Back in the room, Tokai Teio's mood had improved somewhat—but she was still in [Off-Condition]. Sitting on the sofa, her gaze stayed fixed on Mejiro McQueen—no, on Cafe—as if she were deeply dissatisfied.Of course, that was just the character's normal idle animation. When there was no active task, their eyes would stare straight ahead, unblinking.
This time, Kaito didn't need to do what he usually did—drag them back, or trick them inside under the excuse of training.All it took was one casual sentence, and the two of them obediently followed.
They were getting smarter.
In the past, ordinary conversation would get no response at all. They only acted when he issued explicit commands.Now, they could automatically parse Kaito's intent.
That meant they could already understand what he was saying.
Maybe, as more of the story unlocked, their intelligence would keep rising.
Kaito wasn't asking for them to become fully human.At the very least, when he said something, a simple "Mm," or "Oh," would be enough—just some sign to let him know he wasn't alone, muttering to thin air.
After cleaning the fish, Kaito lit the stove and started cooking.He couldn't say his skills were anything special—just barely competent home cooking.
He set some aside for Agnes Tachyon and Seiun Sky.The rest were for Teio and Cafe.
When the dishes were finished, Kaito noticed something strange.
The item description had changed.
What was originally [Seiun Sky's Fish] had become [Cooked Fish].The stamina recovery jumped from +3 to +15, and mood increased to +4.
Kaito froze.
"…So those original stats assumed raw consumption?"
That meant items brought in from the outside could change through processing.
The sample size was still too small—he'd need to test with more items—but if this really worked that way, the margin for error in training would increase dramatically.
When their stamina hit zero, he could just feed them something and bring them right back to full.
He placed the cooked fish on the table and guided the two girls to their seats.
Once Kaito picked up his chopsticks, they followed suit.
The stamina bars above their heads began to rise—slowly, visibly.
So food could really restore their stamina.
The cafeteria meals never did this. No matter how much they ate there, their stamina stayed the same.Only sleep could restore their condition.
As Teio ate, her mood climbed higher and higher—until it finally became [Perfect Condition].
The speed of that increase was already on par with… those methods.
Usually, the fastest ways were rubbing her ears until her face turned red, or playing with Teio until her body felt completely full.Only those two could rapidly raise affection.
The problem was that when Teio got too full, it interfered with training.
She'd start running with her face flushed, leaving faint watery marks on the track.Her stamina bar would drain faster than usual, too.
…Who knew what she was doing with all that excess energy.
Back to the present.
Kaito watched Teio and Cafe eating in front of him.
Watching beautiful girls eat wasn't bad at all.Unlike the noisy cafeteria, the room had a completely different atmosphere—quiet, intimate, almost domestic.
If he could, Kaito would've loved to issue a command telling them to treat this place as their home.
Unfortunately, that kind of command wasn't recognized.
By the way… if I eat this stuff, does it restore my stamina too?
Kaito couldn't see his own status.Even in the mirror, there was no UI—no stats, no bars.
He had no idea whether items affected him at all.Eating didn't feel particularly different.
Maybe these items only worked on Uma Musume.
After all, this was a game designed to raise them, not trainers.
Without items, Kaito could only rely on himself.
He trained alongside them regularly—not just for work, but so he could stay firm, energetic during the day.He couldn't put all his hopes on nightly body refreshes.
Kaito set himself a goal.
One day, he would max out the affection of all two thousand-plus students in the academy.
If, after clearing everything, his life still didn't change—then raising affection and triggering whatever unknown events might appear would become his sole purpose.
At least he wouldn't starve here.
Worst case, he'd just spend his entire life trapped inside this academy's thousands of acres.
After the two of them finished eating, Kaito pulled them onto his lap, idly playing with them.
Just as he was fully enjoying rubbing their ears, Tokai Teio suddenly reached out.
"…Huh? Teio—"
Before he could finish, Cafe leaned in as well.
The two of them stared, as if drawn by something invisible.
"You two, what—"
"Trainer…"
"Today's training task… what is it…"
They cut him off.
Then his belt came undone.
...
How should he put it?
Kaito realized he still knew far too little about Uma Musume in this game world.
He had only been rubbing their ears.
And yet—it was like he'd flipped some hidden switch.
Half an hour later, Kaito lay on the sofa, his mind crystal clear.
He pondered the universe, the origin of life, the transmission of energy.Protein structures.The function of digestive enzymes.The production and secretion of saliva.And why the temperature inside the human mouth was higher than the rest of the body.
His head was full of life philosophy.
Eventually, his thoughts returned to the system.
Something was different.
After the event ended, Teio and Cafe's behavior had clearly changed.
Before, Kaito needed to issue commands—move the tongue, spread the legs, do squats, things like that.
Now?
He didn't need to.
The Uma Musume would do it on their own.
Kaito recalled their faces, so close he could almost feel their breath.
Never in his life had he imagined it would be these two—together.
Teio's playful mischief overlapped with Cafe's soft, enveloping gentleness.
The two sensations intertwined, paired with the visuals, creating something Kaito couldn't even describe.
A few more times like that, and his brain would melt.
He looked at the two girls curled up on the sofa—tails swaying lazily, lips smacking contentedly—and struggled to sit up.
Advancing the story had been the right choice.
Not because it unlocked more positions or gameplay, but because the Uma Musume's action logic changed.
They were becoming more like real people.
And for some reason, after Kaito had been shared between them, Teio's mood no longer dropped when she was beside Cafe.
Had the little devil already accepted a two-person route?
That was fine.
At least Teio wouldn't lose mood every time she saw Cafe anymore.
Lower mood meant lower growth values—and not just stats.The chance of injury went up too.
Once, out of boredom, Kaito had observed other trainers' sessions.
Uma Musume in bad moods had a much higher chance of sprains and bruises after running.Their legs were often wrapped in bandages.
Even in a game world, they could still get hurt—and needed treatment.
Sleep restored stamina, but it didn't cure illness.
That was different from Kaito.
Even if he was injured or sick, one sleep cycle and he was fine.
A complete refresh.
Uma Musume recovery worked like the real world.Long cycles, treated by the nurse in the infirmary.
Speaking of which—the infirmary teacher was very young.Probably only two or three years older than Kaito.
She was beautiful.
Short deep-blue hair, matching eyes.A delicate upturned nose.Thin lips carrying a faint cherry blossom scent.
Unlike Uma Musume, she had no stats—no speed, no power.All humans in Tracen were like that.
But they did have affection values.
The nurse was already in the mid-thirties.
Every time Kaito rested in the infirmary, her affection increased.
A strange character design.
He hadn't done anything.
It just rose on its own.
After resting for a bit, Kaito packed up the remaining fish.He planned to bring them to Agnes Tachyon and the others.
As he stepped out of the dorm, he saw a green figure waiting outside.
A beautiful face of indeterminate age wore a gentle smile.
Hayakawa Tazuna bowed slightly toward him.
"Good afternoon, Trainer Kaito."
"…Y-You too?" Kaito blinked.
He hadn't imagined it, right?
Hayakawa Tazuna had greeted him first.
And she'd even called him by name.