"All right, today's lesson is dance. Everyone, head to the dance studio in a bit."
On the training grounds, Trainer Nase addressed the group.
"Once you win a race, you'll be standing on the Winner's Stage. When that time comes, you need to show the audience the brightest, most dazzling version of yourself. Uma musume don't just need to win races. More importantly, you need to pass your fighting spirit on to the people watching you."
The uma musume listened to Trainer Nase with serious expressions.
Finally, she said, "Third-floor dance studio. Everyone, move out."
"Yes!"
As the group headed toward the dance studio, Fujiwara Chiya quietly slipped out of the line.
"Looks like there's nothing for me today. I'll head back first."
Trainer Nase grabbed him by the collar.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"The office."
"Did you forget what you are right now, Chiba?"
"No way, Fumino. Don't tell me you actually want me to take dance lessons with the students?"
"Is that strange? Since you're an uma musume, dance class is a required course."
"You've gotta be kidding me. I have zero intention of dancing!"
Just dressing up as an uma musume was humiliating enough. Now he had to dance in that form too? How was that any different from killing him, then throwing a disco party on top of his grave? This had already gone way beyond insult.
"Are you stupid, Chiba? You're already an uma musume. You think you can run from your responsibilities? How are you supposed to stand on the Winner's Stage if you can't dance?"
Boom!
It was like a bolt of lightning had struck Fujiwara Chiya straight in the skull.
His pupils shook.
Right.
The Winner's Stage.
Every victorious uma musume had to stand on that stage and dance in front of tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of spectators.
The moment Fujiwara Chiya imagined himself wearing a stage outfit, singing and hopping around in front of a packed crowd, his vision went dark.
All of a sudden… he felt like there was nothing left worth clinging to in this world.
And it wasn't just the dancing. GI races also required Winning Live outfits. Which meant he, a grown man, would have to go to an uma musume costume atelier and get a custom outfit made for himself.
So, hypothetically speaking, was it too late to leave Earth?
"You already know how this whole process works. Why are you acting like you just got struck by divine punishment?" Trainer Nase asked. "Did marriage make your brain go soft?"
"No. I'm just scared people will find out…"
"Find out what?"
"That I'm a monster…" Fujiwara Chiya covered his face.
"Hah?" Trainer Nase blinked. "I have no idea what you're being so dramatic about. Since you've already started down this road, you might as well follow it all the way into the abyss."
"No one told me this was a one-way road!"
"It's too late for regrets. Dance studio. Now."
"No! I don't want to go on stage!"
Listening to her childhood friend's pitiful wail, Trainer Nase gently stroked his cheek. Her icy beauty of a face bloomed into a dazzling smile.
"Do your best, Chiba-chan."
...
"Chiba, where did you go?"
"I went to contemplate my life."
Answering Kitasan Black, Fujiwara Chiya silently stood at the back of the line.
"By the way, Chiba," Kitasan Black whispered, "have you learned dance before?"
"No."
"That's great!"
"Huh?"
"No, I mean, I'm not really good at dancing either. The only thing I can more or less do is festival dance." Kitasan Black scratched her head. "My old dance teacher said my body was too sturdy, and I wasn't flexible enough, so my dancing looked stiff."
"Flexibility? I think you're pretty good, actually. Your waist is excellent. You've just never used it properly for movement."
"My waist?"
"Yeah. Here, and here. When you walk, I can clearly tell there's flexibility in these areas. If you learn to use these points well, your whole body will feel springy."
"Ahaha, that tickles, Chiba."
"You two in the back, stop talking!" the dance teacher snapped.
Fujiwara Chiya and Kitasan Black instantly shut their mouths.
Beside them, Satono Diamond quietly watched the two of them, her expression thoughtful.
"Today, I've specially invited this uma musume to help with your training. Everyone, welcome her!"
Behind the dance teacher, a petite uma musume stepped forward with lively, bouncing steps.
The moment they saw her, the students' eyes widened.
Under her white sailor hat sat a bright red bow. Her short orange hair was tied into cute low twin-tails, and her beautiful blue eyes swept over the room.
"Hi～"
The girl was none other than the Queen of France, an uma musume who had once stood at the top of the world, winner of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Treve.
The students gasped in awe.
"Today, I'll be teaching you dance!"
As Treve spoke, her eyes swept across the students. At last, her gaze landed on Fujiwara Chiya at the back.
The girl smiled sweetly.
