"Nobody likes working overtime."
—The overachievers do.
"...Overachievers aren't human."
—Stop complaining... it's not like you're going to heaven anyway.
Fair point, the man thought. Since I'm not bound for heaven... maybe I should try to be a decent person in my next life?
"Ha—well then, let's go for another round!"
The man stretched and sat up from the grass.
The weather was clear, the sun was bright, and the dappled shadows cast through the gaps in the leaves danced with every gust of wind. The grass beneath him was soft and comfortable—a natural sanctuary for a midday nap.
If there was one flaw... it was that the surroundings were a bit noisy.
The man surveyed his environment.
He seemed to be... under the shade of a tree in a school courtyard? Looking around, he saw a ring of buildings resembling academic halls. There were glass sliding doors, long corridors, and ivy cascading from the railings.
Aside from that, there were sculptures... Not far from him stood a fountain, and in the center of the fountain was a group of statues.
And then... between the corridors and the school buildings, there were many young girls—looking to be about middle or high school age—bustling back and forth in school uniforms. Moreover, they were all female.
Who am I? Where is this? What's going on?
He knew nothing. He was utterly bewildered.
"This wouldn't happen to be an all-girls school, would it... Did I trespass? I don't seem to have any memory of this..."
The man muttered to himself. But his curiosity about another matter immediately filled his mind.
Those students... what's the deal with them?
They weren't human—even this man, who couldn't remember a thing, could make that judgment at a single glance.
These young female students had beast-like ears on their heads and tails made of thick fur behind them... Under normal circumstances, humans definitely didn't grow ears and tails like that.
"Those are Horse Girls."
When that sharp, cold, and stern female voice answered the doubt in the man's heart, everything around him froze in an instant. The wind stopped blowing, the shadows of the trees ceased their swaying, and the movements of the cute students in his vision turned into stiff silhouettes. Only the man seemed to be moving "normally."
The man quickly looked around again... trying to confirm what had happened. Searching the surroundings yielded nothing, but when he turned his gaze back to the front... he saw someone who hadn't been there before.
A woman wearing a yellow, short military-style jacket and a beret appeared before him.
The man narrowed his eyes to scrutinize her.
She was about 1.6 or 1.7 meters tall, with sharp, capable dark-brown short hair. She had the same ears as those young students. Since she was standing directly in front of him, he couldn't see her back, but perhaps there was a tail...?
Her physique was lean but powerful. The muscle lines on her forearms were hard and strong, and her abdominal muscles were clearly visible where the short jacket and vest failed to cover them. Coupled with her fierce gaze and the prominent scar over her left eye, one couldn't help but think—Could she kill a bull with a single punch?
But truthfully, she was a beauty. Her features were delicate yet heroic, as if carved naturally from stone...
Stone?
The man suddenly noticed something. He looked at the woman in front of him, then turned back to look at the group of statues in the courtyard fountain. The sculpture depicted three goddesses wearing celestial robes and holding water jars. One of those goddesses indeed had short hair and a scar by her eye...
"Ah... there's a bit of a resemblance?"
After looking back and forth several times, and just before the woman showed signs of impatience, the man reached a conclusion.
"It is indeed me," the woman—or rather, the Goddess—spoke. Her tone was as sharp as her gaze, tinged with a hint of annoyance.
"My name is Byerley Turk," the Goddess introduced herself.
"Don't tell me—wait. Isn't Byerley Turk—" The name of one of the three founding sires of thoroughbreds? the man wanted to say, but before he could finish, the sharp, fierce glare from the Goddess silenced him.
"In this world, 'horses' as you know them do not exist."
After confirming the man had obediently shut his mouth, Byerley Turk continued.
"In this world, there are Horse Girls. Horse Girls are spirits born with the blessing of us Three Goddesses. They are born with strength and speed that transcend humanity, and they long to run."
