September arrived early, and with the start of the second semester, all the Uma Musume who had attended summer camp returned to Tracen Academy.
Of course, that didn’t directly affect Kenji yet, he still didn’t have the right to recruit racers on his own.
Even if he did, by this time of year, every promising prospect had already been snapped up by other trainers.
What was left were mostly average-tier girls with no standout potential.
Picking them would just be making life harder for himself.
Kenji wasn’t the type who loved unnecessary challenges.
He was perfectly happy with his current setup and didn’t want to invite trouble.
These days, rookie trainer Kenji’s life was nothing but smooth sailing.
He only needed to guide training sessions in the afternoon, and since he currently had only Silence Suzuka as his charge, plus the system’s clear direction for improvement, coaching her was effortless.
And ever since their last victory, Kenji noticed Suzuka had become more proactive and obedient.
No matter what he said, she’d follow immediately, her trust level had reached “unconditional.”
Thanks to how obedient she was, Kenji no longer needed to brainstorm excuses; he could just lick her feet every day to check her stat panel and skill list in real time.
Though… maybe it was his imagination, but Suzuka’s feet seemed to be getting more fragrant lately… Was this an extra effect of [Aji no Ashi]?
After all, licking a girls feet was a wild flex; most people couldn’t swallow their pride enough to do it…
Luckily, Kenji had very low standards.
As long as they weren’t stinky, he could handle it… Well, if the stats were high enough, even if they smelled, he’d hold his nose and go for it!
Let’s go!
Stats over dignity, what use is a face anyway?
When he got attacked by an Uma Musume before, begging didn’t help at all.
In fact, crying with a pitiful little face only triggered their sadistic side… Eh, too many tears to recount…
So stats were absolutely king.
Kenji was dead set on becoming a man who surpassed Uma Musume, so this foot-licking humiliation, just bear it for now, and it’ll pass.
Besides, judging by current experience, it wasn’t even that unbearable… He was starting to enjoy it a bit… Was he really awakening a foot fetish?
No no no, this was strictly for checking stat panels, a necessary process, nothing lewd about it… If he turned into a perverted foot slave before getting stronger, that’d be putting the cart before the horse.
By the way, when did Suzuka gain [Dominator]?
She definitely didn’t have it before.
Looks like even without relying on the system, Uma Musume could independently learn skills.
Too bad [Dominator] wasn’t a front-runner skill; Suzuka learning it was useless anyway.
By the time this skill had any chance to trigger, she’d probably already be done for in the race.
But ever since discovering that racers could learn skills on their own, Kenji started planning ways to teach Suzuka new ones without relying on the system, saving Uma Coins along the way.
Even without the system, Kenji was a legit graduate from a top-tier trainer academy; he wasn’t some useless nobody who couldn’t do anything.
Anyway, his education and development of Silence Suzuka were proceeding steadily.
Since he didn’t need to sit in during mornings and could sleep as late as he wanted, Kenji basically woke up naturally every day, grabbed lunch at the cafeteria around noon, changed into a suit back at the dorm, then leisurely headed to the training room to meet Suzuka.
Food covered, housing provided, chill job, zero unnecessary drama, plus close-up guidance with beautiful Uma Musume for eye candy… This life was incredibly comfortable.
Plus, living inside Tracen Academy meant no worries about being attacked anymore.
Security here was tight; randoms couldn’t enter, and even reporters needed permission to interview.
So Kenji could completely drop his guard.
No more needing to be paranoid every time he left the house or went to a nearby supermarket… Felt like he’d been suffering from persecution delusions before.
Thus, Kenji currently had zero intention of moving out of the trainer dorms.
Where else would be safer than living inside the academy?
But today was different, he woke up early for once, mainly because he received a message from Deputy Director Riko Kashimoto telling him to come by the Trainer Office.
Looks like they were finally holding his belated welcome meeting.
Kenji didn’t slack off; he got up early, washed up properly, and groomed himself carefully, aiming to leave a good first impression on the veteran trainers.
You had to admit: Central Tracen Academy concentrated the nation’s best trainers.
Some were legendary figures worthy of history books, billionaires who served as pillars of a national industry, people even big shots respected three steps back.
And if things went smoothly, Kenji would spend the next few decades here anyway.
Building relationships and exchanging training experience with other trainers was necessary.
