Shirayuki looked utterly blissed out.
The hands trained through dance, clear and delicate as crystal butterflies. A body supple and flexible enough to follow any rhythm. Soft lips. Once all the wrapping had been peeled away, this was the hottest, most honest shape of her feelings for Chiya.
And also for herself.
So cute.
Shirayuki had no idea whether that thought was aimed at Chiya, or at her flushed, dazed self. Maybe it meant both of them. She did not bother untangling it.
Dating was supposed to be something between two people. But Shirayuki and Chiya shared their senses. One soul, two bodies. Between them, one person could satisfy both sides at once.
"Ehehe…"
Inside the room, Shirayuki let out a light, airy laugh. The lingering echoes around her ears made her shoulders loosen all over again.
She sat up, hooked herself around Chiya's thigh, and curled up beside him.
So this was the method Agnes Tachyon had mentioned for helping her release her emotions. It did not necessarily have to be the two of them doing everything together. Even simply helping the other person like this was enough.
The dignified, awe-inspiring Empress was now nestled at Fujiwara Chiya's side. Sometimes, no matter how many people sang her praises, it could not compare to lying beside him for a little while.
That said, as her chest had grown bigger and bigger, Chiya seemed to have become more and more impressive too.
A soft, captivating gleam flickered in Shirayuki's eyes as she pressed herself against him.
She wanted to live together with Chiya.
When that day came, no one would interrupt them. They could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.
For now, Shirayuki could only keep restraining herself, then secretly reward herself whenever nobody was around.
Not enough.
Her intake of Chiya was still nowhere near enough.
Using Chiya's arm as her personal pillow, Shirayuki relaxed completely.
Then the infirmary door opened.
Orfevre walked in.
First, she glanced at Shirayuki. Then her gaze slid to Chiya, who was lying beside her.
Her brows immediately furrowed.
"Orfevre, why are you here?"
Fujiwara Chiya jolted upright in a panic.
"Did I not tell you to inform me if anything happened to the Empress? A whole hour passed, and Trainer sent no word whatsoever. I almost thought you had eloped with the Empress."
Chiya's heart gave a violent thud.
Shirayuki had gotten so carried away earlier that he had completely forgotten Orfevre's request.
"Hmph. It seems the Empress is fine." Orfevre folded her arms. "I knew it. No matter how weak she may be, the Empress is still the Empress. There is no way some trifling illness could bring her down."
Then she tilted her head.
"By the way, what were Trainer and the Empress doing? Why did you both climb onto the bed? Is Trainer feeling unwell too?"
As if she had caught some strange scent, Orfevre's nose twitched.
What was this smell?
A little sweet. A little fragrant. And somehow… thick?
She rubbed her nose and swallowed.
For some reason, the moment she caught that scent, her heart started to itch. Something inside her seemed to stir restlessly.
"I was just keeping Shirayuki company for a while. Resting a bit, that's all. She's fine. She'll recover soon."
Fujiwara Chiya quickly got off the bed, terrified that Orfevre might notice something. He reached out, stroked Shirayuki's hair, and said in his most convincing Trainer voice, "Make sure you sleep early these next few days. I'll head out first if there's nothing else."
With that, Fujiwara Chiya practically fled the room.
Watching his back disappear, Orfevre narrowed her eyes.
Suspicious.
Trainer's expression was suspicious.
He looked like he was hiding something.
Could it be that before I arrived, he and the Empress were discussing some shameful secret?
Forget it.
Orfevre shook her head.
This was Trainer's family business. It was not her place to interfere.
For now, at least.
Once she gained the strength to surpass Trainer and won at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she would make Fujiwara Chiya her one and only retainer. At that point, Trainer's family business would be her family business.
Thinking that, Orfevre turned to Shirayuki and said, "Recover quickly. I have no desire to race a half-dead version of you."
Shirayuki nodded obediently, her expression perfectly well-behaved.
Feeling slightly pleased, Orfevre closed the door behind her.
The next day, Shirayuki went to find Agnes Tachyon again and announced that Chiya had successfully obtained his Domain. Next came the question of how the two of them should use it.
Agnes Tachyon was tinkering with her computer and did not respond.
"Sluuurp…"
A strange sound came from the room.
Shirayuki stared curiously at the screen.
