Normally, reunions after a long separation should bring happiness.
Yet, at this moment, all Kitahara Sato felt was an overwhelming awkwardness.
This feeling peaked when he noticed Nice Nature staring at him with eyes full of silent reproach.
Come on, Nature. Let’s talk about this—can you please stop looking at me like that?
I know what I did back then wasn’t great. Two months of torment was indeed harsh—but didn’t we discuss it thoroughly beforehand?
I even told you explicitly that you could quit anytime if it became too much—but you never did!
But since he was technically at fault, Kitahara could only smile awkwardly and endure her gaze, all while quietly complaining to himself.
As for Nice Nature…
She didn’t know what to say, either.
About their sudden separation?
Kitahara had clearly informed her about his departure. He’d even tried to say goodbye, but she herself had refused to open the door, and he’d resorted to asking neighbors to relay the message.
About not staying in touch?
She hadn’t owned a cellphone back then, and Kitahara’s phones always ended up dying quickly due to his lifestyle. Plus, considering her reaction after that incident, it was entirely reasonable that he hadn’t reached out.
Ultimately, losing her “first place” was her own fault. She couldn’t blame anyone else.
After a prolonged silence, despite the countless words swirling in her head, Nature chose the simplest greeting:
“It’s…been a while, Kitahara-san.”
“…Yeah, it really has, Nature.”
Kitahara paused a bit before cautiously asking, “I saw you lingering by my dorm earlier… Did you need something from me?”
Hearing this, Nature instinctively parted her lips, but no words emerged immediately. She hesitated a moment before softly replying, “I just…noticed your name on the forums and thought I’d come check on you…”
Nature rarely visited the forums, and since the uproar over Tokai Teio had been swiftly suppressed, she only recently realized Kitahara was at Tracen after seeing news about Eclipse’s debut.
She’d gotten along quite well with Eclipse in the past, spending lots of time together whenever Kitahara was busy, but she hadn’t imagined Eclipse’s strength would become so terrifying.
Oh, just came to check up, huh?
Kitahara inwardly sighed with relief. Thankfully, she wasn’t here to settle old scores.
Realizing Nature wasn’t there for revenge, Kitahara immediately relaxed and began chatting casually, eventually steering the topic toward Eclipse’s recent victory and the status of his team.
“So, Nature, how’s your team doing right now?” Eclipse asked suddenly.
Kitahara didn’t think anything odd about this question. From what he understood, Nice Nature was in the same year as Tokai Teio, meaning she should’ve joined a team and started racing by now. It was a perfectly reasonable question.
However, the moment Eclipse mentioned this, the hopeful spark in Nature’s eyes dimmed once again, replaced by even stronger gloom.
“Eh? Did…something happen?” Kitahara felt an ominous premonition.
Soon enough, his fears were confirmed.
“Last week, I was removed from my team again—for the third time,” Nature said quietly.
Kitahara froze.
Nature? Removed? For the third time?
Before he could process this, Nature quietly added, “Actually, maybe ‘removed’ isn’t accurate. It’s more like they begged me to leave. The trainer personally asked me to quit.”
“Why?” Eclipse asked calmly.
“They said staying near me was too stressful,” Nature replied, then paused briefly, confusion appearing on her face. “Wait—don’t you two feel it?”
Feel what? Kitahara stared blankly.
“I do,” Eclipse nodded lightly. “Your ‘aura’ is incredibly intense. Uma Musume without strong mental resilience would feel immense pressure just standing near you. If they spent too much time around you, they might even develop psychological trauma.”
“…Really? I don’t feel anything,” Kitahara said, rubbing his chin. “Besides, Nature, you’re so nice. How could you possibly cause pres—”
Kitahara suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Wait… Pressure?
Oh, shit.
He finally realized the problem.
The red skills! Those are passive abilities!
Since Nature’s red skills were artificially implanted rather than naturally developed, she couldn’t control them effectively—especially during the unstable period of her maturation.
In other words, Nature had essentially become a human-shaped aura generator, constantly radiating passive pressure. She didn’t even need to do anything special; just standing there, she’d repeatedly trigger her skills, forcing any teammates nearby into a never-ending cycle of mental checks.
For short periods, this wasn’t a problem—might even be good stress resistance training—but extended exposure would inevitably lead to mental exhaustion or, worse, complete breakdowns.
Did I accidentally create some eldritch god?
Realizing this, Kitahara felt his earlier guilt return, and his expression turned stiff.
