"Kita-chan, do you… maybe have feelings for Chiba?"
Back in their dorm room, Satono Diamond asked the question as if she were discussing tomorrow's weather.
"Huh? Feelings? What feelings?"
The red lantern Kitasan Black had been hanging slipped right out of her hands. She fumbled to catch it, tail springing up twice behind her, then whipped around to stare at Diamond.
"I just think your attitude toward Chiba feels a little different from how you treat everyone else…"
"How is it different? It's totally normal, okay?" Kitasan Black hung the lantern back on the wall and switched it on. "I just admire Chiba more than other people, that's all. Think about it. Chiba is in the same year as us, but she's already good enough to teach other people how to run. Not only that, she's incredibly strong herself. After all this training, she hasn't lost to anyone even once. As her rival and her friend, it's only natural that I'd pay a little extra attention to her."
"Is that so…"
"Exactly! That's all it is!"
Kita-chan kept explaining while changing into her pajamas.
"I've just been helped by her a lot, so I'm grateful. I'm usually the one helping other people, right? So suddenly being taken care of like that feels kind of strange."
She crawled into bed, but her mouth didn't stop.
"Diamond, you're being a little too sensitive. I'm completely normal about Chiba. I just got a bit too worried after hearing she was sick. But she seemed fine, so she'll probably recover soon and come back to my side. Ahh, I can't wait. Training with Chiba again…"
"…"
Satono Diamond quietly put on her sleep mask as she listened to Kita-chan mutter endlessly about Chiba.
She wanted to believe her childhood friend. She really did.
But when Kita-chan had been wiping Chiba's back, the look on her face had been way too suspicious. Her cheeks had been flushed, her fingers had kept stroking Chiba's back, and at one point, she had even stuck out her tongue like she wanted to taste her.
If Diamond hadn't interrupted in time, who knew how Kita-chan would have handled herself after licking Chiba's back.
And after all that, Kita-chan was still calling it "admiration"?
Nobody wanted to lick the person they simply admired!
Satono Diamond had no idea how to address this with her childhood friend. If she pointed it out too directly, she was afraid Kita-chan's whole world would collapse. Right now, Kita-chan was clearly trying to convince herself. Her feelings were normal. Her attitude toward Chiba was normal. Everything was normal.
She probably needed time to adjust.
So Satono Diamond decided to stay quiet for now.
To be honest, she was curious.
Did Chiba really have that much charm?
Chiba was definitely impressive, but Diamond didn't think she was so impressive that she could bend a straight girl sideways.
At the very least, Diamond didn't feel that intense longing toward Chiba.
Maybe I just don't know enough about her yet.
These days, Kitasan Black spent more than half her time orbiting Chiba, while Satono Diamond usually stayed with the other students. She didn't know Chiba nearly as well as Kita-chan did.
Maybe if she had a deeper conversation with Chiba, she would finally understand what was going on with Kita-chan.
With that thought in mind, Satono Diamond closed her eyes.
The next day, Fujiwara Chiya arrived in front of the team.
Shirayuki stood in the middle of the group, acting as a sparring partner for the Uma Musume. All around her, students waved excitedly.
"Lady Empress!"
The little foals from back then had now grown up and were charging into the racing world. Shirayuki, for her part, taught them with everything she had. Some of the girls would even run to her crying after a loss.
Before anyone realized it, Shirayuki had gained a new title.
The Eternal Empress.
That wouldn't do.
Shirayuki had been planning to pass the title of "Empress" down to the next generation.
But at the moment, no one looked ready to inherit it.
It wasn't a question of ability. Shirayuki hadn't been unbeatable from the beginning either. She had built herself up through training. The real problem was whether any of them had the heart to carry that title.
The heart was something you were sometimes born with.
Just like talent.
Treve was a queen by nature. Orfevre carried a proud, unbreakable spirit from the moment she stood on the track.
So if an Uma Musume didn't have the courage to bear the name "Empress," forcing it onto her would only become another burden.
Duramente and Kitasan Black both had the strength to inherit a title. But they were running the Classic Triple Crown route. "Empress" didn't quite fit them.
Looks like I'll have to wait a little longer.
Shirayuki reached out.
The little foals—no, the grown-up Uma Musume—crowded around her just like they used to, begging for hugs, nuzzles, and tail tangles.
"I'm so jealous of Trainer Chiya! Why wasn't I the one who married Lady Empress?!"
"Uuu, I want to get lovey-dovey with Lady Empress too…"
Fujiwara Chiya silently watched the clingy Uma Musume swarming his wife.
For some reason, he had the feeling that if he took his eyes off Shirayuki for even a second, they would carry her away.
