The mediocre trainer doesn't want to reopen

But there's nothing to worry about. Aside from Aldan and Rudolf, who have very vivid memories of him, there shouldn't be any more accidents. The Holy King Halo isn't interested in him, and as for the good opera... it seems they haven't fully recalled it yet. Bourbon and Mi Yu are only showing signs of unease due to their memories, so there aren't any problems for now.

But if there are problems in the future... that's a matter for the future. But Kitano must at least ensure that there won't be any progress between him and the few horse girls who don't have the same issues as in the previous episodes.

——However, as a lonely man, he can live such a good life only thanks to the memory of last week. He had never been confessed to in the first week he spent time with others, so he doesn't need to worry about anything.

Thinking of this, Kitano regained his smile and said to Qingyun Tiankong, "Okay, come over now that you're done washing up. The boss lady brought our dinner over earlier. One portion per person, let's eat together."

"Oh, is there anything to eat? That's great—"

Qingyun Tiankong was relieved to see that Kitano's gaze did not linger on her for too long, but she also felt a little disappointed. Looking at her body in the plaid yukata and her chest which did not have much movement, she could not help feeling a little melancholy.

After Qingyun Tiankong walked out, soon, the sliding door leading to the hot spring opened again, accompanied by a burst of mist, and the figures of Hao Opera and Cao Shangfei slowly walked out of the hot spring.

"Hahaha! The Overlord of the End of the Century, now fully revived! This hot spring has truly made me feel refreshed. I feel like I've been reborn, and I feel like I can even go into battle again!"

Accompanied by the familiar high-pitched voice of Good Opera, the two women walked out slowly. When Qingyun Tiankong looked at Good Opera and Cao Shangfei, he found that under the loose yukata, the rise and fall of the two women's chests... seemed to be not much different from hers.

All of a sudden, Qingyun Tiankong's slightly drooping face regained its smile. Fortunately, the best-looking members of the team were not here, and Xing-chan wasn't far behind.

When the two girls came out, Bei Ye immediately walked to Cao Shangfei's side. He quickly glanced at Cao Shangfei's exposed feet and asked with concern: "How are you, Xiaocao? Do you feel better?"

"I'm feeling much better now, Trainer-san. The hot springs here are really comfortable."

Kusagami, whose cheeks also had a slight blush, smiled easily. She looked much better in her yukata than she had just after the match, and said gently to Kitano, "Trainer-san, please go into the hot springs and enjoy yourself. We'll wait until you're done before we start eating."

"That's not necessary. You guys should eat quickly, especially you, Xiaocao. You just won the game and you must be starving. It's okay to eat a little more. You don't have to avoid any food today."

Kitano also wanted to experience the hot springs. He had been quite busy recently and really needed a good relaxing bath. He immediately took his own yukata with him and soon found himself separated from the three horse racing women by a sliding door.

After Kitano entered the hot spring, the three horse girls in the room looked at each other in confusion, but Qingyun Tiankong didn't care at all. He just wanted to pick up his own meal and said casually: "Ah, I'm really tired today. Xing-chan, I want to have a good meal--"

"Xing-chan." Seeing this, Cao Shangfei stepped forward in dissatisfaction to stop Qing Yun Tiankong's action, patted her palm, and said to Qing Yun Tiankong helplessly: "Trainer-san hasn't finished washing yet, you can't eat him before he finishes washing."

"Hehe... I know, it was just a joke—"

Qingyun Tiankong didn't actually take it. She knew about this little thing. What Qingyun Tiankong cared about more was Cao Shangfei's reaction. Seeing that her good friend cared so much about Kitano's feelings, Qingyun Tiankong felt a little uneasy in her heart. On the surface, she said nonchalantly: "Xiaocao really cares about Trainer-san. Could it be that... Xiaocao secretly fell in love with Trainer-san while Xing-chan wasn't noticing?"

"Wha-Hoshi-chan!"

Qingyun Tiankong's words touched the soft spot in Cao Shangfei's heart, and his cheeks flushed red. However, in order to hide his excitement, he immediately stepped forward and started a fight with Qingyun Tiankong.

"Hahaha! Xiaocao is anxious! Xiaocao is anxious! Ah, Xiaocao, your bra has a pattern, so cute."

"Hoshi-chan!"

Qingyun Tiankong's words made Cao Shangfei's face blush even more. The laughter also reached Kitano who was taking a hot spring bath, making this old virgin who had played the game for n weeks subconsciously prick up his ears and listen carefully to these topics that had nothing to do with him.

"What does it matter? Xiaocao, you have very good taste."

After Qingyun Tiankong and Cao Shangfei had been laughing and playing, she also avoided Cao Shangfei's pursuit. The next moment, her eyes immediately turned to Hao Opera who was standing beside her. She immediately stepped forward and pulled down Hao Opera's loose bathrobe!

