Kaito finally had people he could talk to.
They were a group of AIs. Even though he couldn't get handsy with them, just chatting and teasing was already pretty enjoyable.
Girls really were cutest when they were shy.
Of course, too much shyness wasn't good either. One time, Kaito took his teasing a step too far and got rewarded with a rising dragon punch straight to the face.
That was the first time in his life he'd flown that high as a human.
Thankfully, in VR, players didn't actually get injured—though you could still feel pain.
Wait.
You could feel it, but you wouldn't get hurt.
Wasn't that just pure sensory stimulation?
Stimulation in the outside world consumed energy from your body. Stimulation in here might not even require energy at all.
A bold idea suddenly took shape in Kaito's mind.
Unfortunately, he couldn't freely use any of the equipment. The computer screen was still nothing but a vast field of white, and Kaito had no idea how to operate it. Afraid of breaking something, he could only wait for the Chairwoman and the others to come find him for the next round of testing.
If only he had command authority like Tazuna or Yayoi.
Both of them were Uma Musume. Logically, he should be able to become their trainer too, right? Even though on the surface Hayakawa Tazuna and Akiyama Yayoi looked human, once you stripped away appearances, you'd notice their ears hidden beneath their hats, their tails tucked away under their skirts. Even when they talked, their tails would instinctively tense, desperately holding back from swaying.
Kaito had personally confirmed all of that.
Next time he returned to the real world, he'd propose becoming their trainer.
"Trainer…"
Back at the training grounds, Chazé walked up beside him.
"What's the next training task?"
"Let me check," Kaito said, pulling out the training schedule.
In the past, aside from doing proper work, Kaito mostly did improper things—his life ran strictly between two points. But after spending time with the AIs, he'd learned how to live in the moment.
Unlike before, he now had something to look forward to.
That something was diving into VR and pouring out his grievances to the AI Uma Musume.
Sometimes he'd accidentally say things he really shouldn't, making the AIs blush furiously, but overall the conversations were pleasant.
As beings made of data, the AI Uma Musume didn't truly understand what "the great harmony of life" felt like. They were extremely curious about it—but with fully developed personality data, they were also too shy to try anything recklessly.
In short: affection levels weren't high enough. CGs were still locked. Kaito would have to raise affection from scratch.
Anyway—back to training.
His Uma Musume were growing rapidly day by day. Chazé and the others hadn't changed much yet, but Tokai Teio's speed had already surpassed 300.
For a newly debuted Uma Musume, that was an absurdly high stat. The others were still hovering around the 100–200 range.
Kaito felt confident he could raise them into absolute Ten-Mile Slope Sword Gods—once that happened, races would be nothing but steamrolling victories.
Over the past few months, through countless permutations and combinations, Kaito had more or less figured out a trainer's duties. While others learned training by observing appearances and guessing at the flesh beneath, Kaito was learning the flesh directly.
If this were the real world, he'd easily qualify as a high-level trainer.
Unfortunately, he couldn't go there.
Just as Kaito was about to schedule the next training plan, he noticed Chazé's mood suddenly dropping for no apparent reason.
What was going on?
[Status: Injured]
"Huh?!"
Kaito's heart skipped a beat when he saw the status indicator.
This was the first time one of his Uma Musume had been injured. Had his training plan gone wrong? No—now wasn't the time to think about that.
He had Chazé sit down. The thick, soft padding inside her shoes was soaked through with sweat. He flipped open the tongue, and her small foot—worked hard through half a day of training—was exposed to the air. A faint, sour scent of exertion wafted out, heavy sweat completely masking her natural fragrance.
He removed her shoe. At the toe, dark scuff marks from friction were stained with a hint of red. Pulling off her sock, Kaito discovered a split in Chazé's toenail, blood seeping out from the crack.
Against her slender, pale toes, that streak of red looked like a blooming rose.
Thankfully… it wasn't serious.
A bit of bandaging, two or three days of rest, and it would heal.
Kaito finally let out a breath of relief. He looked up at Chazé—her fair cheeks were flushed, and her clear golden eyes avoided his hands, staring down at the floor as if she were worried about something.
These girls… Kaito really couldn't get mad at them.
They were injured, and the first thing they asked was about training.
Couldn't you say something else…
Kaito turned his back to her.
"Hop on. I'll carry you to the infirmary."
A few seconds later, a soft, yielding warmth pressed against his back, accompanied by a humid heat. Arms as tender as lotus roots wrapped around his neck.
"Chazé," Kaito muttered as he walked, "do I look a bit like a real trainer now? You can't hear me anyway. Or maybe I can't hear you. Either way, I'll just talk. I get chatty whenever you're nearby."
He rambled as he headed toward the infirmary, telling her about his recent experiences in the VR world. She still didn't respond.
Kaito shook his head—then suddenly felt his waist tighten. A smooth, silky black tail coiled around him.
"Chazé?"
The girl leaned against his back, as if breathing in his scent, her warm breath brushing his collar.
"Chazé, I heard Uma Musume tails can shatter plates. Is that true?"
"..."
"And this tail feels pretty long. Do you use it to wrap things often?"
The tail wriggled slightly, brushing against his lower abdomen, with a subtle tendency to slip even lower.
When they reached the infirmary, the nurse wasn't there. Kaito settled Chazé onto the bed and rummaged through the drawer for medicine. He'd learned basic wound treatment from the trainer's notes.
As a "player," he could recover daily. The Uma Musume couldn't. If they were injured, they had to wait for the negative status timer to run out.
Chazé's injury timer showed forty-two hours, counting down from the moment Kaito picked her up. Exercise could potentially extend that duration.
Holding her pink sole, Kaito wiped away the stuffy foot sweat, then took out the medicine bottle and applied it carefully to the cracked nail.
It was his first time treating an injury, and he was a bit clumsy. When he disinfected the wound, Chazé's body visibly trembled. Once he finished, the recovery countdown above her head shortened slightly.
If I bought medicine outside… could it heal them faster?
The thought suddenly occurred to him.
Kaito gently touched Chazé's face. She closed one eye, but the other continued staring straight at him.
"Rest today. We'll train again after you're better."
"Yes."
Kaito kneaded her tail for a bit longer, then left the room.
Long after he was gone, Chazé slowly withdrew her gaze.
Her hand slipped beneath her skirt.
Above her head, the affection hearts throbbed wildly.