Due to restraints from all sides, Kitahara Sota's life had remained relatively peaceful during the first two days after Hayakawa-san moved in.
Ti slipped by quickly, and soon the debut races for Tamamo Cross and Super Creek arrived.
He woke up as usual, washed up, ate breakfast, and headed to the eting spot.
After a few minutes of waiting, Super Creek and Tamamo Cross appeared from around the corner in their Racing Outfits, each with distinctively different expressions.
Compared to before, Super Creek hadn't changed at all, still overflowing with motherly warmth.
Actually, since recently there were plenty of "little ones" who'd turned helplessly dependent, she'd been happily indulging her caregiving instincts, looking positively radiant because of it.
But when she turned her eyes toward Kitahara, the desire burning in them hadn't diminished one bit due to caring for others—rather, it had intensified noticeably.
On the other hand, Tamamo Cross looked sowhat worse for wear.
Though it wasn't so bad as having dark circles under her eyes—nothing severe enough to affect the race—the fatigue and resignation in her gaze were plainly visible.
As for what caused her current state...
Of course, it was none other than the oblivious man standing right before her, Kitahara Sota.
And it wasn't sothing that had just started recently, either.
Ever since joining Kitahara's team and realizing just how dangerous his situation was, Tamamo Cross had been trying desperately to warn him about the abnormal atmosphere around him.
At first, she tried dropping subtle hints, then indirect nudges.
Eventually, she couldn't hold back any longer, and during a rare private mont, she'd bluntly confronted him, telling him outright that many Uma Musu on the team harbored feelings for him and asked him directly what he intended to do about it…
But faced with her straightforward attack, though Kitahara hadn't confidently insisted—as he usually did—that all his relationships with the Uma Musu under his care were perfectly normal,
He simply bent down, smiled gently, patted her head, and told her she was overthinking things. Then he offered example after example, explaining in earnest detail why it was impossible for them to actually like him.
Truthfully, if she hadn't already been around the team for several months and witnessed the truth herself, Tamamo Cross might've nearly believed his nonsense after hearing his earnest analysis.
Moreover, upon coming back to her senses, Tamamo Cross realized to her astonishnt that she couldn't actually win the debate against Kitahara.
This outco wasn't hard to understand, either.
Even though she knew perfectly well that those Uma Musu had feelings for Kitahara, they always restrained themselves publicly, so Tamamo Cross genuinely lacked direct, concrete proof to present.
And at several critical monts, she herself hadn't been present—so no matter how much she argued, she was repeatedly beaten back by Kitahara's counterargunts.
She'd even begun to doubt her own reasoning, nearly accepting his absurd explanations as truth. Finally, in a mont of desperate frustration—afraid her own perceptions might be contaminated—she jumped up, bit him, and ran away.
After that incident, once she realized logic wouldn't reach Kitahara, Tamamo Cross had no other option.
She resorted to trying to subtly wake him up whenever possible, while secretly disrupting the other Uma Musu's attempts and doing all she could to protect his safety.
And this situation continued right up to today.
It could be said that Kitahara's continued survival until now owed much, apart from the Uma Musu pulling each other back, to Tamamo Cross's diligent protection.
However, that wasn't the main cause behind her tired state today.
Though guarding Kitahara was indeed exhausting, especially since the wooden-headed man constantly raised her blood pressure with his oblivious antics,
After surviving the initial phase, Tamamo Cross had gradually beco accustod to such headaches.
Additionally, because everyone knew she genuinely wanted only to protect Kitahara—and acted sowhat like a safety valve—none of the other Uma Musu disliked her, despite occasionally ruining their plans.
Rather, they considered her an outsider worth befriending, and so their attitudes toward her were actually much friendlier than toward others.
Another important factor was that, although Kitahara remained utterly oblivious about his own condition, his thinking about everything else was perfectly clear.
Thus, despite his abnormality possibly being the greatest of all, the two still managed to co together frequently, venting frustrations about Tracen's bizarre situations—which significantly relieved Tamamo Cross's ntal strain.
But the problem was, just when Tamamo Cross had slowly adapted to this situation and begun thinking that, given enough ti, she'd eventually succeed in convincing Kitahara,
A few days earlier, a piece of sudden news had stunned her on the spot.
On that particular day, utterly drained from Kitahara's recent series of blood-pressure-raising behaviors, Tamamo Cross didn't join the team for lunch as usual, instead temporarily stepping away from the heavy track (Jū Baba) to relax her nerves.