Although in his past life Kenji died before graduating college under an Uma Musume’s hoof and never entered the workplace, as they say: where there are people, there is society.
Social skills boil down to knowing how to act and get things done.
A rookie should act like a rookie, how could he play big-shot and make veterans wait on him?
If Riko-san’s message hadn’t come so suddenly, Kenji would’ve bought some welcome gifts for the senior trainers himself.
With Suzuka’s prize money already deposited into his account, his wallet was decently thick right now.
Too bad there was no time to prepare this time; next time he attended a group dinner or gathering with trainers, he’d definitely be the one treating everyone.
Lost in thoughts about workplace etiquette, Kenji walked briskly toward the Trainer Office.
Having been here last time, he knew the route well and headed straight for his destination.
But just as he approached the teaching building area, a green figure shot out from around the corner.
Kenji had zero time to dodge and collided head-on with her.
“Ouch!”
“Wow!”
Colliding face-to-face with an Uma Musume sprinting at full speed felt like getting hit by a cannonball.
Kenji nearly blacked out; even his spit flew out from the impact.
Thank god he skipped breakfast, or he’d be puking all over the floor right now.
When he finally came back to himself, he realized this racer was actually hugging him, and in that full-body tackle style where her arms wrapped around his entire head.
His face was buried into something incredibly soft?!
More endowed than Special Week!
Ref!
That’s a foul!
She’s dribbling right into you!
Oh wait… I’m the coach now, never mind.
Once he recovered from the chest impact, Kenji suddenly felt uncomfortable.
Not because it hurt, but because of this tackle sensation… Psychological trauma was creeping in!
Fortunately, just then, the racer holding him released him and asked:
“Are you okay?”
“Uh… I’m fine…”
Kenji’s body was still stiff, and his gaze noticed a scrape on her arm.
Only then did he realize she wasn’t trying to do anything weird; she was protecting herself, and him.
If he’d been knocked down by a sprinting Uma Musume and hit his head on the ground, Kenji would’ve probably died twice.
This racer had clearly thought of that in an instant, so she immediately grabbed him and shielded his head.
Kenji couldn’t help but admire her: this reaction speed was insane… Almost as good as Suzuka with [Concentration].
“Sorry Sorry Is this guy a trainer?”
“Yes, my name is Kenji…”
Dragged into her rhythm, Kenji unconsciously replied in English too.
“Howdy!
I’m Taiki Shuttle!
Nice to meet you!”
So why was she speaking English… Was she an exchange student from abroad?
That wasn’t weird at all; Tracen Academy was one of the top Uma Musume development institutions worldwide.
There were many foreign racers on campus, and some races even allowed international entries, like the famous Japan Cup.
Once he calmed down, Kenji felt a bit awkward: Taiki Shuttle had gotten injured protecting him, and his spit had landed all over her chest.
But she acted completely unfazed, leaned in to sniff him, then said with sparkling eyes:
“oh~you!
You have a pleasant smell!”
Pleasant smell?
What smell?
He wasn’t wearing perfume…
Just as Kenji was puzzled, another green figure caught up behind them.
“Taiki Shuttle-san!
Please don’t run outside the training grounds… Ah!
Mr.
Kenji!
Are you alright?!”
“Tazuna-san…”
Looking at Kenji lying on his back laughing bitterly and Taiki sprawled on top of him, Tazuna Hayakawa instantly understood what happened.
Her usual squinted smile vanished; a burning aura flared behind her as she walked over with terrifying pressure.
She was genuinely angry.
“See!
You ran into someone again!
And it’s a trainer!
This could’ve been fatal!
I’m going to punish you today!”
“oh no Escape!
I’m already reflecting!
Punishment is a No Thank you”
Taiki got up and bolted, but probably afraid of running too fast and hitting someone else, she switched to a fast walk, still very quick.
Tazuna didn’t rush after her immediately; instead, she knelt beside Kenji, asking worriedly:
“Mr.
Kenji, are you injured?
Any pain anywhere?
Let me carry you to the infirmary!”
“I’m fine, no injuries.”
Since the initial impact hit his chest and Taiki’s impressive bust acted as a cushion, plus she shielded his head with her arm, this lethal collision left Kenji completely unharmed.
“Taiki-san got hurt protecting me though.
If you catch her, please take her to the infirmary.”
