After tidying up a bit, Kuroha got dressed and finally stepped out the door.
The morning air still carried a faint chill. He drew in a deep breath and felt like the energy in his body was about to overflow.
Last night's "battle" hadn't worn him out at all. If anything, it had acted like some kind of catalyst, making his condition today absurdly good.
"Perfect. Let's warm up with a quick ten kilometers."
He did a few stretches, loosened up his joints and muscles, then started jogging in the direction of the Mejiro training ground.
On the way, an image of Inari's lazy posture flashed through his mind, and the corner of his mouth curled up.
That girl was completely letting herself go now that she "had it made."
Not that he minded.
They'd all put in effort that ordinary people couldn't even imagine, just to climb their way up to where they were now.
Letting themselves enjoy life a little after retirement was only natural.
…
Roughly twenty minutes later, Kuroha arrived at the gates of the Mejiro training ground.
After just ten kilometers, he barely had a hint of sweat on him. He took a moment to steady his breathing where he stood, then walked straight in.
"Da-da-da—!"
The moment he stepped inside, he saw four tall, athletic silhouettes running on the track in the middle of training.
Aoi Kiryuin was on the side, jotting things down with a serious look on her face.
On normal days she'd always come over with her own race girls.
Only after a race or a party would she show up late for… reasons not fit to be publicly discussed.
Kuroha watched Aoi's back and nodded in approval.
"Aoi's really coming into her own."
Since she was his "student," there was no way he would hide things from her.
When it came to knowledge, as long as Aoi was willing to learn, he was always willing to teach.
But some things weren't as simple as teaching and being taught.
Take "skills" for example, those extremely powerful techniques on the track for Uma Musume. The way you taught them varied from person to person.
When Kuroha first taught Inari the skill [Bad Conditions ○], he had adjusted his approach specifically around her before he even started.
Given that Aoi's knowledge base wasn't fully up to standard yet, and she didn't have the knack for "tailoring her teaching" to each individual…
Kuroha could only walk her through case after case, showing her how to read the subtle differences in the girls' movements and how they applied force, so she would eventually be able to teach to each girl's strengths.
The results had been limited, but at least there was some progress.
She'd already been working as his assistant trainer for almost a year and a half now, and had finally managed to learn three white skills.
Kuroha's expectation for Aoi was simple: if she could learn even a single gold skill before she fully graduated and struck out on her own, that would count as a success.
"…Hm?"
As if sensing something off, the girl at the track fence turned in his direction. She froze for a second, then her face lit up.
"Good morning, sensei!"
Aoi waved happily.
"Morning, Aoi."
Kuroha raised a hand in greeting with a smile.
"Keep a close eye on them. Especially Teio. Let me know if anything looks off."
"Yes, sensei!"
She nodded very earnestly.
Once Aoi turned back toward the track again, Kuroha didn't linger. He headed deeper into the grounds toward the comprehensive physical training center.
Good. Time to see just how strong I've really gotten.
…
Inside the physical training center.
After a round of testing…
Kuroha stepped away from the bench press rack with a strange look on his face.
He glanced at the numbers on the display and shook his hands lightly.
"Benching two tons easily… what kind of level is that supposed to be?"
He thought back to when he'd coached his girls on strength training. Inari, at her peak, had been at roughly this weight class.
The most recent numbers he had were from the day before yesterday, when Teio's bench press max had still been around 400 kilograms.
"And that felt easy. I'm nowhere near my limit yet."
Kuroha frowned in thought, then suddenly made a fist and casually punched forward.
"Whoosh—!"
The air seemed to explode. A shockwave spun out as his fist wind rolled up several concentric rings of turbulence, only dissipating slowly three meters away.
"…"
He stared at the aftermath in silence.
What was this?
Rivaling gods with a mortal body?
Good thing all this power had been built up bit by bit through his "Fortifying Tonic" and constant training, so he could completely control it.
At least he didn't have to worry about accidentally hurting anyone just walking around in daily life.
"…Should I stop taking the tonic for a while?"
The thought flashed through his mind, but then his gaze dropped to his abdomen.
The scene of him staggering out of his room clutching his waist last year was still painfully vivid.
"…No. The tonic stays."
In a single instant, Kuroha set this in his mind as an iron rule.
He could compromise on anything else, but this one thing was absolutely non-negotiable.
After running through all his physical tests, Kuroha looked around at the top-of-the-line training facilities surrounding him and slowly exhaled.
Since he was already here, he might as well keep going.
…
"98, 99, 100!"
Over an hour later, Kuroha finished his final set of push-ups.
Only after tucking in his little finger did he stand up.
He still didn't feel particularly tired, but the sustained high-intensity workout had his body warmed through, his muscles fully loosened and active.
His whole frame thrummed with explosive power.
"Good grief…"
Kuroha clicked his tongue inwardly.
If he trained much more, he really would be stepping into some xianxia "Blood-Moving Realm" at this rate…
"That's enough for today…"
He grabbed a towel and dabbed away the fine sheen of sweat beading on his forehead. Just as he was about to leave, he saw one of the Mejiro staff hurrying toward him.
"Mr. Kuroha."
"What is it?"
Kuroha looked puzzled.
"Did something go wrong with the training ground?"
The staffer shook his head.
"No, sir. It's outside. Super Creek is looking for you."
"Creek?"
Kuroha blinked.
At this hour she should either be out for morning training or in class. What was she doing here looking for him?
He mulled it over for a few seconds but came up empty, so he nodded.
"Got it. I'll head over now."
Following the staffer out of the training center, Kuroha walked straight toward the trainers' room.
Just like Oguri Cap and Berno Light…
Ever since Nara Fumino and Super Creek had come to him about that leg injury last time and he'd treated it, they'd become regular visitors to the Mejiro training ground.
So the staff naturally didn't stop them anymore.
"Click—"
Kuroha pushed the door open and stepped inside, where a tall, graceful figure stood quietly in place. The girl's delicate hands were folded in front of her, her posture perfectly demure.
It was Super Creek.
"Creek, is something urgent—"
He started talking on reflex as he walked in, but his words died in his throat.
In his vision, where a bright, energetic girl should have been, her entire body was instead wrapped in coils of pitch-black, ominous aura.
Those black tendrils clung to her like bone-deep parasites, digging into Super Creek's body and latching tightly onto one rainbow-hued strand after another.
As if at any moment, they might rip those glowing bands straight out of her.
"Trainer Kuroha~"
Super Creek smiled gently, but to Kuroha that smile looked painfully forced.
(End of Chapter)
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