So, in the end, Shuta An signed a contract with the young Manager, Kohara Yasuyuki.
For this first agreent, however, Shuta An only committed to three years. Kohara, for his part, solemnly promised that he would prioritize recomnding the best possible riding resources to Shuta An, placing his interests above all else.
When Shuta An awoke, the mory of the Dream World still lingering vividly in his mind, he couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
"Oguri doesn't even have her own Manager yet," he muttered to himself, amused, "and I already have one in the Dream World."
After washing up and changing into a tracksuit, Shuta An planned a simple routine—breakfast first, then a trip to the gym for so light stretching. Given his current circumstances, maintaining a strong and stable physique was no longer optional.
He opened the door quietly, slipped out, and closed it with care.
It was still early. Although he had already verified the hotel's excellent soundproofing over the past few days, Shuta An still preferred not to disturb other guests with careless movents.
Yet when he arrived at the restaurant, he was greeted by an unexpected sight.
He wasn't the earliest guest this morning.
In a quiet corner sat a Uma Musu, her posture composed, a steaming cup of black tea cradled in her hands. Several pastries were neatly arranged before her. As expected—
This was jiro Dober's breakfast.
"Both are Uma Musu from the jiro Family," Shuta An thought inwardly, "but compared to Miss McQueen, Miss Dober's appetite really is much smaller."
Sowhere, far away in a guest room, jiro McQueen—still sound asleep—let out an unconscious sneeze.
Considering jiro Dober's psychological sensitivities, Shuta An chose not to approach her. After placing his order, he selected a seat just within the edge of her field of vision.
"It's better not to initiate conversation," he reminded himself. There were only two days left of the jiro Family's spring break. They would be returning to Tokyo tomorrow. On their final day in Hokkaido, Shuta An had no intention of stirring unnecessary waves.
Unfortunately, things did not unfold as planned.
Just as he was about to enjoy his seafood porridge in peace, jiro Dober unexpectedly stood up, walked over, and spoke in a soft voice.
"Shuta…Trainer, good morning."
Shuta An, who had been glancing at his phone, was caught off guard. He looked up instinctively, their eyes eting for a brief instant—before both of them turned away almost simultaneously.
"Good morning, Miss Dober," he replied. After a short pause, he added, "It feels like it's been a while since we last spoke."
"Yes…it has," jiro Dober nodded lightly. "The last ti was Comic Market."
Shuta An noticed a subtle detail.
The mont Comic Market was ntioned, jiro Dober's body visibly relaxed.
"So that's it," he concluded silently. "To communicate with her normally, I need to start from sothing she feels comfortable with."
With that decision made, he naturally guided the conversation onward.
"Speaking of which," Shuta An said casually, "your drawings are really beautiful. Have you ever considered setting up a booth at Comic Market yourself?"
"I…I have thought about it," jiro Dober admitted. "But Trainer, you've been there with before, right? The proportion of n is just too high…I can't really communicate normally with strangers."
"So there's no problem when it's ?" Shuta An asked offhandedly.
jiro Dober froze. Her cheeks flushed instantly.
"I—no—um…!"
Seeing her reaction, Shuta An imdiately realized his misstep and waved his hand.
"Forget I said that. Let's put it another way. Couldn't the jiro Family help you set up a booth? You're a young lady of the family—it shouldn't be difficult to ask for assistance, right?"
"No way!!"
Her response was far stronger than he had anticipated.
"I absolutely can't let my family do that!" jiro Dober blurted out. "They…no one knows about this hobby of mine!"
"Who knows how many tis Miss McQueen and the others have already critiqued her artwork behind her back," Shuta An thought dryly. Still, he understood her concern. When it ca to certain—creative directions, it was never easy to explain them to one's family.
As his thoughts drifted, a sharp stomp snapped him back to reality.
jiro Dober was glaring at him.
Their gazes t for the second ti.
The courage jiro Dober had painstakingly gathered crumbled instantly under his calm eyes. If she were rely Rubeto, the enigmatic creator admired within the ACG world, perhaps she could have maintained that resolve.
But she was jiro Dober—a Uma Musu who would one day step onto the grand stage. She understood better than anyone the position of the man before her: a Trainer with only a part-ti connection to her family, yet soone whose influence carried undeniable weight.
"Asking the Trainer of the French Two Crowns to help with Comic Market—" She pressed her lips together. "I can't say sothing like that."
She resolved to pretend she had never considered the idea at all.
But Shuta An had already seen through her hesitation.
"If you really want my help," he said, a grin forming, "it's not impossible."
jiro Dober's eyes lit up instantly.
"But—" Shuta An's tone shifted.
Her body trembled, and she subconsciously took a step back.
"This counts as a commissioned job, doesn't it?" He raised an eyebrow. "I don't work for free."
jiro Dober's thoughts raced.
Money? Her allowance, despite being from the jiro Family, was limited—probably even less flexible than Berno's.
Points? She couldn't even imagine how many would be required for sothing this important.
Information? Anything she knew, he likely already knew—or simply wouldn't care about.
Helping with drawings? He didn't seem like soone who needed artwork.
In the end, she arrived at a conclusion that filled her with a quiet sense of sadness.
The only thing of real value she possessed…was jiro Dober herself.
"I…I'll join Team Sadalsuud," she said cautiously. "Would that be enough?"
"That doesn't sound like compensation," Shuta An replied calmly. "For Uma Musu in Japan, joining my team should be considered a lucky chance."
There was no arrogance in his tone—only certainty.
jiro Dober lowered her head, dejected.
Then—
Snap.
Shuta An flicked his fingers.
