Honestly, sotis Kitahara Sota genuinely had no idea what was going on inside the heads of the little Uma Musu under his care.
Clearly, Nice Nature herself was the one who insisted that he touch her ears and tail—even refusing when he tried to stop.
And he'd repeatedly asked her if it really felt comfortable.
Yet now, even though he had followed her every request, she was looking at him with tear-filled eyes, asking if bullying her was really that much fun. He just couldn't wrap his head around it.
Even more incomprehensibly, right after Nice Nature said those words, he instinctively thought it best to let go, since she might genuinely be uncomfortable.
But the mont he released his grip, Nice Nature once again pressed herself forward, looking even more aggrieved than before.
So, do you want to continue or not...?
Kitahara couldn't help but grumble inwardly, but seeing her pitiful expression, he couldn't bear to trouble her further.
In the end, he simply complied, following whatever she asked, comforting her until they'd finished cleaning the room. And afterward, per her request, he gently held her in his arms and continued stroking until she was finally satisfied.
What even is all this...?
After calming Nice Nature, Kitahara glanced back at her, now curled into a little ball with her head lowered shyly. He muttered inwardly and quickly returned to his work.
And with that, ti quietly passed by again.
...
Two days later, at the racecourse.
Today was the debut day for Grass Wonder and Special Week. Kitahara followed his usual routine—waking up, washing, having breakfast—before accompanying the two girls to the venue.
Unlike the competitions Kitahara had previously attended, a debut race wasn't strictly a formal event; rather, it was closer to a driving test, designed simply to certify Uma Musu as qualified to race.
As long as a girl completed the debut race with decent results, she'd earn eligibility to formally compete from the following year onward.
Given this nature—and the sheer number of Uma Musu involved—the debut races were held directly at the track inside Tracen Academy. They didn't even need to leave the campus.
Given the scale, the overall standard was, naturally, not especially high.
Even basic competitions at regional Tracen branches required three preliminary wins before girls could qualify for official, OP-level professional races.
But any Uma Musu who was officially registered at Tracen could run the debut race—most of whom still didn't even have trainers yet.
Although the academy's trainers had recently gone a bit crazy scouting for girls due to the Chairwoman's new policy—Komata Haji, for example, had even taken in Tamamo Cross and Super Creek—the huge influx of transfer students made matters even more chaotic.
Now, the ratio of Uma Musu to trainers had reached an absurd thirty-to-one—an unprecedented imbalance in Tracen's entire history.
Even with the new policies, this outrageous imbalance could only be slightly alleviated.
Furthermore, generally speaking, Uma Musu could only start seeking out trainers after completing their debut race.
After all, not every trainer had Kitahara Sota's abnormal insight—or his otherworldly knowledge—allowing him to pinpoint an Uma Musu's potential from just their na or a brief observation.
So the debut races had beco a mutual selection process: not only did Uma Musu try to catch the eyes of trainers, but trainers also crowded around, scouting the field to uncover promising talents.
None of this, however, had anything to do with Kitahara anymore.
His team had already reached capacity—honestly, it was even a bit beyond capacity.
Today, he was purely here to watch Special Week and Grass Wonder compete. Even if an Uma Musu ca directly to Reverse Nominate him, he'd firmly refuse.
Moreover, since he was sowhat famous within the academy now, he'd deliberately tried to avoid any awkward Reverse Nomination scenario by hiding himself among the trainers in the audience seats, trying his hardest to blend into the background.
But although Kitahara's intentions were good, he seed to have forgotten that within Tracen Academy, he was far more famous among trainers than among the Uma Musu themselves.
Moreover, as ti passed and people gradually realized certain things about him, his already considerable reputation had increased even further.
Thus, the mont Kitahara squeezed himself into the group of trainers to lower his profile, he ironically ended up drawing even more attention.
Those trainers who were familiar with him imdiately ca over and struck up friendly conversations.
And even those who didn't know him personally kept glancing at him curiously, surprise and confusion evident in their eyes.
This guy's pelvis still hasn't shattered yet...?