This was the downside of going the gentle Empress route.
The moment they saw an opening, they would rush in for Shirayuki cuddles.
Tail hugs, nuzzling, all of it.
They'd already enjoyed more than enough.
"Trainer."
Duramente walked up to Fujiwara Chiya.
"Ah… you mean your next race, right?"
Fujiwara Chiya flipped through his notes.
"Your next race is the GIII Kyodo Tsūshin Hai. This should be your first graded race, correct?"
"Yes."
"There's one opponent you need to pay attention to. Her name is Real Steel. That girl's strength is nothing to laugh at. She may become one of your greatest rivals in the future."
"Yes."
Duramente nodded, then asked, "Only her?"
"Hm?"
"Is that person not entering?"
"That person?"
"The black Uma Musume."
"Black… you mean Kitasan Black?"
Duramente shook her head.
"No. I mean the Uma Musume named Chiba. I've seen her run. That unmatched speed and power… she may be the strongest freshman of our generation. Since she and I are in the same year, we'll inevitably meet on the track someday. I believe she is my greatest rival!"
Fujiwara Chiya felt his heart twitch.
Huh.
So not only did he have to cross-dress and secretly infiltrate the student body, he also had to race against his own student?
At this point, Fujiwara Chiya felt like his future tombstone could be engraved with two simple words.
Absolute Menace.
"Um, Trainer…"
Without realizing it, Fujiwara Chiya had started rubbing Duramente again.
This habit of his was not going away anytime soon. Whenever he saw an Uma Musume, his hands just wanted to knead and pat.
The most outrageous incident had been when he accidentally rubbed the Director. He had gone straight for Yayoi Akikawa's little orange ears.
In that moment, Fujiwara Chiya discovered that the best ear texture didn't belong to Rice Shower.
It belonged to his older sister.
The Director's little ears had a strange magic to them. The kind that made a person want to keep rubbing forever.
Unfortunately, that act of rebellion from below was cut short very quickly. Yayoi Akikawa hugged him tight and rubbed him back until he was completely defeated. Then Gold Ship laughed at him and called him a siscon.
Of course, Fujiwara Chiya later got his revenge by pinning Gold Ship across his lap and mercilessly brushing her tail until she yelped, which earned him one point back.
But he was still annoyed.
Anyway, that was beside the point.
Fujiwara Chiya looked at Duramente, whose cheeks had gone pink.
In front of other people, Duramente always looked serious and mature. Students often kept a respectful distance from her. Because of her background, she was frequently interviewed by television stations, and she had learned to present herself from a young age.
But in front of Fujiwara Chiya, Duramente was just a shy kid.
Rub her a little, and her face turned red.
In front of Shirayuki, she became even more obvious, revealing the side of herself that was very much a fan.
Fujiwara Chiya still remembered when he first signed with Duramente. He had brought Shirayuki along as a sparring partner, and Duramente had asked with a completely serious face:
"Lady Empress, may I have your autograph?"
After all this time, Duramente was no longer as stiff as she had been at first. Her relationship with Fujiwara Chiya had become quite good too. Not long ago, Fujiwara Chiya had even met her dignified father, who had asked him to take good care of his daughter and tried to give him an expensive gift.
Of course, Fujiwara Chiya didn't accept it.
No matter how you looked at it, he had a duty to take proper care of Duramente.
And now he was going to become her opponent.
Fujiwara Chiya felt complicated.
It wasn't even the first time he had done something like this.
Sure enough, in this world, the greatest obstacle wasn't anyone else.
It was himself.
Only Fujiwara Chiya could defeat Fujiwara Chiya.
"You're right. Chiba is definitely an opponent who shouldn't be underestimated. In order to help you defeat her, I'll train you seriously, Duramente."
"Y-Yes…"
After being rubbed by Fujiwara Chiya until her waist had gone a little weak, Duramente answered in a trembling voice.
Trainer's Uma Musume-petting technique was getting more and more refined.
Duramente could clearly feel her body craving that sensation now. If she went a few days without being touched, she actually started feeling restless.
She wanted Trainer to come back not only because she was worried about his body.
She also wanted him to pet her.
After getting thoroughly soothed, Duramente let out a long breath and asked for permission to continue training.
"Oh, right, Trainer."
As if remembering something, Duramente spoke up again.
"Yesterday, I saw Kitasan Black coming out of your room. Did she need something from you?"
Fujiwara Chiya's body jolted.
He absolutely could not let his own Uma Musume discover the disguise.
His brain spun at full speed.
"Ah, yes. Kitasan is a fan of Shirayuki. She wanted to come see Shirayuki."
