All the talk of "gardeners," "gardens," and "falsehoods" the white Umamusume mentioned earlier barely registered in Kitahara's mind.
After all, whether these so-called gardeners were the Three Goddesses or something else entirely, whether the world was artificial or natural, or what fate awaited in the future—none of that mattered much to a lowly Trainer like him.
But Eclipse was different.
As someone who habitually ran away from overly complicated situations, he didn't care about lofty topics like truth versus illusion or the destiny of the world.
Yet when trouble appeared before him, if there was something he could do, he'd usually lend a hand.
And now, since this matter concerned Eclipse, forget within his power—he'd tackle it even if the sky itself fell.
"Calm down first," the white Umamusume gently reassured him. "I only said she'd leave you, not that she'd die."
"Let me put it this way. You must have noticed Eclipse's abilities are extraordinarily powerful compared to ordinary Umamusume."
"...Are they?" Kitahara asked with genuine confusion, clearly not faking it. "I mean, sure, she's a bit stronger than average, but is it really that exaggerated?"
The white Umamusume fell silent. She stared at Kitahara's serious expression, her own growing subtly complicated.
"You...truly think that?"
"Shouldn't I?" Kitahara regarded her with puzzlement. "Isn't it normal for Umamusume to be physically strong? I'll admit she's unusually strong and quick compared to average."
"But there's this older Umamusume I know—she's pushing eighty but still incredibly strong. Eclipse might surpass her by a good margin, but considering Eclipse is young and at her peak, it's pretty normal, right?"
Listening to Kitahara's reasoning, the white Umamusume's expression turned even more complex.
She knew exactly who Kitahara was referring to. But the problem was, ever since her own emergence—and subsequent interference from the Three Goddesses—Umamusume on this island were already receiving extra boosts.
Not to mention later, when those three fools poured additional power onto this island specifically to oppose her. Among the recipients, the old lady from the Symboli family had inherited considerable Authority from Darley Arabian, practically making her a half-Shenxuan—arguably one of the strongest beings currently alive.
Forget it...
"Let me explain it differently," she finally said, deciding it wasn't worth getting hung up over—mainly because it clearly wouldn't help anyway.
"You've played online games, right? MMORPGs often have game designers who balance the stats of different races or classes to avoid breaking the game or causing unforeseen glitches."
"Our world, while lacking formal designers, naturally developed certain limits through evolution. Humans, for example, have upper bounds to strength, speed, lifespan, and so on."
"But Umamusume are different. Due to their unique existence, they follow a different system—stability."
"In simple terms, while Umamusume's existence can indeed shift due to self-perception, that shift has its limits. The more absurd their self-perception, the less stable they become, increasing the risk of something going wrong."
"This can range from simple cognitive distortions or mental illness to physical mutations, or even fundamental distortions in their very form."
"If it were as simple as believing they could become anything, they might as well imagine themselves as battleships and start firing cannons."
"After extensive trial and error, those diligent gardeners have defined a stable capability range for Umamusume. Although individual differences exist, this range safely accommodates the vast majority."
"To ensure stability and prevent catastrophic outcomes, the gardeners rewrote reality itself, enforcing this limit upon Umamusume."
"But Eclipse's very existence transcends those rules. She breaks these limits simply by existing, inadvertently distorting perceptions among other Umamusume."
"To compensate, she's forced to rely on cognitive distortions to mask her presence and constantly suppress her powers to avoid disrupting the system."
"So why can't the gardeners just temporarily raise the limits?" Kitahara interjected.
"They can't," the white Umamusume sighed. "Remember how I called them unreliable earlier? Those fools never considered future adjustments. They rewrote the rules without leaving any room to maneuver."
"Deleting and rewriting the rules from scratch isn't an option either—they've already stacked layers upon layers atop this foundation."
"...A tangled legacy of 'as long as it runs' spaghetti code?"
"You can think of it like that."
Kitahara's mouth twitched at the confirmation. He paused briefly, then continued.
