Rice Shower's single line nearly made Fujiwara Chiya's head start smoking.
Going by the way the two of them addressed each other, Rice called him "Onii-sama," Chiya treated her like a younger sister, and then Rice turned around and called his father "Otou-sama." Logically, there was nothing wrong with it.
But the key problem was that his parents knew absolutely nothing about the relationship between the two of them. For her to suddenly say something like that instantly made their relationship sound far more ambiguous.
Looking at the adorable little black-haired Uma Musume in front of him, Fujiwara Zenya accepted the gift she offered.
"And this child is...?"
"Onii-sama's younger sister. My name is Rice Shower. Onii-sama always takes care of me, and then... Rice likes Onii-sama very much. Please, Otou-sama, I hope you'll approve of us!"
Clenching her tiny fists, Rice gathered up all her courage and spoke, her whole face bright red.
That's way too direct!
Fujiwara Chiya had never imagined she would just lay out their relationship so openly, without even trying to soften it.
Fujiwara Zenya's expression immediately turned strange. He looked toward his son, who guiltily averted his eyes. After a long moment of silence, under Rice's anxious gaze, Fujiwara Zenya crouched down and gently patted her head.
Her long ears swayed uneasily.
She was just like a small animal, the kind that made people want to protect her.
And yet those beautiful purple eyes also held a strong will. For a girl this timid and easily frightened to say something like that, it was obvious how deep her feelings for Chiya ran.
Fujiwara Zenya was not a strict father. He had always taken a fairly open attitude toward Chiya's feelings. As long as the girl his son liked was not lazy, selfish, or unbearably spoiled, he was fine with it.
Rice clearly did not belong to that category.
"I never thought my idiot son would have such a cute girl liking him... Rice, was it? Of course it's alright. If Chiya accepts you, then our family would be happy to welcome you."
Hearing that, Rice's eyes widened.
"Welcome" meant that Otou-sama had already acknowledged her?
"Dad, please stop talking nonsense..."
Just now he had been bringing up Fumino, and after she left, he immediately turned around and welcomed Rice too. So he really was accepting everyone who came through the door. Had he spared even a second to think about his son's feelings?
"If you ever have time, come visit our home. During a holiday, have Chiya bring you over. Stay with us for a few days."
"Yes! Rice will definitely visit Otou-sama's home one day!"
Looking at the innocent smile on her face, Fujiwara Zenya affectionately touched her cheek.
He had originally been worried Chiya might not have much luck with girls at Tracen, but now it seemed his son was doing just fine. There were quite a few girls who liked him.
Still, feelings involving Uma Musume were complicated, especially when one of them was your assigned runner. If it got out that a trainer and his Uma Musume had an excessively intimate relationship, the social consequences would be terrible. In the public eye, a trainer and an Uma Musume could almost be seen as a teacher and a student. On top of that, Uma Musume also had idol-like status. If news broke that a runner and her trainer were entangled, the reaction from the fans would be easy to imagine.
Even if the feelings were mutual, it should wait until after the Uma Musume retired.
Back then, Fujiwara Zenya himself had only proposed to Kitachi Maito five years after her retirement.
Standing before Fujiwara Chiya, Fujiwara Zenya patted him on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "Chiya, you've got to hold yourself back."
Hold yourself back, my ass!
Fujiwara Chiya was so angry he wanted to yell at him. His father had practically flung the front gate wide open. Looking at Rice's sparkling eyes, Chiya could already foresee that the days ahead were absolutely not going to be peaceful. With her having no more worries at all, their so-called sibling bond had effectively come to an end.
"Onii-sama, Otou-sama, Rice won't disturb the two of you any longer."
After bowing to both of them, Rice hurried off, overjoyed. She had to tell her friends the good news.
"Pretty, polite, and with that kind of temperament, she'll definitely grow into a wonderful wife and mother someday. Chiya, you need to treat her well."
Of course I'll treat her well. Just not in the way you mean.
Fujiwara Chiya felt as though all the strength had drained out of his body. He was so exhausted that he could not even muster the energy to get angry.
Forget it. I need to go somewhere and rest for a while...
The two of them ended up at the training grounds, watching the races.
