"Let's welcome our new classmate!"
At those words, Eternal Meteor—who'd been squatting outside the classroom door so long she'd started counting floor tiles out of boredom—shot to her feet, pushed the door open, and walked in.
"So pretty!"
"No, more like cute, right?"
"But why transfer in at this time?"
Standing at the podium under a storm of curious stares, Eternal Meteor gave a small bow.
"My name is Eternal Meteor. Please take care of me."
The whole class politely applauded, and it was obvious plenty of them had questions lined up already.
The teacher raised a hand to settle things.
"Meteor, take the empty seat—first row, second column. Since your textbooks haven't been issued yet, McQueen will share hers with you for now."
She pointed to a horse girl with long white hair—elegant, composed, unmistakable.
Seeing 'Mochi' in real life… she's insanely beautiful, Eternal Meteor thought, staring a little too hard into those amethyst eyes.
She sat beside Mejiro McQueen, and immediately the students nearby looked ready to pounce with conversation. The teacher tapped the blackboard.
"If you have questions, ask during break. We're continuing."
During the lesson, McQueen kept her refined, ladylike composure. She followed Eternal Meteor's pace closely and, whenever needed, quietly filled in bits of racing knowledge that had already been covered—always careful not to disturb anyone else.
By the time the bell rang, it was already lunchtime.
Before anyone could even react, Eternal Meteor was gone—she shot out of the classroom like a bullet and made a beeline for the cafeteria.
"Do you know the fastest way to get on good terms with these little horse girls?"
X's voice came through—
muffled, because Eternal Meteor was talking with her mouth full.
"I don't," X replied flatly. "But I recommend you swallow before you speak."
Eternal Meteor tore through her meal like a storm, drained a drink in one go, then let out a satisfied burp.
"Dessert," she said. "And I happen to know how to bake cake."
"…So?" X asked.
"I'll see if I can borrow the cafeteria kitchen and whip one up before afternoon classes end."
Eternal Meteor was nothing if not decisive. She marched straight into the kitchen, explained her intentions to the head cook, promised she'd clean everything afterward—
and to her surprise, the kitchen was lent to her without fuss.
In the afternoon, she sprinted into class at the exact instant the bell rang and dropped into her seat.
Poor McQueen, though.
The sweet scent clinging to Eternal Meteor—freshly baked dessert—was so distracting that McQueen's focus wavered more than once. A few times, it was Eternal Meteor who had to nudge her back on track.
The moment class ended, Eternal Meteor bolted out the same way she'd come in, leaving the classmates who'd been waiting to talk with her grasping at air again.
"Seriously—why is it so hard just to say hi?!" a blue twin-tailed horse girl gritted her teeth at the door.
"Maybe she has urgent business," a red-haired horse girl with short twin tails offered.
Tokai Teio chimed in too, mentioning how Eternal Meteor had been getting pulled away by the Student Council President lately—
which only made the gossip explode even louder.
Right then—
BANG!
The classroom door flew open, kicked wide by Eternal Meteor herself.
She stumbled in, breathless, carrying a whole cake.
"Yo! Everyone's still here, right? Cough, cough. I baked this during lunch break—let's split it!"
While the others were still staring in shock, she'd already dragged out disposable plates from the kitchen and started cutting.
"Whoa—so good!" — Twin Turbo.
"This is almost as good as the uncle's cake from the shopping street." — Excellent Quality.
"There's honey filling too! Thank you, Eternal Meteor!" — Tokai Teio.
"Guh… I'm dieting, so I won't have any. But I appreciate the thought." — the white mochi who needed no name.
McQueen said that—
while repeatedly sneaking glances at the cake, swallowing hard, her face caught in visible anguish.
Especially after spending an entire class period inhaling the dessert scent off Eternal Meteor, the craving had already wormed its way deep into her stomach.
Eternal Meteor's heart cackled.
Yes. This is why I made cake. I've been dying to see that exact expression on her face.
Outwardly, she kept a pleasant smile, leaning in with a devil's whisper meant to push McQueen over the edge.
"Come on—just one slice won't make you gain weight. And I'm not bragging, but my baking really is excellent~"
McQueen held on.
Until Teio joined the assault.
"Meteor's cake is really delicious, McQueen! Just have a piece!"
"…Fine. Just one slice," McQueen surrendered at last, politely. "Thank you very much."
She ate it.
She actually ate it.
She ate my cake—the one with double sugar and extra cream.
Eternal Meteor had to dig her nails into her thigh so hard she nearly bruised herself, just to keep from laughing out loud.
"What do you think happens if I sneak a scale into McQueen's dorm tomorrow?" she asked.
"You're seriously twisted," X said, sounding exhausted.
Eternal Meteor was in peak condition again.
After afternoon classes ended, free training time began.
Eternal Meteor went to the track to observe other horse girls in motion, studying their running posture and form.
After dinner, she returned to the field to practice—trying to lean forward while running.
And, naturally, she ate dirt almost immediately.
"Good thing I didn't go fast," she muttered. "If I had, I'd be screwed."
"You really think you're a genius who can learn just by watching a couple times?" X said.
Eternal Meteor shook her head, stood up, and glanced at the scrape she'd gotten—
a wound that had already stopped bleeding after only a few seconds.
Then she smiled, voice light.
"But I can afford to fail."
"Not everyone gets to fall once and be done. I can make mistakes."
She jogged again.
Fell again.
Got up again.
Fell again—
Over and over, repeating the cycle until eleven at night.
By then, she was limping back toward the dorm, her body drained—
but the grin on her face wouldn't go away.
Because she'd finally found the balance point she'd been chasing.
"Better wipe the blood off in the bathroom first," she muttered, stretching. "If the President notices, I'm dead."
With practiced ease, she hopped the dorm-side wall.
By the time she'd cleaned herself up, it was already midnight.
Eternal Meteor stared at the light shining through her dorm doorway and felt a massive, flashing DANGER sign appear over her head.
She shut her eyes, ears pinned straight up in tense anticipation, and pushed the door open—
fully prepared to die.
But when Rudolf heard the door and turned, ready to deliver a harsh lecture, the sight of Eternal Meteor's "prepared-for-execution" posture made her let out a helpless, wry smile.
"Looks like you already know you did wrong," Rudolf said. "Don't do it again. Training is important, yes—but your health comes first."
"Yes!" Eternal Meteor snapped to attention.
She cracked one eye open.
Rudolf's expression didn't look too scary.
Eternal Meteor relaxed—
and then suddenly felt something surge up from deep in her lungs.
Panicking, she hurriedly told Rudolf she'd drunk too much and needed the bathroom, then ran out.
Halfway there, liquid pushed up in her throat. She sprinted harder, threw herself at the sink—
"Pfft—cough—coughcough—ugh!—cough!"
Blood poured from her mouth, flooding her throat, splattering down—
and the world turned red.
In the mirror, Eternal Meteor stared at her own reflection: a girl painted in crimson, as if the image itself were a preview of her ending.
"This is the price," X said, voice low and heavy. "Before your first race begins, you can still turn back. You can still live five years of happiness."
X spoke like an executioner reading out a verdict.
Once she started racing—once she unshackled her body—there would be no undo button.
Eternal Meteor kept her eyes on the bloodied face in the mirror.
"This is a necessary sacrifice," she said softly.
"And it's what I want."
Then, inexplicably—
she laughed.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 50)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 50) Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 50)
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