I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

Shinji Kitahara fell into deep thought as he looked at the information displayed on his phone.

Because he had spent most of his time wandering around and had little time or energy to celebrate holidays, he had heard about giving chocolates on Valentine's Day, but had no actual experience with it.

After all, he mostly traveled to rural areas back then, and he didn't really care much about Valentine's Day.

Moreover, it's generally not easy to get chocolate and molds for making chocolates in the countryside. In addition, he often runs around and disappears on time, which has resulted in him never receiving chocolates on Valentine's Day until today.

However, the situation should be different this year...

After all, compared to previous years, he has been living in Tressen for some time now, and has not only met many people, but has also built up a fairly large team under his command.

Even just out of courtesy, he should receive a few chocolates as a token of friendship.

As for my personal favorite chocolate...

Although I really wanted to say I probably wouldn't receive one of these things, judging from Necha's reaction, I'll probably get one, and Aili Digital might even give him one too...

The only saving grace is that these two children are generally considered safe among the horse girls. Even if they express their feelings to him, they probably won't do anything excessive, so there's no need to worry too much.

Thinking this, Shinji Kitahara turned off his phone, looked around, and after confirming that his horse girls should all be out making chocolates and that there was nothing left for him to do, he didn't linger and left the training ground.

Originally, after leaving the training ground, Shinji Kitahara wanted to find Kazuya Hisadou to see if he could get some information about the solar eclipse from him. If not, he could also talk to him about the black market.

But halfway there, Shinji Kitahara ran into an acquaintance.

Galerizho.

"Ah, Trainer Kitahara, good morning."

Upon seeing Shinji Kitahara from afar, Kari Risa waved and greeted him before jogging over.

"Good morning, trainer Jialai."

Shinji Kitahara nodded, then seemed to remember something and asked in confusion.

"I just saw you were asking people to come to your dorm to make chocolate in the group chat. How come you're showing up again now?"

"Oh, there are quite a lot of people over there now, so after I told them how to operate the machine, I gave them the dormitory key and came out by myself."

After a pause, for reasons unknown, Galerizho added a sentence.

"Oh right, Ms. Junkawa and Trainer Koya also went there."

Shinji Kitahara didn't pay attention to the additional statement made by Galeriza later; instead, he focused more on her earlier statement about handing over the dormitory key.

This girl is really carefree...

Shinji Kitahara sighed inwardly, then chatted with Kiri Risa for a while before preparing to leave.

But just as he was about to leave, a thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Wait, if he remembers correctly, Galeriza was the former ace of the Uma Musume Research Institute, and the kind who single-handedly overwhelmed everyone else...

As the highest institution for research on Uma Musume (Uma Musume), Shinji Kitahara would certainly not believe that these people are unaware of the true nature of Uma Musume.

Moreover, although the Uma Musume Research Institute publishes a weekly newspaper to the outside world, publicizing some of its latest research results.

But anyone with eyes can see that it could not possibly be all the information in the Horse Girl Research Institute; it could even be said to be just the tip of the iceberg.

Much valuable or confidential information is hidden inside, and only insiders are authorized to access it.

As the former ace of the Uma Musume Research Institute, Kitahara Shinji had reason to suspect that Kari Rizo possessed a lot of information that outsiders, including himself, were unaware of.

Some of these solutions might be solvable, or at least offer valuable insights into his current predicament.

After all, even if he didn't think the other party had any ill intentions, he couldn't just listen to Pure White Horse Girl's side of the story; that was the most basic caution.

I need to find a way to talk to her, or at least get some information about her...

Looking at Galeriza in front of him, Shinji Kitahara fell into deep thought.

But how should they start a conversation? Although Galerizho seemed to have always been very interested in him.

But for various reasons, he hasn't had any in-depth contact with her so far.

Asking questions abruptly is definitely not a good idea. You should at least find a topic to start and build rapport. Once you're more familiar with each other, you can then look for an opportunity to ask about more sensitive topics...

