Strange. Where did the Prez and Trainer-san go...?
After the race ended, Tokai Teio, who had won without the slightest suspense, stood at the finish line, constantly turning her little head as she tried to find the two of them.
But strangely enough, whenever she raced in the past, although the President would not sit in the spectator stands because of her fame, she would usually find a place where Teio could easily see her after the race ended, then give her some sign of approval once she won.
Today, however, forget the President—even her Trainer was nowhere to be seen. She searched the spectator stands, the Trainers' viewing platform, and even some of the more hidden corners, but still failed to find either of them.
Could they be afraid of being recognized, so they're watching the broadcast in the lounge...?
Although their absence slightly dampened the joy of victory, it was not a major issue. After searching for a while and failing to find them, Tokai Teio stopped looking. Maybe she simply had not spotted them.
However, just as Tokai Teio gave up the search and was about to prepare for the upcoming Winner's Concert—
For some reason, the other competitors had gathered into a little huddle after the race ended, watching Tokai Teio and whispering among themselves. After murmuring for quite a while, they seemed to reach some kind of consensus. They slowly walked over to her side and spoke tentatively.
"Um, Teio-san, hello..."
"Ah, hello."
Tokai Teio responded with a smile.
"Is something the matter?"
"Mm, well..."
The Umamusume who had spoken hesitated for a while, then slowly continued.
"We heard your Trainer is that Trainer Kitahara, so we wanted to ask a few things about him..."
Hm? They want to ask about Trainer-san? Could they be Umamusume he took care of in the past?
Because Kitahara did not hide his past, the little troublemakers on his team knew that he had once taken care of many Umamusume, and that they had plenty of potential rivals.
So when she heard the Umamusume in front of her say she wanted to ask about Trainer-san, Tokai Teio's gaze instantly turned wary. Even so, she did not refuse.
"What do you want to ask?"
Seeing Tokai Teio's guarded expression, the Umamusume seemed to think of something and began whispering among themselves again, which only made the caution in Tokai Teio's eyes deepen.
"It's just some things about training..."
The Umamusume who had asked paused, then slowly spoke.
"I read some articles about Trainer Kitahara before, and I noticed that the Umamusume on your team all seem incredibly strong. So I wanted to ask how you usually train, and whether there are any tricks to it..."
"Of course, if it involves team secrets or if it's inconvenient to share, you can just pretend I never asked..."
Hm? It's only about training?
Hearing that it was only a training question, Tokai Teio breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's not really anything we can't talk about. Trainer-san usually helps other Trainers too, and he often shares his training insights with others..."
She paused, then continued.
"But while there's nothing we can't say, I'm not really sure how to explain it to you. I feel like Trainer-san doesn't really train any differently from other Trainers..."
"If I had to say something, it'd be that Trainer-san handles the details better. Things like correcting our movements. Also, when he makes training plans, he adjusts the intensity as much as possible based on our condition, so the training can have the greatest effect..."
"I see..."
The Umamusume who had asked the question nodded, then continued.
"I heard your team's training intensity is higher than ordinary teams. Is that true?"
"That part is true."
Tokai Teio nodded.
"Like I just said, Trainer adjusts the intensity based on our condition to maximize the effect of training, so the intensity has always been increasing. Right now, compared to other teams, our team's training intensity is probably around two to three times theirs..."
Tokai Teio did not think there was anything hard to say about that. After all, while the training intensity had gone up, Kitahara had done a good job with all the supporting measures too.
Not only were there specialized running styles, there was also regular care, as well as medicines made from combinations of folk remedies to restore stamina and energy, and so on.
With all those things supporting them, although the training intensity had increased, their experience had not gotten worse because of it. In fact, it even felt easier than before.
But when those words fell on other people's ears—especially the ears of Umamusume who did not study at Tracen Main Campus—they sounded rather wrong.
Two to three times...
Hearing the number Tokai Teio had casually given, the Umamusume whispering behind them instantly looked horrified. After a moment of stunned shock, someone could not help speaking up.
"With that kind of intensity, don't you feel like it's really hard?"
"Of course it's hard, but victory isn't something you can get easily either."
Tokai Teio smiled.
Faced with her answer, the Umamusume behind her began whispering again, exchanging quiet comments among themselves.
"So those rumors online were actually true. Two to three times the training intensity..."
"There really is a reason they're that strong. But isn't two to three times the training volume a bit excessive...?"
"I heard someone say before that Trainer Kitahara is a very good person. He shouldn't do something like that just to win, right...?"
"But Teio-san herself said it was two to three times the training volume, and she doesn't look like she hates it either..."
