When all the Uma Musume promised not to cause trouble, Kitahara Sota felt immense relief.
Looks like these girls at least have a bit of common sense—enough not to bother me when I'm busy.
Feeling reassured, he sat down at his computer, took out his notebook, and began serious calculations.
But it didn't take long for him to understand one simple truth:
An Uma Musume's promises are nothing but lies.
Not even ten minutes into his writing, a small figure stealthily crept up behind him, watching his every move with curious eyes.
"…Tokai Teio, do you need something?"
"Nope. Just a little curious." She blinked innocently. "I'll just watch quietly, Trainer-san. I absolutely won't disturb you."
You're already disturbing me just by standing there, you know?
Kitahara complained internally, but he didn't bother sending her away.
After all, he'd been watched plenty of times while working with Uma Musume in the past. A few extra glances wouldn't kill him—maybe she'd even learn something useful. If that led to more victories, it meant more profits for him, anyway.
But just as he was rationalizing this to himself, a second shadow joined the scene.
A brown-haired Uma Musume casually perched herself on the armrest of his chair, leaning forward with an intrigued expression. Her crimson eyes scanned the notebook enthusiastically.
"…Agnes Tachyon, why are you here?"
"Curiosity," she answered succinctly.
"Could you at least stand to the side?"
"No thanks. I didn't sleep well last night, so I'd prefer to sit."
"Then could you—"
Before he could finish, something occupied the other armrest.
Kitahara glanced to his other side. Tokai Teio had shifted positions unnoticed, now casually sipping her honey drink and blinking innocently again as their eyes met.
"I couldn't see clearly from over there, so I'll just sit here too."
She smiled sweetly up at Tachyon.
Agnes Tachyon blinked once, clearly understanding Teio's unspoken challenge, then returned the smile calmly.
Kitahara completely missed this silent exchange, focusing entirely on the notebook before him. All he wanted was to finish quickly and escape these two troublemakers.
Then, after another brief interval, accompanied by vigorous shaking, a third figure entered the battlefield.
"I wanna see too!"
Special Week practically threw herself onto his shoulders, eyes shining brightly with curiosity. Grass Wonder, seated quietly on the couch, sighed helplessly at her friend's lack of restraint.
Grass Wonder had no idea what Kitahara was writing, and truthfully, she was curious herself. But her refined upbringing prevented her from acting in such an unladylike manner.
Opposite her, Eclipse silently observed Teio, Tachyon, and the approaching Oguri Cap—who'd just finished her snacks and decided to join the growing crowd. A faint, mysterious emotion flickered briefly in her eyes.
Had she been anyone else, Eclipse's subtle change would've gone unnoticed.
But Grass Wonder was different.
As a proper Yamato Nadeshiko, aside from essential skills like stalking, deduction, and wielding sharp objects, Grass Wonder had studied basic psychology and had a knack for reading subtle facial expressions.
Don't ask why a Yamato Nadeshiko needed such skills; it was simply essential preparation for future family stability.
Initially, Grass Wonder assumed Eclipse might be jealous. After all, she'd already researched their relationship and knew Eclipse and Kitahara had grown up together like family.
But when Grass Wonder clearly recognized the emotions in Eclipse's eyes, even her perfect ladylike smile faltered slightly, her eyelid twitching uncontrollably.
Is that… satisfaction and anticipation?
She thought she might've been mistaken, took a small sip of tea, and carefully glanced again. The involuntary twitching only intensified.
This… seems rather serious.
Could it be that Eclipse-san has some kind of unusual tastes?
No, no, no! Calm down, Grass Wonder. Maybe they're simply like family. Perhaps Eclipse-san is just happy to see her brother figure popular with others…
But still… what if…
To someone like Grass Wonder, who strictly adhered to the Yamato Nadeshiko ideal, the implications were so scandalous they momentarily threw her thoughts into chaos.
And while Grass Wonder struggled internally, Kitahara's situation grew increasingly chaotic.
