The next morning.
He washed up and ate as usual, then went to the training grounds, greeted everyone, and began to train.
It's just that for some reason, although he had felt that the atmosphere in the training field was a bit strange yesterday, after he started training today, the atmosphere in the training field had suddenly returned to about the same as before, and was even better, and even the training effect had improved.
So hard to understand, the minds of children.
He sighed in his heart, and then looked at Nice Nature beside him.
Since returning from the confinement room, besides Eclipse, he had another pendant by his side.
It wasn't that she didn't train, but the problem is, as a pressure generating device comparable to an elder god, it was fine when she was training. It could be seen as training the stress resistance of others.
But during rest time, others needed to relax, so it was naturally not good for her to go over. And it just so happened that there were two existences here who were completely unaffected by her, so it was very reasonable for her to come here to rest, right?
Of course, on the surface, it was so reasonable, but as for what she was thinking in private, that was unknown.
He had no objection to this, and even wished she would stand there a little longer. Because recently, with the increase of transfer students on campus, some familiar faces from the local areas had also gradually increased.
Although because he had been at the confinement room before and had not been active in the academy much, and the popularity of the previous Maiden race had long since faded, after all, there was never a shortage of news in Tracen, even so, many of those familiar faces had found out about his existence through various means, and then would come to his side from time to time, and would try to strike up a conversation whenever they had a chance.
They weren't unaware that his team already had eight people, all of whom were extremely talented and capable, and there wasn't even an assistant trainer. It was basically impossible for them to join—but what if?
And even if they didn't join the team, it wasn't a loss to be able to chat with Mr. Kitahara for a few sentences, or even just to see him in person.
And so, with this thought in mind, those little ones who had just enrolled began to flock to his side one after another.
In fact, if it weren't for the worry that there were too many competitors, which would lead to them not even getting a sip of the soup, so even if they knew of his existence, they had been keeping it a secret, the number of people who came to find him could have been several times more.
And at this time, her role was once again reflected.
If she wasn't there, once those little horse girls came over, they would probably be able to poke at him all day.
But with her there, she didn't even have to do anything. Just by standing there, after a few minutes, those little horse girls would be unable to withstand the pressure and would retreat. Some with a weaker will wouldn't even dare to come over, which very well maintained his slacking life.
And it wasn't just deterrence. Her existence itself was also a kind of enjoyment for him.
Quiet, calm, reserved...
She would never, like other little horse girls, excitedly want to get in front of him and talk to him continuously, nor would she, like Teio or Special Week, make some willful little requests from time to time, let alone like Tachyon, who was always thinking about causing trouble for him.
She would just quietly stand by his side. If she was tired, she would sit down and rest. And if she had free time, she could also help him with some small things, and even assisting with training was completely fine.
Unlike the group of Agnes Digital and Agnes Tachyon, Nice Nature had not learned anything about being a trainer, nor did she have the experience of having read a hundred schools of thought like Digital.
But she could completely understand what he meant and execute it accurately.
And that was enough.
In a sense, it was even better than Tachyon and Digital combined.
And, there was a very key point, which was that she was also very willing, and could even be said to be eager, to help him. Even if he didn't take the initiative to ask her for help, she would take the initiative to come up. And if he felt that this was taking advantage of her, and suspected of exploiting child labor, and didn't want her to help, she would even show a puffed-up expression.
This performance of hers made him at a loss for whether to laugh or cry, but he didn't think much of it.
After all, she and he had gotten along and cooperated like this in the past. If he forcibly prevented her from helping, it would instead make her throw a little tantrum. He was already used to this.
Moreover, this was not a bad thing. He could relax on his side, and she could also take the opportunity to learn more things. It was a win-win option, and he had no need to refuse.
As expected, I have to find a way to raise her affection. Otherwise, if she really runs away after I'm done kneading, where else can I find such a compatible assistant...
Thinking this, a morning passed quietly in a superficial calm.
Then, at lunchtime, he told the other horse girls that he had to go out in the afternoon to meet an old senior.
Because during their previous casual chats, he had mentioned that senior, but had not said what she did, so the others had easily accepted this setting and asked if he needed them to accompany him.
