Uma Musume: Slacking Professionally

Chapter 249: Uma Musume: Slacking Professionally [249] [200 STONES]

After a brief, silent exchange of looks, Tamamo Cross looked down at Kitahara beneath her and spoke calmly.

"You're awake?"

"I..."

Kitahara had been about to answer that yes, he was awake. But after looking at Tamamo Cross sitting astride him—wearing nothing but underwear and stockings, her smooth skin fully exposed, and with her hands still in the middle of pulling at his pants—he paused, then said,

"...I'm not entirely sure."

He felt like he was awake, but no matter how he looked at it, the scene in front of him was not something that should exist in reality.

Was he dreaming?

That possibility occurred to Kitahara, and along with it came a faint sense of guilt.

After all, he had only just finished telling Tamamo Cross that he thought of her as family, and had repeatedly insisted he had no such feelings for her. And then the moment he turned around, he was having a dream like this. No matter how he thought about it...

Hm?

Kitahara pinched himself hard, trying to force himself awake. Then he looked at Tamamo Cross in front of him, blinked, and felt the pain from his waist.

Apparently... it wasn't a dream?

As he gradually came back to himself, Kitahara looked at Tamamo Cross sitting on top of him, stayed silent for a moment, then asked,

"Um, Tama... what are you doing?"

"Oh, this?"

Tamamo Cross glanced at the hands with which she was currently pulling at Kitahara's pants. Her tone remained completely normal.

"Well, you'd fallen asleep on the sofa just now, and I figured you'd be uncomfortable when you woke up if you stayed there, so I moved you to the bed. Then I thought sleeping in your clothes probably wasn't great either, so I was helping take them off. But you woke up halfway through..."

"...Then what happened to your clothes?"

"Mine?"

Tamamo Cross lowered her head and looked at her own body. Her expression still didn't change.

"Oh, that. I figured the room felt a little cold, and I was worried you'd catch a chill, so I thought it'd be warmer if we stayed close together. And I could rest a bit too while I was at it..."

So that was it?

After hearing Tamamo Cross's explanation, Kitahara nodded, and then—

That explains nothing!

Looking at Tamamo Cross in front of him, Kitahara screamed inwardly.

Yes, Kitahara was a blockhead, and yes, he was unbelievably dense when it came to romance, but he still possessed basic common sense and a working sense of logic.

If Tamamo Cross's explanation had been even a little more plausible, he really might have let himself be fooled. But the problem was that her current explanation was riddled with holes. Kitahara couldn't believe it even if he wanted to.

If she said she'd seen him asleep and wanted to move him to the bed so he could sleep more comfortably, sure, that part made sense.

And after moving him there, taking off some of his clothes in the name of helping him sleep more comfortably... that was still barely within the range of something he could accept.

But the problem was that there was no explaining why Tamamo Cross had taken off her own clothes too.

Kitahara knew this much about her: because she'd grown up in the countryside, even though she usually acted breezy and rough around the edges, she was actually extremely conservative when it came to men and women. Otherwise, when he'd seen the event requirements at the first shop, he never would have immediately assumed she wouldn't agree to them.

In fact, even before that, when Tamamo Cross had offered the idea of coming to the hotel to rest, Kitahara had already been surprised.

Because in his understanding, even if Tamamo Cross thought of him as family, the two of them still weren't blood-related. A man and a woman going to a hotel alone on Valentine's Day to rest—it simply didn't fit Tamamo Cross's usual logic at all.

And now, forget a man and a woman resting in a hotel room.

Looking at the near-naked Tamamo Cross straddling him, Kitahara genuinely suspected that if he had woken up even a little later, something decidedly less harmonious might already have happened.

And just as that thought crossed his mind, another round of knocking sounded from the door. Tamamo Cross looked up toward it, then raised one leg and lightly pressed the sole of her black-stockinged foot against Kitahara's chest as she said helplessly,

"Hey. What are you still spacing out for? Someone's here for you, so get dressed already."

"Ah... right."

Only then did Kitahara remember that Ardan was still outside. If she saw him and Tamamo Cross looking like this, then even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he'd never wash himself clean.

But while Kitahara was getting up and hurriedly pulling his clothes back on, listening to the rustling sounds of dressing coming from beside him, he blinked, then belatedly realized something.

