After their fierce battle with Ash Stone, Shiro no Lily and her two companions finished their Winning Live and arrived at the inn they had reserved earlier—a rather pricey place with private open-air baths attached to each room.
Her parents, who had come to cheer her on that day, praised Lily endlessly before tearfully saying goodbye, explaining they had plans for the next day.
After savoring the delicious meal and soaking in the open-air bath beneath the starry sky, they all went to bed in good spirits.
The next morning, Shiro no Lily woke up completely sore all over.
When I woke up, my whole body hurt! Lily-chan is full-body muscle pain! I can't move at all—Lily-chan is shocked! It even hurts to speak… R-Rice-chan! Ruru-chan! Help me!!
"Ababababa! Ababababababa!"
"Eh? What's wrong, Lily?"
"She said, 'Rice-chan, my body won't move!'"
"Ababa ababababa!"
"…You can tell what she's saying?"
Of course she can. It's because she loves me so much! Mama and Papa could probably do the same if they were in this situation.
Ruru-chan, you can love me even more if you want!
Ah! Ouch! Lily-chan's muscles are screaming!
"Ababababababa!"
"…A Lily-chan who can't move… I can take care of her all I want now…"
"R-Rice, your eyes aren't smiling…"
I think Rice said something just now, but I didn't catch it.
By the way, how does one cure muscle pain? Since it's called muscle pain, maybe eating a lot of meat will help? Hmm, now I'm getting hungry. I wonder what's for breakfast. Lily-chan's excited!
"F-for now, maybe we can try a massage to help you move again?"
"Ababa ababa."
"She says she's hungry. …I think it'll take a while before she can move, Lily-chan."
"Ababa!"
"Should we eat breakfast first?"
"Aba!"
"Okay, let's do that. Oh, but before that, we should brush your teeth, Lily-chan. Don't worry, Rice will do everything for you."
"Ababababa! Ababababa!"
"…How can you two communicate like this…"
"Because I love her."
"…Yeah, that's true."
As expected of Rice-chan! I'm smart, so when I'm in trouble, I know to rely on others. Alright then—please take care of me!
Rice Shower carried Shiro no Lily in her arms, took two toothbrushes, and went to the washroom.
She brushed Lily's teeth very thoroughly.
While Lily smiled happily the whole time, Rice had the brightest, most content smile imaginable.
After brushing and washing up, the three sat down for breakfast.
Since Lily still couldn't move, Rice naturally spoon-fed her—"Aah~n♡."
It took a lot longer than usual, but the trainer didn't mind. In fact, he found it kind of heartwarming.
Once breakfast was over, the trainer got ready to perform the main task of the day—massage time.
"Alright, let's do this!"
"…Why are you doing a Goku impression, sis? And it's really good, too…"
"I wanna fight someone stro—wait, why are you undressing Lily?"
"Well, it's a massage, right? I figured skin contact would make it more effective."
"You could just leave her clothes on—wait, Rice! Not the underwear too! Stop!"
The trainer froze in horror as Rice, clearly practiced at this, stripped Lily with alarming efficiency.
Did these two already… u-mapyoied?! he wondered in panic.
The truth was simpler: before baths, Rice always playfully stripped Lily's clothes off "as a joke," and thus had gotten used to it.
It was, in fact, part of her calculated plan—to indulge her own desires and make Lily gradually aware of her feelings.
So far, it hadn't worked… but it was only a matter of time.
The trainer barely managed to stop her before the underwear came off, but the situation still looked really bad.
Lily, in nothing but her underwear, looked up at him with an almost dangerous cuteness.
It wasn't child pornography… but it was definitely an accident waiting to happen.
He quickly told Rice to get Lily dressed again—but she flat-out refused.
"Rice wants to look, so no."
"Wait… if someone sees this, you'll get reported…"
"Would you really report me?"
"W-wait… wait!!"
Having regained a bit of strength after breakfast, Lily accidentally said something that would've sounded really bad if overheard.
There was no impure intent, so it's safe… probably.
…Wait, maybe eating food really does cure muscle pain?
"It's fine! No one's going to come in without permission. Now hurry up, sis, or Lily-chan will catch a cold."
"It's fine if it's Ruru-chan, though!"
"Ghh… Don't underestimate a Central License–holding elite trainer!"
The trainer steeled himself and began the massage.
The details are omitted for privacy reasons—but let's just say Rice watched very closely.
After about 30 minutes of careful massaging, the muscles that had been as stiff as steel finally relaxed.
He was drenched in sweat—both from the effort and from the fear of someone walking in on them.
But it worked: Lily could now move much better.
If her pre-massage mobility was 5 fps, she was now at a smooth 30 fps.
As for the muscle stiffness? "Like a yatsuhashi filled with steel instead of red bean paste," was the verdict.
"Whoa! I can move again! Thank you, Ruru-chan!"
"Hehe, you're welcome."
"I'm glad, Lily-chan♪ …Sis, you're super sweaty. Should we all go take a bath?"
"Good idea. A lady shouldn't stay sweaty like this."
"Morning open-air bath—how luxurious!"
To wash off the sweat, the three headed to the open-air bath.
Naturally, Rice undressed Lily again herself—this time with slower, more lingering touches.