"It's fine. Eclipse and I will go."
He refused with a smile, then looked at Digital and told her that for the next few days, she should stop taking care of Tachyon for the time being. He would be responsible on his side, and she could just focus on preparing for the race.
She didn't care much about this matter. After all, her main purpose was to push horse girls. Winning a race or something was secondary. But since he had said so, she did not refuse.
Then, after lunch, he stayed with them in the activity room for a while.
Then, after looking at the time and feeling that it was about time, he called over Eclipse, and the two of them left Tracen and walked towards the place they had agreed on with that senior on their phones.
...
Some time later.
Outside Tracen, in front of a bar at the end of an alley.
He stood outside the door of the bar, pinched his chin, and thought for a moment.
"How about you go in alone, Eclipse? I'll just wait outside. We can communicate by phone if anything comes up..."
Eclipse did not answer him, just looked at him as if he were an idiot.
Forget it.
He sighed, thinking to himself that you can't escape fate. With a melancholic expression, he pushed open the slightly dilapidated door in front of him.
Like the other old horse girl's clothing store, this bar also looked dilapidated on the outside, but the inside was completely different.
Although there was no gorgeous decoration, the warm lighting, combined with the all-wood decoration that exuded a faint fragrance, and the various texts written on the wine displayed behind the bar, also gave people a sense of rather good taste.
However, what was strange was that although it was a bar with a very good environment, besides the white-haired horse girl sitting in front of the bar, there were no other customers. Even the only bartender, after seeing him arrive, bowed slightly to the white-haired horse girl in front of him and then left through the back door.
However, he didn't find it strange, because he was already used to this senior's style.
For some reason, this senior hated crowded places. When they had met before, she would basically just book a place directly. Not to mention that the things they were going to talk about this time were not suitable for others to hear.
He took a step, walked to the side of that senior, and just as he sat down, before he could even greet her, a stack of portraits was thrown in front of him.
"These are all drawn based on the information you collected. Take a look first to see if there are any problems, and then find a chance to confirm it with those little ones."
"Okay."
He nodded, then picked up the stack of portraits and began to look through them.
After a long time.
With the rustling sound of paper turning, he finished looking at the stack of portraits, his eyes filled with a bit of gravity and doubt.
Although the number of portraits in this stack was not small, if you looked carefully, you would find that although these portraits were different in various details, they were basically just three faces back and forth.
And...
"What's wrong? Is one of them an acquaintance of yours?" the white-haired horse girl asked calmly.
He frowned. "Not an acquaintance. I've just seen him before, but... it shouldn't be."
Kudo Kazuya was the name of the person he had recognized, a trainer at the main Tracen campus. And he wasn't just an ordinary trainer, but a legendary one.
Although he hadn't had much contact with him, since he often lurked in the group chat and forums, he knew a little about this person's situation, and had even chatted with him at the team-building event before.
But it was precisely because of this that he couldn't imagine how this person could be related to horse girl hunting. Because this person, even in the main Tracen campus, was a famous good person, and his reputation was also very high.
Gentle, calm, and responsible.
He was rich in professional experience and had been a trainer at Tracen for nearly twenty years so far, having trained nearly twenty charges and countless team horse girls and trainers.
Koyoi and Fudo Daichi were his juniors and had received guidance in his team before. Sometimes when they talked about him in the group, their words were full of respect, and they had never heard of any bad deeds of this person.
And this person was different from Mitsuo Taishi. Although he had many charges, he had never had an improper relationship with even one of them and was still single to this day.
In fact, once, at a cocktail party, he had even, after being drunk, muttered in a half-asleep state at the party that it was enough to see the smiles of those children in this lifetime, and that he was already prepared to dedicate his life to Tracen and was not planning to get married or have children at all.
If it were someone else, he could still guess their motive for committing the crime, but Kudo Kazuya...
Money?
Impossible.
As a legendary trainer, not only was his money legitimate and plentiful, but he also had no bad habits or large consumption habits. His savings were not small, and he couldn't even spend it all if he wanted to.
And it wasn't just that he had a lot of savings. According to the other trainers, this person would also anonymously donate money to various welfare institutions from time to time, and had also secretly invested in several orphanages.