"...So Horse Girls are the equivalent of the thoroughbreds I know?" the man couldn't help but ask. This time, the Goddess Byerley Turk didn't glare; she simply nodded.
"You can understand it that way. The Horse Girls born in this world will run just like the thoroughbreds in the world you lived in... and they will step onto the track to chase their dreams. And... you might even encounter some familiar names here."
"I think I get the gist of it..."
The man understood quickly, which surprised even himself.
"The reason you understand so quickly is that during your rebirth, we implanted the common sense and certain memories of this world into you. So in reality, this knowledge already exists in your mind... you only need a bit of contact to realize it."
Byerley Turk provided the answer to the man's internal thoughts.
"I see." The man nodded. Then, he raised a question.
"Then... who am I?"
"Mr. Nakagaki—"
The man heard a call. Immediately, the Goddess before him vanished like a popping bubble. As the Goddess disappeared, everything around him that had been paused resumed its activity... the warm wind blew again, the leaves rustled, and the courtyard once more echoed with the chatter of Horse Girls during their break...
And then, clack-clack-clack.
Before the man could look around, a black-haired woman wearing a green uniform and a pillbox hat jogged up to him. She seemed to have been running for a while, with a bit of sweat on her forehead, but surprisingly, she wasn't panting much; she adjusted her breathing quickly.
"Mr. Nakagaki. So you were here."
This new woman, with her smooth black hair tied in a low ponytail, spoke to him. She was also very beautiful... unlike the Goddess from before, the woman standing in front of him now had a mature and gentle look. Although her uniform offered very little skin exposure, it couldn't hide her curvaceous figure...
...Was I interested in women before?
When the first evaluation of the woman in front of him was "She's really pretty," the man couldn't help but wonder.
The woman—named Hayakawa Tazuna—asked him another question.
"Um... is something wrong, Mr. Nakagaki? Why are you just staring at me in a daze?"
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The Unhinged Trainer
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"Nakagaki?" The man repeated, then pointed to himself. "Are you calling me?"
"Of course... Mr. Nakagaki Kazuma, isn't that your name?"
Nakagaki Kazuma wasn't actually the man's name. Although he couldn't remember his old name, he had a fuzzy impression of it... but before he could say anything, a voice rang in his head again.
—This is your current name.
It was the voice of the Goddess Byerley Turk.
—You died in the world you once lived in. You have transmigrated. This is your name now.
What a straightforward explanation; I don't even know how to react to it... the man—Nakagaki Kazuma—thought to himself. Everything he thought was perceived by the Goddess... consequently, she responded immediately.
—Stop complaining. The result is the result.
How can she hear exactly what I'm thinking...
—Because I am a Goddess.
A Goddess, huh? Kazuma thought. He then began to imagine the Goddess who called herself Byerley Turk wearing a highly revealing "2D-style" maid outfit with black thigh-high stockings, making a "heart" gesture with both hands.
—You bastard...!
"Ow!"
The moment the imaginary image formed, Kazuma felt a sudden, sharp pain in his brain. He instinctively clutched his head and crouched down, crying out in pain.
—That is your punishment.
Nakagaki Kazuma... this transmigrated man had never imagined that having a Goddess living in his head would be so agonizing... but he had to set that aside for now. Because of his cry of pain, Hayakawa Tazuna showed a concerned expression.
"Is something wrong? Mr. Nakagaki. You look like you're in a lot of pain...?"
"No... it's fine now. By the way, who are you?"
The pain came and went quickly. Once it vanished, Kazuma jumped up from the ground as if nothing had happened. This left the observing Hayakawa Tazuna rather bewildered.
"Uh, I am Hayakawa Tazuna, the Assistant to the Chairwoman of Tracen... are you really alright? You even forgot who I am... did you hit your head?"
—He just has a mental illness.
The Goddess is calling me sick?
—Do you have a death wish?
Having a rare chance at rebirth, Nakagaki Kazuma didn't want to die yet. Thus, he quickly apologized to the Goddess in his heart while simultaneously explaining to Tazuna.
