In truth, Silence Suzuka hadn't realized how strange Kitahara Sota's team environment really was until she actually moved into his dorm.
She'd innocently thought the atmosphere on his team was wonderful—that everyone was friendly—and now, having finally escaped the heavy track environment, she'd felt herself becoming increasingly relaxed.
There were many reasons for this misconception: she hadn't officially joined the team until recently; her past experiences had conditioned her somewhat to the heavy-track lifestyle; Kitahara himself had been quite busy lately, and she herself had been too focused on training to notice anything unusual…
But most importantly, during training sessions, the crowd and watchful eyes prevented the girls from doing anything too extreme. Different groups of Uma Musume checked and balanced each other, making everything seem normal on the surface.
But now, after actually moving in, well…
Let's just say she once again deeply felt the dangers of human society.
Previously, whenever returning to her dorm, she could at least heal herself a bit by spending time with the innocent, cheerful Special Week (at least, innocent in Suzuka's eyes).
But ever since moving into Kitahara's dorm, thanks to Grass Wonder's presence and her constant provocations, the brutal gleam in Special Week's eyes had steadily grown sharper.
Moreover, aside from the accumulating brutality in her eyes, Special Week's various behaviors toward Kitahara Sota utterly shocked Silence Suzuka.
They even made Suzuka start to question if this was really the same Spe-chan she knew—at times, she even felt a hint of fear in her heart.
Furthermore, apart from Special Week and Grass Wonder's open and secret battles, Nice Nature was still living at Kitahara's dorm as well.
Naturally, Nature had also noticed Special Week and Grass Wonder's small schemes and quietly joined the battlefield herself, intensifying the struggle to even greater heights.
And adding in the occasional daytime visits from other Uma Musume—plus Super Creek, who dropped by regularly to supervise and opportunistically seize Kitahara's caretaking rights (while also gleefully "caring" for Suzuka on the side)—the situation quickly spiraled into chaos.
Just two days after moving into Kitahara's dorm, Silence Suzuka suddenly found her past life experiences comparatively gentle—even somewhat nostalgic.
Yet she didn't realize then, this was only the beginning of her trials.
On the third day after moving in, thanks to the potion's effects, Suzuka's leg appeared almost fully recovered on the surface. She could even lightly jog, suggesting she could return to the track soon.
But the real issue was: even if her leg recovered quickly enough for racing, that didn't mean Suzuka could immediately regain her past strength.
Just like wounds leave scars after healing, a fractured leg—even when treated swiftly—would inevitably leave lingering issues.
Old injuries, fragility, nerves, muscles, and psychological trauma…
Though technological advances in recent years allowed more injured Uma Musume to recover and return to racing, without exception their performances all declined to varying degrees afterward. The worst cases had even fallen from top-tier competitors directly into second-rate.
Silence Suzuka's situation wasn't that severe—but it definitely wasn't trivial, either.
So Kitahara had planned to mitigate the after-effects of her injury as much as possible through special care and adjusted training. If possible, he'd also like to slightly strengthen her condition in the process.
Having heard from Special Week earlier that Kitahara's caregiving skills were excellent, Silence Suzuka didn't doubt his proposal.
Especially since Suzuka's issue was mainly in her leg, she wouldn't even have to lie down for full-body care. She could simply sit on the sofa.
Everything seemed perfectly normal—
Until Kitahara Sota's hands touched her leg.
In that instant, Suzuka finally understood why the other Uma Musume had silently stepped back and cast subtle, complicated gazes at her when they heard Kitahara planned to personally care for her.
And then…
Then there was no "then."
Though it was only leg care, Suzuka's case was severe, so Kitahara had applied slightly more strength than usual.
Additionally, since it was Suzuka's first experience with this kind of treatment, she lasted barely five minutes before collapsing onto the sofa, completely dazed. Afterward, she lost consciousness outright, eventually carried back to her room by Special Week.
