After browsing the trainers' group chat, eating dinner, and spending the evening leisurely scrolling online, Kitahara Sota's Saturday passed without incident.
Sunday likewise remained calm. Not only were there no unexpected disturbances, but apart from Eclipse, not a single Uma Musume came looking for him—a truly rare and peaceful weekend.
Thus, after enjoying this precious, trouble-free holiday, the fourth week of training began.
His morning routine stayed unchanged: wake up, dress, wash up, breakfast, then off to the training ground.
As always, seven Uma Musume awaited him there, greeting him warmly before dispersing to their individual routines.
Though things mostly remained the same as last week, minor differences stood out.
For instance, Tokai Teio wore her new racing outfit instead of her usual training gear.
But Kitahara found nothing strange about that. After all, she had her race on Wednesday, so it was reasonable for her to familiarize herself with her new outfit ahead of time.
Moreover, even aside from competition, racing outfits could function as regular clothing—assuming you didn't mind the extra maintenance.
Students usually wore the Tracen uniform purely due to its exceptional comfort, convenience, and easy cleaning. Quality racing outfits, however, weren't easy to come by, so students typically reserved them exclusively for races.
Hence, Teio wearing hers today was entirely normal. Even Agnes Tachyon, who had similarly chosen her racing outfit, didn't bat an eye.
Seeing Teio's new racing outfit again reminded Kitahara of the inspiration he'd gained at the clothing store over the weekend.
Though he'd recognized the special shoes and stockings' potential benefits, Teio had only walked briefly back then. Now, watching her in proper training, he carefully observed the performance enhancements offered by these subtle additions.
Shock absorption, stability, coordination, improved stride length, muscle engagement…
It hadn't been as obvious when she merely walked around the store, but now, witnessing her run full-force, Kitahara realized this simple design might be even more effective than he'd anticipated. Genuine interest brightened his eyes as he carefully studied Teio's movements, his gaze naturally fixed upon her legs.
Teio herself was already energized today, boosted further by her new outfit. But once she felt Kitahara's attention, her performance noticeably rose another notch—her tail wagging much more vigorously for reasons known only to her.
Aside from Teio, Agnes Tachyon also showed excellent condition.
Due to time constraints and her health, Kitahara hadn't designed her a new racing strategy yet. Instead, he'd adjusted her existing technique last week. Although Tachyon's speed and stamina hadn't drastically improved, the adjusted plan significantly benefited her overall health, further aided by Agnes Digital's meticulous care. While her underlying issues hadn't disappeared completely, they'd greatly lessened.
Tachyon herself clearly noticed the improvements. Though she hadn't openly voiced appreciation, she'd become noticeably more obedient—her daily attempts at drugging him even dropping from nearly ten to roughly seven per day.
Of course, despite her frequent attempts, Tachyon had only succeeded once so far—catching Kitahara deep in thought at his dorm room. Otherwise, he'd deftly avoided every single one, having thoroughly absorbed precautions from certain "informative" websites.
And as for Eclipse, she remained as enigmatic as ever.
She didn't have a separate racing outfit—or rather, her everyday clothes were already effectively her racing attire.
Her training regimen was also entirely nonexistent—as though Wednesday's race had nothing whatsoever to do with her.
Others in the team had curiously asked Kitahara about Eclipse's training methods more than once, but he couldn't provide an answer. After all, even he had no clue about her true condition; frankly, he was just as curious as anyone else.
Yet, despite her baffling training methods, Kitahara had absolutely no doubts about Eclipse's performance.
During those anonymous underground races over the years, she'd dominated effortlessly while maintaining this same leisurely pace. Early on, Kitahara had even anxiously offered pre-race encouragement, assuring her that losing wasn't a big deal, doing his best to ease her nerves.
But he quickly discovered Eclipse wasn't the one needing reassurance—her opponents were.
If she was in a good mood, she'd win easily. If she was feeling neutral, she'd utterly obliterate the competition (crossing the finish line at least ten lengths ahead). Never once had she lost. She'd probably never even shown her true potential.
Her racing style was equally peculiar. Despite always running as a front-runner leading from start to finish—her attitude lacked any urgency or desperation usually associated with escape tactics. Instead, it felt as though she simply found herself at the front because no one could catch up.
Truly baffling.
Still, Kitahara's earnest pre-race pep talks weren't entirely pointless. After each talk, Eclipse's mood would notably improve, giving her opponents a more dignified loss. In a strange sense, he'd been doing charity work all along.