Consequently, with all this attention from trainers surrounding him, Kitahara beca the unintended focus of nearly everyone present—even the Uma Musu preparing for their debut couldn't help but glance his way a few tis.
Noticing their gazes, Kitahara imdiately regretted his choice, thinking miserably he should have just hidden away in a remote corner sowhere.
But regret was useless now; colleagues had already started chatting enthusiastically, and he couldn't just rudely leave. So he remained there, enduring everyone's attention as he awkwardly chatted with the trainers.
As they talked, a slightly delighted female voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Trainer Kitahara, you're here to watch the debut race too?"
Kitahara turned around and saw the voice's owner.
Karai Risa.
She was the newly appointed trainer this sester, the sa one who had previously asked him for his autograph.
"Yeah. Two girls from my team are debuting today, so I ca over to watch," Kitahara replied, pausing briefly before continuing. "Are you here scouting for your tantou?"
After all, the Chairwoman's new rules required newly appointed trainers to take on at least one tantou within their first year.
As far as Kitahara knew, after he had rejected Karai Risa's previous request to join his team, she hadn't joined any other team as an assistant trainer—so it seed likely she'd co here looking to scout potential candidates.
"Hmm, sort of." Karai Risa sat down beside him. "If I find soone suitable—and if she's willing to trust a rookie trainer like —then having an extra tantou might be nice. It'd be even better if I could eventually form a larger team. I actually quite like lively atmospheres…"
An extra tantou?
Kitahara was slightly stunned.
"You already have a tantou?"
"Strictly speaking, not yet," Karai Risa paused briefly. "But there's this very adorable girl planning to debut around this ti next year, and we get along very well. She's already agreed to beco my tantou…"
"Congratulations, then. To secure a tantou this quickly—that's genuinely impressive," Kitahara sincerely congratulated her.
It wasn't unheard of for trainers to find a tantou within their first year, but it was definitely rare. Despite the new policy, most rookie trainers still chose to play it safe by working as assistants under senior trainers, neatly sidestepping the requirents.
Karai Risa smiled faintly, responding, "I guess it's alright. But compared to you, Trainer Kitahara—you built a full-sized team in just half a year, and your achievents are astonishing. I'm still far behind..."
Hearing her say this, Kitahara hesitated briefly, replying with a slightly helpless tone.
"My situation is a special case. You really shouldn't compare yourself to . And large teams aren't as great as you imagine—sure, it's lively, but there's always a mountain of problems to deal with..."
Karai Risa blinked. "Does your team have a lot of work to handle?"
Kitahara nodded calmly. "A lot."
"So you're usually very busy, right?"
"It's manageable—but when races pile up, things get pretty hectic."
"How about I join your team as an assistant trainer to help ease your workload?"
"That sounds go—... Wait, no! Absolutely not!"
Karai Risa had delivered her rapid-fire questions so smoothly that Kitahara almost instinctively agreed. Realizing it, he quickly stopped himself.
Seeing her disappointed expression, Kitahara sighed helplessly. But before he could question why she was so eager to join his team, Karai Risa began speaking again:
"Kitahara-senpai, I might not be an experienced trainer, but I've conducted extensive research on Uma Musu at the research institute—I'm certain I can be useful."
She pulled out her phone, unlocked it, tapped a few tis, and then showed the screen directly to Kitahara.
"Look—these are so of the things I've developed before, many of which I've even patented..."
"This one's a training bracelet: it increases physical energy expenditure to boost training effectiveness…"
"This one's an interference-field generator. It simulates the intense pressure that Uma Musu feel on the track, improving their resistance to it…"
"And this—I designed this racing outfit. It's my most satisfying work so far, incorporating technologies like anti-gravity, anti-interference, weight reduction, training enhancent, and advanced composite materials…"
"The most important part is, it completely complies with URA regulations for racing outfits—it doesn't violate any rules at all..."
Initially, Kitahara hadn't thought much when Karai Risa ntioned her past research. But as he saw the images and heard her explanations, his expression gradually shifted.
He had predicted earlier that Karai Risa, given her professional background and previous research institute experience, would probably have strong research capabilities—perhaps even stronger than Agnes Tachyon's mystical, unpredictable thods.
