Ring, ring, ring—
The sound of her phone's alarm shattered Celestial Weave's dream. She blearily opened her eyes to see a beam of sunlight streaming through the window, illuminating the old tea table.
Is it morning already?
She propped herself up, her limbs aching from the awkward sleeping position. Her head was a bit fuzzy. It seemed she had been more exhausted than she thought after yesterday's run and had fallen asleep right at the table.
Ring, ring, ring—
The phone beside her buzzed incessantly. Wincing from the discomfort, she picked it up to turn off the alarm. When she opened it, the time and date on the screen made her groggy mind start to churn.
Today... is a school day, right?
A drop of cold sweat trickled down her face.
Screen off, screen on, screen off, screen on. The time flickered in her hand, and with each confirmation, her mind gradually cleared.
She shot up from her seat, haphazardly stuffing things she couldn't even identify into her backpack. After washing up at a speed she didn't know she possessed, she bolted for the door.
"Yume? Good morning—"
The dorm mother, who was sweeping, put down her broom to greet her, but saw Celestial Weave flash past her with lightning speed. By the time she registered what had happened, all she could see was her retreating back waving at her.
"Good morning."
"My, my, as expected of a horse girl. So full of energy," the old woman chuckled to herself, as if reminiscing about her own youth.
But for Celestial Weave, who was currently in the prime of her youth, being late for school was not a fond memory in the making.
Under the pressure of time, she, who had still been getting used to her improved speed yesterday, miraculously made it to the train station and squeezed into the carriage just a second before the doors closed.
"Phew—"
Having finally made it, she leaned against a railing, panting heavily. Luckily, the train wasn't crowded yet, or she wouldn't even have had room to breathe.
Since her apartment was some distance from Tracen, she had specifically chosen the earliest train. This way, she could get to school with time to spare and avoid the morning rush of office workers. She could have just lived in the Tracen dorms to make things easier, but she needed to visit her mother at the hospital frequently. The family of a patient was always on edge, worrying about accidents.
The act of sprinting on an empty stomach right after waking up made her temples throb, and her throat felt scratchy from thirst. To suppress the discomfort, she decided to distract herself with her thoughts.
Holding onto the railing, she looked at her reflection in the window and stroked her chin. "I've picked out a G3 race, but the timing is a bit tight, and I don't know the details yet. I'll ask a teacher at school later."
"For now, let's calculate how much SP I have left."
"Before finishing the first mission in the scenario world, I exchanged for three items and left 1000 SP in reserve for medical supplies, which I used during my training before the Satsuki Sho."
"With that, the 4500 SP from the initial mission is all spent."
"The points I earned in the scenario mission are—"
She silently called up the system in her mind. Seeing the number that matched her calculations perfectly, a small smile appeared on her face.
"16,000 points!"
Thanks to the bonus from the mission evaluation, her SP had reached a staggering 16,000, almost one-fifth of her goal. The sleepiness from waking up early on an empty stomach began to fade as excitement took over. Just one scenario mission had pushed her so far along. The goal of waking her mother was starting to seem within reach.
However, besides the 100,000 SP, the Hope Gem also required the "Proof of the Triple Crown." As the name suggested, it was proof of winning the Triple Crown. But did she need to win all the classic Triple Crown races in one go, or just win each of them once? If it was the latter, then having won the Satsuki Sho, wasn't she already one-third of the way there?
Feeling a bit agitated, she patted her chest and took a deep breath, telling herself not to get ahead of herself. She shouldn't pin her hopes on luck; she had to prepare for the difficult path of winning three consecutive crowns.
Still, looking at the bright number in the system shop, she was more than satisfied with her gains. As her gaze lingered on the shop interface, she suddenly remembered that the scenario mission had also unlocked a special item. She instinctively scrolled towards the more expensive items but couldn't find it. It wasn't until she reached the very bottom of the shop that she finally saw it.
[Crown of the King]
[Introduction: A small accessory made in the likeness of the crown worn by a certain Hegemon King. It glitters brilliantly in the sun. Carrying it may slightly increase one's intimidating presence towards other horse girls.
Note: "The King shall bear it! The King shall permit it! The King shall carry this world!" —A certain laughing horse girl said.]
[Exchange Price: 1 SP]
Just from the description, you could guess who the Hegemon King was. She exchanged for the item and held it up to the sunlight from the window. Sure enough, it glittered brilliantly.
But besides "Fist of the North Star", did that girl really watch this too? She thought she only liked operas. Then again, she did act out a whole scene about discussing heroes over wine in front of her. Maybe T.M. Opera O was surprisingly well-read?
A strange curiosity welled up in her, but she quickly shook her head. What good would it do? The scenario was over. She wouldn't remember her anymore. Narita Top Road, Admire Vega, Isami Mai, Saint-King Halo—none of them would remember her. That memory would only exist in her heart.
She toyed with the accessory in her hand. Perhaps it was the hunger affecting her mood, but she felt a pang of loneliness.
"Ding-dong! We will soon be arriving at Tracen Station. Passengers, please exit in an orderly manner, allowing others to board first."
The gentle female voice on the train pulled her from her thoughts. She patted her cheeks, shook her head to clear it, and ran out of the train with her backpack.
If she was fast enough, maybe she could still catch breakfast at the cafeteria.
-------
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