Though the number of Uma Musume staying in his dorm was steadily increasing, Kitahara Sota's life hadn't changed all that much.
He rose as usual, washed up, headed to the training grounds, and took out his two phones:
One for scrolling through forums and group chats, the other for handling Agnes Digital's workload.
As for Grass Wonder, despite being thoroughly "massaged" the previous night, she truly lived up to her reputation.
The next morning, though her tail twitched furiously behind her, her expression remained perfectly serene. She showed no embarrassment at all, only subtly retreating whenever Kitahara raised his hand near her.
As for Agnes Digital, thanks to Kitahara's careful attention, her mental state had significantly improved compared to when the potion's effects first manifested, with even her gaze growing subtly warmer.
Still, not everyone was in great condition...
Agnes Tachyon, for example.
On one hand, she'd been pulling all-nighters researching an antidote; on the other, there was Nice Nature to consider.
Physically, Nature had cared for her quite well, but mentally, Tachyon had become increasingly frazzled. She now instinctively curled into a ball like a frightened hamster whenever she entered her lab. Studying and research became incredibly stressful, making her life utterly miserable.
Still, she knew she had brought this on herself, silently enduring it while quietly plotting how to avoid similar mishaps in the future.
Thus, time peacefully flowed by, and soon the morning passed.
Around noon, following his agreement with Oguri Cap several days ago, Kitahara stopped by the special meal window to pick up a portion different from Oguri's. He split it evenly into two halves, personally handing one half to Oguri Cap.
Oguri happily accepted, handing half her own meal back to Kitahara, and began slowly savoring the food he'd given her.
And it wasn't just that half.
Since Kitahara was human and special meals were sized for Uma Musume appetites, he could rarely finish his portion, often leaving behind quite a lot.
Oguri naturally took those leftovers, politely helping him clear everything up.
At first, Kitahara felt a bit awkward, thinking it was inappropriate for Oguri to eat his leftovers. He'd even suggested giving her a larger share at the outset, planning to keep only a third himself.
But Oguri was exceptionally insistent—firmly declaring it had to be exactly half-and-half, and that she'd handle whatever he couldn't finish afterward.
Seeing how resolute Oguri was, especially her innocent, eager appetite, Kitahara quickly realized persuading her was impossible and gave up trying.
After lunch, everyone gathered as usual in the common room. Kitahara pulled out his phone, preparing to slack off.
Yet barely had he started slacking when Special Week crept over discreetly, staring at him with hopeful eyes.
"...What is it?"
Special Week blinked innocently.
"Sato-san, can I stay at your dorm too?"
Kitahara: "...?"
"Well, Suzuka went to join the summer training camp, and now I'm all alone in my dorm. It's so lonely..."
Summer training camps were a Tracen Academy tradition.
Simply put, trainers could apply to take their assigned Uma Musume to seaside resorts managed by Tracen during July and August, mixing training with leisure.
It was also notorious for incidents involving Uma Musume getting carried away.
This year, because the weather heated up unusually early, many trainers had already headed out despite it only being late June.
Silence Suzuka originally hadn't planned to go.
Because summer camp meant swimsuits, and her figure was, well…
To put it kindly, a streamlined build suitable for running. To put it bluntly, flatter than a cutting board.
But after seeing about a dozen aggressive Uma Musume surrounding Mihono Bourbon—who'd just recovered from a recent injury—Suzuka worried she'd be attending Bourbon's funeral if she didn't join. So she grudgingly went along, leaving Special Week alone.
Of course, none of this affected Kitahara.
Applying for summer camp required trainers to have at least a second-year debutante assigned. Agnes Digital was the only second-year on his team, and she was still only a team member, not officially his Tantou. Unless she switched to him immediately, summer camp was out of reach this year.
As for Special Week's request, after a brief pause, Kitahara didn't refuse.
He'd wanted an excuse to invite everyone over anyway—he hesitated with Grass Wonder mostly because she scared him slightly.
But Special Week? She was safe, obedient, and could even continue inadvertently giving Grass Wonder a much-needed push. Why would he refuse?
After happily sending Special Week off following his agreement, the afternoon drifted by quietly once more.