"I definitely couldn't do it. Forget two or three times. Even with my current training intensity, I already feel like I'm going to collapse. I can't imagine how they keep going..."
Tokai Teio did not know what they were whispering about. The Umamusume who had asked the question stood there in shock for quite a while after hearing her answer.
After coming back to her senses, she felt this already sounded rather excessive, but she thought there might be some misunderstanding involved, so she spoke again.
"Um, Teio-san, about training at that kind of intensity, does no one on your team... think it's strange?"
Tokai Teio looked at her in confusion.
"Isn't that normal? What's so strange about it?"
"..."
The questioning Umamusume fell silent for a while, then continued.
"Then let me ask another way. Suppose I had an ordinary Umamusume friend who also wanted to become stronger and wanted to join Teio-san's team. What do you think she should do? And what should she pay attention to?"
Hm?
Hearing that question, Tokai Teio raised an eyebrow.
At first, she had thought the other party might simply be asking about training because of her strength. But now, it seemed the fox's tail had finally slipped out...
Seeing the other party lay her cards on the table—at least, that was what Tokai Teio herself believed—her expression instantly turned serious.
"I don't recommend that friend of yours join the team I'm currently on. At least, not right now."
"And if that 'friend' of yours insists on joining, I won't stop her. I can only give her one piece of advice."
Staring straight at the Umamusume in front of her, Tokai Teio spoke in an unprecedentedly serious tone.
"If she truly wants to join our team, then she must be prepared to stake and sacrifice everything in pursuit of the 'ultimate victory.'"
"If she can't even do that much, then I ask that she simply watch from afar. And if she can do it..."
As she spoke, Tokai Teio slowly clenched her fist, fire seeming to leap in her eyes.
"Then I am willing to welcome her to this mortal battlefield."
"And then crush her completely."
...
"That was my first kiss, you know."
With Kitahara cornered against the wall, Symboli Rudolf wore a faint smile.
Only now did Kitahara, who had been forcibly kissed, finally come back to his senses and realize what had happened.
"President, do you mean..."
"Don't overthink it. This is a confession."
With one hand braced against the wall beside Kitahara's face, Rudolf maintained a kabedon pose as she spoke.
"I like you, and I intend to date you. No, I should say I intend to marry you. What do you think? If you have no objections, I'll take that as your tacit agreement."
No, how did it become tacit agreement?
Hearing Rudolf's words, Kitahara's heart jumped, and he immediately spoke.
"Wait. Let me calm down first and sort out my thoughts..."
"Then you had better be quick."
Rudolf glanced toward the distant racecourse, then continued.
"That child's race has already ended. She'll probably be back before long."
Shit...
With time pressing, Kitahara could not worry about too much else. He took a deep breath, forced down the jumble of thoughts in his mind, and spoke directly.
"Can I ask why?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
Rudolf looked at him and spoke calmly.
"Our personalities are compatible. Our usual conversations flow smoothly. In private, when we have free time, we get along very pleasantly. In proper matters, we can also work together and help each other. Even Teio's training is something we've been doing together."
"I don't know how you view the relationship between us, but personally, I truly cannot think of anyone more suited to be my lover than you. And I do genuinely like you as you are."
Because Rudolf understood Kitahara very well, she directly avoided any wording that might allow him to misunderstand or evade her, and instead went straight for it, leaving him no room to maneuver.
Faced with Rudolf's answer, Kitahara fell silent for a while, then sighed.
"Can you give me some time to think about it? That child will be back soon. I don't want this sort of thing to affect her training and races..."
The reason he said this was not because Kitahara believed Tokai Teio liked him.
It was simply that even if she did not like him, seeing the uncle-next-door type she usually got along with suddenly announce one day that he was going to marry her mother would probably be a rather large shock for a child.
Faced with Kitahara's request, Rudolf agreed very quickly.
"All right."
Rudolf nodded.
"But I'll state this in advance. Even if you don't agree, I won't give up."
"I won't force you. But since you have the right to refuse, I also have the right to refuse your refusal."
"No problem with that, right?"
"...No problem."
Kitahara sighed. After briefly dealing with the scent on both of them, he returned to the lounge with Rudolf.
Not long after they returned, Tokai Teio, having finished chatting on the other side, also came back to the lounge. When she opened the door and saw the two of them, she threw herself straight into their arms, acting spoiled as she began talking about the race just now.
"Mm, I saw it. You ran very well today, Teio. From the middle stage onward, you had basically secured victory. Your stride afterward was very stable too. You performed even better than you usually do in training..."
