A boundless sea of white blossoms stretched from his feet toward the distant horizon, bathed gently in warm sunlight. Waves rippled softly across its surface, stirred by a fragrant breeze.
Yet even amid this idyllic scenery, Kitahara felt no joy—only growing unease.
Who the hell would be in the mood to admire scenery right now?!
Just moments ago, he'd been wandering alone through campus in the dead of night, heading toward Chairwoman Akikawa's office to discuss work. Somehow, he'd gotten lost in a forest he'd never seen, his phone refused to turn on, and now, after merely turning his head, the world had completely changed. Even a horror movie wouldn't pull a twist this sudden.
The only saving grace was that the mysterious being before him didn't seem hostile. Strange as everything appeared, at least the place looked pleasant enough, with no immediate threats in sight.
And as for what had happened earlier…
He touched his lips lightly, the lingering sweetness still palpable. Kitahara shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it—who knew what went through the mind of an obviously abnormal existence?
"So, um… may I ask who you are?"
After some thought, Kitahara cautiously began with the simplest question.
But…
"I don't have a name."
The pure-white Umamusume repeated her earlier words calmly.
"As for this place, it's my Domain. You could think of it as a purely spiritual realm, completely undetectable by 'her' or 'them.'"
Before Kitahara could interject, she continued smoothly, addressing his unspoken questions.
"I've wanted to speak privately with you for a very long time. Unfortunately, due to certain obstacles, I was unable to reach you—until recently, when I finally managed to create this 'Domain' and bring you here."
"We've met before; you probably still remember. I wanted to tell you something back then, but 'she' was always too close. I was worried speaking aloud might attract 'her' attention…"
"But we're safe here. This purely spiritual Domain is beyond her reach, and it's the only place where I can safely talk to you."
Kitahara considered this quietly, his expression gradually turning complicated. After a moment, he cautiously ventured a guess:
"Um, when you say 'her'… you're talking about Eclipse, aren't you?"
"Yes, exactly."
The white Umamusume admitted this without hesitation, then spoke seriously.
"I can't fully explain why, but she's extremely dangerous—not just to me, but also to others, and even to the very existence of this world."
"Except for one person."
"…Huh?"
Kitahara froze, unable to process her meaning.
Eclipse? Dangerous? Really?
"Could there possibly be some misunderstanding between you two?"
Kitahara hesitated briefly before continuing:
"I mean, sure, she has a strange temper and can get rough sometimes, but her heart's in the right place. If you two have conflicts, I could mediate for you—maybe we could all sit down and clear things up…"
He recalled Eclipse had previously instructed him to immediately contact her if this white Umamusume ever appeared again.
Considering what the girl before him had just said, Kitahara figured these two definitely knew each other—and likely had some sort of conflict.
Yet, even though Eclipse had emphasized how dangerous this mysterious figure was, Kitahara had interacted with her several times now and saw nothing suggesting she was some monstrous villain.
If possible, Kitahara genuinely wished the two could sit down and resolve their differences peacefully.
But despite Kitahara's goodwill, the white Umamusume showed little interest in discussing this topic further.
"The situation between us is complicated—far beyond something we could solve with just a conversation."
She glanced around, seemingly uncomfortable standing there indefinitely. With a graceful motion, she snapped her fingers softly.
Click.
A table and two chairs appeared from thin air, complete with steaming cups of tea. The white Umamusume sat down naturally, motioning gently for Kitahara to take the seat opposite her.
"Although I'd like nothing more than to chat with you at length and help clear up your confusion, there are some things I can't tell you. Those things would offer you no benefit, and could even bring harm."
"Besides, this Domain is still new and not entirely stable yet. So, for now, I'll just discuss the most important topics. I hope you won't mind."
The white Umamusume rose and poured Kitahara a cup of tea, her apology earnest and heartfelt. Seeing her sincere—even humble—attitude, Kitahara couldn't really object further, and simply nodded.
"Alright, please go ahead."
Seeing his nod, she visibly relaxed. After a brief pause, she gazed intently at Kitahara and spoke softly:
"Before we begin properly, I'd like to ask you a few questions first. Kitahara-san, how do you feel about the current state of the world you live in?"
Kitahara wasn't entirely sure what she meant by the question, but saw no reason to lie.