Sex?
That's even more impossible.
In his twenty-plus years of employment, forget about horse girls, even among the junior trainers, there were many who had shown him goodwill. In fact, if he were interested, it would be perfectly possible for him to have a harem.
But forget about a harem, to this day, he had never had an improper relationship with even one of his charges, and had turned a blind eye to all those hints. In fact, once when he was almost jumped, to prevent the situation from worsening, he had directly given his own brother a hard blow, almost going to the factory on the spot. Since then, no one had dared to force him again.
Hate horse girls?
That's an even bigger joke.
He was the type who doted on his charges. He would immediately get unhappy if someone said a bad word about them. Even if he encountered a strange horse girl who was in trouble, he would do his best to provide help.
Then was he being deceived and used?
After thinking for a long time, he felt that this last answer was a little more plausible, but he couldn't be sure. Because although Kudo Kazuya was a good person, as a legendary trainer with more than twenty years of experience, he was far from being comparable to those young people who had just started. It was not easy to use him.
Forget him, even that white-haired horse girl, after hearing his account, also had a look of doubt in her eyes. After all, from what she knew, Tracen's first priority when recruiting trainers was character. And to be able to be a trainer in that place for nearly twenty years, and not even be jumped, his will, character, and love for horse girls were all absolutely unquestionable.
Then this is very strange...
"Anyway, let's investigate first. Maybe there's some information we don't know."
The white-haired horse girl said so, and he also nodded in agreement.
Although it felt like the other party was in no way an existence that could be related to the "Black Market," since the portrait was here, then before there was conclusive evidence to prove the other party's innocence, they had to be listed as a key suspect.
As for the other two he hadn't seen before... "I'll go and investigate the information on these two. You just take care of the one on your side."
The white-haired horse girl said flatly.
"Okay."
He directly agreed, and then put away the stack of portraits, preparing to go and confirm it with those little horse girls later.
And then, after he put away the portraits, the white-haired horse girl spoke again. "Alright, wild guesses before there is conclusive evidence will only lead to prejudice. Let's talk about this matter after the investigation has results. I have some other things I want to talk to you about next."
She turned her head to look at him, her tone calm.
"For example, why did you come to Tracen?"
"I remember you said before that you never wanted to come to this damn place for the rest of your life."
"This..."
He rubbed the tip of his nose and said with some guilt, "To be honest, it was mainly for the money..."
He paused, then added, "After all, as you know, Eclipse eats a lot. If I don't earn more, I'm afraid I won't even have enough for her food expenses. So in the end, I saw that there was a free cafeteria here and the salary was high, so I had no choice but to come..."
The white-haired horse girl was silent for a moment, then spoke. "I remember I told you that I could help you with the money problem."
"Um, I still feel more at ease spending the money I earn myself..."
First of all, he didn't like the feeling of owing others. Just talking about this one, although he didn't know her identity, he could tell at a glance that she had a lot of trouble on her.
It would be fine if it were a normal transaction. For example, a few years ago, she had asked him to help provide some guidance and then had given him a sum of money as a reward. But a gift was out of the question.
He wanted money for a peaceful life in the future. To get into trouble for money, that would be putting the cart before the horse.
And after answering, he was already prepared for the other party to get angry because of this.
After all, this old woman had had a history of wanting to give him some help or good things, and then getting angry and hitting him on the head with a stick during training after being refused.
Although he could feel that the other party really wanted to be good to him, and even saw him as her own grandson, this awkward personality was really not something to be praised—where was the logic of getting beaten up for not taking a benefit?
But to his surprise, this time, the white-haired horse girl did not show any displeasure. She just nodded faintly, and then her gaze swept over his front, a strange meaning in her eyes.
Perhaps those young little horse girls still couldn't realize it, but as the experienced and knowledgeable head of the Symboli family, Speed Symboli could easily smell the strong "marked" scent coming from him.
And, it wasn't just one or two or three or four.
It's just that some were fresher or deeper, and some were older or shallower.
But the most important thing was not the marking.