“Understood… At least Taiki-san has common sense; she knows to prioritize protecting humans first.
A blessing in disguise.”
“Yeah, she shielded my head instantly, or I’d be done for.”
“Instantly… Speaking of which, Taiki-san and Silence Suzuka-san are from the same generation.
As Suzuka’s trainer, you’ll likely cross paths with her often.”
“Oh?”
Same generation as Suzuka… Looks like a strong rival.
Kenji had originally been thinking about slowing his training pace for now, but he changed his mind immediately.
He’d actually wanted to save some Uma Coins to leave a little “legacy” for future racers later on.
But Taiki’s insane reaction speed left a deep impression on him.
Looks like he couldn’t skimp with Uma Coins; he had to invest everything into Suzuka, or else he couldn’t guarantee victories down the line.
Who knew if he’d face Taiki in the next race…?
“Mr.
Kenji, are you really alright?
I still think we should have you checked at the infirmary.”
Tazuna was even more worried about his condition; her expression begged her to tear off his clothes and do a full-body inspection, but she held back out of propriety.
“Don’t worry, Tazuna-san, I’m really fine.
Plus, I have to go to the Trainer Office, Deputy Director Kashimoto said she’s introducing me to other trainers.”
Seeing Kenji insist he was fine, Tazuna reluctantly let it go, but kept nagging:
“I see… Alright then, but if you suddenly feel unwell, call me immediately.
Don’t push yourself.”
Tazuna originally didn’t have a computer or smartphone and wasn’t very tech-savvy, but to ensure she could contact Kenji anytime, she’d specifically gone out and gotten a phone, painstakingly learning how to use it.
Her efforts ran deep, though Kenji was unaware of this detail yet.
Trainers supported racers… But who supported the trainers?
If no one did… Then I’ll take that role!
That was Tazuna’s original motivation for giving up her racing name and deciding to become the director’s secretary.
“Understood, thank you for your concern.”
Her worried expression reminded Kenji of his mother… Tazuna-san had a strong motherly vibe too.
Wonder if she was married.
“Please take care of yourself.
The senior instructed me to look after you.”
“Mom…”
Slipping “mom” out loud embarrassed Kenji; Tazuna pretended not to hear and nodded:
“Yes.
Though we’re from different eras, I and the senior… your mother were teammates in the same squad.
Our bond is closer than normal seniors and juniors.”
“Wait, you two are connected like that?”
No wonder Kenji always felt Tazuna-san shared many similarities with his mom; turns out they really came from the same stable.
“So regardless of my secretary role, as long as you’re at Tracen Academy, I’m obligated to care for you fully.
Don’t hesitate to talk to me about any worries or problems, okay?”
Seeing Tazuna-san hold his hands with a sincere gaze, Kenji felt genuinely moved.
This was the connection network his mother had left behind… Looks like he’d officially become a “connected” guy now.
“Alright, I promise you I’ll contact you first if anything comes up.”
“Mhm!”
With Kenji’s assurance, Tazuna finally let her worried expression melt back into her usual warm smile.
After pulling him to his feet and thoughtfully brushing off the dust on his clothes, she added as if remembering something:
“Oh, though I’ve said it once already, I’ll mention it again: please keep my Uma Musume identity confidential…”
“Don’t worry about it, I remember that part clearly.
I won’t slip up.”
“Thank you.
You really are reliable and kind, just like the senior said.
Approving your enrollment at Tracen was the correct decision.”
“So getting into Tracen had Tazuna-san’s help too?
Then I’ll have to thank her properly later.”
“Start by changing how you address me.
You forgot again, just call me ‘Tazuna-chan.'”
“Ah… Then Tazuna-chan, drop the honorifics with me too.
My mom calls me ‘Kenji-kun’ so you can use that as well.”
“I understand… Mhm, kenji-kun.”
Tazuna’s cheeks flushed slightly; she seemed a bit shy herself.
Though she supported trainers, she never grew overly close to any specific one, always maintaining social distance.
Kenji was her first trainer friend close enough for casual names.
After all, Kenji’s existence truly was special and required more care than average trainers… Though some things were beyond even her control.
Thinking of the destiny Kenji bore, Tazuna felt a bit more pity and affection toward him.
Why must such an outstanding trainer be marked with seed?
Sigh… Great Goddesses, this blessing is practically a curse for him…