"Tazuna!? How did you get in here?"
Tracen's morning was split open by Akikawa Yayoi's scream.
She rushed onto the bed and snatched Fujiwara Chiya away, staring warily at Hayakawa Tazuna, who was lying beside him.
"I came in through the front door."
"How did I not know?"
"Because you were both asleep at the time. Also, Director, did you forget that I have a key to your room?"
Her brown ears flicked lightly, and Hayakawa Tazuna revealed a leisurely smile.
"Why did you run over here? Don't tell me you two last night…"
"I only slept beside Chiya normally. Otherwise, Director, you would have heard the noise already."
Akikawa Yayoi's face twitched.
Was Tazuna speaking this bluntly now?
And why had this woman suddenly run into her dorm for no reason? Was Hayakawa Tazuna trying to demonstrate something?
"Yayoi, there are some things I want to say to you."
Those emerald-green eyes looked at Akikawa Yayoi.
The latter hesitated for a while before letting Fujiwara Chiya go out first. The man dazedly put on his clothes. His mind had not fully awakened yet and could not keep up with the conversation between the two of them.
Whether it was Hayakawa Tazuna suddenly appearing beside him, or Akikawa Yayoi suddenly entering interrogation mode, both had overloaded his brain.
After washing his face in the bathroom and waiting for a few minutes, the two of them walked out of the room.
Hayakawa Tazuna was wearing a white shirt, revealing her round and full thighs. A smile hung on her face. Beside her, Akikawa Yayoi puffed out her cheeks with an expression like she was sulking.
One was the Director, and the other was the Director's secretary.
But standing together, they looked like sisters. Dressed in home clothes, there was no trace of Tracen executives on them at all. Especially Akikawa Yayoi. Her loosened collar directly exposed her slightly immature-looking shoulder, making her look like a child who had just woken up.
"Chiya, from now on, the room across from yours belongs to Tazuna."
Fujiwara Chiya blinked.
He took a sip of water and carefully processed what Akikawa Yayoi had just said.
"…Really?"
"Yes."
Hayakawa Tazuna had completely torn off the mask with her. Since she refused to let Fujiwara Chiya go back, Hayakawa Tazuna simply decided to live here too. If Akikawa Yayoi disagreed, then she would sneak in here every night.
This time, Akikawa Yayoi had been the one to act unfairly first, keeping Chiya here for no proper reason.
Hayakawa Tazuna gave Akikawa Yayoi two choices.
Either let Fujiwara Chiya return to his own dorm, since his observation period had ended long ago.
Or let her sleep here too.
In terms of identity, she also had the qualification to live together with Chiya.
After thinking it over, Akikawa Yayoi ultimately agreed to let Hayakawa Tazuna stay.
It had not been easy for her to live together with her younger brother. Akikawa Yayoi did not want him to leave just like that. If he left this time, he probably would never come back again.
Fujiwara Chiya took another sip of water.
He did not understand Akikawa Yayoi's decision, but he was greatly shocked by it.
Was the Director pushing him and Hayakawa Tazuna forward?
She said Tazuna would sleep across from him, but the two rooms were only a few metres apart. After waking up, who ended up in whose bed would still be uncertain.
"In any case, that's how it is, Chiya… I'm right next door. Don't forget that."
Akikawa Yayoi sounded as if she were reminding him, but also as if she were warning him.
"Then I'll make breakfast for you two. Whether it's Chiya or the Director, you both have to work hard today."
Hayakawa Tazuna lightly clapped her hands. After the sound of cooking, a lavish breakfast was soon served on the table.
Akikawa Yayoi, who had been frowning just moments ago, immediately brightened after taking one bite.
It was still the familiar taste.
Back then, when Maito-san, Chiya's mother, did not have time to cook for everyone, Hayakawa Tazuna had taken over. Even when she was only a few years old, Hayakawa Tazuna had already shown astonishing talent and handled the household meals.
Thinking back, Tracen had only been a very small school at that time. They had still lived in Chiya's house, together with the trainer.
Akikawa Yayoi could not help showing a nostalgic expression.
Occasionally, she also thought about bringing Zenya Trainer and Maito-san over, so that everyone could live together again.
But times had changed. Everyone had their own thoughts now. They no longer had the same feeling of living together as they once did.
"We're all adults now…"
Hearing Akikawa Yayoi's unconscious sigh, Hayakawa Tazuna's movements paused slightly. The smile on her face faded a little, and her gaze softened like water.
"I'm leaving, Tazuna, Director."
Fujiwara Chiya waved to the two of them.
Living with them gave Fujiwara Chiya an inexplicable feeling of being at home.
During the time he spent studying Musaka Ginjiro's notes, Fujiwara Chiya discovered that a large part of them recorded Oguri Cap's training.
In that section of training notes, one word appeared repeatedly.
"Heterogeneity."
According to Musaka Ginjiro's explanation, it referred to uma musume who possessed certain special abilities. Oguri Cap had heterogeneity. She had survived desperate situations several times. Symboli Rudolf also had heterogeneity. In the Japan Cup, she had displayed strength beyond her limits.
Unlike domain, heterogeneity was something an uma musume was born with. It was like the finger of heaven, randomly landing on someone and granting her talent.
The notes recorded in great detail the influence heterogeneity had on uma musume.
Originally, Fujiwara Chiya had thought this was praise for Oguri Cap.
But near the end, Musaka Ginjiro's writing suddenly changed direction.
Talent had no small influence on uma musume.
But even an uma musume with "heterogeneity" could lose to someone with resolve.
Here, the one Musaka Ginjiro referred to was Tamamo Cross.
There was no heterogeneity in her body, but she had defeated Oguri Cap multiple times and had earned the title of "White Lightning."
Musaka Ginjiro attributed Tamamo Cross's victories to her powerful mental strength.
Spirit, in other words, what people called guts.
That was something every uma musume possessed. Powerful mental strength could bring earth-shaking changes to an uma musume. Even if she was at the lowest point of her career, even if she had suffered repeated setbacks, a transformation of spirit could even surpass the finger of heaven.
Fujiwara Chiya did not really believe in an uma musume's guts.
That kind of thing was too unstable.
And for uma musume, training guts was even more troublesome than training the body. Not every uma musume had the determination to face difficulties head-on.
At the end of the notes, Musaka Ginjiro left a sentence.
"I saw the racetrack. I saw the instant Oguri Cap crossed the finish line. In that sacred Arima Kinen, the uma musume was not one person, but two."
That sentence carried deep meaning.
Fujiwara Chiya thought about it for a long time.
He always felt that something was wrong, but he could not understand exactly what it was.
Carrying that confusion with him, time arrived at L'Arc's final selection race.
Fujiwara Chiya came to the racetrack.
Standing opposite him was Nase Fumino's team.