Although plenty had happened in between, by the time Kitahara Sota pulled himself out of work, both Special Week and Grass Wonder had already forced themselves back into some semblance of normalcy.
They had no choice. They'd already each made a move once, already spent their excuses.
If they went at it again, even a blockhead like Kitahara would probably sense something was off.
So, though both desperately wanted to strike once more in front of the other, for the sake of the future, after a brief hesitation—
They pressed down their emotions, chose not to act further, and the three of them fell into a strange stalemate.
Kitahara, though he noticed the odd tension between them, didn't think much of it.
Honestly speaking—even if he himself were confessed to by a close male friend, he couldn't just keep interacting normally after that. Of course it would be awkward.
And as for Special Week and Grass Wonder, while both were aware of Kitahara's misunderstanding—
For their own reasons, even as they stood in opposition, they tacitly chose to keep their mouths shut.
As for Special Week, after Grass Wonder's provocation went that far—
She was no longer sad or confused, but had wholly, thoroughly marked her as a mortal enemy. In a sense, that problem was "solved."
After that—solving Special Week's matter, and talking with Grass Wonder about the Black Forest—Kitahara brought them both back to the training grounds.
And since the two restrained each other, neither could make further moves, so they accepted his request without fuss.
Back at training, both slipped into practice again.
Only—when they parted, the look they exchanged carried a weight different than before.
With those two little ancestors' problems now at least temporarily resolved—at least not interfering with training—Kitahara relaxed and sank back into daily life.
And this time, it was real daily life—not the "peaceful daily life" he only imagined himself into.
Though with the holiday nearing its end, the competition for the Kitahara Cup had grown more intense, operations flaring one after another, undercurrents surging fiercely—
Kitahara remained untouched. At first, maybe a few splashes brushed his sleeves or lips—but nothing after that reached him.
Not because they didn't want to reach him.
Quite the opposite—some waves didn't just want to splash him, they wanted to drag him under whole.
But the problem was—they couldn't.
Because despite how fierce the battle grew, despite the constant sneaky advances, somehow—thanks to Kitahara's unconscious maneuvers—the situation had actually become more stable than before.
Take Nice Nature.
Though she never got to taste her trainer's lips, she was—other than Eclipse—the only one with Kitahara's LINE contact, the only one who had moved into his dorm.
Adding in her daily caretaking, the number of "stick-close" moments she racked up was no joke.
Even without tasting him, kisses were fleeting. The real bond came from companionship, from caretaking.
By that math, Nice Nature was currently the biggest "sneak-runner," watched by all sides as the top dangerous element.
And on top of that, she had clashed with Super Creek.
Now Creek was surveilling her tightly, trying to find a weak point to seize Kitahara's caretaking rights.
So even everyday care was a tightrope walk, lest Creek catch her slip—let alone anything "further."
Then there was Oguri Cap.
Though she'd disguised well and no one kept tabs on her—thanks to that pocky game incident, her hunger had been sated like never before. For now, she didn't need another meal.
And besides—she hadn't thought of any other method to get close to Kitahara.
She couldn't just repeat the pocky game. And if she tried, Kitahara probably wouldn't agree. Worse, he might even catch on.
She had to think of a new way before the hunger struck again.
So—for now, no movement from her.
As for the rest—Special Week and Grass Wonder had turned their backs on each other. Komata Hajime and Hayakawa Tazuna clashed in secret.
Sunday Silence and Agnes Tachyon tugged each other via Manhattan Café. Tamamo Cross stayed relatively normal. Nishino drifted with the tide. Suzuka was completely oblivious…
Hmm? Was someone forgotten?
Ah, yes. There was indeed a certain Tokai Teio, quietly forgotten.
But honestly—even if she weren't forgotten, there wasn't much to say about Teio.
Her "femininity" score? You couldn't even call it low—try nonexistent.
In this season, when everyone else was secretly rushing forward—even accelerating into midgame—
She wasn't just not sneak-running—she didn't even have the concept of sneak-running in her head.
And because the others all kept their advances wrapped in secrecy—not just Teio, but even the rest of their teammates didn't know.
Each thought they had run far ahead—without realizing everyone else had run about the same distance.
And as for the one semi-open case, Nice Nature—that was thanks to her peculiar skillset, and her odd relationship with her trainer. Teio couldn't learn from that if she tried.
So—couldn't sneak-run herself, couldn't copy others, and hadn't noticed anyone else sneaking either.
All these factors meant that while everyone else made moves, Tokai Teio… did nothing excessive.
Every day she simply trained hard, and after, swung by Kitahara's place.
If he wasn't there, she went to Rudolf.
Every day—drank her honey drinks. Lived light, lived happy.
She even daydreamed about how, after she achieved good results, she'd act spoiled with her trainer.
And if she won the undefeated Triple Crown—how she'd tell him she wanted to be his official tantou.
It wasn't that she had improper thoughts about him. But he'd taken such care of her—when she achieved her dream, wasn't it only right to repay him?
That's how Tokai Teio saw it. And seeing the others seeming calm, she trained in peace, secure and focused, taking no action.
What she didn't know was—during this time, not just her teammates and rivals—even her most trusted President Rudolf had been spending far more time with Kitahara in secret.
Though unlike the others, Symboli Rudolf had no romantic intent.
And this wasn't just stubborn denial.
