Kitahara Sota's true awakening was about to begin.
This sounded like some kind of joke.
After all, everyone knew that "true awakening" was something exclusive to Uma Musume.
Yet Kitahara-san was not only human but male. No matter how you looked at it, it was impossible for him to have any connection to something like honkakuka.
At first, Meisho Doto didn't believe it either. But after interacting with him just now—
She began to feel that what the pure-white Uma Musume had told her was probably true.
According to that white Uma Musume, Kitahara-san's awakening wouldn't be the usual kind.
He wouldn't get physical enhancements, nor would he suddenly gain the powers of an Uma Musume. Instead, it would amplify some of his other traits—
Such as his attractiveness to Uma Musume.
The strange atmosphere inside Kitahara-san's team was already well-known. It had long since spread beyond the Trainers, and Meisho Doto, who had quietly kept an eye on Kitahara-san all this time, naturally knew about it as well.
Precisely because of this understanding, after learning about his upcoming awakening, Doto immediately realized that something considered beneficial for most could cause serious trouble for someone like Kitahara-san.
Especially since an Uma Musume's awakening, aside from rapid growth, often came with instability and unpredictability.
According to that white Uma Musume, Kitahara-san's awakening hadn't even started yet—
Yet the mere early signs were already enough to unsettle the hearts of those Uma Musume who were already wavering around him.
Once it truly began, combined with the uncontrolled strength, things could become dangerously chaotic—perhaps even threatening his life.
Earlier, when Meisho Doto had been about to leave the track, she'd recalled these words. That was why she had stopped in her tracks, unconsciously following him.
And after following him and speaking with him—
As she smelled his familiar scent, felt the surging emotions and the strange impulse within herself, Meisho Doto became even more convinced that what the white Uma Musume had said was true.
I have to protect Kitahara-san.
The moment she was sure of the situation, that thought immediately appeared in her heart.
But though she had that intention, Doto was well aware—
Given her current clumsiness, which persisted whenever she wasn't directly commanded, not causing trouble was already the biggest help she could offer Kitahara-san, let alone actually protecting him.
But it didn't matter. Because a few days ago, after telling her about Kitahara-san's awakening, the white Uma Musume had also given her a way—even someone as clumsy as herself could help.
She wasn't asked to directly protect Kitahara-san.
Instead, she could strengthen him by drawing upon some hidden abilities even Kitahara-san himself hadn't noticed.
This way, when real danger came, he'd be more capable of protecting himself.
Thus, after their brief conversation ended and she gradually calmed down, Meisho Doto started pondering how to implement this helping plan.
Saying it directly wouldn't work, of course.
First, based on her understanding, if she rashly brought something like that up, Kitahara-san would almost certainly refuse.
Second, the white Uma Musume had explicitly warned her: for Kitahara-san, having too much "awareness" of these things would likely only make his abilities even harder to control.
But while Doto was deep in thought about all this—
Kitahara-san noticed her suddenly go quiet, looking troubled. Naturally, he misunderstood this, thinking she was conflicted about joining his team.
After a short silence, looking at her pitiful appearance, Kitahara-san sighed lightly, turned around, opened the door to his dorm room, and waved her inside.
"Alright, no matter what's troubling you, let's come in first and then talk."
"…Yes."
Honestly, even now, Kitahara-san still felt somewhat anxious about Meisho Doto.
And it wasn't just because of her inferiority complex. It was mostly because of her terrifying destructive power.
For instance, just now, after entering the room, Doto tried to help close the door.
But due to nervousness, she swung around with too much force—
With a clear, resounding thunk, Kitahara-san's door gained a fresh dent, and Meisho Doto's forehead gained a fresh lump. A few tears welled up at the corners of her eyes.
Wonderful sound? Sure, it was a wonderfully loud thump.
Looking at Doto's teary-eyed expression of pain, Kitahara-san sighed again. Worried that if he let her roam freely, his entire room might not survive, he pointed to the nearby sofa, instructing her to sit quietly.
