Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live

"I'll have the ginger pork set, ah, and the salt-grilled salmon, miso soup, rice..."

Kitano's group finally arrived at the cafeteria. The amount of breakfast Mr. C.B. had selected was a bit much even for a horse girl, let alone one who had long since stopped racing and was nearing graduation.

Of course, this wasn't all for her; she had ordered it specifically for Kitano. From seeing him eat only a single convenience store sandwich earlier, she had guessed his "might as well give up" attitude towards his health. Choosing not to eat just because he had no appetite was, in her opinion, a major taboo for a patient.

Therefore, she decisively chose a luxurious feast for him. By the time she brought two more trays to their table, several other trays already covered the spacious tabletop, leaving no room for the horse girls themselves to eat.

"Alright, please start eating, Trainer Kitano." Mr. C.B. placed the two trays down, pretending not to notice his pained expression, having chosen what she believed was the best combination to restore his strength.

The breakfast she had selected for him included fish, meat, and vegetables. From the classic miso soup and rice set to more easily digestible liquid foods, she had gone to extremes to provide a variety that was almost impossible for a picky eater to refuse—the only thing she hadn't considered was Kitano's actual physical condition.

"Um... C.B.-senpai, you're overestimating my appetite a bit," Kitano said, the corner of his mouth twitching as he looked at the plates before him. Just from their appearance, he knew the food would make any healthy person's mouth water.

But unfortunately for Kitano, with only a month left to live, his senses of taste and smell had long since failed. For him, eating was just about replenishing nutrients. No matter how delicious the food was, it tasted like wax in his mouth, completely meaningless.

"He can't taste anything. He won't be able to eat that much even if you give it to him," Nakayama Festa said, not forgetting to shoot a teasing glance at Mr. C.B., clearly anticipating that her efforts would be futile.

Having calmed down, Festa could see what was happening. As strange as it was, this Mr. C.B. person probably had some designs on her "puppy." That unreciprocated fawning was proof enough.

The key was that Kitano himself seemed to have a soft spot for her, otherwise he wouldn't have called her back.

Strictly speaking, Festa considered this none of her business. Kitano could like whomever he wanted. But he was her trainer now, and his future was entrusted to her. For him to be thinking about such things at this time was a bit irresponsible towards her, wasn't it?

For these reasons, Festa gave her senior no quarter. However, she didn't realize that her smug expression looked like she was showing off her knowledge of Kitano while mocking C.B.

See, you don't even know the person you're chasing. I, his charge, know him better—that's the impression she was giving to C.B. and Gold Ship.

"—Of course, I know that." However, looking at Festa's expression, the free-spirited Mr. C.B. showed a rare flash of competitiveness, which she instantly controlled, replying with a faint smile:

"But Trainer Kitano's current condition isn't one where we can let him not eat just because he doesn't want to. A patient needs to take in more nutrients, otherwise his body can't recover."

"But I really can't eat..." Kitano grimaced as if he had a toothache. He knew that no matter how well he took care of his body, the rate at which his life was draining away wouldn't slow by a second. On the contrary, if he had a major accident, his lifespan could plummet. He had died abruptly like that in several playthroughs.

He had no control over these sudden events. After countless cycles, his attitude towards his body had become "staying alive is a win." Eating was just a way to fool his body; as long as he got enough nutrients, eating more was pointless.

But his reply was exactly what Mr. C.B. was waiting for. After blinking once, the smile on her face widened, and she replied softly:

"You can't be so willful, Trainer Kitano. No matter what, you must ensure you get enough nutrition every day. I... you wouldn't want to collapse while you're still a trainer, would you?"

As she spoke, her eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a smile Kitano knew well. This smile... it was just like in that other playthrough, when she "threatened" him to go meet her parents. It was a signal of her forceful attitude.

"Or perhaps... are you acting spoiled, Trainer Kitano? If that's the case, then I'll just have to coax you to eat, won't I?"

Her last sentence was said in a teasing manner, and all her subsequent actions seemed to be in response to her own joke. She silently picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, slowly moved it to Kitano's lips, and said with a soft, smiling voice:

"Please open your mouth. Ahh~"

BANG!

The instant C.B. did this, Kitano felt the table in front of him shake violently. With a loud noise from an unknown source, everyone in the cafeteria immediately locked their eyes on the scene of C.B. feeding Kitano.

And once they looked, they couldn't look away, their gazes filled with even greater curiosity.

What were they seeing? The great Mr. C.B. was feeding a trainer they didn't recognize? At that moment, both horse girls and trainers were stunned by the scene, but their reactions were completely different.

Undoubtedly, C.B.'s actions were extremely appealing to the horse girls. As a Triple Crown champion who had clashed with the "Emperor" Symboli Rudolf more than once, her dashing aura gave her top-tier fame throughout Japan, and she was incredibly popular among her peers—some even felt she was more suited to be student council president than Rudolf.

An indispensable reason for her popularity was that, influenced by her family background, she supported the idea of horse girls and their trainers getting together. This was a stark contrast to Rudolf, who had been trying (ineffectively) to curb romantic developments at Tracen.

