I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

After that, with the addition of new teammates, Shinji Kitahara's situation gradually improved.

Since they were all from the Treson headquarters and were horse girls, their conversation naturally revolved around Treson and horse girls.

While the conversation was in full swing, it also erected an invisible barrier, making it less easy for outsiders to join in, which greatly reduced the workload for everyone, especially Shinji Kitahara.

However, although the results were good, it was important to consider that this was, after all, a social gathering, and not everyone came with a specific purpose; most were simply there for normal networking, such as getting acquainted with people or expanding their connections.

Therefore, Shinji Kitahara intentionally controlled the pace of their conversation, focusing more on topics related to Uma Musume, such as races, training, or the development of related industries.

In this way, since the members of the Ma Musume family present are all present, they can basically chat with each other for a bit.

Among these people, those who can discuss these things in depth are basically those who don't have any ulterior motives.

Those with ulterior motives are often limited by the topics they can't explore further. They either have to follow the topic and talk about business with these people, or they can only quietly withdraw.

It's very stable.

Originally, Shinji Kitahara only came up with this idea to reduce his own workload.

However, after implementing it for a period of time, Shinji Kitahara was surprised to find that quite a few of the people present could actually talk to him about this.

Many of them even seemed to be more knowledgeable than the trainers currently serving at the Bitresen headquarters, and in some aspects, they even had insights that he had never heard of before.

If you think about it carefully, this is actually quite normal.

As mentioned before, many trainers who retired from Treson chose to work for various Mama Girl families after retiring, and the more capable they were, the more likely they were to be valued and recruited.

As excellent trainers themselves, they joined the Uma Musume family because they no longer had to take on responsibilities and had more time to learn.

On one hand, the horse girls' families each have their own unique resources and can provide different kinds of help to the trainers. Over time, this naturally allows them to accumulate more experience than those outside trainers.

While this kind of non-combat experience certainly can't compare to the veterans who have served for two or three decades at Treson headquarters, it's still much better than that of ordinary trainers, and they are especially good at theoretical aspects.

Actually, in addition to matchmaking and finding trainers, academic exchanges between trainers were also a regular part of this exchange meeting at the beginning of the year.

However, because fewer people participated in this segment compared to the previous two, and most of the conversations were just private chats in small groups, it didn't attract much attention, and many people didn't even know that this segment existed.

However, today's technical exchange session seemed to be somewhat different from previous years.

Because all the main characters were gathered together, Shinji Kitahara's side was already attracting a lot of attention.

Furthermore, he later brought over all the current trainers from Tressen, and those who originally only wanted to exchange information about the new technologies in Tressen and didn't care about their situation also turned their attention to them.

But when you're not paying attention, it's fine. However, after turning their attention to Shinji Kitahara, some experienced trainers gradually sensed something unusual.

That young man named Shinji Kitahara seems to be quite something...

Perhaps to the others in the room, what Shinji Kitahara said was just something to listen to for fun, and it didn't seem any different from what the veteran trainers in the family usually said when they gave lectures.

However, the veteran trainers who had accumulated a lot of experience gradually became serious after listening to Shinji Kitahara's conversation for a while.

Especially later, as the conversation progressed, the atmosphere on Kitahara Shinji's side gradually heated up. With no one to disturb him, Kitahara Shinji also got carried away and began to offer some real insights in his words.

However, this situation cannot be entirely blamed on Shinji Kitahara.

Shinji Kitahara never minded sharing his trainer experiences with others; this was an open secret at Treson headquarters, known to almost everyone.

The problem is that, although Shinji Kitahara himself doesn't mind, the environment within his team is quite daunting.

When there were only three or four people in his team at first, the other trainers could find opportunities to talk to him. But as the number of people in the team gradually increased,

Other trainers would avoid him, let alone discuss it with him, or even just run into him on the street.

Now, Shinji Kitahara took the initiative to bring up communication with them, and there were no other horse girls eyeing them covetously nearby.

