After the meeting ended and the Chairwoman and Tazuna Surukawa were seen off, the discussion in the meeting room immediately flared up again.
The trainers' expressions varied. Some looked desperate, their minds already envisioning the fate that awaited them after they went back and told their charges the news. Some even took out their phones on the spot to contact the school doctor, preemptively booking a hospital bed for a shattered pelvis, lest there be too many people later and they couldn't get one.
Some looked a little panicked but still felt there was hope. They began to gather in twos and threes to discuss whether to visit Mitsuo Taishi in the hospital and, by the way, ask him for advice on how to balance the relationships within their teams.
And some just didn't care. After all, they already had a team and rarely concerned themselves with matters outside of training. The new regulations, Black Forest—it all had nothing to do with them. Instead of worrying about this and that, it was better to go back and continue their work.
Shinji Kitahara belonged to the third group.
The new regulations had nothing to do with him, and the Chairwoman had said they would handle Black Forest. That meant the rest of it was none of his business. As for the previously mentioned surge in the horse girl population and the influx of new students, that was even more irrelevant to him. After all, the number of horse girls wasn't something he could decide, and his team was already large enough. Even if the number of transfer students doubled, it wouldn't affect him.
So, after the meeting, looking at the other panicking trainers, his heart was not only calm, but he even felt a little like laughing—Serves you right for being so competitive. Now you know regret, don't you?
Couldn't you learn from me and properly maintain your distance from your charges and the horse girls under your name? Isn't a pure, monetary relationship a beautiful thing?
After shaking his head with some emotion, Shinji didn't linger in the meeting room. After a brief chat with the other trainers, he left. After all, there were still a few little rascals waiting for him in the clubroom.
But just as he stepped out of the building, he received a message from Eclipse, saying they had already left the clubroom and were waiting for him at the training grounds.
Shinji didn't suspect anything. After all, most horse girls were the restless type. In the past, after they had had enough of the clubroom, they would go to the training grounds to let off some steam, so he just went straight there.
Then, after entering the training grounds, Shinji had just seen them from a distance. Before he could even get close, he heard Tokai Teio's voice ring out.
"Trainer-san, stand right there and don't move!"
Shinji was taken aback for a moment. Although he didn't understand why, he still stopped in his tracks, and then...
Clink—
From a distance, an arc of light flew through the air and landed squarely in his pocket, making a crisp sound as it collided with the other key inside.
And then, Shinji immediately realized what they were doing.
So they're using my pocket as a basketball hoop to practice their shots, are they?
Thinking of this, he reached into his pocket, took out both keys to check, and after confirming they were both still there, he walked over with a dark face and began to scold them, saying what if they had lost the key, and so on...
Normally, even if he was in the right, these little ones probably wouldn't listen to his lecture obediently. At the very least, they would try to argue a few sentences or try to get away with being cute.
But today, they were exceptionally well-behaved. No matter what he said, they didn't refute a single word, nor did they try to get away with being cute. Their attitude was very cooperative, and their tone of apology was very sincere.
On the other hand, Agnes Digital on the side looked as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. After a moment, feeling the gazes from her surroundings, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to speak and lowered her head with some guilt.
Shinji wasn't without his suspicions about their strange behavior, but halfway through his suspicion, he suddenly remembered that he had, for the first time ever, bought them drinks this afternoon. Suddenly, everything became reasonable.
At least they have some conscience.
Thinking this, Shinji didn't make things too difficult for them. After a few perfunctory words of lecture, he didn't pursue the matter further, then took out his phone and returned to his usual state.
As for the others, seeing that he didn't suspect anything, they looked at each other and also breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling the extra metal object in their pockets, they returned to their daily horseplay with big smiles.
As if nothing had happened.
...
Peaceful times always pass quickly. In the blink of an eye, the third week of training came to an end.
Apart from a pile of messy things that had happened on Monday, Shinji's slacking for the remaining four days had gone smoothly, so smoothly that it made him a little self-doubting.
Because of his past experiences, coupled with his encounters in the first two weeks, he had almost thought he had contracted some strange disease where he would be immediately targeted whenever he wanted to slack off. He had even been prepared for all sorts of trouble to come looking for him this week.
