After smoothly ushering Orfevre away, Dream Weaver sank into her chair, her emotions taking a long while to settle.
If it had only been King Halo, she might have been able to convince herself it was just her ego inflating things, but Orfevre's visit had mercilessly torn through that illusion.
She really was being watched—and adored—though this attention and affection were nothing like what Dream Weaver had initially imagined.
"What on earth do I do…?"
The ones who liked her definitely weren't limited to just Orfevre and King Halo.
Thinking of the worst-case scenario, it was quite possible that every Uma Musume who had inherited memories from the script world now harbored some sort of desire toward her.
How could she not feel torn about that?
Leaning back in her chair, Dream Weaver let out a sigh so deep it was almost a groan.
Away from the racetrack, she was just an ordinary Uma Musume, after all—she had no miraculous experience in being liked by a whole crowd.
Now, facing friends she absolutely didn't want to hurt, Dream Weaver genuinely had no idea how to handle things.
The thought that rejecting any one of them would leave a lasting scar made her wish she could split herself in two.
"But even if I split into two… I doubt that'd be enough," she muttered to herself with a bitter smile, counting on her fingers.
"Speaking of which, does this world have something like shadow clones? Since we already have mysterious Zones existing, it wouldn't be too weird for a duplication technique to pop up, right?"
For Dream Weaver, who was now half-hoping the world view would suddenly sprout ninjas, the world's response was to have Sakura Bakushin O bring yet another visitor.
Guests one after another in just a few short minutes—was this a sign that Tracen Academy was steeped in mysticism and superstition, or was Sakura Bakushin O's recruiting simply impossible to refuse?
Either way, the visitor wouldn't let Dream Weaver linger in her dilemma any longer.
Within seconds, approaching footsteps were already closing in on the curtain.
Hearing the sound from ahead, Dream Weaver tugged at the corner of her mouth in a wry smile, thinking to herself:
Don't tell me it's another Uma Musume who likes me… Sakura Bakushin O, are you doing this on purpose?
"Is there a student behind the curtain? If it's a young person, perhaps you could offer me some advice."
This time, the person seeking a divination didn't seem too fixated on astrology—it sounded like she'd come simply because she thought talking to a younger person might be helpful.
Hearing the voice from behind the curtain, which was somewhat familiar yet again, Dream Weaver responded from her seat with little energy.
"Yes, hello. I am the Ultimate-Level Astrologist."
"U-Ultimate-Level?! That's quite the extravagant title. It seems the underclassmen have grown a lot since I left Tracen—to think such talent has emerged."
Not really in the mood to engage, Dream Weaver replied with a deadpan look in her eyes, "That's right. Everyone at Tracen nowadays is a master of magic."
"During Halloween two months ago, a Taoist priest named Kobayashi Kaze summoned a water dragon and wiped out all the zombies, ghosts, and mummies."
"A mere Ultimate-Level Astrologist isn't much at Tracen anymore—round it off, and I'm just an ordinary Uma Musume."
The person behind the curtain seemed to gape, as if to say, "That strong?!"
She never expected Tracen Academy to have changed so much after she left. Though the buildings looked much the same, the Uma Musume inside had clearly evolved to a whole new level.
After who knows how long of stunned silence, she finally collected herself and continued.
"I knew there'd be a generation gap with the younger Uma Musume of this era, but I never imagined it'd be this extreme."
"It really was the right choice to consult a young Uma Musume before starting my duties."
Hearing this, Dream Weaver lifted her eyelids slightly, sounding a bit surprised. "You're a teacher?"
Could the oddly familiar voice just be a coincidence? Was this visitor actually a teacher about to start at Tracen?
"A teacher? Something like that," she chuckled from behind the curtain, followed by the rustling sound of smoothing out a collar.
"I'm about to start working as a trainer at Central Tracen. As a trainer, I need to understand my Uma Musume inside and out to build a good partnership."
"But it seems there's already quite a gap between me and the younger generation here."
"Earlier, when I was chatting with a young Uma Musume, she mentioned shonen manga. I brought up Astro Boy, my favorite back in the day, and she looked at me like I was some kind of relic!"
Dream Weaver's lips twitched.
She was starting to have a pretty good guess who was behind the curtain.
"Generally speaking, pulling out a series that old when talking about shonen manga… it's no wonder you got that kind of look."
"No way! Astro Boy might be a bit older, but it's not that ancient!"
Shinzan couldn't help defending herself, but she quickly remembered she was here to understand the generation gap, not argue.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "What about The Rose of Versailles or Ashita no Joe? Surely they're considered trendy nowadays?"
Dream Weaver couldn't help but facepalm.
She thought she and Gold Ship had been pushing it with their old Gundam references in the script world, but here was a true master.
At least they'd been aware how dated those references were.
Shinzan, however, seemed completely oblivious that the works she mentioned had nothing to do with "trendy" anymore.
"May I ask how old you were when you watched those?"
"Eighteen. Why?"
"And how old are you now?"
Silence. Dead silence.
After Dream Weaver asked that forbidden question, Shinzan behind the curtain went completely quiet.
After an agonizing stretch of stillness, Shinzan finally spoke again, her voice trembling.
"A-Age is a secret for Uma Musume, you know!"
"Heh."
Dream Weaver let out a cryptic laugh, then added, "I once knew an Uma Musume in the student council who used to say things like that. Her name was Maruzensky."
"…Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"No reason. Just thought of her. By the way, she's the oldest member of the student council. Students on the school forum often affectionately call her 'Auntie.'"
"Kgh!"
Shinzan let out a pained groan, as if struck by a heavy blow.
If an Uma Musume still at Tracen could be called "Auntie," what did that make her—a living fossil in a museum?!
Hearing Shinzan's defeated noises from behind the curtain, Dream Weaver broke into a pleased smile.
Even her earlier anxiety over how to handle complicated feelings seemed to ease up a bit.
--+--
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.