"Trainer Chiya, how do you feel?"
The day after the race, Fujiwara Chiya was called to the student council room. Symboli Rudolf brewed him a cup of tea, then opened with that question.
"Not bad."
"When I look at you, I'm reminded of Shirayuki back then." Rudolf sat with one leg crossed over the other and spoke to him calmly. "Ever since the Empress left, it has felt as though a great tear was ripped through Central. Even after an overwhelmingly powerful Uma Musume like Orfevre appeared, Shirayuki's absence was never truly filled.
"Since you've already realized your own feelings, why not stay here and keep racing?" Rudolf looked straight at Fujiwara Chiya.
"My goal is only the GI races. Before then, I may run into Kita-chan and Duramente on the track, but I don't intend to keep competing against them forever. That stage belongs to those girls. My job is to inspire them. Right now, both Kita-chan and Duramente have lit one hell of a fire in themselves. I'm sure it won't be long before they can hold up Tracen's sky on their own."
"Trainer Chiya… No. I suppose I should call you Chiba." Rudolf's gaze sharpened, serious and unwavering. "You can argue with me all you like, but you cannot lie to yourself. Back then, I saw a love for the racetrack in Shirayuki. And now, that same passion is inside you."
She said it plainly.
"Admit it."
"You love racing. You are an Uma Musume."
"I'm a trainer."
"And at the same time, you are also an Uma Musume. Even after Shirayuki left, you still remained one. Trainer Chiya, and Chiba… you still cannot let go of the track. And the track needs you just as much."
"…"
Fujiwara Chiya fell silent.
"I hope you will take part in the entire Classic season. Run alongside those girls and create an era once more." Rudolf walked up to him and took his hand. "That is my final wish as student council president."
"Final…? What do you mean?"
"My term has already ended. Soon, I'll be handing the position of student council president to someone else. This is my last year. So, while I am still president, I want to see you race against those girls."
Fujiwara Chiya opened his mouth, but no words came out for a moment.
"Time really flies."
"It does, Trainer Chiya. And if we don't grasp it tightly, it slips away before we know it. So… will you grant it? My final wish."
"President, you really know how to give someone a hard problem."
Looking at Symboli Rudolf seated beside him, Fujiwara Chiya felt a strange mix of emotions. The undefeated Triple Crown winner who had once stood so far above everyone, the legendary figure others could only admire from a distance, was now asking him so earnestly.
After a brief hesitation, he said, "If President Rudolf can agree to one request of mine, I'll participate."
"What request?"
"Let me touch your ears, President."
"…Huh?"
A long silence passed before Rudolf finally understood what Fujiwara Chiya had just said.
"It's sort of a bad habit of mine. Whenever I see an Uma Musume's ears, I want to touch them. At this point, I've touched every Uma Musume in Tracen, including the chairwoman. Everyone except President Rudolf."
"That is… quite the unusual habit." Rudolf's expression turned complicated. "If I let Trainer Chiya touch them, you'll race?"
"Yeah."
"I see…"
Rudolf closed her eyes and leaned closer.
"Then please, go ahead, Trainer Chiya."
"Oh… Are you sure?"
"Of course. If even Uma Musume like Treve and Orfevre can stand at Trainer Chiya's side, then letting you touch my ears is nothing excessive. At this point, Trainer Chiya's status is higher than mine."
Fujiwara Chiya gently took hold of her soft ears.
The undefeated Triple Crown champion, once so untouchable that no one dared dream of reaching her, had now been reduced to a little Uma Musume he could freely rub and knead.
Fujiwara Chiya's Uma Musume encyclopedia was finally complete.
For an Uma Musume enthusiast, this had to be the ultimate reward.
He had no regrets left.
A sweet scent drifted from Rudolf's hair as Fujiwara Chiya carefully savored the feel of those noble ears.
"Trainer Chiya, thank you for everything you've done for Uma Musume."
"I feel like those words should be directed at President Rudolf. You've devoted your entire self to Uma Musume."
"And Trainer Chiya has done the same. If anything, your contributions are no less than mine."
"Is that so…"
"It is. The two of us share the same goal. We are comrades-in-arms."
"Oh? I'm President Rudolf's comrade-in-arms?"
"In the past, it was Shirayuki. Now, it is Chiba." Rudolf lay down on Fujiwara Chiya's lap and allowed him to toy with her ears as he pleased. "There was a time when I thought creating a world where every Uma Musume could be happy was a terribly distant dream. Perhaps even by the end, I would still be walking that road. But now that Trainer Chiya is here, that goal feels within reach."
"You're giving me too much credit, President Rudolf."
"I am not." Rudolf looked up at him. "You have the power to bring happiness to every Uma Musume."
Fujiwara Chiya scratched his cheek.
"Why does that sound kind of weird?"
"What part of it is weird?"
"From my perspective as a man, it sounds extremely weird."
"Hehe. Trainer… you really are an energetic boy, aren't you?" Rudolf's lips curved faintly. "Surely your appetite isn't large enough to swallow all of Tracen, is it? No matter how sturdy your body may be, you couldn't possibly handle three thousand Uma Musume."
"No, no, no. I just put on yellow-tinted glasses for a second there. My bad."
"I was joking too."
Rudolf sat up. After being touched by Fujiwara Chiya, her body had gone pleasantly limp, and she couldn't help silently marveling at how skilled his hands were.
Then she said, "I'll be counting on you, Trainer Chiya. If you ever run into trouble from now on, I'll help you however I can. And of course, if you ever want to touch my ears again, you may come by anytime. Though… it would be best to choose a time when Air Groove and the others aren't here. If someone saw us, I would still find it a little embarrassing."
"…All right."
Fujiwara Chiya had actually seen Symboli Rudolf looking bashful.
Today was an absolute jackpot.
After leaving the student council room, Fujiwara Chiya spotted Kitasan Black pacing around near the doorway.
"Chiba!"
The moment she saw him, Kitasan Black rushed over and hugged him.
"I've been waiting for you this whole time."
"What's wrong, Kita-chan?"
"Do you remember our promise?"
"What promise?"
"You know… the tail-petting one. You pet my tail, and then I pet yours." Kitasan Black blushed hard, pressing her legs together as she fidgeted and mumbled the words.
"Oh, that."
Fujiwara Chiya remembered.
He had just finished petting Rudolf, so he was currently in a refreshed, enlightened sage-like state of mind. But when an Uma Musume came offering herself up at his doorstep, Fujiwara Chiya naturally had no reason to refuse.
Besides, he had never tried touching Kitasan Black's thick, lush black tail before.
"Then come to my dorm room later, Chiba," Kitasan Black whispered beside his ear, already unable to wait.