"A fan? I see."
At Tracen, there was no such thing as someone who wasn't Shirayuki's fan.
She was a legend who had created an entire era.
After Duramente ran off to train, Fujiwara Chiya patted his chest.
He needed to stop doing things that could blow his cover so easily.
If these Uma Musume accidentally ran into each other at his house one day, the situation would go nuclear. Before the race even started, he would shatter the worldview and entire life philosophy of two seeded contenders.
At that point, Fujiwara Chiya would become the sinner of the racing world for the year.
After leaving Duramente, Fujiwara Chiya headed home to change.
He remembered that Kitasan Black had said yesterday she would come visit him again tonight. He needed to prepare in advance and play the role of a proper patient.
When he reached the dorm building, Fujiwara Chiya saw Satono Diamond standing at the entrance of his home.
Hayakawa Tazuna was already welcoming her inside.
What?
They were already here?
Realizing he was one step too late, Fujiwara Chiya hurried around to the back door and prepared to sneak in.
"My dear husband?"
Grass Wonder, who was tending the garden, softly called out when she saw him.
"Yo, Grass."
Grass Wonder took off her gloves and trotted over in small, elegant steps. She reached up and straightened his tie.
"Welcome home, my dear husband. Would you like dinner first? A bath first? Or perhaps…"
Grass Wonder rose onto her toes and leaned close to Fujiwara Chiya's ear.
"Me first?"
"Where did you learn that?"
"I taught myself."
"That's… honestly kind of impressive."
"Chu~"
Grass Wonder kissed Fujiwara Chiya on the lips.
"Ahh… kissing my dear husband is the happiest part of my day."
Her sky-blue eyes seemed to sparkle with little hearts.
"I haven't tasted you for a whole day. Why did you come through the back door today, my dear husband? Was it to see me? It was, wasn't it? There are too many people inside the house sometimes, so even when I want to kiss you, I have to look for a chance."
As she kissed him, Grass Wonder kept talking.
"This morning, I saw Rice Shower secretly slipping her tail into your clothes. Does my dear husband like that kind of play? If you do, I can train my tail too. I absolutely won't lose to Rice Shower. Oh, and I changed the shampoo I use for my tail. The shopkeeper said this one makes the fur very fluffy, so it should feel even better when I wrap it around you."
"No, Grass… stop inventing new forms of play!"
After being kissed by Grass Wonder until he could barely breathe, Fujiwara Chiya finally managed to speak.
"Normal dating. Please. Don't keep doing this stuff regardless of time and place. I've already scolded Rice Shower many times."
"You say that, but you always indulge Rice Shower."
"…"
"I'm not asking for much. I only want to taste my dear husband every day."
Grass Wonder opened her mouth, her soft pink tongue licking Fujiwara Chiya's neck, cheek, and ear.
The slick sensation slipped into his ear, and goosebumps rose all over his body.
"My dear husband's weak spot is so cute."
Grass Wonder smiled.
"I can lick your ears every night and help you sleep nice and comfortably. Recently, I've been practicing tying cherry stems with my tongue. Now I can even slip the tip inside and give my dear husband an internal brain massage."
"Cough, cough. Okay. Stop. Put the licking aside for now. I still have something to do, so I can't waste any more time here."
Fujiwara Chiya wiped the saliva from the rim of his ear.
Both he and Shirayuki had extremely sensitive ears.
"Diamond and the others are inside right now. Grass, help me bring out my jacket."
"So we have guests. Understood. I'll go right away."
Grass Wonder lowered her head, set the garden shovel aside, and went into the house.
A short while later, she came back out holding an Uma Musume uniform.
Fujiwara Chiya changed clothes in the back entryway. Grass Wonder hugged the jacket he had taken off and pressed it over her face.
"Inhale… My dear husband's scent. No matter how many times I smell it, it's still so intoxicating."
"Don't do that kind of thing to my clothes."
"I'm sorry."
Grass Wonder blushed.
"I'm just helplessly obsessed with my dear husband. On nights when you don't accompany me, I can only use your clothes."
"Hm?"
"I smell your scent while… letting out my urges."
Grass Wonder's face turned bright red as she lightly rubbed her thighs together.
Fujiwara Chiya's eyes widened. He coughed several times.
"Actually… you can come to my room. I don't mind."
"Really?! Then I won't hold back, my dear husband!"
Grass Wonder answered instantly, as if afraid he would take it back.
After dealing with Grass Wonder, Fujiwara Chiya entered the house.
There, he saw Satono Diamond happily chatting with Hayakawa Tazuna.