Slacking Professionally at Tracen [54]

Time continued its steady march forward.

After finishing lunch, Kitahara Sota found Agnes Digital and Agnes Tachyon to discuss his idea.

Agnes Digital immediately agreed, her eyes practically sparkling with excitement.

Agnes Tachyon was about to do the same, but just as she opened her mouth, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

“I don’t mind helping out as an assistant trainer, but… I have conditions.”

“No drug-testing,” Kitahara promptly interjected.

“Tch.” Agnes Tachyon clicked her tongue lightly before continuing. “Fine, then how about treating me to a meal? I’m tired of eating in the cafeteria all the time. My appetite isn’t nearly as big as theirs anyway. This isn’t an unreasonable request, is it?”

In all honesty, Kitahara didn’t think it was an unreasonable request either.

However, considering they were part of a team, singling out Agnes Tachyon for special treatment, even with a valid reason, might not be appropriate. It could potentially invite misunderstandings.

Agnes Tachyon seemed to have anticipated this reaction. Seeing his hesitation, she quickly added:

“You don’t need to worry too much. Just invite me along when you and Eclipse go out on weekends. You’re going to eat anyway, right? Plus, I can pick up some supplies while I’m out. With Eclipse around, it’s safer too.”

Her request had already seemed reasonable; now it was downright minimal, and Kitahara couldn’t find any issues. After all, given that they’d just experienced an attack during their weekend trip, it made sense she wouldn’t want to go out alone. Meals were probably just an excuse; her true intention was likely sticking close to Eclipse for safety.

At least, that’s how Kitahara rationalized it, so he readily agreed—on the condition that Eclipse would search her before they left to ensure she wasn’t carrying any suspicious substances.

Agnes Tachyon eagerly accepted, even suggesting he could personally search her if he was still worried—an offer Kitahara flatly refused.

Him, personally search her? What a joke.

He was certain the moment he put a hand on her, she’d smile sweetly and pull out a hidden camera, saying something like, “My dear guinea pig, you wouldn’t want this video leaked online, would you?”—then use that as leverage to get him to try her experiments.

After settling matters with Tachyon, Kitahara turned to Agnes Digital.

“What about you, Agnes Digital? Anything you want?”

Since this arrangement involved both of them, it was only fair to offer Digital something as well.

“Ah? Me…?”

Agnes Digital hadn’t considered requesting anything, but since Tachyon had already asked, she felt awkward not bringing up something. After pondering for a while, she finally came up with a suitable reward.

“Then…when you have time, Kitahara-senpai, could you share more stories about you and Eclipse-san’s past? I promise not to tell anyone.”

“As long as you don’t find it boring, sure.”

Kitahara shrugged easily, agreeing to her request.

With that settled, Agnes Digital happily dragged Tachyon off to plan their new duties, leaving Kitahara alone again.

As soon as they left, he pulled out his phone, prepared to resume slacking.

But before he could even unlock the screen, another figure plopped down in front of him.

“Trainer-san~!”

Tokai Teio rested her chin in her palms, eyes sparkling expectantly.

“What is it this time, Teio?” Kitahara sighed, lifting his gaze.

“Is your phone really that interesting?”

Teio wrinkled her nose slightly, attempting to look annoyed—but the result was merely adorable.

“Can’t you put it down sometimes and spend more time chatting or taking care of me—um, I mean, us? You’re our trainer, after all.”

“No,” Kitahara immediately rejected.

“In my view, trainers handle training. Everything else is irrelevant. Besides, there’s nothing in the staff handbook requiring trainers to chat with Uma Musume.”

“But maintaining your Uma Musume’s emotional state is also part of your job, isn’t it?”

Kitahara glanced around the room. Aside from a certain Grass Wonder quietly brooding in the corner, the rest of his team seemed perfectly cheerful.

As for Grass Wonder, she wasn’t really his responsibility. Given the unique reason behind her gloom, he decided to pretend he hadn’t noticed and continued slacking off.

Tokai Teio, unaware of Grass Wonder’s issues, continued to pout dramatically.

“You’re wrong! There’s clearly an upset Uma Musume right in front of you! And it’s even your tantou!”

Kitahara smiled helplessly. “Alright, Teio. What do you actually want?”

“It’s simple.”

Teio returned to her normal expression, humming softly.

“The Invincible Teio-sama plans to intensify her training. But afterward, I probably won’t have enough energy left. Yet the Invincible Teio-sama really wants a nice, cold honey drink after training…”

So basically, you want me to run errands for you?

Kitahara rolled his eyes and quickly refused.

“Nope.”

“Eh? Why not?” Teio looked genuinely puzzled.

“Because I’m lazy,” Kitahara replied earnestly.

The truth was, he didn’t dare risk raising her affection levels, but he couldn’t admit that outright.

Teio blinked, stunned for a second, before puffing out her cheeks again, making that unintentionally adorable angry expression.

“Trainer-san! You’re so mean!”

She paused briefly, suddenly remembering something and continued:

“Then, how about this? If you buy me a cold honey drink after every training session, I’ll double your trainer’s bonus share.”

Kitahara raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Are you serious?”

Teio nodded confidently. “Absolutely ser—”

Thunk.

Before she could finish, Kitahara gently flicked her forehead.

Immediately afterward, his voice grew serious:

“Even selfishness should have limits, Teio. I know you’re confident about your future, but doubling my share isn’t something to joke about. One day you’ll have to grow up, and until then, you should learn to be responsible with your own future.”

His tone was stern, his expression serious.

Teio blinked in surprise, quickly averting her gaze and murmuring softly:

“…I just said that because I trust you, Trainer-san…”

“Trust isn’t an excuse to be reckless. Anyway, I’ll buy your honey drinks, so let’s drop the subject.”

Kitahara’s voice became even more severe.

He had to be strict. Truthfully, he didn’t fully trust his own willpower. Had Teio persisted a bit longer, he might’ve actually agreed.

Though earning extra money would be great, Kitahara had his principles. If payment didn’t match the effort, it wasn’t business—it was fraud.

He spent several more minutes lecturing Teio until she meekly admitted her mistake. Only then did he release her.

Curiously, despite being scolded and looking slightly aggrieved, Tokai Teio’s tail wagged a bit faster than usual as she walked away—though no one noticed this small detail.

Finally alone again, Kitahara picked up his phone once more, ready to continue his daily slacking routine.

Yet again, before he could even unlock the screen, footsteps approached.

He lifted his head slowly, sighing deeply as he met the intense gaze of the grey-haired Uma Musume standing before him.

“Oguri Cap, do you need something as well?”

—

This is a fan translation of 人在特雷森，专职摆烂 by 多功能复读机 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!