I'm in Teresin, dedicated to playing badly

"Miss Junchuan, you know my resume. I don't really have anywhere to go back to. In previous years, because there weren't many people working during the New Year period, people had plenty of food stored up at home and were generous with their spending, so it was my busiest time. This year... I guess I'm planning to stay in the dormitory?"

"So, what does Eclipse mean?"

"this......."

When this was mentioned, Shinji Kitahara looked troubled.

It's not that he doesn't want to ask Eclipse what she thinks. In fact, even though he's busy every year, he still asks Eclipse if there's anything she wants this year, and tries to get her something as a New Year's gift.

But this year is a little different. On the one hand, because of Treson's generous compensation, the two of them are not as busy as in previous years.

On the other hand, and most importantly, is that after this year, Sun Eclipse will turn eighteen, and Sun Eclipse clearly knows that his acceptable age is eighteen. If you really want to ask this question...

Having experienced the terrifying power of Eclipse firsthand when he tore open the car door, he estimated that he wouldn't even be able to resist; he'd be lucky if Eclipse could struggle for a few seconds.

"...I will buy her a New Year's gift."

Seeing that Kitahara Shinji didn't seem to want to talk about this topic, Surugawa Tezuna didn't delve into it. After skipping over the topic with a few words, she chatted with Kitahara Shinji again.

Then, the two walked and talked until they reached the place where they had to part ways.

We chatted for a few more minutes, said goodbye, and then I turned around to leave.

Just as Kitahara Shinji turned around to return to his dormitory, Surugawa Tesuna's voice rang out behind him.

"Trainer Kitahara, if you don't mind, would you like to come to my place during the New Year?"

"That won't be necessary..."

Just as Kitahara Shinji was about to instinctively refuse, Surugawa Tesuna's voice came again.

"It's like this, Trainer Kitahara. There are quite a few retired trainers in my hometown, some of whom possess rather unique skills and abilities. I noticed you seem very interested in researching these areas, and considering how much you've helped me this year, I wanted to express my gratitude..."

Upon hearing this statement, Shinji Kitahara hesitated.

If a woman from Ma said this to him, he wouldn't hesitate; he'd probably immediately pull out his phone to ask the guys in the bucket-carrying group how to escape.

The problem now is that it was Tsuna Sugikawa who spoke to him, someone whose status and level of security far surpasses those of those pony girls. If it was her who invited him...

"Huh? Kitahara, you're here."

Just as Kitahara Shinji hesitated, a familiar voice rang out, and a petite figure emerged from the shadows with a smile, directly inserting herself between Kitahara Shinji and Surugawa Tetsuya.

"...Senior Xiaoyou, were you looking for me?"

"Well, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Koyo glanced at Sugawa Tessuna, their eyes met, and then she turned to look at Kitahara Shinji.

"You know, I'm still telling my parents you're my boyfriend, and they keep urging me to come home for the New Year, so..."

As he spoke, Koya seemed to remember something and turned to meet the gaze of Surugawa Tesuna.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you two seemed to be chatting just now, did I? I hope I didn't disturb you?"

"......No."

Junkawa Tezuna spoke slowly, smiling as he looked at Koya.

"In fact, you've come at the perfect time."

"Another trainer."

Chapter 205: A Minor Matter

Because of Koya's interference, Tsuna's plan to lure her ultimately failed.

However, even though her plan was interrupted, Tsuna was not angry, because she knew very well that even without Kotamoto's interference, those eyes in the shadows would not allow her to succeed so easily.

Since Tsuna was able to sense those gazes from the shadows, Shinji Kitahara was certainly aware of them as well.

Although he noticed those gazes, Shinji Kitahara simply assumed that they were a protective measure taken by his horse girls because of the recent spate of disappearances at the training center, so he didn't pay much attention to them or point them out.

Then, under these circumstances, in the following days, those who were watching openly or covertly took action one after another.

They might try to find an excuse to take her home to meet their parents, or secretly take her away on New Year's Eve, or try to do something else, but due to checks and balances from all sides, none of them succeeded.

However, despite the various attempts by all parties failing, after being bombarded with various attacks, Shinji Kitahara finally realized that this year's New Year was different from the past and began to seriously think about how to spend this New Year.

