Half an hour later, at the café.
Kitahara Sota calmly explained everything to Symboli Rudolf and Hayakawa Tazuna, and the two quickly understood.
After all, they themselves had just been pressured again, and were wandering outside to clear their heads when they happened to bump into him—so they could completely sympathize with Komata Hajime's situation.
As for Komata, the words she had blurted earlier had only been a slip born from restless nerves. After being startled by Rudolf and Tazuna's sudden appearance, she didn't dare bring it up again.
So the four, all suffering under marriage pressure, gathered together, sighed and complained for quite a while. After lunch, once they had vented their frustrations, they split up and returned to Tracen Academy.
But back at school, each showed a different face.
Komata went straight back to her dorm, locked the door, dove onto her bed, and rolled around with her pillow, cheeks burning red—lost in thoughts no one could guess.
Tazuna, upon learning she wasn't the only unlucky one being badgered, and that someone had even resorted to the self-destructive idea of a fake boyfriend, felt instantly lighter, and threw herself back into work.
Rudolf, however—after finishing her student council duties—tapped her finger on the desk, remembering the lunchtime conversation. A strange light flickered in her eyes.
A fake boyfriend, hm…
Of course she knew such a thing was just drinking poison to quench thirst. It might stall things for now, but only make matters more awkward later.
But her situation was a bit different.
Symboli Speed, that old woman, knew her temper. She knew very well that even if Rudolf was dragged to a blind date, nothing would ever come of it.
So, despite Speed's constant prodding, Rudolf didn't believe she genuinely wanted to set her up. Most likely, it was just another way to spite her.
Until now, Rudolf had had no counter. But after hearing about Komata using Kitahara Sota as a fake boyfriend, a peculiar thought took root in her mind.
Think about it—by her earlier deduction, Kitahara should be her cousin. By blood.
If she told Speed that she and Kitahara had that kind of relationship, wouldn't that old woman, with her rotten personality, definitely want to sit back and enjoy the joke?
And with Kitahara as her shield, Rudolf could reject the arranged date outright.
Speed, gleeful at the thought of mocking her, would probably let it slide.
And later—when the time was ripe, when Speed tried to expose her to ridicule—Rudolf could flip the script, reveal everything, and laugh at her instead.
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Recently, thanks to Tokai Teio's case and her own plans to win him over, she had indeed been closer to Kitahara than usual.
The Symboli clan had eyes in Tracen's main campus. Reports of their closeness would inevitably reach Speed's ears. Add a little embellishment, and making her mistake it for romance wouldn't be difficult.
As for Teio and Kitahara's team…
It was only pretend. If Kitahara agreed, Rudolf—Tracen's Emperor—was confident she could keep them from finding out.
And even if they did—so what?
If he really was her blood relative, no way could they ever form such a relationship.
If it came out one day, she would simply explain everything—then drop the "he's my cousin" bombshell.
Even if he wasn't, it was still just an act. She didn't intend to do anything beyond that. She would keep interacting with him as always. The chance of exposure was minimal.
And if it came to that—she had full confidence she could spin a convincing explanation.
Rudolf felt there was promise here. She began to ponder how best to rope Kitahara into her plan.
...
Meanwhile, because he had delayed his return to avoid misunderstandings, Kitahara Sota was only just reentering the academy—arms full with two big bags of food.
Familiar steps brought him to his dorm. He pulled out the key, opened the door, and pushed it open.
He had just raised the bags, ready to announce to the little ones that he'd brought snacks, when he noticed something odd:
There were more Uma Musume inside than when he'd left.
And once he saw who the newcomers were—more precisely, who the biggest one was—Kitahara froze.
…The hell? You guys actually let Super Creek in here?!
At the same moment, the girls inside turned toward him.
Their noses twitched. Their eyes darkened.
They knew—going out with a colleague would mean some contact. Picking up a trace of their scent was normal.
The problem was… the scent clinging to him now was a little too strong.
Especially Tokai Teio, whose nose was sharpest. Her gaze locked on Kitahara's right hand—the one that had held Komata's. The sway of her tail slowed.
That despicable woman… she really took the chance to touch our Trainer-san…
Thankfully, aside from his hand, the rest of his body carried only faint traces.
That meant no excessive contact. The girls breathed easier.
But relief or not, they still had to act.
As Kitahara stepped inside, stiff, Special Week made her move.
Under the pretext of grabbing food, she rubbed against his hand again and again, smearing Komata's scent into her own.
Nice Nature used the chance when he changed clothes, taking his shirt and tugging the collar—staking her claim on his chest.
And over the next short while, the rest, whether deliberately or without realizing, each made their own moves.
Within minutes, Komata's scent had been completely erased, replaced by their own marks.
Only then did Kitahara finally turn to the three newcomers—Komata's girls—and ask what brought them here.
"Because the shopkeeper said Tamamo didn't need to help today, I invited her over. And I thought maybe Super Creek and Nishino Flower were free too. The more, the livelier. So I had Tamamo ask."
Oguri Cap spoke calmly, her clear eyes unflinching.
Nishino Flower—Komata's first tantou—was a pink-haired girl with a childlike look, timid and shy. When Kitahara entered, she greeted him in a tiny voice.
Tamamo Cross, though—she had only heard that Oguri's group were doing some camp. She hadn't realized it was at Kitahara's dorm. When she arrived, she'd been stunned.
And it wasn't even the most outrageous part.
She had thought Oguri and Special Week's bottomless stomachs were already odd enough.
But once she saw—gluttony was the least of it.
A maniac. A pressure freak. A mad scientist.
