Dream Weaver was walking toward Tracen Academy the day after her race, and for once, she hadn't rushed out the door in a hurry—she'd even had enough time to fix herself a little breakfast.
She'd learned her lesson after that one grey-haired Uma Musume, Tamamo Cross, kept scarfing down her food. This time, Dream Weaver was prepared.
If she ever caught Tamamo red-handed, she'd give her a taste of what it was like to have no breakfast. Not only that—she'd make a point of eating that sacred piece of bread right in front of her.
Looking at the bag holding her slice of bread, Dream Weaver let out a smug little hum.
But just as she was admiring her handiwork, a blur of gold suddenly rounded the corner ahead without warning.
A strong—but soft—force slammed into Dream Weaver, throwing her off balance. As she started to fall, her mind wasn't on avoiding injury, but on protecting that bread at all costs.
Before she could even act on that thought, that golden blur firmly caught her against its chest.
'Oh no!'
Trapped in its grasp, all Dream Weaver could do was watch as her breakfast went sailing through the air in a graceful arc.
Thump!
Instead of pain, she felt only warmth and softness cushioning her fall. The Uma Musume who'd crashed into her had held on tight, almost as if trying to take the impact herself.
"A-Are you okay?!" a familiar voice asked from above.
Dream Weaver struggled slightly and patted the Uma Musume's arm to signal that she should let go.
"O-Oh!" the girl exclaimed, finally releasing her.
Freed at last, Dream Weaver took a deep breath of fresh air. Once the feeling of suffocation faded, she finally turned to get a look at the other girl's face.
It was Narita Top Road. To run into an old friend like this, now little more than a stranger—for a moment, Dream Weaver was at a loss for words.
Fortunately, Narita Top Road spoke first.
"My name's Narita Top Road! Are you hurt? I can take you to the nurse's office!"
As she chirped away, Dream Weaver dearly wanted to point out that with how tightly she'd been held, there was no way she could've gotten hurt. Her bread, though—that was another story.
Noticing Dream Weaver's gaze drifting toward the sidewalk, Narita Top Road followed her eyes and spotted the bread lying on the ground.
While Dream Weaver wasn't looking, a sly grin spread across Narita Top Road's face.
This was even better than she'd planned! Now she could use making amends as an excuse to treat Dream Weaver to a meal. And everyone knew that sharing a meal was the best way to bring people closer together!
She could already declare it: Narita Top Road had won this round!
"Well—oh—my—!"
Just as she was congratulating herself, an exaggerated gasp sounded from behind. A brown-haired figure shot forward like lightning, stepped right on the bread, and launched herself toward Dream Weaver.
Poor Dream Weaver, who'd only just gotten up, was knocked right back down to the ground.
"Vega!" Narita Top Road cried out, staring at the girl who'd suddenly inserted herself between them.
Admire Vega paid her no mind. Propping herself up on one arm, she faced Dream Weaver and spoke at a breakneck pace.
"So sorry for ruining your breakfast. How about I treat you to a new one?"
"Oh, right—I'm Admire Vega. No time to waste, let's go right now."
Without another word, she pulled a dazed Dream Weaver to her feet and was about to make a quick escape when Narita Top Road suddenly stepped in front of them.
Narita Top Road could feel angry veins popping on her forehead, but she forced a stiff smile.
"Vega-chan, don't you think there's such a thing as first come, first served—?"
Faced with this intense pressure, Admire Vega remained expressionless, as if she'd already steeled her resolve.
"I'm the one who stepped on her breakfast. Of course I should be the one to make it up to her."
She tried to pull Dream Weaver—who looked more confused by the second—away, but standing before them was Narita Top Road, all 166 centimeters of her. Towering nearly ten centimeters over both Admire Vega and Dream Weaver, she easily blocked their path.
Seeing her escape route cut off, a cold glint flashed in Admire Vega's eyes. Drawing on years of training, she broke into a rapid side-shuffle, feet pivoting left and right as she tried to break through Narita Top Road's defense.
But the Uma Musume she was up against was no ordinary opponent. Narita Top Road was every bit as skilled as Admire Vega, and she immediately mirrored her movements, shuffling side-to-side in perfect sync.
And so, a truly bizarre scene unfolded on the path leading to Tracen Academy that day: a golden-haired and a brown-haired Uma Musume, face to face, caught in a tense standoff of rapid side-shuffling.
Even more astonishing was that the brown-haired Uma Musume was still holding hands with a black-haired one—and even while being dragged along, she somehow managed to keep up with their rhythm.
Finally, after all the morning's strange events, Dream Weaver's senses returned amid the absurdity of this side-shuffling contest. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, bringing Admire Vega to an abrupt halt.
"You know what—it doesn't even matter."
"You two! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Trying to keep me cornered here!"
At her words, Admire Vega and Narita Top Road both froze mid-shuffle. As if on cue, they simultaneously glanced away, pretending to be captivated by the scenery.
But Dream Weaver wasn't about to let them off that easily. She eyed them suspiciously and pressed further.
"You both live in the dorms, right? I've never run into you on my way to school before."
She'd already known they lived in the dorms from her time in the scriptworld, of course, but she couldn't exactly explain how she knew that. So she settled for a different approach.
Still, the question was enough to make Admire Vega and Narita Top Road break out in a cold sweat. Under Dream Weaver's intense gaze, the usually cheerful Narita Top Road could only stammer out a reply.
"J-Just a coincidence! Definitely!"
Admire Vega, who'd been ready to fight her moments earlier, quickly backed her up.
"The world works in mysterious ways…"
Her tone was as flat as ever, but her eyes couldn't help drifting away.
Dream Weaver studied the two of them, her expression full of doubt. She stared until they were both sweating bullets, then flashed a confident smile and said breezily:
"I've figured it out—"
Narita Top Road and Admire Vega's hearts simultaneously skipped a beat.
"Your trainers put you up to this, didn't they? You're trying to recruit me!"
And Dream Weaver offered what she believed was the most logical explanation.
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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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