Will I spend the year working, just like in previous years?

No, there's no need. Although he can't be said to be very rich now, at least he doesn't have to worry about food, clothing, and shelter like he did in previous years. It's time for him to relax a bit and have a normal holiday.

Should we take the solar eclipse out for some fun?

No, that won't work either. Putting aside Eclipse's own wishes, Shinji Kitahara felt that taking her out alone at this time was a bit suicidal, not to mention the unscheduled blind dates...

After much deliberation, Shinji Kitahara decided that it would be more appropriate to spend the New Year with the eclipse in Tressen, and if possible, bring a few other people with him to ensure a more secure situation.

Although he wanted to invite a few other people to celebrate the New Year with him, Shinji Kitahara didn't have high hopes for it.

After all, it's the Lunar New Year, and not everyone is like him and Eclipse who have nowhere to go. If possible, who would want to spend the New Year in the academy?

Based on this assessment, Shinji Kitahara casually asked some acquaintances, without much hope, if any of them were willing to spend the Lunar New Year with him instead of going home, and then...

"Huh? Aren't all these people going home for the Chinese New Year?"

Shinji Kitahara fell silent as he looked at the rows of affirmative replies on his phone screen.

He knew that Tsuna was used to being busy with work and not going home, so he wasn't surprised that she agreed. It was normal for Madoka to say that she didn't dare to go home for fear of being exposed, and it was also acceptable for Ms. Kusa to say that her hometown was in the US and that the journey was too far to go back.

But why aren't the kids like Tetsu-shu, Tamamo-zukuri, and Oguri-mae, whose hometowns aren't far away and who are clearly well-behaved, going home? And why don't they give any reasons, and when asked, they give all sorts of evasive answers...?

Faced with their unusual behavior, Shinji Kitahara was initially worried that something might have happened to them.

Not only did he personally go over to check on their condition and confirm that they were all healthy, but he also inquired about the situation in the group chat shared by the trainers. Only after receiving a positive reply did he feel relieved.

Although he confirmed that his trainers were safe, after inquiring about the situation from other trainers, Shinji Kitahara felt that the atmosphere in the group chat had changed somewhat. Some people were even sending him tips on the prevention and care of pelvic fractures privately...

"What is all this nonsense...?"

Not quite understanding what was going on, Shinji Kitahara turned off his phone and didn't pay much attention to the messages, assuming they were just forwarded to the wrong person. He then began preparing for the Lunar New Year.

......

Time flew by amidst the busy preparations.

As the year draws to a close, Treson College is unusually quiet. The once bustling main road is now only frequented by a few lonely figures, and the previously lively group of people carrying buckets and running away is becoming increasingly deserted.

I don't know if this quietness is because they've successfully escaped and no longer need to discuss it, or because they've all been arrested and no one is speaking up, hence the silence.

However, although the atmosphere in the academy became increasingly deserted as the year drew to a close, Shinji Kitahara's dormitory became more and more lively every day.

The number of people coming and going inside did not decrease, but rather increased. Even some people from outside the school, such as Satomi Hikari and Kita Genko, would occasionally sneak in to find Kitahara Shinji during the quiet time in Tressen.

As for the specific arrangements for the New Year, since Shinji Kitahara had never celebrated a proper New Year since his transmigration and didn't quite understand the intricacies of the Japanese New Year, he was mainly responsible for acquiring supplies and making simple arrangements according to the customs before his transmigration. He left the rest to the others to do as they pleased.

Tidying up the house, placing a welcoming pine tree, and serving classic buckwheat noodles...

The decorations for the JP's Lunar New Year celebrations go without saying, but what's surprising is that during the decoration process, Eclipse surprisingly offered its own opinions.

"Should we prepare more drinks and meat?"

Some others didn't quite understand this requirement regarding the solar eclipse.

As for the meat, it's alright, since it's a special week and all three of the big shots, Oguri Hat and Eclipse, are here.

The problem is that the legal drinking age in Japan is 20, and in this environment, if a lot of people drink too much, there's a 99% chance that something bad, or even a serious accident, will happen.

So even if many girls are willing to secretly have a drink with Kitahara Shinji in private, it's probably not a good idea in today's environment.