Even a ghost.
A ghost. A real, fleshless, genuine ghost!
Both Tamamo and Nishino were terrified of spirits.
Nishino especially—when she heard there was one here, and Sunday Silence even touched her twice, she nearly fainted.
Only Eclipse's quiet cough dispelled the chill.
And as for Super Creek—
When she heard the ghost looked exactly like Manhattan Café, and was a girl who had grown up with no love…
Sensing the aura she radiated, even Sunday Silence quietly avoided her.
Damn it, what has Tracen turned into? Why are there so many monsters and freaks? Can't she just be a ghost in peace?!
Once they settled in, Kitahara's girls didn't confront the visitors head-on. Instead, they played and chatted while subtly probing for their thoughts on Komata.
And the results… weren't what they expected.
They had assumed: Komata already had three tantou. One or two of them secretly crushing on her would be normal.
But after their "tests," they found otherwise.
Perhaps because Komata's team developed slowly, Nishino and Tamamo not only had no designs on her—they didn't even think about romance at all.
As for Super Creek…
Yes, she had thoughts. Practically written all over her face.
But it was very obvious—not the kind they'd expected.
And because of that, they realized—Komata's girls didn't even know what Komata and Kitahara had been up to today.
So their strategy had to change.
"Have you ever heard of 'team merging'?"
Tokai Teio's voice was low.
If she had a choice, she would never add more to the team.
Especially not someone like Super Creek, who could outmatch them all in a certain sense. A dangerous rival.
But the truth was—so far, they hadn't even made Kitahara's block of wood budge. Not even a hint of progress.
In this situation, they had no grounds to stop him from interacting with Komata.
And worse: while an outsider kept making stealthy advances, they—who supposedly shared the same target—were too busy tripping each other up to unite.
So the optimal solution was to pull Komata into their team.
Drag her onto the same starting line. Make it fair.
Instead of letting her sneak ahead while they strangled each other.
Especially since Komata was different—an adult, a colleague, his senpai. Those attributes were dangerous. They couldn't let her steal away unchecked.
And it would be a test, too.
If Komata really had no feelings for Kitahara, she wouldn't agree to merging.
If she did agree… then all of them would be on equal ground.
As for her three girls—
Tamamo and Nishino were steady options, clearly harmless.
Super Creek was risky.
But after discussion, they agreed her danger wasn't in the same direction as their own goals. Which made her, in a way, safe.
So that was settled. Their plan was clear.
In short: spend the coming days making contact with Komata's girls. Do activities together. Build rapport.
Then, when the time was right, propose merging teams. Test Komata's reaction.
That was how things reached the state Kitahara now saw.
He didn't know what his girls were plotting. But staring at Super Creek's constant smile, he felt the pressure crushing down.
Don't look at me. Look at Tamamo. Look at Nishino. At worst, look more at Tokai Teio. She's tiny too!
Across from him, Super Creek watched silently, and sighed inwardly.
Before coming here, she had only suspected Kitahara wasn't good at taking care of himself.
Now, after meeting his girls, she was sure.
And she realized it was worse than she thought.
It wasn't just that he wasn't good at it—he didn't care about himself at all.
He had care-giving skills greater than hers, strong enough to cast a lifelong shadow over her.
He hated trouble, yet when others faced problems, he always stepped forward recklessly, even if it left him battered and broken.
But when it came to his own matters, he took no serious action. Careless dress. Untidy room. If not for Eclipse, even his diet and exercise would be wrecked.
Super Creek loved caring for children, yes—but not only children.
She never pampered anyone she couldn't truly help. That was her creed.
She loved children because they were unfinished, needing more help.
But Kitahara, in many ways, needed care even more than a child.
And his ability to care for others was even higher than her own.
The contrast burned in her chest. Facing him now, her motherly soul blazed.
But Kitahara wasn't her trainer. Their relationship wasn't deep enough.
And she wasn't the type to steal someone away—she hadn't even tried to snatch Komata's girls when they'd come hiding here.
Her care was genuine, not just to indulge herself.
And while Kitahara was wonderful, she had never considered abandoning her own three "babies" to switch teams.
Uma Musume were affectionate to a fault. Once they decided, it was for life. That was why so many lived with regrets.
Her desire to care followed the same rule.
So… was there a way to both keep her three children, and get closer to Kitahara?
She remembered a word she had heard whispered not long ago—
Team merging.
If the teams merged, she wouldn't have to give up her three "babies." She could gain Kitahara as an ultimate "child" as well.
Not only that—she could care for him, and care with him.
And more: Tachyon the frail, Teio the lively, Café the lonely, even Sunday Silence…
The thought of all these "children" to look after made her tremble with excitement.
And she wasn't the only one.
On the other side, watching the swarm of girls clinging to Kitahara, Tamamo Cross's eyes grew tense.
Don't misunderstand—she had no feelings for him.
But after her initial shock faded, the more she thought, the more she realized—
The reason Kitahara, who was clearly normal, could do something as outrageous as hosting a camp in his dorm… was probably because his girls were so strange that they had dragged him into their current.
He was the one normal person she had. The only one she could talk to. The one who had helped her. She could never stand by and watch him be twisted further.
But what could she do?
He wasn't her trainer. She couldn't barge into another's team affairs.
And Komata had treated her well, promised to take her as her tantou after debut. She had no thought of transferring.
But if they merged…
Looking at the scene before her, Tamamo too felt the thought stirring.
The chatter continued. The peace outwardly held.
But beneath that calm—chaotic, yet aligned currents.
Had already begun to stir.