The sun set, then rose again.
The vacation was over, a new day had begun, and it was time for work.
Kitahara Sota went through his usual morning routine: washing up, dressing, stopping by the Tracen cafeteria for breakfast, and finally heading toward the training grounds.
Nice, peaceful, and lazy—today looked like another perfect day for slacking off.
But the moment he stepped onto the training ground, an unsettling feeling crept up, causing his eyelids to twitch involuntarily.
What's going on?
Perplexed, he raised his head, glancing toward his team's usual gathering spot, only to witness something even stranger.
Usually, at this hour, due to his habitual neglect, the Uma Musume on his team would already be deep into their independent training. At most, one or two might be resting after a run, greeting him with a casual wave when they saw him.
Well, except Eclipse, who always stood quietly like a trainer herself.
But today, at the designated meeting place, all seven Uma Musume were standing neatly together, without a single exception.
And as soon as he looked over, they simultaneously raised their heads, meeting his gaze in unison.
"Good morning, Trainer-san! Let's give it our all this week too!"
Tokai Teio greeted him cheerfully, her usual bright smile filled with enthusiasm.
"Good morning, Guinea Pig-kun. Interested in trying my latest potion?"
Agnes Tachyon smiled gently, an ominous glint flashing through her ruby-red eyes.
"Good morning, Trainer-san..."
Oguri Cap began, then hesitated, hand suddenly moving to her stomach with a confused look.
"Good morning, Sato-san!"
Special Week gave her usual carefree grin, though her hair definitely seemed longer than yesterday.
The four greeted him simultaneously, their voices perfectly in sync.
As for the remaining three—Grass Wonder appeared somewhat downcast, reacting slightly slower, greeting him politely only after the others had spoken, her eyes drifting subtly toward Special Week again.
Agnes Digital, standing among them, was excitedly glancing around, finally greeting him after Grass Wonder, her eyes shifting blissfully between him and Eclipse.
And Eclipse…
"Morning."
She spoke last, simply nodding slightly without further expression.
The sudden abnormality startled Kitahara—he almost thought they'd plotted something behind his back again, preparing to ambush him.
Thankfully, the odd behavior lasted only a moment. After greeting him, they swiftly returned to their normal selves.
Training resumed, Digital wandered off to photograph various Uma Musume, Grass Wonder resumed staring wistfully at Special Week, and Eclipse continued standing silently by his side, making him appear more like an assistant trainer as usual.
Seeing things return to normal and no further incidents occurring, Kitahara gradually relaxed. The unsettling feeling slowly dissipated.
Probably just a coincidence.
He shrugged mentally, pulling out his phone to resume his daily slacking-off routine.
But today, instead of opening his usual videos, he navigated to Tracen Academy's forum, specifically the anonymous section, and began browsing.
About three minutes later, he found the thread he was looking for:
[Anonymous Question]: Does anyone else feel there's something wrong with Trainer Kitahara Sota?
[Anonymous OP]: It's been two weeks and I've barely seen him actually work. He just stands there fiddling with his phone, rarely interacting with his Uma Musume. Isn't this a bit weird?
[Anon Reply A]: OP, why care so much about others? Bored or just not training enough?
[Anonymous OP]: My team trains right next to his, hard not to notice.
[Anon Reply B]: I've noticed too. He really seems different from other trainers—he doesn't just avoid guidance and communication, it's more like he's actively avoiding responsibility.
[Anonymous OP]: Exactly! That's exactly my feeling!
[Anonymous OP]: I don't mean to stir things up, but he genuinely feels unreliable. I suggest people avoid him.
[Anon Reply A]: But he's Tokai Teio's trainer. How could he be like that? You're not jealous, are you? Surely not?
[Anon Reply B]: Precisely because he's Teio's trainer, he probably has no energy left for others.
[Anon Reply B]: Also, I just checked the official website. He has seven Uma Musume and no assistant trainer. No matter how skilled he is, can he really handle all seven effectively?
[Anon Reply B]: Anyway, regardless of whether he's truly irresponsible, I agree with OP. Everyone should steer clear.
This thread had been created after training ended last Friday. Due to Kitahara's rising fame, the thread quickly gained attention, even briefly topping the anonymous section. There were already hundreds of replies beneath it.
Unlike previous threads deliberately trying to start trouble, this one, although anonymous, had relatively reasonable replies. Most agreed with the OP and Anon B, but their language wasn't overly harsh.
