LINE.
Kitahara Sota truly hadn't expected Nice Nature to make that request.
To be fair, he knew it didn't count as excessive at all—in fact, it was almost humble.
After all, they'd spent a whole semester together. Even ignoring his role as trainer, even ignoring their earlier ties, purely on the level of semester-long friendship—it was long past time to add each other on LINE.
Among Tracen's trainers and girls, adding LINE immediately after signing a contract was the norm.
That was what was normal. He was the strange one.
But he had his own concerns.
Namely: raising affection. Raising affection. And... raising affection.
Though he liked to think his relationships with his girls were all "normal," kept at a safe, proper distance—that was only for now.
Once LINE was added, it meant a direct channel to him. Contact would naturally increase.
Sharing happiness, sharing sadness, talking about common hobbies, confiding secrets, leaning on him as someone trustworthy...
Trainers and Uma Musume were close by default.
Add all that on top, and "normal" could shift into something else entirely. The distance would shrink. Which, in his eyes, was exactly how other trainers got "jumped."
So up until now, he hadn't added even a single girl under him on LINE.
And apart from the newest recruits, who found it odd at first, the rest of his girls were used to it—if they needed anything, they just went through Eclipse. It was one of the key reasons he could still sleep peacefully at night.
But now...
Looking at Nice Nature's eyes, shimmering with quiet hope, Kitahara's expression grew tangled.
Honestly, he wasn't all that opposed to adding her.
She was obedient, considerate, empathetic, matched him well. Not from a powerful family. A little timid, even easy to tease. Her "safety rating," in his mind, was high.
But the problem was—once there was a first time, there could be countless more.
If he added Nature... what if the others demanded it too?
Before he could stew on it long, Nature spoke again.
"I know Kitahara-san, you're often busy with important things. I'll do my best not to bother you. And I'll keep it a secret from everyone else..."
"It's just... if I'm going to take care of you, adding LINE would make it easier. So I wanted to ask..."
"But... if this would trouble you, I can change my request."
"No need."
She'd spoken this far—there was no way Kitahara could refuse.
Especially seeing her expression sink as she said it.
She'd just won her race. She was always so well-behaved. And every reward she'd asked for so far had been for him.
Now she was offering up this small, almost pitiful request—and even then, if it inconvenienced him, she'd give it up without complaint...
This wasn't even about promises anymore. If he really refused her, Kitahara felt he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
So not only did he agree immediately—after they returned to the waiting room, he even gave her a short, light nursing session, easing the burden of the run on her body.
And, just as he'd half-planned before, with her permission, he even changed her shoes for her by hand, like he had with Tachyon.
Only... he couldn't explain it.
Nature had endured much stronger treatments before, had gotten used to his nursing.
But this time, though he held back his strength, and though the location made the effect weaker—her reaction was far greater than expected. Her face flushed red, far too much.
Especially when he changed her shoes at the end. He hadn't done anything extra. He hadn't slipped into full nursing like with Tachyon.
Yet her face only grew redder, her eyes drifting, her tail snapping against the floor with audible thwaps.
It was... strange.
But Kitahara didn't dwell on it. He chalked it up to joy.
Some people just had slow reactions. A long reflex arc.
On the way back she'd seemed preoccupied with the matter of rewards, as if she'd forgotten entirely she'd just won her first graded stakes—a race with real weight.
Now the realization must've hit. Naturally she'd be flushed with happiness.
When the Winner's Concert ended, the day's races closed.
The three returned to the academy, exchanged brief farewells, and split.
Technically speaking, as her trainer, he should have taken her out after her first stakes victory—at least spent time with her.
But with the matter of the Uma Musume hunters looming, he had no time to spare.
So he told her plainly: he was busy, couldn't stay.
Nature didn't press. She never wanted to burden him.
And today's goals were more than met. She let him go without hesitation.
Before he left, she joked half-heartedly that he'd owe her later—just to lighten the weight on him, to stop him feeling guilty. She hadn't meant it seriously.
Not long after parting, Kitahara arrived at the Chairwoman's office.
They'd already arranged it by phone. By the time he arrived, Akikawa Yayoi, Tazuna, and Symboli Rudolf were all there.
