The Kasamatsu Uma Musume girls were dragged, looking utterly disheartened, into an empty training room by Chizuru Haibara. Watching them all standing there with downcast eyes, Chizuru let out a helpless sigh and rubbed her forehead.
"I totally get how you guys are feeling, really."
"But back at Kasamatsu Tracen, you all attended classes properly. How did you end up skipping class now that you've finally made it to the Central circuit?!"
As she spoke, she smacked the table in frustration, slipping unconsciously into the role of their trainer from the dream world, completely forgetting that in reality, they weren't actually connected that way.
"Give us a break, Chizuru-nee, I promise we'll never skip class again!"
Just like in the dream, Kobayashi Kaze acted familiar with Chizuru, shaking her hand and whining playfully without a hint of distance.
"We just really wanted to see Little Dream, that's all! Let us off just this once, Chizuru-nee!"
Artisan Bell chimed in at the right moment, moving behind Chizuru and massaging her shoulders as she spoke.
"You guys—"
Chizuru glanced at the Uma Musume putting on their innocent, cute acts and sighed helplessly.
"Why can't you be more like Makusa? Look, she didn't skip class with you!"
"Yeah, yeah, we'll definitely follow Makusa's—"
Before Kobayashi Kaze could finish agreeing, Nanno Sumire, who was standing nearby, furrowed her brow slightly and spoke uncertainly.
"But… isn't Makusa managing her family's vegetable patch right now? She didn't come to Central for school, did she?"
Her words hit everyone like a thunderclap. Only then did it dawn on them that they weren't in the dream world anymore.
Of course, Makusa couldn't have skipped class—and Chizuru Haibara shouldn't have been so familiar with them, nor should she have said things that only made sense within the context of that dream.
Kobayashi Kaze's hand, still holding Chizuru's, froze mid-air. Artisan Bell's massaging hands stiffened. They all stopped what they were doing almost simultaneously, exchanging glances in the now-silent training room.
After dozens of seconds of silence, Oguri Roman finally spoke.
"Chizuru-nee… you have those memories too?"
At that point, they could no longer brush off that experience as just a simple dream. In that brief silence, each of them realized one thing:
It wasn't a dream. It was a story that had truly happened—on another timeline.
That was why they had unconsciously slipped back into their old dynamic from Kasamatsu. They were all witnesses to that miraculous story.
"I wasn't really trying to hide it from you all… I just kind of forgot to bring it up."
Chizuru fake-coughed to cover her embarrassment. Initially, she had wanted not only to scold them for skipping class but also to talk about those memories.
But without realizing it, she too had forgotten to distinguish between worlds, instinctively treating this as Kasamatsu Tracen and falling back into her old role.
Chizuru's words were met with unanimous understanding from the Uma Musume—they had also unconsciously assumed they were back at Kasamatsu Tracen.
"I never thought you'd have those memories too, Chizuru-nee! I thought only Uma Musume would have them?"
Nanno Sumire stroked her chin thoughtfully. After discovering yesterday that her friends also remembered, she had assumed it was something only Uma Musume experienced.
But if Chizuru Haibara also had those memories, did that mean…
"Does Uncle Haibara and Satou have them too? And if we extend that—what about that reporter and Akasaka Rin? What about the other spectators who watched Little Dream's races?"
At Nanno's words, everyone fell into thought. Where exactly was the boundary of these inherited memories? Were they really the only ones who remembered that world?
If it was only the Kasamatsu group, that would be one thing. But if countless spectators also remembered, could that bring trouble for Little Dream?
After all, in that world, she had risen from the regional circuit all the way to the Central stage, not only bringing attention back to regional tracks but also defeating that Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe champion, Orfevre, not once but twice. In the end, she lived up to her title—like a meteor streaking across the sky before falling into a coma.
A Dream Weaver like that had plenty of fervent fans. If they found out about her current condition, who knows what they might do?
The thought made everyone's expressions turn serious. Nanno Sumire had already come up with a way to verify things.
"Chizuru-nee, call Uncle Haibara and ask. I'll try to find out what Satou Ken is up to now."
"And Roman, you know Oguri Cap-senpai, right? She and Little Dream met once. Their connection should be stronger than that of ordinary fans. If she doesn't have memories, then the chances of regular fans having them would be a lot lower."
Just as she finished speaking, the bell for the end of class rang. Chizuru Haibara and Oguri Roman immediately nodded, pulling out their phones to start making calls.
Meanwhile, Nanno Sumire motioned to Kobayashi Kaze and Artisan Bell to help her check whether Satou Ken was still working as a trainer.
The training room, quiet for only a short while, soon filled with the noisy sounds of phone conversations. It wasn't until the next class bell rang that they finally put their phones away.
"Dad does have memories. He said he's actually on a business trip in Tokyo today and wants to come to Central later to see Little Dream from a distance."
After Chizuru spoke, Nanno Sumire followed up.
"Satou is also a trainer at Central now. We found his number on Tracen's official website. Unsurprisingly, he has memories too. He said he'd come find us after finishing today's training with his assigned Uma Musume."
Then, almost in unison, they all turned their eyes to Oguri Roman. It was expected that Satou Ken and Koutarou Haibara would remember—they were just confirming.
The real question was whether Oguri Cap had those memories. If she also remembered the other world, things could get complicated.
Under everyone's gaze, Oguri Roman took a breath and spoke slowly.
"Oguri Cap-senpai said she doesn't know Little Dream. But after hearing my explanation, she seemed… interested."
"How unusual. I never thought senpai would be interested in anything besides food."
After Oguri Roman finished, Nanno Sumire relaxed with a sigh of relief.
"It seems like she might feel some familiarity with Little Dream at most."
"So we can confirm the scope of the memory inheritance. It has to be someone with a closer connection to Little Dream. Aside from us from Kasamatsu Tracen, the only ones who might have memories are Gold Ship and Orfevre."
"That means we don't have to worry about any obsessive fans causing trouble."
Seeing her conclusion, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. At least things hadn't escalated to the worst-case scenario.
A moment later, as if realizing something, Artisan Bell said excitedly:
"Uncle Haibara and Satou-sensei are coming later, right? So… what do we do now?"
She seemed thrilled that everyone from Kasamatsu Tracen had a chance to reunite across worlds.
"I remember there's a school event after classes this afternoon, right? Some kind of festival. How about we all go see Little Dream together then?"
Nanno Sumire unconsciously smiled, as if already picturing the scene of their reunion.
Only Chizuru Haibara, though also happy, seemed to realize something. She rapped on the table, her tone turning serious.
"That all sounds great, but have you guys realized…"
"Class has started again? Are you really going to skip another one?! I don't remember teaching you to be troublemakers like this!"
Seeing Chizuru on the verge of blowing up, the Uma Musume didn't dare stick around. In a flash, they dashed out to attend their respective classes.
"We'll meet back here after class to talk! Wait for us, Chizuru-nee!"
Watching Kobayashi Kaze shout back even as she ran off, Chizuru couldn't maintain her stern expression. She smiled and waved at their retreating figures.
Lifting her head toward the clear blue sky, she murmured to herself:
"A reunion, huh…"
"That's really something to look forward to."
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T/N: Gacha x Multiverse Fic Up!
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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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.