"What does it matter? Look, isn't Good Opera classmate also like this? Ah, such an ordinary style, Good Opera classmate, it doesn't seem to match your gorgeous appearance at all. The underwear is so ordinary——"

"Hahaha! The Overlord also has his own little secrets. This time, he lost his composure and that was really inappropriate."

Good Opera did not expect that Qingyun Tiankong would launch a sudden attack, but Good Opera is worthy of being the "Overlord". He could remain calm even when attacked by Xingjiang suddenly. He immediately pulled his clothes back and restored his usual expression.

"By the way, why don't we ask everyone what style of underwear they usually choose? It seems like everyone's taste is pretty similar."

Qingyun Tiankong was a little disappointed to see Good Opera remained calm. She was deliberately speaking so loudly so that Kitano, who was standing on the other side, could hear.

Although the topic of underwear wasn't particularly interesting, Qingyun Tiankong hoped to use this to let Kitano know that she was no different from Cao Shangfei, Good Opera, or even everyone else. This kind of inner feeling often reveals a lot, and she kept hinting to Kitano that she was actually not bad at all.

And now she is constantly seeking verification, actually just wanting to give herself some confidence. But when she picked up her phone, she logged into another group that was different from Kitano's.

They say that girls' interpersonal relationships are complicated, and in fact, it is similar here in Uma Musume, but it is still much simpler than human relationships. The group that Qingyun Tiankong logged into was a private group created by the team's Uma Musume, and it was the only internal discussion group without Kitano.

This group usually talks about Uma Musume’s own affairs and topics that Kitano is not convenient to hear. Now, Qingyun Tiankong is also in the group, discussing private underwear topics with the Uma Musume.

"Everyone, now it's time to discuss the intimate topics of girls! What do your underwear look like now?"

Holy King Halo: "...Why so sudden?"

For a moment, only Saint King Halo responded, and Qingyun Tiankong immediately seized the opportunity to ask, "Student Saint King, can you take a picture of your underwear for us?"

Holy King Halo: "...Now? You can, but what are you going to do with it?"

"Yes! Right now! Don't worry, I won't let Trainer-san see!"

Qingyun Tiankong also sent the message with a smile, and soon she received a private message from Saint King Halo. She immediately clicked it excitedly and said, "Look! Saint King really sent me her underwear photos!"

"Really..." Cao Shangfei and Hao Geju were a little surprised to hear this. The Holy King Halo was so honest all of a sudden. When they gathered around, they were shocked by the photo in front of them.

At this moment, Kitano, who was taking a hot spring bath, heard every word of the conversation between the three women of Qingyun Tiankong. When he heard that they were silent, he knew that the Holy King had probably really sent the photos to them, and scared them.

What? Why did Kitano know they would be frightened? If you, like Kitano, have been taking care of the Holy King's aura for so long last week, you'll understand why he thinks these pure horse racing girls are so shocked by the Holy King's underwear.

"After all, black lace is still too difficult for them to pull off at their age... Only a horse girl like the Holy King, with her good figure and elegant demeanor, could pull it off, right?"

Kitano murmured this as he immersed himself in the hot spring. Now he wanted to seize this opportunity and relax for a while...

Chapter 301: The feeling of being cared for

Late at night, when most things have gone to sleep quietly, there may still be some people who have not rested because of various things. Maybe it is because they have their own worries, or maybe they are waiting for others to go to sleep so that they can do their own things.

At this moment, in the room of the hot spring hotel, among the three women who were sleeping on the same tatami but still covered with quilts, Kusama Fei woke up at this time in a daze, and subconsciously looked at another mattress some distance away from their tatami - that was where Kitano slept.

However, the empty bed had long lost Kitano's presence. The drowsy Cao Shangfei quickly woke up and got up carefully, fearing that he would wake up Qingyun Tiankong and Hao Opera beside him.

There was a soft scraping sound from the sliding door, and Cao Shangfei walked out of the room, calling softly, "Trainer-san... where are you?"

However, without getting an answer, Cao Shangfei rubbed her eyes and looked for Kitano's figure. Soon, when Cao Shangfei walked to the door of the hot spring shop, she saw Kitano's back, sitting on the steps at the door of the hot spring shop.

After seeing Kitano's figure, Cao Shangfei breathed a sigh of relief, walked forward gently, and when Kitano noticed her, she sat down gracefully beside Kitano.

"Trainer Sang, it's so late and you're still not asleep. Are you here admiring the moon alone?" Cao Shangfei replied gently.

"No...it's just because I snore when I sleep and I'm afraid of disturbing you."

Kitano's reason for letting off steam here is very simple. Yes, he does snore a little. Although it is not as severe as the "voice of the ancient god" that tortures roommates in some videos, it does affect the sleep quality of others.

