"So this is why I hate going to the school building… At Tracen Academy, I've probably trained nearly half of the horse girls here before, and either I ended up ruining them or it's like I never trained them at all. How am I supposed to face them now?"
"Or maybe… since this is a new timeline, they probably don't remember me. Otherwise, I'd be in for a collective beatdown from all of them."
After washing his face at the Three Goddesses fountain, Kitano Ryuichi sat down on a wooden bench, smiling wryly. He looked utterly dejected, feeling like the most embarrassing presence ever among the predecessors who had crossed over before him.
But he couldn't help it. He really wasn't talented—he'd always been at the bottom ten of his class academically, terrible at studying, though not lazy. He did all his homework, attended evening study sessions, never skipped class, and never disrespected teachers. Had he been competent, he could have been a model student.
He simply lacked aptitude.
Being transported to the world of horse girls was no different. Kitano knew that if anyone else were to take his place, they could almost certainly do better than him, starting from zero. Even if the first few attempts were clumsy, repeated trial and error would yield better results.
Yet, despite countless timelines, Kitano remained a mediocre trainer. Thinking about this, he felt too ashamed to face Rudolf, T.M. Opera O, or all the horse girls he had failed in the past.
Without his "restart" ability, he likely would have antagonized half of Tracen Academy by now. Horse girls he had ruined, those who hadn't reached their potential because of him, or those who had high expectations of him that he couldn't meet… he shuddered at how they would treat him.
If that were the case, his fate would likely be: beaten half to death by the ruined horse girls, then physically dismantled by those whose dreams he had hindered, with them drawing lots to divide his remains.
As for Rudolf and T.M. Opera O… they wouldn't likely plead for him either. After all, this was the same Kitano who had casually said, "I'll bravely face you" back then—and he had yet to change.
"…Forget it. Worrying about this is pointless. Anyway, they won't recognize me now. I'll just live my life."
Kitano's sadness and guilt came and went quickly. He rarely obsessed over himself—otherwise, if he had constantly lived in guilt and self-pity, he would have been stuck in endless cycles of suicide and restarting by now.(T.N:goddam wonder how many times has he hanged himself)
Optimism was a trait even a timid and demoralized person should have. After briefly reflecting on his incompetence, Kitano slapped his cheeks and murmured encouragingly to himself:
"Instead of wasting time worrying, I should go find horse girls. I've failed so many times; this time, I'll live a full life. No more restarting every time I fail… I want to actually experience the second half of my life."
"Now then… let me think carefully. Which horse girls do I know that would suit me?"
In truth, over countless timelines, Kitano had interacted with many types of horse girls. While his growth as a trainer hadn't been remarkable, he knew well how to interact with them.
Tsundere types, naive types, gentle types, athletic types, noble types… he'd taught them all. Some were difficult at first, but Kitano eventually found the right way to relate to each one.
Kitano preferred smooth interactions without conflict, and combined with his multi-timeline experience, he had become quite skilled at socializing with horse girls.
He sometimes wondered: if he had gotten along with certain horse girls from the start, would their outcomes have been different? But that was purely hypothetical.
"…Maybe I should try a different approach. If I failed the first time, but try training the same horse girl again with my current experience, the results could be different."
Kitano suddenly had a new idea. He used to avoid retraining previous horse girls after restarting because the lingering guilt made it hard. Unlike mobile games where you can raise a character in an hour, he had spent nights and days with these horse girls—how could it not leave a deep impression?
By setting aside those emotions, Kitano considered that he might now be able to help previous horse girls improve faster with his accumulated experience.
"…Or maybe I could go back to King Halo?" Thinking of this seemed feasible to Kitano.
Just then, a casually dressed horse girl approached him, dragging her luggage.
She had long, reddish-brown hair and a cold, expressionless face. Seeing Kitano pacing in front of the Three Goddesses' statue, her cherry-colored lips parted slightly, then closed again after a subtle throat tremble.
She slowly approached, trying to draw his attention. After a moment, she finally spoke:
"—Hello. I'm a new student. Could you please tell me the way to the registration area?"
"Hmm?" Kitano finally snapped out of his thoughts. Looking at the casually dressed horse girl in front of him, he showed a rare expression of dazed surprise.
She had once signed a trainer-horse girl contract with Kitano Ryuichi in a previous timeline, but due to certain circumstances, Kitano was forced to restart before completing her career. As a result, their bond wasn't as deep as it was with some other horse girls.
Yet Kitano remembered her name—Mihono Bourbon. For him, she was one of the horse girls he had trained across countless timelines, perhaps the one whose training relationship with him lasted the shortest.
She appeared expressionless on the surface, yet her emotions were rich underneath. She had even added a "cyborg horse girl" persona, a little chuunibyou in nature. Kitano once considered her one of the horse girls he got along with the best.
Still, Kitano was curious—why was Mihono Bourbon here? Though puzzled, he knew that in this timeline, they shouldn't know each other yet. He smiled gently and spoke:
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. Are you… a student at Tracen Academy? I'm the new trainer, Kitano Ryuichi. Do you need any help?"
"New trainer…" Mihono Bourbon muttered, repeating the words, then continued in her emotionless tone:
"Hello. I am Mihono Bourbon, model number MB-19890425, a newly enrolled cyborg horse girl at Tracen Academy."
"I am attempting to locate the new student registration area. However, the map is too large, and Mihono Bourbon's directional system has malfunctioned. Therefore, I require guidance from Mr. Kitano…"
"Guu~"
Before she could finish, a sound resembling insect chirping emanated from the air. Instinctively, Kitano looked toward its source—Mihono Bourbon's lower abdomen.
The awkward scene didn't elicit any unusual expression from her; she simply held her abdomen, staring at Kitano, and said in a soft, unapologetic tone:
"Energy insufficient. Mihono Bourbon requires energy replenishment."
"Oh, the cafeteria is over there." Kitano pointed her in the direction. He also intended to find King Halo to apologize and perhaps recruit her.
As Kitano started walking toward another area, he realized that footsteps were still following him. He stopped and saw that Mihono Bourbon was trailing behind.
"…?" Kitano hesitated, continuing on his path. Mihono Bourbon followed.
He turned left—she followed.
He turned right—still following.
"Um, Mihono Bourbon?" Kitano finally asked, unable to contain himself. "Why are you following me? Didn't I already tell you the direction?"
"—Reason has been explained," she replied, her expression unchanged. "Mihono Bourbon's positioning system has malfunctioned; coordinates cannot be determined. Also, energy insufficient—Mihono Bourbon cannot maintain functions."
"…In simple terms?" Kitano scratched his head, a little rusty in communicating with her after some time. Previously, they had conversed without issues, but now he struggled to understand.
"…My phone is dead. I can't use GPS, and I'm hungry—almost unable to walk."
Under Kitano's gaze, Mihono Bourbon's tone softened with emotion, clutching her stomach in a pitiful manner. Kitano, seeing this, could only shake his head slightly, speechless.
"…Alright. I'll take you to the cafeteria, okay?"
"Thank you."
The next moment, Mihono Bourbon reverted to her usual cyborg horse girl demeanor, and Kitano turned to lead her.
But as he turned, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Miho Bourbon's face. She whispered to herself softly:
"Target confirmed. As expected… this time, no one will take you away from me, my beloved Master."(T.N: basement time)