The most important thing was that, even though he himself was already in this kind of environment, he seemed to be completely unaware of what was happening around him. This was already a problem that couldn't be explained by dullness.
But Speed Symboli knew why.
Just like a person who has been soaked in a honey pot for a long time will become dull to the taste of sweetness, an existence that has been wrapped in strong goodwill or other emotions for a long time will also have their senses in this area blunted.
Humans are fine, but the problem is, the creature known as a horse girl, under the deliberate guidance of certain existences, is simply an aggregation of goodwill.
The more contact, the deeper the degree, the longer the time, the easier it is for the senses in this area to become blunted.
Forget him, even the Symboli family, the children who had grown up in a situation where there were horse girls in the family, while their personality would tend to be gentle and kind, in terms of emotions, they would also usually be duller than those born in normal families.
And the degree of this dullness would be directly linked to the number of horse girls they had been in contact with, the depth of the contact, and the goodwill and emotional attitude the other party held towards them.
So, that's why Tracen, which was full of horse girls, would often produce blockheads, and occasionally even a super-blockhead like Mitsuo Taishi.
Because they, who were constantly wrapped in goodwill and even love, would think that this was a very normal situation.
Like? What like? Isn't everyone like this? You're thinking too much.
And this was just the trainers of Tracen, who had only been in contact with the horse girls of one academy, and the ones who would develop some kind of feelings were probably just their own charges, and at most a few more team horse girls.
But him...
The number of horse girls he had helped in a few years was even far more than the total number of students currently enrolled in Tracen.
And the emotional feedback he had received from the goodwill he himself had given out was even more countless.
The result of this was that this person's senses in a certain area were not just dull, but could be said to be almost insulated.
It wasn't that he couldn't perceive a certain type of emotion, but that there were too many people and horse girls around him who held the same or similar emotions towards him, to the point that he would think it was a very normal thing.
And for the same reason, in these years, she had personally witnessed this kid's countless mysterious operations, and a few times had almost given her, the one who was recognized as the healthiest among the heads of the major horse girl families, high blood pressure.
It wasn't that she hadn't tried to remind and guide him.
But faced with his repeated "why," "on what grounds," "impossible," "you're thinking too much," "this is the generation gap between the old and the young."
In the end, she had silently given up this idea and instead picked up her wooden sword.
He always thought that she was scolding him for those messy little things, but he didn't know that behind every stroke of the sword was a strong resentment.
But now there was no need for that.
Sensing the clear and deep marks on him, and thinking about some of the news she had received recently, a faint curve appeared on the corners of the mouth of Speed Symboli, who had not smiled for a long time, and even her gaze towards him softened a little.
After all, if there were no accidents, this kid would soon suffer the consequences of his past actions. There was no need for her to make a move anymore.
Although this was partly due to emotional dullness, the problem is, he had brought the emotional dullness on himself, right?
And, although she admitted that her temper was a little bad, and she did like to use her fists, she was not interested in beating a dead horse.
And on the other side, his expression was a bit complicated.
Strange, did the sun rise from the west today?
Why is this old woman so easy-going today? Not only did she not get angry or have any intention of using her fists, but she even seems to be in a good mood...
However, he did not ask or dwell on this question.
What if this old horse girl had just forgotten about his matter because of senile dementia, and if he dwelled on it or asked and made her remember, then wouldn't that be seeking his own death?
So it was better to just muddle through for now.
Thinking this, he blinked, and then tried to change the subject.
"Um, senior, you told me before that there were some things to talk about. Does that mean you have something else you want to tell me..."
"Yes, there is indeed one more thing."
Speaking of this, the curve on her lips became even more obvious, and her voice, which had always been very calm, also had a bit of a strange meaning.
"It's not a big deal. It's just that I didn't know you had come to Tracen before. I was just thinking that you're already an adult, but you don't have a proper job, and you're just wandering around without a fixed residence all day. It's just annoying to look at. I thought that maybe after you get married, you might be able to settle down..."
He blinked.
"Uh, then what do you mean exactly..."
Speed Symboli took a sip of the drink in her hand and said calmly, "I've arranged a few blind dates for you. When do you think you have time to go?"
Shinji Kitahara: "...?"
-------
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