Midway through her al, a pure-white Uma Musu—white from head to toe except for her eyes—had quietly sat down across from her.
At first, Tamamo Cross didn't pay attention to this newcor's arrival.
The cafeteria was crowded anyway, so sharing tables with strangers wasn't uncommon.
However, after eating for a while, she suddenly noticed that the white Uma Musu sitting across from her hadn't placed any food in front of herself.
Then, before Tamamo Cross could even begin wondering, that pure-white Uma Musu suddenly spoke—her voice echoing as if directly inside Tamamo Cross's head, ethereal and airy.
"Hello, Tamamo Cross. It's our first ti eting—would you mind if we talk?"
…She's here for ?
Tamamo Cross paused her al, slowly raising her head. After observing carefully, she blinked once in surprise.
At first glance, it hadn't been obvious, but now upon closer examination… doesn't this white Uma Musu look a little like Eclipse-san…?
But she didn't dwell long on that, quickly replying instead:
"I don't mind, exactly, but what do you want to talk about? I'm kind of short on ti here—I need to finish eating quickly so I can keep watch over a certain idiot. If I'm late, who knows what trouble he'll get into…"
The white Uma Musu nodded softly, responding gently.
"What I wanted to discuss... is precisely about that 'idiot.'"
Without waiting for Tamamo Cross to respond, the white Uma Musu spoke again, imdiately sharing a piece of information that froze Tamamo Cross right where she sat.
"Although many believe trainers are dense because they're constantly soaking in sweetness, causing them to beco insensitive to sweetness itself—"
"This explanation isn't incorrect, but it's incomplete. It's indeed an important cause behind their obliviousness, but not the whole picture."
"Another significant reason for their obliviousness is the Uma Musu themselves."
"To put it simply, Uma Musu inherently possess a certain ability that disturbs others' perception to so degree."
"In other words—it can also be terd as a form of 'ntal contamination.'"
...What in the actual hell?
Frankly, right after hearing the white Uma Musu's explanation, Tamamo Cross was utterly dumbfounded.
Her initial reaction wasn't trying to comprehend the words at all, but rather wondering if perhaps this was just so chuunibyou Uma Musu from middle school running wild with delusions.
But after calming down a bit and recalling all the bizarre incidents she'd observed at Tracen Academy—especially the inexplicable circumstances surrounding Kitahara Sota—
Gradually, though still broadly convinced the white Uma Musu before her was talking nonsense, Tamamo Cross nonetheless couldn't help feeling a faint suspicion taking root in her heart.
Although her claims were incredibly far-fetched, sohow within Tracen's abnormal environnt, they suddenly didn't seem completely impossible…
After this suspicion sprouted, Tamamo Cross considered for a mont, then cautiously decided to probe further:
"So, what you're saying is that this 'idiot' hasn't noticed his own unusual situation because he's affected by this… contamination?"
After asking that, Tamamo Cross had assud the other party would simply nod in agreent, since this was essentially a logical extension of her previous statents.
Yet surprisingly, after a brief silence, the white Uma Musu shook her head instead.
"You can't entirely bla contamination. Normal contamination wouldn't reach the extre he's experiencing. At the very least, it certainly wouldn't reach the point where he'd let them openly move into his dorm without noticing—never mind anything more extre."
Hearing this, Tamamo Cross raised an eyebrow.
Sure enough, this white Uma Musu knew exactly who the "idiot" she'd ntioned was—and seed unusually knowledgeable about him…
After pausing briefly, Tamamo Cross asked cautiously:
"Then… do you know how to fix this situation?"
"I do," the pure-white Uma Musu nodded.
"Under normal circumstances, separating the affected person for a period of ti usually clears up this 'contamination.' About one month should suffice. However, during that period, the individual must not have contact with any Uma Musu who harbor 'romantic feelings' toward him, otherwise, the contamination will quickly reestablish itself."
A month's separation…
Rembering those relentless overachievers at Tracen, Tamamo Cross thought to herself, Forget a month—it's already a miracle if they can manage even one week of separation.
But before she could think deeper, the pure-white Uma Musu spoke again.
"However, the thod I ntioned earlier only applies to ordinary situations—not to him."
Tamamo Cross froze.
"...Why? Is he special sohow?"
"Is he not special?" The white Uma Musu replied back evenly.
Tamamo Cross hesitated again. Reflexively, she wanted to nod and say, What's special about him anyway?
Yet before the words left her mouth, mories of all the bizarre things she'd seen since joining the team flashed before her eyes, and she swallowed the sentence back down.