The next day, upon regaining her senses, Suzuka clearly felt her leg was indeed lighter and stronger than before. Just as she was about to sincerely thank Kitahara, however, before she even opened her mouth, he calmly addressed her while still working on the documents at hand:
"The problems with your legs are actually quite severe."
"It's not just the fracture itself. You've been habitually running and overtraining outside of your planned routines, often disregarding your limits, even in situations where it's inappropriate."
"By now, your legs have accumulated numerous issues. This fracture is merely a symptom of those deeper problems—not the end."
"If you continue this way, even if I manage to heal your fracture quickly and get you back on the track, all that will achieve is repeated injuries—until eventually, you're forced to leave racing entirely."
"Moreover, I believe you yourself are well aware—this harmful habit didn't form overnight, and the damage wasn't accumulated overnight either. So, it won't be resolved in just a day or two."
"To be safe, I strongly recommend you skip all races this year, concentrate fully on recovering and resolving your leg issues, and only return to racing after your legs are completely healed and your training resumes properly."
"In the meantime, if you want to fix these issues thoroughly, I suggest strictly following the recovery and training plan I prepare, and regularly coming to me for care."
"And in order to minimize the impact this injury might have on you, no matter what your future choices are, at least for the next week, I advise you to remain living here, receiving treatment every day."
Kitahara turned, glancing at Suzuka—who by now sat frozen stiff, her expression gradually paling—and sighed deeply in helplessness.
"Of course, I understand this might be hard to accept, so the final decision remains yours."
"Whatever choice you make—whether or not you choose to believe what I'm saying—I'll accept it fully and will continue to support you in whatever way you wish afterward. You don't need to worry about that."
"But still, as your trainer, I sincerely hope you'll trust me."
Silence.
Silence Suzuka opened her mouth slightly, but no sound came out.
Long ago, when she first heard about Kitahara Sota, Suzuka's impression of him hadn't been great.
But over time, as she interacted with him more and more and gradually understood him better, those negative impressions—originally built on misunderstandings—naturally crumbled away.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have willingly chosen to join Kitahara's team in the first place.
But now…
Honestly speaking, Silence Suzuka truly wanted to believe and follow Kitahara's suggestions.
The problem, however, was the upcoming two months represented not only her own peak as an Uma Musume but also the peak for most of her generation. This period might very well be the brightest of their entire lives.
After this year passed, she'd inevitably enter a natural decline.
Of course, by maintaining diligent training, her decline wouldn't be severe, and she could even compensate with technique—perhaps becoming stronger overall in the long run.
But still, the peak of an Uma Musume's natural prime occurred only once.
No Uma Musume could resist longing to run during this time—especially Silence Suzuka, a silly girl whose mind held nothing but running.
She knew perfectly well that without Kitahara, returning to the track itself would've been impossible—let alone this quickly.
And yet…
After a long hesitation, Suzuka raised her head, softly meeting Kitahara's gaze.
"I trust you, Trainer Kitahara, but—"
"But you still want to run at least one more race, right?"
Suzuka was startled by his immediate response, then felt Kitahara lightly rap her forehead with the edge of his clipboard, followed by his deeply weary sigh.
"Alright, say no more. I understand how important this period is for you, especially for someone who loves running so damn much…"
"But I can't promise you anything about this. I honestly don't know if I can fulfill that wish—I can only promise I'll do my best."
"And even if I do my absolute best to adjust your condition, racing in November is completely impossible. Early December is extremely unlikely, too. At the earliest, we're talking about the second half of December."
"And even then, given your current condition, it's highly possible you still won't be able to race."
"If that happens, I hope you'll prepare yourself mentally in advance."
He lowered his clipboard, looking straight into her eyes, his voice utterly sincere.
"Your life ahead is still long. You'll have plenty of chances next year."
"So please promise me—don't risk destroying a better future over impulsiveness now."
"Alright, Silence Suzuka?"
Staring at his earnest expression, Silence Suzuka was momentarily stunned.
Then, after a pause, she gently nodded.
"…Yes."
"Then, please take care of me, Trainer Kitahara."