With Special Week’s encouragement fresh in her mind, Kitasan Black turned toward the starting gates with excitement, all her earlier nervousness vanishing completely.
When she had arrived at the Chiba campus yesterday, she believed that after two victories, she wouldn’t be nervous facing the Spring Stakes.
But stepping onto Nakayama Racecourse, Kitasan found the familiar anxiety—the uncertainty of the outcome—had quietly returned.
At least this time, having experienc...
2025-07-25 11:53:41 +0000 UTC
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After reflecting quietly, Yasui Makoto turned his attention toward the big screen.
At its center, energetically waving at the camera, was none other than his own black-haired Uma Musume.
Meanwhile, the announcer introduced Kitasan Black to the audience.
"Having overcome countless doubts prior to her debut…"
"Achieving two consecutive victories, proving her talents beyond just short-distance races…"
"Full of spirit and vigor—"
"Please welcome gate numb...
2025-07-25 11:53:38 +0000 UTC
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A short while later, at the very front row of the spectators’ stands—
Looking at the Uma Musume with pinkish-white bangs beside him, Yasui Makoto wore a strange expression.
“...So you were hiding there because you wanted to surprise Kita-chan?”
“Hehehe, that's exactly right...”
Scratching her cheek with a sheepish grin, the Uma Musume replied apologetically:
“I thought it wouldn’t be good to disturb her while she was getting ready, so I figured I...
2025-07-25 11:53:35 +0000 UTC
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Kitasan Black had clearly understood the preparations for the Spring Stakes.
However, she still asked Yasui Makoto to stay a bit longer, hoping to organize her notes and practice running through the strategy on the training ground, so she could promptly ask any questions that arose.
Yasui naturally saw no reason to decline such a request.
Before meeting Kitasan Black, he hadn’t trained any other Uma Musume.
However, based on his own past school experiences, he could ...
2025-07-25 11:53:31 +0000 UTC
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From Yasui Makoto’s perspective, these two particular Uma Musume required special attention.
Furao Shinkou possessed an exceptional late kick. In her debut race, she blazed through the final three furlongs in an astonishing 33.3 seconds.
Her previous victory in the G2 Kyodo News Hai, a race filled with strong closers, further confirmed her formidable finishing ability.
In comparison, Noda Gold, ranked second in popularity, also had an impressive late kick, though not at th...
2025-07-25 11:53:28 +0000 UTC
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A brilliant, dazzling radiance instantly enveloped Shirou and Esdeath mid-battle.
It was the teleportation formation they'd encountered before.
Previously, it had dropped them onto a deserted island—presumably, this time, it would send them somewhere else.
Of course, there was no guarantee it wouldn't drop them somewhere equally strange. Still, the scale of this magic circle was immense.
Both Esdeath and Shirou knew they had no time to avoid it. Even if they hated be...
2025-07-25 11:52:42 +0000 UTC
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“It started with a fire—a fire that took everything away.”
Emiya Shirou quietly began recounting his past. His story wasn't at all what Esdeath had anticipated; no grand, epic saga or profound hatred shaped his life.
Instead, it was simple, mundane—so ordinary that Esdeath couldn't believe this incident was the pivotal moment in the life of the young man who had defeated her, the event that completely altered his destiny.
There was no war, no massacre, no hatred—on...
2025-07-25 11:52:23 +0000 UTC
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Esdeath didn’t pause for even a moment at Shirou’s challenge.
“My father was strong, and isn’t it natural that the strong make the rules?”
Her response was unwavering.
“Survival of the fittest is absolute. No one can change this. If you weren't strong yourself, do you think we'd even be sitting here talking so peacefully?”
“All rules are built on strength.”
Her tone brooked no argument; Esdeath had never once hesitated about her beliefs.
...
2025-07-25 11:52:13 +0000 UTC
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Nothing happens without a reason.
That was what Emiya Shirou believed.
Not every action or event necessarily had a justified purpose, but all occurrences had their underlying causes.
Slipping on a banana peel on the road was because someone carelessly tossed it aside.
An ant crushed beneath a careless foot was because it unknowingly ventured onto a well-trodden path.
If someone strolling casually through the street suddenly lost their head to a thrown axe, perhap...
2025-07-25 11:52:05 +0000 UTC
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"Where is this?"
Emiya Shirou wanted to struggle free from Esdeath’s grip, but at the moment he couldn't even muster enough strength to move his head—how could he hope to break away from her?
"A house I built," Esdeath replied matter-of-factly, using her gaze to point toward the small hut ahead.
"..."
"I know that! I mean, where exactly are we right now?"
Shirou inwardly rolled his eyes at Esdeath’s nonchalant reply. How could someone who displayed razor-sh...