Wait.

Why is she so calm?

This situation was absurd. So absurd that even he found it absurd. And yet Tamamo Cross had looked exactly the same from beginning to end, as though everything were perfectly normal. And it didn't even seem like she was pretending...

Although he was full of doubts, with Ardan still waiting outside the door, Kitahara had no time to dig deeper into that question. After hastily getting dressed, he ran to open the door.

"Ardan-san? What brings you here?"

The moment he confirmed that the visitor really was Mejiro Ardan, Kitahara immediately ushered her in.

"I didn't have much to do this afternoon, so I thought I'd come out for a walk and clear my head. While I was nearby, I happened to hear someone mention your name, Trainer Kitahara, so I thought I'd come by and have a look..."

As she spoke, Ardan let her gaze drift casually into the room. When she spotted Tamamo Cross inside, she paused, then added,

"Um... did I come at a bad time? I haven't interrupted anything, have I?"

That was, of course, a lie.

As the effective person in charge of the Mejiro family properties around Tracen, even if she hadn't personally arranged every Valentine's Day event, she certainly had to supervise and manage them. It was, quite simply, one of the busiest days she'd had in recent memory.

Even the chocolate she'd delivered to Kitahara that morning had only happened because she had forcibly carved time out of her schedule. The moment she finished giving it to him, she had gone straight back to her dorm and resumed coordinating things from her computer.

It wasn't until just now—when one of her people reported that the person she had specifically told them to watch had entered the hotel, accompanied by an Umamusume—that she finally dropped everything and hurried over.

Though Ardan was lying, Kitahara didn't suspect her explanation.

After all, he already knew before coming that this hotel belonged to the Mejiro family—more specifically, that it fell under Ardan's management—and it was currently running an event. So it made perfect sense for her to stop by and inspect the place.

"No. If anything, your timing was perfect."

Answering Ardan's question, Kitahara recalled what had just happened and let out a sigh.

"It's like this. Tama and I were running around several nearby shops doing Valentine's Day events, and after all that running around, we got tired. One of the prizes happened to be a voucher for a stay here, so we thought we'd come rest for a bit. Then I accidentally fell asleep. If you hadn't come, I might've slept all the way until evening..."

"I see."

Ardan nodded and didn't doubt Kitahara's explanation.

After all, the event and prize structure at the largest store had been designed by her personally. She had even deliberately added several challenges meant to wear participants out and set the conditions for winning the hotel voucher quite low—all for precisely this outcome.

However, although she didn't doubt Kitahara's words, as she nodded, she stole a look past him at Tamamo Cross. Some unreadable emotion flickered in her eyes.

Valentine's Day. Alone together. Tricked into a hotel room. And the scent on her is that strong...

To be honest, this wasn't Ardan's first day knowing Tamamo Cross. But up until now, she'd held the same opinion everyone else did: that among the members of Kitahara's team, Tamamo Cross was one of the very few who did not have that kind of interest in him.

And yet today, the one who had looked the most normal, the most harmless, had gone and done something that even an ordinary lowly girl would struggle to pull off. It left Ardan genuinely surprised.

With that in mind, Ardan smiled and shifted her gaze away, sending Tamamo Cross a look that very clearly said, So you're this kind of person too.

What Ardan didn't understand, however, was that after meeting such an obvious look, Tamamo Cross merely paused to think for a second, then returned a baffled expression.

What is this woman doing?

A trace of confusion appeared in Tamamo Cross's eyes as she looked at Ardan in the doorway.

She knew Ardan liked Kitahara, and she could tell perfectly well what that look meant.

The problem was that she had no idea what Ardan thought she herself had done to deserve it.

She hadn't even stepped onto the battlefield. She had absolutely no interest in Kitahara in that sense. If anything, throughout this entire war she had been acting as a mediator and protector.

And yet now Ardan was looking at her like this...

Had she misunderstood?

Glancing around the room, Tamamo Cross decided that was very likely.

Then I'd better clear this up fast. If she spreads this misunderstanding around, things are going to get really hard for me later...

Thinking that, Tamamo Cross raised her head, looked at Kitahara, and sighed.

