Early in the morning, Platinum trudged into the classroom yawning, droplets of water still rolling down her forehead, her hair a complete mess.
Yet another morning where she'd be driven hard by Agnes Tachyon. That trip to Hong Kong hadn't earned her any respect from Tachyon—if anything, the training had only gotten more intense. Every day, she was pushed to the brink of collapse.
On top of that, Platinum's sleep schedule had gradually shifted toward the American time zone, slashing her daily rest to new lows.
But! No matter the hardship ahead, she'd charge forward anyway!
Every extra second spent sleeping felt like a disrespect to life itself.
Wait… now that she thought about it, if she only slept four hours a day, wouldn't that mean she had almost twice as much waking time as everyone else?
If she only lived to twenty, wouldn't that be like living to forty in someone else's life?
—I've seen the light! Isn't this another way to extend your lifespan?!
And just like that, Platinum had stumbled upon a whole new worldview.
On the flip side, ever since Agnes Tachyon had been restricted from using sleeping pills, she had no real way to stop Platinum from staying up late.
The result was Platinum spending more and more time asleep in class. By now, her routine was set: finish morning training, crash facedown on the desk, and wait for Tokai Teio to drag her off to lunch.
If there were elective classes in the afternoon, she'd sleep through those; if not, she'd run all afternoon and live it up at night. Rinse and repeat.
So, as usual, Platinum pulled out her chair and immediately flopped onto the desk, making intimate contact with the surface.
Goodnight, everyone.
Almost instantly, she was off to dreamland, ready to play chess with the Sandman.
But just as Platinum settled in across from him, rubbing her hands in anticipation, a small, ice-cold hand came to rest on her shoulder.
"…Awake, Centaurea."
…What?
Seemingly aware that Platinum was resisting wakefulness, the shaking on her shoulder grew more insistent.
"…Awake. Repeating call."
The owner of that hand seemed obsessed, shaking Platinum's shoulder with a firm, unyielding determination—she wouldn't stop until her mission was accomplished. Platinum could only open her bleary eyes and stare blankly at the visitor.
She had expected Tokai Teio or Agnes Tachyon, but the figure standing before her was someone else entirely.
A slender figure, almost frail-looking. She drifted like a ghost, giving off a light, airy impression, as though a strong gust might carry her away.
Her golden hair, heavy like wheat stalks, hung all the way down to her waist. And just below that, an equally golden ponytail draped downward.
Strangely enough, the underside of her hair was streaked with a pale, icy blue—like thin ice. Gold and blue intertwined, two starkly different colors merging on one person.
But the most captivating features were her eyes. A deep, oceanic blue, full of emotion. Incredibly, those pupils were so profound they reminded you of the planet itself. Of our watery, blue home planet.
So… tall… That was Platinum's first thought.
To be fair, the visitor was only of average height—not especially tall compared to other classmates. More accurately, Platinum was just too short.
Platinum was still a tender middle schooler, at that adorable age where they were learning about linear functions. Even if she'd started her journey through adolescence, true maturity was still a long, long way off.
So, from Platinum's perspective, the girl seemed tall.
"Can I help you?"
Platinum looked up with sleepy eyes. She didn't recall anyone like this in her class.
"Homework." The blue-eyed Uma Musume spoke briefly, pointing to the stack of assignment notebooks she'd already collected.
Platinum broke out in a cold sweat instantly. Homework…? She'd never once turned it in.
A quick explanation was in order. For one, Platinum always passed out as soon as she could, so she never even heard what was assigned. And second…
[Why do I have to ask Platinum for her homework? She seems kinda scary…]
[She just sleeps in class. I'd probably get yelled at if I tried to wake her…]
[I heard she's close with some upperclassmen—apparently, she's even the chairman's little sister…]
[She's a star Uma Musume with a bright future. Why bother stirring up trouble?]
And so, the class had developed a habit of steering clear of Platinum whenever they saw her.
It wasn't that they were isolating her—Uma Musume were pure spirits at heart, and they were actually quite curious about her.
She was the star Uma Musume who'd actually beaten the reigning Hong Kong Uma Musume of the Year!
Countless top-tier Uma Musume had traveled for the Hong Kong Cup and failed, yet Platinum had pulled it off!
So, if anything, it was more like they held her in awe, creating a kind of vacuum around her. In other words, Platinum had isolated the whole class. Even the teachers turned a blind eye to this problem child.
International student—understandable.
Anyway, this was the first time anyone had ever asked Platinum for her homework.
"Physics homework. Neo Universe is… physics representative."
Neo Universe? Is that her name? Why does she seem so familiar…? Platinum wracked her brain, but her memories felt blurred, like looking through frosted glass.
It's happening, it's happening! In an instant, every pair of eyes in the classroom was fixed on Platinum and Neo Universe.
"Finally, someone's challenging the Princess's authority… This is so exciting!"
"Princess… What kind of title is that?"
"Think about it—Chairman Symboli Rudolf is the emperor of this academy, right? So the one she values and protects the most… wouldn't that make her the Princess?"
"…I guess that makes sense."
Come to think of it, why didn't Tokai Teio get that title? No one dared to ask that question out loud. Some things were better left unsaid.
Under everyone's gaze, Platinum slightly parted her lips and spoke blankly.
Here it comes!
"Neo Universe… Are you in our class? I don't remember… ever seeing you in the classroom?"
The words slipped from Platinum's lips. Immediately, the classroom fell dead silent.
Even Neo Universe's usually expressionless face showed a faint ripple of emotion.
"…Negative. Neo Universe is Centaurea's classmate. Always has been."
Then Neo Universe pointed to the seat next to Platinum.
"THRF… This has always been my seat."
"I've always, always sat right next to Centaurea."
…Huh? No, wait—what?
"As expected of the Princess… Neo Universe is in trouble now…"
"Guh… To humiliate a classmate like that… What a fearsome and dangerous girl. I feel like I'm watching another Symboli Rudolf rise…"
"Is it the bloodline…? Terrifying."
Platinum rubbed her cheeks.
No way—sure, she could be a bit out of it, but there was no way she wouldn't recognize her own deskmate, right?
Something had to be wrong here. Her deskmate had always been—
Just as Platinum tried to argue back, she found her tongue tied, unable to form the words.
…My deskmate…
Who was it again?
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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.