Chapter 1398: with translation of chapter title

No. 14: Fighting spirit scattered everywhere

The next day, afternoon.

Central Tresen's training field.

Aomo was using a tablet to outline today's training schedule, while the black-haired girl who had already changed into sportswear and her chestnut-haired companion glanced at the other two, then inevitably came over to greet.

……Trainer…

「Huh? 」 The busy trainer shifted the tablet slightly to glance at her, then continued sliding the screen, 「I'm listening, go ahead. 」

「…I want to ask, should we…cancel training? 」 Chazuo turned her head to look at the two Duìyou again, 「Suzi and Aizhi, they don't seem in good shape. 」

「That's indeed the case, 」 Aomo likewise lifted his eyes following her words to glance at the two behind Bopang, Suzi and Aizhi, walking slowly, obviously lacking spirit, 「but whether we can cancel still needs to be asked of them themselves. 」

The first day of school should have been very leisurely.

Even those horse girls who don't need training and haven't signed with a trainer will still be immersed in the various emotions of reuniting with classmates, teachers, obtaining new materials, moving back into the dormitory, etc.

They might even encounter an 'ambush' by a trainer-in-training on the way, sign a contract to become a mage… become an active athlete, and embark on formal training.

Yes, in the period of nearly a week after the start of school, it will be a time for the newly hired central trainers to refresh everywhere.

After all, if you can't even take responsibility for signing someone up, after all the effort to get in, you'll be kicked out.

The first week is a golden period, while the second week already sees one hovering on the edge of being packed up and sent away; although countless horse girls in the school eagerly await the start of their active careers, the meticulous selection of trainers is also a topic often discussed by countless seniors, friends, and upperclassmen.

Mishandling things and having the contract terminated is also perfectly natural.

These trainer colleagues have already entered their first trial, while Trainer Aomo has already stepped into the realm of the old hand—being able to train on the first day is a leisure only veterans can afford.

But frankly, not being late on the first day's training, staying up late, headaches, etc., are also part of what veterans inevitably experience.

——Insomnia before the first day of school, this condition akin to elementary school students' spring outing syndrome, is also common among Tresen's JKs.

And then someone unknowingly enjoyed it.

Aomo, who hasn't even had a one-year career, has already snagged two of the veterans' opening achievements, so it's hard to say whether he'll have them in his lifetime.

All that can be said is that, having come to this point, one must resign oneself to fate: skip being late to go play, skip staying up late to rest, skip headaches to go to the infirmary… He could indeed arrange it that way, after all, the expectations for the first day's training were never high.

Even if one brings the enthusiasm of the new school term, they're more likely to spend it on close classmates than on training; Aomo had considered such a situation and designated the fourth version of the training plan, so even if he skips today, he can switch to the sixth version and make up for it later in training.

But, as he said, the premise is that those two actually stop.

Suzi: «What! Cancel training? No way!! »

Aizhi: «I refuse. »

Just watch.

Aomo looked toward Chazuo with a caring gaze.

This child, who, like Bopang, has been especially low-maintenance these days, even in January seemed to have taken care of herself and the fact that her relationship had just been confirmed, making her dream visits infrequent, allowing Zhouri Ningjing to run over to Aomo and show off endlessly, putting on an act of «You've lost favor, Chazuo still likes me more! »

Still pretty stupid.

It's a pity she isn't dog enough; otherwise Aomo would be willing to transfer his 'silly dog' nickname for Lapland to her.

Calling her a 'silly horse' sounds awkward and easily evokes a more generic aggressive term, so Aomo ultimately gave up.

That said, although Chazuo is such a good child, and like Bopang, though she lived in an agency for a while, she still regularly visits her parents, yet in these days Aomo still notices her unconsciously tense a bit.

This is clearly not stemming from the guilt of often avoiding the child during cohabitation to trigger affection events with girlfriends.

The word «still» is meant to indicate that this unconscious reaction is no different from the abnormality of a couple of months ago.

The essence of this tension is a stress response.

It is a kind of vigilance.

It is a vigilance that compels him to continue monitoring Chazuo and Gatanjeor's suitability changes.

It is his rejection of the apparent purposefulness within when facing the gaze of those pale gold eyes, calm as an ancient well.

Chazuo's changes, or rather, from a deeper meaning, should be described with the word «rebirth».

This process continues, and he continues to observe it.

