Not long after Agnes Tachyon's Winner's Concert ended, Kitahara Sato and the others returned to the waiting room.
Since the stage was close by, Tachyon had arrived slightly ahead of them, and by the time they came in, she seemed completely back to normal—as though nothing unusual had ever happened.
She greeted them cheerfully, cracked jokes, and even tried secretly adding something suspicious into Kitahara's water bottle.
Seeing her back to her usual antics, Kitahara breathed a sigh of relief.
If she had still acted oddly after the Winners Concert, he honestly wouldn't know how to explain it to anyone.
And since Tachyon clearly had no intention of telling anyone what had transpired earlier, Kitahara naturally wasn't going to bring it up either.
Besides, helping a horse girl change shoes and giving a quick leg massage wasn't something particularly noteworthy. Even between a trainer and a horse girl with a perfectly normal relationship, it wasn't strange.
So, seeing that Tachyon was fully back to normal, Kitahara quickly put the small incident behind him.
But what he didn't notice was that, though Agnes Tachyon appeared entirely unchanged, there were subtle differences in her behavior now.
For instance, when a certain someone returned to the room, her ankles gently twisted unconsciously.
Or when she talked to others and her gaze fell on a certain person, her tail quietly swished behind her.
Maybe for some people, those few minutes were indeed a trivial incident not worth mentioning.
But for others, those few short minutes were enough for a seed previously buried deep to finally sprout, breaking through the soil.
Only time would tell how long it would take for it to grow into a towering tree.
With Tachyon's race finished and the small celebration done, Kitahara considered his next steps.
Logically speaking, he should now prepare for Tokai Teio and Eclipse's upcoming races.
But those two…
He glanced at Tokai Teio, who had already started warming up on her own and didn't seem to need his intervention. Then he looked at Eclipse, who was still wandering leisurely around him without any hint of preparation or nervousness.
After a moment's hesitation, Kitahara resolutely gave up and returned to slacking off.
But this time, no one could blame him.
He would've liked to fulfill his responsibilities as a trainer, but one had explicitly stated he wasn't needed and shouldn't interfere, while the other…
Well, the other one was even more complicated.
He was sure she would obediently listen if he gave her instructions—but what she might do afterward was anyone's guess.
Thus, Kitahara spent the rest of the time openly slacking off, scrolling through his phone all the way until the afternoon. Midway, he even took Oguri Cap, Special Week, and Eclipse back to Tracen Academy to grab lunch.
Considering Tachyon had won a race that morning, Kitahara should have treated everyone to a celebratory meal outside. However, seeing Oguri Cap, Special Week, and Eclipse beside him, he couldn't muster the courage to suggest such an expensive idea.
In the end, he could only return shamefacedly to Tracen's cafeteria and continue freeloading on the school's dime.
Soon, it was afternoon.
Tokai Teio was the first to race.
There was nothing remarkable about the race itself. For a girl whose goal was the undefeated Triple Crown, competing in this sort of entry-level race was just bullying the weak.
Besides, although she hadn't officially debuted yet, she was already well-known within Tracen Academy as Symboli Rudolf's chosen successor. As soon as Teio stepped onto the track, whispers and anticipation filled the stands, speculating on how she'd perform today.
Her competitors, upon realizing exactly who they were up against, grimaced inwardly, cursing their misfortune.
Despite giving their all, the second-place finisher ended up nearly eight lengths behind Teio, and even third place fell almost four lengths behind second.
Yet no one felt bitter; no one was even surprised.
And it wasn't just the race itself.
In the subsequent Winner's Concert, Tokai Teio showcased professional-level idol performance skills. Compared to the background horse girls performing alongside her, it was nothing short of dimensional dominance. She effortlessly stole the spotlight.
Naturally, Kitahara, as her trainer, also received considerable attention.
Some spectators who had been there since the morning recognized him as Agnes Tachyon's trainer too, sparking a small commotion.
Immediately afterward, reporters surged toward him like sharks smelling blood, hoping to uncover exclusive secrets.
In response to the sudden attention, Kitahara simply—
Went completely silent.
From the moment the reporters appeared until the race ended, he didn't utter a single syllable. His silence was so stubborn people began wondering if he was mute.
