Slacking Professionally at Tracen [63]

After parting ways at the elderly Uma Musume’s clothing shop last Saturday, Kitahara Sota had thought he wouldn’t have any further interactions with these two heavyweights.

It made sense. Both were young, not even in their growth spurts yet, nor were they students of Tracen Academy. Logically, the only time they’d meet again would be at Elder Uma Musume’s store.

Although he went to Elder Uma Musume’s shop every Saturday, most of his time there involved serious discussions about Uma Musume clothing design. Besides, both fillies had their own family affairs, making frequent visits impossible.

Moreover, there was no real reason for it.

Kitasan Black was understandable—her family, while influential, wasn’t closely affiliated with Tracen, so it made sense she’d seek outside trainers for information out of curiosity.

But Satono Diamond was different—she was the young heiress of the prominent Satono family, closely tied with Tracen HQ. Many former Tracen trainers even joined her family’s enterprises after leaving the academy.

Her previous visit to Elder Uma Musume’s store was merely to accompany Kitasan Black, and she’d shown little interest in Tracen itself during their conversation. There should’ve been no reason for her to visit again, and certainly no reason for them to cross paths once more.

And yet…

Looking at the two small figures suddenly standing before him, Kitahara barely kept his smile intact, his voice slightly trembling.

“What brings you two here?”

“Dia-chan wanted—”

Before Kitasan Black could finish, Satono Diamond quickly interrupted.

“It’s like this. If nothing unexpected happens, Kita-chan and I will enroll here next year, so we wanted to come by early and get familiar with the school. We didn’t expect we’d bump into you.”

Satono Diamond’s eyes were slightly nervous, but her demeanor was flawless, smoothly providing a perfectly reasonable explanation.

But her words made Kitasan Black look at her friend in confusion.

Eh? Weren’t you the one who wanted to see Trainer Kitahara? When did it become about visiting Tracen?

Though thoroughly confused, Kitasan Black didn’t voice her doubts. She saw Diamond’s meaningful glance, swallowed her questions, and remained silent.

But Kitasan wasn’t the only confused one. Hearing Diamond’s explanation, Kitahara’s eyebrow also twitched involuntarily.

Next year?

That didn’t seem right. These two clearly looked like elementary school kids—at best sixth graders, probably fourth or fifth. But Tracen Academy only had a middle and high school division. At the very least, they’d need to be junior-high aged to enroll, and these two definitely didn’t look the part.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have believed that he wouldn’t cross paths with them again before leaving Tracen.

Perhaps sensing his confusion, Satono Diamond offered a slightly shy smile and continued:

“Although most Uma Musume mature at a similar rate as human girls, a small number develop more slowly before their true growth spurt begins, after which they rapidly catch up. Kita-chan and I belong to that group, so we look younger than we actually are.”

Kitahara had indeed heard of such cases before.

It was rumored that these late-developing Uma Musume often had greater potential once their growth spurt kicked in. Some influential Uma Musume families even deliberately suppressed their daughters’ growth before their true awakening. Diamond likely belonged to this category.

At this thought, an instant wave of unease washed over Kitahara, causing his heart rate to spike. He feared they’d say something terrifying next, like, “Would you consider becoming our trainer, Kitahara-san?”

Fortunately, his fears proved unfounded.

Not only did they not invite him to be their trainer, but throughout their subsequent conversation, Diamond and Kitasan behaved quite normally. Diamond even seemed to be intentionally keeping her distance, which gradually calmed Kitahara’s nerves.

As expected of a refined young lady from a prestigious family—she probably quickly discerned he was nothing more than a slacker trainer. Slowly, his tense heart relaxed completely.

Exactly! It’s not like I’m a matatabi—how could every dangerous-type Uma Musume possibly fall for me?

Satono Diamond’s cool and slightly distant attitude was exactly how he’d expect their relationship to be—polite but distant, acquaintances but not close.

What he didn’t realize was that Diamond’s distant behavior was purely intentional. Through careful observation, she’d realized he seemed particularly uncomfortable around Uma Musume from powerful family backgrounds—especially prominent ones—so she’d deliberately kept her distance.

As for her actual intentions…

Well, she wasn’t desperately obsessed or anything. She just wished, given the opportunity, to discreetly slip him a trainer-tantou contract to sign.

