Even though Kaito had already sensed that he would eventually return, the moment it actually happened still sent his head spinning.Coming back meant only one thing—he was once again a transparent man in this world.
He released the Uma Musume he'd grabbed earlier and let out a long sigh.
"Yaa~ Trainer."
Just outside the school building, a soft, green presence drifted up beside him. Seiun Sky wore her usual relaxed smile, the kind that instinctively put people at ease.
"What's today's training menu?"
"Sky…"
Kaito opened his mouth, then stopped. Come to think of it, he had already signed a contract with Seiun Sky.
That confirmed it. The two worlds were connected. Signing her in that world had granted him control rights here as well.
He stepped in front of her and reached out, gently patting her head, fingers brushing over her soft ears. Throughout it all, Seiun Sky simply blinked at him innocently, as if nothing were out of the ordinary, quietly waiting for instructions.
"Just two days ago, you were still secretly following me around…"
Without consciousness, a person was nothing more than a shell.
Kaito couldn't even reconcile the Seiun Sky in front of him now with the one who had fed him cake yesterday.
"I'll give you your training later this afternoon. Go have some fun for now."
"Yes."
Seiun Sky nodded and turned to leave.
Kaito frowned as he watched her back.
"Sky!"
She stopped.
"Do you remember what happened yesterday?"
No answer.
Seiun Sky stood there blankly.
A few seconds passed. Having received no command, she turned and walked away on her own.
…As expected.
She couldn't respond beyond the system's parameters.
And yet—earlier, Kaito hadn't prefaced his words with 'Today's task is—', and she still seemed to understand him.
That contradiction lingered in his mind.
He went looking for Tokai Teio.
Before long, he spotted her in the Student Council room, pressed close to Symboli Rudolf.
"Trainer!"
The instant she saw Kaito, Tokai Teio lit up and ran over, her bright, innocent smile making his heart leap—just for a moment, he thought she'd come alive again.
But it was like a fixed greeting animation.
After smiling, she returned to her usual expression.
"Teio… do you remember what happened yesterday?"
No response.
"Do two sets of push-ups. On the floor."
Tokai Teio immediately dropped down and began doing push-ups.
Kaito realized then that something had changed.
He no longer needed to phrase commands in the rigid system format. He could simply tell her what to do—and she would do it.
Was this an aftereffect of completing the story arc?
Compared to before, these Uma Musume seemed… smarter.
He glanced at Symboli Rudolf, Air Groove, and the others nearby. When he tried issuing commands to them, a translucent message popped up:
[Not in a 담당 (Assigned) Relationship]
Right.
He still had another contracted Uma Musume.
Kaito headed to the Agnes Tachyon Research Lab.
It looked the same as ever, packed with experimental equipment—but now, prominently displayed at the center of the room, was a handwritten note:
"Investigate the connection between the two worlds."
Just as Agnes Tachyon had said, her actions in that world were directly influencing this one. Even in her game-state, she was still conducting research on him.
Watching her scribble formulas while seated at her desk, Kaito stepped closer.
"Tachyon."
"Guinea Pig-kun."
She responded immediately.
"What's today's training assignment?"
Though it was still fixed dialogue, everything she did revolved around him.
"I'll tell you when we get to the training field this afternoon."
"Yes."
After answering, she ignored him entirely and returned to her experiments.
Kaito quietly left the lab.
So… what now?
With this arc over, when would the next race be?
Back in his room, Kaito pulled out the Uma Musume Training Manual. He couldn't find this book in the real world—only here, in the game world.
He flipped to Tokai Teio's page.
After the Debut Race, the next competition was [Wakaba Stakes], scheduled for December.
Three months away.
A full one hundred days.
…Another hundred days.
He'd already spent over a hundred days here. He'd just gotten a taste of living like a normal person again—and now another long stretch loomed ahead.
What would he become by then?
But that was how Uma Musume racing worked.
Train for months. Race once. Repeat.
Am I doomed to always be just a "player"…?
...
In the office, Kaito reviewed Tokai Teio's stats. Every category had exceeded 170.
Even during the month without system-assisted training, her stats hadn't fallen behind—they'd steadily increased. The game logic still applied in the real world. A Trainer's role was simply to arrange and optimize these elements.
Seiun Sky's stats were noticeably lower. Many days saw gains of only three to five points.
Probably because it wasn't her story arc yet—her growth modifiers were being suppressed.
Kaito looked down at the Uma Musume Training Notes.
The book felt thin, but no matter how much he flipped, it never seemed to end. Huge sections were still blank.
Were they intentionally left empty… or waiting for future characters?
He stretched, then issued a command to Seiun Sky, having her sit on his lap.
Compared to Teio, Sky was slightly taller. When she sat like this, her head rested perfectly under his chin—an ideal human-sized body pillow.
And the faint lavender scent clinging to her relaxed him instantly.
In terms of softness, Tokai Teio was unrivaled.
But in pure comfort?
Seiun Sky had the edge.
Maybe I should just carry this big Sky-cat everywhere from now on…
Come to think of it, something was strange.
That command from earlier—somehow, it couldn't be undone.
Whenever Kaito slept with Seiun Sky, Tokai Teio would always show up.
Even at night.
Like the other day—Kaito had Sky tucked against him like a pillow. When he got up in the middle of the night, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
Tokai Teio was standing there.
Her blue eyes glowed faintly in the dark.
That night, he ended up sleeping with both of them.
It was as if they were bound together.
No—more like a pseudo-binding.
If Kaito took Teio somewhere, Seiun Sky would quietly follow.If he took Sky, Teio would openly stand right beside them.
It mirrored what had happened in the real world.
And there was more.
Affinity carried over too.
After spending weeks in the real world, when Kaito returned, Seiun Sky's affection gauge had gained a heart—lighter in color than Teio's.
As for Tokai Teio…
At some point, her heart icon had turned a deep rose red.
Darker. Richer.
It almost looked like it was beating.
"Sky… when will we get a chance to go fishing?"
The words slipped out unconsciously, echoing a past conversation.
The moment he finished speaking, a dialogue window popped up.
[Special Event Triggered: Fishing]
Suddenly, Seiun Sky's expression grew vivid and lively.
And beside them—
Tokai Teio's face flushed bright red, her whole body looking like it was on the verge of exploding.