But nothing happened.
The horse girls in his team had become inexplicably well-behaved since Monday. Now, every morning, they would gather together first, wait for him to arrive, and only start training after greeting him, which actually made him feel a little embarrassed.
Outside the team, Black Forest hadn't come to trouble him again. And although he didn't know the details, it was said that the Chairwoman's operation was going very smoothly. Black Forest was now struggling to survive, let alone deal with Tracen.
Then there was the matter of next week's race.
Last Friday, Teio had told him that she planned to participate in a Maiden race next week. Shinji had thought about it and later also talked to Eclipse and Tachyon about their race schedules.
"Let's just schedule it for the same day. It'll save time," Eclipse had said, and neither Tachyon nor Teio had objected.
Unlike official races, of which there were only a few a month, there were several Maiden races every day. After all, for the vast majority of horse girls, they might not even be able to participate in a few regular races in their entire lives. The boredom of daily training, or wanting to prepare for a future big race and have a preliminary drill, would lead them to run in Maiden races. So there were always a lot of people, and the number of races was also very sufficient. Basically, you just had to book a few days in advance. And if you didn't mind being matched with an opponent with a large point difference, you could even just say a day in advance.
However, although the races were on the same day, Shinji of course did not put them in the same race. After all, Tachyon and Teio were both contenders for first place. There was no need to let them kill each other.
As for Eclipse... Shinji could only say, as long as she's happy.
And after the race matters were settled, the rest was naturally preparation.
Information gathering, venue investigation, targeted training, opponent evaluation, and running strategy formulation... Logically speaking, these were all things a trainer should do before a race, even for a Maiden race, and it was also a good opportunity for a new trainer to practice.
But Shinji did none of them.
Because Agnes Digital, with the cooperation of Agnes Tachyon, had done it for him. And during the process, she had shown great enthusiasm, giving off the feeling that she was happily counting the money for him after being sold by him.
Of course, although she was doing the work of an assistant trainer, she hadn't neglected her own training. She had also received some help from Shinji and had already registered and was preparing to participate in a G1 race in June.
However, although Digital was very happy to do this, Shinji was not a heartless boss. If he kept taking advantage of her like this, his conscience would feel a little guilty. So he proposed to take her to the old horse girl's place on Saturday to see if he could order another set of racing silks for her, and also to make up the numbers.
Although she didn't know the specific situation of that shop, Digital readily agreed, because she trusted Shinji's judgment.
And after inviting Digital, Shinji began to consider the remaining candidates. After all, the old horse girl had said last week that if he didn't bring four people this time, he wouldn't even be allowed in the door. And from what he knew of that person, she was absolutely capable of doing such a thing.
Then let's take Oguri and Special Week too. It was a good opportunity to collect their data. As for Ms. Grass...
Shinji had originally not wanted to call her, since the numbers were already enough. But recalling her experiences in the past two weeks, he was a little shaken.
Thinking back, he had actually wanted to give her an assist by using the fact that Special Week had become a useless person, but who knew that before she could even speak, Special Week had directly called Silent Suzuka over. And after that, during the few opportunities when Suzuka was busy, she had failed to seize any of them. First, she didn't feed Special Week enough because she was distracted, and then on Sunday, she happened to miss the opportunity to be alone with her because she had gone home to visit her parents.
And in this new, peaceful third week, with the recovery of Special Week's mobility, she had completely lost the opportunity to take care of her. Plus, because Suzuka was worried about Special Week, she would often come over from time to time. She could only watch the two of them interact from a distance every day, unable to get a word in edgewise.
And, because she was just an outsider in name only, the other members of the team didn't interact with her much, always maintaining a sense of distance. This was originally normal, but coupled with the matter of Special Week, how should I put it... it was indeed a bit tragic.
To be honest, Shinji really didn't want to have any connection with her at all. But seeing her being persecuted like this, and with a part of the reason for her persecution coming from him, he felt a little guilty.
But it wasn't just guilt. Shinji was also a little worried that if she continued like this, she might have a mental breakdown or turn to the dark side one day, leading to some unfortunate developments.
