In the infirmary, Chiya was applying liniment to Nase Fumino's arms. They hung limply by her sides, as if dislocated.
Although he had applied medicine to Horse Girls before when he was a caregiver, this was the first time he had done it for a human woman.
Unlike a Horse Girl, Nase's arms were not trained. They were so soft he could barely feel any muscle. And yet, with these hands, she had pulled him back from a dangerous situation.
"Thank you so much for just now."
Her blue-green eyes glanced at him calmly, then turned to look out the window.
"It was nothing."
She was still as cold as ever.
But her actions just now had already shown him that this seemingly cold woman was actually very kind-hearted. Not everyone could rush forward without a second thought upon seeing a colleague in danger.
He knew he had to repay this kindness.
Is there anything else I can do? he wondered.
As if sensing his thoughts, she said, "An injury of this degree will heal in three days. You don't need to worry, Trainer Fujiwara. Besides, they need you more than I do."
'They,' of course, referred to his Horse Girls.
After applying the medicine, the two of them could only sit in the infirmary and stare at each other. It was better to get busy with their own things.
A few minutes later, Chiya stood up.
"I understand, Trainer Nase. I won't forget this debt. If you ever need my help in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. I will do whatever it takes."
He left the infirmary.
Left alone, Nase Fumino looked out the window.
A debt...
It wasn't a bad word.
But, from the looks of it, he had probably forgotten completely.
About how the two of them had met a long time ago.
At that thought, a look of disappointment crossed her face.
Just as he left the room, something happened with Shirayuki.
"Shirayuki."
"Miss Hayakawa!?"
Startled by the green figure, Shirayuki quickly said, "I'm so sorry for letting you see me in such a mess."
She scratched her hair, which still had a few blades of grass in it.
In front of the woman he saw as perfect, Chiya always wanted to show his reliable side. But contrary to his wishes, every time he saw her, he was either tied up by a Horse Girl, being criticized by the Chairwoman, or looking dejected after a contract termination.
She had seen all the things he didn't want her to see. Now, not only Chiya, but Shirayuki too was affected by his bad luck.
If she had won, she might have been able to stand tall in front of her. But now, forget winning, she hadn't even crossed the finish line properly.
Have you ever seen someone slide across?!
This method of crossing the finish line was so explosive that it would be legendary not just in Tracen, but in the entire history of horse racing. It was a good thing this wasn't an official Twinkle Series race. If she had performed a slide tackle in front of tens of thousands of spectators, she would have considered deleting her character and starting over.
"This isn't a mess, Shirayuki," Tazuna said, lifting a hand to straighten her hair. "I watched your race from start to finish. You never gave up, even at the very end, and did everything you could to overtake your opponents. That unyielding spirit was more beautiful than anything."
Her gentle words deeply moved him.
What a wonderful woman. So gentle, so considerate, and so beautiful.
I want to date her.
On his first day at Tracen, Chiya had been captivated by Tazuna's mature and composed charm. Her looks and personality were a perfect match for his preferences.
But what happened after that was less than ideal. He kept making mistakes, embarrassing himself, and in the end, she had to clean up his messes.
In front of her, he could no longer hold his head high.
If he continued to be so unreliable, one day, his only option might be to end up with himself.
"Thank you, Miss Hayakawa. I've realized I still have many shortcomings. Compared to them, I'm still far behind."
"It's good to be ambitious. You're just like your brother in that regard."
"Eh? Am I?"
So in her eyes, I'm ambitious.
That was probably one of his few good qualities.
Just as Shirayuki was feeling a little smug, Tazuna seemed to notice something. She cupped her face and slowly leaned in.
Looking at the beautiful eyes that were now just inches away, Shirayuki's breath caught in her throat.
Wh-what, what is this?!
Her mind was in chaos.
This angle, this action... she could only come to one conclusion from the scene before her.
A kiss.
But why?
Why would she suddenly lean in for a kiss? Did he have some kind of aphrodisiac on him? No, all he smelled of was grass. And why kiss Shirayuki? Where did that leave Chiya? Could it be that she was... a lesbian?
As her face drew closer and closer, Shirayuki decided to just go for it and closed her eyes.
Whatever it was, who could refuse such a temptation!
Just as she was waiting for the kiss, a warm sensation touched her neck.
"You're bleeding, Shirayuki."
...
"Huh?"
Tazuna reached out and touched the spot on her neck, just below her cheek.
"Here and here, they're all scraped."
From the start, Tazuna had noticed that the color of her skin was off, a bit red. As she was observing carefully, tiny beads of blood began to seep from her skin.
Even with a Horse Girl's constitution, sliding that far in a training uniform was too much.
"Come with me to the infirmary. I'll help you with the medicine."
"...No need, I can do it myself."
Shirayuki waved her hand.
When she had closed her eyes just now, she had even thought of names for their future children.
This misunderstanding was enough to make her too ashamed to face anyone for three days. Tazuna was not that kind of woman.
Shirayuki was filled with self-loathing.
"It seems that both mentally and physically, Miss Hayakawa has reached a height I can never hope to attain. I thought I was blessed by the gods, but in the end, I found that even the gods cannot change my filthy, depraved thoughts..."
"What's wrong, Shirayuki-san? Why are you suddenly so down on yourself!?"
Looking at her dead-eyed expression, Tazuna glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then whispered to her, "If you don't mind, we can have a special lesson sometime."
Breathing in her faint floral scent, Shirayuki's ears perked up.
"A special lesson?"
"That's right," Tazuna nodded. "I can teach you how to become a strong Horse Girl."
-------
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