Although the resolution regarding Teio's expedition assistant felt somewhat delicate, the matter was settled in the end.
Since it was still early, and this also counted as fulfilling his promise to take them out to relax, Kuroha simply brought the two goddesses around Tokyo and let them enjoy themselves to their hearts' content.
The Three Goddesses of the uma musume.
Although they were figures from three hundred years ago, in reality, because they had spent most of that time holed up in that strange world, even when they descended to the mortal realm, they only stayed for a few months because of that special opening.
As a result, throughout those long years, the three of them had mostly relied on one another and found ways to amuse themselves.
Godolphin's usual behavior made that obvious.
Their minds had basically remained at the level of young girls, not having become as old as one might expect after three hundred years.
Even though they could already fly through the air with their own bodies, the roller coasters and pirate ships at an amusement park could still make them cry out happily.
Even as the progenitors of all uma musume, watching the winner's stage of young horse girls from below the stage, or sitting in a theater watching those tear-jerking movies and dramas, could still stir their hearts and make them empathize deeply.
At the entrance of a movie theater.
"Ah, no matter how many times I watch, those children really are so cute~"
Darley stretched casually.
Her fiery red hair rose with the wind, and the girl stretched her sexy waist to her heart's content. Her whole body radiated astonishing youthful vitality, like a flickering flame.
Behind her, Kuroha and Byerley also walked out side by side. Kuroha was still holding half a bucket of unfinished popcorn.
"Should we go home for lunch?"
Kuroha asked with a smile.
Hearing this, Darley stretched out a pale finger and tapped her cheek, thinking seriously for a moment.
"Eat... I suppose! I feel like we still shouldn't stay away from modern common sense for too long."
Byerley rolled her eyes at her from the side.
"You still have the nerve to talk about common sense? Who's the one dragging me out every night to stay up and go wild all over the place?"
"That's different. Totally different~"
The red-haired goddess guiltily turned her head aside.
Watching the two of them bicker, Kuroha could not help smiling.
He raised his wrist and glanced at the time, then suggested,
"All right. The timing is just right too. Want to stop by a nearby market together?"
"You can order whatever you want. I'll cook lunch myself and let you eat something good!"
"Oh?"
Hearing that, Darley's amethyst-like eyes instantly lit up.
She reached out and hugged Kuroha's arm in one motion, once again pressing her proud softness tightly against him. Her tone was sweet and cloying.
"Darling's going to cook?"
"..."
Although Kuroha still had not quite gotten used to the red-haired goddess calling him that, he still replied gently,
"Ever since I took McQueen overseas, I really haven't cooked personally in a long time. I happen to have some free time now, so I'll let you all enjoy yourselves."
"Mm. Then let's go!"
As Darley spoke, she excitedly pulled Kuroha forward. At the same time, she discreetly tilted her head toward Byerley beside them and frantically signaled with her eyes.
Her gaze was full of impatience and frustration at Byerley's lack of initiative.
Byerley: "..."
The girl was struggling internally...
"All right, let's go."
Just as Kuroha, smiling, prepared to step forward and lead the way, a warm, delicate sensation suddenly came from his right hand.
He froze for a moment. Looking back, he saw Byerley reaching out with her soft hand and tightly holding his.
This yellow goddess, usually so gallant and composed, was now shyly lowering her head slightly.
The redness had spread from the roots of her ears all the way down to her neck.
She looked full of the striking contrast of a pure, bashful girl who stirred a person's protective instincts.
...There was no need to rush this much, right?
Kuroha felt somewhat helpless.
But when he turned and saw the red-haired goddess covering her mouth with a quiet laugh beside him, he understood.
Fine. It was not as if he was losing out.
It just seemed that, in the days to come, he would have to pay even more attention to these two goddesses.
...
One hour later.
Chasing Light Villa.
Kuroha, who had returned from a major shopping trip with the red and yellow goddesses, set down the bags in his hands.
There was no helping it.
After all, they were also feeding a Godzilla at home.
Even if fewer than ten people would be eating at the villa for lunch today, he still had to consider portions for at least thirty.
Fortunately, the villa's storage room still had some ingredients stocked up.
Otherwise, if they really had to buy enough food for thirty people, the three of them might have had to move the entire supermarket back.
"I'm back!"
Pushing open the door to the main hall, Kuroha called out loudly.
The next instant, a slightly languid reply came from inside the hall.
Kuroha walked into the living room.
He found that the hall, usually lively and bustling, was now empty.
Only Fumino was sitting on the sofa with her long legs crossed.
A thin laptop was resting on her thighs. Her elegant brows were slightly furrowed, as if she were seriously looking through some information.
Apart from her, the other Chasing Light uma musume were nowhere to be seen.
Kuroha asked curiously, "Fumino, where is everyone?"
Under normal circumstances, it would have been one thing if Inari had disappeared, but where had Obe and March gone?
