"Use your waist, Kitasan!" Fujiwara Chiya shouted as he ran beside her during training. "If you keep running with only your legs, you'll burn out fast!"
"Yes!"
"Match my rhythm! Loosen up your movements!"
"Y-Yes!"
Kitasan Black adjusted her breathing. Her once-stiff stride slowly began to smooth out, and by the twentieth lap, she finally came to a stop, panting hard.
Amazing…
She looked at Chiba, who was also drenched in sweat but still had bright, focused eyes. Chiba had already accompanied three uma musume through their training, yet she was still full of energy. Her stamina was ridiculous. Basically monster-class.
And the craziest part was that even though Chiba had been running ahead of her, it was like she had eyes on the back of her head. Every time Kitasan started falling behind or losing form, Chiba noticed immediately and called it out.
At this point, Kitasan Black was starting to wonder who was actually training her, Trainer Nase or Chiba.
As the team captain, Kitasan Black had already realized something. Chiba's ability far surpassed her own. That position really did suit Chiba better.
"Let's take a break," Fujiwara Chiya said, handing Kitasan Black a handkerchief.
After wiping her face, Kitasan carefully tucked it into her pocket like it was some priceless treasure.
"I'll wash it and give it back."
Looking at the black-haired uma musume in front of her, Kitasan Black felt admiration welling up inside her. They were in the same year. They were rivals too. Even so, under Chiba's guidance, Kitasan had learned so much. Her running form was getting lighter, and her speed was climbing faster and faster.
Even Kitasan herself had never imagined she could grow this quickly.
She could feel herself changing.
Chiba really was an incredible girl. Beautiful, gentle, considerate, and powerful. Kitasan Black had never thought that one day, she would become friends with someone like that.
Honestly, she felt a little honored.
As a friend, Kitasan was completely on the receiving end of Chiba's care. That did not really fit Kitasan Black's personality. She liked helping others. But in front of Chiba, there was never any room for her to step in.
She wanted to repay Chiba somehow.
Always being the one looked after made her restless. Just once, Kitasan Black wanted to be the proactive one.
"Chiba!"
"Hm? What's up?"
"Tonight, let's take a bath together!"
"Hmm??"
Fujiwara Chiya's eyes went wide.
What was this all of a sudden? Why did she suddenly want to bathe together?
Then Fujiwara Chiya noticed Kitasan Black's gaze drifting toward the hem of his skirt.
In an instant, a two-hundred-thousand-word drama script wrote itself inside his head.
No way. Did Kitasan Black accidentally notice something under his skirt? Was she trying to confirm it by inviting him to bathe together?
He had seen this kind of plot before.
But… that should be impossible.
Fujiwara Chiya was incredibly careful with his skirt. Whenever he went upstairs, he pressed it down with his hand. Whenever the wind blew, he instinctively held the front in place. Because of that, the other uma musume had started calling him a "city girl" and an "elegant lady."
When he mentioned those nicknames to Symboli Rudolf, Rudolf had laughed so hard she nearly stopped breathing.
In any case, Fujiwara Chiya was cautious to the extreme.
There was no way he had slipped up.
And Kitasan Black's next words immediately erased his suspicion.
"I want to scrub your back!"
"Scrub my back?"
"Yes!" Kitasan Black clenched her little fists. "I want to deepen my friendship with Chiba. They say good friends should be honest and open with each other, so I want to be honest and open with Chiba!"
Absolutely not open!
Fujiwara Chiya did not believe for a second that a tiny bath towel could hide the tail tied around his waist. He also did not believe that one thin layer of cloth could hide the other problem he had to keep secret.
On top of that, bathing increased blood circulation and metabolism. Things could get awkward very quickly. Fujiwara Chiya had no desire to see Kitasan Black tilt her innocent little face and ask, "Chiba, why does your towel look weird?"
Would there even be a point in living after that?
That was why Fujiwara Chiya had always refused to bathe with the uma musume.
It was not only for his own sake.
It was for theirs too.
In fact, Kitasan Black was already the fourth person to ask. Almost every uma musume in Trainer Nase Fumino's team had invited him at least once, and Fujiwara Chiya had rejected them one by one.