After reviewing the three girls racing on Wednesday, Kitahara turned his attention to Special Week and Oguri Cap.
Two weeks had passed since their new training began, and both had completely adjusted to their new techniques and routines.
Oguri Cap adapted quickly due to her previous foundation. By late in the second week, she'd already mastered her new running style, and the new training schedule proved immensely effective.
Speed, power, reflexes…
Breathing, pacing, form…
After just one week, Oguri had improved dramatically across all areas—even her appetite had noticeably increased.
Granted, rapid early-stage progress was normal; improvements would naturally slow down over time—but they'd continue steadily nonetheless.
Another trainer might've been stunned by her rapid growth, but to Kitahara, this was completely ordinary.
But it wasn't entirely his fault. After all, he'd already seen far too many Uma Musume achieve massive leads in races without even training seriously. In his perspective, wouldn't it be even more expected that a prodigy like Oguri Cap improved swiftly?
However, despite her training going smoothly, Oguri had displayed some subtle oddities in daily life lately.
Actually, "oddities" was too strong a word. She remained her usual self: natural, pure-hearted, and obsessed with food.
Even after devouring meals in the cafeteria, she'd sit in the activity room drooling over pictures of delicious food on her phone—a device she previously hadn't even known how to use.
After learning phones could show food photos, she'd displayed shocking enthusiasm, quickly mastering mobile use within just one week.
Her behavior patterns hadn't changed, but her chosen seating arrangement had.
Previously, Oguri usually scrolled alone, seated quietly near other Uma Musume. But ever since last Monday, she consistently positioned herself right beside Kitahara, even occasionally leaning closer.
With anyone else, Kitahara might suspect romantic interest. But for Oguri Cap, every action strongly implied one single message:
"Trainer, I want to eat this. Can you take me out to eat?"
And knowing Oguri, such signals were almost certainly unconscious.
Had it been another Uma Musume, Kitahara would've simply agreed. But considering Oguri Cap's legendary appetite—and his own thin wallet—he had no choice but to pretend ignorance, allowing her to remain beside him without acting upon her subtle hints.
Oguri wasn't alone in unusual developments.
After enduring two weeks of hardship, Special Week had undergone significant improvement—even surpassing Oguri Cap in overall growth due to her lack of previous systematic training.
However, though her training progressed smoothly, Special Week encountered a minor issue in daily life. Specifically, her hair had recently begun growing exceptionally fast.
Concerned, Kitahara had conducted careful assessments and even brought her to the medical center for an extensive checkup.
The final verdict: Everything was absolutely fine.
Indeed, her condition was so remarkably healthy that even the doctors marveled, declaring her easily one of Tracen Academy's healthiest Uma Musume.
Given these thorough examinations revealed nothing abnormal, further worrying seemed excessive. Adolescence meant rapid physical growth, after all. Coupled with her sizable appetite and continued development, longer hair wasn't particularly surprising.
Kitahara then asked whether Special Week preferred frequent haircuts or wished to grow it out.
"What do you think would look better, Sato-san?"
She lowered her head shyly, fingertips gently twirling her hair, expression hidden.
"It's your choice—I think both would suit you."
Though he suspected longer hair might tone down her trademark naivety, he respected her decision.
Special Week pondered briefly before finally deciding.
"I guess I'll grow it out."
Longer hair might also feel nicer when he pats me…
As she thought this, Special Week's hair subtly grew a bit more.
Finally shifting his attention to Agnes Digital, Kitahara happily noted she'd decided to fully settle into his team instead of wandering between groups.
He welcomed her warmly. Agnes Digital was a treasure—highly safe, incredibly helpful, and eager to assist with team management, further distancing Kitahara from unwanted closeness with other girls.
He'd even briefly considered making her his tantou—though that was impossible now with two already assigned.
Since last week, Kitahara had also started advising her training alongside trainer guidance, though currently limited by her numerous responsibilities and inability to adopt his specialized "lazy" running style.
"Digital, do you have backups of your old training programs? I'd love to analyze the development process."
"Oh! Yes, on my computer. I'll send them through Eclipse-san later!"
"Thanks."
After Agnes Digital gratefully returned to training, Kitahara's eyes landed on the final member of the group.
Sensing his gaze, she turned hesitantly, paused a moment, then slowly approached and took a deep breath.
"Kitahara-san…"
Grass Wonder met his eyes earnestly.
"I'd like to formally join your team."