Kitahara couldn't just up and leave the academy for a few days without telling his girls.
Of course, he had to inform them about his absence—but as for the real reason, he didn't go into details.
He figured if he told them the truth, those little Uma Musume probably wouldn't believe him anyway.
And if it came to that, spending extra time explaining would be a minor annoyance—what really worried him was if they insisted on "testing" it themselves, then he'd really be in trouble.
So, after meeting with Symboli Rudolf, Kitahara went straight to the Chairwoman, explained things, and got her to help cook up a week-long out-of-town "mission" as cover.
With that excuse, none of the girls were suspicious. Even though they seemed a bit reluctant, in the end none of them objected. They all saw him off together at the academy gates.
After leaving, Kitahara first spent some time with Eclipse, wandering far from Tracen, buying her snacks and little trinkets.
After lunch, he turned down a familiar road.
It was the way to the apartment he and Eclipse had rented before entering Tracen.
"Actually, I never stopped renting that place," Kitahara said, walking ahead.
"I never told you, but two months after starting at Tracen, I was chatting with the landlord on LINE and she mentioned nobody had rented it after we moved out…"
"At the time, I had a bit of money to spare—and you know that apartment was never expensive—so I just renewed the lease. After that, I never let it lapse, though I never went back, either…"
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to think it was wasteful, especially when we didn't have much cash. Later, since I never visited, it just slipped my mind…"
As for why he kept renting that old apartment, when in every way it was inferior to the Tracen dorms, Kitahara didn't say.
But Eclipse knew.
Even people who'd only known Kitahara for a short while could tell—he was sentimental.
And Eclipse knew even better: for him, compared to money or status, what he truly longed for was a "home."
No matter how nice a dorm was, it was still just a dorm. No matter how shabby the apartment, it was the place they'd lived.
They hadn't lived there long, and it was only a rental, not a home they owned.
But for two people who'd spent their lives drifting, even a temporary home was something precious.
They found the slightly rundown building by habit, took out a faded key.
Twisted the lock and went inside.
Thanks to arranging for the landlord to have it cleaned regularly, the place was still tidy—they didn't have to lift a finger.
Back here at last, with that familiar sense of ease washing over him, Kitahara let out a long breath and flopped on the sofa like always.
To be honest, the sofa wasn't that comfortable—especially after getting used to Tracen's luxury dorm couches, this one felt stiff, even a little pokey.
But that familiar touch made Kitahara feel it was actually more comfortable than the dorm's, and his mind was more at ease.
While he was collapsed on the sofa, Eclipse wandered over to the fridge to check what was inside.
Seeing there was nothing spoiled, but also nothing stocked, she shut the door and turned to Kitahara.
"What do you want for dinner?"
"…Carrot stew?"
Eclipse nodded.
"Okay, I'll go buy the groceries later."
These days, they had enough money to eat well if they wanted, and Eclipse's cooking wasn't really that good—in fact, compared to the Tracen cafeteria, it was downright mediocre.
But neither of them mentioned it. It was as if everything was the same as it always had been.
...
Time passed.
After he'd sprawled on the sofa long enough, Kitahara sat up and started experimenting with his ability again.
With no one else around—and Eclipse immune to his power—he could use it however he liked, trying all sorts of things.
Guiding, commanding, flowing, spreading, expanding, weaving…
He still didn't understand what this power really was, or whether it was dangerous.
But he had to admit—this new ability was almost too useful for him.
If someone else had it, and couldn't control it, they'd just become a walking emotional bomb.
And if they survived long enough to get the hang of it, maybe they'd turn into a Matatabi.
But for Kitahara, this was a key—one that opened the door to a new world.
A key that let him glimpse the "other side"—the one he'd only suspected, never truly known.
And meanwhile, since it wasn't time yet to buy groceries, Eclipse just sat beside Kitahara.
Watching his experiments, listening to his muttering.
——Isn't this kid's talent kind of ridiculous?
——This is bona fide "Authority" we're talking about. Even those Uma Musume bound by the "rules," after intense training, can't always control it.
——And now this human's just… what, a few days in, and he's got it to this level? Isn't that a little much…
——You're just realizing this now?
——Plus, you forgot something: our "little sister" hasn't been born long, her Authority's unstable, she probably can't control it any better than him.
——At this rate, he'll master her "divine" power before she does. She might even have to come to him for lessons someday…
——Wait, if that's the case, why bother with Eclipse? Why not just have this guy replace her?
——What are you thinking? He's a human.
——I don't know how our "little sister" managed to share her Authority with a non-Uma being…
——But even if she could, there's a fundamental difference between humans and Uma Musume. He can never become "one of us." Eclipse is the only candidate…
——…Are you sure?
——I… well, I'm not sure, honestly. He's kind of absurd, isn't he? Just a few days, and he's already got this much control.