But interestingly, although C.B. supported such relationships, she, like Rudolf, had never had a trainer to this day, nor had she ever shown interest in any man. Gradually, rumors began to spread that her stance was just a way to compete with Rudolf and not sincere.

But now, her intimate gesture towards Kitano had completely shattered that long-standing rumor!

Who said C.B.-senpai didn't support free love? Who said she was just competing with the President? Look! Isn't she making her move now?!

And her first move is the advanced technique of "feeding"! So she was just silent before because she hadn't met someone she liked!

In stark contrast to the excitement and joy of the horse girls were the ashen-faced trainers, who immediately foresaw the consequences of C.B.'s actions.

It was common knowledge that a horse girl's strength was at least three times that of an adult male. If their emotions exploded and they decided to do something extreme to their trainer, the trainer would have no way to resist.

And Tracen Academy gathered the strongest horse girls in Japan. The trainers who lived and worked with them one-on-one were in the disaster zone.

It was only because the Three Goddesses had ordained horse girls as "pure and beautiful" beings that their feelings were incredibly sincere. This meant their love for someone was real, as was their hatred. And the possessive feelings that arose from excessive love were also absolutely real, and they would definitely act on them.

It was unknown which senior horse girl had first opened this Pandora's box and achieved her "happy ending" through such violent means... but there was no doubt that the frequent attacks on trainers at Tracen today were not a recent phenomenon. As time went on, more and more senior horse girls became "role models," leading their juniors to follow suit!

It was because more and more horse girls had truly found their own happiness through these methods that Tracen had become increasingly violent, making life harder for the poor trainers with each passing year!

And now, even the highly influential Mr. C.B. had set an "example." These pitiful trainers didn't even have to think to know that in the future, the environment they faced would become several times worse because of this incident.

And just as the trainers predicted, it wasn't long before many horse girls began to imitate C.B.'s "excellent example," pestering their trainers to be fed.

Of course, a few clever horse girls, after failing to feed their trainers, immediately changed their strategy. "Well then, how about you feed me for once, Trainer-san?" they'd say, blushing, their tails wagging furiously in anticipation.

Meanwhile, at the instigator's table, the atmosphere was not so harmonious. Kitano watched the chopsticks getting closer, felt Nakayama Festa's icy glare from the side, and found himself in a dilemma. Looking at C.B.'s familiar face, smelling that familiar scent, his own defenses began to crumble.

But just as he was about to surrender, the silent Gold Ship finally stepped in to break the deadlock and rescue him.

"You can't eat, Kitano-chan? Heehee, then I won't be polite~"

Gold Ship's cheerful exclamation abruptly stopped C.B.'s action. Before she could react, the shameless Gold Ship leaned forward and ate the salmon from her chopsticks.

To make matters worse, as Gold Ship's mouth left the chopsticks, a long, thin thread of saliva stretched between them... before slowly dissipating.

"..."

Well, now anyone who wanted to eat had lost their appetite.

"Mmm, this salt-grilled salmon is super delicious— Huh? Why aren't you guys eating?"

Gold Ship herself was playing dumb, but thanks to her usually unhinged personality, no one suspected her actions. When her gaze finally fell on the rescued Kitano, a look of "sudden realization" appeared on her face.

"Oh! Golshi gets it! You don't have an appetite, right Kitano-chan? Mmm, Golshi has a great idea! It will definitely help!"

"Wait for me, okay! I'm gonna go get someone, I'll be right back!"

"...What is she going to do?"

Gold Ship's actions were as impulsive as ever, making it difficult for anyone to follow her train of thought. This time, even her own sister, Nakayama Festa, had no idea what she was up to.

"I don't know, but I don't think she'll do anything too crazy," Kitano said, shaking his head. How could he understand the mind of an alien horse? But using his advantage as a transmigrator, he knew that even her jokes had their limits.

However, Kitano's calm trust in Gold Ship was noticed by Mr. C.B. She was now beginning to sense that this strange junior held a special place in Kitano's heart...

And soon, before C.B. could figure it out, she saw Gold Ship running back with someone in tow. The two horse girls following her had the same hair color. The three ash-haired horse girls, perfectly representing tall, medium, and short, soon stood before Kitano.

The moment Gold Ship brought them over, Kitano's gaze fixed on the medium-height horse girl. His pupils contracted noticeably, clearly having seen someone who shook him.

"Kitano-chan, Golshi found the person to solve your anorexia!" Gold Ship seemed not to notice the slight change in his expression. Just as she was about to introduce them, Kitano waved his hand, moved his wheelchair forward, and said softly:

"No need for introductions, Golshi. I know them."

With that, he focused his gaze on the ash-haired horse girl. She noticed him, her expression calm, as if she could remain composed in any situation. Her familiar face, which never seemed surprised by anything, made him involuntarily recall his past experiences with her.

He had many regrets. He had always tried to get everything in order before his death but was always unable to. But if he had to choose his most fulfilling playthrough, perhaps... it was the brief but brilliant life he had spent with this ash-haired horse girl.

"—It's a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Oguri Cap-san."

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