The sound of the train arriving echoed in her ears. Dream Weaver quickly tucked the photos she was holding into her backpack, grabbed her bag, and stepped onto the waiting train.
She hadn't made any plans for the day originally—just wanted to spend a normal day at school to settle her emotions after everything that happened in the script world. But after looking at those two photos the system had brought her, an idea began to sprout in her heart, like fresh grass in spring.
She wanted to know how everyone was doing in the real world.
Filled with a vague sense of anticipation, Dream Weaver gazed intently out the window as the scenery rushed by. The moment she heard the announcement for her stop, she bolted out of the train and dashed straight toward Tracen Academy.
Since she'd woken up earlier than usual, not only was the station relatively empty, but the path to school was also unusually quiet, with few Uma Musume in sight.
This time, Dream Weaver didn't have to worry about getting stopped by a group of fellow horse girls. Besides, she'd already finished her bread earlier—there was no chance for one of those manga-like coincidences to happen today.
In no time, she rushed into Tracen Academy. Instead of heading toward the cafeteria like she usually did, Dream Weaver turned and strode confidently in the direction of the Student Council Office.
Though she'd never actually been there before, as a student of Tracen, she still knew where the student council office was located.
The morning hallway was silent, empty except for the rhythmic click-clack of her shoes against the floor. Soon, she found herself standing before the iconic door that symbolized the student council.
Even though she'd already met the legendary Student Council President, Symboli Rudolf, once before, Dream Weaver couldn't help feeling a little nervous standing in front of that door.
But her curiosity about her friends' current situations overpowered her nerves. She patted her cheeks lightly, then knocked on the door.
After a brief pause, a somewhat tired voice responded from inside.
"Come in."
Pushing the door open gently, Dream Weaver peeked halfway in, scanning the room cautiously. To her surprise, the student council office held only one familiar figure.
Symboli Rudolf was supporting her head with one hand while signing documents with the other. She looked up, her eyes initially clouded with the unavoidable fatigue of someone who'd been up late handling paperwork. But the moment she saw Dream Weaver, that weariness was instantly replaced by a bright, lively spark.
"Dream Weaver? What brings you here so early? Don't tell me you're still struggling with choosing a trainer?"
"I heard you still haven't found one, even after winning a G3 stakes race. Really, what are we going to do with you? How about letting your President help you—"
The sudden flood of words from Symboli Rudolf caught Dream Weaver off guard, leaving her momentarily dazed.
But she quickly collected herself, waving her hands hurriedly to politely decline the president's enthusiastic offer before explaining her actual reason for coming.
"No, no, that's not it. I wanted to ask if you knew a few Uma Musume."
Hearing that Dream Weaver wasn't here for trainer advice, Symboli Rudolf looked slightly disappointed, but she nodded anyway, signaling for Dream Weaver to go ahead.
"Do you know... Oguri Roman?"
"Of course. She's a highly promising Uma Musume. Many trainers believe she'll do great things in mile races."
Symboli Rudolf answered almost without hesitation—she wouldn't forget a talented Uma Musume like Oguri Roman.
Hearing news about her friend made Dream Weaver's heart leap with joy. She pressed on eagerly.
"What about Nanno Sumire?"
"I believe she's also an Uma Musume here at Central Tracen. Same year as you, if I'm not mistaken?"
This time, Symboli Rudolf took a few seconds to think before answering.
Learning that Nanno Sumire had also made it to Central Tracen—meaning she had a chance to achieve even greater results—made Dream Weaver happy for her. She continued asking without pause.
"What about Artisan Bell? And Nishimoto Makusa and Kobayashi Kaze?!"
As Dream Weaver listed name after name that sounded vaguely familiar yet hard to place, two drops of sweat formed on Symboli Rudolf's forehead. Not wanting to disappoint or seem incompetent, she stood up, walked over to a bookshelf, and pulled out a registry, flipping through it based on memory.
A minute later, she finally let out a long sigh, closed the thick registry, and spoke.
"Artisan Bell is also a student at Central Tracen, same year as you. But she's in the Logistics Support track, so you probably won't run into her often since your classes are different."
"Kobayashi Kaze is in the same class as her. Her main focus is designing clothing for Uma Musume—the school uniforms and winner's outfits issued by Central Tracen are designed by students in her field."
"As for Nishimoto Makusa..."
She paused thoughtfully before continuing.
"She's not a student at Central Tracen, but her family supplies fruits and vegetables to the cafeteria. You've had the cafeteria's watermelon, right? Quite sweet—that's from her family."
"These three, along with Nanno Sumire and Oguri Roman you asked about earlier, all come from the same hometown. They're very close and often hang out together."
After delivering all that information, Symboli Rudolf finally relaxed the frown she'd worn while searching through the materials. She felt sure that being able to dig up all these details had surely cemented an impressive, radiant image of herself in Dream Weaver's mind.
But when she turned around to face Dream Weaver, expecting to be met with a gaze full of admiration, all she saw was a pair of sparkling eyes, still brimming with curiosity.
A single bead of sweat rolled down Symboli Rudolf's forehead.
Seeing that the president seemed to know everyone, Dream Weaver decided not to limit herself to just Uma Musume. In one breath, she asked about all the remaining names.
"What about Satou Ken? And Chizuru Haibara and Koutarou Haibara?!"
Symboli Rudolf's expression stiffened. To maintain the students' image of their capable president, she had no choice but to turn back to the bookshelf and start searching again.
Finally, after about ten minutes, she managed to gather information on all three names.
"Satou Ken is a rookie trainer who just passed the exam to work at Central. Chizuru Haibara is an established Central trainer with a pretty good track record. Her father, Koutarou Haibara, is the principal at Kasamatsu Tracen and acts as a liaison between local branches and Central."
Having stayed up half the night dealing with paperwork, Symboli Rudolf felt like her soul was about to leave her body after saying all that.
But as they say, with great power comes great responsibility—those who are highly regarded naturally face greater expectations. Impressed by the president's vast knowledge, Dream Weaver couldn't resist preparing to ask yet another question. This time, she wanted to know about that reporter and the race commentator who'd always been there during her matches.
But Symboli Rudolf had reached her limit. She rushed forward, her face dark, and clamped a hand over Dream Weaver's mouth before she could speak, then promptly pushed her out of the student council office.
"From now on, look up that kind of thing yourself on the school's website!"
Standing outside the closed door, Dream Weaver tilted her head in confusion at the muffled voice coming from within.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.