After absorbing the memories of her counterpart in this world, Dream Weaver let out a long, slow breath.
In this scripted world, Dream Weaver had been adopted by an elderly couple and moved with them to the countryside, where she had lived until now. Today was the day she would officially enroll at Tracen Academy.
She lifted her head and gazed at the somewhat worn-out sign above the school gate, unconsciously reading the name aloud.
"Kasamatsu… Tracen Academy?"
A local branch of Tracen Academy. The faded sign and rust-covered gate made it clear that the place hadn't been maintained in quite some time. Combined with what the system had mentioned when introducing this world, it seemed Tracen had fallen into decline here.
The central Tracen campus might still be holding up, but local branches like this one hadn't been so lucky.
After all, fewer and fewer people stayed in the countryside these days—everyone was rushing off to Tokyo. That this local Tracen Academy was still operating at all was a testament to someone's effort to support the Uma Musume here.
"I never expected the scripted world to unfold like this…"
"Don't tell me my plan to find a trainer is going to fall through again."
Staring at Kasamatsu Tracen Academy, Dream Weaver sighed in mild frustration.
But she quickly shook it off. If worse came to worst, she could always make a name for herself in races first and then head to the central campus to find a trainer. For now, it was better to focus on the mission of this script.
--+--
[Script Mission: Country Uma Musume Brave Chronicle]
I. Main Objective
Gain recognition from the audience.
Current Recognition: (0/100)
Evaluation: Unknown Uma Musume
Rewards: 10,000 SP + Stage Pass × 1 + Proof of Cheers
--+--
II. Stage Objectives
Defeat Orfevre in a fair race
Rewards: 5,000 SP + Challenger's Badge
Win the Japan Derby
Rewards: 5,000 SP + Banner Against the Tide
--+--
Note: This scripted world is story-based. The host will retain their original attributes. Upon completion of the main mission, one attribute may be brought back to the real world.
--+--
Aside from the items whose effects were still unknown, two things stood out to Dream Weaver about this mission.
First was the "audience recognition" in the main objective. She had never seen a mission with a progress bar like this before and wondered how it worked. Would it increase by a fixed amount after each race, or would it vary based on the race's prestige? Or maybe it depended on how the audience in this world truly perceived her?
Dream Weaver shook her head, dismissing the pointless speculation. There was no way to know just by thinking—she'd have to run a couple races to figure it out.
The other thing that caught her attention was the mission type. Unlike the one with King Halo, this time she retained her original stats, though only one could be brought back to reality instead of two.
It was hard to say whether that made things easier or harder. Like with the main mission, she'd have to take it one step at a time.
After reviewing the mission details, Dream Weaver silently called out in her mind:
'Status Panel.'
With that thought, a semi-transparent blue screen appeared before her eyes.
--+--
[Uma Musume Training System — Script Panel]
Character: Dream Weaver
Speed: B [Elite] [Locked]
Stamina: D+ [Rookie]
Power: D [Rookie]
Guts: A [Legendary] [Breakthrough]
Intelligence: D [Rookie]
Surface Aptitude: Turf A, Dirt C
Zone: [Cursed Blade/Murasame]
Skills: Intuition (Purple), Phoenix (Blue), Endurance (White)
--+--
Not much time had passed between script missions, so Dream Weaver hadn't had the chance to train her attributes further. Still, having already reached her limits once before, rebuilding her strength wouldn't take too long. Whether that was a good or bad thing, she couldn't quite say.
As she was examining her panel, a robust, cheerful voice suddenly called out from behind her.
"You must be the transfer student arriving today!"
Dream Weaver turned to see a portly middle-aged man with half-gray hair. His round face, fixed in a kindly smile, made him seem somewhat younger. He pointed at her right hand and grinned.
"Need help with your luggage?"
Only then did Dream Weaver glance down and notice the suitcase beside her. So preoccupied with the mission and her status panel, she had barely taken in her surroundings after looking at the school gate—she hadn't even realized she'd brought luggage until he pointed it out.
"Thank you, but I can manage," she said, picking up the suitcase with a grateful smile. Without his reminder, she might have walked right into the school without it.
"Wow, you youngsters sure are strong!" the man remarked admiringly as he watched her lift the suitcase with ease.
Following her lead, the two walked into Kasamatsu Tracen together. Taking in the visibly aged dormitory buildings, Dream Weaver asked curiously, "Are the dorms still full these days?"
"No way! Those buildings have been abandoned for ages. All the students live in the dorm closest to the academic building now."
"I see," Dream Weaver replied before continuing on. After a moment, she sensed something odd about the man's gaze and turned to find him looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher—nostalgic, even tearful.
"Um… are you okay?" she asked.
Embarrassed by his emotional display, the man wiped his eyes and explained warmly, "Sorry about that. It's just been so long since we had a new student. I got a little carried away."
Hearing this, Dream Weaver studied him skeptically. Was he a teacher here? Given his build and eagerness to help with her luggage, she had assumed he was a security guard.
"Are you a teacher?"
"More or less," he said, puffing out his chest proudly. "I'm the principal."
He patted his round belly with a hint of pride.
"Though I also teach all the subjects, mind you!"
Dream Weaver was so surprised she nearly dropped her suitcase. It was hard to imagine this jovial, round-faced man was the principal—and even harder to believe he taught every subject too?!
"You're not also the trainer, are you?" she asked nervously. While she could always find a trainer at the central campus later, if the principal was handling that too, this school would be even more unconventional than she'd thought.
"No, no," the principal laughed heartily, waving a hand. "Of course not."
"Well, that's a relief—"
"The trainer is my wonderful daughter!"
Before Dream Weaver could finish sighing in relief, his words made her tense up again. Staring at his round figure, she tried to picture a proportionally smaller female version.
This place might be a little too unreliable…
Though she hadn't even officially enrolled yet, Dream Weaver was already considering whether she should transfer out later.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.