The story was over.
One second, he'd still been in the hotel. The next, he was back in his office. Not only that—any lingering fatigue he'd had vanished the instant he returned, his body feeling refreshed and energized, as if he'd just woken from a deep sleep.
Kaito's physical condition had been reset.
Did that mean that even if something went wrong in the "real" world, once a scenario ended, he'd always be returned to the game state?
It made sense.
But before dwelling on that, there was something far more noteworthy.
After the special scenario ended, notifications for stat increases popped up before his eyes.
That part was just like the mobile game.
And more than that—when Kaito looked at the water tank on his desk and opened it, several live fish swam inside. The very ones he and Seiun Sky had caught together, now transported back to Tracen with him.
"…Huh?"
Kaito narrowed his eyes. Those fish actually had stat bonuses attached to them.
"Seiun Sky's Fish: After consumption, Stamina +3, Mood +1… What is this?"
Food—or rather, item effects. Why did something like this exist? Kaito had never seen anything like it before.
As that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly patted his pocket. He remembered bringing back a flyer from a restaurant earlier. After the status refresh, even his clothes had reverted to his usual uniform—and the flyer was still neatly tucked in his pocket.
He pulled it out.
On the semi-transparent screen before him, text appeared:
[First Date Commemorative Flyer — Upon Reading: Intelligence +1]
This too?!
The owner's autograph that had once been on it was gone—it was now just an ordinary flyer.
So items brought in from outside the game could carry special stat bonuses.
That said, those two bonuses looked almost negligible… unless—
Right!
Kaito suddenly remembered the shoes he'd bought for Tokai Teio. After her race, she'd carefully stored them away and switched back to her regular training shoes. Those shoes had been bought outside Tracen too—did they also have special effects?
Just as Kaito was about to head to Teio's room to check, there was a knock at the door. A small horse girl with drooping ears stepped inside.
Tokai Teio.
She looked terrible. Her status panel clearly displayed:
[Mood: Awful]
"What happened…?"
Seeing Teio like this, it was obvious something had severely dropped her mood.
Kaito suddenly remembered repeatedly hanging up on her calls yesterday—and the fact that she'd even gone to his room. There was a good chance she'd run into Manhattan Cafe while he wasn't there.
He could easily imagine how that encounter might have gone.
Probably a confrontation for the ages.
Still, he'd effectively skipped that branch of the story. Now that he was back in the game world, the Uma Musume wouldn't actually do anything extreme to him.
Kaito gestured for Tokai Teio to come closer, then gently placed a hand on her head, beginning to stroke it. Raising an Uma Musume's mood was simple—close contact: head pats, gentle touches, holding them close, and other forms of affectionate interaction.
If an Uma Musume's condition dropped too low, they could even misinterpret commands, and their training efficiency would suffer. That was why Kaito always made sure to keep their mood in check.
He guided Tokai Teio onto his lap and lightly brushed her ears.
Her body twitched as if struck by a tiny spark of electricity. Instinctively, she leaned closer, the faint citrus scent she carried filling his senses. Her mood gauge climbed rapidly before his eyes.
[Awful] → [Poor] → [Normal] → [Good] → [Excellent]
"Tr–Trainer…" Tokai Teio's cheeks were flushed as she spoke haltingly. "Today's… today's training menu… what is it…?"
"Today's training is… ear catching."
"Y–Yes… understood, Trainer… heehee…" Tokai Teio gently nuzzled his chin, clearly pleased.
For a moment, she even clasped his hand between both of hers, her reaction so enthusiastic it startled him.
"—!"
Kaito quickly pulled his hand back with a soft pop. The room fell silent.
He looked down at Tokai Teio, then cautiously patted her head again. Her ears flicked lightly, but there was no further reaction.
…Looks like that had just been an instinctive response.
He let out a breath—part relieved, part oddly disappointed.
"Teio, about those shoes I bought you last time—could you bring them here? I want to take a look."
Leaning back against him, Tokai Teio paused for a moment before replying, "Yes."
She soon returned with the shoes. Kaito examined them closely. Any trace of dirt had been carefully cleaned away—they looked almost unused.
Then he saw the stats.
And froze.
"Speed +15%… Training EXP +3… Protection +2… Comfort +3…"
Multiple bonuses—on a single pair of shoes he'd bought at great expense. That speed increase was absurd. Was it a direct stat boost?
Kaito glanced at Tokai Teio's speed value, then said, "Put the shoes on, Teio."
She didn't move.
"Teio?"
No response.
Command not executed?
That was strange. Normally, only abstract commands involving thought or intent would fail. Why wouldn't this one work?
…Fine. If she wouldn't do it herself, he'd handle it.
He had her sit on the sofa and removed her shoes. At that moment, Teio's body stirred again—her toes flexing instinctively as she adjusted her posture, clearly aware of his presence. Her cheeks tinged pink as she rested her foot lightly against his hand.
She wouldn't actually be expecting him to help her change shoes, right?
No—she was still essentially an NPC. She shouldn't have that level of intent.
Even so, Kaito proceeded carefully, slipping the new shoes onto her feet.
The moment he checked her stats again, his eyes widened.
Her Speed value surged—climbing rapidly until it hit 200.
"…So it's real."
These shoes could directly increase an Uma Musume's stats.
Kaito had just discovered what was essentially a cheat-level item within this game world.