"Fweeeh~… Aaaah~…"
"Lily-chan's melting…"
"She looks like a melted Yukimi Daifuku ice cream…"
Rice hugged Lily from behind, while the trainer soaked beside them.
On impulse, the trainer reached out and gently brushed Lily's cheek.
Noticing it, Lily nuzzled her face against his hand like a puppy.
"She's like a dog…"
"Lily-chan's a dog, but also a cat."
"…Rice."
"What are you talking about?"
"…Just that Lily's adorable."
"Fufun♪ Of course I am!"
She's going to get eaten one day, the trainer thought—but kept patting her head anyway. Cute is justice.
After the bath, Rice dried Lily's hair with a hair dryer.
She'd been doing Lily's hair care every day since they entered Tracen Academy,
so Lily's hair was now silky-smooth and shiny.
Rice also handled her skincare—thanks to her, Lily's beauty was maintained at 110%.
Before joining the academy, Lily's mother had done it every day.
"Rice dries Lily's hair, but you never let Lily dry yours?"
"Because you do it better. But I do have something important to do!"
Lily said this as she hugged Rice around the chest.
Her "important task" was, of course, to cuddle Rice.
It might look like she's doing nothing—but it boosts Rice's motivation, so it's fine.
"Rice-chan always feels so warm and smells so nice! But after a bath, that scent gets even stronger!"
"Hehe, really?"
"Lily-chan smells nice and warm too!"
"I love Rice-chan the most!"
The trainer, thinking how peaceful everything felt, finished drying her own hair and said,
"I'll head back to the room first," before leaving.
They'd be checking out soon, so she packed up and planned to buy souvenirs before their train arrived.
When the two came back, they discussed what to do next.
"I think I'll go buy some souvenirs. What about you two?"
"I want matcha sweets!"
"Rice will go wherever Lily-chan goes."
"Alright, let's split up after that and do what we want. Eat lunch on your own, and meet up at the station before the train. Call me if anything happens."
""Okaaay!""
After separating from their trainer, Lily and Rice finished lunch and began searching for a shop that sold matcha sweets.
"Matcha parfait, matcha baumkuchen, matcha mont blanc, matcha tiramisu… there's so many!"
"There's too many to choose from… How about we try this shop?"
"Good idea! Then—it's Lily-chan's sweet invasion time!"
They entered the first shop they spotted.
It had a calm, cozy atmosphere, and after checking the menu, they found all kinds of matcha desserts at reasonable prices.
Lily beamed. But then she noticed something that didn't quite match the atmosphere.
"Hey, Lily-chan, look! 'Couples-Only Sweets!' This one looks really good."
"Oooh, it does! But how do they prove you're a couple?"
"…It doesn't say. But for us, that's not a problem, right? Should we order it?"
"Yeah! Let's see… we order from this touchscreen here… Lately lots of restaurants have these!"
"Yeah, they've really become common. Remember when sis said she was shocked that even pubs have them now?"
"Times sure are changing. Speaking of pubs—do you think we'll drink alcohol when we turn twenty? I can't imagine it."
"Hehe. True. But I can imagine this—no matter what, Lily-chan and I will still be together."
"That I can imagine too! Because Rice-chan and I will always be together!"
"Yeah, Lily-chan. …Though by then, maybe our relationship will have changed a bit."
"...? What do you mean?"
Lily tilted her head in confusion.
Smiling softly, Rice touched her own lips with her finger, then gently pressed that finger against Lily's lips.
"Lovers, you know♪"
"...Nnya!"
Lily's face turned bright red, which made Rice giggle with satisfaction.
Then she cupped Lily's cheeks with both hands and started gently squishing them.
"Lily-chan, you're so cute♪"
"Mmph—geez…"
Lily looked a little embarrassed, but soon relaxed under Rice's gentle touch.
Then their desserts arrived.
Apparently, the waiter had seen their flirting and said, "You've already proven yourselves,"
and even added a free matcha drink "as a service."
"Let's eat!" they said in unison, putting their hands together before digging in.
The sweets were even more delicious than they imagined, and their eyes sparkled with delight as they ate.
"Hey, Rice-chan."
"What is it, Lily-chan?"
"When people become lovers… how does it change from before?"
Lily asked out of pure curiosity. Rice paused for a moment, looking into her eyes, before replying.
"…I don't think it changes that much."
"…Really?"
"Yeah. We already go on dates, take baths together, sleep together…
We already do most of what lovers do."
"Then does that mean we're lovers?"
"Hmm… not quite, I think.
Lily-chan's 'I love you' and Rice's 'I love you' are a little bit different.
When you understand that difference, that's when we'll really be lovers."
"Hmm… that's hard…"
"That's okay. We have plenty of time, right?"
"Hmm… oh well! For now, it's Matcha Sweets Festival time!"
The two went on to visit three different shops, fully enjoying their matcha sweets adventure before meeting up with their trainer at the station.
After consuming a mountain of sweets, Lily's muscle pain was almost completely gone.
She'd be fine for training now.
…Just what kind of body does she have?
Up next was Rice Shower's graded stakes race—and after that, their first direct showdown: the Hopeful Stakes.
Recharged and determined, the three returned to Tracen Academy.
—Shiro no Lily's heart is still young.
For now, it's an immature bud.
But someday, that bud will bloom into the flower of love.