Black Market, blind dates, Kamisato Daisuke…
After parting ways with his senpai Umamusume, Kitahara felt as if his head was about to split in two. For a moment, he even had the urge to just pack up and run.
But it was only an urge.
The responsibility he owed to the girls under his guidance, the situation with the Chairwoman and Tazuna, and the promises he'd made but hadn't yet fulfilled…
Whether he liked it or not, he was already bound to far too many people. He had neither a reason nor the means to walk away as he once might have.
Perhaps because their earlier scheme had failed, the "Black Market" hadn't made any recent moves. Nothing unusual happened on Kitahara's end either, and time slipped quietly toward late December.
Once confident he could reliably control the power within himself—and sensing the timing was about right—Kitahara returned to Tracen Academy and resumed a life that at least appeared peaceful on the surface.
Then, as time moved forward, the late-December races scheduled long in advance began one after another.
There wasn't much to say about these races.
The Umamusume under Kitahara were already outstanding. Even without him—even if only Komata-san helped with their training—they would've produced strong results.
With his involvement, not only were their considerable strengths further enhanced, but their weaknesses were gradually addressed.
They hadn't yet become flawless all-rounders, but they still outpaced other girls of the same year by a wide margin. Naturally, each secured victory in her respective race.
Practically sweeping all first-year G1s, Agnes Digital capturing the Autumn Triple Crown, and Domains were emerging one after another within the same team…
Generally, in this sport, the racing Umamusume themselves attracted attention, with little focus placed on their Trainers behind the scenes.
But with results this extraordinary—all originating from the same team—even a supporting, backstage role like "Trainer" inevitably drew increased attention and discussion.
On internal Tracen forums, across the internet outside, and even in the darknet channels of the Black Market…
After this string of victories, the frequency of the name "Kitahara" appearing everywhere rose sharply. His name repeatedly entered and exited the trending searches, practically making him a celebrity both inside and outside Tracen. It had gotten to the point where some reporters even started staking him out off-campus.
Logically speaking, Kitahara should have been happy about such achievements.
But in reality, as he stared at headlines flashing his name on his phone screen, his frown only deepened, eyes increasingly troubled.
"Good luck never strikes twice, but trouble always comes in waves…"
He already had a mountain of issues to deal with. And now, this on top of everything else.
He'd anticipated it to some extent and had even prepared countermeasures.
For instance, amplifying the smear campaign against himself, or attributing credit for victories to Komata-san and the other assistant Trainers—trying to distance himself from the spotlight.
But based on the current situation, those measures had only achieved so much. Ultimately, the public's attention still centered squarely on him—and it had certainly caught the eyes of those Umamusume families.
Yet, that wasn't his greatest worry.
Yes, the attention from the Umamusume families was dangerous, but it had only just begun. December was almost over, and with everyone busy during the holidays, scrutiny might ease a bit. At least it would buy him a little breathing room.
The real issue was that even if the holidays temporarily alleviated this concern, other matters—like blind dates, blind dates, and even more blind dates—were about to hit him head-on…
One arranged by his senpai Umamusume, one set up by the elderly Umamusume at the clothing store, another involving Symboli Rudolf's gathering, Sirius Symboli's omiai, and of course, continuing his role as Tazuna's nominal "boyfriend"…
He knew clearly these were all fake. In reality, they were just a group of unfortunate souls being hounded about marriage, banding together into a sham alliance. They saw him only as a friend—and he didn't harbor even the slightest inappropriate thought toward any of them.
Yet, recently—especially since he'd gained skilled control over that "power"—
Whenever he thought about these things, particularly when reflecting on their daily interactions, Kitahara inexplicably felt something was… off. It scratched at the back of his mind, a subtle discomfort he couldn't quite identify.
Was it a side effect of that power? Or was it something else…
Thin pink streams of light curled around Kitahara's fingers, darting and weaving at his command as he maintained his daily training and pondered.
Soon, however, he dismissed the glow from his hand and stopped wondering about the source of that feeling.
A feeling was just a feeling. He could slowly experiment with these minor, harmless details later, when there was time.
Right now, he had more urgent, important things to worry about, so he set those thoughts aside without hesitation and turned to figuring out how he was going to survive the blind dates headed his way.
Should he ask Grass Wonder to accompany him? Seek help from Tazuna? Or perhaps have the invincible Emperor step in and rescue him? Who exactly should he drag along to make a mess of things…
"Is Trainer Kitahara running into some kind of trouble?"
"Not really. Just a small headache… huh?"
Kitahara replied instinctively, then looked up—and found himself staring into a face framed by flowing, watery-blue hair and a delicate, gentle smile.
"…Ardan? What are you doing here?"
"Just taking a walk. I happened to pass by."
Mejiro Ardan answered naturally as she sat down beside him. Still smiling faintly, she continued softly:
"So, Trainer Kitahara—what's troubling you? You can talk to me about it."
"I might be able to help, you know."
...
At the same time, in the Student Council room.
With the year-end approaching, the Student Council's workload and pressure had steadily increased.
After finishing a full day's tasks, Narita Brian—who'd been cooped up all day—was the first to slip out. Following her, the other members gradually bid goodbye to Symboli Rudolf and left one after another, heading back to their dorms or apartments for some rest.
Just as Sirius Symboli was about to leave with Maruzensky, Symboli Rudolf suddenly called out to her.
"Sirius, wait a moment. There's something I'd like to discuss."
Though they'd never gotten along—and Sirius Symboli had only joined to help out under pressure from the others—seeing that Symboli Rudolf seemed to have something serious to talk about, Sirius Symboli ultimately didn't refuse.
She sat back down in a chair, fiddling idly with her phone. After everyone else had left, she raised her head and looked directly at Symboli Rudolf, seated at the head of the table.
"Alright. Everyone's gone. So, what shady little thing does our 'great' 'Your Majesty the Emperor' want to discuss privately?"
Faced with Sirius Symboli's openly sarcastic tone, Symboli Rudolf—long accustomed to trading barbs with her in private—didn't get angry. Yet, she didn't answer immediately either, as if carefully weighing something.
Seeing her hesitation, Sirius Symboli frowned.
"Rudolf. If you have something to say, say it clearly. I've got things to do later—I don't have time to waste with you."
At that, Rudolf fell silent for several seconds before slowly raising her head.
"The thing you mentioned—visiting Trainer Kitahara to help him with something—was that it?"
"So what if it is?"
Sirius Symboli wasn't surprised Rudolf knew about it, but she detected a faintly unusual undertone in her voice.
"What, does this have something to do with him?"
"Not just him. It concerns you as well."
Rudolf raised her eyes, meeting Sirius Symboli's gaze directly.
"From what I've heard recently, the two of you… seem to be getting a little too close."
Hearing this, Sirius Symboli froze momentarily. Then, as she grasped what Rudolf was implying, her eyes sharpened, and her tone unconsciously turned colder.
"Symboli Rudolf—what exactly do you mean by that?"
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T/N: what do you mean by that