"Oh right, where's your mother? We've been walking around this long and I still haven't seen her. On the way back, she kept saying she wanted to see you, and now somehow she's the one who disappeared?"
"Mom..." Fujiwara Chiya paused, then replied, "She's probably over near the flowerbeds."
At the garden on Tracen's east side, three people stood together.
"Ma'am, this is where we usually come to relax and unwind."
Grass Wonder spoke gently as she introduced the place to Kitachi Maito.
"I'm especially fond of the nemophila here. Every early spring, they bloom into such beautiful colors."
"You really know your flowers well, Grass."
"Yes. Even though my hometown is in America, it was because I admired Japanese Yamato culture that I crossed the ocean to come to Japan. I love this place. Whether it's tea ceremony or flower arrangement, I've studied both."
"How funny, Grass. I also spent quite a long time in America myself. Both for racing and for training."
"Really? Then it seems you and I share quite a special fate, ma'am."
The two of them chatted happily. After a while, Kitachi Maito quietly moved over to Shirayuki's side.
"Grass Wonder is a very nice girl. Well-bred, too. I think highly of her."
"Mom... what exactly are you talking about?"
"Your future, of course."
"The races?"
"I suppose that counts too. Uma Musume deepen their bonds through racing. The closer their feelings are, the fiercer their races become. I saw the race between you two, and Grass Wonder is paying a lot of attention to you. If one day the two of you truly confirm your feelings for each other, remember to bring her home."
Fujiwara Shirayuki was speechless.
Grass and I are just normal friends. It's not like that.
She looked over at Grass Wonder. At just that moment, Grass was looking back at her too. Two blue gazes met, and Grass Wonder smiled softly.
Yuki-chan, you're so cute. I want to taste you so badly.
For an instant, Fujiwara Shirayuki thought she heard a voice like that. She shivered, then steadied herself and looked again, only to find the voice was gone. Grass Wonder was simply standing there smiling quietly.
A hallucination?
Fujiwara Shirayuki tugged at her collar. Somehow, she felt as though Grass Wonder was carrying a kind of feeling she simply could not bear.
As they wandered about, evening finally came. Kitachi Maito and Fujiwara Zenya returned to the Director's office.
Having fully learned about their child's current situation, the two of them were quite satisfied. Kitachi Maito did not tell Zenya about Shirayuki's true nature. Instead, she quietly kept it from him, planning to give her husband a huge surprise someday in the future.
During their final greetings, Hayakawa Tazuna called Fujiwara Zenya aside.
"What is it, Tazuna?"
"There's something I'd like to confirm with you, Trainer."
"What?"
"You remember that promise from back then, don't you?"
Fujiwara Zenya raised an eyebrow.
A very long time ago, he had once jokingly asked the young Hayakawa Tazuna whether, if his child turned out to be a boy, she would be willing to marry him someday.
At the time, he had only been teasing her, wanting to see her reaction.
He had never expected her to agree immediately.
And certainly not to bring it up again more than twenty years later.
"Have you told Chiya that you're Tokino Minoru?"
"No."
Fujiwara Zenya fell silent.
"...Chiya's room is filled with your goods and posters. Even after all this time, he still looks up to you. You were the first Uma Musume he ever truly admired, the one who set him on the path to becoming a trainer. If he knew who you really were, he would probably pour all the love in his heart straight toward you."
Fujiwara Zenya looked at Hayakawa Tazuna seriously.
"A promise is a promise. As for Chiya, handle him however you want. I won't object to your relationship, and neither will Maito."
"Thank you for understanding, Trainer."
"Tazuna, I always thought you were just doting on him like a little brother."
"Maybe that was true once. But now I've genuinely fallen for that boy who is willing to give everything for Uma Musume."
Hayakawa Tazuna wore a flawless smile.
Seeing that smile, Fujiwara Zenya was filled with emotion. Who would ever believe that this mature, beautiful woman standing before him was once the legendary Uma Musume Tokino Minoru, infamous for her terrible temper and for mercilessly crushing every last opponent in her path?
Chiya, your father has already cleared the road for you. Go after the happiness that belongs to you.
Back in his dorm room, Fujiwara Chiya suddenly shivered violently.
Just then, he had the distinct feeling that someone had shoved him straight to the edge of a cliff.