"…Alright, he's definitely pretty special," she conceded awkwardly.
"But even if he's special, isn't that just in terms of trainer abilities? It shouldn't have anything to do with this… contamination you ntioned, right?"
"If it was just trainer-related abilities, you'd be correct."
The white Uma Musu readily acknowledged, then continued:
"But his uniqueness isn't limited to just trainer abilities; it also includes what I ntioned earlier."
"Unlike other trainers—who only suffer mild contamination from a few Uma Musu at most, making them a bit emotionally dense and unaware of romantic feelings—"
"In his case, from the past until now, the number of Uma Musu he's co into contact with, the sheer cumulative amount of 'contamination' he's absorbed... even I've lost track of it."
"But even that's not the real issue."
"The biggest problem is, aside from the massive external contamination he's accumulated, he also has an internal contamination spreading from within."
"It's even more severe than the external type, and it's the main reason behind his current state."
Internal contamination?
Tamamo Cross paused for a mont.
"But didn't you just say this contamination thing is sothing exclusive to Uma Musu?"
"He's a special case," the pure-white Uma Musu clearly didn't want to elaborate further, quickly changing the subject.
"Therefore, regarding your efforts to continuously remind him, my advice is: you can stop now. There's no need to waste your energy."
"He was already an exceptional blockhead to start with. Now, layered with this amount of contamination, even if you literally slapped proof right in his face—even if you brought the person here and had them openly admit it—he might still refuse to believe it."
Tamamo Cross fell silent.
"Then…is there any other way to remove this 'contamination'? Aside from the one-month separation thod you ntioned?"
"There are other thods, yes, but you couldn't manage them. And even if you could, none of them would work on him anyway."
The pure-white Uma Musu paused briefly.
"Also, don't think of 'contamination' as sothing negative. I'm only used to calling it that. In truth, it doesn't actually harm anyone. It might even be considered beneficial for trainers."
"…Beneficial?" Tamamo Cross's tone was skeptical.
"Yes," the white Uma Musu said calmly.
"The 'contamination' rely dulls their sensitivity toward romantic affection, preventing them from easily realizing the feelings Uma Musu have toward them. However, it doesn't affect their genuine emotional developnt. At worst, it simply leaves Uma Musu nursing hidden regrets."
"But for trainers, this 'contamination' is advantageous."
"Because even if they discover a Uma Musu under their care has developed feelings, after being together for so long, they couldn't possibly abandon her. The awkwardness from acknowledging those feelings might interfere with their training."
"Moreover, emotional dynamics differ drastically depending on whether they remain unspoken or are made explicit. Unspoken, they might coexist peacefully for years until everything smoothly resolves itself."
"But once that curtain is pulled aside, the emotional train accelerates dramatically and often uncontrollably—at the very least, things like mare-jumping and basin fractures would certainly happen much earlier."
"So although I habitually call it 'contamination,' it's actually a subconscious protective asure Uma Musu generate toward trainers. There's really no need to fix it."
After hearing this explanation, Tamamo Cross felt a wave of profound frustration rising up inside her.
It wasn't exactly fear or horror. Instead, she was overwheld with complaints, yet unsure where exactly to even begin.
What kind of absurd ss is all this?
Feeling her confidence gradually crumble, Tamamo Cross's expression fell further.
"So basically, you're saying that idiot's hopeless..."
"He can still be saved," the white Uma Musu corrected calmly.
"Once he completes his True Awakening and fully controls 'that thing,' he'll beco immune or even capable of manipulating this contamination."
After a short pause, she added dryly:
"But I advise against too much hope. Given how dense he is, I'm beginning to doubt whether the contamination ever truly affected him. Maybe he's always been like this."
Tamamo Cross tugged at her hair irritably.
"I actually think he's pretty badly affected. After all, he seems perfectly normal when talking about other people's issues..."
"Hard to say," the white Uma Musu shook her head slowly.
"So people never see their own situation clearly. Long before his contamination reached severe levels, his actions were already giving others high blood pressure."
The white Uma Musu's words carried a strange power, causing Tamamo Cross to unconsciously overlook all the odd details she hadn't intended her to notice—
Like how exactly this person knew about Tamamo Cross's intentions, or how she seed familiar with Kitahara Sota's past.
After a brief silence, the white Uma Musu spoke again.
"However, whether or not he's actually affected by contamination, I'm certain there's soone who is deeply affected by it."
"Who?" Tamamo Cross asked curiously.
