"Sorry, Shirayuki. I didn't mean to hurt you."
That morning, when Mejiro Dober had pushed her in panic, Shirayuki's shoulder had struck the edge of the bed and left a small cut. Now she lay on the bed while Dober carefully applied medicine to the wound.
"It's fine," Shirayuki said with a relaxed smile. "It was my fault, not yours. Anyone would be startled if someone suddenly fell on them right after waking up."
In truth, it had nothing to do with being half-asleep.
Dober had been having an unpleasant dream. In it, she was living in the same dorm as a man. For someone with a fear of men, it was nothing short of a nightmare. When the figure approached her, she instinctively pushed him away.
That reaction had caused Shirayuki's injury.
Looking at the thin red mark on Shirayuki's pale skin, Dober felt a sharp pang of guilt. There was something instinctive about wanting to protect something beautiful. The fact that she had been the one to damage it only made her feel worse.
"…I'm sorry."
"I told you, it's fine," Shirayuki said, waving it off with a light laugh. "When I was a kid, my mom used to say I was tough as nails. This kind of scratch is nothing to me."
"…Really? Your mother sounds strict."
Dober couldn't quite imagine it. Hitting a child, especially a girl, felt unthinkable to her.
"Not really strict," Shirayuki said. "I just used to break things a lot. One time I tried to carry the TV into my room to build a fort, forgot to unplug it, and dropped it. The TV was done for. Later that night, I was too."
"…I see."
Dober blinked, slightly surprised.
"I thought you were the quiet type."
In her mind, someone with white hair and blue eyes like Shirayuki would be the kind of elegant girl who preferred books and silence, almost like a refined young lady.
But Shirayuki completely overturned that impression.
Her personality was far more open, almost boyish.
There were others like that at Tracen, but none gave such a strong impression as she did.
"Quiet doesn't suit me at all," Shirayuki replied with a smile. "So you really don't need to apologize. Besides, being taken care of by a beautiful girl is basically my lifelong dream. I should be thanking you."
"I'm not taking care of you," Dober said quickly, her face turning red. "I'm just disinfecting a wound."
…So she doesn't deny being a beautiful girl.
Once the treatment was done, Shirayuki sat up and rolled her shoulder a few times.
"Thanks, Dober-senpai."
"It's only natural…" Dober replied softly. It was her responsibility, both as the one who caused the injury and as a senior.
"Actually, I was a bit worried last night," Shirayuki continued. "I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get along with you. But now that I see how kind you are, I feel much better. From now on, I look forward to getting along with you."
She lowered her head slightly.
"Ah—no, I should be the one saying that," Dober said in a fluster. "I hope we can get along too… Shirayuki."
She stumbled slightly over the name, but still managed to say it.
Shirayuki smiled.
…That should do it.
In the male staff dorm, Fujiwara Chiya was scrolling through search results for "how to get along with seniors," thinking the same thing.
"Alright, Dober-senpai, I'm heading to class now. The teacher told me to come early."
Shirayuki slung her bag over her shoulder and waved goodbye before leaving the room.
Once the door closed and the room fell quiet again, Dober slowly put away the medicine.
Fujiwara Shirayuki.
A transfer student who had only arrived yesterday.
When Tazuna first told her she would have a roommate, Dober had been worried. What if the new girl were loud or difficult to deal with? She wasn't good at handling people like that.
She was already shy to begin with.
But…
It seemed her worries had been unnecessary.
The new student was a good person. Lively, maybe a bit too lively for someone with such a delicate appearance, but still easy to be around.
At least for now, her impression of Shirayuki was very positive.
…We might actually become good friends.
At the school entrance, Fujiwara Chiya waited for Shirayuki.
He wanted to check her appearance before she went into class.
A few minutes later, a white-haired figure approached.
"Good morning, onii-sama!"
Shirayuki greeted him with a bright smile.
Thump.
Chiya clutched his chest and bent forward.
The impact was too strong.
Even though he was technically doing this to himself, seeing a cute girl greet him like that first thing in the morning was overwhelming.
From Shirayuki's perspective, though, it felt like calling "onii-sama" to a mirror. The whole thing was strangely awkward.
"G-good morning… onii-sama…"
Another voice spoke.
Chiya turned and saw Rice Shower approaching. She stood slightly hunched, her expression timid.
"Morning, Rice."
"Um… I just came to say hello. I won't bother you any longer, onii-sama."
She gave a strained smile and quickly ran off.
"Rice?"
She disappeared into the school building without looking back.
…Was she in a hurry?
Chiya shrugged it off and turned back to Shirayuki, studying her carefully.
With the Tracen uniform on, she gave off a completely different impression. The tailored outfit highlighted her figure while maintaining an elegant, refined look. At the same time, it carried a youthful charm.
Perfect.
Chiya nodded to himself.
She would stand out even among Uma Musume.
…What's that?
His gaze fell on her white thigh-high socks. Something was stuck to them.
A loose thread?
He bent down to remove it.
Just as he reached out, before his hand could touch her thigh—
A powerful impact struck his back.
"Gah!"
The air was knocked out of his lungs, and Chiya collapsed to the ground.
"What do you think you're doing to a student in broad daylight?!"
A sharp voice rang out behind him.
Through Shirayuki's perspective, she saw a girl with a brown ponytail and eyes like cherry blossoms lowering her leg.
"As the class representative, I will not allow behavior that disrupts school discipline!"
"…Bakushin O?"
"Wait—looking closer, isn't this Trainer Chiya? Even so, that doesn't make it acceptable!"
That girl was Sakura Bakushin O.
She stepped forward, took Shirayuki's hand, and asked firmly, "Are you alright?"
"I… I'm fine."
I was fine before you kicked me.
Right now, Shirayuki felt like she might collapse at any moment.
"Good! Then come with me to the disciplinary committee room, Trainer Chiya. As for you—"
"Fujiwara Shirayuki."
"Right. Shirayuki, head to your class. I'll handle the rest!"
With that, Bakushin O hoisted Chiya over her shoulder and marched off.
"Wait, I was just—"
"Yo, Shirayuki."
Before she could finish, someone appeared behind her.
Long gray hair. Pink eyes. And that unmistakable ship-shaped hat.
Gold Ship.
She casually threw an arm over Shirayuki's shoulder.
"I saw everything."
"S-saw what?"
"The exact moment your cousin tried to make a move on you."
What!?
I was just picking off a thread.
"Don't worry," Gold Ship said, giving a confident thumbs-up. "I won't let him succeed. From now on, I'll be monitoring him twenty-four seven to prevent any suspicious activity."
She puffed out her chest proudly.
"Seriously, how amazing am I? For the sake of team harmony, how much have I sacrificed—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
"…Huh?"
Gold Ship blinked.
"Shirayuki?"
She looked around.
Shirayuki was already gone.