Meanwhile, Air Groove was already on her way back to the student council room.
She needed to sit down with Symboli Rudolf and properly discuss the upcoming freshman friendly race.
Officially, the race would decide who earned the position of Kitano Ryuuichi’s assigned Uma Musume.
In reality, that was only the bait.
The real purpose was to motivate the freshmen.
If the event pushed the new students to train harder, race more seriously, and raise the overall level of their year, then it would be more than worth the trouble.
After Air Groove and King Halo left, the crowd of spectating Uma Musume finally began to disperse.
Not quietly, of course.
They scattered in chatty little clusters, faces still bright with excitement.
At this rate, the cafeteria incident would hit Tracen Academy’s official forum in record time.
And once that happened, the number of spectators would only explode.
Just like that, the cafeteria was left with only three people.
Kitano.
T.M.
Opera O.
And Mihono Bourbon.
At long last, Kitano regained the right to speak.
After spending the entire mess frozen in bewilderment, his brain finally rebooted.
Slowly, he turned a deeply “resentful” look toward the mastermind behind everything.
T.M.
Opera O.
But the moment he saw that familiar face, the complaint on the tip of his tongue quietly sank back down.
For a while, Kitano said nothing.
His expression shifted from aggrieved outrage, to helpless resignation, and finally settled into a faint, bitter smile.
“Opera O… what exactly are you trying to do?” “Ha-ha-ha-ha!
Is it not obvious, my beloved consort, blessed with both beauty and wisdom?” Even with the crowd gone, Opera O showed absolutely no intention of dropping that ridiculous title.
If anything, she looked thoroughly pleased with herself, addressing Kitano with all the grandeur of an actress basking beneath a spotlight.
“This concerns the position of your first knight!
Naturally, I must select the most suitable candidate for you.
After all, this matter is directly tied to the safety of my precious consort!” “I cannot guarantee that I, the Supreme Overlord, shall always be by your side.
Should there ever come a moment when even I cannot reach you, your first knight shall serve as your final line of defense!” Opera O sounded genuinely concerned for Kitano’s personal safety.
Kitano, meanwhile, had no idea how choosing an assigned Uma Musume had turned into a bodyguard interview.
What, am I supposed to prepare for the day some Uma Musume comes hunting me down for revenge, and my assigned runner blocks the door for me?
If that was the case, one bodyguard would not be enough.
He would need to recruit at least half of Tracen Academy.
Otherwise, if every Uma Musume he had trained across all his loops showed up at once, his fragile human limbs would not last very long.
Of course, that was impossible.
He had reset.
No one should remember what he had done in those past timelines.
“So, Opera O,” Kitano said slowly, “you seem pretty enthusiastic about all this.
Does that mean you’re entering the friendly race too?” “You’re in the senior division, right?
Don’t you already have your own trainer?” “Ha-ha-ha-ha!
What a splendid question!” Opera O laughed brightly.
Then, in the very next moment, her expression turned oddly solemn.
She looked straight at Kitano and smiled.
“Not just anyone may become a retainer of the Supreme Overlord.
At present, that honored position remains vacant.” “As for whether I shall become the consort’s knight, or whether the consort shall choose to become the Overlord’s retainer…” Her smile deepened.
“I shall leave that mystery veiled for now.” Opera O ended it there.
Even she had not fully understood what was happening inside her own heart yet.
She had noticed it, at least.
The joy that rose in her chest whenever she imagined standing beside Kitano Ryuuichi and running for his sake.
But she still did not know where that feeling came from.
So she made no decision.
Instead, Opera O gave an elegant bow, as though concluding an act on stage.
Then, all at once, she took one of Kitano’s hands in both of hers.
Her voice softened, impossibly gentle.
“Then, until we meet again, my beloved consort.” Before Kitano could react, Opera O lifted his hand and brushed a light, ceremonial kiss against the back of it.
Then she tossed him a playful wink, turned on her heel, and swept out of the cafeteria.
Kitano froze.
Even after she was gone, the warmth still lingered on the back of his hand.
Almost unconsciously, he lowered his gaze to stare at the spot she had kissed.
Not for long.
A figure stepped directly into his line of sight.
Mihono Bourbon, who had been standing beside him only moments ago, now stood right in front of him.
Her face was as calm as ever.
Her eyes were not.
They were flat, quiet, and unmistakably displeased.