Hearing this, the purple-haired beauty moved her gaze away from the laptop screen and shook her head.
"Little Inari, Obe, and Mr. C.B. went shopping together."
"March was dragged out by Oguri Cap to play."
"As for Ardan and the others, at this time, they should be attending classes at the academy... Oh? Darley, Byerley, long time no see. Good morning."
Halfway through, Fumino finally noticed the two goddesses following behind Kuroha. She quickly set down the laptop and greeted them with a smile.
Darley and Byerley also nodded back easily.
"They went to class, huh..."
Kuroha nodded in understanding.
As for his horse girls sometimes attending class and sometimes skipping, he was quite understanding.
Although they kept saying that their culture classes were boring.
And after retiring, they would not lack money to spend anyway.
Those courses did not offer much practical help to the Chasing Light girls.
But not everything could be viewed purely in terms of benefit.
Although Ardan, Chiyono, and the others had already left their names in Central Tracen Academy's history.
They were entirely worthy of the title "legendary uma musume."
But at the end of the day, they were still girls in the flower of youth, fifteen years old, and less than five years removed from their little girl forms.
Most of their socializing with peers still had to take place in the broader environment of the academy.
Going to class now and then, chatting with horse girls their own age about gossip—it was perfectly normal.
With that thought, Kuroha picked up the ingredients and walked into the kitchen.
The two goddesses also went their separate ways.
Darley curiously leaned in beside Fumino and looked at the computer with her.
Byerley changed clothes and headed to the villa's internal gym to do some pre-meal warm-ups.
...
Kuroha busied himself in the kitchen for the first time in a long while.
After setting the stew to simmer on the stove, he washed his hands during a spare moment.
Then he came over beside Fumino and Darley, leaning down to look at the laptop screen.
On the screen, densely packed detailed physical data and profiles of elementary division little uma musume were displayed.
"Already preparing to scout a new trainee for your team?"
"Mm."
Fumino answered softly without turning back, her exquisite face full of seriousness.
"I'm a formal trainer at Central Tracen Academy too, after all. I can't lose to you by too much!"
Kuroha was first startled, then could not help shaking his head with a laugh.
Seeing how seriously Fumino was looking through the data, he could not resist bending down, drawing close to her ear, and teasing her softly.
"Need your future husband to give you some insider advice?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the purple-haired beauty's cheeks turned red. She shot him a coquettish glare, then directly tilted the laptop screen toward him.
"Yes! Go on. What brilliant insight does the famous head trainer of Chasing Light have?"
Kuroha paused, then said with a strange expression,
"Weren't you just saying with such ambition that you couldn't lose to me by too much?"
"But I should still borrow strength where I can. Who told you to be my future husband?"
Fumino gave a soft huff. "Enough nonsense. Hurry up and look."
After spending so much time with Kuroha, and after joining Chasing Light long ago, Fumino's training philosophy had already begun to rapidly converge with his.
Starting with the development of little horse girls was the first step of her plan.
It was just that this first step was incomparably difficult and long.
Before an uma musume underwent her true awakening, unless the difference in talent was so great that it was visible to the naked eye, purely on paper, there was not much of a gap between the elementary division horse girls.
Moreover.
Central Tracen was not without cases of "child prodigies who faded early."
Some genius little horse girls had excellent physical qualities in the elementary division.
They could win seven or eight out of ten simulated races.
But after undergoing their true awakening, their physical development failed to reach expectations. Their talent turned out to be much worse than anticipated, disappointing everyone instead.
Because of that.
Over the past few days, just looking at all these profiles on the computer, where the differences were almost negligible, had already left her feeling overwhelmed.
Sometimes, she even wondered.
It was honestly impressive that Kuroha had managed to find and cultivate little horse girls like Teio, McQueen, and Bourbon, who remained overwhelmingly powerful even after their true awakening.
She truly did not know whether it was luck or ability.
But when she lifted her head and looked at her lover's face so close by, shining as though it were giving off light, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Mm... It should be ability...
In front of her.
Looking helplessly at Fumino, who was openly and confidently using her connections, Kuroha gave a light sigh and indulgently reached out to rub her head.
"All right, all right. I'll help you think it over."
As he spoke, he began seriously looking through the profiles on the laptop.
After quickly running through the data of the more outstanding elementary division uma musume of this generation at Central Tracen in his mind, Kuroha pondered for a moment and spoke in an orderly manner.
"Biwa Hayahide, Narita Taishin, Winning Ticket, and Hokuto Vega."
"If you're choosing your next trainee, you can choose from among them. Those four have rather outstanding talent."
After a pause, Kuroha thought briefly and added,
"If none of those four have the right opportunity, then if we go down the list, Grass Wonder also counts as... These little horse girls are also very fine unpolished gems."
"Still, as for who exactly you should choose as your trainee, that depends on your compatibility with them. You'll have to consider that yourself."
(End of Chapter)
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