As the debut race crept closer and closer, Trainer Nase's training schedule grew tighter by the day.
Watching the uma musume switch from one training menu to another with barely a breath between, Fujiwara Chiya walked over to Nase Fumino's side.
"Fumino, wouldn't it be better to lower the training load a little?"
"Chiya, why are you bringing this up again?"
"I think Kitasan and the others are too tense. If this keeps up, their muscles are going to be tight going into their debut race. That'll mess with their later training."
"And how exactly do you know they're too tense?" Nase Fumino raised an eyebrow. As far as she could tell, Kitasan Black and the others looked perfectly fine.
"I guess… I can just feel it?"
Fujiwara Chiya wasn't training right now, but his empathic training ability was still working in the background. All he had to do was glance at an uma musume, and he could get a pretty accurate read on what she was feeling.
So when he watched Kitasan Black train, he could clearly sense the pressure building in her toes.
Right now, Kitasan Black's running form had problems. She was relying too much on brute strength and not properly engaging her hips and core. Thanks to her natural gifts, her thighs were incredibly powerful, giving her excellent propulsion, but that strength was a double-edged sword. Use it too much, and the backlash would come for her sooner or later.
Fujiwara Chiya's standard for uma musume had always been health first.
Only with a healthy body could they keep running for longer.
If he had forced Shirayuki through reckless training, she probably wouldn't have even made it to her second Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before something went wrong.
Among all trainers, Fujiwara Chiya's uma musume were undoubtedly some of the least likely to fall ill or get injured. Whenever the faintest warning sign appeared, he stopped it before it could grow into a real problem. His empathic ability was practically sen no sen for the training world, letting him detect an uma musume's condition before even she noticed something was wrong.
Compared to a trainer like Nase Fumino, who pursued rational efficiency, Fujiwara Chiya cared more about sustainable development.
"Feel it?" Nase Fumino stared at him. "Whose feeling? Yours?"
"Yeah."
Her brow furrowed.
"My instincts are really accurate, okay!"
"Don't tell me this is a woman's sixth sense."
"No. It's a man's sixth sense."
Nase Fumino went silent.
"To make sure the uma musume stay in good condition, I recommend giving their feet a proper massage after each training session. Loosen the muscles a little. It'll help them recover faster."
"Isn't that your training method?"
"That's right."
"I heard you use that chance to shamelessly grope your uma musume. Every uma musume who passes through your hands gets her feet and thighs touched without exception."
"I don't… wait, hold on! I'm not massaging them just to feel them up!" Fujiwara Chiya hurriedly explained. "Every place I press has a reason. I learned it from Yaeno Muteki. Promoting circulation, clearing bruising, easing the flow of energy, it's all perfectly legitimate technique!"
"Then why do the uma musume you massage always end up panting and blushing like crazy?"
"Because massages feel good."
"Then why do they always want you to sit beside them for a while afterward?"
"Because feeling good makes them tired. They want someone to chat with while they recover."
"Oh? Then why did every uma musume you've massaged eventually move into your house and start living with you?"
"That's… that's because…"
Nase Fumino gave him a flat look.
"Let me make this clear first. One, I don't have that kind of technique. Two, I don't have that kind of hobby. You men might have some special attachment to girls' thighs, feet, or even socks, but I have absolutely no interest."
Her crimson eyes fixed on Fujiwara Chiya.
"Don't expect me to do anything like that. I have my own training methods."
"Yes…"
Fujiwara Chiya took the loss head-on.
"I'll study their training menu again later. We'll call it here for today." Nase Fumino clipped the training sheet under her arm. "Unlike you uma musume, I don't have monstrous stamina. Even standing here all afternoon is exhausting. I'm going back to rest properly."
"Got it."
"You too, Chiya. That empathic ability of yours probably only works on uma musume, right?"
"Pretty much."
Nase Fumino gave a tiny huff, then turned around.
A few minutes passed.
When the man still didn't react, Nase Fumino's cheeks puffed in irritation, and she prepared to leave.
Just then, Fujiwara Chiya suddenly hurried after her in three quick steps.
"Fumino."
"What?" she snapped, still sounding annoyed.
"If you don't mind, I can let you experience it too."
"Hah?"
"The secret technique passed down from the Yaeno family. Muscle relief and improved circulation."
"…Hah?"
"I figured you've been working really hard too, so I wanted to help you relax a little. Lately, I've been paying too much attention to the uma musume and not enough to you."
"...So you're finally not satisfied with feeling up uma musume and decided to start on me?"
"I told you, I'm not feeling anyone up!"
Her crimson eyes stared at him.
"Do whatever you want."
Sitting at the edge of a flower bed, Fujiwara Chiya began massaging Nase Fumino's foot. His fingers pressed and kneaded several different points with practiced precision.
A wave of heat rose from the sole of her foot.
It flowed upward, spreading through her limbs and bones.
What… is this feeling?
Nase Fumino covered her mouth to stop herself from making any strange sounds. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and her legs instinctively squeezed together.
I-It feels… really good…
The man's fingers seemed to have magic in them. Every touch plucked at her nerves like a string, making her muscles twitch under his hands.
The fatigue she had accumulated over the past few days began melting away at a visible speed beneath his kneading fingers. Nase Fumino could feel her whole body warming up.
"How is it?"
"Not… not bad." Seeing Fujiwara Chiya grinning at her, Nase Fumino quickly turned her head away, her face burning.
"See? I told you it works. I've tried it on myself plenty of times."
"Yourself? You mean on Shirayuki?"
"Yeah."
Nase Fumino's eyes wavered slightly.
"Right. Since Shirayuki's there, you don't even need to go looking for anyone else. You can just pour all your vulgar desires onto Shirayuki. Since you're entertaining yourself, no one else can say anything."
"I told you, this is a proper massage!"
"I don't believe you. You're just a vulgar man."
Nase Fumino raised her foot and lightly rubbed it against Fujiwara Chiya's chest. Her pink toenails reflected a soft, glossy shine. A human body wasn't as supple as an uma musume's, but Nase Fumino was naturally beautiful, and her foot had an elegant shape, with her second toe just slightly longer.
"I heard you're into feet. So, if I allowed you to do something a little inappropriate to me, what would you do?"
"Crossdressing, perverted, vulgar Chiya."
"Do you really want to know?" Fujiwara Chiya asked, holding the pale foot that kept brushing against him.
"You can try."
Nase Fumino's face was red, but her eyes looked faintly expectant.
"Chiba! Why are you over here?"
Kitasan Black came running over.
"I was looking for you! Let's go eat dinner together later! Hm? Trainer? What are you two doing?"
Nase Fumino silently withdrew her foot and put her shoe back on.
"Kitasan."
"Yes?"
"Tonight, you're coming out for individual training. If you don't pass, you're not going back to sleep."
"Ehhh?!"