The next day, early morning.
Hayakawa Tazuna, for the first time in what felt like forever, was not woken by her alarm.
The last time she'd slept until she naturally woke—she could no longer remember.
Even by the most conservative guess, at least half a year had passed.
And before, even when she did wake naturally, it was always after grinding herself through endless work, collapsing only in exhaustion.
And waking from that kind of sleep—far from comfortable. Instead, all the fatigue built up during work would spill loose during rest, leaving her body aching, not wanting to move a finger.
But today, when she opened her eyes...
It was as if some heavy burden had been taken off her.
Her whole body overflowed with a lightness, a comfort, something she had never once felt before.
The feeling was so good—even the "Green Devil," famed in Tracen for her iron self-discipline, couldn't help but sink into it. For once, she did not leap awake at the first stir of consciousness, but kept her eyes closed, shamelessly lingering in bed.
And in that lazy half-sleep, she even rolled over, trying to dodge the sunlight spilling in through the window, hoping to nap just a little longer.
Only—rolling over was a mistake.
Because the moment she turned, she felt something small, soft, and oddly familiar in her arms.
Half-dreaming, she blinked her eyes open, wanting to see what exactly she was holding.
And there, she saw the familiar face—Chairwoman Akikawa Yayoi.
Unlike Tazuna, Akikawa had not stirred at all. She slept soundly, curled like a kitten, breathing softly, her little face peaceful and cute—nothing at all like the imperious figure she showed in public.
Tazuna froze. Slowly, her mind began to clear.
Strange. Where was this again...?
She remembered—she shouldn't be—
And then memory returned, piece by piece. Everything up until the moment she'd lost consciousness last night replayed in her head. Her expression stiffened.
Especially the later sensations. Though the tingling pleasure was gone...
It was like imagining sour plums and salivating. Just recalling Kitahara Sota's fingers pressing down, her body gave an involuntary tremor, even though nothing touched her now.
But before she could dwell on that reaction, another question crashed into her thoughts.
She remembered how she had gotten here.
Especially what Kitahara had said before she came—she could guess this was his dorm.
But then—why was the Chairwoman here too? Wasn't she just tagging along out of curiosity? How had she also stayed behind?
Before she could puzzle further, another sound rustled behind her.
Instinctively, Tazuna turned—and saw Symboli Rudolf.
The dignified Emperor of Tracen, model of composure, worshiped by countless... was now asleep at her side.
And the look on her face could only be called—adorable.
Tazuna: "....."
What on earth had happened while she was unconscious?
A little later, she got her answer from Kitahara himself, who was outside washing up.
"After you... maybe because your reaction was a little intense, the Chairwoman and President got curious. They wanted to try it, and then... well, you saw the result."
Truth be told, if it had just been Tazuna's reaction, Akikawa and Rudolf might not have been so reckless. They would've at least observed a little longer.
But then Eclipse's reaction had been far too calm, standing in stark contrast to Tazuna's. The sharp difference only made them want to try it for themselves.
And both had been carrying heavy fatigue recently, body and spirit.
Especially Rudolf—Tracen's Emperor, bearing the Symboli name—her willpower was something she was proud of.
Besides, she already half-considered Kitahara her younger brother, and wanted to win him closer. This seemed a good chance to test his skills. So she volunteered first.
Kitahara didn't refuse.
Although to him Rudolf was still in the "most dangerous" category of Uma Musume—
After all this time, after helping each other, after discovering that at her core she too was a slacker—his view of the Emperor had softened.
Now, she was something like Grass Wonder: a good "brother." He no longer resisted her as much.
And with the looming issue of Uma Musume hunters, he thought helping her relax wouldn't hurt. So he agreed.
But unlike Tazuna, Rudolf's body was healthy.
She knew the balance of work and rest. She had some problems, yes, but few, and none severe. Only the marks of overwork from the past weeks.
So Kitahara used the lowest setting, just enough to ease her fatigue.
And Rudolf lived up to her title.
Even at half-point, under his lightest pressure, she never broke her composure. She didn't so much as twitch her face.
She even had spare composure to comment on his technique, praising it, noting that yes, her exhaustion had indeed lightened.
At that pace, it looked like she'd finish without faltering—becoming the first to pass through Kitahara's nursing "normally."
So where did it go wrong?
The answer: she did it to herself.
Originally, Kitahara had intended to keep it light until the end.
He had no strange hobbies. If possible, he preferred his patients could walk out fine, saving him the trouble of caring for them afterwards.
But midway...