Afterward, Kitahara returned to the waiting room following Teio's victory, only to find the atmosphere inside rather peculiar.
Even though Teio had just won a brilliant race, everyone's attention was now inexplicably fixed on Eclipse.
Curiosity, confusion, even suspicion...
It had been almost a month since their team was established, yet none of them had ever seen Eclipse train or run.
They didn't doubt her strength, as transferring from a local school to Tracen headquarters was already proof enough. Moreover, she had Kitahara—the walking cheat-code trainer—beside her. They were even childhood friends, inseparable since youth. No one would believe it if she claimed to be weak.
But no matter how talented a horse girl was, surely she still needed to train, right?
They were also certain Eclipse wasn't secretly training hard behind everyone's backs. Some of the team, driven by curiosity, had openly shadowed her, following her closely for an entire day.
What they discovered was astonishing:
Eclipse's daily routine was absurdly simple.
Apart from the hours spent hovering quietly around Kitahara, all she did was sit in her dorm room and… that was it.
She had no hobbies, no entertainment. Her main daily activity was staring blankly into space, and when the time came, she'd simply leave the room and return to Kitahara's side.
Seeing this oddity, they began speculating:
"Maybe Eclipse-san has some sort of hidden illness preventing her from training?"
"But then how did she transfer to headquarters?"
"What if Kitahara-san developed some special training method for her, something that allows her to get stronger just by standing still?"
"Honestly, I think even Trainer-san himself is more curious than us."
"Um, what if she transferred here not for victory, but purely to eat the free buffet at the cafeteria, and that's why she stopped training entirely?"
"…That..."
They all exchanged awkward glances.
Even though Oguri Cap's guess sounded absurd at first, it seemed disturbingly plausible upon deeper consideration.
But no matter how they theorized, it was all guesswork without evidence.
They'd tried directly asking Eclipse but received no answers. They'd even invited her to participate in team-friendly races, which everyone else had agreed to, yet Eclipse always declined.
Thus, they were still clueless about Eclipse's actual abilities and were deeply curious why she always did nothing.
Today, they'd finally find out.
So, as soon as Teio's race concluded, everyone fixed their gazes firmly on Eclipse.
Even Teio herself, upon finishing her performance, had immediately dragged Kitahara back into the waiting room to join in the observation.
Victory? Jealousy over her trainer's hands?
All of that could wait—right now, she needed to understand Eclipse's mystery.
Under everyone's stare, Eclipse remained utterly calm, indifferent as always, occasionally zoning out into space.
Unlike Teio, who at least prepared herself seriously even without a trainer, Eclipse did absolutely nothing. She just waited silently until it was time to race, then casually stood up and walked towards the track.
"Trainer-san, is Eclipse-san really okay…?" Tokai Teio asked worriedly.
Kitahara shook his head, sighing.
"She's always been like this. You get used to it."
Soon, the race began.
The gates opened, and before anyone could fully react, a black figure surged forward.
One length, two, three…
Right from the start, Eclipse quickly widened the gap, igniting excitement in the stands.
Four lengths, five, six…
By the one-third mark, she'd already gained a six-length lead. Spectators started wondering if another star on Teio's level was emerging.
Seven lengths, eight, nine…
The trailing horse girls struggled desperately, but despair began seeping into their expressions as Eclipse's lead grew relentlessly.
Ten lengths, eleven, twelve…
At ten lengths, discussions in the stands began quieting down. By fifteen lengths, the entire stadium was stunned into silence.
Though the race hadn't ended yet, a fifteen-length gap was already enough to crush most horse girls' spirits.
What was worse, Eclipse wasn't even at full effort. She noticeably slowed down in the final stretch, allowing second place to close the gap somewhat. Eventually, she casually won by nine lengths.
Cheers erupted again as Eclipse slowed down. Everyone looked toward Kitahara, expecting him to be ecstatic.
But his expression was complicated.
Shock, confusion, bewilderment…
Because Kitahara realized something disturbing...
Even after this absurd victory, Eclipse hadn't actually used her full strength. The final slowdown was pure acting. At full force, she'd have likely won by at least twenty lengths.
What kind of ridiculous background character had he picked up?
Wasn't this deviation from the timeline a little too extreme?