Agnes Tachyon stood by Platinum's bedside, blinking in disbelief, half-convinced her eyes were playing tricks on her.
In Agnes's memory, there wasn't a single day Platinum hadn't slept in. Even though Agnes came every morning to blast her suona and yank the blankets away, Platinum would just stuff in her earplugs and stick double-sided tape on her comforter, locked in a daily battle of wits.
But today…
Platinum's bed was empty.
Only a note remained on the nightstand: "Gone to gather intel on the enemy. Don't wait up."
Agnes pinched her own cheek hard, and the skin immediately flushed red.
She paid it no mind, merely pressing a hand to her reddened cheek as she frowned and muttered, "That's odd… I felt that. Could I really not be dreaming?"
After a moment's thought, Agnes decided pain alone wasn't enough proof she was awake, so she picked up her phone and made a call.
No answer the first time. She tried again. This time, the call connected. Before Agnes could even speak, a quiet but simmering voice came from the other end.
"Tachyon, do you have any idea what time it is?"
"I know, Café."
"Then disturbing my sleep… surely means you have something very important to say?"
"What I wanted to say is—" Agnes took a deep breath, "—Manhattan Café, your coffee tastes absolutely terrible."
This time, even through the phone, Agnes could almost feel a gaze so sharp it materialized into blades, slicing into her from afar.
Fury pushed to its extreme, Manhattan Café's voice only grew softer. She whispered gently to Agnes, "Where are you? Stay right there. I'm coming to find you."
Agnes hurriedly hung up, switched off her phone to keep Manhattan Café from tracking her via GPS, then patted her chest with lingering fear.
"Phew, such vivid murderous intent. Definitely not a dream."
So the little princess had finally had a change of heart—Agnes felt quite pleased.
Cheerfully, she climbed into Platinum's bed, bundled herself in Platinum's comforter, and lay down.
If Platinum was putting in the effort herself, then Agnes might as well take a break.
Meanwhile, hidden in the bushes near the Ritto Dormitory entrance, Platinum lay low with a telescope in one hand and a tree branch in the other, scanning the passing Uma Musume for a certain figure.
It was still pretty early, and yes—sneaking out without telling Fuji Kiseki and squatting in front of the dorm to wait for someone did feel a little silly. But Platinum was convinced it was necessary.
Who knew what time Neo Universe woke up? If she was training sunrise to sunset because the race was coming up, then Platinum coming early would be totally worth it.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Her parallel-world self had lost because she underestimated Neo Universe. Today's Platinum would never repeat yesterday's mistakes!
As it turned out, even the laiest of slackers could become diligent when their survival was on the line…
Crouched in the bushes watching the dorm, Platinum failed to notice the faint rustling of leaves in the tree behind her.
Up on a branch, Leap of Faith lay prone, covering her mouth to stay silent, not even blinking as she watched Platinum.
Platinum had sharp ears—the slightest extra sound could give Leap of Faith away… What admirable hearing!
But Leap of Faith had her own pursuits. This was the path of "love" that Urban Sea had taught her!
As they say, the power of love is limitless. The current Leap of Faith was no longer her old self—she had evolved into a Love Gyarados.
Awakened early by her equine radar, she had indeed witnessed Platinum's unexpected move. Could she be observing her opponents ahead of the Yayoi Sho? How diligent!
And behind Leap of Faith… beyond the shrubs and across the lawn, a light chestnut head was also watching her from a tree.
Though not very tall, she looked like someone you wouldn't want to mess with. It was Leap of Faith's roommate—Fuji Kyoji.
Fuji Kyoji gnawed on a handkerchief, nearly chewing a hole through it.
Why… why is this happening?
She'd always been a light sleeper. Even though Leap of Faith got up quietly, Kyoji had still woken.
That in itself wasn't a big deal—light sleepers usually fell back asleep easily. Leap of Faith often went for morning training around this time, so Kyoji's hadn't thought much of it and just rolled over to sleep again.
But then she heard the soft click of the door locking.
Kyoji's eyes snapped open.
Wait, didn't Leap of Faith switch to a support role?
What's a support-type training for?
Feeling uneasy, Kyoji threw on her clothes, grabbed a toothbrush, and rushed out. Anxiously tailing Leap of Faith, she soon saw her not heading to the training grounds, but turning toward the dorm entrance, climbing a tree instead.
She… she… she… Kyoji was floored.
Leap of Faith had gotten up this early and climbed a tree… just to watch what Platinum was doing!
How did you even notice she was out here? And you're peeping, Leap of Faith—that's illegal!
But afraid of being spotted herself, Kyoji ducked down and ended up sitting on a bench, becoming a peeper too. All she could do was bite her handkerchief and cry inwardly.
If only I were really Taiki Shuttle—I'd pull out an American draw-cut and send this pair of lovebirds out of the country.
Straight to heaven.
But alas, it wasn't meant to be.
And across a pedestrian street, past a dried-up fountain, another lens was closely tracking Fuji Kyoji.
A pink-haired girl with a giant ribbon on her head watched Kyoji biting her handkerchief, tears streaming.
"Sniff… it hurts, it really hurts."
"To love and not be loved in return, to always fix your gaze on just one person… yet tragically, the one you watch only has eyes for someone else."
"What a cruel fate, sob…"
Agnes Digital cried as if she'd just finished the most heart-wrenching soap opera, tears pattering down uncontrollably.
But… even with her eyes red from crying, the corners of her mouth still twitched upward against her will.
I'm crying.jpg
Just pretending.jpg
This was what she'd been searching for all along!
This—the tragic, tangled web between Uma Musume!
A scene straight out of a dream was unfolding before her. How could Agnes Digital possibly miss it? How could she not record this precious moment?
The answer was: she couldn't!
--+--
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.