In the instant she bit down on Kitahara's neck, Tokai Teio's mind went completely blank.
She had no idea why she did it—just as she had no idea how she was supposed to feel about him.
Ever since she returned from the Symboli family estate, the strand of Kitahara's hair she'd found in Rudolf's bedroom had become a thorn embedded deeply in her heart. Every time she recalled that moment, a vague yet piercing pain resurfaced.
Especially after she had subtly asked around and confirmed that Kitahara hadn't stayed at the Academy that night. No one had been with him, and no one knew where he'd gone.
Combine that with the fresh strand of hair tucked neatly between Rudolf's sheets—if anyone claimed nothing was going on between them, even Oguri wouldn't believe it.
Secrets, lies, betrayal…
To Tokai Teio, who had never truly experienced malice, these actions alone felt unbearably cruel.
Even more so because the ones who had committed them were the two people she trusted most.
Should she be angry? Maybe she had every right; after all, they had deceived her.
But on what grounds could she confront them?
With Rudolf, at least, though she'd never openly said it, it wasn't hard for the President to have guessed her feelings toward Trainer-san. So perhaps she could justify some resentment there.
But Kitahara? His obliviousness was legendary—everyone knew that. His attitude toward her had always been clearly defined: the normal affection and concern a trainer has for an Umamusume.
Given that, even Teio herself couldn't find a legitimate reason to accuse him.
Besides, strictly speaking, she wasn't even part of his team.
Confusion, heartache, frustration…
For nearly two months now, she'd been avoiding Kitahara and hadn't approached Rudolf either. Fortunately—or unfortunately—Rudolf's mind had been occupied by her own troubles lately, so she hadn't noticed anything amiss.
But Kitahara had noticed.
Not just noticed, either. Throughout these past two months, he'd tried repeatedly to care for her, asking what was wrong, attempting to support her—all of it she'd seen clearly.
If only Kitahara hadn't been so dense, if only he had shown even a hint that he understood her feelings, if only he weren't so kind to her…
Then she might have at least a reason to be angry.
But there were no "if-onlys."
So her sadness deepened, leaving her even more lost about how to face him.
And right at that moment, he appeared again, concerned as always, openly worried about her, trying his hardest to take care of her despite herself.
Perhaps her sudden sense of relief triggered it, or perhaps it was Kitahara's gentle questions.
Either way, the moment he finished speaking, something snapped inside her—the final straw breaking the dam of emotions she'd held back for so long. Overwhelmed, her consciousness blurred momentarily.
And by the time she came back to herself, she was already biting Kitahara's neck.
"Trainer-san…"
Seeing Kitahara wince slightly from her bite, Tokai Teio panicked.
"I… I didn't mean to! I just—!"
Flustered, Teio tried desperately to explain, but before she could even finish, her voice faltered.
A gentle hand had settled softly on the back of her head, pulling her tenderly into an embrace, quietly stroking her hair.
"It's fine. I know you're a good girl, Teio."
After comforting her, Kitahara lightly touched the spot on his neck where she'd bitten him. Finding no real damage apart from two neat rows of teeth marks, he relaxed.
Umamusume, especially the younger ones, had a habit of biting when overwhelmed. He'd long grown used to it.
Holding her gently until he felt her trembling subside, Kitahara finally spoke again.
"So, Teio, can you tell me why you think I'm a liar?"
After a pause, enveloped by warmth that soothed her from every direction, Teio gathered her courage and slowly answered.
"Trainer-san… when I visited the President's house, I found your hair on her bed. And… it smelled really fresh."
Kitahara froze.
Wait—his hair? On Rudolf's bed? Fresh?
How was that even possible?
He hadn't had much interaction with Rudolf lately, let alone slept in her bed. Unless…
Suddenly, Kitahara remembered.
Actually, now that he thought about it, there had been that one night he did spend at Rudolf's place. He'd slept on the couch, not the bed, but hair was light enough—it might've drifted over. Or maybe it had transferred during their earlier scuffle…
Realizing this, Kitahara quickly pieced together the whole misunderstanding and understood why Teio had been acting strangely. A wry, exasperated smile appeared on his face.
"Teio, don't tell me you seriously thought something was going on between me and the President?"
"...Isn't there?"
Teio raised her head, her eyes rimmed red, voice filled with aggrieved accusation.
"You've already gone that far but still tried to hide it from me, acting like nothing happened…"
Alright, he had to admit, he could see how she might have misunderstood. Especially since Teio practically idolized Rudolf—almost treating her like a parent.
In Teio's eyes, it probably felt like her beloved "dad" was secretly bringing in a stepmom. Even if that "stepmom" was her own trainer, someone she trusted and liked, it didn't mean she'd readily accept it. Actually, knowing the stepmom personally might make the betrayal feel even worse.
It perfectly matched the logic of an adolescent child. At least, that's how Kitahara saw it.
But now that he'd figured out the root of the problem—or at least, he assumed he had—the rest would be easy to explain.
"Teio, I know this might be hard to believe right now, but this really is just a misunderstanding."
After thinking carefully, Kitahara continued, "I can't tell you every detail because it involves… some adult problems."
"But I promise you, there's absolutely nothing special between me and your beloved President."
"I admit, I did spend a night in her room—but only because circumstances forced me. And I slept on the couch, never touched the bed. The hair must've landed there accidentally."
"Besides, think about it carefully. If there really was something going on between me and the President, why would I have pretended to be Komata-senpai and Hayakawa-san's boyfriend?"
"Putting aside the moral issues, do you really think your President would allow her… partner… to do something like that, and not just turn a blind eye but actively help behind the scenes?"
This time, it was Teio's turn to freeze.
