"Name."
"The current me is Char Azn—"
Gold Ship's head met Dream Weaver's hand chop with a soft thwack, and she let out a squawk, clutching her head while shooting a resentful glare.
But Dream Weaver paid her no mind, returning to her seat to pick up a pen and paper before asking again.
"Name."
"Gold Ship."
Her answer sparked a wave of murmurs. The Kasamatsu crowd gathered around shot incredulous looks at Kitahara Jo—how did this guy actually recognize her? Before Kitahara could even bask in the moment, the discussions began.
Poor Stay Gold had gone to great lengths to set ground rules, never imagining that in a small place like Kasamatsu Tracen, there'd be a trainer who actually knew Gold Ship.
"Gold, as in that Gold family?"
"What other Gold family is there? There's only one around here."
"So she really is a young lady from a prestigious family?!"
"Do young ladies these days come with a full package of carjacking and hitting people? That's at least a three-star good citizen right there."
"What kind of world has good citizens like that?!"
Dream Weaver coughed sharply, silencing the chattering Uma Musume with a look that promised a grueling training session tomorrow if they didn't quiet down. Once everyone fell silent, she put away her pen and paper and asked,
"Why did you come to Kasamatsu Tracen?"
"I sensed something from you, so I came to hang out."
"Whoa—"
Dream Weaver shot a sharp glare at the Uma Musume who'd started making noises again, shutting them up instantly. Once silence returned, she put on a serious face and asked,
"We've never met before, right? Don't tell me it's some new type of induction—we're Uma Musume, after all."
"I came here after watching the Junior Crown Cup."
This time, Dream Weaver was quicker, cutting off the excited gasps with a warning look before they could even start.
She turned to the adults who had been listening, particularly Principal Haibara and Kitahara Jo, and asked,
"What do we do now? Should we send her back home?"
Hearing that her adventure might be cut short, Gold Ship anxiously spoke up.
"Don't! My family knows I'm out, and they're okay with it!"
Gold Ship had no idea whether Stay Gold had actually told the family, but she decided to act as though they were already in the loop.
Hearing this, Kitahara Jo scratched his head awkwardly.
Sending her back risked provoking the little troublemaker into who-knows-what mischief—after all, this was an Uma Musume who'd wandered out on her own before even undergoing her Maturation.
But not sending her back? Just look at what she'd done in less than half a day at Kasamatsu Tracen—hijacking a vehicle and causing a collision. Who knew what she'd get up to if she stayed longer?
As Kitahara was nearly scratching the back of his head raw, a robust voice chimed in from beside him. It was Koutarou Haibara.
"If the young lady wants to stay and play, let her! Think of it as a summer camp!"
"Dad, it's practically autumn already..."
Ignoring Chizuru Haibara's muttered remark, Koutarou Haibara stroked his round chin and said jovially,
"She's a fan who came all this way to see Dream Weaver. Kasamatsu Tracen can certainly afford to host her!"
He winked at Kitahara, who immediately caught the principal's drift.
So he planned to use this as an excuse to ask the Gold family for a hefty boarding fee. For the famously wealthy Gold family, keeping Gold Ship from causing trouble in the central circuit would be worth any price—especially now, during such a critical time for them.
To keep Kasamatsu Tracen running, Koutarou Haibara had to scrape together funds wherever he could. In his view, how much trouble could one little girl really cause? This was the countryside, after all, where spirited kids were a dime a dozen.
"Alright then," Kitahara relented, well aware of the struggles Kasamatsu faced.
Overjoyed that she could stay, Gold Ship leaped onto a chair, throwing her hands up in triumph.
"Yesss!"
But before her celebration could go on, Dream Weaver lifted her down from the chair.
"Before you get too excited, how about apologizing to the two victims?"
She held Gold Ship up in front of Satou Ken and Kitahara Jo. Gold Ship glanced at them and snorted dismissively.
"Just a couple of losers! Take it up with my three-wheeler!"
"That's Mr. Satou's three-wheeler?!"
Seeing Gold Ship's stubbornness, Dream Weaver set her down and delivered another hand chop to her head, making Gold Ship yelp in pain.
"Even my sister never bullied me this much—"
"Nobody here knows what you're talking about. Apologize properly, or I'll drag you back to the Gold family myself."
Hearing this, Gold Ship reluctantly bowed her head and apologized, much to Kitahara's astonishment—he'd never known the Gold family's little troublemaker to ever say sorry.
Watching Dream Weaver and Gold Ship communicate in a way he couldn't quite follow yet somehow understood each other perfectly, Kitahara stroked his chin thoughtfully. Maybe letting Gold Ship stay wasn't such a bad idea after all.
"Now that it's settled, let's head to the cafeteria for dinner."
"Let our new little friend here taste my cooking!"
Koutarou Haibara chuckled warmly. Ever since Dream Weaver and the others began training, daily logistics had fallen to him and Satou Ken, and even the rotating cafeteria duty had become his personal stage to showcase his culinary skills.
The Kasamatsu Tracen crowd gradually dispersed at his words. Watching their retreating figures, a sense of pride swelled in Koutarou Haibara's heart.
Before Dream Weaver arrived, Kasamatsu Tracen had only eight people in total, including students and teachers, and aside from Oguri Roman, almost everyone was just coasting along.
But after that debut race, morale had not only lifted—their numbers were growing too.
Kitahara Jo, who'd worked in the central circuit, had returned to Kasamatsu, and now Gold Ship was here. This rundown Kasamatsu Tracen was slowly coming back to life, its numbers already breaking into double digits.
For Koutarou Haibara, who had devoted almost his entire life to Kasamatsu Tracen, he saw a glimmer of future hope in those retreating figures.
His daughter, who had grown listless after leaving the central circuit, had become a trainer again. Even Satou, who used to idle away his days, had become diligent.
And those Uma Musume—while they might not achieve the same heights as Dream Weaver or Oguri Roman, even just competing in a few local races would be enough to remind people that there were still Uma Musume fighting hard out here in the regions.
Koutarou Haibara didn't know if Dream Weaver could fulfill what she'd promised during her debut race, but seeing this scene before him, he felt deeply comforted.
--+--
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.