——If he wasn't worried about us, he'd have overturned the whole truth about Uma Musume and this world by now.
——Who knows what he'll be able to do in the future…
As always, the three voices chatted with no restraint.
There was no reason to be cautious.
Their very existence was unique.
No ordinary human—no, not even most Uma Musume, unless using special means, not even Sunday Silence with her strange form—could hear them talking.
In fact, until now, apart from Eclipse, who had been "custom made" by them to substitute for their "little sister," nobody had ever been able to perceive, let alone overhear, their ordinary conversation. Kitahara included, for more than ten years.
But they'd forgotten: Kitahara had never been normal.
Before, as a human, there was simply no way—he had never, and could never, hear them.
But now, with that power spreading, and with the changes brought about by his control—
Just as he'd always guessed: some things he'd only theorized about, but never truly encountered, now revealed themselves to him.
For example: their "voices."
Of course, that didn't mean Kitahara could fully understand what they were saying.
In truth, because he was just starting, and still clumsy with it, their words fell on his ears as twisted, obscure, jumbled, and stuttering. He couldn't make out sentences, or even clear words.
Rather than speech, it felt more like some kind of howling from the depths of the world—a mess, pure and simple.
Honestly, Kitahara saw it that way too.
After confirming those jumbled noises weren't a hallucination, but real, Kitahara immediately realized he'd stumbled onto something dangerous.
But even so, he didn't react outwardly, and said nothing to Eclipse.
Experience from another world had taught him—
Shouting or reacting to strange "beings" in a strange space—or even just letting them know you know they exist—was very dangerous.
Especially after learning about the three types of Domain. If not for one color missing from the set…
Kitahara might have thought he'd stumbled into the warp, and who knew what might be drawn to him if he made a wrong move.
Time passed.
With the "howling" from the depths of the world echoing in his ears, Kitahara finished his daily training.
All the while, he pretended not to hear, never probing further, never letting anyone see anything amiss.
When he finished, he opened his eyes, confirmed the "power" inside him had faded for now.
Then he and Eclipse headed out, bought groceries and snacks, and put them away.
Cooked dinner, ate, washed the dishes.
When all was done, he switched on the little old TV, flipped to a familiar channel, watched a familiar host tell familiar jokes, and felt a familiar black rice ball curl up in his arms.
It had been over half a year since he'd lived like this, but somehow, coming back—
Kitahara and Eclipse both slipped right into the rhythm, as if they'd always been here, as if nothing had changed.
But it was only an illusion.
He opened his phone: group chats buzzing with Trainers, contact lists filled with new names.
The girls in his team still waiting for him to return, the Chairwoman still needing his help with her own issues…
Hayakawa-san still wanted him to play her boyfriend, Symboli Rudolf was counting on him to disrupt matchmaking come New Year's…
Satono Diamond, Meisho Doto, and so many others, girls and Umas both…
Less than a year had passed, but so much had happened, so much had changed. He'd reunited with old friends, made so many new ones.
And it was clear—more would come, more people, more events, more changes.
He was no longer the kid who just hung around with Eclipse, worrying every day about the next meal, scraping by, never sure where to scrounge after eating.
Even if things now felt the same as before—even if he and Eclipse acted just as they always had—there was no going back.
He understood this, but didn't really regret it.
To be honest, the past was worth remembering.
But remembering was one thing. All that "bitter nostalgia" stuff was just for fun—if he really had to give up everything now and go back to those hard days, no way would he agree.
Still, even if much had changed, the most important thing—right up until now—had never changed at all.
Watching the images flicker on the little TV, memories drifting through his mind, Kitahara slowly stopped rubbing the black rice ball in his arms.
What makes a home?
A familiar chair? The sofa you've worn a groove into? That little TV carrying a thousand memories?
No, none of that.
Compared to those objects, it's family—family is the essence of "home."
Compared to family, the things that carry memories are just dispensable accessories.
Or, to put it more plainly:
Eclipse is the most important, irreplaceable part of the "home" Kitahara had always longed for.
That much—past, present, and far into the future—would never change.
Only, even though that wouldn't change...
How to express it, Kitahara found himself hesitating.
Back then, he simply treated Eclipse as family, too busy hunting food for her to think about the future.
Now, there was no need to hunt, and all that had happened had proven how naive his thinking used to be.
Time flowed on; life moved forward.
He could choose to stay where he was, keep things as they were between them, just live like this forever.
And he knew—if that was what he chose, Eclipse would never object.
But that would just be running away. It wouldn't solve anything. It would be unfair to both Eclipse and himself.
A long silence.
Then, with a gentle sigh, Kitahara's voice sounded.
"Eclipse."
"…What is it?"
"I like you."
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T/N: bonus chaps are tomorrow and uhhh no character note for thisweek
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