Chapter 10: Team Polaris
"Trainer-san!"
Sakura Bakushin O immediately stepped in front of him, hands on her hips, her mouth pouting high. "I'm your Uma Musume, right? Trainer-san should always be looking at me!"
Kisei couldn't help but chuckle. "You little girl, so possessive?"
"Hmph, you only have me as your Uma Musume right now, so your time, your attention—of course, they're all mine!" Sakura Bakushin O declared with righteous confidence.
"Alright, alright, it's all yours, all yours." Kisei raised his hands in surrender. "By the way, what were you asking just now?"
"The team name! Our team's name! Trainer-san, you haven't thought of one yet, have you?" Sakura Bakushin O narrowed her eyes, showing an expression that said, "I really can't do anything with you."
"The team name..." Kisei's face twisted into a pained expression. He really hadn't thought of one. "How about... you come up with one, Bakushin O?"
"Me?" Suddenly entrusted with such an important task, her eyes lit up, and her little brain began working at high speed. "The teams at the academy traditionally use stars or constellations for names..."
"How about Sirius? The brightest star in the night sky. It symbolizes that our team will become the most dazzling presence in the academy!"
"Hmm... not bad, but it doesn't feel impactful enough." Kisei stroked his chin.
"Then what about Orion? It's a constellation name, very powerful!"
Kisei shook his head. "It sounds like Oreo if you say it too fast."
"Trainer-san has decision paralysis!" Sakura Bakushin O exclaimed as if she had discovered a big secret, playfully laughing. After thinking for a moment, she suggested again, "What about Luna? For us, the moon is also the brightest celestial body, and it sounds nice!"
"No, no!" Kisei waved his hands repeatedly as if he had been stepped on. If Rudolf found out he had used her nickname as the team name, he probably wouldn't live to see tomorrow.
"Eh~ but it sounds really nice." Sakura Bakushin O pouted, suddenly feeling like her Trainer was a picky child, so hard to please.
Having rejected three suggestions in a row, Kisei felt a bit embarrassed. "Next one, the next one I'll seriously consider!"
"Okay..." Sakura Bakushin O lightly tapped her chin with her index finger, lost in thought. It really wasn't easy to come up with something that sounded good, had a good meaning, and didn't have any strange connotations.
As she thought, her gaze unconsciously fell on Kisei. The morning light fell on his white hair, as if gilding it with a faint golden edge.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her mind! Shinichi Kogoro would always say...
"Polaris!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "The North Star, the star that always guides the way!"
"Oh?" Kisei was taken aback, then a smile spread across his lips. "Polaris, that really is a good name."
"Yeah! Team Polaris!" Sakura Bakushin O raised her hand, pointing straight at him with her fingertip, a brilliant smile blooming on her face.
"Trainer-san is my Polaris. From now on, please always guide me to the finish line of victory!"
The morning breeze swept across the training field, lifting her pink hair.
Kisei looked at the passionate Uma Musume before him, as if he could already see the light of the star named Polaris quietly beginning to shine.
In the distance, the figure with water-blue long hair hadn't gone far. She stood under the shade of a tree, softly repeating that word.
"Polaris... not bad at all."
Her voice was light, quickly scattering in the wind.
...
After deciding on the team name, Kisei and Sakura Bakushin O had breakfast together before going their separate ways. Sakura Bakushin O had classes to attend, while he needed to begin his work as a Trainer.
Carrying his laptop, Kisei headed toward the Trainer office building. The academy's Trainer offices were typically shared by four people. This being his first day officially clocking in as a full-fledged Trainer, he felt a slight anticipation about which Trainers would become his colleagues.
"This should be the one."
Standing before the door, Kisei straightened his collar slightly before pushing it open.
The office was spacious and bright, with four desks positioned at each corner of the room. By the window, a woman with a green ponytail, wearing a simple white shirt and jeans, looked up at the sound and immediately smiled.
"Kisei, welcome back."
"Senior Komiyama?" Kisei was somewhat surprised. He knew this woman—Komiyama Katsumi, the top disciple of Rokuhira, already an advanced Trainer who had cultivated G3 graded Uma Musume before turning thirty.
Katsumi stood up and approached, gesturing to compare their height difference. "Have you grown taller again?"
"Senior Komiyama hasn't changed much," Kisei laughed. "Still just as beautiful."
"Flatterer," Katsumi patted his arm, her tone familiar. "So you're the new member of our group?"
"If I haven't entered the wrong door," Kisei glanced around, confirming the nameplate.
"Perfect timing then, let me introduce you." Katsumi pulled him toward another desk in the room. Seated at the desk was a capable-looking young person with purple shoulder-length hair, wearing a blue suit with sleeves rolled up to the forearms, their profile sharp and clear.
"This is Nase Fumino, a genius who graduated early from Trainer school, currently a trainee Trainer."
Kisei's first impression was of a remarkably dashing young man (?), until they turned to face him—revealing delicate yet handsome features with long eyelashes, a small nose and mouth, and somewhat short stature.
Fumino stood up and extended a hand, voice gentle: "Hello, senior. I'm Nase Fumino."
Kisei paused momentarily before quickly shaking her hand. "Hoshino Kisei, pleased to meet you."
"I've heard about you, senior," Fumino smiled slightly, releasing his hand.
"I hope it was good things," Kisei joked half-heartedly.
"At least nothing bad," Fumino replied with equal amusement.
Only then did Kisei notice the golden earrings hanging from her earlobes and the delicate collarbone lines at her neckline—indeed a female Trainer, though her androgynous handsomeness was so prominent it had caused his initial misjudgment.
Katsumi raised an eyebrow nearby. "What, captivated? Fumino's quite popular—many Uma Musume gathered to watch when she first joined."
"Senior, please don't joke like that," Fumino shook her head helplessly.
Komiyama smiled, nodding to Kisei before returning to her seat. "Your desk is over there, by the door. Let me know if you need help settling in."
"Thank you."
Kisei walked to his desk, sat down, arranged his computer, tidied up a bit, and began his work for the day.