"No need to drink it, just keep it in the cupboard."

This is how the solar eclipse answered.

Upon hearing the answer about the solar eclipse, most of the horse girls were still confused. Only a few horse girls who knew about foreign customs lingered on the solar eclipse, revealing a thoughtful expression.

After that, once everything was ready, there wasn't much else to say.

Although most of the people present had their own agendas, precisely because of this, under the watchful eyes of everyone, they couldn't even make small moves, let alone carry out any operations.

After several private attempts, all of which ended in failure, they eventually chose to settle down, eating and chatting as usual, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed and peaceful.

"Ah, right."

As they were chatting, Alice Digital, who was still barely holding on and hadn't fainted, suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Kitahara Shinji and Eclipse, who were sitting together.

"Trainer Kitahara, Ms. Eclipse, how about we all go together for the New Year's shrine visit tomorrow...?"

"Don't go."

Before Aili Digital could finish speaking, Eclipse directly stated its position.

"......Eh?"

Aili Digital paused for a moment, then tentatively spoke.

"So you're planning to go with Trainer Kitahara?"

"No, it's because I won't be going to the New Year's shrine. If you want to go, you can go, don't worry about me."

Eclipse spoke with a resolute tone, and a rare hint of resistance was revealed in his eyes.

At the same moment that resistance surfaced in the eclipse's eyes, three voices that only she could hear sounded very happy.

"Come on, come on, it's just a small eclipse, it's not a big deal."

"This is a great opportunity! We can arrange for a soundproof private room for you. You can stay there as long as you like to 'worship'..."

'The statements of those two idiots have nothing to do with me, but Little Eclipse, I suggest you go and pay your respects. I can arrange for you to be a priestess or nun; maybe this blockhead will fall for it...'

While Eclipse ignored the three old men's incessant chatter, Shinji Kitahara gave his own answer.

"I won't be going to the New Year's shrine visit..."

After a moment's thought, Shinji Kitahara also rejected Aili Digital's offer.

Unlike the eclipse's reluctance, Shinji Kitahara's reluctance to go to the shrine was not due to unwillingness, but simply a matter of following his heart.

After all, he knew exactly what he was doing. He usually avoided the three goddesses like the plague, so why would he go to their territory to court death?

What he didn't know was that after he gave his answer, the ears of the female horses next to him twitched, and some of the previously wandering gazes drifted to him.

"Hmm? Neither Trainer Kitahara nor Eclipse are going to the New Year's shrine?"

Surugawa Tessuna looked at the two of them and spoke with a hint of doubt.

"Are there any plans for tomorrow?"

"No, I just have some things to take care of..."

thump, thump, thump—

The melodious chimes interrupted Shinji Kitahara's words.

That was the sound of the bell that marked the end of the year and the beginning of the new year.

The new year has arrived.

"It's the New Year..."

Perhaps it was because I was too focused on my work that I was startled by the sound of the bell, or perhaps it was due to some other influence.

In any case, the sudden ringing of the bell attracted the attention of the horse girls inside the house, causing them to briefly turn their heads to look in the direction from which the sound came from outside the window, thus losing their attention to Kitahara Shinji.

Because the sound came so suddenly, Shinji Kitahara subconsciously looked in the direction from which the bell rang. But before he could even look up, he suddenly felt something grasp his hand, and then a fleeting, light touch brushed against his lips.

Happy New Year, Kitahara.

The voice spoke softly.

Shinji Kitahara paused for a moment, then turned to look at Eclipse, who had already let go of his hand and whose expression remained calm, as if nothing had happened. He then looked at the many horse girls who had recovered their senses.

After a few seconds of silence, his eye twitched, and he spoke softly.

"Happy New Year, everyone."

"Happy New Year, Trainer Kitahara. I'll be relying on you a lot this year..."

"Happy New Year, Mr. Shinji, here's a red envelope, here's a red envelope..."

"Happy New Year, Mr. Kitahara. I hope this year..."

With words of blessing, the old year came to a close.

After getting through New Year's Eve, Shinji Kitahara didn't wait any longer and quickly urged his subordinates to go to sleep, leaving only a few to clean up the mess in the house.