Hmm…
Tachyon wasn't watching that kind of thing, was she?
The sound, the angle, the general atmosphere. It all looked suspiciously like it.
Who would have thought? Agnes Tachyon, the research maniac, was actually interested in that sort of thing too.
As a girl in the middle of adolescence, it was normal to feel curious about romance between men and women. Shirayuki had no intention of stopping her.
However, she should at least pay attention to the time and place.
Watching it right in front of Shirayuki was a little inappropriate, wasn't it?
"Uwah, Shirayuki."
Only when Shirayuki came closer did Agnes Tachyon finally notice her. A faint, teasing smile tugged at her lips.
"You came over. My apologies. I did not notice. I was reviewing experimental footage."
"Experimental footage?"
"Precisely. In order to record how far my little guinea pig had progressed with herself, I secretly installed a camera on her. I never expected it to capture such an intense scene."
As she spoke, Agnes Tachyon hit fast-forward. All kinds of clips flashed across the screen.
Shirayuki froze on the spot.
She recognized it.
That was yesterday.
That was her and Chiya.
"Delete it. Delete it right now!"
Shirayuki lunged toward the computer and deleted the footage on the spot. Then she deleted the other videos too. For good measure, she emptied the recycle bin.
"Hey! Guinea pig-kun?! There was other experimental data in there too!"
Agnes Tachyon hurriedly tried to stop her, but she was one step too late. All the research material she had recorded was wiped clean in the blink of an eye.
Agnes Tachyon instantly slumped into her chair like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Tachyon!" Shirayuki cried, her face burning red. "How could you secretly film something like that?!"
"It just happened to be caught on camera. What was I supposed to do?" Agnes Tachyon scratched her head and comforted herself. Those experiments were not that important anyway. If the data was gone, it was gone. Worst case, she could cry about it later when nobody was around.
"Originally, I merely wished to record your interactions with yourself as reference material. Who could have predicted it would capture such a dramatic moment?"
Her dark red eyes flickered.
"In the end, I still failed to stop you. However, experiencing both the male and female sides at once is an extremely worthwhile research subject. How did it feel the first time? Did it affect your male body in any way? I would very much like you to tell me the details of your intimate activity with Shirayuki."
"There is no way I'm telling you that!"
"You cannot tell me? Then let me observe from the side next time."
"Tachyon! Act normal!"
Shirayuki's face went crimson.
This research maniac had truly lost her mind!
"Guinea pig-kun, my original goal was to find a method for uma musume to break past their limits through you. Unfortunately, you threw an even more fascinating question at me instead."
Agnes Tachyon took a sip of her already cold black tea.
"Besides, I more or less guessed this would happen between you and Shirayuki. No one can resist their ideal other half."
Agnes Tachyon removed the camera from Shirayuki's collar.
She had installed it back when she asked Shirayuki about her relationship with Chiya and saw the look on her face. Even with ninety-nine point nine percent certainty, Agnes Tachyon still preferred seeing things with her own eyes.
And she really had seen it.
In a way that was far more impactful than expected.
Agnes Tachyon was certain she would never forget what she saw in that footage. It had even made her, someone who normally had little interest in such matters, feel strangely warm.
"Now that things have developed like this, I do not have much else to say. But how do you plan to explain this to everyone? How will you face all those uma musume who have devoted themselves to you?"
"I…" Shirayuki lowered her gaze. "I'll do my best not to betray their feelings."
"I see. So even after choosing Shirayuki, you have not cut ties with them. That is a rather clever decision. Otherwise, even if you and Shirayuki ran to the ends of the earth, those girls would still chase you down."
Please do not make uma musume sound that terrifying.
Shirayuki felt a little uneasy.
"Getting everyone to accept your relationship with Shirayuki will not be easy. You cannot balance everything by yourself. You need an assistant."
"Are you saying you want to help me?"
"Other than me, is there anyone else you can rely on?"
"No…"
Agnes Tachyon had done plenty of ridiculous things.
But Shirayuki could not deny it.
She was one of the people Shirayuki trusted most.
"Of course, my help will not be free. I have one condition."
"What is it?"
"The next time you indulge in self-research, I would like you to write me a report on your impressions. Alternatively, allow me to observe from the side. And, if possible, I would also like a biological sample from you. As for how you provide it, I will leave that to your discretion."
"..."