But wasn't this a bit too much?
Even Tachyon's potions relied largely on mysticism, often impossible to reproduce reliably. Yet Karai Risa's work was both effective and—more crucially—patented. It ant her innovations could be mass-produced and easily used by ordinary people.
Then why on earth are you working as a trainer? Wouldn't it be far better to just do research and contribute to society instead...?
Kitahara couldn't help but inwardly retort.
After silently retorting to himself, Kitahara couldn't help but ask:
"By the way, I'm curious—are all the people in the Uma Musu Research Institute as ridiculous...I an, as amazing as you are?"
If the institute was actually filled with extraordinary people like Karai Risa, Kitahara would seriously consider dropping by for a visit in three years.
But after hearing his question, Karai Risa shook her head.
"No. Actually, I was considered one of the top researchers there. I heard so even called the 'Ace,' though I prefer cuter nicknas..."
She paused, then added thoughtfully:
"But calling the institute's ace wouldn't exactly be wrong. After all, just last year, the total number of research papers published by everyone else combined was less than half of mine. Plus, several key research projects were entirely handled and completed by alone..."
Kitahara was stunned.
Holy hell. If one person can publish twice as many research papers as everyone else combined and handle all major projects, I'd believe it if soone said she was actually a secret alt-account run by the Three Goddesses.
Seeing Kitahara's astonished expression, Karai Risa quickly pressed on:
"So you see, Kitahara-senpai, I'm really capable. I could definitely help you a lot. Please let join your team as an assistant trainer..."
"No way."
Kitahara instinctively rejected her proposal.
It wasn't that he didn't want her. Honestly, after hearing about her research, Kitahara was itching to drag her into his dorm right now for a full-blown academic discussion that might last days and nights.
But the problem was, if he agreed to let Karai Risa join, the person exchanging ideas with her wouldn't just be him—another infamous mad scientist definitely wouldn't pass up the chance either.
And then…
There might not even be a "then."
Optimistically speaking, maybe Agnes Tachyon could learn sothing from Risa and stabilize her potion-making in the future.
But pessimistically speaking, if Kitahara started recording from this very mont, he might actually capture a docuntary titled: "The Fall of Tracen Academy."
For his own sake—and the safety of the entire academy—he concluded it'd be best to keep the two as far apart as possible.
Realizing that Karai Risa hadn't given up and was still enthusiastically promoting herself, Kitahara fell silent briefly before deciding to quickly shift the topic.
"Speaking of which, Karai-san, is the Uma Musu who agreed to beco your tantou by any chance Mihono Bourbon?"
"Huh? Kitahara-senpai, you know her?"
Karai Risa was startled.
"Not personally, I just heard about her. She seed like soone who'd match well with you, so I guessed."
Kitahara answered casually—but it obviously wasn't the full truth.
Mihono Bourbon. Nicknad "chanical Horse," or "Cyber Horse."
It wasn't that she was actually chanical; she just had an exceptionally robotic and stiff personality combined with a slight case of chuunibyou. Together, these traits made her seem exactly like an AI-driven chanical Uma Musu.
But even that wasn't the most defining feature about her.
The main reason Mihono Bourbon earned her nickna wasn't her personality—it was the uniquely futuristic, blatantly sci-fi-styled Racing Outfit she wore.
And the outfit Karai Risa had just shown Kitahara—while sowhat different in details—clearly bore the sa futuristic, high-tech aesthetic as Mihono Bourbon's famous outfit from the ga.
He'd casually guessed her na, never expecting to hit the bullseye so cleanly.
Having had her tantou's identity unexpectedly revealed, Karai Risa clearly realized that Kitahara was deliberately changing the topic. But since it wouldn't be good to keep forcing the issue, she decided to gracefully take his cue, chatting instead about Mihono Bourbon.
As they talked, the previous race concluded, and a fresh wave of Uma Musu began entering the track for the next round. Among them was Special Week.
Seeing her race about to begin, Kitahara nodded briefly to Karai Risa, turning his full attention toward the track.
Warm-up. Entering the gate. Ready stance.
