After discussing things clearly with Silence Suzuka, Kitahara Sota was once again swept up in a whirlwind of work.
Five debut races, three graded stakes…
Preparations with Hayakawa Tazuna, the chairwoman's investigation, deeper research into [Domains], Black Forest business, and now, additionally, managing Silence Suzuka's rehabilitation…
Amid this bustling schedule, time passed rapidly, and soon it was already November.
A few more days later, the first of those eight races finally arrived—Tokai Teio's G2.
Wake up, wash up, eat breakfast, head to the rendezvous point.
Having participated in so many races already, Kitahara was gradually becoming quite familiar with this routine.
But today was a bit different from usual. When Kitahara arrived at the meeting point, although Tokai Teio wasn't there yet, another familiar figure had clearly been standing there for a while.
Symboli Rudolf.
Kitahara wasn't surprised to see her here.
In fact, several days earlier, Rudolf had already mentioned she would be unusually free around the time of Teio's race and wanted to come watch personally.
When Rudolf made this suggestion, Tokai Teio was delighted beyond words, naturally accepting right away and promptly informing her beloved Trainer-san.
However, what she didn't know was that the day before she even found out about it, Rudolf had already discussed this with Kitahara.
Thus, once Tokai Teio agreed, Kitahara had simply gone along with it.
Which brought about the current scene.
Not long after the two of them met, Tokai Teio hurriedly appeared from the distance. Upon seeing them, she quickened her steps even further, happily bouncing into place right between them.
She first gave Symboli Rudolf a huge hug, then leaned over to Kitahara Sota, eagerly awaiting her head pat.
Afterward, with a bright smile, she boarded the car heading to the race venue, intentionally seating herself right between Rudolf and Kitahara.
This wasn't unusual. In fact, recently, Tokai Teio had gotten used to interacting with the two of them like this.
Usually, during training, she stuck close to Kitahara, behaving obediently most of the time, occasionally acting a little spoiled—asking Trainer-san for head pats, praise, or a special honey drink.
After training ended, she would run off to the Student Council room. If Rudolf wasn't busy, she'd stick to Rudolf; if Rudolf was occupied, she'd look for someone else there to cling to. If no one was available, she'd sit quietly, behaving well and even learning a bit about student council work.
She really was such a good girl.
Given Teio's recent excellent behavior, coupled with certain problematic members' antics, Kitahara's view of her was growing better and better each day.
At this point, he was practically raising her as his own daughter and was no longer resistant to improving her affection towards him.
Though her "girl-power" remained essentially zero, and she hadn't attempted any aggressive moves recently, Teio's steady behavior had still helped her considerably. Without Kitahara even realizing it, she'd already made significant progress, compensating somewhat for her natural disadvantages.
With this cozy, family-of-three atmosphere, the car smoothly arrived at the racetrack.
They exited the car, retrieved the keys, headed to the temporary locker room, and began preparations.
Perhaps due to her lack of "girl-power," combined with Rudolf's watchful presence, Tokai Teio still didn't take any direct actions, despite it clearly being her turn.
Far from making any moves, she even insisted on personally handling every preparation herself, trying very much like a child wanting to show her parents that she'd become independent.
Watching Teio behave so responsibly, Kitahara couldn't help but recall previous races.
He quietly sighed to himself, increasingly feeling that this little "Teio-chan" really was a rare treasure.
After completing preparations, Kitahara and Symboli Rudolf accompanied Tokai Teio, walking her to the tunnel leading to the track. They stood together, silently watching as she stepped forward onto the racecourse.
Unlike previous times, however, after seeing Teio off, Kitahara didn't head for the exclusive trainer's viewing area. Instead, he casually chatted with Rudolf as they moved toward the general spectator stands.
By rights, as Tokai Teio's trainer, Kitahara really should've headed to the trainer-only section.
But this time, he had come only with Rudolf, and leaving her alone wouldn't feel right.
Besides, some trainers preferred the lively atmosphere of the general seating area, deliberately avoiding the trainer's stand to mingle with the crowd.
Thus, after a quick word with the race organizers, Kitahara decided not to go to the trainer's section.
Instead, he accompanied Rudolf toward a quieter, slightly secluded location—though one still offering a clear view of the entire track.
It wasn't that they were intentionally sneaking around, plotting to do something shady.
Rather, Symboli Rudolf's reputation was simply too prominent. Although she'd taken care to disguise herself, getting recognized in a crowded area would still create unwanted trouble.
As they slowly walked, the two began casually chatting along the way.
Initially, the topic centered around Tokai Teio.
Neither doubted Teio's ability to win today's race, and both clearly recognized her strength.
Furthermore, as time passed, Rudolf increasingly realized that Teio truly was capable of independently handling her own training, even without relying on a trainer.
Though Teio's growth rate might be slightly slower compared to those trained by legendary trainers, the fact that she trained herself meant she understood her own body and limits far better than anyone else. In certain aspects, she even performed better than other Uma Musume who had dedicated trainers.
