After arriving at the racecourse, Kitahara and the others followed the usual procedure. They picked up the lounge key from the organizers, made their preparations, then sent Tokai Teio onto the course. Nothing unexpected happened during that time.
Only, after watching Tokai Teio enter the racecourse, Kitahara did not head to the Trainers' dedicated viewing stand as he usually did. Instead, he and Rudolf found a relatively secluded corner and watched the track from afar.
It was not that Kitahara wanted to be alone with Rudolf. It was just that, since she had come along, he would have felt bad leaving her by herself while he went off to the stands.
And if he stayed with her, the reputation of an undefeated Triple Crown winner was what it was. Although she had disguised herself before coming out, there was still a chance she would be recognized, which might lead to other trouble.
Nor was it only Rudolf. Because he had let those attacks against him spread unchecked, his own fame had also begun to circulate in the outside world recently.
Only, in contrast to Rudolf, the fame he had gained was all notoriety. If he really went to the spectator seats and got recognized, it might cause even bigger trouble than she would.
Thus, Kitahara and Rudolf came to this secluded spot together. Since there were no seats nearby, the two of them simply leaned against the balcony railing, one on each side, and watched Tokai Teio's race from a distance.
Entering the course. Warming up. Entering the gate...
As the number-one favorite, Tokai Teio strode into the gate with her head held high. Before going in, she even shook her little head, as if searching the spectator stands for someone, though it seemed she never found them before entering the gate.
"That child..."
Noticing her little movement, Kitahara sighed helplessly.
"She's already on the racecourse. She should focus on the race..."
"She really is hard to feel at ease about, isn't she?"
Rudolf rested her chin in one hand, a faint smile on her face.
"But speaking of which, she really does like you. It would be one thing if she only clung to you normally, but even after entering the racecourse, she still has to look for where you are..."
"You say that like she doesn't like you."
After spending so much time together, and with their relationship growing closer recently, Kitahara had become more and more casual when interacting with Rudolf. He glanced sideways at her and continued.
"And if anything, that child probably likes you more. After all, whenever she has nothing to do, she loves running to the Student Council room. I haven't seen her come looking for me that often. She was probably looking more for you just now, too..."
"It's different."
Rudolf shook her head and cut him off.
"The way that child likes me is only the ordinary admiration a kouhai has for her senpai. But you are different. Her affection for you is pure and simple, without anything else mixed in."
As she spoke, Rudolf turned her head. Looking at the somewhat confused Kitahara, she sighed softly.
"All right, let me put it more plainly. Her affection for me comes more from yearning. She wants to become someone like me."
"But her affection for you is directed purely at you as a person, and in the end, it isn't about surpassing you. It's about wanting to be with you... in other words, becoming your lover."
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not joking with you. In fact, I reminded you about this a long time ago. I told you she liked you, but you seemed to misunderstand what I meant at the time..."
"That's impossible."
Kitahara looked at Rudolf in surprise.
"Aren't you overthinking it? I admit Teio is pretty attached to me, but you know what she's like. She's basically a child. She probably doesn't even understand what romance is. Most likely, she just sees me as a trustworthy elder..."
Although after all this time together, because his impression of Teio was so good, Kitahara no longer worried much about getting locked in Teio's basement, suddenly saying that Tokai Teio liked him...
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
Digital and Neicha were one thing. Although he did not want to admit it, he had indeed done plenty of things that raised their affection toward him. But Teio...
At least in his memory, he had not done anything that would have raised her affection much. In fact, because he was not responsible for her training, and because she always ran over to the Student Council room, the time they spent together was relatively little compared with the others on his team.
So, no matter how he thought about it, Kitahara did not believe there was any possibility that Tokai Teio liked him.
Otherwise, judging by the situation with the others on his team, wouldn't that mean everyone had feelings for him? Just thinking about it made it obviously impossible.
As for Kitahara's train of thought, Symboli Rudolf had long since grown used to it. Not to mention, the purpose behind bringing up Tokai Teio this time was different from last time as well, so she did not dwell on it further.
"All right, then. Regardless of what the truth is, let's make an assumption. Suppose she likes you and wants to become your lover... What would you do?"
"What else could I do?"
Kitahara spread his hands.
"How old is she? She's also one of the girls under my name. How could I possibly agree to something like that...?"
"Do you not like her?" Rudolf asked.
"Is this a matter of liking or not liking?"
Kitahara sighed.
"Rudolf, I know you've been at Tracen Academy for a long time, so your views on romance may be somewhat different from normal people's, but I have to emphasize this. Given Teio's age, this isn't some moral issue. It's a legal issue..."
"But from what I can see, the age gap between you and her isn't that large."
Rudolf looked at him and spoke with a hint of teasing.
"Don't tell me anything about how you're an adult. I happened to look through your file a while ago for work-related reasons, along with some other channels, and I discovered something interesting..."
"For example, someone, in order to land a job, lied by several years when creating his identification documents. Then, using those falsified materials, he openly entered Tracen at around the same age as the Umamusume, and yet he keeps calling others children... Has he forgotten how old he is?"
"What do you think, little brother Kitahara?"
Hearing that form of address, several black lines instantly appeared across Kitahara's forehead.
The problem was that, although it was extremely aggravating, Kitahara really could not think of anything to refute her with for the moment—because what she said was, in fact, the truth.
"...In any case, I'm already an adult on paper."
Unable to refute her, Kitahara prepared to change the subject.
"All right, all right, let's not get hung up on this mess. The race is about to start. We should focus more on the course."
"I don't think this is some trivial matter."
As she spoke, Rudolf turned her head back toward the racecourse, her gaze flickering.
"And I don't think there's any need to pay attention to this race either. After all, we both know very well who the final victor will be, don't we?"