"So you're saying Eclipse has to disappear because her presence threatens the system's stability?"
"Yes. She must vanish—or rather, she can't remain within this world," the white Umamusume confirmed gently. "However, disappearance doesn't necessarily mean death. She might ascend beyond this system, becoming a higher-order existence. Based on my judgment, this outcome is the most likely."
Hearing Eclipse wouldn't actually die, Kitahara relaxed slightly. "Then it doesn't sound so bad..."
"You're sure?" She gazed deeply into his eyes. "This 'ascension' isn't merely getting stronger or gaining higher status. It's a fundamental transformation of her very existence."
"She'll lose the physical form she possessed as an Umamusume. Part of her being will merge into the system itself, becoming a stabilizing force, while her consciousness ascends beyond the boundaries of this world."
"From that point on, she'd only be able to glimpse your existence through countless layers of rules. She'd never again be able to touch you, stand by your side, or even communicate with you."
"Are you certain this is something she'd want?"
After absorbing this, Kitahara took a deep breath, coming to an uneasy conclusion:
This sounded no different from death.
"Is there any way to prevent it?" he asked quietly.
"The only method I can think of is preventing her from achieving her mission," the white Umamusume answered solemnly. "But even that is merely a temporary fix. Her existence alone is too anomalous. Even without fulfilling her purpose, she still destabilizes the system. Her eventual fate remains inevitable—it's only a matter of time..."
"What if the rules didn't exist anymore?"
Kitahara's voice was suddenly calm, tapping lightly on the tabletop.
"If the entire system collapsed, erasing all these rules, would Eclipse still have to ascend?"
"...Are you serious?"
The white Umamusume stared at him blankly, momentarily stunned. When she recovered, she regarded him oddly.
"Do you realize what you're suggesting? It's practically equivalent to destroying the entire world."
"I was just asking," Kitahara replied casually, ceasing his finger-tapping.
Your reaction just now certainly didn't seem like a casual question…
The white Umamusume thought quietly, before lifting her gaze toward the horizon of her Domain.
Though she wanted to continue talking with Kitahara, her power was rapidly fading. The distant borders of the realm had begun trembling, rippling visibly as if on the verge of collapse. After a silent pause, she spoke softly.
"We're almost out of time."
"I know you still have many questions, and you probably haven't fully believed what I've told you."
"But that's fine. I'll wait for you here. When this Domain stabilizes again, come find me anytime you wish. If you don't want to, I won't force you."
As she spoke, the distortions from the realm's edges spread swiftly inward, warping and rippling like a lake's surface disturbed by a thrown stone, threatening to collapse entirely.
As the world around him twisted further, Kitahara snapped back to reality, furrowing his brow.
"But how will I know when this Domain stabilizes again? And how do I come back?"
"You don't have to worry about that. When this Domain is stable once more, you'll know exactly what to do, even without my guidance…"
The collapse accelerated rapidly, blurring the white Umamusume's figure until even her voice began breaking up.
As she finished speaking, the world before Kitahara flickered intermittently, replaced bit by bit with the familiar night-time scenery of Tracen Academy.
Clearly, he was returning to reality.
But just then, the white Umamusume spoke again, her words fragmented and faint.
"There's… one more thing… I'd… like to ask…"
"I don't… have… a name…"
"I want… you… to name me…"
"You… important… to me…"
Her voice grew increasingly indistinct. Though Kitahara strained to catch every word, all he could make out clearly was her request for him to give her a name.
Considering naming wasn't a big deal, Kitahara thought briefly and agreed readily.
"Sure—but let's do it next time. Naming is important and shouldn't be rushed. Right now, even if I did come up with something, you might not be able to hear me clearly anyway."
"In any case, I'll think it over carefully once I get back. If possible, maybe you could give me a bit more information about yourself next time, so I can pick something suitable."
"…Thank you."
At those words, the world shattered completely.