Last night's events still hung in his mind. Would they hold it against him?
But when he stepped in, he realized his worry had been needless.
True, their faces twitched the moment he opened the door.
But the flicker vanished at once. They greeted him as if nothing had happened. As if the night before hadn't existed.
He sat. They skipped pleasantries. Discussion resumed, refining yesterday's plan, adjusting for today's results.
There was little to note. They detailed, adjusted, and confirmed.
When it ended, Kitahara prepared to leave, to ready himself for patrol.
But before he could stand, the Chairwoman stopped him.
She wanted to speak alone.
So after Rudolf and Tazuna left, Akikawa twirled her fan, silent for a long while, before finally asking:
"Question. Trainer Kitahara—Tazuna's condition. Is it really that bad?"
That morning, Yayoi had noticed her mood off, and asked.
Tazuna had stayed quiet at first. But realizing she'd need Yayoi's permission for leave anyway, she hadn't hidden it. Calmly, she repeated Kitahara's judgment.
And when Yayoi heard that Tazuna might not even last ten years at this rate—her fan nearly slipped from her fingers.
Yes, Tracen had a bad habit of overusing its best people.
But it wasn't by choice.
If she had her way, she'd dump the mountain of files on someone else, and spend her days lazing, fishing for gossip, playing with cats.
But the truth: Tracen lacked people.
Trainers were scarce. Other talent was lacking too.
But in administration, it was worse still. In fact, only she and Tazuna handled it.
It wasn't that they didn't want to hire. Or that Tracen couldn't pay.
They couldn't.
To outsiders, Tracen was just a normal academy for Uma Musume.
Even to insiders, at worst, it was an eccentric school with oddly broad powers. A decent academy, half-jokingly called a "mare shelter."
But to people like Yayoi and Tazuna—who had glimpsed certain things better left undescribed, who knew what others couldn't—Tracen was something else entirely.
Not that it hid some dark secret. In fact, the truth was almost laughable. Strange.
But laughable or not, it underscored how vital Tracen was. Far more than a mere school.
And so the standards were high. And so she and Tazuna were overworked.
But now...
Hearing Kitahara's assessment, Yayoi's face grew grave.
When he finished, she gripped her fan.
"Question! Trainer Kitahara—can you solve her problems?"
"I can only say I'll do my best."
He answered plainly.
"Tazuna's situation isn't as dire as you fear. Her body is strong. So even with issues, the impact is still limited. With proper conditioning, she can recover as if nothing happened."
"But no matter how strong, if she continues like this—letting it accumulate—eventually she'll break.
"My care, and Tracen's medicine, can relieve it. Delay it.
"But only she can solve it completely.
"If she never learns to rest, to care for herself—then no matter what I do, it won't matter."
At this, Yayoi's worry eased a little, though her expression twisted with conflict.
If she could, she would give Tazuna more leave.
But with the explosion of new students, with census errors piling problems high—without Tazuna, chaos would spread.
Even for the Chairwoman, giving her leave was nearly impossible.
As for that earlier "two weeks of paid leave for a boyfriend" scheme...
That was different.
Everyone in the school, for all kinds of reasons, wanted Tazuna to find a partner.
So using that excuse, Yayoi could maneuver. The students themselves would behave. They'd even keep order for her.
The logic was simple.
If Tazuna had a boyfriend, she'd surely ease up. At least spend less time cracking down, more time with him.
So—for their own happiness, temporary sacrifice was worth it.
But to spread word of her health? That was dangerous.
Yes, the students might settle down.
But those outside... would not.
At that thought, Yayoi sighed.
All she could do was hope the URA envoy coming this fall would be reliable. Someone who could ease Tazuna's burden.
After finishing with Tazuna's matter, Kitahara thought they were done. He rose, ready to go.
But the Chairwoman's voice stopped him.
"Wait, Trainer Kitahara. One more question..."
He turned back, puzzled.
Yayoi hesitated. Then, with a sharp snap, opened her fan and hid her face.
"Well... since you know how to fix Tazuna's condition..."
"I have... a friend. She also has some problems. Like, developmental delays, for instance..."
"I was wondering—Trainer Kitahara, do you have any insight? Anything that might help her improve?"