To be perfectly honest, facing the elderly Uma Musume's request, Kitahara Sota felt one million percent unwilling.
Though she claimed she was just setting up a casual meeting with a nice young girl, anyone with eyes could see what was really going on. This wasn't some simple meet-up—she was clearly trying to matchmake him into a blind date.
And speaking of blind dates, Kitahara hadn't forgotten he still had another matchmaking session he'd been desperately trying to delay.
For some mysterious reason, that senpai Uma Musume had recently become incredibly accommodating, practically granting all his requests whenever he asked to postpone it. But the moment he mentioned outright cancelling or dropping the matchmaking altogether, her attitude would suddenly harden to an unshakeable firmness, something he found deeply puzzling.
Now that he already had one highly volatile matchmaking session hanging over him, the risk was already alarmingly high. Especially considering he was still masquerading as Rudolf's boyfriend, with another situation involving Hayakawa Tazuna soon to follow.
In a situation like this, having two blind dates at once…
Kitahara didn't even dare imagine the consequences.
So after the elderly Uma Musume finished her matchmaking suggestion, Kitahara's first instinct was immediate rejection.
But before he could even open his mouth, she anticipated his response and swiftly spoke first.
"Great, then it's settled. I'll contact that young lady later and check her schedule. When you're free, you two can meet up."
And without giving Kitahara the slightest chance to argue, she decisively withdrew and went straight to the kitchen to find Agnes Digital and Eclipse.
Seeing this, Kitahara clearly understood.
This old woman had absolutely no intention of letting him refuse—or even if he did, it would probably be useless anyway.
Realizing this, Kitahara quickly abandoned any pointless idea of chasing after her to reject the offer and instead began thinking right there about how to handle the upcoming situation.
But the more he thought about it, the more he realized perhaps things weren't as dire as he'd feared.
True, matchmaking was indeed a high-risk event within Tracen Academy, but even the riskiest situation didn't guarantee catastrophe.
He was indeed currently and would soon be carrying the title of multiple fake boyfriends, making blind dates extremely dangerous. But if he thought optimistically, at least his relationships with the Uma Musume in his own team were fairly stable—he didn't have to worry about trouble from within.
Furthermore, precisely because of that, he could always rely on his various "fake girlfriends" as excuses, coupled with a few maneuvers of his own, to easily sabotage any matchmaking attempt.
And if all else failed, he could simply ask a few "good brothers" to play pretend girlfriends to cause some chaos. Add a bit of deliberate scumbag acting from himself, and wouldn't sabotaging a blind date become effortless?
After sorting out these ideas, Kitahara instantly felt matchmaking wasn't quite as terrifying anymore. Though he'd still try to delay and refuse whenever possible, if it really came to it, he wouldn't be nearly as worried.
Following that, after lunch, Kitahara's group didn't immediately leave the elderly Uma Musume's clothing store.
Partially because Kitahara wanted to use the chance to pick out a couple of new outfits for Eclipse, and partially because Agnes Digital wanted to take the opportunity to ask the elderly Uma Musume about Kitahara and Eclipse's past.
"Their past, huh…"
Glancing over at the two currently choosing clothes, the elderly Uma Musume smacked her lips, recalling some distant memories, and slowly spoke up.
"You might find this hard to believe, but when I first met those two, I honestly thought they were mortal enemies, hell-bent on killing each other."
Mortal enemies? Hell-bent on killing each other?
Hearing words completely at odds with what she knew, Agnes Digital was momentarily stunned.
"But, um, I heard they grew up depending on each other from childhood..."
"Depending on each other and wanting to kill each other aren't mutually exclusive."
The elderly Uma Musume took a slow puff of her pipe and exhaled.
"I can pretty much guess that brat probably glossed over most of his past to spare your feelings. He definitely didn't tell you how things were when he first met that little girl."
"Don't ask me why—I've seen him pull this stunt many times already."
"And if you're asking me directly, even though I do know, it's not something I can easily tell you."
"That kid doesn't like—no, he absolutely hates discussing his past with others, especially with kids like you."
"I might disagree with him on that point, but ultimately it's his business. If he doesn't open up himself, then neither can I."
"And even if you asked that little girl directly, she wouldn't speak unless he gave permission first."