After giving her a simple round of praise, Tokai Teio went off to prepare for the Winner's Concert, and Kitahara and Rudolf once again found themselves alone.
"Um, President..."
Along with Tokai Teio's departure, and the sound of the door lock clicking into place, a faintly ominous feeling surfaced in Kitahara's heart.
"Didn't we agree that you'd give me some time to think...?"
"Yes. You think about your part, and I do what I need to do. Is there a problem?"
As she spoke, Rudolf walked up to him, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and looked down at him with a slightly playful gaze.
"Also, don't call me President. Call me by my name—no, in private, you can just call me Luna."
Looking at Rudolf in front of him, Kitahara fell silent for quite a while. Knowing this calamity was probably unavoidable, he thought it over and decided to lay his cards on the table.
"Presi... Luna, before I answer your question, there are some things I need to confess to you. I hope you won't be angry..."
After sighing deeply, Kitahara gave Rudolf a simple explanation of what had happened before with Agnes Tachyon and the others. Once he finished, he sighed again.
"I know this is too much, but I can't help it. Of course I'm happy that someone as outstanding as you likes me, President, but I'm afraid I can't respond to your feelings. After all, I've already done that sort of thing with those girls, so I have to take responsi—?"
Before he could finish, Rudolf shoved Kitahara down onto the lounge sofa.
"...?"
Looking at Rudolf, whose head was lowered and whose hair covered her face so he could not see her expression, Kitahara spoke cautiously.
She's angry, right? She's definitely angry!
To be honest, Kitahara did not think there was anything wrong with Rudolf being angry at a time like this. After all, never mind the fact that she had just confessed to him and immediately received this kind of news. The fact that he had done that sort of thing with the girls under his name was already scummy enough on its own.
Under these circumstances, forget merely pinning him down. Even if she wanted to beat him up to vent, he would not resist.
But just as Kitahara was thinking that, and was even preparing to close his eyes and take the beating, Rudolf lifted her head.
Only, unlike what Kitahara had expected, the expression on Rudolf's face was not the anger or fury he had imagined. Instead, she was flushed deeply, cheeks puffed up in frustration, and even looked a little wronged. She seemed just like an extra-large Tokai Teio.
She had clearly been the first. She had clearly acted so quickly. She had even forced herself to endure her embarrassment and launched an entire aggressive combo. And yet now...
Although she looked very fierce, as if she were some ruthless conquest machine, Rudolf's heart was far less calm than she appeared on the surface.
After all, in the end, this was her first time experiencing something like this too. The reason she could act so composed was partly because of advance preparation and planning, and partly because of the ability to put up a front that she had developed over years of serving as Student Council President.
Originally, while she had not expected to take Kitahara down directly, she had at least thought that if she maintained this state, she should be able to land one heavy combo without issue.
But before she had even finished her combo, Kitahara directly told her that her base had already been backdoored down to the Nexus, and even that Nexus was down to a sliver of health...
If an ordinary person ran into this kind of situation, they would probably have a mental breakdown. All the more so for Rudolf, who had rarely lost ever since she was young.
Even so, Rudolf was not especially angry at Kitahara. After all, she also knew that while she was the first Umamusume he had been responsible for, looking at things now, she was the latecomer.
So compared with being angry at Kitahara, she was actually angrier at herself.
If only she had realized sooner. If only she had confessed sooner. If only she had compromised a little back then...
But there were no ifs in this world, so she could only sulk.
"I told you. Don't call me President. Call me Luna."
Rudolf maintained as normal a tone as possible, showing no intention whatsoever of letting Kitahara go.
"Okay, Presi... Luna."
Kitahara paused, then spoke tentatively.
"Um, can you let me up?"
"No."
Rudolf, angry out of embarrassment, not only did not let Kitahara go, but directly straddled him.
"All right, I admit this news was indeed very unexpected. But you don't think that will make me give up, do you?"
Seeing that Kitahara still wanted to say something, Rudolf reached out directly and pressed a finger against his lips.
"That's enough. No need for excuses. Since you've already done it with those 'girls,' there's no reason I can't, right?"
"And besides, we're already 'partners' who help each other. You helped me handle so many things before, so there should be no problem with me helping you solve some of your troubles too, right?"
As she spoke, she lowered her head and looked straight into Kitahara's eyes, her expression serious.
"And one more thing. I won't lose. There's no way I'll lose to those little girls."
"Just you watch."
At the same time, as the Winner's Concert began, Tokai Teio stood on the stage to the beat of the music. In the posture of a victor, she danced with a bright, cheerful expression.
She still seemed immersed in the joy after her victory.
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T/N: CUCKAI TEIO STRIKES AGAIN!