"Sorry, Kitasan. I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm… shy about people seeing my body." Fujiwara Chiya brought out his usual excuse again.
"It's okay! I'm shy too, but when I think that it's Chiba seeing my body, I feel like it's worth it!" Kitasan Black said cheerfully, patting her chest. Her perky chest bounced lightly.
Little Kitasan, do you have any idea how easily people could misunderstand that?
"Still no… My body is… lacking. If someone saw it, I'd be embarrassed." Fujiwara Chiya gritted his teeth, practically bleeding tears as he forced those words out.
From this moment onward, Fujiwara Chiya would need a long recovery period to reclaim his dignity as a man.
"Chiba…" Kitasan Black's eyes filled with determination. "I heard from Diamond that if you massage your chest, it can grow bigger. If you don't mind, I can help you!"
"!!??"
Fujiwara Chiya strongly suspected that Grass Wonder had corrupted Kitasan Black.
From the moment they stepped into that adult lingerie store, Kitasan Black had been dyed in colors that did not belong to her.
What Fujiwara Chiya did not know was that Kitasan Black was also so embarrassed she wanted to explode when she said that. But right now, she really wanted to help Chiba.
She wanted to give something back.
She could not keep accepting Chiba's kindness for nothing. As Chiba's friend, she wanted to do her part too.
Since Chiba cared so much about her body, then Kitasan Black would take responsibility for helping her grow more confident!
That thought suddenly appeared in Kitasan Black's mind.
For some reason, whenever she saw Trainer Chiya and Chiba interacting closely lately, Kitasan Black felt an urge to try doing the same.
She wanted to get closer to Chiba.
Not just as friends who ate together and chatted.
Normally, saying something like "I'll massage your chest" would have been far too embarrassing for Kitasan Black. But when she imagined it, when she thought about the person in front of her being Chiba, the black-haired girl she admired so much, her heart began pounding.
Seeing Chiba's flushed face somehow gave Kitasan Black courage, and before she knew it, the words had slipped out.
Not only that, Kitasan Black had even searched online about this kind of thing. She had learned how girls could stimulate growth through massage.
She was confident she could definitely help Chiba!
That would make Chiba happy too.
Yes. Definitely!
Kitasan Black firmly believed this was a chance to deepen their friendship.
"If you want to deepen our friendship, we don't need to bathe together or scrub each other's backs," Fujiwara Chiya said quickly. "We can just go out and have fun together, right?"
"Go out together? That works too! Where does Chiba want to go?"
"Hmm. Maybe the park. Or we could watch a movie."
"Sure! Then when?"
"Your debut race is coming up soon. I was thinking after that."
"Okay! I'll win beautifully, and then we'll go out together!"
And just like that, Kitasan Black and Fujiwara Chiya made their promise.
After they parted ways, Kitasan Black immediately rushed to tell Satono Diamond about it.
"Kita-chan." Looking at the lively Kitasan Black, Satono Diamond hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I don't think Chiba refuses to bathe with you because she's shy or anything like that."
"Then why?"
"Do you remember what Chiba said when we went out with Grass Wonder-senpai that day?"
"What did she say?"
"'There's no way I could like men.'"
Kitasan Black remembered.
"If Chiba doesn't like men, then doesn't that mean she likes girls?" Satono Diamond reasoned.
"Chiba likes… girls…" Kitasan Black's eyes began spinning.
That was a lot to process.
That beautiful, strong, charming Chiba actually liked girls!
"And she invited Kita-chan out too. A park, a movie… doesn't it feel a lot like a date?"
"A d-d-d-date!?" Kitasan Black's face turned bright red. "I don't think it's like that! We're just ordinary friends going out to have fun!"
"I'm only saying it's possible. Maybe Chiba has always seen us as the opposite sex. That would explain why she gets so nervous every time Kita-chan hugs her."
"But Chiba cares so much about her chest size. If she saw us that way, would she still care about that?"
"Maybe. Chiba is famous around Tracen as a 'city girl,' after all. It's normal for her to care about her figure."
"I don't think it's good to judge someone without any proof."
