The moment Tamamo Cross told him that his body had started glowing after he fell asleep, Kitahara instantly felt like he had finally found the answer to all the lingering doubts and unease he'd been carrying.
He knew it. Given Tamamo Cross's personality and values, there was no way she would have done something like that under normal circumstances.
And more than that, after he woke up, she had still acted so calm and natural, as though everything that had happened was perfectly reasonable. No matter how he looked at it, that was not how a normal Umamusume should have reacted.
But now, after learning that his whole body had glowed while he was asleep, all of those questions could be explained.
Even now, Kitahara still hadn't completely figured out the exact nature of the power inside him. But at the moment, he had more or less grasped two basic functions.
The first was that by guiding that power through his body, he could temporarily draw on the strength of Umamusume with whom he shared a close bond.
And the closer the relationship, the more strength he could draw.
That was how he had been able to block Special Week's attack on Grass Wonder earlier, and how, even farther back, he had defeated Rudolf and Sirius working together.
As for the second function, it was the ability to guide that power outside his body and turn it into that white-and-pale-pink light. It didn't seem to grant any boost in strength, but it did appear to amplify certain feelings in Umamusume.
As for exactly what determined which feelings were amplified, Kitahara still hadn't figured that out. He hadn't done enough testing yet. All he knew was that its effects differed from person to person.
Maruzensky's amplified craving had been the urge to speed, Sirius's had been her competitive drive toward Rudolf, Oguri Cap's had been a somewhat disturbing appetite, and Eclipse... had shown no reaction at all.
He had no idea why his body would start glowing after he fell asleep.
But one thing was beyond doubt: Tamamo Cross, who had stared directly at that light for quite some time, had definitely been affected by it—and most likely more deeply than the other Umamusume before her.
The only problem was that although he knew full well she had been strongly affected, looking back on everything she had just done, Kitahara genuinely couldn't tell which of her feelings had been amplified, or whether there had been any other effects as well.
After a long silence, he looked at the innocent-faced Tamamo Cross in front of him and let out a sigh, a touch of guilt rising in his chest.
"Sorry, Tama..."
But Tamamo Cross only looked baffled.
"What's with you? Still half asleep?"
"No, it's just..."
Just as Kitahara was about to explain the situation to Tamamo Cross, another voice spoke up from beside him.
"Um, Trainer Kitahara... was that some kind of magic trick just now?"
Only then did Kitahara remember there was still someone else in the room—someone who didn't know what had happened.
If he said too much now, it might lead to misunderstandings, so after a brief pause, he decided not to bring up what had just happened. Instead, he simply gave the two girls a basic explanation of his ability.
And after hearing that explanation, the two of them reacted quite differently.
Tamamo Cross looked confused. She furrowed her brow and thought hard for a while, but couldn't sense anything strange about herself. If anything, her head felt clearer than usual.
Ardan, on the other hand, fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"It really is just as you said, Trainer Kitahara. When I was looking at that ball of light in your hand just now, I did feel my gaze being drawn toward it... and I started having some... well, rather unusual thoughts."
"Could you be more specific?"
Kitahara asked, then explained, "Because I've been trying to keep that light suppressed all this time, I still haven't figured out exactly how it works. If possible, I'd like to gather more data, just in case anything unexpected happens..."
After a pause, he added, "Of course, if it touches on your privacy, or if you don't want to say, then just forget I asked."
"No, it's not really something I can't talk about."
Ardan smiled, lifted her gaze toward the window, and spoke slowly.
"It's just that... when I looked at the light in your hand, Trainer Kitahara, I suddenly had the urge to put down all the work I was doing and go outside to shop and have some fun..."
Shop and have fun? What kind of urge is that?
Kitahara stared at her in confusion for a moment. Then, as realization dawned, his expression turned rather delicate.
Wait a second. Don't tell me this elegant, refined young lady who always looks so poised... actually really wants to slack off inside...?
Thanks to Rudolf—the perfect example of someone who looked diligent on the surface while being thoroughly committed to slacking off in private—Kitahara didn't find the idea that Ardan might want to loaf around all that hard to accept.
But very soon, certain things he knew about Ardan and the emotions in her eyes when she spoke about going out made him realize her situation might not be quite the same as Rudolf's.
"Ardan... do you... not get to go out very often?"
Kitahara asked.
"Hmm?"
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Ardan blinked, then nodded.
"Yes. You know my condition, Trainer Kitahara. Even among Umamusume, my body is considered one of the more fragile cases. Normal training is difficult for me, and I'm often hospitalized as well. So for safety reasons, my family has never really liked me going out. Even coming to Tracen took a great deal of effort to convince them..."
That said, neither Ardan nor Kitahara thought her family had done anything wrong.
After all, her condition used to be exactly that bad. Even under careful protection, she had been as fragile as glass. If she had simply been left to fend for herself, it wouldn't have been surprising if she had suddenly collapsed one day.