Before traveling through time, Kitano's roommates had discussed this with him many times in the dormitories of high school and college. Kitano was troubled by this, so he considerately chose to be the last one to go to bed. As a result, he slept alone in a single room most of the time and rarely participated in activities that involved group training.

This is also the reason why Kitano wanted two rooms in the beginning. It’s not just because of the difference between men and women, it also concerns his sleep quality. It sounds gentlemanly, but in fact he just doesn’t want to embarrass himself.

Cao Shangfei blinked upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask, "But... I haven't heard Sheng Wang complain about this matter, okay?"

"If it was Sheng Wang, knowing that Trainer-san snores, he would definitely complain when he slept with him, right?"

"Ah, should I say, the former Saint King classmate?"

Cao Shangfei also modified his wording. After all, everyone in the team knew that the Saint King's aura had completely changed compared to his previous image. He even began to wonder if the Saint King's soul had been possessed by someone else, like in those time-travel novels where the original owner's consciousness was taken over.

Although one can still hear some of her former arrogance and tsundereness when interacting with her on a daily basis, the Holy King now truly is like the "mother" of a team. The tolerance and hard work she displays have impressed everyone.

In the past, even the Holy King’s best friends, Cao Shangfei and Qingyun Tiankong, did not know that the Holy King could actually do so many things, and even do them in an orderly manner.

The Holy King, who was more or less questioned by everyone when she first became the captain, has now become the true captain of the team, recognized by every arrogant horse girl in the team, and no one can replace her.

As for the Holy King's transformation, Cao Shangfei knew that it was all related to his trainer, and such a change could definitely not be achieved overnight!

Therefore, Cao Shangfei was very curious. What had happened to the Holy King? How could he have achieved such a drastic transformation? Could it be some kind of hypnotic ability? Although Cao Shangfei didn't think Beiye was the kind of person who would resort to such despicable means, she was genuinely curious.

"Trainer-san...how on earth did you do that?"

"I'm sorry, I can't give you this answer. If you say it from my mouth, you might think I'm crazy."

Kitano also feels extremely helpless about Kusanagi Tobi's sensitive observation ability. This is why he is so "in love" with Sakura Shinou now. Idiots are easy to deceive, but a perceptive person like Ms. Kusanagi can't be hidden from her at all.

"But...if you want to ask, you can ask Saint King Halo. If she's willing to tell you, I have no objection."

"I'll ask."

Cao Shangfei nodded slightly when he heard this. Sitting quietly beside Kitano, she suddenly felt that the atmosphere seemed a little awkward. After a long while, as if to change the subject, she said, "Today... I'm sorry to bother you, Trainer-san. Thank you for carrying me to the hospital."

"Oh, it's nothing." Kitano didn't care at all, his eyes fixed on the moon in the sky. He replied as a matter of course, "I just did what I was supposed to do."

"Even if it wasn't you, Xiaocao, if anyone in the team said they felt uncomfortable in their legs, I would take them to the hospital immediately. I would never allow any of our team's horse girls to be at risk of having a broken leg."

"I have a feeling that Trainer-san seems very worried about the broken bones."

Cao Shangfei also had some topics to talk about. He looked at Kitano beside him and said softly, "Although I have seen many trainers who are cautious because their responsibility is broken, there are still few trainers like you who are so nervous at the slightest abnormality."

"Most of those who are wary of this are very experienced, veteran trainers... But, Trainer-san, you only joined this year, didn't you? And considering your age, you don't seem to have any experience at the local Umamusume academy."

"Well... well, consider me someone who learns from every failure."

What could Kitano say? Could he say that he'd been frightened to the point of PTSD by all the previous playthroughs? Especially since several of the horse girls on his team had broken bones, Kitano needed to be even more cautious.

"I have a feeling that among the future members of our team, there will likely be many children who suffer from fractures..."

"Miyu, Bourbon, Emperor, Xingjiang, and you, Xiaocao... I don't want anything to happen to you, so I want to do my best to avoid this."

"As for Shanxin... although explosive escape tactics are inherently damaging to the body, Shanxin herself is quite strong. As long as she isn't forced to run any particularly strenuous events, she shouldn't be in any serious trouble."

"As for Prince Shin... idiots won't get hurt, but generally speaking, the stronger a person's body is, the harder it is to recover from illness, and the more serious the illness will be, so constant attention is also necessary."

"If what Trainer-san says is true, then won't everyone on our team be spared?" Cao Shangfei chuckled upon hearing this. She felt that Kitano was being a bit overly pessimistic, and she said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Trainer-san, everyone is very healthy. I may feel a little strange, but the doctor said it's okay, right? There's no need to worry about everyone because of me."

"No, Xiaocao, after you go back this time, your training will be put on hold. Apart from the basic parallel running training, you should just rest well the rest of the time."

Kitano was quite serious about this matter, and said word by word: "Don't train yourself without permission. Stay with me all the time during this period. If I find that you always train yourself like Mi Yu, then next time I will let you feel my massage."

