As the snacks went down, Fujiwara Chiya felt the hollow ache in his stomach gradually fill up.
At the same time, the cosmic truths that had been spinning inside his head vanished at a terrifying speed.
Before long, they had been replaced by thoughts like—
Kitasan Black's little outfit is actually really cute. Her belly button is showing. Satono Diamond looks good too. That pink around her knees matches her pajamas surprisingly well when she hugs her legs.
"No… No, wait. My truth! Why is it disappearing so fast?!"
"Hm? What's wrong, Chiba?"
"What truth?"
"No… nothing."
Fujiwara Chiya quietly ate another bite of cake.
He had discovered something horrifying.
The moment he ate, his sage mode faded at breakneck speed.
Don't tell me my body's conversion rate is that insane? Does everything I eat instantly turn into kidney water?
But whether Fujiwara Chiya had "kidney water" or not, he had come here tonight to bond with Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond. He had no intention of doing anything out of line.
So the three of them chatted like ordinary girls, gossiping about this and that, until the topic eventually circled back to racing.
"Now that I think about it, the Satsuki Sho is in three months, right?" Kitasan Black stuffed a piece of cake into her mouth, eyes sparkling. "I'm really looking forward to racing against you, Chiba!"
Beside her, Satono Diamond calmly handed her a cup of black tea.
"Speaking of which, Chiba has been training Kita-chan's sprinting lately, hasn't she?"
"Yeah. Kitasan Black has some issues with her starts, so I wanted to teach her a bit."
"Chiba is amazing, you know!" Kitasan Black leaned against Fujiwara Chiya and wrapped her tail around him, rubbing her shoulder against his. "No matter what she teaches, I can understand it right away!"
"It's not that I'm good at teaching. Kitasan Black is just smart." Chiya smiled faintly. "Honestly, I almost want to take Kitasan Black as one of my Uma Musume."
"Oh? Chiba wants me to become her Uma Musume?" Kitasan Black tilted her head with a grin. "Even though we're rivals?"
"That's not a problem. Being both my Uma Musume and my rival? I'm already used to that."
"You can treat me as your Uma Musume right now, you know."
"Really? Then I'll have to educate you properly."
Fujiwara Chiya reached out and rubbed Kitasan Black's ears.
"Ehehe…"
Kitasan Black melted against him with a happy little laugh.
Watching the two of them interact, Satono Diamond silently took a sip of tea.
Somehow… I feel like I've become a third wheel.
After they chatted for a while longer, a voice came from the corridor.
"It's time for lights out. Let me see which little rascal is staying up late again."
"It's Dorm Leader Fuji! We need to turn off the lights!"
Kitasan Black pattered across the room in her bare feet and switched off the main light. At the same time, she turned on the small red lantern hanging on the wall.
"Kita-chan always sleeps with that lantern on," Satono Diamond explained. "Otherwise, she can't settle down."
"I see…"
"I think Chiba might need this."
Satono Diamond handed him an eye mask.
"Thanks."
The three of them lay down.
Fujiwara Chiya tucked himself under the blanket.
It had been a long time since he last slept in a student dormitory. The feeling brought him back to the days when he was still competing.
Back then, Shirayuki had fought with everything she had on the racetrack.
How nostalgic.
Just remembering it made Fujiwara Chiya smile until his cheeks hurt.
Uma Musume could not race forever. One day, they would all leave the track behind.
But every race they ran would become a lifelong treasure.
Perfect training did not end with a single race.
It stayed with an Uma Musume every moment of every day, shaping her, pushing her forward, helping her keep running.
Before he knew it, Fujiwara Chiya's mind drifted back to that first race from long ago.
"…"
"Chiba?"
Late at night, a tiny voice sounded in the room.
Kitasan Black turned over and looked down at the black-haired girl sleeping on the floor.
Chiba wore an eye mask. Her breathing was steady and calm.
"Chiba?"
Kitasan Black called again.
Still no response.
After confirming that Chiba was asleep, Kitasan Black carefully climbed down from her bed and slipped into Chiba's blanket.
