When Fujiwara Shirayuki woke up in the morning, she found Mejiro Dober lying beside her. Dober's head rested lightly against Shirayuki's shoulder, her beautiful black hair spread smoothly across the futon. Under the morning sunlight, her delicate face carried an alluring glow.
So Dober-Onee-chan came back already... When did she return? Shirayuki had no memory of it at all.
Fujiwara Shirayuki propped herself up, and only then did she realize that her hand was interlocked with Mejiro Dober's. Not only their hands, even their legs were lightly tangled together. When Shirayuki moved, she brushed against Dober, and the soft, smooth feeling unique to Uma Musume came from her thigh.
Grass Wonder had already done something like this once before. Unexpectedly, Mejiro Dober was not willing to fall behind.
Drawn awake by Fujiwara Shirayuki's movement, Mejiro Dober slowly opened her eyes. Her purple pupils shifted before finally settling on Fujiwara Shirayuki beside her.
Suddenly, Mejiro Dober showed a gentle smile. The curve of her lips and the softening of her brows made Fujiwara Shirayuki stare blankly for a moment. This was the first time she had ever seen Mejiro Dober smile so beautifully.
"Good morning, Dober-Onee-chan."
"Mm," Dober replied softly.
Remembering how Mejiro Dober had kissed her yesterday and then run away without meeting her for the rest of the day, Fujiwara Shirayuki prepared to ask what exactly Dober had meant. But just as she opened her mouth and said the first word, Mejiro Dober pressed a finger against Shirayuki's lips.
"Don't tell anyone, Shirayuki. This matter only needs to be known by the two of us."
It's a secret.
Mejiro Dober's mouth shaped those words.
Maybe she was embarrassed and did not want me to ask?
Fujiwara Shirayuki nodded to show she understood.
Sitting up, Mejiro Dober glanced at T. M. Opera O and Matikanefukukitaru, who were still sleeping. Then, supporting herself on Shirayuki's blanket, Dober leaned over and gave Shirayuki's soft cheek a light kiss.
??
Fujiwara Shirayuki covered her face, her mind a little blank.
Was that a good morning kiss? Since when did they have this kind of service? Looking at Mejiro Dober, who had lightly closed her eyes, Fujiwara Shirayuki was full of question marks.
Did she need to kiss back too?
Mejiro Dober's eyebrows trembled slightly. She was clearly waiting for something.
Half-believing and half-doubting, Fujiwara Shirayuki leaned closer and lightly kissed Dober's cheek as well. Immediately, Mejiro Dober showed a smile like flowers blooming. She reached out and gently stroked Shirayuki's ears, her eyes filled with affection she could not suppress.
Could it be that their sisterly relationship had evolved, allowing them to do more affectionate things? Fujiwara Shirayuki's ears swayed as she enjoyed Dober's touch. It felt a bit like reaching a certain affection level in a game and unlocking new interactions.
If their affection level rose even higher, would they unlock even more?
After finally stroking Shirayuki to her satisfaction, Mejiro Dober stood up in contentment. She had taken a crucial step forward. Now, her relationship with Shirayuki was no longer the sisterly relationship they had in the beginning. It had evolved into something closer to partners. And partners could do far more. Not only could they kiss freely, they could also be more affectionate and intimate.
Just imagining Shirayuki blushing under her care made Mejiro Dober feel her blood rush upward.
Mejiro Dober had completely figured it out. Even if her fear of men was gradually improving, there was still a resistance toward men left in her heart. Psychologically, it would not be easy for her to accept them. So why force herself to change her orientation? What a man could do, Shirayuki could also do. Not only that, Shirayuki was gentler and more considerate. Whenever she had a problem, Shirayuki would help her solve it. Shirayuki was reliable when she needed to be reliable, and cute when she needed to be cute. Mejiro Dober could not think of any reason to give up Shirayuki and choose someone else.
She would be with Shirayuki for the rest of her life. No one else would do!
