After the Osaka Hai ended, Fujiwara Chiya and the others returned to Tracen.
Nearly a month away, and Chiya came back with a haul so big it almost felt suspicious. At long last, he had finally done something he had always wanted to do but had been interrupted from doing every single time.
Granted, after Hayakawa Tazuna and the others arrived, he barely got any time to talk properly with Shirayuki.
But once he had made up his mind, finding another chance later would be much easier.
And it wasn't only Shirayuki.
This trip had also resolved Rice Shower's problem in passing. For a while now, Rice Shower had been gloomy and listless. It was only after racing against Shirayuki that she finally recovered.
No, actually, "recovered" might have been putting it too lightly.
She had recovered a little too well.
The Rice Shower of now practically spent all day glued to Shirayuki's side, acting spoiled. Every "Onii-sama" that came out of her mouth was sweeter than a child begging for candy. Sometimes, she even called Shirayuki "Onee-sama."
And Shirayuki indulged her completely.
Rice Shower wanted pats? Shirayuki patted her.
Rice Shower wanted hugs? Shirayuki hugged her.
Shirayuki was starting to think she might be spoiling Rice Shower too much, but then again, her own child in the future might turn out just like this.
So she decided to treat it as advance practice.
Compared to Rice Shower and Shirayuki's private matters, Shirayuki's gains in training had not actually been that great. The steep-slope training had not improved her much.
Of course, that did not mean it had been useless.
This race had made Shirayuki realize just how many weaknesses she still had.
When it came to her Zone, Shirayuki always felt like something was missing. The form of the Zone that Rice Shower had displayed in the Osaka Hai was clearly stronger than hers.
That cold, iron-hard texture had made Shirayuki genuinely feel as if a blade had been pressed against her throat.
Her own Zone had not reached Rice Shower's level.
The reason Shirayuki had been able to defeat her was entirely because of overwhelming physical ability. Her experiences in Paris, her training at the dojo, all of it had raised her strength to an incredible degree.
If Rice Shower's strength surged by twenty percent after entering the Zone, then Shirayuki's was only around ten percent.
She had beaten Rice Shower by relying on the foundation she already possessed.
The strength of a Zone was tied to concentration.
The higher one's focus, the stronger the Zone became.
Fujiwara Chiya had two bodies. That meant his concentration was destined to be more scattered than other people's. Even if Shirayuki entering the Zone forcibly dragged his consciousness over to her side, the influence of his other body still remained.
In other words, Shirayuki's Zone was weaker than that of an ordinary uma musume.
Considering her excellent fundamentals, that weakness was not fatal. In most races, Shirayuki did not need to enter the Zone at all to win.
In Japan, there were only a handful of uma musume who could enter the Zone and had enough strength to match her.
There was no opponent here that Shirayuki absolutely had to refine her Zone to defeat.
But outside Japan?
There was.
And among them was Shirayuki's final opponent.
Treve.
At the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Treve had not used her Zone. She had won purely with her own talent.
And not just at the Arc. After Shirayuki went through every race video of Treve she could find, she discovered that Treve had never once opened her Zone since her debut.
That made Shirayuki curious.
Could it be that Treve did not have a Zone?
Absolutely impossible.
Shirayuki quickly dismissed the idea.
Any uma musume who had pushed control over her body to the absolute limit would obtain a Zone. Treve's body was so flexible and precise that she had obviously mastered every part of it long ago.
The reason she had never entered the Zone was simple.
She had never met an opponent who could force her into it.
The thought sent a chill through Shirayuki's chest.
Treve was already that powerful, and yet she still had not reached her limit.
Just how strong would a truly complete Treve be?
If Treve's concentration could reach Rice Shower's level, or perhaps even surpass it, then after entering the Zone, her strength might increase by nearly thirty percent.
That was a terrifying number.
Can I really beat Treve after she enters the Zone…?
And how am I supposed to improve my concentration and shake off the influence caused by having two bodies?
After returning to Tracen, Shirayuki prepared to solve those two problems.
"Yo, Empress."
Right after finishing her student council work, Shirayuki ran into Orfevre.
The golden uma musume stood there with her arms folded, her face wearing a deeply unimpressed look.
"What was that race?"
"What race?"
"The Osaka Hai. Why did a mere Osaka Hai force you to use your Zone? For you, that should have been a race that required no full effort at all."
Orfevre had come to demand an explanation.
"How could you say that? The opponents in that race were all very strong."
"You call opponents of that level strong? I truly wonder how you intend to challenge the Arc. Did you grow lazy during your time in Osaka?" Orfevre gave a sharp snort.
Her tone was not too harsh.
Perhaps because she was taking Shirayuki's relationship with Chiya into consideration, Orfevre's attitude had become much milder than before.
At the very least, she had not opened with a direct insult.
"I do not know what you were doing over there, but look at you now."
"What's wrong?"
"Your aura. The presence befitting an Empress. It has completely lost that fierce, domineering weight. Right now, you are no different from an ordinary girl. Do you truly think someone like that deserves to be called the Empress? Show me the bearing of an Empress!"
"Um… I am a girl, though." Shirayuki scratched her cheek.
"That is not what I mean. An Empress is a sovereign who teaches the world and leads the masses. Such a ruler requires overwhelming dignity. And what about you now? Soft. Gentle. You cannot intimidate anyone like this. That is not an Empress. That is a mother. Are you planning to become someone's mother or something?"
The moment Shirayuki heard the word "mother," her ears twitched.
"I do want to become a mother someday. Just not right now."
Shirayuki gently stroked her lower belly.
There was still a faint, hungry ache there.
"…Hah?"
Orfevre stared at her in confusion.
Then, seeing the soft, watery tenderness in Shirayuki's eyes, Orfevre suddenly realized something.
Her whole body froze.
"Hey, Empress. During this trip to Osaka, you didn't… you know. Do anything strange, did you?"
Orfevre actually stammered.
Shirayuki's expression looked exactly like that of a girl in the middle of a passionate romance!
Especially that thing she had just murmured.
Become a mother.
Could it be…
Had Shirayuki fallen in love!?
In just one short month, she had found some random wild man who popped out of nowhere!?
You are the Empress!
"Huh? No… I didn't do anything." Shirayuki blinked. "I really didn't."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"Hmph. Listen well. You are the Empress. You represent Tracen's honor. I will not allow you to do anything that would disgrace your status!"
"I already said I didn't."
I only slept with myself for one night. How does that count as something strange?
"It had better be true."
As Chiya's younger sister and her own rival, Orfevre would never allow some messy, good-for-nothing stinking man to appear at Shirayuki's side.
Anyone who wanted to approach Shirayuki would first have to show strength surpassing hers.
Later, she would have to tell Trainer Chiya about this and have him keep an eye on things.