Immediately, after receiving Kitahara-san's order, Meisho Doto's movements became perfectly fluid. She obediently took a seat there.
Around this time, Special Week and Grass Wonder finished bathing after their race.
Dressed in loose clothing, they walked out from the bathroom while glaring at each other. Upon seeing Meisho Doto on the sofa, their bodies paused slightly.
"Sota-san, who is this…?"
"This is Doto, a child I used to care for."
Kitahara-san briefly introduced Doto, then looked toward her and introduced his team members in turn.
"This is Special Week, and this is Grass Wonder. Both are Uma Musume under my care. They just finished racing—you were at the track earlier, so you probably saw them..."
Listening to Kitahara-san's introduction, Meisho Doto politely greeted both girls.
A child he used to care for? Does that mean…another rival?
Special Week and Grass Wonder politely returned her greetings while secretly thinking along these lines.
However, while responding, their gazes unintentionally drifted to a certain part of Meisho Doto's body, expressions subtly changing.
This new rival…her threat level seems…quite "big," huh...
Exchanging a quick glance, Special Week and Grass Wonder seemed to reach a silent agreement.
Deciding to temporarily put aside their mutual hostility, they assertively took seats on either side of Kitahara-san, clearly staking their claims as they looked straight at Meisho Doto.
However, in the face of their assertive display, Meisho Doto showed no reaction at all.
Forget hostility—when the conversation turned to the earlier race, Meisho Doto sincerely complimented their performance, seemingly completely oblivious to their territorial behavior.
Her unexpected reaction stunned Special Week and Grass Wonder briefly, their gazes shifting again.
Could it be…this child isn't interested in joining the Kitahara Cup at all…?
Soon, their suspicion was confirmed as the conversation continued.
After chatting a bit more, noticing Doto had finally calmed down, Kitahara-san directly asked if she wanted to join his team.
The moment they heard "join the team," Special Week and Grass Wonder's ears immediately perked up, gazes sharp.
But…
"Um, my maturation hasn't even started yet, and you already have many members, Kitahara-san. If I joined, I'd definitely cause you a lot of trouble, so…"
Doto slowly lowered her head.
Forget Special Week and Grass Wonder—even Kitahara-san himself was slightly stunned by Meisho Doto's unexpected refusal.
However, although surprised, Kitahara-san quickly accepted it.
After all, being rejected by a potential Uma Musume was something nearly every trainer experienced. It was perfectly normal.
Once the subject was moved past, the room's atmosphere gradually improved again.
Learning Doto had no intention of joining the team, Special Week and Grass Wonder instantly softened, becoming more friendly and enthusiastic, quickly warming up to her.
Seeing them quickly getting along, Kitahara-san's mood also improved.
Even though she'd refused his invitation, Doto was still a child he'd cared for previously.
Besides, from their earlier talk outside, he knew that due to her devastating clumsiness, she hadn't really made any friends at Tracen Academy. Seeing her form some new bonds now genuinely made him happy.
But just as he felt relieved, Kitahara-san's phone suddenly rang—it was the Chairwoman.
Since it was a work-related call, he stepped outside to answer it.
Meanwhile, seeing the table was empty, Grass Wonder decided to make some tea.
While she was preparing it, she noticed Doto staring curiously, so Grass Wonder smiled gently and asked if she was interested.
Meisho Doto instinctively nodded but immediately shook her head afterward.
"I—I can't, Grass-san. I'll mess it up…"
"It's alright. It's just making tea. If you want to learn, I can teach you..."
"But I'm very clumsy, I can't do anything right. I wouldn't be able to learn..."
"It's fine. Although making good tea can be tricky, you can start from something very simple. Besides, speaking of clumsiness, I already have plenty of experience with a certain fool…"
Saying this, Grass Wonder shot a sideways glance at Special Week, who immediately returned the glare.
Since she'd put it like that—and considering Grass-san had experience dealing with clumsy people—Meisho Doto finally mustered the courage, cautiously approaching to learn the basics of tea-making.
