The Tulip Sho ended successfully, and that night, Fujiwara Chiya held a party in his office.
"That was a beautiful run, Dober. That final counterattack at the very end deserves to be listed as one of this year's highlight moments. Not many Uma Musume can do something like that."
Faced with Fujiwara Chiya's praise, Mejiro Dober rarely showed such a shy smile. The corners of her mouth lifted, and a faint red colored her cheeks.
"It was thanks to Trainer," she said. "Without Trainer, I never could have reached that point."
What was that at the end? Fujiwara Chiya really wanted to ask. It had been almost like a final burst before burning out. Something had helped Mejiro Dober break past herself when she was near her limit.
An Uma Musume's body really was mysterious. Every time Fujiwara Chiya felt that he understood enough, it gave him a new surprise.
Place yourself in death and find life.
Fujiwara Chiya felt like he finally understood what those words meant. However, the first one to touch that realm had not been him.
Shirayuki's winning streak had ended here, while Mejiro Dober had been crowned with the title of "Queen," stirring up a wave of discussion among Uma Musume. The next battlefield would be the Oka Sho, and in that race, their opponent would not only be Mejiro Dober.
The pressure on him was still great.
Fujiwara Chiya ate his cake. On the other side, Shirayuki was also celebrating Mejiro Dober.
"McQueen and the others all said Dober-nee ran amazingly."
"Mm… thank you." Mejiro Dober's smile was stiff.
After seeing Shirayuki cry from frustration after losing the race, this was the first time Mejiro Dober had ever seen Shirayuki cry in all the time they had shared a dorm room. Even so, she had not gone forward to comfort her. As the winner, how could she show sympathy to the loser?
Now, Mejiro Dober did not know how she should face Shirayuki. The reason she had defeated Shirayuki was simple. It was because Shirayuki was the most important person to her, the person she cared about most. That was why Mejiro Dober wanted to defeat her with everything she had. Only by doing so could Mejiro Dober express how much she valued her.
But once she defeated her, it inevitably hurt her.
This was what it meant to be an Uma Musume. This was how they expressed their feelings.
Looking at the white-haired girl in front of her, gazing into those vivid blue eyes, Mejiro Dober said, "Because my opponent was Shirayuki, I wanted to win that badly."
"I see. But next time, I'm planning to beat you back just as hard, so don't think defeating me once means it's over."
"I know. Then next time too, please take care of me, Shirayuki."
The two looked at each other and laughed.
Shirayuki did feel frustrated about losing the race, but she would not turn that frustration into other emotions. Her experience as a trainer pulled her thoughts back again and again, preventing her from going down the wrong path. There had once been many Uma Musume who never recovered from a single defeat, and there were also those whose relationships with others fell apart because of one loss.
But Shirayuki would not be like that.
She had experienced a more painful kind of defeat than this. The kind where she watched her own Uma Musume be surpassed and could do nothing.
At least now, I can still move. I can still run. I can personally make up for this regret.
So I really am glad I became an Uma Musume.
Shirayuki put the cake into her mouth.
…
"Yuki-chan… Yuki-chan's first time was taken!"
The next day, a tragic wail rang through the classroom. El Condor Pasa tightly hugged Shirayuki and sobbed loudly.
"El, don't say weird things. Yuki-chan's first time is obviously with me."
"You're the one saying weird things, Grass!" El Condor Pasa protested. "She was so close! Yuki-chan was so close to getting four wins in a row! Why!?"
"Saying that now will only make Yuki-chan feel troubled."
Because of Shirayuki's race loss, her friends had started arguing.
"It's okay, Shirayuki. If you feel sad, I can comfort you!" Special Week spread her arms, wearing an expression that said, "Come here quickly." Grass Wonder peeled El Condor Pasa off Shirayuki and tossed her into Special Week's arms.
"You should comfort El instead. She's crying as if losing hurt her more than if she'd lost the race herself."
"What!? I don't want that!"
"Eh?? Do you hate me now?"
Although Grass Wonder sounded calm on the surface, she was actually very upset too. After all, she had wanted to be the first person to defeat Shirayuki. Who would have thought Mejiro Dober would beat her to it? An Uma Musume's first race and first loss were usually the most unforgettable, and that territory had already been occupied by someone else.
What a shame…
"What's the big deal? If you lose a race, you just win it back next time. Who here hasn't lost before?"
Seiun Sky's voice came from the side. She stretched on her desk, looking like she had just woken up.
Everyone present, including Seiun Sky herself, El, Spe-chan, and Grass Wonder, had all lost to Shirayuki before. Since everyone had lost, Shirayuki losing once was not really strange either.
Seiun Sky had a point.
But why are you suddenly joining the discussion?
Before this, weren't you always pretending to be dead and sleeping?
Grass Wonder narrowed her eyes.
Seiun Sky yawned, stood up, glanced at Shirayuki, and walked out of the classroom. Question marks appeared above everyone's heads. Only Shirayuki understood what she was trying to do.
She's probably going to my office.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, Seiun Sky opened the door and walked in.
"Ya, Trainer." She waved her hand. "I couldn't really join the conversation over there, so I came here instead."
"You come here almost ten times a day. Now, whenever Kiryuin can't find you, she asks whether you're here."
"I see. So I've become an Uma Musume shared between the two of you?"
"You're not my Uma Musume."
"Then what am I?"
Fujiwara Chiya held it in for a while before finally saying, "A friend. Barely…"
"That works too. Then I came here as a friend."
After saying that, she freely lay down on the sofa as if treating the place like her own home. After lying there for a while, Seiun Sky asked, "Are you okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"I went to the racecourse too, and I was close to the finish line, so I saw it clearly. Shirayuki looked really sad."
"She didn't…"
"Even if you say it out loud, it's not something embarrassing. The first thing everyone learns after being born is how to cry. So why do people start thinking it's shameful the older they get?"
Seiun Sky turned over and lay on her stomach on the sofa, swinging her legs.
"If Trainer is feeling down, you can rely on Seii-chan anytime. Whether it's a lap pillow, ear cleaning, or whatever else you like, this time Seii-chan is offering a special service."
"Not interested. I'm working. You always come here when I'm busiest."
"Then I'll wait until you have time. After all, Seii-chan is someone who treasures her friends."
After saying that, Seiun Sky peacefully closed her eyes.