"Achoo!"
Maybe it was because the weather had turned colder, but Shirayuki had been sneezing on and off over the past few days. Every sneeze came with a faint chill crawling over her skin.
Did I catch a cold?
No way, right?
The closer it got to a race, the more careful Shirayuki became with her body. Warmth, hygiene, condition management, she kept everything perfectly maintained. She always adjusted herself until she was in peak form.
In two more days, it would be the Osaka Hai.
As one of Hanshin Racecourse's most famous races, the event had drawn enormous attention. Half a month ago, Central had thrown a mountain of money into advertising, and now the whole of Osaka was plastered with race promotions wherever one looked.
And among all the competitors, the one standing at the very center was naturally her.
The Snow Dancer.
As her first GI race of the senior year, the audience could not wait to see what kind of brilliant performance she would deliver.
There was just one thing about the advertising campaign that Shirayuki was extremely unhappy with.
Central had given Rice Shower only a tiny bit of space.
You could only spot her tucked away in some little corner.
Sure, Rice Shower's timid, shrinking presence did not exactly scream "dominant powerhouse." But she was still one of Chiya's proudest uma musume. She had already shown her strength in GI races before. Her ability was not something to be underestimated.
Wasn't Central basically judging people by appearance?
Shirayuki had called Central to complain on the spot.
Because it was the Empress's opinion, Central responded with frightening speed. In less than half a day, they gave her an explanation.
Rice Shower was too short.
Since Rice Shower was the shortest among all the participants, placing her in the middle would make the proportions look terribly unbalanced. They knew she was strong, of course, but for the sake of the poster's visual harmony, they had still decided to stuff her off to the side.
A flaw in height really was hard to fix.
On top of that, Central had already printed the posters. Replacing them would cost a painful amount of money. So, to satisfy Shirayuki, Central promised that after the race, regardless of whether Rice Shower won or lost, they would arrange an interview segment for her.
Only after receiving that promise did Shirayuki finally hang up.
More than two weeks had passed since Rice Shower left. During this period, only Shirayuki and Gold Ship had been training at the racecourse. Hayakawa Tazuna and the others had also come over from Tracen and were now staying at Sonoda Tracen, right next door to Fujiwara Chiya.
They helped out during training too.
Before the race, Shirayuki was going through her final adjustments.
For some reason, she could not calm down.
She could faintly sense a threat.
It was like some beast hidden in the dark had bared its fangs at her, waiting for the moment it could kill her in a single strike.
Maybe the chill crawling over her body had nothing to do with the weather.
Maybe it was this feeling of being targeted.
But who?
As the Empress, it was only natural for people to set their sights on her. Everyone viewed her as their greatest opponent.
But this sensation was far too clear.
Shirayuki had never experienced anything like it before.
Even Grass Wonder's murderous stare felt weak in comparison.
Not only that, what surprised Shirayuki even more was that she could not detect the source of the gaze at all. It did not seem to come from the spectators at the training ground, nor from any of her friends.
That was what made it strange.
Who could lock onto her from thin air?
Did she have that much hatred with someone?
None of her previous opponents had ever given Shirayuki this feeling.
Could it be Treve?
No, impossible.
No matter how terrifying Treve was, she could not project pressure across half the world.
Probably.
With tension and confusion tangled together in her chest, time passed until the day Rice Shower returned.
Fujiwara Chiya had been waiting at the entrance early. Over the past few days, every night, he would start worrying about Rice Shower without realizing it. Even if she was an uma musume, being out in the mountains was still far too dangerous.
Thankfully, Haru Urara was with her. Every night, she would send a text message to report that they were safe.
From a distance, Fujiwara Chiya spotted that small figure.
He immediately quickened his pace and went to meet her.
Then he froze.
Rice Shower's body and face were covered in mud. She was absolutely filthy, as if she had rolled around in a field several times.
"Onii-sama…!"
The moment she saw Fujiwara Chiya, Rice Shower instinctively opened her arms.
But very quickly, she stopped herself.
"Rice is really dirty, so Rice won't touch Onii-sama."
"What are you even saying?"
Fujiwara Chiya pulled her straight into his arms.
"This is the most selfish thing you've ever done. Next time, you're not allowed to sneak off like this again."
The mud on her face rubbed against the man's clothes.
Looking at the relieved expression on Fujiwara Chiya's face, Rice Shower's eyes shimmered. She stood on tiptoe and hugged herself against his chest.
"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something? Urara told me you've been going to little roadside shops lately. Have you been eating properly? Do you still have enough pocket money?"
Fujiwara Chiya fired off one question after another like a machine gun.
Looking at the man she loved, Rice Shower smiled softly.
"Onii-sama, Rice isn't a child. Rice knows how to take care of herself. And…"
Her voice grew gentle.
"Rice also knows how to take care of Onii-sama."
Hm?
Fujiwara Chiya blinked.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt like Rice Shower had changed somehow compared to before she left.
That innocent, childish feeling had faded quite a bit.
In its place was a strange maturity.
Over the past few days, Rice Shower had not come back, so Fujiwara Chiya had sent her training plan by text. He had no idea how Rice Shower had spent this time.
"Did something happen these past few days, Rice Shower?"
"Hm? No. Rice was playing with Urara the whole time. We camped in the mountains. When Rice got tired, Rice slept. When Rice woke up, Rice trained. Rice properly completed Onii-sama's training plan."
"I see…"
Looking into Rice Shower's purple eyes, which seemed to have flames burning within them, Fujiwara Chiya nodded.
"Go take a bath first. Later, everyone will eat together. Rest for these two days. The race is right around the corner, so don't push yourself too hard."
"Yes, my dear Onii-sama…"
Rice Shower held Fujiwara Chiya for a little while longer, savoring his warmth.
Then she returned to her dorm.
While she was bathing, Shirayuki came to find her.
"I'll help scrub your back, Rice Shower."
"Okay, Onii-sama."
Feeling the girl's gentle wiping against her skin, Rice Shower spoke.
"By the way, there's something Rice wants to ask of Onii-sama."
"What is it?"
"During the race, Rice hopes Onii-sama will use your full strength. Please don't hold back just because Rice is your opponent…"
Rice Shower's voice was soft, but there was no hesitation in it.
"Rice doesn't want Onii-sama's kindness to be used on the racetrack."
At those words, Shirayuki's ears twitched.
She realized Rice Shower really had changed.
Compared to before she left, Rice Shower seemed to have made some kind of decision.
A very important one.
And if that was the case, Shirayuki would not betray Rice Shower's resolve.
She nodded firmly.
"Of course. I won't show mercy to anyone."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Including you, Rice Shower."
A smile appeared on Rice Shower's fair little face. Her body relaxed.
Yes, Onii-sama.
That was exactly what Rice wanted to hear.
Because if that was the case…
Rice could crush you without mercy!
Shirayuki, who had been wiping Rice Shower's back, suddenly stopped.
She felt it again.
Someone was watching her.
A beast's savagery. A cruel pressure that made her heart tremble.
But this time, Shirayuki finally sensed where it was coming from.
The source was the small girl right there in her arms.
Rice Shower.