After chatting for a while, the trainers who had failed to escape also got a little carried away, gradually creating a lively atmosphere, which in turn provoked Shinji Kitahara.

Then, as time went on, those who were listening in couldn't hold back any longer and went over one by one to join their discussion.

As for the other onlookers, seeing that the veteran trainers and retired famous horse girls had joined in, they followed along even though they didn't know what was going on.

While all of this was happening, Shinji Kitahara was so engrossed in the conversation that he didn't notice what was going on in the room.

Although it seemed a bit noisy around me, I didn't pay much attention and continued speaking, gradually drawing the attention of the audience to myself.

As for the original main characters, they tried to remind Kitahara Shinji after the discussion heated up, especially after they noticed more and more people gathering around them.

This doesn't mean they were unhappy that Shinji Kitahara stole their thunder; on the contrary, they were hoping that Shinji Kitahara would draw all their attention to him.

The problem is that while they hope no one will bother them, they also know that Shinji Kitahara is not the kind of person who likes attention. For some reason, he is also quite resistant to dealing with the Uma Musume family.

Right now, it's clear that Shinji Kitahara is caught up in the conversation and hasn't realized the problem yet, but the others are still quite clear-headed.

For some people in particular, while it's good that Shinji Kitahara is getting attention, it also proves that their judgment was correct.

However, being too conspicuous in this situation could actually increase the competitive pressure on them—in fact, not long after the discussion began, some of the female horse riders started trying to approach him, but they were all secretly stopped.

However, the other horse girls saw it more clearly and took action to try to stop Kitahara Shinji.

However, due to the limited environment, they had limited options, and by the time they realized something was wrong, Shinji Kitahara was already quite agitated.

So until the very end, they were unable to bring Shinji Kitahara back, and could only watch helplessly as more and more people gathered around them, and the atmosphere became increasingly heated.

“On the bright side, at least no one’s bothering us now, right?” Sirius shrugged.

"...That's the only way to think about it."

Looking at Kitahara Shinji, who was chatting away in the crowd in the distance, completely unaware of the problem, Rudolf sighed softly.

Then, as if remembering something, she picked up her small bag from the table, took out her phone, and began to browse it carefully.

"strangeness......"

Rudolf spoke in a low voice, which caught the attention of Sirius, who was standing nearby.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"No, nothing happened... or rather, it's strange precisely because nothing happened..."

Rudolf frowned.

"You should remember, right? I told you that old woman wanted me to come for a blind date today, but until now, she hasn't sent me even a single message..."

"Perhaps she's planning to invite you over tonight? After all, there's a dance going on then..."

"I don't think so. Knowing that old woman's personality, she wouldn't give me so much time to prepare... I feel like something's not right."

After turning off her phone, Rudolph pondered for a while. Although she had a vague sense of foreboding, she couldn't figure it out because there was so little information.

Sirius, haven't you heard from you yet?

Upon hearing Rudolf's question, Sirius also took out his phone to check it.

But like Rudolph, although she received many New Year's greetings on her phone, there wasn't a single word about her blind date.

"I don't have any either..."

Sirius also noticed something was amiss, but didn't pay as much attention as Rudolph did.

"Is today some kind of day of forgetfulness? These old ladies seem to have forgotten everything they said... But it's probably for the best, I don't want to go on any blind dates."

Have you forgotten...?

Although this seemed to be the most likely answer at the moment, Rudolf still felt that something was off.

Did she overlook some very important information?

Staring at his reflection on his phone screen, Rudolf fell into deep thought.

Chapter 214: Meaning the Same as You

Five hours later, in room 1207.

"I'm stupid, really."

In room 1207, Shinji Kitahara slumped on the sofa, his eyes vacant.

"I only knew that chatting with people could help reduce trouble and save time, but I forgot that you can't talk about these things too much..."

Just now, after a discussion that lasted about five hours, Shinji Kitahara finally returned to reality and witnessed a scene that almost made his heart stop.

A huge crowd surrounded him, three or four layers deep, all eyes fixed on him, making him look like a student listening to a lecture in a large classroom.