"I mean, how long are you going to keep standing in the doorway? Ardan's been waiting outside forever."

Only then did Kitahara snap out of it. He stepped aside and invited Ardan inside.

Seeing Tamamo Cross suddenly take the initiative to welcome her in, a flicker of confusion crossed Ardan's eyes.

Strange. Logically speaking, I should have interrupted Tamamo Cross's plans, and judging by the scent in the room, probably at a crucial point. By all rights, she ought to be angry. But right now...

Watching Tamamo Cross take the initiative to invite her in, then cooperate with Kitahara in explaining what had happened, even throwing in her usual complaints along the way, all while appearing completely normal, Ardan fell into thought.

How odd. I don't remember Tamamo Cross being the sort who's good at hiding things. So why can't I see the slightest crack in her behavior now...?

Could it be I was overthinking this?

And so, after Ardan was invited inside, the three of them spent some time chatting about the various events they'd done earlier.

As they talked, Kitahara suddenly remembered what he'd seen at those stores, along with the rumors that Ardan was in charge of this whole area, and asked curiously,

"Oh, right. Ardan-san, I remember you saying before that you were the one managing the Mejiro family businesses around Tracen. And the stores I visited earlier all seemed to have something to do with the Mejiro family..."

"Mm. I'm in charge of most of them."

Ardan admitted it immediately.

"Then these events today...?"

"I know all about them. Quite a few of them were arranged by me."

Seeing the obvious curiosity on Kitahara's face, the corners of Ardan's mouth lifted slightly.

"What is it, Trainer Kitahara? Judging by that expression, do you think today's events were very strange? That they didn't fit normal business logic at all?"

"Mm."

Kitahara nodded honestly.

"To tell the truth, I was still thinking about that up until I fell asleep earlier. I even wondered at one point whether it was the bad taste of some old people, before I remembered you were in charge of this area, Ardan-san..."

After a pause, he added, "Um, if this is something awkward to talk about, or some kind of trade secret, then don't worry about it. I'm just a little curious, so don't force yourself..."

"There's nothing I can't say."

Ardan smiled, then turned to look out the window, at the tall buildings beyond, and spoke slowly.

"Trainer Kitahara, do you know what the Mejiro family's most important line of business is?"

Without waiting for him to answer, she continued, "Real estate. Especially real estate connected to Umamusume."

Hearing that, Kitahara froze for a moment, then slowly began to realize something, and his expression turned strange.

"Wait, Ardan-san... don't tell me you mean..."

"Yes. Exactly what you're thinking."

Ardan turned back to him and smiled.

"Compared to property sales, the profit lost through today's discounts is negligible. But if events like this can create even just two more couples, then once they start building a household together, the demand for housing naturally goes up..."

Though of course, they might not form a household. Still, basements were one of the Mejiro family's major product lines too.

And aside from ordinary houses and basements, the Mejiro family also possessed one thing that could truly be called a trump card in the world of Umamusume real estate—the legendary Mejiro Castle.

There were countless rumors about Mejiro Castle, both good and bad, but the Mejiro family's own definition of it was actually very simple: a high-quality living district specifically designed to serve Umamusume and Trainers.

It had a commercial zone modeled after the environment around Tracen Main Campus, along with dedicated training grounds, racetracks, parks of all sizes, entertainment facilities, basements, and every other kind of support feature one could imagine.

And beyond that, Mejiro Castle maintained an excellent atmosphere. While the family didn't rely on any heavy-handed enforcement, they cultivated Umamusume culture there extremely well.

Many famous Umamusume and Trainers moved there directly after graduating. And once there, they would find no shortage of familiar faces. Even though they had left the academy behind, the place still carried the uncanny feeling of continuing academy life in another location.

Under those circumstances, the profit lost on today's Valentine's Day events didn't even amount to a fraction of the profit made by getting a single Umamusume to settle in Mejiro Castle.

At the same time, it let the Mejiro family offer a bit of help to Umamusume struggling financially, earn goodwill for the family, and pick up some potential customers outside of Mejiro Castle too.

It was basically Qin Shi Huang touching an electrical wire—winning so hard it was absurd.

Once Ardan brought up real estate, Kitahara combined that with bits of information he'd heard before and quickly pieced together the whole picture.

