The next day, Shirayuki's racing outfit arrived without a hitch.
It was a white one-piece dress.
Or at least, it was supposed to be.
The front covered her chest and lower stomach, but her snow-white back was left almost completely bare. The skirt's hem looked as if it had been torn apart by claws, giving the whole outfit a fierce, untamed edge.
Elegance and wildness.
Two things that should have clashed had somehow blended together beautifully.
It was gorgeous. No doubt about that.
But wasn't it showing way too much skin!?
A chill ran down Shirayuki's back. The two ribbons behind her felt like they might come undone the moment she let her guard down.
The last thing she wanted was for her racing outfit to fall apart mid-race.
If that happened, she might go down in history as the first Uma Musume to retire from sheer social death.
Compared to Shirayuki's dangerously revealing outfit, Mejiro Dober's was much more reasonable. She wore a white top with a blue-green lace-trimmed short skirt. It brought out her cool personality while adding just the right touch of cuteness. The color scheme even matched Dober's earrings.
Thinking about it, Shirayuki tilted her head and touched the blue necklace resting against her bare back.
Was this designed to match her own earrings too?
These days, plenty of Uma Musume had wristbands, ankle rings, and other accessories worked into their racing outfits. Shirayuki's outfit, meanwhile, used a deep blue choker and a necklace…
Wait.
Wasn't this basically formal evening wear?
Shirayuki was starting to understand what kind of image the designer had been going for.
"U-Um… Shirayuki-san, how does mine look?"
Meisho Doto had finally finished changing too.
Her racing outfit was a blue-and-white one-piece dress paired with white tights.
The moment Shirayuki saw her, one thought filled her mind.
Big.
As expected of Doto. That level of volume was simply beyond the reach of an ordinary Uma Musume. The designer must have used a heroic amount of fabric around the chest.
"I think it looks great. It really brings out your charms, Doto."
"R-Really? Thank goodness…"
Doto smiled in relief.
Mejiro Dober walked over beside Shirayuki and stared at her exposed back. Her brows drew together.
Just how had the designer made it this revealing?
You could see everything.
Everyone else's racing outfits were relatively modest, but when it came to Shirayuki, they had charged straight in the opposite direction.
While Shirayuki was talking to Meisho Doto, the skin on her back gave a faint little shiver.
Mejiro Dober swallowed.
So soft…
That flawless white back looked so smooth it seemed like water could glide right off it. Before Dober knew it, her hand had reached out.
Her fingertip brushed Shirayuki's back.
"Hyah—"
Shirayuki's laugh caught in her throat. Her whole body locked up like a wooden post, then her head slowly turned with a stiff, creaking motion.
When she saw it was Mejiro Dober, she let out a breath of relief.
For a second, she had thought someone else had touched her.
That was the biggest problem with this outfit. Even the lightest touch made it feel as if someone had slipped a hand beneath her clothes.
"What is it, Dober-nee?"
"Ah… nothing."
Mejiro Dober quickly pulled back her disobedient hand.
Then her eyes landed on Shirayuki's pale nape, and another thought rose unbidden in her mind.
I want to lick it.
Dober strangled that thought on the spot.
She shook her head hard.
"Shirayuki, you look very beautiful in that outfit."
"Dober-nee, so do you. You look like an idol."
That had been true of her stage outfit, and it was even more true now.
"Everyone has their outfits, right?"
Fujiwara Chiya entered from outside the changing room.
While the Uma Musume were changing, the staff had asked him to wait outside. Not that it meant much at this point, since he had already seen Dober and Doto's bodies clearly enough.
Still, once they were dressed, he was finally allowed back in.
Following proper trainer etiquette, he praised all three of their outfits first. Then he led them out of the room.
The three girls climbed into the car, squeezing together in the back seat.
"Your racing outfits may have arrived," Fujiwara Chiya said from the front, "but your next race isn't a G1. It's a G2 trial, so don't get too excited just yet."
"Yes!"
The three of them answered in perfect unison.
"Also, I made an appointment with a farrier. We'll stop by and have custom horseshoes made for you while we're at it. The shoes that come with your racing outfits are a little different from normal running shoes, so your usual horseshoes may not match the shape or weight properly."
If they were going to upgrade, they might as well do it right.
Horseshoes had a real impact on Uma Musume. Doto's previous issue, where her shoe had not been secured properly and came loose, was one example. But weight, thickness, and softness mattered too.
Too heavy, too thin, too soft.
Any of those could affect running speed.
The shape also had to match the front of each Uma Musume's foot.
After parking in front of a shoemaker's shop, Fujiwara Chiya had the girls get out.
The store looked plain. Compared to the bright, colorful shops around it, it was almost shabby.
At first, Fujiwara Chiya had thought the same thing.
Then he saw the horseshoes displayed on the counter, and his eyes lit up.
No wonder Nishizaki Ryuu and the others had recommended this place so strongly.
The owner was the real deal.
"Honda-san, I brought three customers."
Fujiwara Chiya looked toward the middle-aged man seated inside the shop. The man was repairing a horseshoe with a file, half of his hair already gone white.
In an era where racing equipment was becoming more and more commercialized, craftsmen who still made everything by hand were becoming rare.
The man's dark eyes glanced at Fujiwara Chiya, then moved to the three girls behind him. He lifted his chin slightly.
"Wait a moment. I'm almost done."
Fujiwara Chiya nodded to his Uma Musume.
Mejiro Dober began looking around the shop curiously. Her gaze drifted to the shoes hanging on the wall. Some of them had labels that read "display only."
"Trainer, what are these?"
"Some are new. The others were actually worn by Uma Musume."
"Worn?"
"Mm. The ones with labels were used in races. After those Uma Musume won, they gave them to Honda-san."
For an Uma Musume, giving away the shoes she wore in a winning race was a form of gratitude.
After all, shoes were one of their most precious possessions.
The fact that this shop owner had received so many said everything about how much he had helped those Uma Musume.
In a way, displaying the winning shoes of past customers was also proof of the shop's skill. The more there were, the more respected the craftsmanship.
They were extremely rare.
Most Uma Musume, after retirement, gave their shoes to their trainer. Every trainer's dorm room even had a small storage space set aside for keeping things like that.
Very few were given to outsiders.
Fujiwara Chiya did not have even a single pair yet.
He had never trained an Uma Musume all the way to retirement.
And even if he did, there was no guarantee she would choose to give them to him.
"I see…"
Mejiro Dober looked at the fully handmade horseshoes.
She had never heard of a shop like this while living with the Mejiro family. Perhaps that was only natural. The Mejiro family would never have had any reason to visit a tiny corner shop like this.
"Do you have their foot measurements?"
The owner set down his file and looked up at Fujiwara Chiya.
"No."
"There's a ruler on the table. Measure them."