"Ah... right, I might have just been a bit sleep-deprived and confused."
"You weren't slacking off and napping on the lawn again, were you? Did the wind give you a cold?"
"Again... did I do that often?"
"..." Hayakawa Tazuna was silent for a moment. Then she fell into thought. "Hmm... well. Did you do that before...? Before?"
—Don't let her think too deeply about your past. Your identity was created out of thin air using our power. If someone thinks too hard about it, there will be problems.
"Ah, no, it's... ah, right, I just took a nap, hahaha, maybe I've got a slight fever..."
Hearing the Goddess's words in his head, Kazuma hurried to change the subject. Though his words were a bit chaotic, they successfully diverted Tazuna's thoughts... She let out a sigh.
"You haven't found a trainee Horse Girl yet... how can you spend all day slacking off? Please, show some motivation."
—She means Tracen doesn't keep idlers.
Are you in my head just to play the 'straight man' commentator...? Kazuma was a bit helpless. Having to talk to a Goddess in his mind while responding to Hayakawa Tazuna was giving him a headache. He decided to focus on one side first, to clear up some concepts with the Goddess...
What is a 'trainee'? What is a 'trainer'? Tracen... I know Tracen. My old world had it, too. A racing training center, he thought.
—A Trainer is a profession in this world responsible for cultivating Horse Girls to participate in racing events. In terms you can understand... it's like a combination of a jockey and a trainer in regards to nurturing talent. As for 'trainee,' it refers to the Horse Girl who signs a contract with a Trainer. Tracen is the name of this academy—it does mean training center, but specifically, it is the 'Horse Girl Training Center Academy.'
Fortunately, the Goddess was fairly responsible in her explanations. Coupled with his implanted memories... as Byerley Turk explained, Kazuma understood everything.
"Mr. Nakagaki?"
"Ah, nothing... by the way, Ms. Hayakawa, what did you need me for?"
"Ha... you really are sleep-addled. It's a good thing I came to find you."
Hayakawa Tazuna sighed and provided her explanation.
"A Selection Race is being held at the training grounds this afternoon. Since you haven't found a trainee yet, I came specifically to notify you to be there to scout the Horse Girls participating. Please find a trainee as soon as possible and officially begin your work."
—She still means Tracen doesn't keep idlers.
You really are dedicated to this commentary role. Thinking this, Kazuma wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.
"This afternoon, right... I understand. I'll be there... probably."
"It would be best if you 'definitely' attend," Tazuna reminded him one last time before finally turning to leave, leaving the man alone.
After seeing off Hayakawa Tazuna, Nakagaki Kazuma wandered through Tracen Academy for a while longer, conversing with the Goddess in his mind as he went.
They... why do most of the people here avoid me like I'm bad luck? Kazuma thought.
—Because when we forged your identity, we shaped it based on the impression you left on the people in your past life. This indicates that you were quite disliked.
...You could have shaped me to be a bit more popular... he thought again.
—Could you maintain that kind of persona? If your character breaks, it would cause suspicion and reflection among those around you, and your background cannot withstand scrutiny.
That's a fair point. Kazuma knew he had always been a bit of a freak; trying to act and speak like those popular people would probably be a form of torture for him.
—However, when we created this identity, we provided you with an exceptionally handsome shell. Be satisfied with that.
Do I have that?
Hearing what the Goddess Byerley Turk said in his mind, Kazuma stopped his aimless wandering. He walked over to the glass doors of a nearby school building and scrutinized his reflection in the glass.
Indeed—the figure reflected in the glass was quite the handsome man. He had a tall, lean, and lithe build, with sharp and heroic facial features. His slightly wavy hair was tied back in an unruly, small ponytail. Aside from his eyes looking a bit "unfortunate" and the faint dark circles beneath them, once dressed up properly in a suit jacket, he was certainly a handsome fellow.