"In that case, Kita-chan should test it."
"Test what?"
"Test whether Chiba likes girls. When you go out with her, keep sticking close to her and see whether she has any special reaction."
"Eh?" Kitasan Black's face grew even redder. "A-And what would knowing that even do? It's not like she would fall for me or anything!"
"We don't know that. But if we learn more about her, then we can understand her better. We can tell Chiba that no matter who she likes, we're still her best friends, so she doesn't need to worry about it. See? Chiba has never bathed with us, right? She always keeps a little distance. Maybe once we understand her secret, she won't feel like she has to keep that distance anymore."
Listening to Satono Diamond, Kitasan Black's eyes began to sparkle.
She nodded firmly.
"You're right, Diamond. Friends should be honest with each other. When I go out with Chiba, I'll stimulate her, then help solve her worries in that area. That way, we'll become true heart-to-heart friends! Maybe she'll even think I'm special… Ah, I don't mean I have those kinds of feelings for Chiba, okay? Don't misunderstand."
Satono Diamond silently watched Kitasan Black, who was now speaking excitedly about Chiba.
The pure Kita-chan of the past was gone.
Time passed, and the day of Kitasan Black's debut race arrived.
The group reached the racecourse early. Leaning beside Fujiwara Chiya, Kitasan Black took a deep breath.
"Are you nervous, Kitasan?"
"I'm fine."
Kitasan Black smiled.
"I'm going to become a powerful uma musume who won't lose to the Empress. Something like nerves doesn't exist for me!"
Looking at the cheerful black-haired girl, Fujiwara Chiya reached out and stroked her ear.
Kitasan Black giggled, then rubbed against his palm.
Their relationship had already become quite good. Fujiwara Chiya realized that he had now blended perfectly into the uma musume circle. Even though his identity as a man created all kinds of inconveniences, his past experience as Shirayuki had given him plenty of practice.
It was easy for him to chat with these uma musume.
Kitasan Black used to spend most of her time with Satono Diamond. But now, more than half of her time was spent beside Fujiwara Chiya.
Under Fujiwara Chiya's touch, Kitasan Black turned into something like a tiny kitten. Her whole body wriggled unconsciously.
Having touched uma musume ears for years, Fujiwara Chiya knew their sensitive spots far too well. Just a few light scratches were enough to make an uma musume melt. Because of that, many uma musume were now competing to have Fujiwara Chiya pat their heads, calling her "Onee-sama" as she did.
Fujiwara Chiya felt like he was starting to drift closer to Shirayuki's path.
Back then, Shirayuki always had a crowd of little foals around her, begging for head pats and nuzzling her face all day.
Wait.
Could I be the next one to inherit the title of "Empress"!?
No. Absolutely not.
Uma musume legacies were not supposed to be passed from left hand to right hand. As a trainer, his main responsibility was to guide uma musume.
"Chiba…"
While Fujiwara Chiya was thinking, Kitasan Black let out a soft, breathy voice beneath his hand.
He looked down and saw her face flushed pink. Her eyes were hazy, as if covered by a misty veil, and her voice trembled when she spoke.
"My ears… are going soft…"
As if she were trying to endure something, Kitasan Black lightly pressed her legs together and looked up at him, flustered.
"Ah. Sorry."
Fujiwara Chiya pulled his hand back.
He had accidentally gone all-out on Kitasan Black without noticing.
This technique was so effective that it could make Shirayuki tear up from pleasure. Fujiwara Chiya only used it when he wanted to tease someone.
He coughed awkwardly.
"Do your best, Kitasan!"
"Mm… Mm…"
Kitasan Black's cheeks were still rosy. Her eyes darted toward Fujiwara Chiya, then nervously turned away.
Finally, she clenched her fists.
"Just watch me, Chiba."
After Kitasan Black headed to the competitor waiting room, Satono Diamond moved closer to Fujiwara Chiya.
"Before we knew it, Kita-chan became really attached to Chiba."
"Attached?"
"Yes. Kita-chan and I grew up together, so I can tell when she changes. These days, every night when she comes back to the dorm, she talks to me about Chiba."
"Really? What does she say?"