To Rudolf, Kitahara was blood family. Likely very close kin. So she had never once viewed him as a possible romantic partner.
Which was precisely why she could interact with him so freely, with no burden.
Family, after all. An elder sister caring for a younger brother—that was natural.
Especially when this "younger brother" was capable, and someone she clicked with instantly—as if they'd known each other forever. Of course they'd get close.
And after talking, after growing closer—letting him massage her tired shoulders, relax her—that was only natural too.
By now, Rudolf almost wholly treated Kitahara as her real little brother.
As for why someone her age (twenty, already "beyond adult") could still study at Tracen—
That had been mentioned before: Tracen's special school structure meant both elementary and high divisions had far looser age limits than normal.
If they wanted, Uma Musume could take the regular education path—graduate, then go to university.
If not—well, some like one certain "hag" were Hayakawa Tazuna's age, and still sat hidden in the Student Council.
And another, "the freest on earth," looked young—but no one knew when she had actually entered Tracen. Not even the Chairwoman had records. URA had none either. In the end, they just said: "No need to be clear on her."
As for why, in a whole term, Kitahara had never once seen this "freest, safest Uma Musume"—
It was because she simply wasn't on campus.
Where she'd gone, why—no one knew. Her thoughts were a mystery. She'd told the Chairwoman she was leaving, didn't even take official leave, and vanished.
Anyway—it wasn't just Rudolf getting close.
Because she'd been so consistently calm, Kitahara's guard had relaxed.
He came to see her as a fellow slacker, a partner-in-laziness, someone to loaf around with.
The more they talked, the more Rudolf let slip about herself.
For instance—her ties with the Symboli family were frayed. She had more or less split away, made her own path.
Which reassured Kitahara further.
Even if Rudolf was dangerous, she was still just one Uma Musume. Without the Symboli household's backing, her power was limited.
Forget Eclipse—if luck was good, he might even solo her himself.
And that was the worst-case. In practice, the more they interacted, the more Rudolf showed her salted-fish side.
No trace of attraction toward him. Their bond seemed nothing but pure friendship. Almost no chance of "derailing."
Even so—thinking of pretending to be her boyfriend still made Kitahara uneasy.
Because however split, Rudolf was still Symboli.
And soon, he'd have to pretend not only as her boyfriend, but also as Hayakawa Tazuna's boyfriend. Even creating the illusion the two were competing for him.
No matter how he looked at it—that was dangerous.
"This is… difficult…"
Kitahara sighed deeply.
Not to mention—because Tazuna's recovery schedule wasn't set, he hadn't even told his team yet. And the risk loomed large in his heart.
But it wasn't urgent. With the school term starting soon, Tazuna would be busy. Any leave would have to wait till after. That gave him some time to prepare.
And beyond Tazuna, there was the Chairwoman's request.
Though she had said it was "a friend"… well. Anyone who knew, knew.
She hadn't named rewards. But she was his boss, after all—and in the past, always generous.
Kitahara trusted: if he solved her "troublesome friend," she wouldn't shortchange him. So lately, he'd been watching that matter too.
As for the aftermath of the Uma Musume hunts—though thanks to his efforts, all hunters had been captured alive, the "buyer" had left no trace.
Even with truth serums Tachyon procured, they got nothing useful.
But Kudou Kazuya made progress.
Though the operation failed, because Kudou hadn't acted openly—had even aided the hunters a little—he'd gained some trust.
With that foothold, he told them: leave the execution to professionals. Pass me your requests, let the Black Market handle it. You, the buyer, just be the client.
The buyer seemed tempted. But later, they found another channel, told Kudou they'd reply after some time—then vanished.
Kudou didn't press, lest they spook. He shared what he had with Kitahara, then went back to his normal life and training.
So with all sides stalled, after all those attacks, Kitahara finally had a rare few days of genuine peace.
Time passed. Only two, three days left before term began.
Just as he thought he'd slide calmly into the new semester—Agnes Digital came to him, hemming and hawing.
"Um, senpai… there's something I want to ask you. Do you have any free time lately?"
"Hm. For now, I've got plenty."
Kitahara nodded.
"What is it?"
She hesitated, then spoke slowly:
"According to the info I picked up, a month into term, Tracen will host a student-run exhibition."
"The organizers want me to bring some works to draw crowds. So I thought—I'd make a manga in this time, and sell it there…"
Kitahara nodded. That much was clear. The problem was—
"But I don't know manga."
He'd read some. But drawing? That was a blind spot.
She fidgeted, then confessed:
"It's not about you drawing. I… I want to make a romance manga. Based on you and Eclipse."
Him—and Eclipse?
Kitahara froze.
Before he could answer, a poke nudged his waist.
Turning, he found Eclipse looking up at him—her eyes sparkling, unmistakably curious.
It was rare for Eclipse to show interest. Naturally, Kitahara wouldn't refuse.
Besides, with the holiday ending, after so much busyness, most of his time lately had just been dorm-staying.
He had already planned to take Eclipse out tomorrow. Now, he could bring Digital along, let her gather inspiration.
When he invited her, Digital accepted immediately, almost gleeful.
Back at her dorm, she rolled excitedly on her bed for a while—then began fretting what clothes to wear that day.
As she thought, her eyes drifted to one particular outfit she had made herself, but never worn.
Her eyes shone.
No, they hadn't agreed on what to wear. But if he wore it too, then…
Her tail swished.
Her cheeks flushed red.