Is massage also considered a punishment? For a moment, Cao Shangfei was a little confused, but seeing Kitano's serious look, Cao Shangfei felt that it would be better to suppress his curiosity.

But for some reason, Cao Shangfei felt a strange impulse in her heart... Although she had heard that the four people who joined the team earlier, Sheng Wang, Shanxin, Mi Yu and Bourbon, had all received massages from Kitano, she had never heard them mention the process.

Cao Shangfei had asked Mi Yu before, but Mi Yu always hesitated and couldn't utter a complete sentence, with red cheeks, which made people feel that massage seemed to be something improper...

But Cao Shangfei knew from Bourbon that the massage was very serious and Kitano's skills were quite good, but she never told Cao Shangfei that she hoped she could experience it too.

However, what surprised Kushang Fei even more was that Kitano asked him to stay by his side at all times... Such words made Kushang Fei purse his lips slightly and muttered, "Is this considered...caring about me, Trainer-san?"

"Yeah, this is..."

When he said this, Kitano seemed to remember something. Looking at Kusanagi Fei, who had a subtle expression on his face at the moment, he suddenly remembered that he should not increase the favorability of any of the horse girls on the same team.

These answers were easy for Kitano, who had accumulated a lot of experience with various horse girls in the previous rounds. But Kitano couldn't do that anymore.

So, Kitano changed his tone after training, imitating the tone of a certain Boss Lei, and chose a "high emotional intelligence" answer method and said: "Yes, I care about Xiaocao - and everyone."

"..." As expected, when Kitano said this, Kusagami Fei's expression quickly calmed down from the initial subtlety. Then, Kusagami Fei showed a faint smile and said, "Thank you for chatting with me, Trainer-san. However, please go back to bed early."

"Well, go to bed early."

Kitano saw Kusanagi leave after he finished speaking, and he felt relieved in his heart. His answer just now should be perfect, right? It not only expressed his concern, but also expressed his love for everyone.

Now, even if Lady Kusa had some feelings for him, they should have vanished, right? After all, a horse girl like Lady Kusa would be the type to hate harem men's comments the most.

Kitano felt much more relaxed, however, in a corner where he couldn't see, Kusagami Fei quickly leaned against the wall, his breathing becoming heavier due to his heartbeat, and he was panting slightly.

"Do you care about me... and everyone else?"

"This feeling of being cared for... is this what it feels like?"

As someone who has always cared about others and ignored his own feelings, Cao Shangfei found it a little difficult to control his emotions when he felt the same "care" as everyone else for the first time.

"No, no, Cao Shangfei, you can't betray Xing-chan. You should let Trainer Sandor pay more attention to Xing-chan. You can't push your luck like this."

"The same concern... is enough. Let the trainer-san pay more attention to Xing-chan and the others. I know it in my heart."

Thinking of this, Cao Shangfei seemed a little uneasy. He slowly returned to his room and lay down carefully again.

Next to Cao Shangfei, Qingyun Tiankong was sleeping soundly, and one could vaguely hear her murmuring in her sleep.

"Trainer-san...if you care about me so much...Hoshi-chan will like you...I'm just kidding..."

Chapter 302: Kitano doesn't want to be divided into smaller pieces

Early the next morning, after having breakfast provided by the hot spring hotel, Kitano and his group, who had rested for a night, finally started their journey back to Tresen College - but before that, Qingyun Tiankong seemed to have raised some different opinions.

"It would be too boring to go back like this, right? We finally got out here once, and even spent the night outside. Why not buy some souvenirs for everyone to take back?"

"That's fine, but I can't stay here overnight. I don't have much money on me."

Kitano had no objection to Qingyun Tiankong's proposal. After all, he did not forget that one of the main reasons for spending the night outside this time, in addition to helping Cao Shangfei get some rest, was to let Qingyun Tiankong and Hao Opera get along well so that they would not feel neglected.

The recent busyness has made Kitano care less about Good Opera and Qingyun Tiankong. He originally planned to take this opportunity to let them have some fun.

Unfortunately, although Kitano had this plan, he didn't have the financial resources. Fortunately, Qingyun Tiankong seemed to have anticipated this and smiled at Kitano, took out his wallet and said, "It's okay, it's okay. Xing-chan, I still have some spare money. It's easy to buy some gifts for everyone--"

So why didn't you take it out yesterday? When Kitano saw Qingyun Tiankong take out his own small treasury, Kitano, who almost had no money to pay for accommodation yesterday, was also embarrassed for a moment.

Qingyun Tiankong seemed to have noticed Kitano's subtle expression, and then realized Kitano's embarrassment yesterday. He immediately said nervously: "No, no, Xing-chan, I didn't mean to see Trainer-san make a fool of himself. This money is used for-"