At first, Platinum found the diary quite intriguing, but soon her expression soured into a bitter frown.
As she read further, her face practically morphed into that classic 'confused elderly person on the subway staring at their phone' meme—every muscle on her face seemed to have a mind of its own.
Wait, whose diary is this?
My diary?
Which version of me from which timeline wrote this? It's all over the place...
Platinum froze, a sudden flash of insight striking her. Trembling slightly, she shifted her gaze down to the diary in her hands.
...Could it be... that this diary really is from another timeline?
The handwriting was undoubtedly her own. If her actual diary wasn't sitting right beside her, she'd almost suspect this was the one she wrote.
It couldn't be a forgery. And honestly, who'd have nothing better to do than forge something like this? How utterly pointless.
With shaking hands, Platinum turned back to the first page, her fingers tracing the water-stained, slightly blurred writing.
From... another time, another world.
A parallel world?
Do those really exist?
No, no, no—when you got down to it, this system was far more powerful than she'd ever imagined! Had all the things she'd been buying actually come from parallel universes?
This was... just too... unbelievable, too far-fetched.
Isn't this supposed to be the Uma Musume universe? Why are we getting sci-fi plot twists all of a sudden? Anyone watching would think I'd stumbled into the Haruhi Suzumiya or Monogatari series!
The shock was so overwhelming it left Platinum's mind completely blank. It took her a good while to start thinking coherently again.
No, no—knowing this doesn't really change anything for me.
So what if parallel universes exist? Even if this world turned into Planet of the Apes, my top priority would still be curing Soul Dissolution Syndrome.
From what she'd read so far, only three points really mattered to her.
First: Life without Tracen Academy was downright miserable. Forget sleeping on the streets—she couldn't even afford food. It was straight-up wilderness survival. Just reading about it made Platinum break out in a cold sweat. She could hardly imagine how her parallel self had managed to pull through.
Second: Soul Dissolution Syndrome was definitely not her overreacting. Her parallel self started coughing up blood just three days after stopping the medication. That's a clear symptom of the syndrome's first stage.
The only reason she was still doing fine was because she'd been diligent with her meds. While some might say she should experiment bravely, Platinum would never dare to skip her pills for three days.
And as for the third point...
Platinum flipped back to the page she'd been reading earlier and continued.
--+--
Some Date, Some Month
There's definitely something off about Neo Universe.
She appeared out of nowhere, like a deus ex machina, without any reason or warning, and yet nobody seems to notice how abnormal she is.
When Tokai Teio was pursuing the Triple Crown, she never had any real rival.
Her biggest opponent was her own physical condition. I'm absolutely certain I remember that correctly.
Not to mention, Neo Universe is a full head taller than Teio! While Teio still looks like a kid, Neo Universe is nearly fully developed. Does nobody find it strange that they're in the same grade?
...I can't figure it out. I'm not at Tracen Academy, so I don't have many chances to interact with her. And honestly, even if Neo Universe has some secret, it's none of my business.
There's really no need for me to pay her any extra attention.
Whether it's Tokai Teio or Neo Universe, neither of them are a threat to me right now. That might sound a bit arrogant, but I truly believe it.
--+--
Some Date, Some Month
...Impossible.
I lost? I actually lost?
Sure, squeezing in six races over two months was probably pushing it, but I honestly thought that even if my condition dropped, they still wouldn't be a match for me.
It was Neo Universe. Neo Universe overtook me at the very end.
Her running style... it's simply unbelievable. How can anyone run like that? It's like she knows the track like the back of her hand—she could probably run the whole race blindfolded.
Rewatching the race footage, her technique still seems impossible. How did she seize every single opportunity? Her eyes... it was like she could see right through everyone.
I got overconfident. My failure to take Neo Universe seriously enough is why I lost.
The Yayoi Sho... a complete and utter defeat.
Heh... Looks like I can't stay in Tokyo either. Since I've lost the Yayoi Sho, there's no point in continuing to race.
...I'm so frustrated, so incredibly frustrated, and filled with regret. But should I blame Neo Universe? I can't even bring myself to do that.
Time to pack up and move on.
--+--
Some Date, Some Month
Neo Universe actually found me.
She's actually—
The diary ended abruptly.
It was so sudden that Platinum didn't even process that she'd finished reading.
Wait, huh?
What is this?
Platinum sat there, stunned. She flipped through the remaining pages, but none of them had any writing. It seemed the diary really ended there.
What was this supposed to mean?
This was the third piece of information Platinum had gleaned.
Neo Universe definitely has a problem.
Though initially, Platinum hadn't paid Neo Universe any extra attention—after all, whatever her deal was, it had nothing to do with her.
But then, just one page later, Neo Universe dropped a bombshell on her?
She hadn't won the Yayoi Sho. Neo Universe had stolen her victory.
Now that was something Platinum couldn't tolerate.
Steal my wallet? Fine. But steal my Yayoi Sho title? That's like aiming for my life!
Literally aiming for my life.
If she couldn't unlock the second-tier shop and had to rely solely on suppressants, it was hard to say how long Platinum could even last at Tracen Academy.
Especially with the way the diary ended, radiating a thick, unsettling aura that put Platinum deeply on edge.
So now, Neo Universe was her problem.
Not only that, according to the diary, Neo Universe had even found her?
Logically, if her parallel self was the proactive type, this version of Platinum might not even be in Tokyo anymore.
Even if she was, if Symboli Rudolf couldn't find Platinum, but Neo Universe could... then wasn't Neo Universe even more formidable than Rudolf?
And clearly, Neo Universe had delivered some shocking piece of information.
The diary didn't specify what Neo Universe had said. She doubted it was Neo Universe confessing, 'Actually, I'm a boy.'
Who would've thought that after going in circles, the focus would land right back on Neo Universe.
--+--
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.