ended up sharing a bed as besties.
That was honestly a little damaging to Chiya's pride.
Yes, Shirayuki was a girl.
But he was also a genuine, flesh-and-blood man!
What, did he have to show them his masculine side before they would finally believe him?
Regardless of how others saw him, Chiya himself was very satisfied with who he was. He couldn't remember all the details from that night with Shirayuki, but he still remembered the deep sense of fullness that had lingered in his body, that burning warmth that filled him and refused to fade.
Agnes Tachyon had once said that a girl's sensations were different from a man's. They were much more sensitive.
After experiencing it firsthand, Chiya finally understood exactly what she meant. Shirayuki's desire and senses were several times stronger than his own, and when they overlapped together, the impact was powerful enough to scatter his thoughts.
Even during the following few days, Shirayuki's body would occasionally send faint echoes of lingering sensation through him.
Chiya had always thought he was fairly aggressive when it came to romance, but now it seemed Shirayuki had him beaten. That body, after being briefly satisfied, would immediately start feeling hungry again.
It wanted to devour Chiya and fill itself up.
Eating myself.
Fujiwara Chiya had evolved into that sort of creature.
Unfortunately, his surroundings didn't allow him to indulge that freely. He was still being pushed along by his relationships with the uma musume and the common sense of this era. So, on ordinary days, Chiya had to keep restraining himself.
And restraining Shirayuki.
By evening, Gold Ship arrived at Chiya's bedroom wearing giraffe pajamas.
"Yo, Trainer. You ready?"
"Where did you even get that outfit?"
Chiya's eye twitched as he stared at the giraffe head sticking all the way up to the ceiling.
"Brought it from Tracen," Gold Ship said. Then she gave him a once-over. "By the way, Trainer, your outfit is way too boring."
She raised one giraffe hoof and patted him twice.
"You look like an office worker. Only those people wear plain gray pajamas with no personality."
"I am an office worker. What did you think I was?"
"A playboy who goes out chasing girls the moment he gets a bit of money?"
"Don't smear my good name like that. I've never chased girls!"
"Trainer may not chase girls, but girls can chase Trainer instead. Here's a little secret. Just from my investigations at Tracen, I found at least ten girls who want to chase you. And that doesn't even include Rice Shower and the others."
"Hah? No way…"
"Let's make a bet. Once you get back to Tracen, pick any ten uma musume and confess to them. More than five will say yes."
"Fi... no, there's no way I'm that popular."
If he really were that kind of prized catch, shouldn't he be constantly surrounded by girls at school?
Chiya was alone most of the time.
Sure, the uma musume who passed by would greet him, but none of them looked like they wanted to get closer.
On the other hand, Shirayuki often received love letters from juniors. Some wanted to date her. Some wanted to do things that made Chiya deeply understand the phrase "biodiversity."
"That's because of Shirayuki," Gold Ship said.
"Shirayuki?"
"Because you're the famous Empress's trainer. Anyone who wants to make a move on you has to wonder whether they're even qualified. But if Trainer takes the initiative, that's different. If you strike first, all those worries vanish, and they'll say yes. So? Wanna try?"
Chiya shook his head again and again.
Fine. Let's just say he was popular.
But Chiya had no interest in adding more burdens to himself.
Every time he got involved with another uma musume, he was only making more trouble for himself and Shirayuki. Even with the people already around him, Chiya was a little afraid they might not be able to accept the truth once he told them. What if they snapped and tore him apart?
And Gold Ship wanted him to add more?
Was she trying to get him diced into mincemeat?
"Onii-sama~"
Rice Shower pushed open the door and ran up to Chiya.
She was wearing a pale purple dress with black stockings wrapped around her legs. Like a little butterfly, she twirled in front of him.
Gold Ship pinched her chin as she watched.
"Oho~ Not bad."
"Rice Shower, your pajamas…"
"Mm. They're Onii-sama's favorite pajamas, so Rice wore them here."
She giggled, then rose onto her tiptoes and whispered into Chiya's ear.
"Rice also brought that pajama outfit…"
This little succubus!
Chiya knew Rice Shower would never let such a perfect chance slip by.
"Well then," Gold Ship said, looking toward the door. "Guess it's time to welcome our main character."
A white-haired girl walked into the room.
She wore a semi-transparent lace nightgown. The thin fabric drifted around her like morning mist, while the delicate lace trim swayed softly, tracing the graceful curve of her waist. Pure white strands of hair fell gently to her shoulders, fluttering with each of Shirayuki's breaths.
Her straight nose and soft pink lips made her look like an elf who had stepped out of a painting.
"Oh?" Gold Ship let out a meaningful sound.
"Onii-sama… why are you dressed like that…?"
Rice Shower's eyes went round.
Chiya and Shirayuki awkwardly looked away.
The truth was, Shirayuki had bought this outfit on purpose before coming to Osaka. She had planned to slip into it late at night, sneak into Chiya's room, let him admire her, and maybe cuddle for a while.
But perhaps she had gotten too giddy after seeing such a cute outfit, because she had completely forgotten to bring a spare.
And so, this was the only thing she could wear here.
Thank goodness it wasn't that one!
Shirayuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She had not brought the nightgown she had bought in Europe. That one was far too daring. Every time she looked at it, her heart started pounding like mad. If Chiya were beside her, it would probably turn into another sleepless night.
Shirayuki wanted to save it for a special occasion.
"I thought this outfit was cute, so I bought it… Is there a problem?"
"Good job."
Gold Ship gave her a thumbs-up.
Rice Shower, meanwhile, looked like she had been struck by lightning.
The radar inside her head was screaming.
There was nothing wrong with girls liking cute things.
But Shirayuki's outfit was way too cute!
Honestly, calling it suggestive would barely be an exaggeration.
Who was her Onii-sama trying to be suggestive for?
Gold Ship?
Rice Shower?
Or was it…
For herself?
That night, Rice Shower slept between the two of them.
Even though she was sandwiched between both of her Onii-sama, it was the most restless night of sleep Rice Shower had ever had.
In her dream, her two Onii-sama were secretly kissing while she lay there, completely unaware.
Then, when morning came, Rice Shower discovered the two of them holding hands and leaning shoulder-to-shoulder together.
As for Rice Shower?
She had been squeezed down into the child's spot below them.
At that moment, Rice Shower finally accepted reality.