The bus pulled into the station.
At the driver's shout, the Uma Musume gradually opened their eyes and looked out the window. The moment they saw the endless blue sea, they cheered excitedly, grabbed their luggage, and rushed toward the exit.
Woken by the chaos around him, Fujiwara Chiya yawned. The sweet taste of candy still lingered in his mouth.
When he shifted slightly, Fujiwara Chiya noticed that a soft little hand was tightly holding his. It was Rice Shower. She was asleep in his arms.
The man gently patted her head.
"Rice, wake up."
"...Hm? Onii-sama."
Rice Shower opened her eyes in a daze and instinctively rubbed her cheek against Fujiwara Chiya's chest.
"Are we home?"
"We're at the seaside dorm."
Looks like Rice was still half-asleep too.
Fujiwara Chiya smiled. Then, after noticing Rice's soft pink lips, he suddenly remembered how, before he fell asleep, Rice had secretly kissed him and passed the candy in her mouth to him.
Shaking his head, he forced that embarrassing memory down and coughed awkwardly.
"Come on, Rice. Time to get up."
"Yes, Onii-sama."
Leaving that reluctant warmth behind, Rice Shower hopped down from Fujiwara Chiya's lap. Through the window, she saw the sea in the distance.
"Wah~ It's the sea, Onii-sama!"
Rice Shower's eyes sparkled. Under the sunlight, the surface of the ocean shimmered.
"There'll be swimming training later. Rice can relax properly in the water. At this time of year, the seawater should be nice and warm."
"Yes! Onii-sama has to come too."
"Well... since we came all the way to the beach, I should enjoy myself a little too."
"Hehe~"
Rice Shower smiled.
"Chiya, tell the Uma Musume to gather, then have them go collect the camp roster."
Katsumura Yota, who had also just woken up, rubbed his eyes. As usual, he spoke to Fujiwara Chiya without noticing anything that had happened beside him.
Everyone gathered at the dorm entrance.
Besides Chiya's Uma Musume, there were also teams belonging to more than a dozen other trainers. Nase Fumino was among them too, skillfully explaining various matters.
Fumino did not need worrying about.
Fujiwara Chiya searched for a certain person. This should be her first time coming to the seaside dorm.
Soon, Fujiwara Chiya spotted Kiryuin Aoi looking helpless. She stood among the trainers, anxiously watching what the others were doing.
"Aoi!"
"Chiya!"
Hearing a familiar voice, Kiryuin Aoi turned around in delight. As if she had found her savior, she hurried over to Fujiwara Chiya in a few quick steps. Behind her were Special Week, Seiun Sky, and Happy Meek.
"This is your first time here, right? Follow me for now. I'll show you around. The dorm is pretty big, so if you wander around carelessly, it's easy to get lost. Spe-chan, you three should follow me for now too."
"Yes, Trainer Chiya."
They nodded.
"Can't we go take a nap on the beach first? This is the best time to rest."
Seiun Sky yawned. From the look of it, she had not slept enough on the bus.
"Be careful not to get sunburned."
"Trainer Chiya, don't you know there's a sacred object in this world called a beach umbrella? From now on, Sky-chan will be a child of the beach umbrella."
With a soft, lazy smile, Seiun Sky folded her hands behind her head.
"Anyway, follow me first."
When Fujiwara Chiya first came here, he had run around like a headless fly. During assembly, he went to the wrong place and missed training time. If Nishizaki Ryu had not taken him around a few times and helped him learn the area, that summer training camp would have turned into a disaster.
Fujiwara Chiya did not want Kiryuin to experience the same tragedy.
While Fujiwara Chiya was taking them around the dorm, Happy Meek quietly moved beside Kiryuin Aoi.
"Trainer, this is your last chance. If you miss it again, even the Three Goddesses appearing in person won't be able to save you."
"Meek? What are you talking about?"
"This is what Meek looked up before coming here. It will definitely be useful."
As she spoke, Happy Meek handed Kiryuin a beach travel guide. It included famous restaurants like the House by the Sea and various sightseeing spots.
"This is..."
"Last time, Trainer Chiya invited you out. This time, it should be Trainer's turn."
Hearing that, Kiryuin's eyes changed slightly.
Right. Last time, Chiya had invited her out to play, and she had never found a chance to return the favor.
Wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
"I understand, Meek. I'll do my best!"
With her usual poker face, Happy Meek gave Kiryuin a thumbs-up, and Kiryuin returned one.
"What are you two doing?"
"Nothing, nothing! Come on, Chiya. I've never been here before."
As Fujiwara Chiya led Kiryuin Aoi and the others toward the dorm, Nase Fumino watched from a distance.
Kiryuin...
"Trainer! I want to sleep in the same room as Trainer!"
Tokai Teio shouted loudly.
"The rooms are four-person rooms. The four of you will sleep together."
Nase Fumino shook her head and returned her attention to her own team.
"Nooo! I want to sleep together with Trainer!"
"Trainer, which room are Shirayuki and the others in?"
Grass Wonder asked with a smile.
"Next door to you."
Hearing that, Tokai Teio suddenly quieted down.
"Next door..."
Grass Wonder touched her chin.
"That's not bad."
It was a distance where she could casually come and go at night.
While Fujiwara Chiya was showing Kiryuin Aoi and the others around the dorm, Fujiwara Shirayuki gathered the rest of the team. In her hand was the room assignment list.
"Gold Ship, Doto, Rice, and Tachyon, you four are in one room. Dober-Onee-chan, Fukukitaru, me, and Opera O, the four of us are in another."
"Opera O?"
Hearing that name, Meisho Doto widened her eyes and could not help repeating it.
"Since these are four-person rooms, if we don't fill one room, people from other teams will be assigned in. Basically, mixed rooms."
"I see..."
Gold Ship nodded.
"I understand everything now. By the way, why is Shirayuki the one giving orders? At a time like this, shouldn't the team be handed over to the great Gold Ship? We finally made it here. How can we waste time on stuff like this? I'm heading to the woods over there. See ya!"
After saying that, she turned and ran off.
Before Shirayuki could stop her, Gold Ship had already vanished.
That girl was way too excited!
Forget it.
After giving a few reminders in Fujiwara Chiya's place, everyone returned to their own rooms.
Chiya had come here once last year, so he still remembered the place somewhat.
The rooms were extremely simple. Each was less than six tsubo in size. There was only one table and a television that could play videotapes. There was no private bathroom. Only a shared toilet stood at the end of the hallway. For bathing, there were hot springs and communal baths. The Uma Musume had to lay out futons on the tatami floor to sleep, which made it feel a little like a middle-school field trip.
"This room is supposed to sleep four people?"
Mejiro Dober raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. It looks small, but it's actually pretty comfortable."
Fujiwara Shirayuki placed her luggage into the small cabinet in the corner.
Comfortable...
If she could sleep together with Shirayuki, then maybe it really would be comfortable.
Mejiro Dober suddenly found this cramped room acceptable.
Matikanefukukitaru tossed her backpack aside, then flopped down onto the tatami.
"I can feel it... this room is filled with spiritual energy!"
She suddenly started saying something incomprehensible.
"Hahaha! White Wolf!"
A lofty voice came from outside the door.
T. M. Opera O walked into the room with her head held high.
"This is the arrangement of fate! It seems you and I are destined to be together in this life!"