Her current strength completely justified her nickname as a supernova. If she maintained this momentum, Teio had a very real chance of independently capturing an undefeated Triple Crown—fully in line with Kitahara's earlier predictions.
For Uma Musume, achieving the Triple Crown was already an incredible honor—legendary, even.
An undefeated Triple Crown, however, had only ever been accomplished by Symboli Rudolf herself.
And though officially Rudolf claimed she had achieved this without trainer assistance, privately she'd received considerable support and guidance from the Symboli family.
Thus, if Tokai Teio truly captured an undefeated Triple Crown entirely without a trainer's aid, her accomplishment would arguably surpass even Rudolf's own.
Yet Rudolf felt no jealousy over this. On the contrary, she was greatly looking forward to it.
After all, Rudolf basically saw Tokai Teio as her own daughter. Discovering that her precious child had a chance to achieve even greater accomplishments—surpassing her own—brought Rudolf nothing but joy.
What reason could she possibly have to feel dissatisfied?
Yet right as Rudolf's happiness reached a peak, Kitahara Sota calmly poured cold water on her enthusiasm.
"Don't celebrate too soon. Though I'll admit that Teio is exceptional in talent, effort, and strength, no one can predict the future. Popping champagne at halftime is asking for trouble."
Upon hearing Kitahara's words, Rudolf shot him a sideways glance.
"Aren't you the one who first insisted Teio was fully capable of independently claiming an undefeated Triple Crown, thus convincing me to let her train by herself? Why are you now saying something like that?"
Faced with the Emperor's sidelong glare, Kitahara's expression remained utterly unchanged, and his heart was perfectly calm.
Having known each other for so long, Kitahara was well aware of this woman's true nature as a chronic slacker. And since there weren't any outsiders around, he saw no need to spare her feelings, bluntly shooting back:
"Having talent is one thing; performing well is another. But Teio's still a kid after all—she's emotionally immature. Nobody can guarantee what'll happen in the future."
"Besides, competition in her generation is much fiercer than in previous years, thanks to the explosive increase in the number of Uma Musume."
"It may not be as nightmarish as the next generation, but strong rivals are everywhere."
"Forget making any huge mistakes—even a tiny slip-up during a race could cost her the victory."
Symboli Rudolf knew Kitahara was telling the truth.
And precisely because of this reality, she looked forward even more to seeing Tokai Teio achieve an undefeated Triple Crown under these circumstances, as it would raise the prestige of her accomplishment tremendously.
But knowing and understanding something rationally was one thing.
Remembering how, back when she opposed Teio's independent training, it was Kitahara who firmly supported it—and now that she'd finally come around, here he was, suddenly pouring cold water on the idea—Rudolf's brows instinctively twitched in annoyance.
"You just have to contradict me at every turn, don't you?"
Then, before Kitahara could respond, Rudolf turned away, shifting her gaze back onto Tokai Teio on the track, and continued speaking:
"Fine, if you're going to be like this, then if Teio succeeds, all will be well. But if she fails, I'll make sure to tell her it was entirely your fault—and then I'll publicize your misdeeds as an irresponsible trainer far and wide. Let's see how you handle that."
"Do whatever you want," Kitahara replied indifferently. "After all, the Student Council President's power is limitless, right?"
Kitahara knew she was joking and didn't take her words seriously.
Even if she hadn't been joking, Kitahara wouldn't have cared at all.
After all, he was still worrying about how exactly to lower Tokai Teio's affection points toward him and tarnish his reputation. Forget trying to stop Rudolf—he'd rather offer a helping hand and shoulder the blame himself.
But jokes aside, as he turned his gaze back to the racecourse, Kitahara's expression gradually became more serious, and his voice took on a firm sincerity.
"I won't let something like that happen."
"If I see that she's encountering any real trouble or making any mistakes, I'll notify you immediately and take action myself."
Although he'd promised Tokai Teio from the very start that he wouldn't interfere with her independent training, that was strictly because Kitahara had confirmed she truly possessed the capability to achieve an undefeated Triple Crown on her own.
And during this period, Tokai Teio's performance had indeed been outstanding—in fact, even better than he'd anticipated in some areas.
Moreover, thanks to the custom-made Racing Outfit he'd prepared, her previously imbalanced leg condition had significantly improved, making her chances at an undefeated Triple Crown rise substantially.
Even comparing pure racing talent alone, those Uma Musume he personally trained, who weren't from the same generation as Tokai Teio, were now slightly inferior to her in raw potential.
Manhattan Cafe had only recently begun training seriously under him, and specialized mostly in long-distance races, so the comparison didn't quite apply.
Nice Nature, though perfectly capable of denying Teio a victory if she so chose, would find it far less easy to outright surpass Teio herself.
As for Agnes Tachyon, maybe she could compete head-to-head with Teio after activating her [Domain], but in normal conditions, she'd still fall slightly short.
