Slacking Professionally at Tracen [71]

With the races over, Kitahara Sota’s life had once again settled into its peaceful daily rhythm.

Wake up, get dressed, wash up, head to the cafeteria with Eclipse, then head out to the training grounds after breakfast.

He wasn’t worried about others misunderstanding his relationship with Eclipse. After all, it wasn’t unusual for her to be waiting by his door before he went out, accompanying him around campus.

As for their mutual scent, that was even less of a concern.

Having grown up together, it was inevitable their scents had long since merged. Eclipse practically hovered around him every day, often popping by his dorm room without reason. Everyone else was long accustomed to it.

Arriving at the training grounds, Kitahara greeted the girls casually, took out his phone as usual, and prepared to slack off as always.

But not long after he started loafing around, he realized something felt different today compared to usual.

First was the attention from outside their team.

Given the peculiar makeup of his group—full of oddballs, himself included—it was natural for them to attract curious gazes. He was used to it by now.

But today, the stares were noticeably greater than usual. Some of the teams even paused their own practice to watch them.

It didn’t take Kitahara long to understand why.

Just last night, someone under the username [Agnes Digital Co.] had uploaded an edited video of yesterday’s races onto Tracen Academy’s online forum.

Agnes Tachyon’s performance wasn’t particularly noteworthy—winning by four lengths against fairly average opponents was typical for an elite Tracen Uma Musume.

Tokai Teio’s clip garnered more attention. Given her existing popularity, her dominant eight-length victory against a decent competitor was enough to silence skeptics. Coupled with her charming stage presence, she quickly gained new admirers.

But even Teio wasn’t the hottest topic.

Nine lengths—at one point even fifteen lengths ahead.

After Teio’s segment concluded, a black shadow burst from the gate, vividly embodying a certain phrase:

When one leads the race, all others fade.

When filming Teio’s race, the second-place Uma Musume’s shadow remained somewhat visible, even at eight lengths apart.

But for Eclipse, midway through her race, despite the camerawoman’s frantic attempts to zoom out, the frame couldn’t capture even the trailing edge of second place. Eclipse stood completely alone in the shot.

Although she’d faltered toward the end, dramatically reducing her lead, the initial explosive burst and her final nine-length margin were still utterly shocking.

Eclipse.

Once this name surfaced, it ignited fervent discussion throughout Tracen’s forums, spawning countless threads overnight.

And after a full evening’s brewing, students realized Eclipse’s terrifying potential went beyond mere explosive speed.

A transfer student who never trained—and her trainer was none other than Kitahara Sota…

In a normal timeline, such overwhelming talent combined with the name “Eclipse” would surely trigger many associations.

But in this world, due to certain mysterious circumstances, the name “Eclipse” had been erased from history. No matter how hard anyone tried, they couldn’t place it.

At most, they experienced a vague feeling of familiarity, quickly brushed off as mere déjà vu.

Thus, Eclipse had suddenly become a mysterious rising star, her enigmatic behavior further fueling discussions and attention.

But it wasn’t only Eclipse—Kitahara Sota inevitably got dragged into the spotlight too.

Tokai Teio and Eclipse.

A rookie trainer, freshly arrived at Tracen, somehow guiding two prodigies—attention was unavoidable.

Some online users had even begun fiercely debating who was stronger—Teio or Eclipse—splitting into “Teio stans” and “Eclipse stans.”

And it wasn’t limited to online arguments. Even Teio herself was deeply curious, going so far as trying to challenge Eclipse to a friendly team race—though she’d been promptly refused.

Still, despite the surge of outside attention, Kitahara didn’t particularly care.

His skin was thick enough that a few extra looks hardly mattered. He even started considering how to lower his reputation to avoid attracting more Uma Musume to himself.

But he had one complaint:

Why am I getting praised for their achievements?

Sure, on paper, Teio and Eclipse were his tantou Uma Musume, but honestly, their success had nothing to do with him. Forget races—these two hadn’t even let him touch their training plans.