Although it was rely a debut race—and Kitahara could easily tell none of the other girls were even close to matching Special Week's ability—he still watched carefully.
It was his way of respecting Special Week's earnestness and dedication throughout this whole period.
Then—
Bang!
The gate flew open, and just like that, the race was effectively over.
Yes, you read that right—the race had ended the mont it started.
Because Special Week imdiately bolted forward at the start, instantly leaving all the other Uma Musu far behind without even needing to reach her final spurt.
Gate reaction, acceleration off the start, explosive power, timing judgnt, endurance...
Unlike Agnes Tachyon, whom Kitahara had painstakingly conditioned for nearly half a year—and even then, only switched her running style just before her first race—Special Week had adopted his running technique right from the start. She had diligently trained an entire sester under a running strategy originally tailored to a certain random "background Uma Musu."
Moreover, this was just a debut race. Even though her opponents were technically all from the main academy, well...
To put it simply, just one-third into the race, Special Week had already created a huge gap against second place.
But that wasn't even the scariest part. The truly terrifying part was that according to Kitahara's carefully designed strategy, Special Week hadn't even reached her strongest phase yet...
After watching a bit longer, Kitahara realized that—for reasons unknown—Special Week's condition today was exceptionally good, with far more stamina remaining than he'd anticipated.
If she decided to unleash her full burst right now, it wouldn't just be a huge margin—it'd easily surpass three full margins, or about thirty horse-lengths at minimum...
Thankfully, Kitahara's greatest fear never ca to pass.
Because after running a while, Special Week herself suddenly noticed sothing odd: there was no one behind her.
Especially once she realized she'd put more than a dozen horse-lengths between herself and second place, Special Week imdiately started pretending she was tiring out, rapidly slowing down her pace.
It wasn't that she disliked standing out, but a debut race had neither prizes nor counted as a formal competition. More importantly, many Uma Musu depended heavily on performing well here to attract trainers.
If she actually beat them by sothing as absurd as thirty horse-lengths, the girls behind her—no matter how talented—might struggle to find trainers later.
Also, knowing very well that Sota-san didn't particularly enjoy standing out either, Special Week simply slowed down in the last third of the race, finishing comfortably ahead by about six horse-lengths without even breaking a sweat.
Unfortunately, this was the very first ti Special Week had attempted sothing like this. Despite her best attempts to act convincingly exhausted, everyone—including Kitahara, the other trainers, and even the watching Uma Musu—could clearly see she was deliberately holding back, and pretty heavily at that.
But no one complained. After all, they all understood the nature of debut races.
Besides, the Uma Musu who finished behind Special Week weren't lacking in talent. Imdiately after the race ended, several trainers approached them, eagerly hoping they'd join their teams—it'd be a genuine sha if such promising talent was overlooked just because of Special Week's dominance.
Then, sothing extrely strange happened.
As ntioned earlier, trainers naturally crowded around debut races to scout new talent. Those Uma Musu who perford particularly well typically attracted nurous trainers eager to recruit them—the better the performance, the more trainers would rush over.
But despite Special Week's incredible showing—sothing that would normally incite a near-riot of trainers—no one approached her.
Even fourth place had multiple trainers enthusiastically chatting her up, and second place was completely encircled by eager trainers. Yet Special Week, who'd clearly outclassed everyone else, had no trainers approach her at all.
Very, very strange.
And stranger still, after finishing, Special Week happily waved toward Kitahara sitting in the stands. Almost imdiately, Kitahara noticed the gazes of surrounding trainers beco subtly odd.
It wasn't envy toward him for having yet another genius talent—it was more like a combination of sympathy and schadenfreude.
But before Kitahara could fully process what was happening, Karai Risa, who had quietly observed the entire exchange, suddenly spoke again.
"Kitahara-senpai, there's sothing I'd like to ask you about."
Thinking she ant to discuss Special Week's performance, Kitahara nodded. However—
The mont he agreed, Karai Risa leaned in close to his ear, lowering her voice significantly.
"Kitahara-senpai…"
"Have you ever heard about sothing called the 'Black Market'?"
---
T/N: "Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
Say thank you to Maomao guys
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