"By the way, Trainer Garai, I heard you recently found two more horse girls who want to join your team?"

"Yes, they are all very cute children."

After a pause, she added.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you, Trainer Kitahara, that I was able to get these two kids into the team largely thanks to you, Kitahara-senpai..."

"My good fortune?"

"Ah."

Galerizho nodded and said seriously.

"Didn't you teach me some ways to get along with horse girls before? I tried it, and then I became friends with a child named Mayumi Kaisha. She's a very quiet child..."

"There's another child who came to me because she saw me chatting with you before and thought I was your friend... Her name is Mi Yu, and she's a very cute child."

"......who?"

Upon hearing a familiar name, Shinji Kitahara blinked.

"Rice bath."

Galerizho repeated her name and then spoke.

"Kitahara-senpai, do you know her?"

"...I guess you could say we know each other."

Shinji Kitahara sighed, recalling certain past experiences, and his head began to throb slightly.

This one is no less formidable than Nutao, and for certain reasons, when he left, her situation was even more difficult than Nutao's...

Just as Kitahara Shinji was reminiscing about the past, Kari Risa's eyes darted around, and then she spoke with a hint of anticipation.

"Well, Trainer Kitahara, I was just about to go to the training grounds to find them. If you're free, would you like to come with me?"

"......May I?"

"Of course, after all, I was able to find those children thanks to you. I had wanted to invite you before, but I was worried about bothering you by seeing how busy you've been lately, so I didn't make the invitation rashly..."

In fact, it wasn't just Shinji Kitahara who wanted to get closer to Kirito; Kirito had also long wanted to talk more with Shinji Kitahara.

Even from the moment he joined the company, he kept trying to join Shinji Kitahara's team, and only after those attempts failed did he start building his own team.

Now that he had the rare opportunity to chat with Shinji Kitahara about a topic that seemed to interest him, Kirito naturally wanted to strike while the iron was hot and try to get closer to him.

Seeing that Galeriza was being so proactive, and considering that he also had some ulterior motives, after a moment's thought, Kitahara Shinji nodded and accepted her invitation.

"Alright, let's go take a look together. I haven't seen Mi Yu in a long time either, I hope it won't be too awkward..."

Shinji Kitahara said this.

"No, she really likes you. She's been talking about you all this time..."

As they walked, Galeriza talked about all the things Miyu had told her about Kitahara Shinji over the past few days.

Shinji Kitahara smiled and nodded, but his eyes betrayed his unconcealed worry.

He wasn't too worried about Mi Yu. Although the kid was a bit of a little devil, his destructive power was nowhere near that of the famous general Nu Tao, and he was relatively easy to appease...

The problem is that, while others may not know, Kitahara Shinji knows that inside that child, besides the rice bath, there is something else he created himself. Even now, Kitahara Shinji, who is used to seeing strange horse girls, still finds it a very eerie and abstract existence whenever he thinks back on it.

On his way to the training ground, Shinji Kitahara couldn't help but mutter to himself.

I wonder if that child is still alive after all these years...

Chapter 248: Each One Possesses Unique Skills

They chatted all the way, and before long, Shinji Kitahara and Kirito arrived at the training ground.

Because of Valentine's Day tomorrow, the training ground was unusually quiet today, as the female horses were mostly preparing for the holiday.

They might be queuing up at the kitchen to make chocolate, or queuing in front of some mad scientist's lab to buy some 'raw materials' for making chocolate fillings.

Some who had already completed three years of racing and were of legal age simply went to the store, buying chocolates and stuffing boxes of them into their bags as "sun umbrellas," while also casually picking up a whole bunch of kidney supplements...

As for the trainers, the younger ones, unaware of the seriousness of the problem, were still laughing and joking, thinking that since their female horses had all taken leave, they might as well treat it as a rare vacation and relax.

Some stayed in their dorm rooms playing games, some went to the library to look through materials, and others posted in the group chat that a new massage parlor had recently opened outside the college, asking if anyone wanted to go check it out and relax...

