Chizuru Haibara stared distractedly at the computer screen on her desk. This was already the second time she'd had that dream—on that racetrack far harsher than reality, a blazing crimson streak racing through the curtain of rain had seared itself deeply into her mind.
Chizuru remembered the vow that girl had made to her in front of Kasamatsu Racecourse. She remembered how she had revitalized that once-fading local track, how she had defeated the demons in Chizuru's own dreams with miraculous strength, and how she had gently guided that shadowed course closer to a kinder reality.
As the images and memories grew clearer, Chizuru's heart began to beat more urgently. Almost without thinking, she navigated to the official website of Tracen Academy. Every Uma Musume who had debuted was listed there. Following the guidance of her dream, Chizuru typed out those words:
Dream Weaver.
Looking at the face on the screen—identical to the one from her dream—Chizuru suddenly smiled, a wave of relief washing over her.
She didn't know why she'd had that dream. Maybe it was a miracle from the Three Goddesses, or maybe it was something else entirely. All Chizuru knew was that the possibility she feared most had vanished.
Even though the dream had felt as real as another world, its ending had been abrupt. In the dream, just after witnessing Dream Weaver's miraculous recovery, she hadn't even had time to say much before she woke up.
That left Chizuru worried. She hadn't seen the true ending.
What if Dream Weaver had collapsed again after that? What if, in reality, Dream Weaver was like that too—or worse, what if she didn't even exist? What would she do then?
But Dream Weaver did exist. She was living well in this world. That was enough to put Chizuru's heart at ease.
Still, as she carefully read through Dream Weaver's profile on the screen, her eyes lingered on the empty slot labeled "Trainer." An idea sprouted in her heart, then took root and grew like wild grass.
She wanted to become Dream Weaver's trainer, just like in the dream.
Even though Dream Weaver seemed fine now, Chizuru couldn't shake the worry. What if, like in the dream, she pushed herself to meet others' expectations, to fulfill a promise, to chase victory—and ended up collapsing again?
Chizuru didn't want to take that chance. She didn't dare. She couldn't bear the thought of witnessing that same scene from her dream play out in real life.
If she could become Dream Weaver's trainer, at least she could notice any warning signs and stop her before it was too late.
She couldn't make the same mistake twice. Chizuru thought of her dream self before the Japan Derby—completely unaware—and clenched her fists tightly.
Once her mind was made up, Chizuru shot up from her seat. Ignoring her colleagues' surprised looks, she grabbed her trainer's badge and hurried out of the office.
Tracen's website listed all the races Dream Weaver had taken part in so far. By checking the date of her debut race, Chizuru could easily figure out what grade she was in now.
She quickly made her way toward the academic building. She didn't know the exact classroom, but all classes for the same grade were on the same floor. She could just check one by one.
She was sure she'd recognize Dream Weaver in an instant, even in a crowd.
But as she turned the corner into the hallway of that grade, before she could spot Dream Weaver, she saw another group of Uma Musume who looked strangely familiar.
Chizuru narrowed her eyes, silently reciting their names.
"Oguri Roman, Nanno Sumire, Kobayashi Kaze, and Artisan Bell?"
"Did they... have that dream too?"
Seeing the Uma Musume from Kasamatsu in her dream standing right in front of her made it hard to distinguish reality from the dream. Was she still dreaming? Were they here together on a visit to Central Tracen?
The group, with their backs to her, hadn't noticed Chizuru yet. They were pressed against the wall, peeking cautiously down the hallway with a row of curious faces.
"So... why are we doing this? Can't we just go find her directly?" Artisan Bell said impatiently. In her view, they should just go to Dream Weaver. They could figure out what to say after they saw her—why hesitate here?
"Maybe because it's still class time, and we're actually skipping class to be here," Nanno Sumire replied helplessly. She didn't want to be stuck by the wall either.
But they were skipping class, and they didn't know which classroom was Dream Weaver's, so they had to check one by one. If a teacher caught them in the process, they'd definitely be dragged to the faculty office.
"If we get caught, who knows how long the lecture will last! Let's just wait here. We'll see Dream the moment class ends!" Kobayashi Kaze said. Oguri Roman, who was resting her head on top of Kobayashi's, chimed in:
"Right, we just have to tough it out a little longer."
Coming from the same hometown, these Uma Musume from Kasamatsu were naturally close in the real world too.
Just yesterday, when they were hanging out after school, they'd somehow started talking about that dream—and were shocked to discover they'd all had the same one.
One person having a strange dream once could be written off as odd, but a whole group having the same dream? That had to mean something.
And all of them had been students at Kasamatsu Tracen in that dream world. They'd all gone through those unforgettable ten months with Dream Weaver. To them, this was beyond coincidence.
That's why they were so eager that they'd skip class to gather here, wanting to see Dream Weaver the moment she got out of class.
But just as the Uma Musume were eagerly watching the hallway, a stern voice suddenly spoke up behind them:
"Tough what out?"
Startled, they shivered and turned around.
The moment she saw Chizuru, an overly surprised Artisan Bell blurted out:
"Chizuru-nee?!"
"So you do know my name."
Realizing she'd slipped up, Artisan Bell immediately covered her mouth. Nanno Sumire, beside her, quickly tried to think of how to explain—after all, in the real world, they weren't supposed to know Chizuru Haibara yet.
They were so startled they didn't even stop to wonder why Chizuru sounded so certain. Before they could react, Chizuru raised a hand and gave each of them a light chop on the head.
"That's the price for skipping class."
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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.