"Ugh… Ah…"
She woke up in the morning and stretched comfortably.
It was a little earlier than usual, but it didn't matter; her sleep quality was still guaranteed.
Because she had things to do, she didn't linger in bed. After getting up, she immediately changed clothes and then washed up.
She didn't eat yet, just drank a glass of honey water diluted ten times to replenish some sugar. Although her tolerance for food had increased a lot after becoming an Uma Musume, she still couldn't quite accept overly sweet food.
If you were to talk about the pickiest Uma Musume, she would definitely have a place on that list, right?
But it didn't matter, after all, her picky eating was mostly harmless… probably?
Anyway, the nutrients that couldn't be supplemented by this food could be supplemented by other foods, so she wouldn't suffer from malnutrition.
Leaving that aside, after making simple preparations, she arrived at the training ground.
The sun hadn't risen yet, but the sky was already much brighter, and traces of yesterday's training could still be seen on the track.
But it was not a big problem, just a heavy track.
On the intact grass, one could see the morning dew. The cool morning breeze brushing against her body felt good, still a suitable time for training.
Normally, she would come out a bit later, but today… she walked to the starting gate and pressed the countdown switch.
Click.
As the gate opened, she sprinted out, seeing a phantom image running alongside her.
The records of her dream training still remained. She had to start while her memory of the other party was still clear.
That phantom was her, and yet not her; it should be her from a parallel world, right?
Anyway, she was quite surprised when the Three Goddesses pulled her into the dream.
The other party's experiences were almost completely different from hers, but it was certain that the two were indeed the same person.
Precisely because of this, the two, identical in nature, inevitably began to run.
Racing against "yourself" is not a privilege everyone gets.
The biggest difference between the other party and her was that the other party had a Trainer who would accompany her no matter what, while she had a group of companions.
Because of this, the other party appeared more aloof when running, because she dedicated all her gentleness to that one person, appearing more reclusive at other times.
Every step the other party took sent an impact as if stepping on her heart. That intense pressure was even more severe than when she simultaneously endured the domains of Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross.
[Offensive Footwork: A technique that focuses one's momentum into their steps and radiates it outwards with each stride. A single instance might not be effective, but each step is considered an attack and can continuously stack.]
For the other party, the racecourse was like war. She showed no mercy to any enemy. As soon as a weakness was exposed, she would cling to the opponent like a shark and tear them apart. And those heavy steps, which made her resonate, were repeated attacks. If she relaxed for a moment under the other party's sustained assault, the distance would be brutally widened.
Of course, in the end, she still won. In the other party's words, the absence of her beloved person by her side was the greatest weakening.
Tsk, having to eat her own dog food was really enough.
The phantom had already pulled away from her, but it was clear that it wasn't time for a decisive kill.
The other party's winning uniform was covered in glory, but from her words, it didn't fit her aesthetic. It must have been a gift, right?
In response, the other party just smiled faintly, without answering.
It didn't matter; she didn't care that much anyway.
The other party's offensive rhythm still hadn't stopped. Rather, as time passed, her attacks became more and more fierce, just like in the dream, which gave her a lot of trouble at the time.
But now she had adapted to the other party's rhythm; what she needed was to find a weakness in the other party.
After all, they were the same person. The other party was aggressive towards others because she devoted her love to one person. How was she any different?
She merely hid her aggressiveness because she didn't want to hurt others. That didn't mean she was easy to bully.
Not to mention anything else, during her childhood training, her injuries were so severe that she had almost all her bones replaced multiple times. If she could be so harsh on herself, how much more so on others?
If the Three Goddesses hadn't sensed something was wrong and contacted her, if they hadn't often been there being annoying and distracting her, if this world had been slightly darker, everyone would not have seen the Absolute Ruler, but a pure Demon Lord, right?
Huh? That actually sounds pretty cool?
Her thoughts drifted slightly, and the phantom behind her seized the opportunity to widen the distance.
[Bite: Rushing forward with the resolve to bite down once a weakness is caught, even if it's not a fatal spot, just tearing open a large enough wound will make it fatal. Greatly increases speed, while also increasing the probability of breaking through and making overtaking easier.]
So, this guy is really good at being fierce. First, let's mourn for the other Uma Musume in the other party's world line.
Unfortunately, this situation was exactly the same as the race in the dream. If the phantom were the real person, she definitely wouldn't make the same mistake.
She unleashed her domain, recovering stamina while greatly suppressing the opponent, then prepared to accelerate.
She overtook on the inside during the final bend and quickly entered the final straight.
The other party's acceleration ability on the straight was similar to hers. With her having already pulled ahead, both accelerating simultaneously would only maintain that distance.
In the end, she still won… "Although you probably can't hear me, I still have to thank you for coming." Watching the disappearing phantom, Rei Zai waved in that direction.
The phantom eventually disappeared, and Rei Zai felt an inexplicable melancholy.
She wondered when she would meet someone who would make her heart flutter?
"Should I just have a martial arts competition to find a spouse?… Ha… What am I thinking…" She shook her head to cast off the strange thoughts, clutching her rumbling stomach as she returned to her room, unaware of what was happening in a certain space.
[Pass it on, Rei Zai wants to fall in love]
[Pass it on, Rei Zai wants to get married]
[Pass it on, Rei Zai is in heat]
[Eclipse: ???]
Eclipse, the only relatively normal one among the Three Goddesses, couldn't help but secretly pray for Rei Zai for a while, looking at the increasingly bizarre propaganda.
Then she also joined in.
Rei Zai never noticed that the biggest paparazzi was lurking right beside her.
Another day, the news that Absolute Ruler wanted to find a spouse through a martial arts competition, and that winning against her on the track would earn her favor, spread like wildfire.
Rei Zai could roughly figure out what happened with a little thought, after all, the only people present were her and the Three Goddesses who were screen-peeking from who-knows-where. So she immediately broke the light screen in half.
The light screen was connected to the Three Goddesses' senses, and breaking it like this would cause them pain.
And the Three Goddesses, who regularly spied, all covered their eyes and screamed, but no one could hear them.
So the question is, how many people would pay attention if an Uma Musume of world-class popularity announced something related to her romantic life?
"So… are you serious?" The Emperor also found her immediately and asked with a strange expression.
"How could I be?!" On her way to school, she had already been approached by more than one Uma Musume, which was quite a headache.
For some reason, the Emperor seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"That's good. The school will handle this. You continue preparing for the Tenno Sho… emmmm… and the entertainment race."
"= ="
In any case, the matter ended there. The school announced that it was just a rumor from unethical media, which directly sent fans to attack that media.
As for the Three Goddesses... the light screen was broken as soon as it was fixed, and this had been repeated dozens of times in just three days.
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