"I think it's pretty good overall. Sure, it has its problems—it's not perfect, but it's not awful either. Personally, I'm quite satisfied."
"And what about Umamusume? How do you feel about our kind?"
"Umamusume…? Well, also pretty good, I suppose."
Kitahara pondered briefly.
"You're all cute, with generally pleasant personalities. Sure, certain phases—especially around True Awakening—can cause headaches, but overall, Umamusume are great. I genuinely like your kind."
At his answer, the white Umamusume's ears twitched slightly, her tail swishing gently behind her. She continued softly:
"Then, what about humans? Especially in comparison to Umamusume?"
"Comparing humans to Umamusume, huh…"
Kitahara thought it over carefully.
"Although I'm human myself, objectively speaking, humans are inferior to Umamusume on average—in terms of physical capability, morality, and some other aspects. However, in intellectual pursuits and various specialized fields, probably due to sheer numbers, humans often display greater extremes, both positively and negatively. I'd say each has its own strengths."
The white Umamusume nodded quietly, before moving to her final question.
"And how about the Three Goddesses?"
"Oh, you mean those three idio—"
Kitahara's voice stopped abruptly.
Coming back to his senses, Kitahara blinked, coughed awkwardly, and glanced at the white Umamusume in front of him.
"Well… that's a bit hard for me to say, considering I've never actually met them."
No way was he about to openly criticize the Three Goddesses. Making small talk about the state of the world and various species was one thing, but giving blunt opinions on deities known to genuinely exist felt like tempting fate.
He might grumble inwardly about those three slackers, but voicing it aloud? Too risky.
Besides, given this girl's peculiar presence, who's to say she wasn't one of the Three Goddesses in disguise?
"I'm not."
Perhaps sensing his skepticism through his obvious expression, the pure-white Umamusume quickly denied his unspoken suspicion. She seemed unhappy with his sudden wariness, opening her mouth as if to explain, but paused—perhaps considering the complexity or lack of time.
Ultimately, she didn't press further. Instead, meeting Kitahara's eyes directly, she asked with sudden intensity:
"Then what if I told you that all these things you consider pleasant—everything you're satisfied with—are fake?"
Kitahara froze. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like."
She gestured toward the endless sea of white blossoms around them.
"Imagine this flower garden we're in right now. It doesn't exist naturally. It's carefully pruned and shaped by gardeners according to their tastes."
"Yes, it's beautiful and pleasing, but that beauty is artificial—meticulously crafted, but false. And fragile."
Raising a delicate hand, she conjured a tiny flame at her fingertip and flicked it gently into the blossoms.
In the blink of an eye, brilliant fire erupted, consuming the tranquil white blooms. They withered and crumbled swiftly to ashes beneath the raging flames.
Seconds or perhaps minutes passed. Maybe time flowed faster here, or maybe the Umamusume herself accelerated it. Either way, when Kitahara next looked around, the pristine flower field had vanished, replaced by endless gray ash—a barren, lifeless wasteland.
"Now let's consider another possibility."
Again, she raised her hand. Time accelerated once more.
Sun and moon streaked rapidly through the sky as green shoots emerged from the ashes, growing swiftly in Kitahara's sight. But this time, without the gardeners' meticulous care, wild growth sprouted freely among the surviving white flowers.
Vines, thorns, weeds, and shrubs quickly overwhelmed the fragile blossoms. Without guidance or pruning, the once-beautiful garden devolved into a savage wilderness, only a few white flowers remaining scattered amid rampant greenery.
Once this transformation concluded, the white Umamusume conjured another flame, casting it into the thick wilderness. But this time, facing the fiercely overgrown jungle, the flame sputtered and quickly died, doing no damage.
Seeing fire ineffective, she followed with storms, droughts, floods, and other disasters. Yet despite each onslaught causing some harm, the wild forest survived, emerging even stronger each time.
"I know," she said softly, "this jungle isn't nearly as lovely as the carefully tended flower garden from before. But it's real, and resilient. It can endure threats without depending solely on the protection of gardeners."
Kitahara raised an eyebrow, realization dawning. "So, you're saying the world I'm satisfied with is also… pruned by gardeners?"
The white Umamusume nodded lightly, snapping her fingers to restore the original pristine flower garden.
"I admit it's beautiful—I too adore a lovely garden. But even the most beautiful things must survive first before considering anything else."