Although while observing this phenomenon he ought to ask his nearby friends and family, Zhouri Ningjing, as a heavy fan of Chazuo, usually responds to Aomo's questions with «I don't know», and even when she can answer a few sentences, she completely misses the point, truly feeling that Chazuo has not changed at all.

Such blind familial love leaves him no choice but to turn his gaze to Suzi and Aizhi; the latter is still vague, while the former's answer is all too clear.

So clear that it's hard not to suspect that certain viewpoints are overly colored by personal bias.

Biased information shouldn't be used as reference, but discarding it altogether is also not Aomo's style, especially since that answer actually corresponds quite well to his own special feeling.

A desire to observe darkness, a longing to witness its evolution, even an anticipation to behold the pursuit of moonlight… Aomo actually leans toward this view, but the process is still ongoing, and a hasty conclusion would also be inappropriate.

As a trainer, and as the trainer of several horse girls, you must bear the responsibility of simultaneously monitoring the mental state changes of several horse girls; this responsibility naturally entails not only a burden, but also the impact of those mental state changes on the horses' performance.

Aomo doesn't mind the changes in his charges' interests and hobbies within legal limits, after all, for teenagers whose worldviews haven't truly solidified yet, change is inevitable, and all a trainer can ever do is guide, not interfere.

So he isn't in a hurry to talk with Chazuo.

While Chazuo observes him, he likewise observes Chazuo—naturally, he won't overlook his other subordinates either.

「In that case, we'll have to see the efficacy of Miss Suzi's mental medicine. »

Having stowed the tablet he'd been writing on into his wristband, Aomo clapped his hands and walked over, then curiously asked, 「Could there also be a rejuvenation effect on you guys? 」

「Logically speaking, it's impossible; the rejuvenation effect is entirely due to your strange racial trait. » Suzi pursed her lips.

She hadn't even changed into sportswear, still wearing her custom-made, specific-material white coat battle outfit, and directly pulled the two tubes that at first glance looked like decorative wooden stoppers from the fixed straps on her coat's waist.

「Unless the full version also encompasses similar effects, that thing varies from person to person, and to this day there's still no definitive conclusion. »

With a clean, swift pull, Suzi removed the stopper that normally wouldn't take much force and would risk spilling, requiring careful handling; her astonishing finger strength made it look effortless, and she then handed a bottle to her cunning companion.

「Here! If you don't want to interfere with training or risk injury, just chug it down! These are the last two bottles; if you waste them, I'll have to make more. »

「Having even two bottles left is already absurd; did you also keep a stash of the guinea‑pig‑transforming potion? 」

「Would a guinea‑pig who actively comes to me for these medicines even have the right to say that? I've been wanting to ask: were you busy enough last month to need to drink mental medicine? 」

Dark‑red eyes fixed on the unchanging trainer, Suzi stepped forward, closing in to a distance where she'd practically be pressed against him, causing him to lean back and retreat half a step.

「You're not going to use my medicine for some pointless thing, are you? 」

It's only natural; there wouldn't be any meaningless thing.

The trainer's answer was neither humble nor arrogant; even with that researcher's gaze, nothing unusual could be seen.

However, someone still refused to back down.

For example, using my potion to turn into a little guinea pig to satisfy those women's strange hobbies.

Where… where did that strange hobby come from? It's not right to rashly judge others.

You hesitated, didn't you! You hesitated for a second!

I just didn't expect Miss Suzi's way of thinking to be so astonishing.

Cheating! It's basically using conscientious effort to seek pleasure! Lousy! Scum!

Proposal: let's train with this momentum.

Beside, Bopang, who had been watching for a long time, opened his mouth to complain about this little theater that, like an 8 p. m. drama, could draw many nearby gazes.

"... I think so too, you look more spirited." Aizhi nodded subtly, but still held the test reagent in her hand, hesitated a moment, then tipped her head back and gulped it down.

What do you mean! You should join me, right? Did you get shorter?

"……" Looking at her sleeves that had grown a bit larger, Aimu Zhiji lowered her head again, unlike usual, now able to easily see the ground beyond her chest.

Oh! Looks like it's still useful!

Suzi hurriedly pulled out her phone from her pocket, looking like she was taking notes.

Even the self-abusing guinea pig's overdeveloped body isn't as good as mine—has it regressed in every way? Want to try it next, Bopang?

I refuse.

Bopang answered in a way that was not at all mechanical.