Kitahara had even heard that Ardan had originally had a twin sister—but that sister had died right after birth. So her family naturally treasured Ardan all the more and protected her all the more carefully.
But...
"Ardan, if my judgment is correct, your physical condition has actually improved a great deal recently, hasn't it?"
Kitahara had every reason to say that.
After all, he had been the one secretly putting together plans to help improve Ardan's condition and having Doto deliver them.
And afterward, whenever the two of them had opportunities to talk, he would quietly assess her condition, then create updated improvement plans based on what he observed.
Once he finished them, he would once again have Doto deliver them privately. He had never stopped doing that, all the way up to now. So naturally, he knew the state of Ardan's body very well.
Compared to a normal Umamusume, she still had some distance to go.
But she was no longer that exquisitely delicate piece of "glass." She had already reached the point where normal daily life and training were possible.
The problem was that all of this had been happening in private.
And because people's impressions of her had been built up over such a long time, even now that her condition had improved, in everyone else's eyes she was still that beautiful, fragile glass flower—a figure to admire from afar, but never to touch. So naturally, the way they treated her and the expectations they placed on her hadn't changed either.
And sure enough, what Ardan said next only confirmed Kitahara's guess.
"Yes. Thanks to a kind person, my condition really has improved quite a lot. But perhaps because my previous image is so deeply fixed in everyone's mind, people still aren't very comfortable with the idea. And I don't want them worrying about me, so I usually don't go out much..."
"But you do want to go out, don't you?"
Kitahara asked seriously.
At that question, Ardan's first instinct was to say that she didn't mind. But looking at the earnest expression on Kitahara's face, she fell silent for a moment. Then she lifted her head, looked out the window, and spoke softly.
"Everyone takes very good care of me, and the scenery in both the hospital and the academy is lovely. But... when you stay in the same environment all the time, naturally there are moments when you want to go outside and see other things..."
"In that case, if you don't mind, how about the three of us go walk around for a while later?"
"...Hm?"
Ardan blinked, not quite processing what Kitahara had just said.
Seeing that reaction, Kitahara assumed she'd misunderstood something and quickly clarified.
"I don't mean just the two of us. Tama would be coming too."
As he said that, Kitahara turned to Tamamo Cross, who was staring at him with a look that very clearly said, Why am I getting dragged into this? He sighed.
"You know the situation now. Tama may have been affected pretty badly by that light, but at the moment I still can't tell exactly what's wrong with her. I'm not really comfortable taking her straight back like this. I want to observe her a little longer..."
"And besides, with just the two of us, staying here the whole time isn't a great look either. It's fine because the one who came was you, Ardan, but if someone else had found us here, it might've caused misunderstandings..."
"But if we go out, then just the two of us going around together also feels a little off. So if possible, could I ask you to help out and come with us for a bit..."
That was what he said out loud, but in truth, Kitahara had another reason for asking.
He wanted to use this chance to help improve the way other people saw Ardan.
After all, he was the one who had been managing her physical recovery from behind the scenes. He knew better than anyone exactly how much she had improved.
Her body was clearly in much better shape than before now, yet because people were still trapped by their old impressions of her, she still couldn't enjoy an ordinary life.
The more he thought about it, the more Kitahara felt he should help her out.
Might as well see it through if he was going to help at all.
Go out together...
Faced with Kitahara's sudden invitation, a trace of hesitation flickered in Ardan's eyes.
It wasn't that she disliked the idea of going out with him.
It was just that, as mentioned before, because of today's events, she—as the actual person in charge of all the Mejiro businesses in this area—had a great deal on her plate. She had even needed to squeeze time out just to deliver chocolate earlier. If she went out shopping on top of that...
"Then I'd be delighted to accept."
Ardan smiled and nodded, with not the slightest hesitation in her tone.
Yes, the event was important.
But compared to Kitahara, forget this little Valentine's Day promotion—even if she were in the middle of working on the commercial plans for Mejiro Castle, she would still find an excuse to skip out.
And while it was true that she was the one really overseeing this whole area, the Mejiro family had backup options. Even without her there, things would still function.
With that thought, Ardan excused herself by saying she needed to make a few preparations, then stepped outside the room, found a quiet corner, took out her phone, opened the contact labeled "Dessert Parfait," and began typing a message.
...
A certain plump little horse had just received chocolate from her Trainer with great delight. She tore it open and took a huge bite, only to be so violently struck by the rich bitterness inside that her hair practically stood on end.
She was just about to complain when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Not just any buzz, either—a special notification.
After opening it, she had been expecting some family member calling her out to play, and was already imagining how to score herself some sweets while she was out.
Instead, after reading the message, she looked up at the lovey-dovey scenes between Umamusume and their Trainers all around the academy, then lowered her head to look at the dark chocolate in her left hand and the message on her screen asking her to come cover someone's shift.
