Tokai Teio—a legendary figure.
A ★★★ character in the game, protagonist of the anime's second season; her appearance, background, racing achievements, and titles were all dazzling.
But Kitahara Sota wasn't paying attention to any of that.
What concerned him was Tokai Teio's notorious reputation on an entirely different front.
Her possessiveness.
Her position in the world of "heavy" Uma Musume fandom was comparable to Gachi-muchi's Four Heavenly Kings or even Jerusalem of the 3D scene.
If an ordinary Uma Musume rated sixty points in danger, and Tracen's elites hit eighty, then the girl in front of him easily topped a hundred and twenty. If factoring in the basement scenario, her rating could easily exceed three hundred.
Though Kitahara couldn't confirm whether the seemingly normal, adorable girl standing before him was indeed the legendary "Queen of the Basement," he was certain of one thing:
He didn't want any connection with her whatsoever.
Still, although initially startled by Teio's sudden appearance, Kitahara quickly regained his composure.
Calm down. There's nothing to be nervous about. No matter how dangerous Tokai Teio might be, she has nothing to do with me.
He wasn't her trainer, and they shared no deep relationship.
As long as he didn't recklessly court death by befriending her or becoming her trainer, even someone as dangerous as her couldn't threaten him. In fact, he might even watch safely from the sidelines if trouble arose.
And realistically, they'd have no reason to cross paths after today.
One was a superstar prodigy at the height of her career, aiming for an undefeated Triple Crown, while the other barely scraped into Tracen Academy, his sole ambition being to slack off until payday.
The gap between them was like night and day; after this initial meeting, they'd probably never interact again.
But just in case, Kitahara decided to ensure his first impression with Teio was especially poor.
"Ah, Tokai Teio-san, was it? Nice to meet you."
After briefly greeting Tokai Teio, Kitahara immediately returned his attention to his phone, casually crossing his legs with no sense of decorum. If he were a smoker, he'd have probably lit up by now.
Seeing his blatant disregard, Teio furrowed her brow slightly.
"Eclipse, this is the trainer you mentioned?"
"Mm," came Eclipse's calm reply.
"He..." Teio hesitated.
"He's always like this," Eclipse explained flatly. Then she turned to Kitahara. "I've already submitted the application forms for trainer and tantou. We just need to sign off with the Chairwoman."
"Hold on a sec, let me finish this round."
Expertly switching to a game screen, Kitahara pretended to engage in intense combat. After a long pause, he lazily stood up, dusting bits of grass off his backside without care.
"Alright, let's go."
While Kitahara had been gaming, Teio had remained nearby, quietly whispering something to Eclipse. Seeing him finally stand, she followed along.
A short while later, the three of them reached the Chairwoman's office and signed the official trainer-tantou agreement.
Then...
"Uh, Kitahara-san, where are you headed?"
By the time Teio realized it, they'd already reached the main gate of Tracen Academy.
"Going home," Kitahara replied matter-of-factly.
Teio glanced uncertainly between Kitahara and Eclipse.
"But today's your first day here. You just signed your contracts too—don't you want to take a look around the school?"
"We'll have plenty of time later."
"But aren't you going to test her basic abilities? It'll help you plan future training..."
"Not necessary," Kitahara shrugged. "We've known each other since childhood. I know exactly what she's capable of."
He continued, "Besides, one condition she had for becoming my tantou was that I can't interfere with her in any way or order her to do anything."
"…Eh?" Teio blinked in confusion.
"In other words, if she wants to train, she trains. If not, she doesn't. If she doesn't approach me first, I'll pretend we never signed a contract at all—isn't that right, Eclipse?"
Kitahara glanced toward Eclipse, who nodded slightly.
"I don't enjoy being controlled," she added quietly.
Teio was thoroughly bewildered.
She'd seen all kinds of trainer-Uma Musume relationships. Some trainers and their partners shared deep bonds like siblings, fighting side-by-side in races; some became lovers after their three-year contracts ended; and some relationships turned toxic, with trainers dragged forcibly into basements.
But she'd never seen a pair quite like this.
Trainers who made it to Tracen Academy's main campus were supposed to be the cream of the crop—ambitious, at least somewhat driven.
And the Uma Musume here were famously competitive. Passionate about racing, most of them eagerly embraced intense training, even secretly adding extra practice sessions behind their trainers' backs.
But these two…
Kitahara practically had "I'm slacking off" tattooed across his forehead.
Eclipse appeared normal on the surface, but clearly shared her trainer's idle philosophy.
One didn't want to lead; the other didn't want to be led. A perfect match.
Teio's eye twitched slightly as she watched the two about to leave. But just as she was about to quietly send them off, she suddenly remembered something and called out:
"Wait, Kitahara-san."
Kitahara's heart skipped a beat, a bad feeling rising instantly. He forced a calm expression and turned around.
"What is it, Tokai Teio-san?"
"Um…" Teio hesitated. "Could you become my trainer?"
Kitahara: "…?"
Girl, are you okay in the head?
I've been practically screaming my laziness, and yet you're still targeting me? Am I some kind of walking Matatabi to Uma Musume?
Guessing his thoughts from his expression, Teio quickly explained:
"The thing is, Prez won her undefeated Triple Crown without a trainer, and I want to prove I can do the same. I believe I can achieve it without anyone's help, but Prez keeps insisting I get a trainer. She said she'd assign one herself if I didn't pick someone soon. Plus, without a trainer, I can't officially enter races, so…"
So basically, you just want a trainer who'll stay out of your way, right?
Kitahara was stunned at how perfectly his plans had backfired. He deeply regretted not pretending to be slightly more ambitious.
Still, despite everything, there was no way he'd accept Tokai Teio's request.
Absolutely no way. That's Tokai Teio we're talking about!
Agreeing to be her trainer would be equivalent to having one foot already in the basement. He was young and not nearly ready for that.
But…
"I heard from Eclipse that you became a trainer because of money, right?"
Tokai Teio lifted her chin slightly, her vivid blue eyes burning fiercely.
"I only want victory. As long as you agree to be my trainer and don't interfere with anything I do, I'll double your share of any prize money I earn."
Before she'd even finished speaking, her tiny hand was firmly grasped.
Kitahara's face turned instantly serious, his voice filled with solemnity.
"You've got yourself a deal."