"Onee-samaaa～"
After class that day, Rice Shower came running over to Shirayuki's classroom.
The students around them immediately called out, "Shirayuki, your little sister is here."
Grass Wonder and Special Week, who had been chatting with Shirayuki, curiously turned toward the door. Rice Shower gave a small, gentle wave. Shirayuki stood up and left the classroom.
"Let's go for a walk, Onee-sama."
As she spoke, Rice Shower wrapped both arms around Shirayuki's arm.
Lately, Rice Shower had been coming over almost the moment class ended, then taking Shirayuki out for little walks. At this point, she actually came to find Shirayuki more often than she went to Fujiwara Chiya.
According to Rice Shower, she was afraid of disturbing Onii-sama's work. Shirayuki, on the other hand, was a student. She had more free time, which meant Rice Shower could come bother her with zero guilt.
On top of that, Shirayuki had announced in front of the entire country that Rice Shower was her little sister.
That made Rice Shower even more justified.
In fact, other people had to make room for her.
To avoid anyone noticing anything strange, Rice Shower always called Shirayuki "Onee-sama" in public. After saying it enough times, the name simply stuck.
Because of that title, the class had actually gone through a brief period of confusion.
Rice Shower was a high school division student, while Shirayuki was in the middle school division. Having Rice Shower call Shirayuki "Onee-sama" was strange enough on its own. But since everyone else called Rice Shower "Rice Shower-senpai," the relationship ladder somehow made Shirayuki two generations above her classmates.
Later, because Rice Shower was just too cute, and because she acted like a tiny child in front of Shirayuki, everyone stopped caring.
Watching Shirayuki leave with Rice Shower, Special Week could not help muttering, "I feel like Shirayuki has more and more labels attached to her now."
Grass Wonder narrowed her eyes.
Her gaze drifted, almost imperceptibly, toward Rice Shower.
The distance between her and Yuki-chan was getting wider and wider.
At this rate, things were looking bad!
"It seems quite a lot has happened between Shirayuki and Rice Shower."
At some point, Seiun Sky had drifted closer and tossed that out in her usual airy tone.
Not long ago, Seiun Sky had heard it.
Rice Shower had called Shirayuki "Onii-sama."
Anyone who had ever interacted with Rice Shower knew exactly who that title belonged to.
That was right.
It was what Rice Shower called Fujiwara Chiya.
Did Trainer Chiya tell Rice Shower about his secret?
Seiun Sky felt a faint, ominous chill crawl up her back.
She had a bad feeling.
The reason Fujiwara Chiya was telling more and more people his secret probably was not because he wanted to be honest with everyone.
It was because he wanted to be honest with himself.
Yeah.
This was going to get seriously messy.
Meanwhile, Shirayuki bought Rice Shower a can of orange juice. The two of them sat in the vegetable garden behind Tracen.
Spring had just arrived, and the field was full of fresh green shoots. They looked soft and bright beneath the sunlight. Since almost no one came here normally, it was a perfect place to rest.
Sitting on Shirayuki's lap, Rice Shower leaned back into Shirayuki's arms.
"Onee-sama's arms are so warm…"
As she spoke, she nuzzled lightly against Shirayuki's chest.
Feeling that faint ticklish sensation, Shirayuki's cheeks warmed as she took a sip of orange juice.
After what had happened between her and Chiya, Shirayuki's feelings toward other girls had completely vanished in that sense. No matter how close the interaction became, it no longer stirred that kind of desire in her.
Her one wish now was to feel Chiya's warmth again.
To be pulled into his arms.
That was what she wanted as an uma musume.
And as a girl.
Two months.
In less than two months, Shirayuki would be able to go to Europe.
She lightly rubbed her thigh.
At the same time, on Chiya's side, Fujiwara Chiya was staring into a mirror, gently touching his own cheek.
His soft fingertips felt almost like Shirayuki touching him.
It was only when Darley beside him asked what he was doing that Fujiwara Chiya snapped back to his senses. He lowered the mirror and returned to work.
"Trainer, you haven't become a narcissist, have you?" Darley asked, half-joking.
"Of course not. I was just looking in a mirror. What are you imagining?"
Fujiwara Chiya coughed a few times.
In truth, Darley was not entirely wrong.
Fujiwara Chiya had become captivated by the perfect girl he had created with his own hands.
And that perfect girl had fallen for him too.
In a certain sense, yes.
This was narcissism.
But Fujiwara Chiya did not want to admit it.
He felt that other people probably would not understand.
They definitely would not accept it.
After all, he had developed feelings for himself.
But even if he refused to admit it, the facts would not change.
Shirayuki was Shirayuki.
And she was also Chiya.
She loved her own body.
She loved the soul that existed as her other half.
That longing to return to the same source, to become whole again, was something only two souls separated for a long time could truly understand.
And the feeling of truly reaching the other half, of touching and being touched in return, was far more intoxicating than anything a mirror could offer.
"Pfft… hahaha… hahahahaha!"
Just as Fujiwara Chiya was lost in the memories between him and Shirayuki, Darley suddenly burst into laughter.
Her laugh was loud.
Completely unrestrained.
Clutching her stomach, Darley looked at Fujiwara Chiya with tears in her eyes. Her emerald-green eyes practically shone. She laughed so hard she doubled over, lost her balance, tumbled off her chair, and rolled around on the floor.
"Darley, what are you doing?" Fujiwara Chiya asked.
But she was laughing so hard she could not breathe, let alone answer him.
"Trainer… my dear Trainer…"
At last, under Fujiwara Chiya's increasingly dangerous stare, Darley pushed herself back to her feet.
"You really are the single most interesting person I have ever met in this entire world."
"Onee-sama?"
Seeing Shirayuki suddenly press a hand to the corner of her eye, her brows drawn together, Rice Shower could not help calling out to her.
"…Huh?"
"Is something wrong, Onee-sama?"
"It's nothing."
Shirayuki shook her head.
She had no idea why Darley had suddenly gone crazy. One moment she had asked whether he was being narcissistic, and the next she was laughing like a lunatic.
Anyone who did not know better would think Gold Ship had possessed her.
"Do you want to walk around somewhere else?"
"No. Let's rest a little longer, then go back."
Rice Shower shook her head.
Then she looked up at Shirayuki's beautiful face.
"Oh, right. Onee-sama, there's something Rice wants to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Rice wants to cuddle closer to Onee-sama."
Shirayuki's ears flicked.
"…Hm?"
"Can Rice?"
"Rice Shower, isn't that a little much!?"
Why did she suddenly start treating me like a plush pillow!?
She never had this kind of tendency before!
I'm a girl.
This body is a girl!
"It's okay. Rice can accept Onee-sama."
Rice Shower's eyes were utterly sincere.
"Whether it's Onii-sama or Onee-sama, Rice can accept both."
Rice Shower had completely come to terms with it.
Since she was equally important to both Chiya and Shirayuki, then what Shirayuki truly was to Chiya no longer mattered that much.
Right now, Rice Shower only needed to do what she wanted to do.
For example, try something new.
She wanted to know what the girl version of Onii-sama felt like.
That was her Onee-sama, after all.
Rice Shower tugged gently at Shirayuki's jacket and slipped closer into her arms.
"Rice Shower, wait… mm～"