Kitahara opened his eyes to find himself standing outside Chairwoman Akikawa's office. In his hand was his phone, indicating only about ten minutes had passed since he left the Student Council room.
He let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. Even though it felt like hours had passed, apparently the flow of time between the two worlds didn't match up. At least he wouldn't have to worry about a late penalty docking his pay…
Though they'd just discussed countless profound topics, Kitahara remained far more concerned about his paycheck—that was what mattered most to him as a Trainer, after all.
Gathering his thoughts and regaining his usual composure, Kitahara pushed open the door to Chairwoman Akikawa's office.
"Good evening, Chairwoman, Hayakawa-san, Kashimoto-san."
Inside, the trio responsible for managing Tracen Academy was already waiting. Seeing Kitahara arrive, they quickly prepared a seat for him, then launched into a discussion about the recent online slander directed at him.
Since he'd already hashed out most details with Tazuna Hayakawa earlier, there were no surprises. The conversation mostly consisted of Chairwoman Akikawa offering her help, and Kitahara politely declining, confident he could handle the situation himself.
Before long, Kitahara managed to pacify the visibly irritated Chairwoman and finalized his next steps.
Just as he thought their business was concluded and stood up to leave—ready to return to Eclipse—the Chairwoman suddenly called out to him again.
"Wait! Trainer Kitahara, there's another matter we need to discuss."
Another matter?
Kitahara paused, turning around in confusion.
"Yes, Chairwoman? Is something else wrong?"
"Emergency!" Chairwoman Akikawa said urgently. "Trainer Kitahara, think carefully—what date is it the day after tomorrow?"
The day after tomorrow?
Kitahara paused, mentally confirming. "If I'm not mistaken, February 14th… What's the issue?"
He wracked his brain, but nothing significant stood out. No races, no major events scheduled. Sure, there was some holiday around that date, but having grown up poor, he'd rarely paid attention to such things. Apart from New Year's, holidays had never meant much to him.
"What's wrong with—"
Seeing Kitahara's clueless, nonchalant expression, Akikawa very nearly threw her fan directly at his face.
"Idiot! February 14th is Valentine's Day! Valentine's Day!"
"This is urgent! I've already reserved a business trip for you, starting tomorrow, that will last until February 15th. It'll help you lie low for a bit—"
"Ah, thanks for your kindness, Chairwoman, but let's leave the trip for Trainers who actually need it," Kitahara said easily, shaking his head.
"After all, I'm not like those other fools. It's just Valentine's Day—I don't need to run away. Besides, my workload has been pretty heavy lately."
"Although I appreciate the thought, you can save those business trips for Trainers who really need them. I'll be fine without one."
With that, Kitahara left the office as casually as he'd entered.
Chairwoman Akikawa watched him leave, grinding her teeth in frustration. Eventually, she sighed heavily and turned toward Hayawaka, lowering her voice:
"Hayakawa-san, I'll leave him in your care the day after tomorrow. Please protect him at all costs—and yourself as well… I trust you understand my meaning."
Hayakawa was genuinely tempted by this suggestion, but…
"What about the Academy, then? If I'm not around, those little troublemakers will practically tear the place apart."
The Chairwoman hesitated briefly, before quietly covering her face with her fan.
"…We'll leave that to Kashimoto-san."
"Me?" Kashimoto Riko protested, eyes widening innocently. "You two know my physical condition. Tasks involving restraining Umamusume are totally beyond my abilities—"
"It'll be fine!" Chairwoman Akikawa cut her off decisively. "If anyone disobeys, you can just lie down on the ground and refuse to get up…"
"Isn't that just emotional blackmail? That's absolutely emotional blackmail! How could an Acting Chairwoman stoop to such methods—"
"Special circumstances call for special measures," Chairwoman Akikawa replied firmly, voice grave.
"For the Academy's sake… please, just take one for the team this time."
---
T/N: OH NO!!! WHO CARES ABOUT THE OTHER THING? THE WORLD IS GONNA END BECAUSE OF VALENTINES DAY!!!
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