After a long silence, she very nearly burst into tears on the spot.
Why did everyone else's Valentine's Day look so happy while hers was turning out this miserable...?
...
After arranging for the handoff, Mejiro Ardan returned to the room. Then, after a brief rest, the three of them went out together.
Though they had done a fair bit of preparation before leaving, there wasn't actually that much to say about what happened afterward.
Kitahara had said Ardan would be accompanying them for a little shopping, but Tamamo Cross had already completed all her objectives, and Kitahara himself wasn't especially interested in shopping. So in practice, the two of them were mostly just accompanying Ardan and letting her enjoy herself.
And so they spent the afternoon wandering around until evening, nearing dinnertime.
By then, Kitahara felt it was about time. And since Tamamo Cross hadn't shown any further unusual behavior, he decided it was time to bring the two of them back to the academy.
But just before they returned, as the school gates drew near, Kitahara suddenly turned to Ardan and made a rather odd request.
"Ardan, I've got a lot of stuff here. Could you help me carry some of it?"
As he said that, he raised the numerous bags they had accumulated from all the various events.
"Of course."
Ardan naturally had no reason to refuse such a small favor.
Still, what puzzled her was that although he claimed he had too much to carry, he had been lugging all of it around the whole way without seeming the slightest bit strained. So why suddenly hand it to her now...?
But before long, she found out exactly why Kitahara had done it.
The moment they entered the academy and people saw Ardan had returned, some of her friends and several members of the Mejiro family group immediately surrounded her and began asking with concern where she had been all afternoon.
And once they heard she had been out shopping for several hours, they looked at the bags in Ardan's hands, then at the innocent-looking Kitahara standing beside her, and their brows gradually drew together.
What was wrong with this man? He knew perfectly well what Ardan's condition was, and not only had he dragged her all over outside for hours, he'd even made her carry his things...
Faced with those questioning looks, Kitahara showed no intention whatsoever of explaining himself. As though he hadn't noticed any of the stares around him, he simply stepped forward in a perfectly calm manner, took the bags back from Ardan, thanked her, then turned and walked away.
"Oh, right—Ardan, if you don't mind, then next time we get the chance, how about we go out together again?"
Halfway off, Kitahara suddenly turned back to add that. He even smiled before turning around again and continuing on his way.
After Kitahara left, one Umamusume looked after his retreating figure and muttered softly,
"Ardan-sama, that man..."
"What about him?"
Watching his back as he walked away, listening to the murmurs around her, Ardan more or less understood what he had been trying to do. Her gaze trembled faintly as she stared after him.
"He clearly knows your condition, and he still took you out shopping for hours, and even made you carry things. He doesn't know how to care about people at all..."
"Oh, he understands very well."
Mejiro Ardan suddenly spoke, then smiled and reached out to pat the little Umamusume on the head.
"If anything, it's precisely because he understands so well that he did it."
The truth was, not only did Ardan herself know how much her condition had improved, the Mejiro family knew it too through test results and other data.
But because of the long-standing assumptions that had built up around her, no one had dared propose changing the circumstances she lived under.
After all, if someone suggested breaking her out of her current protected environment, and something later went wrong, all the blame would inevitably fall on that person. And since her health still hadn't quite reached the level of an ordinary Umamusume, nobody had been willing to take that risk.
Kitahara, however, hadn't voiced any suggestion.
Instead, through direct action, he had shown her something else:
That if responsibility needed to be borne, then he would bear it.
And as for why he hadn't said any of this openly?
Come on. He still thought Ardan had no idea that he had been secretly helping her. How could he possibly come right out and say it?
Otherwise, the Mejiro family would only need to ask one simple question—how had he come to that judgment?—and follow it up with a little investigation, and the whole thing would be exposed.
In any case, after believing he had quietly resolved Ardan's situation, Kitahara checked on Tamamo Cross one last time. Once he confirmed there was nothing wrong with her, he escorted her back to the dorms first.
After watching Tamamo Cross carry all her things back inside, Kitahara checked the time, went to the cafeteria for a simple meal, and then prepared to head back to his own dorm and finally get some rest.
But just as he relaxed and twisted open the door to his room, ready to take a proper break—
The moment he pushed it open and saw what was inside, his steps stopped dead.
And at that exact same instant, the moment Kitahara appeared, the room—packed wall to wall with Umamusume and non-Umamusume participants alike—lifted their heads in eerie unison and locked their gaze onto him.
For a moment, as all those eyes converged on him, Kitahara had the strange impression that the air around him had grown damp.
Even the air itself felt almost solid.
---
T/N: LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bros bout to get jumped, also was that little round uma mejiro mcqueen
T/N2: patreon got hit with a cliffhanger so 1 chap only :D
bonus chaps
200 stones -> 1 chapter
400 stones -> 2 chapters
600 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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