For example, a naginata, a naginata, or a naginata.
Although with Eclipse, it shouldn't be difficult to suppress her, there was still a risk. And since he had sold out Special Week to her for the purpose of self-preservation, his conscience would still feel a little guilty if he didn't do something.
After comprehensive consideration, Shinji sighed and finally decided to give her a hand and another chance.
"Miss Grass Wonder, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
He told her about the racing silks and "unintentionally" mentioned that Special Week would also be going.
Hearing his words, her eyes lit up, and she quickly agreed, thanking him.
After two weeks of getting along, perhaps others couldn't see it, but Grass Wonder had already vaguely realized by the end of the second week that he was helping her, and now it was almost explicit. And, like Special Week, she was also planning to participate in her debut race in the second half of this year, and then officially start competing next year. She did indeed need a set of racing silks at the moment, so there was even less reason to refuse his invitation.
And seeing her like this, Shinji also breathed a sigh of relief.
Good. Although she's a little sad, at least her mental state is still stable for now. I hope you can seize this opportunity. This is the most I can do to help you.
After talking with Ms. Grass, Shinji went to find Oguri and Special Week. After confirming that the two of them also had time to go, the quota of four people was filled, and there was even an extra one, Eclipse, who was his bound equipment.
It's just that, not long after he had finalized the candidates, after he returned to his dorm and took a shower, when he picked up his phone again, he saw that the old horse girl had sent him a message.
She said that two of the three sets of clothes that had been ordered before were already done, and asked him to bring Teio and Tachyon over to inspect the goods when he came this Saturday.
Shinji Kitahara: "..."
You're doing this on purpose, right? This person is definitely doing this on purpose!
First, she said to bring four people, letting him bring the remaining three and Eclipse. Then, the day before the trip, after thinking that he should have already confirmed the candidates, she sent another message, asking him to bring the two of them as well.
This intention couldn't be more obvious.
But the problem was, Shinji couldn't figure out what she was trying to achieve by doing this.
It was very strange.
And speaking of which, he remembered that the design and production cycle of racing silks seemed to be quite long, especially for this kind of custom-made by hand. It was already good if one piece could be produced in half a month. How did she manage to produce two pieces in less than a week?
Although he had known the old horse girl for a long time and could realize that her ability in clothing design seemed to be a bit high, he really didn't know how high it was, and the other party had never said. Even the matter of making racing silks was not something she had told him on her own initiative. It was during a casual chat once, when Shinji was thinking that Eclipse might become a racehorse in the future, that he brought up the topic of racing silks. Then the old horse girl had said that he didn't have to worry about this matter, and that he could just come to her when the time came. Only then did Shinji know that she could make racing silks.
And the mysteries surrounding the old horse girl were not limited to the level of her clothing production. That pipe that looked valuable at a glance, the past that was occasionally revealed in her conversation, and her disdainful attitude when talking about the major horse girl families...
Shinji could see these things, but since the old horse girl didn't want to say, he was also too lazy to ask, just as the old horse girl was also too lazy to ask him how his bizarre trainer ability came about, and what had happened to him that year.
But this didn't mean that their relationship was very distant. On the contrary, the old horse girl was one of the only two elders he regarded as trustworthy.
It's just that her personality was really terrible sometimes. To say she was disrespectful for her age would be a compliment.
Sighing, Shinji closed the message from the old horse girl, then opened LINE and had Eclipse send a message to Teio and Tachyon respectively, asking them if they wanted to go together tomorrow.
He didn't have much hope for this. He vaguely remembered that in the clubroom today, Teio had said she planned to go to the student council to play with the President tomorrow, and Tachyon was preparing to do a rather important experiment. They probably wouldn't...
Just as he sent the message to Eclipse, before he could even close the window, a message popped up.
[Eclipse: They both agreed.]
Shinji Kitahara: "...?"
Why does it feel like someone is acting against him?
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (330 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (130 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (140 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (330 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (160 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (170 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (90 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (130 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (140 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (140 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (140 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (110 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (120 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (70 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.