Just at another day, Rice-chan invited me out.
But I didn't expect to be led to a church.
A beautiful one, standing quietly by the sea. I thought—naively—that maybe Rice believed in some kind of god.
Then I was ushered into a waiting room.
In the blink of an eye, I was dressed in a pure white wedding gown.
Rice-chan was wearing one too.
"You can't have a legal marriage, but you can have a wedding."
"As expected of a mother!!"
This was a setup.
"Sorry, my wife and Rice," said her father, entering the room.
"Father."
He looked at me kindly, sensing my confusion.
"Not only Rice, but my wife seems to like Viola quite a bit. I like you too. But can you tell the difference?"
"?"
"The difference between horse girls and humans."
"I don't know much about it."
Even though I'm a horse girl myself, I don't really understand what that means. I didn't grow up around others like me.
"Does Viola-chan feel like she's someone's soulmate?"
"For Rice?"
"No, I mean in general."
"…Not really."
I don't deny the idea of soulmates. But I don't believe in it either.
"Many horse girls are convinced they have one. It's instinctual. Rare ones don't feel it—and that's okay."
"Is that so?"
"My wife and Rice believe in it. They say they can tell at a glance. I don't understand it myself."
"I see…"
Apparently, it's something buried deep in horse girl instincts.
I wondered if Lovely-san, Mihono-san, Nishino-san, or Shimbori-san felt that way too.
"Rice is sure Viola is her partner. So is my wife. I don't know why."
"…"
"So don't worry. You'll be fine. Rice won't let you go—whether that's good or bad, I'm not sure."
He saw my hesitation. And he met it with quiet understanding.
"You're free to decide how you feel. But please trust Rice in that."
"…Okay."
I thought: horse girls must carry a very deep karma.
The wedding was held with just her parents in attendance.
Rice-chan was so excited she kept stumbling over her vows. But it was fun.
"Do you pledge eternal love?"
"I swear!"
Rice answered without hesitation.
There was no lie in her voice. No doubt in her eyes.
I was dazzled by her certainty.
And maybe… a little jealous of it.