Nanno Sumire's words reminded Mejiro Ardan of the end of that dream—the moment when Dream Weaver took her first step against the Northern family's curse, right before the portrait of her mother.
Back then, she had also told herself not to give up.
She never expected that, even in the real world, Dream Weaver possessed that same will.
Now, Mejiro Ardan was completely certain: the Dream Weaver here at Tracen Academy was the very same bird she had been searching for.
Even if her name had been altered, she was still herself.
A faint sense of joy flickered within Mejiro Ardan's heart.
At the very least, she could finally confirm that Dream Weaver was the Uma Musume who had captured her thoughts and dreams.
"Too bad Artisan Bell couldn't make it to the club at lunch—she's swamped with assignments. And Makusa didn't deliver anything today, either."
"Not to mention, Chizuru and Satou Ken are both trainers—they're always busy. Otherwise, you might've learned even more about Dream."
Kobayashi Kaze chattered away, listing off names until Mejiro Ardan's mind, which had just begun to relax, spun into confusion.
She had assumed the three in front of her were the extent of it. After all, in the real world, aside from her debut race, Dream Weaver had only run in the Niigata Junior Stakes—it was already impressive that she had this many fans at Tracen.
But it turned out there were even more… and even trainers were involved.
Just how spectacular were that debut race and the Niigata Junior Stakes to attract so many admirers?
Just as Mejiro Ardan was feeling a little overwhelmed, Nanno Sumire, standing nearby, tapped the chattering Kobayashi Kaze lightly and smiled at Mejiro Ardan.
"Actually, besides us, there are a few others at Tracen who like Dream. If you want to know more, you could try reaching out to them."
By now, Nanno Sumire had taken Mejiro Ardan for a new fan guided by Oguri Cap to learn more about Dream Weaver.
Considering herself Dream's closest friend, she felt it was only right to point this new fan in the right direction.
Even though their Kasamatsu Uma Musume Club didn't always see eye to eye with those three, they were all fellow admirers of Dream in secret.
Well… except, maybe they were the ones being secretive. I'm open about it.
Nanno Sumire mentally patched up her own reasoning, even as she wrote down the usual hangout spots of those three Uma Musume and handed the note to Mejiro Ardan.
"See you later!"
"Feel free to visit again when you have the chance."
"Since you're a fan of Dream too, maybe you could even join our club someday."
After saying goodbye to the three Kasamatsu Uma Musume at the door, Mejiro Ardan made her way back to the classroom, a little dazed, clutching the note in her hand.
She had thought this fan club was as far as it went—but it seemed there were even bigger fans out there.
Had Dream Weaver's fandom really grown so large that it had split into factions?!
On one hand, Mejiro Ardan felt genuinely happy—she was glad Dream Weaver was so well-loved.
But on the other hand, a faint sense of discontent stirred within her. After all, in the dream—no, what seemed like another world now—Dream Weaver had always been by her side, almost as though she belonged to Mejiro Ardan alone.
But here in the real world, Dream Weaver was already surrounded by so many people without her even realizing.
"It's almost like she's been taken from me…"
Mejiro Ardan murmured softly, staring down at the note in her hand.
She shook her head quickly, patting her cheeks as if to physically dispel the strange thoughts swirling in her mind.
"Ardan? Is everything alright?"
But Mejiro Ardan had clearly forgotten where she was. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't even noticed that class had started.
Her unusual behavior immediately drew questioning looks from the teacher and the curious gazes of every Uma Musume in the room.
"Are you feeling unwell? Should someone take you to the infirmary?"
In everyone's eyes, Mejiro Ardan was the model student—well-behaved and academically sharp—so they could only assume she must be feeling off.
Just as the teacher was about to pick someone at random to escort her, Mejiro Ardan finally snapped back to reality under the weight of all those stares.
She hurriedly waved her hands, signaling that she was fine.
Once everyone had turned their attention away, Mejiro Ardan—her cheeks now flushed—let out a long, quiet sigh.
She glanced once more at the note in her hand, then tucked it away, deciding to check out the place after school.
Waiting always made time drag. The moment the teacher dismissed the class, Mejiro Ardan hurriedly slung her already-packed bag over her shoulder and slipped out of the classroom under the curious eyes of her classmates.
Following the address Nanno Sumire had given her, Mejiro Ardan soon found herself standing before another classroom door.
Staring at the clumsily carved wooden sign hanging from the handle, it struck her for the first time that Tracen Academy might have a few too many of these… oddly specific club rooms.
"No Admittance Without Permission,"she read under her breath.
Compared to the Kasamatsu Fan Club, which at least sounded like a proper club, this wooden plaque felt more like a declaration of some hidden secret.
She was still hesitating, unsure whether to knock, when a heated discussion erupted from inside the room.
"Trust me! This plan is top-tier!"
"At this point, I've learned the hard way—the more steps a plan has, the more things can go wrong. We don't need a plan anymore."
"Let's just wrap her up in a soft blanket, carry her home, and hum 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' by her side."
"That's just plain creepy, isn't it?!"
"Enough talk! There are more and more people hanging around her lately. We're out of time for hesitation—we need to strike hard and fast!"
No sooner had those words fallen than footsteps sounded from inside the room, as if someone was about to leave.
Mejiro Ardan froze, unsure what to do.
Before she could decide whether to pretend she was just passing by or duck into a blind spot, the door suddenly swung open.
"Vega! Admire Vega! Calm down—don't fall into the dark side of the Uma Musume world!"
"Staying out all night and moving in together is going too far! Our family would never allow our child to be swept up in something like this!"
The moment Admire Vega pushed through the door, Narita Top Road and King Halo rushed forward, grabbing her from both sides and halting her in her tracks.
Staring at the three Uma Musume tangled together in front of her, Mejiro Ardan wasn't sure where to look. Avoiding their eyes, she forced a stiff smile and said:
"Am I… interrupting?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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.