Yet everyone was determined to credit him anyway.

Ironically, Agnes Tachyon, the one he’d genuinely supervised, was seen as average precisely because she’d been “left untrained.”

Wait until Tachyon’s issues are fixed, Kitahara inwardly retorted. She’ll prove you all wrong then.

Shaking off these outside distractions, he turned his attention back to his team.

When he’d greeted the girls earlier, Kitahara had already sensed something off, though he hadn’t dwelled on it.

After all, they’d just finished a major race. Eclipse’s explosive emergence naturally shook things up a bit.

But as time passed, he realized the changes within his team were greater than expected.

Most obvious was Tokai Teio.

For the past several days, Teio had worn the racing outfit he’d specially commissioned. But today, she’d switched to another—similar design, new boots, and no thigh-high socks.

Simply put, it was her canonical racing outfit from the normal timeline.

From what Kitahara overheard in the activity room afterward, it turned out this outfit had been specially prepared by Symboli Rudolf’s family designer two months ago.

Quality-wise, being from Rudolf’s side, it naturally wasn’t bad.

While overall comparable to the hurried outfit made by that retired Uma Musume, it was slightly better in movement and lacked protective gear around the legs.

Kitahara wasn’t too concerned.

Choosing a racing outfit was up to each Uma Musume’s preference. He’d ordered Teio’s gear purely as a trainer’s obligation. It wasn’t like her legs would automatically get injured without his outfit—his version just reduced the risk. If she preferred this one, he had no complaints.

After all, he’d promised from the start not to meddle in her training.

But Teio’s changes weren’t limited to clothing—her attitude towards him had also shifted significantly, and this was what Kitahara truly cared about.

Since yesterday’s race, Teio’s behavior had subtly shifted. The entire team had noticed, though yesterday’s excitement over Eclipse overshadowed everything else.

By today, as everyone else settled back into routine, it became clearer.

Teio had begun distancing herself from Kitahara.

Outwardly, things seemed normal enough, yet Kitahara clearly felt the difference—fewer visits, slightly further spacing during conversations, and no more playful demands.

In short, she was consciously drawing back from him.

Any normal trainer might lose sleep over such an issue, desperate to understand why their Uma Musume was pulling away.

As for Kitahara…

He was losing sleep too—out of sheer joy.

He badly wanted to understand what he’d done right to push Teio away so effectively, eager to replicate his success.

Had his lazy attitude finally annoyed her? Did some casual remark touch a nerve?

No—it wasn’t anything he’d done.

Teio was struggling internally.

Though she always proudly proclaimed herself Kitahara’s tantou, Teio was painfully aware that among everyone on the team, she actually had the least connection to him.

She’d personally insisted their relationship remain nominal, refusing his training to emulate her idol Symboli Rudolf’s legendary solo Triple Crown.

But after Eclipse’s extraordinary debut and other teammates’ progress, Teio’s excuses for closeness—mainly protection—no longer held up. She was trapped, unable to step forward without betraying her vow, yet unwilling to step back and leave Kitahara’s side.

When she’d caught Kitahara’s scent yesterday, questions surged inside her. But before they reached her lips, she realized she had no right to ask, bound as she was by their promise.

Yet, the idea lingered—

What if she truly became his tantou…?

It was swiftly crushed beneath her vow’s weight: to achieve the undefeated Triple Crown alone and prove herself to Rudolf.

Giving that up would invalidate every struggle, every fight she’d endured.

She couldn’t approach Kitahara anymore.

Though the scales remained tilted toward her promise for now, each encounter with Kitahara gently tipped them closer to equilibrium.

Teio didn’t know if she could endure till the Triple Crown.

She didn’t want to know.

Her footsteps during training grew heavier…

…

Meanwhile, as Kitahara quietly celebrated Teio’s deliberate distancing, another delightful piece of news arrived after training.

Not only was Teio deliberately keeping her distance—Agnes Tachyon had also begun avoiding him.

Double blessings indeed.

—

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!