"She says you're beautiful, strong, and good at taking care of people. She admires you a lot."
"Seriously? You're not exaggerating?"
"Not at all. Kita-chan keeps saying she wants to become even closer to Chiba."
Even closer?
Aren't we already pretty close?
Being able to pet someone's ears this casually, aside from a trainer, was basically something only a close friend could do.
Fujiwara Chiya had no idea how much closer Kitasan Black wanted to get.
"Chiba… Um…"
"Hm?"
"Your hand."
Satono Diamond's cheeks turned red as she reminded him.
Only then did Fujiwara Chiya realize that, without noticing, he had started stroking Diamond's ears too.
He hurriedly pulled his hand back.
"Sorry."
"No… It's fine." Satono Diamond smiled. "Liking to pat people's heads is one of Chiba's mature, big-sisterly sides."
"R-Right."
"If only it didn't feel a little too good…" Satono Diamond muttered under her breath.
She had already noticed more than once that Kita-chan became strange in Chiba's hands. But she could not really blame Kita-chan, because Satono Diamond had discovered she was not much better. Somehow, Chiba seemed to know exactly where her weak spots were, stimulating them again and again.
As the young lady of the Satono family, Satono Diamond absolutely could not show such an embarrassing expression.
That was why she kept a certain distance from Chiba, just in case she accidentally fell victim to those hands.
She was different from Kita-chan.
She could not let herself be so carefree.
When they reached the audience seats, everyone waited for the race to begin. Fujiwara Chiya's hands became restless again, so he found another uma musume and started rubbing her ears instead.
In any case, these were all uma musume from Trainer Nase Fumino's team, and they had a good relationship with Fujiwara Chiya. Everyone liked being petted by her.
Before anyone realized it, this place had become a paradise of petting and being petted.
Fujiwara Chiya and the uma musume had reached mutual bliss.
While rubbing a pair of light-brown ears that had appeared from who-knew-where, Fujiwara Chiya looked toward the track together with Satono Diamond.
Soon, Kitasan Black appeared.
She entered the stage as the third favorite.
From a distance, Kitasan Black looked at Fujiwara Chiya, raised her hand, and clenched her fist.
"Kita-chan looks like she's in great condition," Satono Diamond said.
"Letting her rest properly before the race was the right choice."
"Competitors, please enter the gates!"
At the announcer's call, Kitasan Black walked into the gate.
She slowly settled into her starting stance.
Bang!
The gates opened, and Kitasan Black shot forward.
Compared to when they had first met, Kitasan Black's movements had changed a little. Her thighs looked a bit less forceful, but her whole body had become much more coordinated. This was what Fujiwara Chiya had taught her.
How to generate power through her core.
Trainer Nase Fumino was a good teacher, but when it came to an uma musume's running form, she was still a step below Fujiwara Chiya, who had actually been an uma musume. After enduring hellish training in body control, Fujiwara Chiya knew better than anyone where an uma musume should draw strength from.
If Kitasan Black's power was a double-edged sword, then all they had to do was dull one edge and sharpen the other.
That was why Fujiwara Chiya had begun teaching her how to stabilize with her waist and release power through her thighs.
Soon, the race reached the final corner.
Kitasan Black, who had been positioned near the rear of the pack, moved to the outside. She lowered her waist, planted her feet hard into the ground, and in an instant, her body curved like the letter C.
Then her waist snapped straight.
Her whole body launched forward like an arrow from a bow.
"Yes!"
Fujiwara Chiya's eyes lit up.
That was the body-driven acceleration method he had taught her. It reduced the burden on her legs while increasing the force of her acceleration.
Kitasan Black passed uma musume after uma musume. Her speed climbed higher and higher.
At last, she crossed the finish line three lengths ahead of second place.
"She's across the line!"
Thunderous cheers erupted across the racecourse.
Kitasan Black stood near the finish line, waving excitedly at everyone.
Her gaze swept over the crowd. She smiled at Trainer Nase Fumino.
And finally, her eyes landed on Fujiwara Chiya.
"Yeah!"
She flashed Chiya a bright V-sign, her smile dazzling beneath the sun.