Shanish's goal had been clear from the very beginning.
She wanted to Uma Pyoi Kitahara.
The black rice ball was not around, and the news that she had obtained a body had yet to spread.
This was the best possible opportunity.
As for Kitahara's excuses, she had expected those too.
Her contingency plan was very simple. No matter what he said, she would simply Uma Pyoi him and be done with it.
That was the best way to deal with a blockhead.
If once was not enough, then do it again.
Only on this point had she miscalculated.
Although she had never properly experienced it before, she had still been very confident in this body's stamina.
But in the end, she had been routed so thoroughly that she was left in complete disarray, while Kitahara's defenses had not even cracked.
Sorry, I couldn't satisfy Kitahara-sama.jpg
In short, although she had relied on brute force to seize the upper hand at first...
In terms of the final result, she had suffered an utter defeat.
It seemed that next time, she would have to drag more people in with her.
After lying limp on the bed and panting for quite a while, Shanish crawled up and hugged Kitahara from behind, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Are you angry?"
"What do you think?"
Kitahara shot her an irritated look.
Who would be happy about getting forcibly Uma Pyoi'd out of nowhere like that?
Not to mention he had not even gotten his fill.
"I'm sorry."
Shanish pressed her forehead against his shoulder, her tone sincere.
"I won't do that next time."
You're still thinking there'll be a next time...?
The corner of Kitahara's mouth twitched, and then he sighed.
"So what exactly are you trying to do...?"
She had clearly looked as though she was acting for the sake of the whole world before. How had she suddenly shifted gears and come straight over to Uma Pyoi him?
"The two don't conflict."
Shanish held him, her breath warm.
"And when it comes to change, aren't you already doing it?"
Was that something he had wanted to do? Besides, he was just a Trainer. The world, the future—that was something the people at the very top should be thinking about. He—
Perhaps he really could do something.
Kitahara actually knew that.
Outstanding talent, superhuman abilities, the reputation he had accumulated over time, and Eclipse at his side...
Although he had never connected it to the Three Goddesses before, nor had he imagined the scale could grow this large, he had known that he possessed influence.
But he truly did not think he could shoulder such a great responsibility alone.
"So why must you shoulder it alone?"
She looked at him, her tone serious.
"This was never your responsibility alone to begin with, and it's not as though there's no one by your side."
Silence.
Then a sigh.
He had to admit that Shanish was right.
This matter had never been his alone. It was closely connected to everyone.
Even Eclipse had understood that and helped him communicate with Tokai Teio, yet he himself had been avoiding it all this time.
No, perhaps it could not be called avoidance either.
According to the thinking of a normal person, adults were supposed to protect children. This sort of thing was supposed to be the responsibility of adults. Children should not be dragged into it.
Even if the matter was closely tied to them.
That was how Kitahara viewed himself and those Umamusume.
That was also how the Three Goddesses viewed this world.
But Shanish was different.
She was a child who had only been born not long ago, but precisely because of that, she thought from the perspective of a child.
Of course, she also admitted that many children had their knowledge and horizons limited by age, and their wisdom was far inferior to that of adults.
But children would grow up one day.
Just like many of the young Umamusume Kitahara had helped back then were now already adults, no longer girls who needed him to look after and indulge them.
Just like the growth of this world had exceeded the control of the Three Goddesses, and it had long since stopped being a garden that could only survive under their protection and guidance.
Yet they had not realized that, and still treated them as children.
And so distance gradually grew. And so differences began.
So...
"So can you let go of me now?"
After Shanish's reminder, he felt as if he had grasped something.
Perhaps he really could do something, but that was for later.
Right now, what he was thinking about was how to escape this basement.
After all, no matter how bright the road ahead might be, light could not shine into a basement.
Kitahara pried at her fingers, trying to break free.
What he got in return was an even tighter embrace.
"Let's do it again."
She hooked her arms around his neck and whispered beside his ear.
"This time, I'll listen to you."
"You..."
Kitahara frowned.
But before he could get the words out, warmth covered his lips.
A long while later, their lips parted.
Shanish looked at him.
"I love you."
"So, please."
If this had been any other Umamusume, forget agreeing—if Kitahara did not immediately pin them back down on the bed and lecture them on the spot, then his name was not Kitahara.
But looking at the face so close before him, a face no different from Eclipse's.
Looking at that pitiful expression, and the plea in her eyes.
After a moment of silence, Kitahara made up his mind.
That made it even more impossible. Wouldn't this turn into some sort of stand-in literature...?
"It's fine. I don't mind."
But before he could respond, Shanish once again pressed him down onto the bed.
"After all, in a certain sense, she and I are the same person."
After many years of observation, Shanish had reached a conclusion.
When dealing with this sort of blockhead, speaking to him nicely was useless.
You had to hit him directly with a heavy punch.
"What she can do, I can do too. What she can't do, I can also do."
"I don't expect to surpass her place in your heart, but I will prove that in certain aspects, I am better than her."
She bent down.
"For example..."
"Right now."
...
Some time later.
Kitahara walked out of the basement with a dark expression.
Although his "communication" with Shanish had indeed helped him grasp something.
The problem was that he had also grasped some additional things he had not intended to grasp.
...Although it had admittedly felt rather good.
"Yo. Still alive, huh?"
Seeing him come out, the old Umamusume's face showed a meaningful smile.
"Why so grim? Don't tell me you're planning to be a scumbag who won't take responsibility."
"...Get me a bottle of water."
Kitahara did not want to deal with her. Once he got the water, he started gulping it down.
After he finished drinking, the old Umamusume spoke again.
"Where did that girl come from? I've never seen her before. She doesn't seem to be a Tracen student either."
"She really isn't."
"Then where did you abduct her from?"
"I couldn't abduct her if I tried."
Kitahara shook his head.
"She's the fourth goddess. If she doesn't abduct me, I'd call that good enough. How would I even abduct her?"
The old Umamusume's expression froze.
"...Fourth goddess?"
"It's perfectly normal for the Three Goddesses to have four members, isn't it?"
If Eclipse was included, there were even five.
After a moment of silence, the old Umamusume decided to skip over that dangerous topic.
"Then after your 'communication,' have you figured out what you're going to do?"
"I have."
Kitahara nodded, then lifted his head and looked into the distance.
"But it's not me."
"It's 'us.'"
---
T/N: :sob:
bonus chaps
200 stones -> 1 chapter
400 stones -> 2 chapters
600 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
hehe every 100 followers on either instagram or twitter is 5 bonus chapters...? (for all tls ongoing)
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl
instagram: hanbaowise
twitter: WiseKingOfUruk_