It wasn't that Kitahara couldn't produce an Uma Musume stronger than Tokai Teio.
In fact, if he really wanted to, within two months he could easily raise all of the Uma Musume on his team by at least two whole ranks.
But the problem was that Tokai Teio's talent was already terrifyingly high to begin with.
Although her performance in the "Humble Girl Cup" hadn't been particularly satisfactory, on the regular racing track—even without a trainer's assistance—her racing strength was borderline dominating. Otherwise, she wouldn't even dare aim for the undefeated Triple Crown.
If he casually pushed someone above such a strong contender, his team would end up completely dominating the track for the next three years straight.
Thus, after noticing his own standards for professional Uma Musume were slightly skewed—particularly upon realizing a certain random Uma Musume was unexpectedly too strong to serve as a reliable benchmark—Kitahara decided to look for someone else to serve as a new reference point.
Ultimately, he settled his sights on the only Uma Musume in his team who was nominally under his care, yet practically uninfluenced by him at all: Tokai Teio.
This didn't mean he'd deliberately hold back other Uma Musume's strength just to maintain his own peace of mind.
But just like Agnes Digital's case, the Uma Musume on his team were already top-tier talents.
If he lost control and strengthened them even further, let alone their opponents, even his own Uma Musume would end up having no enjoyment left from racing.
Not that he would irresponsibly restrain their training intensity. Even if he consciously restrained himself, the improvements he offered far surpassed most regular trainers.
Forget everything else—even considering just Agnes Tachyon's massive heap of personal problems—no other trainer, legendary or otherwise, could've resolved them as thoroughly as he had.
And when it came to running style modifications, this was a privilege available to only a select few Uma Musume. Typically, such refinements weren't even attempted until their second year—and even then required immense practice and effort. Yet, under his guidance, some had already mastered three completely different running styles.
At present, although his team members had a small gap compared to a prodigy like Tokai Teio, they'd certainly be Triple Crown candidates in a normal year—even capable of challenging for an undefeated Triple Crown if they tried hard enough.
But this year, thanks to the explosion in Uma Musume population and various other factors, competition had grown exceptionally fierce—far surpassing even Agnes Digital's generation.
So even though Kitahara's original estimations had been slightly off, it wasn't to the point of his team outright dominating the entire racetrack. There was still a genuine possibility of defeat.
But if he kept increasing their training intensity, then at that point… things might truly become difficult to predict…
And although the Uma Musume currently under his care still slightly lagged behind Tokai Teio, the gap wasn't large—in fact, some even exceeded her in certain respects.
Nice Nature aside—who could freely decide whether or not someone else could take first place—
Agnes Tachyon, after activating her [Domain], had about a fifty-fifty chance against Tokai Teio in an actual race.
As for Manhattan Cafe, considering her specialization in long-distance races—something Teio wasn't particularly strong at—she could easily match Teio in long-distance events.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that, if Tokai Teio genuinely wanted to claim the undefeated Triple Crown, her greatest obstacles weren't outsiders, but rather these fellow team members who constantly spent their days alongside her.
Then again, precisely because these teammates were all so exceptional, Tokai Teio's performance had continuously improved.
At first, relying solely on her own extraordinary talent, Teio had become slightly arrogant—occasionally taking training too lightly, even spending nights gaming with roommates and missing scheduled practices.
But later, as the others rapidly progressed, she became clearly aware of her own shortcomings and actively corrected her behavior.
Though she'd never directly requested personal training from Kitahara, Teio regularly sought advice and studied running techniques from her teammates.
And thanks to the Racing Outfit Kitahara had custom-made for her, the issue with her legs had significantly eased. Her current strength had risen dramatically, fully unleashing her immense potential.
Under normal circumstances, even with a dedicated trainer, Tokai Teio probably wouldn't be able to beat [Domain]-activated Agnes Tachyon.
Kitahara himself didn't yet realize this—he still treated Teio as the reference point for his training intensity, unaware that, thanks to his own butterfly effect, this reference point was gradually rising—ironically, the more he trained his team, the faster Teio herself improved.
Nevertheless, despite being oblivious to this, at least for today's race, Kitahara could easily foresee the outcome.
Not just him—even Symboli Rudolf beside him could predict the result without difficulty.
Especially after hearing Kitahara's firm words, Rudolf's worries completely vanished.
Thus, after chatting casually a bit more, Rudolf decided there wasn't much point continuing on this topic, and abruptly changed the subject.
Her eyes still focused on Tokai Teio—who had beautifully dashed out of the starting gate and instantly secured an ideal position, practically guaranteeing victory—she suddenly turned to face Kitahara again.
"Trainer Kitahara, would you consider coming to work for me directly?"
"Not for the Symboli family, not for the Student Council—just for me personally…"
But before Rudolf could even finish her words, Kitahara decisively shook his head.
"No."
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T/N: dont worry bonus chaps will be released on sunday
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