Buoyed by sailing through the first half with ease, Rudolf's confidence swelled.
And having watched Tazuna's entire session earlier, she vaguely sensed that Kitahara was holding back. Wanting to probe deeper, she insisted he use more force.
And then...
There was no "then."
Eclipse carried Rudolf to bed as well. Kitahara turned his eyes toward Akikawa.
Truthfully, after watching the two before her, the Chairwoman was a little intimidated.
But remembering Rudolf under the minimum treatment—calm, collected—she thought the lowest setting must be safe. So she volunteered too.
And then...
And then things became what Tazuna was now seeing.
After hearing Kitahara's recounting, Tazuna was silent, unsure how to describe her feelings.
Though last night had been embarrassing... her body now felt lighter than it had in years.
She couldn't even recall the last time she'd known such ease.
Her mind sharp, thoughts clear, reflexes quick.
Muscles no longer sore, joints oiled smooth, steps so light she even wanted to run a few laps on the track.
"Trainer Kitahara's nursing... is truly remarkable..."
She sighed, genuinely.
But Kitahara didn't answer immediately. He stayed silent, then spoke:
"Tazuna-san. I have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"When's the last time you had a hospital checkup?"
She blinked, thought for a moment, and said slowly:
"I rarely go. Too busy, usually. And I've always been healthy, hardly ever sick. So... maybe two, three years?"
"My advice: today, go to the school clinic at least, do some simple tests—blood work, that kind of thing. And once this busy period ends, take time to get a full examination at a hospital."
At his words, her expression grew grave.
"Trainer Kitahara... is there something wrong with my body?"
"In simple terms: overwork turned illness."
Kitahara didn't hide it, answered directly.
"I know you don't feel anything now. With your constitution, minor issues don't show.
"But lack of symptoms doesn't mean lack of problems. If you keep this up, one day your body will collapse, and even a small accident could cost your life.
"Believe me, Tazuna-san—if you go on like this, ten more years would already be a miracle."
Her first reaction was disbelief.
After all, she'd always been healthy. Since childhood, she'd barely been sick. Joining Tracen was hard, yes, but at most she'd only felt fatigue. Never anything worse.
But looking at Kitahara's serious face—she realized he was not joking.
After a silence, she nodded.
"Alright. I'll see the clinic today. And when I can, I'll go to the hospital."
"Good."
Kitahara nodded, then added:
"And not only that. You need to ease off work. Avoid overtime and sleepless nights. Come to me at least once a week, if possible—I'll help adjust you. And when this busy stretch is over, take at least two weeks purely to rest."
He paused, then turned, retrieving a small bottle of brown liquid, handing it to her.
"This is a tonic I made, from an old countryside recipe. It's not as potent as Tachyon's concoctions, but it has no side effects, and is good for the body. If you find it works, I'll make more for you."
Tazuna accepted it, a little embarrassed.
"Thank you, Trainer Kitahara..."
"It's nothing."
He waved it off.
"If anything—among all of Tracen, no one is busier than you. We're the ones troubling you."
"No, it's just my duty—"
"Don't downplay it, Tazuna-san."
He shook his head.
"Everyone at Tracen knows: the Chairwoman may be the head, but you are the pillar. If you collapse... I don't know what would happen to the academy, but everyone would be grieved."
He turned, looked her straight in the eye, and said seriously:
"So—please, not just for yourself. For everyone. For Tracen itself. Take care of your body. Be kinder to yourself. Can you promise me that?"
After a silence, Tazuna nodded slightly, her voice softer than usual.
"...Yes."
Seeing her agree, Kitahara smiled, and went back to straightening his attire.
A little later, dressed in a fine suit, he caught her staring.
"Trainer Kitahara, you're going out?"
"...Didn't I say?"
"No. You only talked about me."
"Then I forgot."
He gave an awkward laugh.
"Sorry. Sometimes I think too single-track. When I focus on one thing, I forget the rest."
"It's fine, Trainer Kitahara."
She shook her head gently, eyes flickering.
"So—you're going out?"
"Yes. Today's Nice Nature's race. She'll be back by afternoon. Eclipse and I will both go. So I'll have to trouble you to watch over the Chairwoman and President until then."
"No problem. I'll explain it to them."
She nodded.
They chatted briefly more. Then she saw him off at the door.
She watched until his figure vanished at the end of the road—then slowly turned back inside.
Sitting on the sofa, she looked at the spare key Kitahara had left in her hand, so she could manage his dorm while he was gone.
Her gaze shifted, and shifted again.
No one could tell what she was thinking.