"So if you're interested, I can probably give you a rough outline of how those two interacted in the past. But anything more detailed…"
The elderly Uma Musume gazed at the man's back, tapping her pipe thoughtfully.
"You'll have to ask him yourself."
Without waiting for Agnes Digital's response, she began recounting her first encounters with Kitahara and Eclipse, along with their gradual changes over time.
It was a completely different image from what Agnes Digital knew.
In Kitahara's own telling, he and Eclipse met very early, and after he picked her up, they'd immediately become inseparable. From then on, he'd recounted stories about struggling to feed Eclipse, including small, heartwarming episodes of helping other Uma Musume along the way.
Although Agnes Digital had vaguely sensed there must have been hidden hardships behind those stories—after all, imagining a tiny young Kitahara feeding someone with Eclipse's appetite definitely wouldn't be easy—the storytelling skill he'd honed from comforting kids in the past glossed neatly over any unpleasant details, creating a fairy-tale-like atmosphere.
No one had doubted it at the time.
Because, based on how Kitahara and Eclipse behaved now, there really wasn't any reason to doubt him.
But after hearing the elderly Uma Musume's version, Agnes Digital suddenly realized something:
Although there were already plenty of participants and fierce competition in the "Kitahara Cup," not a single one of them had genuinely and thoroughly understood Kitahara's past.
Due to her investigations, especially as she actively shipped him with Eclipse, Agnes Digital herself had become the team member most knowledgeable about Kitahara. Yet even she had never heard anything like this—nor could she guess exactly what those things were that he supposedly didn't want to tell someone "like her."
Still puzzled, after carefully noting down what she'd heard, Agnes Digital left the clothing store with the other two, continuing their outing.
But because of the lingering questions in her heart, her enthusiasm was visibly lower than that morning.
Such an obvious change naturally didn't escape Kitahara's notice. After walking a while, he called out to Agnes Digital, asking gently if she was feeling unwell.
After hesitating briefly, Agnes Digital chose to be honest.
"Well, back in the clothing store, that senpai talked to me a bit about your and Eclipse-san's past..."
Listening to Agnes Digital's recounting, Kitahara raised an eyebrow.
"What, feeling disappointed because reality didn't match what I'd described?"
"No! Not at all!"
Agnes Digital quickly shook her head.
She wasn't upset because of any mismatch in his stories. On the contrary, the transition described by the elderly Uma Musume—from nearly hostile at first, gradually growing closer, finally becoming inseparable—perfectly hit her strike zone.
Without Tachyon's medicine, she'd probably have fainted halfway through.
She fully trusted Kitahara must've had good reasons to hide his past and wasn't going to force him. But understanding aside, she still couldn't help feeling a bit down upon realizing how little she actually knew about him.
Seeing her like this, Kitahara felt helpless. Misunderstanding the cause of her gloom, he reached out and softly ruffled her hair.
"Digital, remember what you promised me?"
Agnes Digital froze slightly.
But before she could reply, Kitahara spoke again:
"I told you, you're important to me. We agreed—I'd fulfill my promises, you wouldn't doubt or contradict me, and I haven't broken my word yet, have I?"
"So trust me. Some things aren't hidden because I doubt you; I just don't think they're suitable for you right now."
"If you really must know, I can tell you a bit. Then you'll understand why I never brought it up."
"But if possible, I hope you can wait. It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't want those messy things disturbing you. That would be a failure on my part as your trainer."
"If I could, I'd protect you forever from even knowing those things, keeping you safe and happy."
"I just want to protect you."
Silence.
Feeling warmth atop her head, Agnes Digital's heart swelled. Just then, Eclipse handed her a snack, gently dissipating her earlier gloom.
She felt loved, cared for.
In moments, Agnes Digital's spirits rebounded dramatically, puzzling but reassuring Kitahara.
Maybe Digital really was just an easygoing, sweet kid after all.
Later, Kitahara suggested one last place—a mirror maze—to Agnes Digital's surprise. Inside, lights suddenly went out, replaced by shimmering glow sticks, illusions of cheering crowds, her name lighting up everywhere.
Turning around, seeing Kitahara sheepishly orchestrating this awkward yet heartfelt performance, she didn't hesitate.
Warmth touched his lips gently.
In the darkness, all words ceased.