But unlike what Ardan had expected, Kitahara's attention wasn't caught by how devilishly clever the business logic was. Instead, his first thought was of the colleagues at Tracen who vanished every year, and the look in his eyes as he turned toward Ardan grew increasingly subtle.

Wow. If you look at it that way, then the reason Tracen's ended up like this probably has a lot to do with how much effort the Mejiro family's been putting in behind the scenes...

That said, it wasn't really something worth condemning. After all, the Mejiros weren't forcing anyone to do these challenges. If anything, they were taking the opportunity to help out some Umamusume from poorer backgrounds.

So while Kitahara found the whole thing faintly weird, after giving it some thought, he didn't make any comment on Ardan's business logic. After nodding to show he understood, he was about to change the subject.

But just as he was thinking about what to say next after hearing Ardan's explanation, Tamamo Cross's voice suddenly came from behind him, tinged with confusion.

"It disappeared..."

"What disappeared?"

Hearing that, Kitahara turned around in puzzlement and looked at Tamamo Cross.

Tamamo Cross didn't answer immediately. Instead, she gave him another careful look up and down, nodded, and muttered,

"Looks like it disappeared the moment you woke up..."

"What are you talking about?"

Kitahara raised an eyebrow at Tamamo Cross's cryptic manner.

"What disappeared? You're being really weird right now..."

"No matter how weird I am, I'm still not as weird as you, okay?"

Tamamo Cross raised her head toward Kitahara and organized her thoughts a little.

"You probably won't believe me if I say this, but I really did see it. After you fell asleep, a lot of light started coming off you. Like fireflies... it was actually pretty."

"What are you talking about? Did you get punchy?"

A trace of helplessness appeared on Kitahara's face as he looked at Tamamo Cross, whose expression was utterly sincere.

"I'm not a light bulb, and I'm not some ancient giant either. How could my body possibly start glow—"

As he spoke, Kitahara suddenly realized something. His voice gradually dropped off, and his body slowly stiffened.

"What's wrong, Trainer Kitahara?"

Ardan noticed the change in him, but Kitahara had no attention to spare for her. He simply stared fixedly at Tamamo Cross in front of him. After a long silence, he spoke again.

"Tama. I need to confirm this with you again. Just now, after I fell asleep, light came off my body?"

"Yeah."

Tamamo Cross nodded.

"Mostly white, with a bit of pale pink mixed in. It spread outward kind of like glowing stones, and some of it was circling around you. I wanted to wake you up at the time, but you looked like you were sleeping really comfortably, so I didn't say anything. Then after you woke up, the light disappeared on its own..."

"Tamamo-san, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

Ardan blinked from the side.

"Maybe you didn't notice, but this hotel actually has some hidden lighting. Perhaps when Trainer Kitahara fell asleep, he accidentally touched some—?"

Mejiro Ardan's voice stopped abruptly.

Because right in front of her, Kitahara raised one hand, and a halo of interwoven white and pale pink light slowly began winding itself around it, giving off an almost holy impression.

At the same time the glow lit up on his hand, Kitahara stared fixedly at Tamamo Cross and asked in a grave voice,

"Tama. Tell me. Was this the kind of light you saw?"

Seeing the light on Kitahara's hand, Tamamo Cross looked surprised for a moment. Then, after coming back to herself, she nodded slowly.

"Yeah. That's it. Exactly the same. Though I've got to say, I really didn't expect you to actually glow. I was seriously starting to think maybe I'd imagined it..."

As she spoke, Tamamo Cross noticed that Kitahara's expression wasn't right, and asked with concern,

"What's wrong? Is there something bad about that light? Is it going to affect you somehow?"

In response to Tamamo Cross's question, Kitahara let the light fade from his hand. After a few seconds of silence, he let out a deep sigh.

"No. There's nothing wrong with the light itself. And it won't do anything to me."

As he said that, he raised his head and looked directly at Tamamo Cross, a complicated emotion entering his eyes.

"But I'm afraid... the effect this thing has on you might be a bit serious."

---

T/N: oooooooooooooooooh i knew tama wasnt like that! its' all kitaharas fault!!!!!!!!! ur corrupting tama!

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