After Mejiro Dober left, Fujiwara Shirayuki shook her ears twice, easing the lingering stimulation from Dober's skilled touch. It really did feel different. Even the way Dober touched her ears felt much deeper than before.
Being close was not a problem. Fujiwara Shirayuki quite liked close contact with girls. But being too close was different. If the distance became too close, ordinary friendship or sisterly affection could easily turn into impulse and desire. Wasn't it said that pure friendship did not exist between men and women? For her, the same principle seemed to apply.
Once her distance with someone became too close, Fujiwara Shirayuki's feelings immediately became less pure, unless the other person was someone as innocent as Spe-chan. If it was Grass Wonder, she definitely would not be able to endure two nights.
After everyone woke up, Mejiro Dober said she had something to do and ran out of the room. When Shirayuki saw her again, it was on Chiya's side.
Mejiro Dober now had an expensive-looking gift box in her hands.
"Trainer Chiya... no, Cousin!"
"What is it, Dober? Why so formal?"
She had run out in the morning. Could it be that she had gone to buy this? Why was she giving him a gift? Why had she suddenly changed how she addressed him? Was this also part of getting closer to Shirayuki?
"There is something very important I want to say to Cousin."
Seeing Mejiro Dober's serious expression, Fujiwara Chiya sat up properly.
"Please entrust Shirayuki to me!"
Mejiro Dober lowered her head.
"Huh?"
"I have already decided that I will take responsibility for Shirayuki's future. I will take care of her seriously. So... please entrust Shirayuki to me!"
Mejiro Dober repeated it once more.
That sounded strangely serious.
Fujiwara Chiya knew that Mejiro Dober had always been trying to show her reliable side as an older sister. But in the end, she often had to rely on Shirayuki to solve problems. Later, Mejiro Dober seemed to change her approach, shifting from reliability to warmth.
That had indeed greatly improved Mejiro Dober's image in Shirayuki's heart. Shirayuki was already very satisfied with the current situation. Mejiro Dober was an older sister who brought her warmth. Yet Dober seemed to feel that this was still not enough, continuing to pour passion into Shirayuki.
No, this could no longer be called mere passion. It was practically love!
Mejiro Dober was the first person Shirayuki met after coming to Tracen. After spending so much time together, Fujiwara Chiya had personally felt how much care Mejiro Dober gave Shirayuki. Mejiro Dober certainly had flaws, but compared with her feelings toward Shirayuki, those flaws were insignificant.
Thinking this, Fujiwara Chiya rubbed his moist eyes. He was an only child, so he did not really understand what it felt like to have an older sister or similar family member. If he did, it would probably feel like Mejiro Dober.
She was a good girl, and she was also a good older sister.
"I understand, Dober. I'll leave Shirayuki in your care. But I don't agree with making you responsible for everything about her. No matter what, I'm still half her guardian, so I'll continue to cover her living expenses. You just focus on enjoying your time with Shirayuki. I'll treat you like family too."
"Like... family."
Hearing those words, Mejiro Dober's expression trembled with emotion.
The trainer had not only accepted her relationship with Shirayuki, he was even strongly supporting it. He had directly treated her as family. What did this mean? It meant that her relationship with Shirayuki was now practically only missing a certificate!
Mejiro Dober lowered her head.
"Shirayuki has always helped me. I will take care of her in the same way. Thank you for accepting this, Cousin Chiya."
"I should be the one saying that. That child still has many immature parts, so I'll leave her in your care from now on."
Saying it like this might sound like he was trying to recommend Shirayuki, but Fujiwara Chiya could feel it clearly. His feelings when facing Mejiro Dober and Shirayuki's feelings when facing Mejiro Dober were obviously different in many ways.
He was the elder, and Shirayuki was the younger.
"Yes!"
Mejiro Dober thanked him repeatedly before leaving.
At that moment, she really wanted to run to the beach and shout to release the excitement in her heart. But thinking about it, that was far too embarrassing. She was not suited for doing things that drew attention. It would be better to return to Shirayuki's side and spend the day peacefully in her company.