A few opposing replies suggested he might be a "data-driven trainer," constantly observing and analyzing data on his phone. Others speculated he had a specialized training method or perhaps a hidden support team communicating via his phone to help Tokai Teio.
But regardless of their stance, both sides concluded one thing unanimously:
It wasn't advisable to choose him as a trainer.
If he was irresponsible, then obviously one should avoid him. If responsible, seven Uma Musume were already too many.
As Kitahara read these negative assessments, the corners of his lips slowly curled upward.
That's right—this thread had been posted by none other than himself.
Moreover, the first three accounts, [Anonymous OP], [Anon Reply A], and [Anon Reply B], were all his own sock-puppet accounts.
Why had he created this thread? Naturally, to lower the likelihood of more Uma Musume becoming interested in him.
That might sound strange.
After all, despite his constant attempts to slack off since joining Tracen, he'd ended up entangled with a bunch of troublesome Uma Musume, building a team of seven.
But that perception was fundamentally flawed.
Upon closer examination, all the Uma Musume who'd joined his team had entered under abnormal circumstances.
Eclipse was bound to him. Tokai Teio specifically came for a leisurely ride. Special Week and Oguri Cap were old acquaintances. Tachyon forced her way in out of curiosity. Grass Wonder had been brought in by the student council for security and to watch Special Week. Agnes Digital had joined primarily to care for Tachyon—and to fangirl and push her latest "ships."
Various absurd reasons, but not one normal recruitment.
So, to accurately judge the effectiveness of his slacking-off strategy, these exceptions had to be excluded.
And after excluding them, how many Uma Musume had joined his team normally?
Zero.
One might argue that's normal—after all, to outsiders, Kitahara was merely an ordinary rookie trainer. Yet, at Tracen Academy, many young Uma Musume preferred making a name for themselves in smaller teams rather than joining established ones where rigid hierarchies and rivalries might hinder their growth.
Moreover, with Tokai Teio's star power present, it would typically attract ambitious Uma Musume aiming to surpass her.
Given all this, one might suggest Kitahara simply firmly reject any interested Uma Musume—but if he could truly do that, he wouldn't have resorted to slacking as a defense mechanism in the first place.
While others might not have realized it, Eclipse knew very clearly: Kitahara was exceptionally vulnerable to soft approaches. For instance, he'd flatly refused Agnes Tachyon when she'd initially tried subtle threats, yet softened immediately when she spoke sincerely.
And as for Eclipse herself, she'd become his greatest vulnerability. Initially selected as his tantou because he believed her to be the safest choice, she'd ironically become the most dangerous, liable to encourage and enable new recruits at any opportunity.
Kitahara had no idea how to counter Eclipse's subtle maneuvers, so reducing his appeal to potential recruits was essential. Slacking off was only the first step—the key was actively creating a poor reputation.
Initially, a certain "helpful" organization, Black Forest, had done this dirty work for him. But after their swift demise, he'd finally decided to take matters into his own hands.
Judging by the forum responses, his strategy had worked remarkably well. Anonymous forums were a main source of information for Uma Musume evaluating trainers, and consistent negative feedback here could effectively eliminate his appeal.
But as he scrolled further, he noticed the tone of replies gradually shifting—shockingly, in his favor.
The turning point was a user named [Tokai Teio Number One Fan].
[Tokai Teio Number One Fan]: That's not true! Trainer Kitahara is amazing! He's incredibly responsible and skilled! He believes Uma Musume should decide their own paths, so he deliberately avoids interfering with their training!
[Tokai Teio Number One Fan]: Despite having seven Uma Musume and no assistant, he handles everything smoothly! Isn't this proof of his incredible talent?
Who the hell is this!?
Kitahara felt his blood pressure spike.
The thread was already hundreds of replies deep, its momentum dwindling. Yet, this overly enthusiastic defender had revitalized it single-handedly, quickly bringing back spectators eager for drama.
Kitahara's eyes twitched violently as he watched his carefully constructed negative reputation start to crumble.
Did I offend you somehow, bro? Why are you praising me to death!?
He stared grimly at [Tokai Teio Number One Fan]'s replies for a long moment before steeling himself.
He couldn't allow this to continue—his reputation might genuinely recover at this rate.
Switching accounts quickly, he clicked the reply button beneath [Tokai Teio Number One Fan]'s post, rolling up his sleeves, eyes glinting fiercely.
Fine, if you're going to be ruthless, don't blame me for hitting back.
Keyboard warrior, activate!