"It's Treve! It's Treve, Chiba!" Kitasan Black excitedly shook Fujiwara Chiya's hand. "She's the uma musume who stood at the top of the world alongside the Empress! I've watched her races! They were seriously earth-shaking, ghost-weeping levels of incredible!"
Kitasan Black's eyes sparkled.
"One day, I'm going to become an uma musume as amazing as her!"
"Mm. Do your best, Kitasan."
"You too, Chiba. The two of us are going to grow together!"
"Right. Let's grow together."
"When did Kita-chan and Chiba-san get so close?" Satono Diamond finally couldn't resist cutting in.
"What's wrong, Diamond?"
"I just feel like Kita-chan and Chiba-san seem closer than before. Is it just my imagination?"
"Actually, the two of us have already become rivals, Diamond," Kitasan Black said, clenching her fist.
"Rivals?"
"That's right. Rivals who improve together. Not long ago, I ran into Chiba outside and talked with her for a bit. Only then did I realize that Chiba had a difficult past too. No one is born strong. Everyone gets stronger little by little."
Kitasan Black's voice surged with passion.
"So I can't get discouraged either. I want to become just like Chiba, fast and strong!"
"Hah…" Satono Diamond blinked her big eyes, then turned toward Fujiwara Chiya. "Since Kita-chan says that, I'd like to see Chiba-san as my rival too. Oh, and when we have time, the three of us should go out together. I want to hear more about Chiba-san's past."
"It's really nothing special…"
"I'll guide everyone through the dance movements! Now then, everyone, begin!" Treve's voice rang out.
The students spread out.
Following the dance teacher's instructions, Fujiwara Chiya forced down his shame, bent at the waist, straightened his arms, and lifted his thigh.
Just then, a hand touched his leg.
He turned his head.
There stood Treve, grinning like a little devil.
"Your leg is so low, Chiba-san."
"Treve…"
"That movement isn't pretty at all. Come on, let me teach you. Straighten your leg."
As she spoke, Treve's small white hand began adjusting Fujiwara Chiya's posture near the top of his thigh.
Fujiwara Chiya had encountered a crisis.
He realized his wives didn't just want to watch him suffer for entertainment.
They wanted to create that entertainment themselves.
With Treve's status, there was no possible way she needed to come teach students dance! This was like using a cannon to swat a mosquito.
Obviously, she had asked to do this herself!
Fujiwara Chiya's body wobbled.
"What are you doing, Chiba? Why is your leg trembling so much? How are you supposed to perform on stage like this?"
As Treve spoke, she lightly pressed against his leg to correct the angle.
"Straighten it, Chiba. Don't bend. Is your body really this stiff?"
"Treve, if you keep messing with me like this, I'm going to lose my composure."
Fujiwara Chiya squeezed the words out between his teeth.
This was dance class. There were students looking over here!
"That's perfect, then. I trained Shirayuki in dance before too, you know. Her body was absolutely incredible."
Treve's hand still didn't stop. She continued calmly adjusting Fujiwara Chiya's form.
"Are you still getting revenge on me?"
"Nope. I forgave you ages ago. I just want to see my husband squirm in embarrassment."
"When we get home, I'll let you see as much as you want, okay?!" Fujiwara Chiya hissed.
"How would that make you embarrassed?" Treve giggled. "Bear with it, darling. It'd be bad if someone found out."
Warmth pressed through her palm.
Treve lightly pinched him twice.
Fujiwara Chiya, still holding his leg up, suddenly let out a sharp cry.
"Your body really is stiff, Chiba-san. Bear with it. I'm helping you stretch."
"Mmmph…!"
Fujiwara Chiya's face flushed bright red.
"All right, all right. I'll stop teasing you. Any more and people might notice something strange."
"I'm planning to sleep in a roadside field tonight."
"Nope, not allowed. You're keeping me company tonight."
Treve rubbed Fujiwara Chiya's waist with a mischievous smile. After fixing his posture, she moved on to Kitasan Black.
"Gyaaaaaah!!"
A shrill scream ripped through the dance studio.
"Your body is really solid. That won't do. You can't focus only on strength training. You need to stretch and maintain flexibility too. Otherwise, not only your dancing, even your running form will become stiff."
"Y-Yes!"
"Lift it higher."
"Aaaah!!"
Watching Kitasan Black suffer, the surrounding uma musume all winced as if their own teeth hurt.
The dance teacher nodded in satisfaction.
Yes.
This was what dance class was supposed to feel like.
"All right, that's enough. Take a short break."
The students who had been thoroughly tormented by Treve collapsed onto the floor.