“Um, Nature… I’m really sorry. It was my first attempt back then. I honestly didn’t expect it to turn out like this…”
“No, I don’t blame you at all, Kitahara-san.”
Upon hearing “first attempt,” Nature’s eyes flickered slightly before interrupting him.
“Even though this condition has made my daily life somewhat inconvenient, it’s also the very reason I’ve achieved many victories and managed to enter Tracen Academy so smoothly.”
Nature spoke truthfully.
While this new state created inconveniences—like not spending too much time close to others or occasionally scaring children—these were minor issues. In fact, in certain situations, it actually helped her avoid trouble.
For instance, she no longer had to argue endlessly to restrain troublesome younger teammates. She merely needed to release a bit of her aura, and they’d instantly turn obedient, as if caught by a teacher staring through a classroom window.
Moreover, because she was known to be genuinely kind-hearted, no one actually disliked her. They simply maintained an appropriate distance and duration when interacting.
But…
Why do these two seem entirely unaffected?
Observing Kitahara and Eclipse calmly chatting as if nothing were out of the ordinary, Nature felt confused.
Normally, even if humans had weaker sensitivity, they’d still eventually feel discomfort if the aura were intense enough. Many trainers had quickly backed away after approaching her, driven off by subconscious dread.
Yet these two…
Nature thought briefly.
Well, Kitahara-san created this situation himself, so it makes sense he’s unaffected. And Eclipse-san… She’s always been incredibly strong-willed, even years ago. So maybe she can handle it easily.
“Nature.”
As she pondered this, Kitahara’s hesitant voice brought her back to reality.
“How about you…join my team?”
“…Eh?”
Nature froze upon hearing Kitahara’s words.
In truth, when she’d first decided to approach him, she’d secretly hoped for precisely this outcome.
But she knew Kitahara already had seven Uma Musume—including two Supernova-class talents—and not a single assistant trainer. Handling seven racers alone was already burdensome enough. She’d feared he would flatly refuse if she requested to join, so she’d hesitated all this time.
Yet now, Kitahara himself had extended the invitation first.
Even Eclipse looked mildly surprised, giving Kitahara a questioning glance.
Kitahara easily guessed Eclipse’s thoughts and sighed in resignation.
“Well, since it was partly my fault to begin with, leaving Nature like this would weigh on my conscience…”
That was one reason.
Another was that Nature fell into his personal category of “safe” Uma Musume. Not because she was a clueless foodie like Special Week or Oguri Cap, but rather because of her…overly gentle temperament.
Perhaps due to her chronic third-place curse, Nature had an especially passive personality. She wouldn’t lash out over disappointments; instead, she’d quietly hide away and cry alone.
Honestly, Kitahara thought privately, if her future partner ever cheats, Nature would probably just whisper sadly, ‘Ah, third place again,’ then quietly mourn without confrontation.
More importantly, after everything she’d endured previously, her opinion of him must surely be negative by now.
And soon, to correct her condition, he’d have no choice but to subject her once again to the very physical treatments she dreaded—likely obliterating whatever goodwill remained.
Yet, despite everything, this situation was incredibly convenient. He could help Nature, test his theories, and minimize emotional complications simultaneously.
It was a perfect win-win.
With that resolve, Kitahara looked seriously at Nature:
“I promise—I’ll take responsibility for you.”
T-Take responsibility?
Nature’s mind momentarily blanked. Her cheeks flushed crimson, her tail nervously flicked, and her ears trembled.
Please don’t say such easily misunderstood words, Kitahara-san…
Misinterpreting her reaction, Kitahara hurriedly clarified:
“I understand you don’t want to experience that torture again, but without it, even I can’t help you fully recover. Don’t worry—I promise to reduce the intensity and quickly resolve your issues. Once everything is fixed, you can freely choose to stay or leave my team…”
“…No,” Nature murmured instinctively.
She didn’t want to lose her hard-earned first place again—or him.
“…What?” Kitahara blinked, confused.
Realizing her slip, Nature turned even redder. Her tail thumped repeatedly against the sofa.
“I—I mean… Please take care of me, Kitahara-san!”
Thus, Nature joined the team, and Eclipse handled the rest.
After seeing her off, Kitahara and Eclipse began discussing how to approach the lingering Black Forest situation.
As they talked, both paused simultaneously, eyes shifting to where Nature had just been sitting.
Wait—actually…
Wasn’t there a perfectly suited candidate right here already?
—
T/N: LMAO BRO WATCH YOUR WORDS!
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!
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