The next day, Wu You returned to Tracen Academy alone.
He'd originally planned to go with Chiemi, but she apparently overslept and told him to head out first. With an Umamusume's legs, being late was basically impossible, so Wu You didn't wait.
But the moment he reached the school gate—
"Yu—nii—!!! (Yuu-bro!)"
A lively, slightly childish Kansai lilt rang out behind him.
The next second, a small but powerful body crashed straight into his arms.
No matter how petite she looked, she was still an Umamusume.
If it had been an ordinary person, that tackle would've flattened them.
"Yu-nii! It's been forever! I missed you soooo much!!!" The girl in his arms rubbed her head against his chest as she shouted happily.
She had long gray hair falling down her back, with long red-and-blue ribbons tied on either side of her head. Her bright blue eyes were as clear as a summer sky.
She was Oguri Cap's childhood friend—
Tamamo Cross.
Wu You smiled helplessly and gently ruffled her hair. "Long time no see, Tama."
In truth, the instant he heard her voice, he'd recognized her.
Compared to Oguri, Tamamo hadn't changed that much from when she was little.
And as for height…
Most Umamusume were taller than humans, but there were exceptions.
Tamamo Cross was one of them—still a bit shorter than Wu You, who stood around 178 cm.
But here's the thing—
Yuu-bro had once said Tamamo Cross, among Umamusume, could only be classified as…
a loli.
He wasn't joking.
Even as a senior student, Tamamo was so small she was shorter than plenty of lower-grade kids.
And yet she was only slightly shorter than Wu You, which said everything about how absurdly strong Umamusume physiques were as a whole.
"…Yu-bro… me too…"
At that moment, Oguri's soft voice drifted from behind him.
And in full view of everyone nearby, Wu You became the patty in a hamburger.
Tamamo Cross, snuggling and rubbing against him in front.
Oguri Cap behind him, her chin resting on top of his head.
"You two… we're in public. Can we not?" Wu You said.
It wasn't embarrassment.
It was that if this kept up…
he was afraid he'd end up getting squeezed until he made that "ohohohoho" sound again.
…
The three of them found a quiet bench and sat down.
"Yu-nii! When'd you come back?" Tamamo asked.
After a round of "small talk" that was really just "clingy affection," Tamamo finally got to the point.
In reality, she'd known Wu You was back already.
She and Oguri were roommates, and Oguri had recounted every detail of their reunion.
So why ask?
Because Tamamo Cross was in a mood.
He'd been back since the day before yesterday, and he'd only met Oguri one-on-one.
If she hadn't camped at the school gate early this morning, would he have just… never come to see her?
Sensing Tamamo's simmering dissatisfaction, Wu You scratched his cheek awkwardly.
It wasn't that he didn't want to see her—Tamamo had training scheduled yesterday, and he didn't want to interrupt.
And then there was everything with Chiemi… one thing led to another, and he truly hadn't managed to meet Tamamo.
He didn't bother making excuses. He admitted it cleanly.
"Sorry, Tama. That was my mistake."
Tamamo Cross wasn't the type to nitpick—
unless money was involved.
And seeing Wu You now—blind, looking frailer than before—what she felt most wasn't anger, but a dense, aching tenderness.
"It's fine, Yu-nii. We're seeing each other again now, right?"
She discreetly rubbed at the corner of her eye and forced a wide grin.
As if smiling brightly enough might let Wu You "see" her anyway.
Noticing her intention, Wu You smiled warmly and patted her head again. "You're right. Long time no see, Tama."
Tamamo Cross's cheeks instantly went red.
Ever since she was little, she'd loved having Wu You pat her head.
Not only because his hands were warm—
but also because of that scent on him she liked so much.
But pride demanded she pretend she didn't like it.
Just like she was doing now…
"H-Hey, hey, hey! Don't pat my head, Yu-nii! I won't grow taller!" Tamamo yelped—yet she didn't actually push his hand away.
Wu You had understood her for a long time. Since she said it out loud, he obliged and lifted his hand.
The moment the warmth disappeared, a flicker of reluctance flashed in her eyes—only for a new thought to strike her.
Wait.
Could it be she really wasn't tall because Yu-nii kept patting her head?!
"Staaare…"
A gaze from the side made both of them pause.
They turned—and saw Oguri Cap staring at Wu You with her usual blank expression.
Except her eyes seemed… faintly resentful.
Wu You asked cautiously, "What is it, Oguri?"
"…Didn't recognize me."
"Huh?"
"Yuu-bro… why didn't you recognize me at first? You recognized Tama right away…"
"Ah."
"Staaare…"
Oguri's stare turned darker, and she inched closer without even trying to hide it.
"Tama! Save me!" Wu You immediately pleaded.
Tamamo, however, shamelessly pretended not to hear. She hummed to herself and looked up at the sky.
"Tama—you traitor—!!!" Wu You protested—
—but before he could finish, arms wrapped around his waist again.
"Oguri! I'm sorry! Gently! Gently—ohohohohohohohoho—!!!"
…
"Ah… I thought I was going to die…" Wu You panted, hands braced on his knees.
Nearby, Tamamo stood with her hands on her hips, lecturing Oguri.
Oguri listened obediently—though it was clearly going in one ear and out the other.
She was wrong.
But she'd do it again.
"Uh… Trainer, are you okay?"
Chiemi's voice came from the side.
She'd arrived at school and, after hearing what happened at the gate, asked around and found them.
What she saw was her trainer looking… frankly drained.
"I-I'm fine… By the way, Chiemi, what's wrong with you? Didn't sleep well last night?"
"Ah… something like that…" Chiemi looked a bit awkward, scratching her cheek. "Oh—right, Trainer. I'll return your clothes in a couple of days."
"Hm? Why?" Wu You tilted his head.
Washing clothes shouldn't take long. And they weren't even expensive—just toss them into the washing machine.
Chiemi's eyes slid away.
She'd been up late for a reason.
She was a hardcore fan of Radish Teacher.
Even though Radish Teacher's streams were about training Umamusume—normally not her thing—she liked the relaxed, humorous style.
Two years ago, when Radish Teacher had just started streaming, Chiemi had only watched once or twice to kill time.
Then it spiraled out of control.
Before she knew it, she'd even become a moderator.
Last night, she'd planned to watch Radish Teacher's VODs to distract herself from the "little incident" with Wu You.
But the first thing she saw was a leave notice.
With her distraction gone, her mind started running wild again.
As she rolled around in bed clutching the clothes she meant to wash, a sweet, comforting scent drifted up.
Only then did she realize—
what she was hugging was Wu You's clothes.
Her rational side said: These are your trainer's clothes. Stop smelling them. Put them away.
Her emotional side said: Who cares. Smell them. Now.
And Chiemi was, by nature, an emotional person.
So: sleep deprivation, +30.
She cleared her throat and recovered. "It's nothing. I just want to wash them properly."
Wu You didn't press. He simply nodded and agreed.
But to Tamamo Cross, the way the two of them interacted…
didn't smell the same.
Uh-oh.
There's competition now.
-------
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