“Kitano-san.” “Ah… Mihono-san, I…” Bourbon’s voice snapped Kitano back to reality.
He opened his mouth, as if to explain.
But after a long pause, all that came out was a slow sigh.
“…I’m sorry.” Bourbon tilted her head.
“?” She looked genuinely confused, as if she did not understand why he was apologizing.
“That situation just now…” Kitano said, his expression tightening.
“I didn’t want it to turn out like that either.
But when you and King Halo were facing off, I couldn’t speak up for you.
I’m sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his voice dropping lower.
“Everyone was watching you.
You said we were discussing an agreement, and honestly, if Opera O and the others hadn’t shown up when they did, I wouldn’t have known how to answer.” “And now you’ve been dragged into this whole mess.” Kitano gave her an apologetic smile.
“I’m sorry, Mihono-san.
You only just entered the academy, and I already got you involved in this ridiculous drama.” “—Mihono Bourbon has understood.” Bourbon nodded.
Then, still expressionless, she looked up at him and asked, “Question.
Does Kitano-san have no intention of becoming Mihono Bourbon’s highest authority?” “No, no, that’s not it.
I…” Kitano immediately shook his head.
For the briefest moment, he thought he heard a faint tremor in Bourbon’s voice.
That was enough.
Kitano, who hated causing trouble for others more than anything, denied it at once.
“I do want to become your trainer, Mihono-san.
I know how talented you are!” There it was.
His ultimate weapon.
Future knowledge.
Across several loops, Kitano had used that advantage to persuade many Uma Musume to sign with him.
It worked especially well on girls who had been underestimated, or who had not yet realized their own potential.
He could affirm them before anyone else did.
He could tell them what they were capable of becoming.
And more often than not, that was enough.
Granted, the end result had never changed all that much.
Most of those Uma Musume still reached the same milestones they were destined to reach in history.
Even so, for Kitano, future knowledge had always been incredibly useful.
For comfort.
For persuasion.
For giving someone one small push when they needed it.
“It’s just…” Kitano hesitated.
“Right now, I don’t know if I’m capable of training you properly.” He looked at Bourbon with sincere uncertainty.
“I don’t know whether my current level is good enough.
If I became your trainer, I don’t know if I would really help you… or just hold you back.” Of course, the real reason went deeper than that.
Kitano did not want to train Bourbon the way he had before.
That old method had been effective.
There was no denying that.
But in the end, it would break her.
Her body could not withstand that kind of high-intensity training forever.
If she kept pushing herself like that, all it would do was leave one hidden injury after another.
In her later years, pain would follow her everywhere.
One year of glory, paid for with a lifetime of suffering.
That was not a future Kitano could accept.
So he had to find a better method.
A method truly suited to Mihono Bourbon.
Until he did, he could not allow himself to become her trainer.
“…Understood.” Bourbon fell silent for a moment.
Then, in the next instant, a faint smile appeared on her face.
It was tiny.
So tiny it vanished almost immediately.
Even so, her voice was clear.
“Mihono Bourbon will enter the race.
Objective: victory.” Her gaze stayed fixed on him.
“After I obtain that victory, I hope Kitano-san will become Mihono Bourbon’s highest authority.” “Mihono Bourbon will run for you.” She bowed deeply.
“Please look forward to it, Kitano-san.
Mihono Bourbon will win.” With that, Bourbon turned and walked toward the cafeteria exit.
Kitano watched her go.
Part of him felt relieved.
Another part of him noticed a small problem.
…Does Mihono Bourbon even know where she’s going?
If she just walks off by herself, can she find the registration office?
Bourbon, already outside the cafeteria, naturally had no idea what Kitano was thinking.
Her mind was completely occupied by Opera O’s proposal.
She understood now.
This was her closest chance yet to reach Kitano Ryuuichi.
If she won, she could become his assigned Uma Musume.
Then the opponents she needed to watch were… King Halo.
And T.M.
Opera O.
In the past, Mihono Bourbon might have been more cautious.
But this time, she knew many things ahead of schedule.
If she wanted to win this race, she had to begin training immediately.
“—Database memory accessed.
Searching for Master’s training records for Unit One: Mihono Bourbon.” Bourbon knew the method that had once been used to train herself.
Therefore, all she had to do was reuse the training plan Master had given her before.
She would win this race.
The one closest to Master could only be her.