Caring for Agnes Digital, occasionally helping Eclipse take care of Grass Wonder, secretly encouraging Special Week, swapping meals with Oguri Cap, and regularly treating Nice Nature…
Midway through, unable to resist worrying, he briefly checked in on Agnes Tachyon, occasionally chatted with Symboli Rudolf when she approached, and politely greeted Satono Diamond and Kitasan Black whenever they dropped by campus to familiarize themselves with the environment...
Hm? Wait—am I forgetting someone?
Kitahara rubbed his chin, contemplating if he'd missed anything.
Before he could recall who, his phone vibrated, breaking his concentration. He saw a message from the Chairwoman, Akikawa Yayoi, asking him to urgently come to her office.
She's not docking my pay, is she? I've been pretty diligent recently…
Although, admittedly, he'd mostly been busy handling Agnes Digital's non-Tracen affairs.
With lingering suspicion, Kitahara entered the Chairwoman's office—and halted immediately.
Inside, besides Chairwoman Akikawa and Hayakawa Tazuna, stood another person.
He was about 180 centimeters tall, around forty years old, calm and imposing, with a trainer badge engraved with intricate "legendary" patterns pinned to his chest, clearly displaying his name:
Kudou Kazuya.
When Kitahara arrived, Kudou had been in quiet discussion with the Chairwoman. As Kitahara entered, Kudou looked up, greeting him politely with a gentle, clearly friendly expression.
This guy...
Kitahara hesitated a fraction of a second before calmly stepping in.
This wasn't their first meeting. They'd even interacted amicably during previous training sessions, discussing training methods in a perfectly harmonious atmosphere.
Moreover, given Kitahara's public assignment investigating Black Forest, coupled with his visit to Clover's hospital, Kudou obviously knew Kitahara suspected him.
Yet Kitahara had never regretted not disguising himself at the hospital.
After all, as the only one investigating Black Forest's true intentions, any suspicious inquiries would immediately lead Kudou back to him. Plus, Clover had mentioned Kudou was closely watching him anyway—hiding would've been futile.
Thus, he entered the office openly, asking why he'd been summoned.
"An assignment! Kudou-san just submitted a proposal that I think is excellent—and the perfect candidate to execute it is you."
A proposal? From Kudou Kazuya?
Kitahara curiously accepted the document from the Chairwoman.
The proposal wasn't complicated.
Following Black Forest's recent incident, though their ideals were wrong, some valid concerns existed—like grey organizations exploiting Uma Musume, illegal betting rings, or intrusive paparazzi.
Additionally, though Tracen's motto emphasized racing achievements, it undeniably neglected Uma Musume with less talent.
Thus, Kudou proposed reviving "Black Forest" as a student-led network supervised by Tracen's main campus, bolstered by local Tracen schools. It wouldn't directly interfere externally but could boost defenses against such exploitation and enhance campus environments.
Yet enhancing defenses wasn't the main goal.
Its core aim was to foster better inter-campus communication, giving less-talented Uma Musume opportunities to voice their concerns to main-campus Tracen for possible adjustments.
Though complete equality remained unrealistic, Tracen was willing to organize alternative events to showcase the strengths of Uma Musume less gifted at racing.
Why not assign this to the Student Council?
Firstly, the Council's duties mainly involved managing local students—extending influence externally might cause friction. Secondly, council members were typically elite athletes, unsuitable representatives for this cause.
And with student numbers surging, a student-led group could ease administrative burdens.
Kitahara saw no real issues, except practical implementation looked difficult.
They needed a highly influential figurehead, technical expertise, and a trustworthy, capable, charismatic leader who ideally could even handle trouble physically…
Wait—this seems suspiciously like…
"Exactly!" Chairwoman Akikawa smiled. "Kitahara-san, we want you to lead this! Plus, you have Agnes Digital's tech support, so—"
"Chairwoman, my team already has eight members. It's impossible—"
Chairwoman Akikawa snapped open her folding fan. "Generous bonuses and subsidies await if you succeed."
"—to refuse," Kitahara finished instantly.
He really needed money right now.
After further discussions and leaving the office, Kitahara puzzled over a suitable leader. Then Grass Wonder's gentle voice interrupted:
"Is something troubling you, Kitahara-san?"
He stared at her, eyes gleaming.
"Grass Wonder-san… want to try being a leader?"
Grass Wonder: "…?"