Though she still couldn't completely dismiss her suspicions about Kitahara's supposed "misunderstanding," his final words made sense to her.
As Rudolf's number-one fan, she'd stayed by Rudolf's side longer than anyone else. She could confidently say she knew Rudolf better than most people.
She'd been so focused on that single strand of hair earlier that she hadn't realized: if Kitahara and Rudolf truly had an intimate relationship, there was no way the President would've tolerated Kitahara's recent antics.
Then could it be… this really was just a misunderstanding?
When Teio realized what she'd been doing the past few weeks, embarrassment swept through her like wildfire, heating her cheeks until her face glowed crimson.
She was doomed—completely and utterly doomed.
Not only had she humiliated herself spectacularly, but once Trainer-san recovered from his shock, he'd inevitably ask why she cared so much about him and the President. And when that happened…
Overwhelmed by shame, Teio shrank further into Kitahara's embrace, curling herself into a tiny ball, her neck flushing so deeply it burned.
Kitahara, noticing Teio's condition, wisely held his tongue. Instead, he simply continued stroking her hair, waiting a little longer before finally speaking softly.
"Teio, I know you really admire the President, but someday, you'll both have separate lives. You can't stay together forever."
"I promise you, nothing happened between us this time—but eventually, even the President will meet someone special, maybe even start a family. You'll have to be prepared and learn to accept things like that…"
The tiny ball in his arms shivered slightly.
Taking this as confirmation that his words had hit home, Kitahara confidently rambled on, elaborating at length until Teio finally murmured softly that she understood.
Trainer-san really is a dummy…
Not just any dummy—an absolute, dense-as-a-rock dummy…
Teio lifted her head and studied him with a complicated expression.
She'd practically spelled things out for him. Even the densest person would have understood by now. Yet somehow, this man…
It really was typical of her Trainer-san, she decided.
Ironically, his utterly clueless lecture had disrupted her embarrassment, dissolving much of her earlier tension.
Finally regaining some composure, Teio hesitated briefly before gently leaning her head back toward Kitahara's neck again.
Seriously? Again?
Kitahara raised an eyebrow at Teio's approach, resignation filling his gaze. Still, he made no effort to stop her, bracing instead for another painful nip.
Yet instead of pain, he felt something gentle and warm brush softly over the spot she'd bitten.
"Teio, what are you doing…?"
"When I get hurt during training, licking it makes it better…"
Teio clung tightly to him, carefully licking the bite mark she'd left behind, gentle as a kitten tending a wound.
After a moment, she reluctantly pulled away, settling back into Kitahara's arms. Her face blazed red as she gazed sheepishly at him.
"Um… Trainer-san, I'm sorry about before. I misunderstood you and even bit you…"
"It's fine. I'm your trainer—getting bitten a bit isn't a big deal. Besides, you didn't even bite that hard."
Her trainer…
Teio didn't clearly hear Kitahara's words after that phrase. Her entire focus latched onto those two words.
After the emotional storm she'd endured, enveloped in his comforting warmth and staring at his face mere inches away, strange thoughts began blooming in her mind.
It feels so warm, so comforting… I really like this…
Right now, it's just the two of us. No distractions, no one else matters. If only we could stay like this forever…
"Teio? Teio? Are you listening?"
Kitahara's voice snapped her back to reality.
"Did you freeze up or something?"
"…No, I was just thinking about something."
Teio quickly gathered herself, pausing briefly before speaking again.
"Um… Trainer-san, how about… you bite me back?"
"…Why would I do that?"
Kitahara stared helplessly at her.
Admittedly, her fair, delicate skin looked enticingly soft—tempting enough to invite a playful nibble.
But he wasn't some kind of creep. She'd already apologized, he'd forgiven her instantly—there was really no need to escalate things.
Yet Teio refused to let it go. Partly out of guilt, partly driven by some inexplicable urge, she insisted relentlessly until Kitahara finally surrendered with a sigh.
"Fine. Where should I bite?"
Teio's mind flashed rapidly through various possibilities—some so daring they made her heart race—but after calming down slightly, she realized most were utterly impossible. In the end, she tilted her head shyly, exposing the slender curve of her neck.
"J-Just here is fine…"
Fair enough. An eye for an eye made sense.
Kitahara didn't linger; he'd already resolved Teio's immediate worries, but it was getting late, and he still had a heap of troublesome racing issues to discuss with her.
Deciding to get this strange ritual over with, Kitahara leaned forward and gently pressed his teeth against her soft, pale neck.
Soft. Fragrant. Even faintly sweet.
He vaguely wondered if her daily doses of honey special drinks had infused her skin with sweetness. But he didn't dwell on it—after a gentle nip, he quickly lifted his head, deciding not to savor it any further.
Teio, despite mentally preparing herself, still shivered involuntarily the instant his teeth touched her neck. Heat rushed back to her face, deepening her blush.
When Kitahara drew back, a tingling warmth surged through her, clouding her thoughts. Her eyes glazed slightly as she gazed at him, arms unconsciously wrapping around his neck.
"Trainer-san…"
"Hm? What's wrong, Teio?"
Oblivious to the situation's intensity, Kitahara assumed he'd accidentally hurt her—even though he'd barely applied pressure. As an Umamusume, she shouldn't have reacted like this…
"Trainer-san…"
Teio didn't reply, only tightening her embrace as she leaned closer, inch by inch.
"Hey, Teio, what—"
Rustle—snap.
Footsteps suddenly sounded nearby, accompanied by the sharp crack of breaking branches.
Teio's ears twitched, instantly jolting her back to her senses as she turned swiftly toward the noise.
And then—
"President?!"
"Rudolf?"
Kitahara looked over too, equally stunned.
"Why are you here?"
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T/N: specehless