"Shirayuki, where did you go?"
The instant she heard the door open, Treve practically sprang up from the bed. The moment she saw the girl she'd been yearning for day and night, the question flew out of her mouth.
"Treve?"
Shirayuki poked her head in, glanced at the room number, confirmed that yes, this was definitely her room, then stepped inside.
Why was Treve in her bed?
"I came looking for you last night, but you weren't here…"
"So you slept in my room?"
"Mm." Treve nodded.
Because this room smelled like Shirayuki.
She had even washed herself until she was squeaky clean. Temperature, humidity, everything had been perfect. And yet Shirayuki hadn't been there. Treve waited, and waited, and waited, until at some point she'd simply dozed off.
And now? Great. She was no longer as perfectly fresh as she'd been last night, and she'd messed up the bedding too.
"I see…"
Shirayuki had almost forgotten. This little foreign filly was even more far gone than she was. Treve looked pure and innocent on the surface, but in reality, she was ridiculously bold. Shirayuki had no idea whether she was the one who had turned her into this. Treve craved closeness even more than Rice Shower did.
"I had something to do last night, so I slept outside."
"Is that so…? What happened to your legs, Shirayuki?"
Treve noticed that Shirayuki's steps looked a little unsteady. Her thighs trembled slightly as she walked, like she was desperately holding something back.
"Hm? Ah, I woke up on a sofa this morning. I didn't sleep properly, so I twisted my waist."
"A sofa? Where did Shirayuki sleep?"
"At an inn outside. I remember sleeping in a bed at first, but when I woke up, I was on the sofa. Maybe I sleepwalked or something…"
Shirayuki let out a dry laugh. She opened the wardrobe, turned her back to Treve, and quietly shoved the half-transparent nightgown deeper inside before taking out a fresh bra and underwear.
After changing out of the set that had been soaked through, Shirayuki finally let out a long breath.
If she'd known this would happen, she should have brought these things to Chiya's room. Now she had to run all the way back here.
"Shirayuki, what are those marks on your socks?"
Treve pointed at the mottled stains behind Shirayuki's knees.
"Eh?"
Shirayuki reached down and touched them. Her fingertips brushed against the dried, stiff spots, and her heart skipped a beat.
"Oh, this… I probably sat on something without noticing. Yesterday afternoon I went out with Gold Ship and the others, and we went all over the place."
Shirayuki fanned her flushed face with one hand.
"Looks like Shirayuki got something dirty on her."
"It's perfectly clean, okay!"
"Hm?"
"Ah, no, I mean, it might be something like cream. We did go to a cake shop, after all…"
Shirayuki coughed awkwardly, slipped off her socks, casually tossed them onto the floor, then took out a fresh pair and put them on.
There.
That should be fine now, right?
Shirayuki inspected herself carefully. Hair, mouth, chest, and every other suspicious area. Once she confirmed there was nothing strange left on her, she finally sighed in relief.
Treve stared at Shirayuki's odd behavior with question marks practically floating over her head.
Still, compared to figuring out what was wrong with her, what Treve wanted more right now was to breathe in Shirayuki's scent.
Treve reached out both arms.
"Shirayuki, hug me~"
"Isn't it almost time for class, Treve? Why are you still in the dorm?"
Shirayuki sat down on the edge of the bed. Treve immediately wrapped her arms around her and rubbed her cheek against Shirayuki's.
So fragrant…
Shirayuki smelled even sweeter than yesterday. That rich, heady scent was something Treve had never smelled from any other uma musume.
Hm? What was that?
Treve noticed a faint red mark on Shirayuki's smooth, pale neck.
Had she pressed it against something while sleeping last night? But wasn't the location a little strange? It was behind her neck, close to her shoulder, right beside Treve's lips.
"There, there. Good girl. Now go to class, Treve. You'll be late soon."
Shirayuki gently patted Treve's back, soothing the little foreign filly as she clung to her.
"Mm."
Treve obediently let go.
Even though Shirayuki was clearly acting strange today, Treve didn't suspect a thing. Only two uma musume had come with Shirayuki. One was so carefree and rough around the edges that she clearly had nothing to do with that sort of thing. The other was an unfamiliar face, probably a new member who had only just joined the team.
And in all of Paris, the one closest to Shirayuki was Treve.
So Treve wasn't worried at all.
She and Shirayuki were rock solid.
"What about you, Shirayuki? Aren't you leaving?"
"I'm going to rest for a bit and eat something. I was tired all night yesterday, so I want to sleep a little more now that I'm back."
Shirayuki pressed a hand to her aching waist. There was still a heavy, swollen feeling inside.
"The school is pretty relaxed with us foreign students, so don't worry."
"Okay. Then I'll see you at noon."
Treve kissed Shirayuki on the cheek, half reluctant and half satisfied, then left the room.
Once Treve was gone, Shirayuki opened the wardrobe and secretly packed away her nightgown. Then she suddenly felt something odd between her thighs, and she clamped both hands over her skirt.
Why is it still dripping?!
Ugh. Now I have to change again…
…
"Trainer, where are you going?"
After finishing his work for the morning, Fujiwara Chiya stepped out of his room. The moment he opened the door, he ran straight into Orfevre, who had come looking for him.
"I'm going to meet an old acquaintance."
"An acquaintance? Male or female?"
Orfevre asked a question that left Chiya utterly confused.
"Female."
"I'm going too."
"Huh?"
"What? Is it not allowed for me to accompany you when you meet an acquaintance? Or are you saying you don't want outsiders watching when you rendezvous with this acquaintance of yours?"
"It's not like that. The main thing is, I'm just going there to try my luck. I might not even meet her."
"What do you mean? You don't have her contact information?"
"No. She's an uma musume I met when I came to Paris last year. She helped guide my training."
"Guided you? Not your uma musume?"
"That's right. She mainly guided me. The strength I have now is all thanks to her."
As he spoke, Chiya clenched his fist.
"Hmph. Trainer, the current you can't outrun me."
A mocking smile tugged at Orfevre's lips. Recently, her strength had reached a new peak. She could now enter the Zone whenever she wanted. At this point, Orfevre had completely surpassed Chiya.
"Well, your talent is far higher than mine, Orfevre. Isn't it only natural that you'd surpass me?"
"I like the sound of that, Trainer. Say more."
"Orfevre is number one under heaven."
"Haha."
Orfevre smiled.
"Very well. I was originally thinking of crushing you, humiliating you, and making you understand your place. But if my Trainer embarrasses himself too badly, it reflects poorly on me as well. So as long as you understand the hierarchy between us, that will suffice."
"Hierarchy? You on top and me underneath?"
"Exactly. No matter when it is, I must be on top. I enjoy looking down on others."
Chiya looked at Orfevre, who was half a head shorter than him.
"This situation is an exception," Orfevre added.
"Right. I'll go rent a car, then. I'll head to the place where I met her before and try my luck."
"Rent a car? Uma musume run."