And it was only at this moment that the person finally realized what he had just done.

After that, seeing that he had finally come to his senses, the other horse girls breathed a sigh of relief. Then, after he had been discussing things for five hours straight, and with the banquet time approaching, they took him back to room 1207 so that he could have some time to calm down.

However, there was a little incident on the way back with him. When Aldan and Satomi Hikaru were on the road, they each expressed their desire to take him back to their respective family rooms to rest.

Shinji Kitahara was so devastated by the loss that he lost the ability to make choices and discern. In the end, it was only through the rare collaboration of Rudolf and Sirius that he was able to bring 1207 back to him.

"Alright, alright, stop looking so gloomy. Weren't you just having a great time chatting? Besides, it's not like it's a bad thing..."

Sirius patted Shinji Kitahara on the shoulder, trying to comfort him.

On the other side, Rudolf took out his phone, dialed a number, and after a few words, his brows gradually furrowed.

"Hey, why are you looking so long now? Did that blind date that old woman found for you finally arrive?"

"No, it has nothing to do with blind dates, it's something else."

Rudolph shook her head. She didn't want to talk about it, but after glancing at Shinji Kitahara sprawled on the sofa, she thought for a moment and decided it would be better to bring it up—perhaps it could help distract him.

"I just called the Emperor's parents to ask why he didn't come today, and they said he was sick..."

As the eldest daughter of the Tokai family, the Tokai Emperor is one of the very few who did not stay with Kitahara Shinji for the New Year, and she should have attended this social gathering.

But even now, after the five-hour discussion has ended, Rudolf has not seen her anywhere.

Originally, Rudolf hadn't noticed this because he was troubled by the blind date, but because of his previous thoughts...

Although she couldn't figure out exactly what information she was missing, she realized it and quickly dialed her parents' phone after returning to her room to find out what was going on.

"Is the emperor ill?"

Upon hearing this news, Shinji Kitahara, who had just been feeling sorry for himself, sat up straight and turned to look at Rudolf with a serious expression.

"Is it serious?"

"Don't worry, it's just a common cold—apparently, he drank a lot of frozen honey drink on New Year's Eve and woke up with a fever the next morning."

"...That's something she's capable of doing."

After the question and answer session, Rudolf looked at Shinji Kitahara and spoke with a smile.

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling better?"

Originally, after hearing that the Emperor of the East Sea was alright, Kitahara Shinji had just begun to smile.

As soon as Rudolf asked that question, the smile on his face vanished instantly.

"A little better... I guess I'm a little better now."

Shinji Kitahara looked distressed.

"But to be honest, I'm a little unsure what to do next. After all, as you all know, I've always hated trouble and just wanted to live a peaceful life, but now..."

If someone else had said that, Rudolf and Sirius would probably have accused him of being hypocritical and getting the benefit for nothing.

After all, if this were in the hands of an ordinary trainer, being able to stand out at such a gathering and gain the appreciation of the higher-ups of the entire JP Madoka Magica organization would be something they would be eager to achieve.

But as for Shinji Kitahara, they were already used to his abnormal behavior and knew he was telling the truth, so no one refuted him.

"I think, based on your previous performance, you'll probably be the star of the banquet. Quite a few people will be coming to you then..."

Sirius, who was standing to the side, slowly spoke.

Shinji Kitahara was on the verge of tears.

"Is it too late for me to leave now?"

"I'm afraid not."

Rudolf shook his head.

"Given your previous behavior, even if you leave now, they will come after you sooner or later. Running away won't solve anything."

"And have you forgotten? You told us before that you came here with a blind date mission, and so far you haven't received any news."

"Since there has been no news all day, it is very likely that the blind date you were set up with will appear at the dinner party. By then, you will be gone, and you may have to take a taxi back by yourself."

Upon hearing Rudolf's words, Shinji Kitahara's expression fell even more.

"What should we do then...?"

Just as Kitahara Shinji was becoming increasingly desperate, Sirius Symbol suddenly spoke up.