"Tamamo Cross."
"Oh, Tamamo Cross, she's—"
Halfway through her sentence, Tamamo Cross abruptly cut herself off, eyes widening in shock.
"Wait… Who did you just say?"
The white Uma Musu nodded gently.
"I ant you, Tamamo Cross."
"What the hell?" Tamamo Cross blurted, startled. "Hey, talk all you want, but why drag into this? I'm not like that idiot—I'd definitely know if soone had feelings for !"
"I never said you couldn't sense others' feelings," the white Uma Musu stared directly at her, calmly clarifying.
"Your contamination is actually even more special than his. His contamination may be greater in quantity, but his external behaviors remain relatively normal. Yours, however, directly blocks your self-awareness."
"To put it plainly—you can't recognize your own affection."
"That's impossible!"
Unaware of it herself, Tamamo Cross raised her voice slightly, her left hand subconsciously slipping into her jacket pocket.
"I'm not an idiot—how could I not realize sothing like that?"
The white Uma Musu stared at her quietly for several seconds, then slowly spoke again:
"How about you take your left hand out right now, hold it in front of us, open your fingers, and show what you're holding?"
Tamamo Cross froze abruptly.
Because she was indeed holding sothing in her left hand—
A button.
It was sothing Kitahara Sota had accidentally left behind when visiting her ho years ago. She'd kept it as a good-luck charm ever since, always carrying it close to her, never leaving her side for even a single day.
Whenever she felt nervous, she'd subconsciously grip it. By now, it had beco instinctive.
"Kitahara-san once helped …" Tamamo Cross murmured, voice strangely dry.
The white Uma Musu replied evenly.
"I never said whose button it was."
Silence.
A few monts later, Tamamo Cross opened her mouth to argue further—but before she could, the white Uma Musu spoke again.
"I doubt that he's the only person who ever helped you in your entire life—but did you keep buttons from anyone else?"
"You desperately seek victory; you urgently need money to send back ho. You rarely allow yourself leisure or even rest—yet you always make ti to help soone who frustrates you enough to bite him."
"You can claim your feelings toward him are only gratitude and camaraderie—that you just want to protect him and that's why you kept his button. I won't argue."
"But, Tamamo Cross, I have one question for you."
She stood up, leaned forward, gently pulling Tamamo Cross's left hand from her pocket and opening her fingers to reveal the small button.
"If I say I'm going to take this button away, would you—"
Chomp.
Before she finished speaking, sharp teeth sank into her pale arm. A slender hand roughly snatched the unassuming button back, carefully returning it to its safe place.
After securing it, Tamamo Cross looked up at her, voice firm and clear:
"This is mine. You can't touch it."
Curiously, despite being bitten fiercely, the white Uma Musu's arm showed neither blood nor marks. She displayed no sign of pain. Instead, after Tamamo Cross reclaid the button, her lips curled into a gentle smile.
"You see? You can realize it after all."
Tamamo Cross looked away sharply. "…I have no idea what you're talking about."
"If that's what you prefer, I won't argue," the white Uma Musu replied calmly.
"But whether you admit it or not, there are two more things I need to tell you—it's why I ca here today."
"The first concerns that idiot's True Awakening..."
She began sharing Kitahara's situation, leaving Tamamo Cross speechless with disbelief.
When she'd finished, Tamamo Cross, digesting it all slowly, finally asked skeptically:
"And the second thing?"
"The second thing…"
The white Uma Musu abruptly stood and reached out, thrusting her hand straight into Tamamo Cross's chest, directly grasping her heart—
Crack.
Instead of pain, a sound like glass shattering filled her ears, followed by an inexplicable relief.
The white Uma Musu whispered gently:
"I may have lost many things—but at least in this matter, I can still help you."
"From now on, you can control that 'self-contamination' however you wish. I'm only providing the opportunity. The rest is up to you."
"I look forward to your choice."
Her voice faded, and the world shattered.
When Tamamo Cross regained awareness, she sat alone at an empty cafeteria table.
As if no one had ever co.
---
T/N: HUH??? WHO WAS THAT???
Hey everyone, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying the translation, dropping so Powerstones would really help out your hardworking translator (100 stones = 1 bonus chapter, 200 = 2 chapters, and so on—easy math, right?).
If you're feeling especially generous, or maybe just impatient, you can support the translator at patreon/wisetl. Totally optional, but hey, early access is always a nice bonus.
Anyway, see you in the next chapter~
say thank you to hayasaka guyss
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