"I was a fool. A complete fool."
On the way home, Shinji Kitahara's eyes were vacant.
"I knew that money makes the world go round, but I never thought I'd be the one to fall for it."
He had been so determined not to take on any other horse girl as a trainer until Eclipse graduated.
But when Tokai Teio made her offer, he was shamefully tempted.
Besides their base salary, a trainer's main source of income at Tracen was the prize money from their charge's races. When a horse girl won a race, a certain percentage of the prize money was distributed to her trainer as an incentive for their hard work.
As one of Japan's top horse girls, Tokai Teio's prize money earnings were among the best. The portion allocated to her trainer was already substantial, and if that were doubled...
To put it simply, if Tokai Teio remained registered under his name, even without the doubled share, it would be enough to cover his and Eclipse's living expenses for the rest of their lives.
Of course, he knew Tokai Teio wouldn't stay under his name forever.
The day she proved her ability, or if some accident prevented her from racing, would be the day he lost that source of income.
But that was fine!
With Tokai Teio's ability, even just one year—no, even just six months—of her earnings could save him years, even decades, of struggle.
Tempted by the enormous prize money, he had shamelessly given in.
Besides, she had specifically told him not to manage her, which meant he wouldn't even need to interact with her on a daily basis. There would be no opportunities for training sessions or guidance that could build affection. If he managed it correctly, the probability of ending up in a basement was practically zero.
All he had to do was lie on his couch at home and wait for the money to be deposited into his account. Was there a better job in the world?
Still, there was one thing he needed to clarify.
"Eclipse."
"Hm."
"Tokai Teio... that was your doing, wasn't it?"
Tokai Teio had appeared out of nowhere, happened to need a slacker trainer just like him, and then just 'happened' to have heard about his fondness for money, offering him a price he couldn't possibly refuse.
Too many coincidences cease to be coincidences.
Eclipse maintained her usual indifferent expression. "I didn't arrange anything. I just heard she was troubled about finding a trainer, and since I happened to know someone suitable, I mentioned you to her."
That was more than just a 'mention.' You probably gave her a detailed plan on how to deal with me, Shinji grumbled internally. He took out his keys and opened the door to their apartment.
He walked in and expertly flopped onto the sofa. Eclipse, just as naturally, walked into the kitchen.
"What's for dinner tonight?" he asked.
"Carrot salad and stewed meat," she replied.
Yes, they were living together.
Regrettably, however, he and Eclipse were not lovers.
As for their actual relationship, they weren't particularly close, but you could say they had depended on each other since they were children.
In fact, if it were just Shinji alone, his salary from his previous jobs would have been more than enough to live on. But unfortunately, he also had to support Eclipse.
The thing about horse girls was, while their physical abilities were three times that of a normal person, their consumption was also immense. Even a relatively inactive horse girl ate about twice as much as a normal adult.
And then there were those with particularly large appetites, like a certain Special Week, a certain Oguri Cap, and... Eclipse.
The first time Shinji saw how much she could eat, he was flabbergasted. After she entered puberty and began her full-fledged development, her appetite skyrocketed. Even without expensive food, a single meal could cost him half a day's wages.
He had considered sending her to a local Tracen Academy to eat in the cafeteria and ease the financial burden at home. But she was unwilling to go, and the local academy's cafeteria only provided a meal allowance; it wasn't completely free...
As for having her become a racehorse to win prize money, he had thought about it and even discussed it with her. But she seemed resistant to the idea and had stipulated that he had to be her trainer.
Shinji might be a slacker, but he wasn't a total degenerate. He wouldn't force her to do something she didn't want to do.
Besides, he had never even heard the name 'Eclipse' in the game. She was probably just an ordinary, untalented horse girl who would get crushed on the racetrack.
In that case, not only would she not earn any prize money, but her appetite would likely increase due to training, adding to their financial burden.
But now, he didn't have that concern.
"Tracen Academy's main campus..."
Lying on the sofa, Shinji's gaze grew distant.
While the hidden dangers might be painful, the free, all-you-can-eat cafeteria for staff and students was a true blessing.
Their food problem was solved, and he had a handsome income. If he could just muddle through the next few years, he could do whatever he wanted in the future without worrying about money...
The only fly in the ointment was the unexpected contact with Tokai Teio.
Tokai Teio was at the very top of his list of dangerous horse girls, the kind you shouldn't even exchange a single word with if you could help it. The only others on that level were the heavyweights: 'Symboli Rudolf,' 'Grass Wonder,' and 'Satono Diamond.'
As for those he could potentially interact with, he had actually identified a few he could talk to and, if absolutely necessary, even ask to be his charge.
For example, Twin Turbo, Agnes Digital, and Gold Ship.
These three were also heavyweights, corresponding to 'Idiot,' 'Pervert,' and 'Alien,' respectively. While they weren't exactly easy to handle, they were, surprisingly, the 'clear streams' amidst the 'muddy waters' of twisted fanfiction. A case of a negative times a negative making a positive.
But now he already had two charges, one of whom was Tokai Teio, so there was no need to take any more risks with them.
As he was thinking, dinner was ready. While they were eating, he suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, Eclipse, I don't think I've ever seen you lose—I mean, in a race."
"Why should I lose?" Eclipse retorted.
That's not how the question works, is it?
Her counter-question completely derailed Shinji's train of thought. He buried his head in his food and tried to recall.
Come to think of it, Eclipse seems a lot stronger than your average background horse girl. She rarely races, but the outcome always seems to depend on her mood.
If she was in a good mood, she'd win by a small margin. A normal mood, a large margin. A bad mood... well, she never seemed to be in a bad mood.
Ah, whatever. I'm not counting on her to earn money anyway. Why am I thinking about all this useless stuff?
"Shinji."
After dinner, Eclipse's voice suddenly rang out.
She was standing in the kitchen, washing dishes with one hand. With the other, she pointed at the air and spoke.
"Do three thousand push-ups before you go to bed tonight. You have thirty minutes."
"Why so many today?"
Shinji was shocked. While Eclipse often gave him strange and inexplicable commands—like running a certain distance within a set time, doing a certain number of pull-ups, or other random tasks—this was the first time she had demanded so much.
"Can we do a few less?" he asked tentatively.
"Not a single one less. And you can't delay or do them in sets," Eclipse responded calmly.
Eclipse, who was indifferent to almost everything, was unusually firm about this.
Perhaps because he had been slacking off so much today and the lazy energy was still lingering in his system, Shinji felt a rare spark of rebellion.
"However, I refuse."
His expression was serious. "The thing I, Shinji Kitahara, love to do most is—"
Eclipse walked out of the kitchen, looking at him as if he were a dead man.
"Do them, or I'll break you. Choose."
"...I'll do them! Fine, I'll do them!"
-------
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