It must be said, the entire Academy was ridiculously large.
It took Kazuo most of the day to tour the Academy.
By then, his stomach had started to rumble.
There was nothing he could do; when he came to the Academy today, he had only bought a rice ball from the supermarket to quickly satisfy his hunger.
However, the prices of the Academy's cafeteria food were somewhat alarming. Kazuo had no leeway for excessive spending on this.
After all, he was currently just an intern Trainer without a salary, essentially paying his own way to observe here. Unlike the official employees who received subsidies, he had to pay for water, electricity, and food expenses himself, apart from his accommodation.
Thinking of this, Kazuo could only tighten his belt and tell himself that enduring one meal was better than none.
Of course, Kazuo, who had already considered the current situation, was not unprepared. For example, he had already prepared a box of mixed-flavor cup noodles, which were in his dormitory room.
"It's about time… I should go back to the dorm and unpack my luggage."
If he wasn't mistaken, tomorrow was the opening ceremony, and the Academy wouldn't be as empty as it was today.
"Hmm…"
Kazuo slowly raised his head, and the contrail in the clear blue sky looked like a kind of expectation—
Perhaps, in the near future, he too would welcome the first Uma Musume he was responsible for?
.
"Phew! This must be the last box, right!?"
Looking at the last cardboard box he had carried up to the fourth floor, Kazuo couldn't help but let out a long breath.
Although he didn't have much stuff when he moved to Tokyo, he couldn't bear to get rid of the materials and magazines he bought after moving out of the capsule hotel he had rented for a month.
It really lived up to Tracen Academy's reputation for being rich and powerful; even the staff dormitories were set up for two people per room.
Besides the standard bunk beds in the dorm, air conditioning, a refrigerator, and a kettle were all provided. However, to enjoy these amenities, one would clearly incur more expenses.
Before coming up, Kazuo had already learned from the dorm manager that each room was equipped with a bathroom and had independent lockers. The first floor of the dorm even had a dedicated hot spring bath, available from nine to eleven every night for soaking and washing. As for the laundry room, it was at the end of the first-floor corridor.
It had to be said that compared to the youth hostel where he and a dozen other people were crammed into a bunk bed in a space less than four square meters, the conditions here were simply too much better.
However, room 412 clearly showed signs of occupancy; the bedding on the upper bunk and the jackets and suits in the wardrobe were neatly arranged. It was evident that his roommate, or perhaps senior, who shared the room with him, was currently out.
Kazuo could be said to have cleaned the entire room again, while both looking forward to his future academy life and imagining what kind of person his senior, who shared a room with him, would be.
After tidying his clothes and books, and storing all the cardboard boxes under the bed, Kazuo finally lay down on the bed as if relieved.
"Tomorrow… will I be able to see the elite Uma Musume I've only seen on TV up close?"
The soft bedding seemed to swallow him whole. Lying on his back, he stared blankly at the bed frame.
It felt like a dream… Not long ago, he was still rushing around for a living, thinking of self-studying to get his Trainer qualification certificate.
"We promised, didn't we?"
"Yeah!"
As if recalling the scene from that day, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
"No matter what, I've taken a step forward… right?"
His thoughts slowly came to a halt, and his eyelids felt increasingly heavy.
After a busy day, finally resting, that sense of exhaustion instantly washed over him—
ZZZ… "Brother! I did it!! The Classic Triple Crown (the three G1 races: Satsuki Sho, Tokyo Yushun, and Kikka Sho)!! I've become a Triple Crown winner of the Flash Series too!!!"
Watching his sister cry uncontrollably from joy, that feeling of pride—
He just wanted to hug her tightly, to tell the whole world that his sister was the world's number one Uma Musume!
.
Drip, drip, drip—
Drip, drip, drip—
"Ugh…"
"…It was a dream…"
He murmured unconsciously, his mind still a bit fuzzy.
"What time is it… now?"
Yawning and scratching his hair, Kazuo sat up from the bed. While searching for his glasses, he looked at the clock nearby.
10 o'clock… Hmm… Huh?
How is it already ten o'clock at night!?
His consciousness instantly cleared. Kazuo then realized that the sky outside had already darkened. Without realizing it, he had slept for five hours.
He had originally planned to take a short nap and then start preparing for the orientation process for tomorrow's opening ceremony… He messed up… While still chastising himself for being lax, Kazuo heard movement outside the door.
"Huh? Is someone knocking?"
Putting on his glasses, half-believing, Kazuo went to the door and slowly opened it.
"Mmm…"
A heavily drunk man was sprawled on the ground in a strange posture.
With stylish brown hair styled into a small braid, the handsome man was now mumbling something incoherently, his face flushed.
"Um… Who are you? Uh… Are you alright?"
How much had he drunk? As soon as Kazuo got close, he smelled the strong odor of alcohol on him. He was such a handsome, dashing man… "I… I…"
He seemed about to say something, and just as Kazuo leaned his ear closer.
"…We unite!!!!"
That sudden loud exclamation almost shattered Kazuo's eardrums.
This drunkard's nonsensical talk was truly troublesome. What should he do? Just as Kazuo didn't know how to handle it, the adjacent door slowly opened.
"Oh? Asama-san? Why are you in the hallway… Is this, Kouji-kun?"
A familiar voice sounded. Kazuo turned around and saw a beautiful woman with her hair down standing there. Kazuo was slightly stunned but immediately reacted, looking at her in surprise:
"You are… Miss Hayakawa!?"