"Never mind," he said. "I'll make a suggestion."
jiro Dober looked up. This was the third ti their gazes t. She braced herself, fully prepared to hear sothing…strange.
"Let's head out later," Shuta An said lightly. "We'll find a place to talk properly. After that, I'll ask a friend to handle the relevant arrangents for you."
The "compensation" he proposed was far simpler than jiro Dober had ever imagined.
jiro Dober, of course, had no intention of refusing Shuta An's invitation.
For an artist, Comic Market was an undeniable dream. Yet because of her special circumstances, jiro Dober could never stand there as a creator. No matter how refined her skills were, she could only upload her works online, enduring the endless questions from fans who wondered why she never released physical art books.
And now, an opportunity lay before her.
All she needed to do was go out with the young man in front of her—take a walk, have a conversation, discuss topics whose the she didn't yet know.
"And it's not going out with a stranger," the shy Uma Musu told herself silently, biting her lip as her resolve wavered. Although being alone with soone of the opposite sex like this was a first for her, she didn't dislike this particular companion.
"It's fine…it's fine," she kept reassuring herself.
Finally, jiro Dober gathered her courage and spoke again.
"I'm fine with it."
"Alright. Then please wait a mont," Shuta An replied casually. He still hadn't finished his porridge.
—
A little after seven, Shuta An and jiro Dober left the hotel one after the other.
Understanding jiro Dober's psychological shadows, Shuta An deliberately avoided secluded or enclosed places that might cause her to overthink. Instead, he led her to a pavilion by Lake Toya, chose a random spot, sat down, and gestured for her to do the sa.
The chestnut-haired Uma Musu sat as far from him as possible, her posture guarded. Even after agreeing to co, hesitation still lingered in her heart. She feared that the special image she held of the man before her might shatter.
Shuta An noticed her caution—but found it entirely natural.
He didn't press her.
Instead, he turned his head and quietly admired the morning scenery. Sunlight scattered across the lake's surface, the ripples shimring softly after sunrise, the world bathed in a calm, gentle glow.
Silence stretched between them.
Minutes passed.
At last, unable to endure it any longer, jiro Dober spoke first.
"Shuta-kun brought here—weren't we supposed to talk about sothing?"
Only then did Shuta An turn his head toward her.
"There are indeed things I'd like to ask," he said calmly. "But I don't think Miss Dober would necessarily answer—even if I did."
"Since I agreed," jiro Dober replied softly, turning her head away, "I'll do my best to answer. I won't disappoint you."
"Alright," Shuta An said. "First question."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"When you asked to be your model—what kind of work were you planning to create?"
jiro Dober froze.
She clearly hadn't expected that question. But having already promised to answer honestly, she clenched her fists and chose confession over evasion.
"There are a few Uma Musu at the Academy who know about my identity as an artist," she said quietly. "One of them commissioned to draw a thirty-page short manga—a 'dream girl' type story—with Shuta-kun as the male lead."
She hesitated, then added firmly, "But I can't disclose who that Uma Musu is. That's part of my professional ethics."
"If that Uma Musu already has her own Trainer," Shuta An remarked lightly, "then her Trainer would probably feel quite sad. The Uma Musu he's responsible for turns out to see another Trainer as her 'dream'—"
"There's actually a fan club for Shuta-kun at the Academy," jiro Dober added before she could stop herself.
"My…fan club?" Shuta An pointed at himself in disbelief. "Sothing like that exists?"
"I don't know the details," jiro Dober said, sounding embarrassed. "I just heard Digital-chan ntion it once."
"She's not a mber, right?" Shuta An's mouth twitched. "She's still an elentary-school Uma Musu."
"Of course not," jiro Dober replied quickly. "Digital-chan just has a very wide network. Even the teachers recognize her as a future prodigy, so she hears a lot of things around the Academy."
As she spoke about her friend, her tone softened noticeably. The tension in her shoulders eased.
Shuta An noticed the change.
"Then the second question," he said gently. "Every ti I call you by na, Miss Dober seems to beco depressed. Why is that?"
This ti, he deliberately emphasized Dober.
"Don't you think it sounds very masculine?" jiro Dober blurted out without thinking. "It doesn't sound like a girl's na at all."
"I don't think so," Shuta An answered imdiately. "Not even a little."
"Eh—?"
jiro Dober's eyes widened. It was the first ti she had ever voiced that question—and the first ti she had received an answer so completely different from what she expected.
She covered her mouth, the shock in her eyes impossible to hide.
"And the third question," Shuta An continued, taking advantage of her distraction. "The last one."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"I want to know what Miss Dober experienced in the past that caused her to develop a psychological phobia toward the opposite sex."
"Nothing," jiro Dober replied instantly.
The answer didn't match his speculation—but her reaction convinced him she was telling the truth.
"I'm just not used to interacting with the opposite sex," she added, as if emphasizing the point.
"Not used to it?" Shuta An's eyes flickered. Images of Rubeto's artworks surfaced in his mind. "Is it because when you talk to n, your thoughts start drifting toward how to incorporate them into your work?"
He didn't realize he had spoken his thoughts aloud.
"No! I only do that in front of Shuta-kun—!" jiro Dober stopped herself abruptly. "Sorry."
"I didn't hear anything," Shuta An said, waving his hand as he stood up. "If Miss Dober can pass Central Tracen Academy's tests, then Team Sadalsuud will welco you at any ti."
In his eyes, jiro Dober's artistic talent held imnse potential. At this very mont, Shuta An had already co up with at least ten ways to make full use of it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For anyone interested, or just want to support . Hit the mbership button to my Patreon: spatreon/cw/ModerateCitizens
User Comments
0 comments from readers