"For thousands of years, ever since humans first encountered Umamusume, those gardeners have interfered with this world. They've carefully pruned and shaped it according to their own desires."
"Erasing wars, pushing back death, preventing disease outbreaks, regulating climates to eliminate famine…"
"Confidently altering the laws of reality, cutting away branches they deemed unnecessary, calling themselves protective deities—absolutely convinced of their righteousness…"
"Perhaps their intentions were noble at first. But now, after generations under their protection, the world appears flawless on the surface—but the closer you look, the more clearly you see its fragility."
Kitahara remained silent for a long moment, eventually shaking his head slowly.
"…Honestly, I'm not sure I fully understand what you're saying."
"Really? You don't?"
The pure-white Umamusume spoke gently, her pale pink eyes fixed firmly on him.
"With your insight, I believe you've already noticed something about the true nature of Umamusume."
"You've probably realized why the URA never releases conclusive research about the essence of Umamusume; why they constantly draw the world's attention to racing events; why they strictly control information, never letting malice spread even slightly…"
"Because if any part of this carefully maintained system fails, it could lead directly to the world's collapse."
Kitahara didn't respond.
Well, she wasn't wrong…
Though he hadn't fully grasped all the details due to certain constraints, Kitahara had already deduced the general nature of Umamusume: they were deeply affected by their environment—particularly emotions.
More precisely, Umamusume, in some fundamental way, depended on the collective perception of their existence.
Not publishing research was meant to maintain Umamusume's own self-identity.
Sustaining and promoting racing events helped preserve global awareness and belief in the concept of Umamusume.
And strict control over information—especially negative incidents like Umamusume Hunting—ensured a positive environment, preventing Umamusume from being tainted by malicious perceptions.
Through previous investigations, Kitahara had already realized this. He just hadn't openly discussed it.
But…
"Even if you say all this," Kitahara said with a helpless smile, "there's nothing I can do about it."
"You should probably talk to someone actually in charge. I'm just a normal trainer; knowing all this won't help anyone."
"Besides, I'm honestly not convinced it's such a bad thing. Yes, wild forests might be more resilient, but a well-tended garden is pleasant and beautiful, too…"
"I know," the white Umamusume unexpectedly agreed, nodding gently.
"I'm not forcing my viewpoint on you. I just wanted you to understand some truths about this world. You don't have to do anything."
"Truthfully, I don't entirely oppose the gardeners' approach either. If things had stayed as they were, I might have even supported or joined them…"
"But lately, certain events made me realize the gardeners aren't as reliable as I thought. And beyond the greenhouse walls… perhaps it isn't a barren wasteland after all."
"But we're running out of time. Let's continue this next time we meet. Right now, there's another matter you'll definitely care more about."
Something more important?
Kitahara raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"It's about the girl you care about most."
Observing Kitahara's immediate reaction at the mention of Eclipse, a subtle envy flickered in the Umamusume's eyes before she continued softly.
"She's hiding something from you."
"She hides plenty from me," Kitahara replied promptly.
"No, I don't mean minor secrets," she clarified gently. "I mean something vital about her very purpose—her existence."
Still seated opposite him, she met his gaze solemnly.
"You've surely noticed by now: from the very beginning, she's been acting with a purpose, yet never once told you what that purpose is or how she intends to fulfill it."
"For certain reasons, I can't tell you either. But what I can say is this—if someday she truly achieves her goal, fulfilling the mission she was born for…"
Pausing briefly, she stared intently into Kitahara's eyes, emphasizing each word carefully.
"The day she accomplishes it… will also be the day she leaves you."
Her words hung heavily in the air.
Then, accompanied by the sound of a teacup shattering on the ground, Kitahara jerked his head up, fixing a fierce gaze upon the pure-white Umamusume.
"What did you just say?"
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T/N: oooooooooooooh man idk who to trust, you might be like OBV TRUST ECLIPSE! but im like BRO GIRL HAS NO EMOTIONS SHE CANT FEEL ANYTHINGGGG SHES A BLACK HOLE!!!
SURE SHE MIGHT CARE FOR KITAHARA BUT SINCE SHE HAS NO EMOTIONS SHE HAS NO EMPATHY HER ACTIONS MIGHT CAUSE MORE HARM THAN GOOD actually idk im dumb bye