Their shoulders touched.
In the quiet room, she could almost feel the rhythm of their heartbeats.
Kitasan Black turned over and looked at Chiba's face.
Neat bangs.
A gentle, delicate face.
Chiba had an incredibly charming androgynous look. Kitasan Black stared for a long moment before suddenly shaking her head.
No! Don't forget the mission!
She had come here to uncover Chiba's secret.
That stiff tail of hers had been bothering Kitasan Black for a while now.
No matter how she thought about it, it did not feel like a real tail.
After waiting beside her for a little longer, Kitasan Black slowly wriggled downward under the blanket.
Soon, her fingers touched something soft.
This is… Chiba's tail.
Kitasan Black carefully pinched it.
Chiba did not react at all.
Just as I thought.
Chiba's tail had no feeling.
Kitasan Black placed a hand on Chiba's shoulder and slowly, carefully helped her turn over.
Chiba's pink lips moved slightly.
Kitasan Black's heart jumped straight into her throat.
Thankfully, Chiba did not wake up.
Kitasan Black stared at that black tail.
Then, with extreme caution, she pulled back the pajama fabric near the base of the tail.
What she saw was a ribbon tied around Chiba's waist.
"!?"
This is—!
Kitasan Black froze.
The Uma Musume tail was tied onto Chiba's body.
And where a tail should have been, there was only smooth skin.
Chiba's tail was fake!
Kitasan Black was stunned.
She had discovered a gigantic secret.
No way. How is that possible? Is Chiba mutated? How can she not have a tail? Wait… don't tell me…
Kitasan Black's gaze moved to the headphones Chiba refused to take off, even while sleeping.
She reached out and carefully touched Chiba's hair.
Then she saw them.
Human ears, hidden beneath the headphones.
Thump!
Kitasan Black's heart slammed hard in her chest.
She was certain now.
Chiba was not an Uma Musume at all.
She was human.
How is a human running that fast?!
Kitasan Black's mind went blank.
Chiba's strength was obvious to everyone. Her speed far surpassed most of their generation. She was one of the most watched rising stars of the year.
And yet that same rising star…
was actually human.
Kitasan Black swallowed.
Now she finally understood why Chiba refused to bathe with everyone.
She had been afraid her human identity would be exposed.
This had to be the first time in Japanese history that a human had entered an Uma Musume race.
Kitasan Black quietly retreated back under the blanket.
There were too many questions.
Her little brain was working so hard it nearly started smoking.
Why was Chiba, a human girl, faster than most Uma Musume?
At that moment, Fujiwara Chiya, who had been forced into an uncomfortable position after Kitasan Black turned him over, rolled back again.
His hand instinctively landed on Kitasan Black.
Like he had found a pillow, Fujiwara Chiya pulled her into his arms.
"W-Wait… Chiba…"
Kitasan Black startled.
She could not get out now.
Looking at Chiba's face from this close, Kitasan Black swallowed again.
Even if Chiba was human, her gentle personality was real.
Her overwhelming strength was real too.
Kitasan Black's feelings toward her had not changed.
She was only shocked by Chiba's identity.
Slowly, Kitasan Black leaned closer.
Chiba's arms… are so warm.
Kitasan Black was on the larger side among Uma Musume. Most girls looked a little smaller than her.
But in Chiba's arms, she felt like she had turned back into an ordinary girl.
Small.
Protected.
And under that warmth, an inexplicable sense of safety wrapped around her.
Kitasan Black looked at the sleeping black-haired girl.
Then, as if possessed by something, she closed her eyes and kissed her.
"Ah…"
It was only a simple brush of lips.
But pleasure shot through Kitasan Black's head so sharply it felt like her soul had floated out of her body.
She licked the corner of her mouth.
Still unsatisfied, she kissed Chiba again.
Her body moved before her mind could stop it.
Then Kitasan Black suddenly felt something warm brush against her.
She froze.
What… was that?
Her curiosity reached out before her reason could catch up.
And in the darkness beneath the blanket, Kitasan Black's fingers stopped cold.