Kitahara really wanted to say that the race had yet to end, so victory and defeat were still unknown. But recalling the recent performance of the girls on his team, he truly could not say it.
Before, while the girls on his team had also performed well in races and were basically difficult to rival in every race, their strength at that time could only be called very strong. It was not as though they were completely invincible.
For example, in Agnes Digital's first race of the Autumn Senior Triple Crown, the Tenno Sho (Autumn), if she had not activated her Domain, that performance trance/zone, there was a good chance she would have been overtaken by the second-place finisher and stumbled right at the finish.
But now, forget being overtaken. Agnes Digital had won the remaining two races of the Autumn Senior Triple Crown by crushing margins, and each victory had come more easily than the last.
Moreover, Agnes Digital had only joined his team after entering her second year, so comparatively speaking, she had received less of his training. As for those he had trained earlier and more extensively, such as Oguri Cap and Tachyon, if they raced against Umamusume of the same year, forget a large margin—even twenty or thirty lengths would be easy.
As for Tokai Teio, although she had not received his direct instruction, she was still on his team. She interacted with the others a great deal, and from time to time, she could enjoy the various non-training benefits available on his team, such as care, special drinks, and help from Rudolf's side.
Add to that her own talent, which could be called top-class among Umamusume, and while her current strength could not necessarily be said to surpass the Umamusume Kitahara had trained, she was not far behind. In a normal race like this, as long as no major accident occurred, one could basically say she was guaranteed to slaughter the field.
Fortunately, Rudolf did not seem intent on dwelling on that topic either. After speaking, she looked toward the racecourse. Although she had said she did not care, in reality, she still seemed a little unable to stop worrying.
But just as Kitahara saw her settle down and prepared to watch the race in peace, Rudolf's voice sounded again.
"Kitahara, you said earlier that you couldn't accept Teio because of her age. What about others? If they like you, and their age is appropriate, what would you do?"
Hearing her words, Kitahara raised an eyebrow. Combining them with what she had said earlier, a strange sense of dissonance rose in his heart, and his expression gradually turned subtle.
Wait. This woman can't be urging me to get married, can she...?
Although it felt very strange inside, at least on the surface, Kitahara answered her question normally.
"I can't answer that. The concept of 'others' is too broad. And to be honest, I haven't really thought about that sort of thing. For now, I still plan to finish guiding these girls first, then consider matters like that afterward..."
Although some rather inappropriate things had indeed happened with certain girls under his name, and he had already decided to live together with them.
Because he had never experienced anything like this before, and because he had far too much on his plate, even now, Kitahara had never properly thought about the future. Naturally, he had no real answer at the moment.
"Have you never considered resolving this matter while you're still at the academy?"
Watching Tokai Teio, who had already started running below, Rudolf's tone remained normal.
"I'm not trying to alarm you, but think about it yourself. You're a Trainer. Your usual work is dealing with Umamusume. Even after retiring, you'll probably continue working in a field related to Umamusume. If you found someone completely outside the field, it would probably be very hard for them to have much in common with you..."
"Not only that, if you really do as you say and wait until after you finish guiding these girls to find a partner, it's hard to say whether that person would mind your relationship with them. It might even interfere with your work in the future..."
"And although you may currently feel your relationship with those girls is still relatively normal, there is still a long time left. Can you guarantee that during the remaining time, they won't develop feelings for you, or even get strange ideas? What will you do then?"
If Rudolf had said these words a month ago, Kitahara would definitely have denied it on the spot, absolutely certain that nothing inappropriate could possibly happen between him and the girls under his name during his tenure.
But now...
Recalling the various "physical examinations" from a while ago, Kitahara could not help sighing.
"You're right. There's still a long time left. I really can't guarantee that kind of thing, and the problems you mentioned do make sense..."
He paused, then continued helplessly.
"But even so, it's not as if I can make a move on those girls, right? I admit they're all very cute, and their personalities are good too, but I really do only want, from a Trainer's perspective, to raise them properly, give them a fulfilling three years, and guide them in the right direction..."
"Who said anything about those girls? And given your age, can you really call them girls? Some of them should be older than you, shouldn't they?"
"...In any case, I'm older than them on paper."
Kitahara stubbornly said that much, then continued.
"But if it isn't those girls... do you mean other Trainers?"
After thinking for a moment, he continued before Rudolf could reply.
"To be honest, I know there are some very good people among the Trainers too. But everyone works at Tracen. An office romance doesn't feel great, and among the Trainers I know, I don't think there's anyone particularly suitable..."
"Not a Trainer," Rudolf added.
Not a Trainer?
Kitahara froze. Then his gaze gradually became subtle.
Wait. Not a student, and not a Trainer. Could it be...
After a moment of silence, Kitahara slowly spoke, his tone complicated.
"Um, President. Although I admit Hayakawa-san is wonderful, and at present she does have some suspicion of being an older unmarried woman, I really do only see her as a very good senpai. I don't have any strange thoughts about her..."
"Not Hayakawa-san either."
"...Huh?"
Kitahara froze, momentarily confused.
Not a student, not a Trainer, and not Hayakawa-san... Could it be Chairwoman Akikawa? That was not very likely, was it?
Seeing Kitahara's expression, Rudolf knew it was probably impossible to expect him to realize the answer on his own. So she no longer hesitated. She turned directly and walked up to him.
Then, at the very moment Tokai Teio crossed the finish line on the racecourse, claimed victory, and happily looked around in an attempt to find certain figures and share her joy—
In a secluded corner, two silhouettes intertwined. Only after quite some time did they slowly part.
"What I mean is, what do you think of me?"
Looking at the dazed Kitahara in front of her, Rudolf licked the corner of her lips, savoring the lingering taste. There seemed to be fire burning in her eyes.
"My dear Kitahara."