The race itself was intensely tense, and the competition among the Uma Musume was fierce. Mejiro Dober ran along the outside of the pack. Although that meant she had to spend more leg power through the turns, at least it kept her from being forced out of position by the others.
My judgment really was right.
Fujiwara Shirayuki watched the race seriously.
Avoiding direct clashes with the others allowed Mejiro Dober to save more energy. Her early position was not especially good, and that made the opening stretch hard on her, but as long as she could safely make it through the first two turns without being dropped too far behind, she would still have the ability to chase them down in the latter half.
On the final straight, Mejiro Dober gathered all her strength and, following the running form that Shirayuki had taught her, did her best to drive her legs farther forward. With fifty meters left before the finish line, Mejiro Dober pulled a full length ahead of her opponent and ultimately crossed the line while holding that advantage.
Thunderous applause erupted through the racecourse.
She gradually slowed to a stop, breathing heavily and wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Mejiro Dober closed her eyes.
She did not dare look toward the audience.
There were too many of them… far too many.
Just standing on that stage and seeing all those faces made her feel like she could not breathe.
During the race, in order to stop herself from looking at the spectators, Mejiro Dober had followed Shirayuki's advice and kept her eyes locked firmly on the finish line.
And it had worked. During the race, she forgot entirely that the crowd was watching her, and in the end she won the race smoothly.
But the after-effect hit hard. Hearing the audience's cheers, Mejiro Dober became so nervous she could barely move. Although with Shirayuki's help she had more or less learned how to talk to strangers, that only applied when there were not too many people around. Speaking in front of a crowd was still far beyond what she could handle.
Just as Mejiro Dober was falling into a panicked daze, not knowing what to do, a snowy-white figure ran up beside her.
"Congratulations on your win, Dober-onee-chan!"
The moment she saw who it was, the tension in Mejiro Dober's heart melted away. The noisy cheers around her disappeared all at once, and the chaotic crowd in front of her faded from view. At that moment, the only thing in Mejiro Dober's eyes was that white-haired girl.
"Shirayuki!"
Calling her name, Mejiro Dober threw her arms around her.
"Congratulations on winning…" Fujiwara Shirayuki repeated.
"Mm. I followed what Shirayuki taught me, and I won. Thank you…"
Mejiro Dober's arms tightened with startling force, almost as if she wanted to melt into Shirayuki completely. It was only when Shirayuki said, "Dober-onee-chan, there are reporters," that Mejiro Dober finally loosened her hold.
"As expected of a young lady of the Mejiro family. What a beautiful running form."
Praising the Mejiro name, the reporters all crowded forward. As Mejiro Dober's speaking coach, Fujiwara Shirayuki naturally stood in front of her, but that appearance also drew the reporters' attention.
"You're Snow Dancer-san, the winner of the previous debut race, aren't you? Could it be that you and Mejiro Dober-san are friends?"
"Mm."
"Not friends."
At that moment, Mejiro Dober unusually stepped out from behind Fujiwara Shirayuki. Facing the reporters' cameras and microphones, she spoke with unmistakable firmness.
"Not friends. She is my most important little sister."
"Mejiro Dober-san and Snow Dancer are sisters?"
"That's right." Saying so, Mejiro Dober wrapped her arms around Fujiwara Shirayuki. "The reason I was able to win is because my little sister and I are one in heart. It was because my little sister cheered me on that I found the strength to run all the way to the end."
The reporters exchanged glances, then immediately began snapping photos of the two of them embracing.
The very next day, a flashy headline exploded across the news.
[Sister Stars of the Track! Snow Dancer and Mejiro Dober. Does this year's racing belong to this sister pair!?]
Attached beneath it was a photograph of the two of them embracing.
Inside the classroom, Special Week and the others stared in silence at the headline, then slowly turned their gazes toward Fujiwara Shirayuki.
"W-What…"
"Yuki-chan, why did 'go teach Rice Shower a lesson' somehow turn into you becoming Dober-senpai's little sister!?"
"Do you hate Trainer Chiya that much?"
"You don't like your brother, so you like big sisters instead!?"
"Is that really how it is, Shirayuki!?"
Listening to El Condor Pasa and Special Week shouting all at once, Shirayuki rubbed her ears.
"It's not like what you're imagining…"
"Then what is it like?"
"Your relationships are way too messy!"
"Does Trainer Chiya know about this?"
Just as Shirayuki was being questioned into speechlessness, Mejiro McQueen walked over.
"You all should stop making things hard for Shirayuki." She took Shirayuki's hand and lowered her head slightly. "Shirayuki, from now on, Dober will be in your care."
"McQueen?"
"This is the first time I've ever seen Dober smile that happily. Her feelings for you aren't just empty words."
Mejiro McQueen placed a hand to her chest.
For Mejiro Dober to say something like that in public, and even let it end up in the newspapers, just how serious were her feelings toward Shirayuki? Mejiro McQueen did not even dare imagine how much courage it must have taken for her to say it.
The news would certainly reach the main house as well, and there was no telling how Mother would react. After all, Mejiro Dober did not represent only herself. She was also a Mejiro family Uma Musume. Her family name gave weight to everything she said.
The moment Mejiro Dober said the word "little sister," Fujiwara Shirayuki stopped being just an ordinary Uma Musume. From now on, she would receive much more attention than before.
"I already told you, it's not like what you're all imagining. I only cheered Dober-onee-chan on a little before the race."
But even after Shirayuki explained that, Mejiro McQueen still said, "I'll go explain things to the head of the family. From now on, please take care of Dober."
She was not listening at all.
The classroom was in complete uproar, and meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the hallway, two small figures stood together.
It was Rice Shower and her friend Haru Urara, a pink-haired Uma Musume with a high ponytail and about the same height as Rice Shower.
Compared to Rice Shower, Haru Urara was much more talkative. The two of them often did long-distance running practice together, and sometimes Haru Urara would invite Rice Shower out to visit festivals. She was one of the few truly close friends Rice Shower had.
At that moment, the two of them were quietly discussing a certain matter.
"So, how's it going, Rice? How far have you gotten with Trainer Chiya?"
"Eh! Um… I think it's been going pretty well." Rice Shower blushed a little. "Before the race, Onii-sama kissed Rice."
"Ooh~" Haru Urara's eyes sparkled. "What else, what else!?"
Rice Shower hesitated for a moment, then leaned in and whispered a few more things into Haru Urara's ear. At once, Haru Urara's expression changed.
"Rice… has already become an adult…"
"Not yet! Rice has only seen his body!" Rice Shower hurriedly explained.
"And Rice only saw it when Onii-sama was asleep…"
Haru Urara pressed a finger to her chin.
"That won't do, Rice. If you only ever do those things while Trainer is asleep, he'll never understand how you feel! Since he kissed you, that means he already likes you a lot. At a time like this, you need to make your move."
"Make… my move?"
"That's right. Let me, the master of love, help you."
Even though Haru Urara had absolutely no romantic experience whatsoever, that did not stop her from introducing herself like that.
"Come closer and listen."
Rice Shower's ears perked up. As Haru Urara whispered a few words to her, Rice's face instantly turned bright red.
"T-That would be way too embarrassing, wouldn't it!?"
"If you want to win Trainer's heart, you have to be a little bolder, Rice."
Hearing that, Rice Shower's tiny fingers nervously twisted together. After thinking for a while, she finally nodded.
"Alright. Then let's do it that way."
Tomorrow, she would go buy a pair of soft, smooth stockings.