And then…
"Yes, I'll properly handle matters with Hayakawa-san..."
After finishing the call, Kitahara Sota turned back around, intending to check how the little ones were getting along.
Then, his eyes landed on Special Week, sitting petrified on the sofa with an expression of pure horror; Grass Wonder, standing near the table, rubbing her forehead as her usual gentle smile had completely vanished...
...And Meisho Doto, standing off to the side, utterly bewildered, soaking wet from head to toe, covered in various sticky, colorful stains, and looking like she was about to burst into tears.
"Um, I was trying to teach Doto-san how to make tea, and..."
"Yes. I understand."
Kitahara-san didn't even wait for Grass Wonder to finish her sentence. Just hearing her start to explain, he immediately understood exactly what had happened.
Seeing Doto standing there covered in a sticky mess, Kitahara-san sighed softly. Thinking it wouldn't do to let her stay like that—and knowing her dorm room was quite a distance away—he reluctantly spoke:
"Go take a shower first. I'll find you a fresh set of clothes."
"…Yes."
Nodding obediently, Meisho Doto quietly headed toward the bathroom.
After she went inside, Kitahara-san stepped into his own room and began searching through his wardrobe.
He wasn't intentionally looking to lend her his clothes, but the fact was, certain parts of Doto's body had developed far too impressively.
Forget about Grass Wonder—if Doto wore Special Week's clothes, they'd probably end up stretched several sizes larger.
And as for Silence Suzuka's…
Well, that would just be asking for humiliation.
After selecting a couple of his own looser outfits for Doto, Kitahara-san returned to the sofa and started explaining Meisho Doto's situation in detail to Special Week and Grass Wonder.
Earlier, Special Week and Grass Wonder might've doubted Kitahara-san's words—not out of distrust, but because they genuinely couldn't imagine how clumsy someone had to be to reach "disaster" level.
But after experiencing the events of just now, they no longer held the slightest doubt about his claims.
After Kitahara-san finished explaining, both girls nodded seriously, promising to be careful around Doto from now on.
Yet the very instant their discussion ended, a series of loud crashes and bangs echoed from the bathroom, immediately followed by Meisho Doto's panicked cry.
Hearing this, Kitahara-san reflexively stood up and rushed straight to the bathroom door, calling out urgently:
"What happened, Doto? Are you okay?"
No answer.
Frowning slightly, Kitahara-san glanced back towards Special Week and Grass Wonder, intending to ask one of them to check on her.
But before he could speak, the bathroom door swung open abruptly, and something rushed directly into his arms.
The impact wasn't gentle, and coupled with his momentary distraction, it caused Kitahara-san to lose his balance.
Soft, warm, and still slightly damp from the steam.
Instinctively, Kitahara-san's hands moved to push away the warm softness clinging to him.
Yet only when his hands came into contact with her smooth, bare skin did Kitahara-san suddenly realize—
The way Doto is right now probably isn't appropriate for me to be touching.
But this wasn't the end.
Just as he processed this and was about to quickly let go and ask Doto to move away—
Before he could even speak, the warmth in his embrace stirred, climbing up further against him. Trembling arms wrapped tightly around his head, muffling the words that were about to escape his lips.
Then, a shaky voice whispered into his ear:
"In the bathroom…"
"There's a bug."
---
T/N: LIESSSSSS
...
"Looks like this is the last day you'll be hearing from me—for now, at least."
"Bonus chapters will be released tomorrow, so if you've been hoarding your patience, you won't have to for much longer."
"If you want to support the translator, there's still Patreon: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional support—early access is just a side benefit, not an obligation."
"And don't forget the Powerstone deal: every 100 Powerstones = 1 bonus chapter (100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp, and so on). If you want more chapters after tomorrow… you know what to do."
"If you'd rather talk than throw stones, the Discord is open: discord.gg/wisetl. Go scream, speculate, or bully the translator about cliffhangers there instead of in your heart."
say bye bye and thank you to maomao!!