After chatting briefly, Satono Diamond, using their prior acquaintance as a reason, politely asked if Kitahara would guide them around the campus.

Kitahara initially thought to decline, using supervising his own tantou as an excuse.

But looking at the hopeful eyes of the two fillies—and considering he wasn’t truly busy, plus Diamond seemed harmless—he ultimately couldn’t refuse.

His tantou didn’t object, either. Satono Diamond and Kitasan looked far too young to be threats; they might not even mature enough by the end of their three-year period, so no one stopped Kitahara from taking them around.

The campus tour afterward proceeded without incident.

With Hayakawa Tazuna and Tracen’s security forces back, the campus environment had drastically improved. There were no strange sounds emanating from suspicious places anymore. Trainers and tantou rarely displayed intimate behavior publicly, under watchful eyes. At least on the surface, everything appeared perfectly wholesome.

But behind closed doors…

Places like the abandoned warehouse, trainer dorms, or certain private locations the security team silently overlooked—Kitahara quietly avoided these while touring with the two fillies, ensuring nothing inappropriate tainted their innocent hearts.

Some might wonder—since Hayakawa Tazuna and security had returned, how could such things still occur openly? Was Tracen Academy some twisted marriage bureau combined with a man-eating cave disguised as a school?

Kitahara could clearly answer:

Yes.

But not entirely.

Although many Tracen trainers jokingly referred to the academy as a terrifying “cannibalistic lair,” seemingly reluctant to interact with their tantou in public, privately, it was a different story.

Despite occasional “accidents,” tantrums, or hospital visits, nearly all trainers deeply treasured their tantou. If anyone spoke ill of them, the trainers might immediately snap.

One might find it strange. During meetings, some trainers appeared miserable and desperate, eyes lighting up when security returned. Why would they hold their tantou in such affection?

The answer was simple: They’d brought this upon themselves.

Initially, Tracen Academy had a healthy culture—trainers punched in, did basic training, punched out, and went drinking with colleagues afterward.

But somehow, things gradually changed.

First, a trainer might stay behind half an hour longer. Then others began to compete, adding an hour, two hours…

When further increasing training became impossible due to physical limits, trainers shifted their competitive urges elsewhere—diet planning, victory celebrations, comforting tantou after losses, even personally tending to their tantou’s daily needs, all gradually becoming standard practice.

Then, everything escalated dramatically.

If one trainer occasionally took his tantou out for a meal, another would insist on three daily meals together.

If one trainer celebrated by gently patting their tantou’s head, another would outright lift theirs up and spin them around.

If one trainer frequently visited their tantou’s dorm, another would rent a place nearby and live together for maximum efficiency—

“Wait—Tantou, this is my room. Why are you looking at me like—Hey! Stay back! Wait—NOOO!”

Such was the progression.

But realistically, if trainers truly resisted firmly, tantou wouldn’t easily overpower them. Humans, relying on brains and strategy, could prevent this. From carrying defensive tools like pepper sprays to special suppressive medications, plenty of countermeasures existed.

Even if trainers reported incidents internally, Tracen had strict, effective procedures—Uma Musume faced severe consequences, and trainers received proper protection. If not, morale would have long collapsed.

Yet trainers were human too, with soft hearts.

Over years, constant companionship in training, victories, losses, comfort, and mutual support inevitably blurred boundaries, fostering deep emotional bonds.

Most trainers resisted initially, but seeing their beloved tantou distressed, resistance crumbled swiftly.

Emotions and competition among teams further eroded their defenses, making “accidents” inevitable.

All this chaos originated from some unknown trainer’s innocent overtime training session many years ago—unwittingly opening Pandora’s box, spiraling into today’s madness.

Kitahara’s evaluation of the situation was blunt:

Serves them right.

He had no sympathy—they’d done this to themselves. What was wrong with slacking off peacefully?

With these internal complaints in mind, Kitahara finished showing the campus to the two fillies.

The tour ended uneventfully. Although Kitasan was enthusiastic, Satono Diamond maintained cold distance, easing his last worries entirely.

Watching the two leave through Tracen’s gate, Diamond’s indifferent farewell especially reassured him. He felt genuinely relieved—even a little happy.

With his relationships safe and stable, Kitahara confidently gazed into the sunset, certain a bright, peaceful future lay ahead.

—

T/N: matatabi used like this is horse nip

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!