2025-07-25 11:51:58 +0000 UTC
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So tired…
Unable to move or speak, Shirou Emiya was overwhelmed by exhaustion.
So sleepy…
The emptiness of his mind, the damage to his soul—he couldn’t even cling to his last memories of the people he cared about.
So dark…
It felt as if the entire world had been swallowed, devoid of sound, devoid of light. Before Shirou's eyes lay nothing but pitch-black darkness.
It’s like sinking to the bottom of the ocean…
2025-07-25 11:51:50 +0000 UTC
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“Show me excitement!”
As Esdeath’s voice rang out, her sword sliced toward Shirou’s neck, the freezing blade shattering the surrounding air from the sheer speed and intensity of her strike.
Her strength had grown drastically during this period—this was precisely why neither Bulat nor Akame, even armored with Incursio, had been able to leave a scratch on her.
Clang—!
With a thunderous clash, Shirou met her blow with his reverse-blade katana. A shock...
2025-07-25 11:51:39 +0000 UTC
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“It seems Ear failed to keep you locked up.”
A strange voice echoed behind Shirou.
Turning his head slowly, Shirou saw a man in a white lab coat approaching him casually, looking down from atop a large piece of rubble.
“Who are you?” Shirou growled, gripping his reverse-blade katana tightly in his remaining left hand, never taking his eyes off the newcomer.
For some reason, the man exuded a disturbing familiarity—as if he were staring at another twisted versi...
2025-07-25 11:51:30 +0000 UTC
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Swish—!
A sharp sword stroke cleanly sheared away the leaves just above Shirou’s head. He could feel the cool breeze gently brushing his scalp.
"It's pitch-black down there; I doubt he’d hide here," one guard muttered irritably as he glanced at the shadowy bushes.
“Over there—!”
Suddenly, a shout rang out from the distance. Immediately, the soldiers turned and hurried toward the voice.
Shirou lay flat on the ground, silently letting out the b...
2025-07-25 11:51:20 +0000 UTC
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“Huff—!”
“Haa—!”
Shirou Emiya found himself caught in a desperate situation, one that left him with no other options.
He tore off his clothing and clenched his teeth, tightly binding the stump of his severed arm, forcing himself into a controlled rhythm of breathing.
Drip...
Crimson droplets fell steadily, staining the emerald leaves scattered across the forest floor an unnatural red.
Stabbing his reverse-blade katana into a nearby tree...
2025-07-25 11:51:13 +0000 UTC
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“Arlecchino?”
“Artem’s superior, the Fatui Harbinger?”
Hearing the name from Artem’s lips, Eula took a long look at the young woman before her.
She really did look a lot like what Eula had heard, Arlecchino’s features were indeed strikingly similar to her own.
If not for those unusual eyes, Eula might have mistaken her for a long-lost sister.
“Looks like you’ve been living pretty well in Mondstadt.”
Arlecchino sat in a chair, her gaze pa...
2025-07-25 11:51:03 +0000 UTC
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Several more days of uneasy calm passed.
The Fatui had made no new moves.
Stormterror, too, had been quiet for a while. Judging by that, it seemed the Grand Master was making progress.
But none of this allowed Jean the slightest bit of relief.
All this time, as the Fatui showered Mondstadt with money and good deeds, their own Knights of Favonius were once again scraping the bottom of the barrel financially.
What's worse is even Crepus, who was supposed to fund th...
2025-07-25 11:50:56 +0000 UTC
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Fortunately, Venti didn’t hit him.
He didn’t even look angry.
On the contrary, he just grinned and went back to drinking, even clinking glasses with Artem as if nothing had happened.
It was as if Artem hadn’t just threatened him, but was simply talking to himself in the air.
Seeing him like this, Artem’s own aggressive stance faded away, and soon the two were just casually drinking together, raising their glasses again and again.
They ended up chatting ab...
2025-07-25 11:50:48 +0000 UTC
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“!?”
Following Artem’s gaze, Eula, shocked, also noticed the green-clad youth singing in the square.
But what had Artem just been muttering to himself?
That boy, he’s the Anemo Archon, Barbatos, revered by all of Mondstadt?
If that’s really him, with Mondstadt facing disaster on every side, why isn’t he at the Knights of Favonius, taking charge— why is he here… singing for coins?
“Shh, keep it down,” Artem whispered. “He’s the key to my pr...
2025-07-25 11:50:41 +0000 UTC
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Albedo had left.
He left with a head full of questions and no small amount of shock.
Watching Artem drink a vial of God Remnant as if it were nothing, Albedo was beginning to doubt whether the sample in his hand was even the real thing.
Even if he had made a mistake, there’s no way his master would have.
And besides, the malice infused within this substance was extraordinarily intense.
At first, Albedo assumed Artem wanted the stuff because he’d found a way to p...
