Although she couldn't quite make out what Symboli Rudolf was saying, Dream Weaver had gotten answers to all the questions she wanted to ask, so she left feeling satisfied. Knowing that her friends were doing well in the real world finally put her mind at ease.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm arc of light on the tiled floor against the stark white walls. Feeling cheerful, Dream Weaver's steps unconsciously turned into a light, skipping gait.
But soon, she heard a familiar hum coming from around the corner of the hallway. Realizing which Uma Musume it was, Dream Weaver quickly straightened up, reverting to her usual composed demeanor just before the other turned the corner.
Knowing full well that the other Uma Musume had a rather childlike personality, Dream Weaver instinctively wanted to appear more mature in front of her.
"Hachimi Hachi—"
"Hm? Oh, it's you!"
Tokai Teio, holding a cup of honey drink, spotted Dream Weaver and waved cheerfully.
Dream Weaver's eye twitched slightly at the sight of that familiar beverage.
She remembered just how incredibly sweet that drink was. Wouldn't drinking it every morning lead to a toothache?
"You should really have a proper breakfast. Drinking honey water every day isn't good for you."
Hearing Dream Weaver—a fellow student—speak like a concerned elder, Tokai Teio puffed out her cheeks and retorted playfully:
"If I didn't drink honey water every day, a certain someone would've collapsed on the roadside not too long ago!"
"That was a special circumstance…"
Dream Weaver couldn't really argue with that, so she averted her eyes and changed the subject.
"Anyway, what are you doing here at the student council office so early?"
Unsuspecting, Tokai Teio replied naturally:
"Of course I'm here to play with the Prez!"
"…Don't you think you could do something more meaningful before class?"
"Like what?"
Tokai Teio tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Like having breakfast, for instance."
"I heard the cafeteria sometimes spawns appetite monsters who devour all the food. If you miss the first batch, you'll have to wait for them to cook more."
This was absolutely from the heart. After witnessing the terrifying appetite of the chief culprit, Oguri Cap, Dream Weaver had been thoroughly convinced. Since there was no way to curb her eating, it was better to just get to the cafeteria early.
"There are plenty of monsters like that in this school," Tokai Teio waved her hand dismissively, "but everyone's already figured out their eating schedules. As long as you avoid those times, you won't have to wait for a refill."
Apparently, Tokai Teio had been living in the central Tracen dorms for a long time and was already well aware of such things. Everyone had learned their lesson and figured out the best times to eat.
In theory, Dream Weaver had the chance to learn this during her first scriptworld stay in the dorms, but back then she was under so much pressure that aside from training, she didn't pay attention to anything else. So she'd never heard about it.
And in the real world, she had only recently transferred to Central Tracen and was still commuting daily, so naturally, she hadn't learned about it either.
Hearing about this for the first time, Dream Weaver couldn't help muttering to herself:
"Then what was the point of me drinking those two cups of honey water?"
Upon hearing this, Tokai Teio clutched her honey drink protectively, tiptoed around Dream Weaver, and declared:
"There's still breakfast available now! So I'm keeping this honey water for myself!"
With that, she dashed off down the hallway toward the student council office, apparently intending to play with Symboli Rudolf before class.
As the sound of her footsteps faded, Dream Weaver snapped out of her daze. She suddenly remembered there was something else she had wanted to ask Tokai Teio.
She turned around and called out to Tokai Teio's retreating figure:
"I just thought of something!"
"Didn't you already lose to me in your first debut race? So your undefeated streak was broken right from the start, wasn't it?"
This question, which had bothered Dream Weaver for half a scriptworld, finally had a chance to be asked.
But upon hearing her words, Tokai Teio only sped up. Sprinting down the hallway, she replied in a playfully stubborn tone:
"I don't care! Debut races just don't count!"
Watching her disappear completely, Dream Weaver could only shake her head helplessly.
She had thought it might be a difference between scriptworlds, but it turned out to be nothing more than Tokai Teio's stubborn pride.
Well, what could you expect? She was still such a child—and with such a sweet tooth, too.
Dream Weaver hummed to herself inexplicably, then turned and headed toward the cafeteria.
Even though she'd already eaten a bag of bread, she didn't mind having a bit more breakfast—especially after hearing the good news that no "monsters" had visited the cafeteria yet. Her steps grew increasingly buoyant.
Today was shaping up to be a good day. Not only had she learned about her friends' real-world situations from President Rudolf, but she also had the luxury of a leisurely breakfast. All that was left was to get through classes, and it would be a perfect day.
Or so Dream Weaver thought.
And luck seemed to be on her side even more than she'd expected. After breakfast, Dream Weaver didn't run into T.M. Opera O at all throughout the school day. It seemed something had come up, preventing her from shadowing Dream Weaver as persistently as before.
This was yet another relief. Although she'd started getting somewhat used to it after a full day of desensitization training, having gone through another script mission, she wasn't sure if that familiarity would still hold. T.M. Opera O's absence today bought her valuable time to readjust.
With classes over for the day, Dream Weaver picked up her backpack and strolled toward the school gate.
Compared to being driven by main missions in the scriptworld, with the weight of rivals and friends' expectations on her shoulders, real-world school life was remarkably relaxed.
All she had to do was focus on her classes—a pace perfectly suited for easing her mind after completing a script mission.
But just as she thought the day had ended perfectly…
Several Uma Musume suddenly sprang out from the bushes behind her. The tall, gray-haired leader without a word threw a sack over Dream Weaver's head, and together with her companions, hoisted Dream Weaver up and made a run for it.
"?!"
It happened so fast Dream Weaver didn't even have time to react. It wasn't until she was being carried away that she processed what was happening.
There were kidnappers at Tracen?!
--+--
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.