Agnes Tachyon made the first move.
After exchanging subtle glares with Teio, she returned her attention to Kitahara's notebook, examining it with intense fascination.
And quickly discovered she couldn't make sense of it at all.
Words, symbols, unfamiliar terms, bizarre arrangements, abstract diagrams…
She repeatedly rearranged these elements in her mind, attempting analysis, only to fail repeatedly. She knew every single character written down, yet combined, they became incomprehensible nonsense, especially those abstract, scribbled diagrams.
Is he really designing running styles? Or is he scribbling nonsense just to trick us?
But recalling Kitahara's earlier performance, she quickly dismissed her doubts and delved deeper into contemplation.
She was so engrossed, she unconsciously leaned forward, gradually inching closer to Kitahara until barely two centimeters separated them, their body heat faintly mingling.
Witnessing this, Tokai Teio's gaze sharpened dramatically.
First off, she had to clarify: she had absolutely no special feelings for Trainer-san.
However, since he had recently faced trouble—partly due to her—she naturally felt responsible for protecting his safety from potential threats.
And Agnes Tachyon was undeniably dangerous.
When Tachyon had initially applied to join, due to Teio's earlier agreement with Kitahara to remain uninvolved in each other's personal matters, she couldn't voice her opposition openly. But now, for Trainer-san's safety, she had to take action.
Thus began their open and secret struggles.
Tokai Teio initiated subtle attacks, and Agnes Tachyon immediately retaliated. Small provocations escalated continuously.
To interfere more effectively, they progressively closed the distance between themselves, inevitably making Kitahara the unintended victim caught in their crossfire.
Initially, he had enough space to work comfortably, but soon both girls squeezed closer, movements so tight that even slight shifts risked bumping into them.
Then came the arms casually draped over him, heads leaning closer, and finally, even their legs—one pair of white thigh-high socks and another pair clad in black stockings—invaded from either side, playfully kicking each other beneath him, completely oblivious to his suffering.
Aside from these two heavyweights, the other two weren't exactly idle either.
As a famously poor student, Special Week quickly lost interest in Kitahara's cryptic notes. Her eyelids drooped drowsily until she simply fell asleep standing, leaning on his shoulder and drooling slightly.
Oguri Cap, last to join, glanced around but found nowhere left to comfortably watch from. Shrugging, she ducked directly under Kitahara's arm, poking her head out from beneath the desk to stare curiously at the notebook.
This resulted in one piece of good news, and one of bad news:
The good news: Oguri Cap, though unable to understand the notes, didn't fall asleep or start drooling.
The bad news: Oguri Cap discovered a hidden bag of potato chips in the desk drawer. Once she realized she couldn't understand the notebook, she began loudly munching on them, crumbs scattering everywhere.
Observing this chaotic spectacle, Eclipse's eyes softened noticeably, a faint glimmer of hope emerging within them.
Noticing Eclipse's unusual expression, Grass Wonder grew even more silent, staring fixedly into her teacup, struggling to suppress unwanted thoughts.
Far away, chaos reigned. Nearby, silence prevailed. The stark contrast persisted painfully.
Fortunately, the contrast didn't last long.
Just as the chaos peaked—Teio and Tachyon nearly breaking into outright conflict, Special Week's drool soaking through Kitahara's shoulder, and Oguri Cap showering chips everywhere—Kitahara finally snapped.
Bang! Smack! Thump! Clatter!
In an instant, all four troublemakers received various degrees of punishment before being forcibly gathered together by two strong hands.
When they reluctantly looked up, they were met by Kitahara's ominously dark expression.
"Tell me—are you finished messing around yet?"
Despite their physical superiority over humans, there were indeed situations where Uma Musume couldn't defy humans.
Right now, facing Kitahara's justified anger, the four guilty Uma Musume guiltily averted their gazes.
"…Yes, we're finished."
"Then go sit quietly. Immediately. Right now!"
"…Understood, Trainer-san."