Kitasan Black's tail had twisted itself into a Z-shape.
"C-Cramp… My thigh… It cramped… It hurts…"
"Your waist flexibility is good, but your thighs really are your weak point. Treve isn't entirely wrong, but as long as you master the right method, you can still form a running style based purely on stamina and power. You just need to use other parts of your body properly."
Fujiwara Chiya moved over beside Kitasan Black.
"I'll massage it for you. Stimulating the pressure points in your thigh should ease the cramping. Otherwise, the training after this will hurt even more."
"Can you?! Please, Chiba!"
Kitasan Black stretched her leg over.
Through her training pants, Fujiwara Chiya could clearly feel the surging power in Kitasan Black's leg.
Her legs weren't like Shirayuki's or Treve's, soft and tender like pudding. Kitasan Black's thighs had incredible elasticity. Every time he pressed down, his fingers were pushed back by a powerful force.
Solid.
Strong.
There was another uma musume whose legs were similar to Kitasan Black's.
Duramente.
Her legs were also extremely firm.
That was both an advantage and a disadvantage. They could unleash extraordinary power, but their legs also had to shoulder tremendous risk. If they pushed too hard, fractures were a real possibility.
To prevent that, Fujiwara Chiya checked Duramente's legs every day. When necessary, he would also give her massage care.
But now, Fujiwara Chiya couldn't do that anymore. He could only leave it to Shirayuki's side.
Every time he cared for Duramente, she would always say, "To receive care from both Trainer-san and Empress-sama at the same time… I truly cannot express the depth of my gratitude. If I fail to produce dazzling results, I will never be able to face the effort both of you have poured into me."
She was a serious girl.
Fujiwara Chiya liked that about her.
So it wasn't just Kitasan Black.
He would also become Duramente's rival, so she could run faster and farther too.
"Hehe… hehehe…"
Lying on the floor, Kitasan Black let out a blissful giggle.
"Kita-chan?"
"Diamond… Chiba's massage feels so good."
A faint blush spread across Kitasan Black's cheeks. Her beautiful, medium-length black hair spilled across the floor.
"It feels like my soul is being purified…"
"It's not that exaggerated."
Fujiwara Chiya tapped at Kitasan Black's thigh.
"I feel like if Chiba stops being an uma musume, she could open a massage shop and make a killing. Once they've tried it once, every uma musume would rush in to line up."
Kitasan Black squirmed a little. Chiba's hands made her body feel ticklish.
"Is it really that amazing?"
"Diamond, do you want to try it too?" Kitasan Black asked, a tiny glimmer of drool at the corner of her mouth.
"I… think I'll pass. Kita-chan seems like she's acting a little strange."
"What's strange? This feels great… Chiba, I'll massage your feet too."
Still dazed, Kitasan Black grabbed Fujiwara Chiya's foot.
Then she pressed hard into the sole.
"Gah!"
"…Hm?"
"Huh?"
A deep, full-bodied cry burst out of him.
The surrounding uma musume all turned their heads.
"Ahem. Kitasan, while you can use a bit more force on the sole, you also need to adjust your position properly. You shouldn't massage while kneeling like that."
"Ah, sorry… Wait, Chiba, you can make such a manly noise?"
"Yes, that surprised me too." Satono Diamond touched her cheek. "I always thought Chiba was a very quiet, refined girl. I didn't expect you to have such a rugged side."
"Actually, my inner self is very rugged."
"That's a little unexpected. But that contrast is cute too, Chiba-san."
"Don't call me cute…"
"Oh my, Chiba's blushing. Looks like Chiba's girlishness is really high," Kitasan Black giggled.
"Don't call me girly!"
Fujiwara Chiya's soul was brutally trampled underfoot.
I'm Chiya, not Shirayuki!
"What are you all talking about?"
Treve leaned in and asked the three of them, who had been chatting away.
"We were talking about Chiba-san's cute side," Satono Diamond said with a smile.
"She's practically more girly than a girl. Gentle, considerate, and cute," Kitasan Black praised from the bottom of her heart.
"Oh my. Then I guess you still haven't discovered Chiba's boyish side."
"Treve…"
Fujiwara Chiya looked at her with gratitude.
Was his wonderful wife finally going to help him recover his dignity?
"Look! This part of Chiba is so boyish, don't you think?"
Treve wrapped her arms around Fujiwara Chiya from behind and covered his chest as she spoke to the two girls.
"…"
"…"
Goddess-sama.
I suddenly don't want to be an uma musume anymore.