All I can say is that I pray he doesn't find out about this.

As for the experienced and knowledgeable trainers, some of whom had no connection with the position, some were plotting to sneak away, while others were reinforcing the doors; they were all trying to save themselves in various ways.

As for those with more seniority and rich experience, they simply stay in their dormitories, drinking tea, playing chess, reading books, and casually booking a bed for pelvic care.

However, unlike other teams, despite Valentine's Day being tomorrow, no one in Galerizho's team has taken leave, and the entire team is training as usual at the training ground.

This is normal.

Watching the three horse girls training harmoniously together on the field, seemingly no different from usual, Shinji Kitahara couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that this was what students from Tressen, a top-tier academy, should be like.

A moment later, perhaps because there weren't many people in the training ground today, shortly after Shinji Kitahara and Kirito arrived, the trio training in the distance spotted them and jogged over.

"Good morning, Master."

Upon approaching, the girl named Miura Happen greeted Kari Risa first, then looked at Kitahara Shinji with a hint of doubt in her eyes.

"Who is this?"

"This is Trainer Kitahara, the senior I told you about before."

"Trainer Kitahara..."

Upon hearing Galeriza's introduction, the horse girl next to Miura Haruka, who had a half-ponytail and a small crown on her head, also turned her gaze to Kitahara Shinji, her eyes showing a thoughtful expression.

"I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before... Is it Xiaomi Bath?"

Meanwhile, Miura Bourbon and Mayumi Kishiro—the horse girl with the little crown—were curiously observing the man in front of them.

A small black shadow was hiding behind the two of them, looking helpless and not even daring to look up at Kitahara Shinji.

Upon seeing her like this, Shinji Kitahara thought for a moment and decided to take the initiative to greet her.

"Long time no see, Mi Yu."

He spoke, and then saw the little black horse girl slowly raise her head, her face showing obvious tension and her eyes full of unease.

"Hmm...long time no see..."

"Brother."

Brother?

Upon hearing this title, not only the other two horse girls, but even Galeriza turned her head in surprise to look at Kitahara Shinji.

“We knew each other before, and she used to call me brother back then.”

Shinji Kitahara gave a brief explanation, and at the same time, he carefully observed Mi Yu's expression again. After confirming something, his previously anxious heart slowly relaxed a little.

Fortunately, at least for now, this child seems to be still in the womb, and the child that is giving him the biggest headache hasn't shown any signs of coming out yet, which is a blessing in disguise.

After a brief introduction, the people in the room started chatting.

As for the content of the casual conversation, it was basically about the usual training, occasionally interspersed with various events on campus. Overall, it was all very ordinary topics, nothing much to talk about.

Although the topics of conversation were fine, after a while, as certain memories resurfaced, Shinji Kitahara gradually realized that Galeriza's group seemed a little abnormal...

First, there's Mipu Bourbon. Although on the surface, this child seems quite normal, the more you get to know her, the more you'll find that her language, demeanor, and actions all subtly reveal a rigid feeling.

It was as if she wasn't a horse girl at all, but a robot made to resemble a horse girl.

Moreover, it wasn't just Shinji Kitahara who thought so; Miura Bourbon's classmates and teammates also felt the same way, and over time, they even gave her a rather futuristic nickname.

Cyberpunk Girl.

But this is not the most famous place in Mipu Bourbon.

Although Miura Nappa's reputation as a cyberpunk horse girl is somewhat well-known within the academy due to her strange words and actions, compared to her other attribute, her status as a mere cyberpunk horse girl is simply insignificant.

Mechanical Terminator.

This is another nickname of hers.

The word "end" here is not a noun, but a verb, meaning that any machine she touches, or even just gets close to, is at risk of being directly terminated.

As mentioned before, the Treson headquarters is not short of money, so its teaching equipment is quite complete and advanced, including some sophisticated instruments and equipment.