"So stay tuned, Japan."
"Our conquest will continue."
Kitahara cried out in physical pain as the recording of yesterday's impromptu interview came to an end. "W-Why…?" He whispered, scowling at the umamusume leisurely sitting to his right. "Can you not!?"
Blossom Star chuckled with a silly smile, her eyes closed and her head leaning onto the couch. "I mean, why not? Might as well play into it, right?" She said, slurring slightly due to being half-awake. "Go-, Gotta make sure our Demon King won't be forgotten by Japan while we're taking some time off."
"Such misfortune…" He slumped.
Of course, he wasn't actually all that bothered by it. He'd long accepted the whole 'Demon King' story Japan had pinned onto him. And it wasn't like he could just come out and claim he wasn't, so might as well play into it. It'd practically become a small inside joke for their team, even if it still made him cringe.
Sighing, he shook his head before he turned to her. "By the way, how're you feeling?"
"Hmm?" Her smile grew slightly as she gently patted the bundle of gray hair laid across her lap. "Warm~"
That wasn't exactly what he asked, but he supposed she wasn't wrong. After all, Oguri was laying on Star's lap right now, having fallen asleep a while ago. Star's smile was fond as she gazed down at her, and her head occasionally dipped down as she was gently falling asleep.
He smiled wryly. If he captured an image right now, he could probably fetch a pretty high price. Their relationship was pretty much known to all of Tracen Central, and with the recent [Japan Cup], the rest of Japan was beginning to catch on that Star and Oguri were more than just rivals and teammates. Especially with that final shout Star made, followed by Oguri's triumphant charge that led to her victory.
He wasn't actually sure if one of them had confessed to the other, but that didn't really matter by this point.
"I'm talking about the medicine you took." He clarified.
Star hummed, before she idly spun her wrist. "It's good~. I mean, I can't feel the pain anymore, so it's workin' pretty good~"
He nodded. That was good. Roppei-san had gotten pretty freaked out when Star admitted that her leg was hurting pretty badly when she woke up this morning, and things had gotten pretty frantic when a whole platoon of doctors came in to see what was wrong.
Thankfully, it wasn't anything dangerous.
Star's miraculous healing had shown itself once more. A lot of the mambo-jumbo had flown over his head, but essentially Star's immune system had been so strong that it flushed out the painkillers she'd been using. What should've lasted a month had been broken down in just a week.
So the doctors had prescribed her some stronger painkillers, and since Star seemed like she was seconds awake from falling asleep, it seemed to be working.
"Aren't you busy~?" Star suddenly asked, her slurring getting worse. "I mean, like, you hav'ta exam or somethin' right?"
Kitahara quietly whistled. "Wow, the medicine's really kicking in, huh?"
Star blinked slowly. "W…Whazza mean?"
Kitahara grinned as he patted her head. "I've already finished it, ya dumbo. Did it a few days back, remember?" His grin turned a little complicated. "Just-, gotta wait for the results now."
Star stared for a good while, before she nodded. "Ooh, right. Yeah. That happened." She smirked lazily. "Scared you won't pass?"
"Ahaha…"
Well, that was one thing. He was pretty confident in his tests—Roppei-san had made sure to drill everything he needed through his skull, but passing the test as a whole was a different story entirely. Being a trainer didn't just mean being good at training an umamusume; it also meant being able to handle them as both a friend and a teacher, having the physique to keep up with their strict regime, and even knowing what to do when certain scenarios appeared.
His answers were probably a little…unorthodox, but Akikawa-san had told him that no answer was technically wrong, so he made sure to not leave anything behind. He was regretting that a little now, but the tests were already done. All he could do now was wait for the results.
Star hummed, before she reached up and patted his head. "There, there." She said, smiling slightly. "You'll pass the test. Don't worry about it."
He chuckled wryly, if only to hide the shiver he felt when she patted him. This wasn't uncommon—Star liked doing it to everyone, even Roppei-san sometimes. But the lack of any teasing in her expression made the whole thing feel…odd.
…Maybe he could understand Nase Fumino's plight a little now.
He cleared his throat as he gently pulled her hand away. "Anyway, stop trying to stay awake." He smiled. "Go to sleep already."
"Don't wanna~"
"You-" He sighed. He hesitated for a moment, before he pushed through and gently patted her head. "Go to sleep, Star."
Star froze for a moment at the unfamiliar sensation, before she relaxed. "Geez, so rude~" She slurred, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "But fine~. If you want me to sleep so much, I'll sleep."
"Right, right." Kitahara rolled his eyes.
What a glass cannon.
With the promise secured, he stood up from the crouch and did a quick stretch. His joints ached a little from all the partner running he'd been doing with Belno, but he was the only one who could bounce her ideas back. Sure, he could've had March help with that, but March was busy with her own training, and immediately pitting her against Belno's many tactics would only serve to demotivate her.
"Going to help Belno again?" Star said, her voice now nearly a whisper.
He shrugged. "I'm the only one who can. And besides," He grinned as he flexed his forearm. "Gotta get in some cardio somehow, right?"
Star chuckled softly. "Just-" She yawned. "Just don't hurt y'erself…"
"I'll be careful." He glanced at her again, and grinning, he reached down and patted her again. "Alright, I'm off now. Have a good nap, okay?"
"Mm~" And perhaps lulled by the warmth, Star could only manage one last hum before she finally fell asleep.
Kitahara smiled fondly, and after fixing his hair, he placed his cap back onto his head and walked out of Team Kitahara's clubroom.
…
Kitahara Jo's End of Year Trainer Examination; Page 19, Question 7
Q: What do you see your trainees as?
A: Family.
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AN: Sorry about the delay. Things got a little hectic, and I had to push this back a little. But things are over for now. The schedule will return to 2 chapters per day unless something else comes up.