2025-07-25 11:50:34 +0000 UTC
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After leaving the café, Kitahara Takeru walked quite a distance with a sorrowful expression before finally glancing back to confirm that Kasumigaoka Utaha hadn’t followed him.
The moment he was sure—his sadness vanished completely.
“I’m amazing.”
Feeling utterly impressed with himself, Kitahara struck a dramatic pose with hands on his hips.
No exaggeration—his performance just now? Easily enough to land him a leading role in some adolescent angst-filled dr...
2025-07-25 11:49:35 +0000 UTC
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The moment Kitahara Takeru said, “Senpai, at the Tokyo Cat & Dog Expo… I was there,” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s face went ghostly pale—as if all the color had drained from her blood.
Of course she knew what he meant.
He was telling her: Everything you said to Machida Sonoko… I heard it all.
What do I do?
That was the first thought that surfaced from the chaos in Utaha’s spinning mind.
Kitahara wore a faint, hollow smile.
“Senp...
2025-07-25 11:49:28 +0000 UTC
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Kasumigaoka Utaha’s expression froze in shock.
What does this have to do with Aki?
“This wasn’t meant for Aki, I—”
“Senpai, are you trying to say this was meant for me instead?”
Kitahara Takeru didn’t wait for her to finish. He already knew what she was about to say, so he said it for her.
“Senpai, do you remember the first gift you gave me last winter?”
Last winter…?
Utaha furrowed her brows in thought.
I...
2025-07-25 11:49:19 +0000 UTC
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“Please come again.”
Walking out of the restaurant, Kitahara Takeru patted his now much flatter wallet and winced inwardly.
This gluttonous little gremlin can really eat…
He honestly never imagined he’d one day blow over 9,000 yen at a family diner.
The worst part?
He didn’t even get a single bite.
Every morsel had gone into Adagaki Aki’s stomach.
That said, it wasn’t a complete loss. At least he now knew: sharing a meal with Ad...
2025-07-25 11:49:06 +0000 UTC
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If I ever attend another pet exhibition or anything like it… I’m the dog!
That was the only thought running through Kitahara Takeru’s mind as he walked out of the Tokyo Cat & Dog Expo.
After being dragged into a mess by Yukinoshita Yukino, Adagaki Aki, and Miura Yumiko, even someone as shameless as Kitahara felt too embarrassed to stick around.
Good thing he hadn't debuted as a celebrity. If he had, his reputation would’ve been in shambles by no...
2025-07-25 11:48:58 +0000 UTC
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Lunch passed in an oddly quiet atmosphere after the round of introductions.
Eris, full and satisfied, glanced at Hilda—who was still absentmindedly stirring her untouched bowl of soup—then at the others across the table.
—Except for Ghislaine, who’d finished eating at lightning speed and was already wiping her mouth, Allen, Sylphy, and Rudeus barely touched their food. They looked more like they were here out of politeness than appetite.
With that, Eris sprang from h...
2025-07-25 11:48:48 +0000 UTC
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Allen’s dislike for this “family” was plain as day. Yet for reasons even he might not fully understand, he instinctively avoided any interaction with the only person in the household who bore him sincere goodwill—his “mother.” That was why he stepped aside, making room for her to pass.
Was it that he didn’t like his birth mother?
Or was it that Philip and Sauros’s treatment had soured him on the entire Boreas family?
Those questions flashed through Rudeus’s...
2025-07-25 11:48:40 +0000 UTC
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The moment Eris made her snide remark, Rudeus instinctively wanted to snap back at her—but then, he heard Allen laugh.
He blinked, glancing toward him.
Allen’s expression had finally relaxed, ever so subtly. The tension in his face eased, and Rudeus let out a small breath of relief.
Allen’s looking a bit better now. Man, the pressure he was giving off earlier was intense. His whole face was locked tight—just seeing him like that made you nervous. When we first me...
2025-07-25 11:48:33 +0000 UTC
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The Thomas incident barely caused a ripple in the lord’s manor.
For one, the evidence was solid—his death well deserved.
For another, it had all happened far too quickly. Whoever did it hadn’t followed the usual noble way of handling things. No long games. No careful planning. Just decisive action. Before anyone could react, Thomas—his face washed clean, corpse neatly arranged—was already laid bare before everyone.
It felt… real.
Philip had envisio...
2025-07-25 11:48:23 +0000 UTC
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By the fountain, beside the corpse.
A haze of dust rose before Allen, whose face was still stained with blood.
[Sauros knows Philip all too well—his temperament, his methods. From the way Philip acted and spoke, Sauros inferred there was more beneath the surface. Coupled with the rumors of your disappearance, he began to suspect Philip’s real motive for this trip... and grew wary of your identity.]
[If you truly are his grandson, then...
2025-07-25 11:48:16 +0000 UTC
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