She woke from her dream.
Perhaps because she'd been playing Uma Musume too much lately, last night she even dreamed of turning into an Uma Musume herself.
It was an incredibly vivid dream—even after waking, she could still feel the enhanced power surging through her body.
As she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, something suddenly swished behind her butt.
A pale purple horse tail swayed as if it had a mind of its own.
The next second, she froze and looked back.
'What... is this?'
'Calm down!'
'Take a deep breath first, then confirm you're not dreaming a dream within a dream!'
"Hiss~ Hah~"
She closed her eyes, and with each breath, her mind gradually settled.
'Alright.'
This probably wasn't a dream; it was just an illusion from being groggy right after waking.
She opened her eyes, turned around—and her expression crumbled instantly.
"W-What the—?!"
The pale purple horse tail swayed gently, its fur texture so exquisite it almost seemed to glow.
"It's actually rea—" Her shout cut off abruptly as she suddenly realized something, her eyes widening in shock.
Then, she looked down at her chest.
Beneath the men's pajamas, there was a slight swell—nothing more than small steamed bun-sized curves, but undeniably... so white, so soft!
She pursed her lips, heart racing with excitement, and tentatively reached out with trembling hands, slowly exploring.
"..."
After a thorough investigation, she flopped back onto the bed, utterly bored.
A moment later, she bolted upright, slipped on her slippers in a flash, and dashed to the bathroom.
The instant she entered, she caught sight of her current appearance in the mirror.
Uma Musume: Mejiro McQueen!
The popular character from the Uma Musume series, known among players by nicknames like "Fat Filly," "Thousand-Pound Lady," and "Plank McQueen"!
In the mirror, the aloof young lady blinked expressionlessly.
At that moment, only one thought filled her mind.
The real-life Fat Filly is gorgeous!
"Who is this heavenly beauty before me, so stunning she could topple cities and bring fish and geese crashing down? That's right—this stunning beauty is me."
...
The sound of a toilet flushing echoed.
Mejiro McQueen emerged from the bathroom, utterly relaxed.
What the heck—her adaptability was off the charts!
She'd already fully acclimated to this body; nothing felt off at all.
And though she'd lost her "little brother," there wasn't a shred of sorrow—in fact, she was thrilled!
This body, so healthy it bordered on athletic perfection, was utterly irresistible!
Beautiful, powerful—compared to her old body, it was like trash.
She felt like a superhero now, brimming with endless potential!
This was way too exhilarating!
If she weren't worried about causing a scene by running outside like this, she'd be sprinting laps at the nearby track right now.
Back in her room, Mejiro McQueen powered on her computer screen, where the Uma Musume game from last night still lingered open.
Upon closer inspection, she spotted something off.
"Hm? This is..."
It looked mostly the same, but this wasn't the game she remembered.
"Where's my main Uma Musume? Where the hell did my big ol' Mejiro McQueen go?!"
The Uma Musume that usually idled on the main menu was gone!
And in the background, Tracen Academy was eerily empty—no sign of anyone!
"Could it be..."
Staring at the drastically altered interface, Mejiro McQueen moved her mouse to the character list.
In the character roster, all the Uma Musume she'd gacha'd with real money had been wiped clean.
Now, only one unlocked character remained: Mejiro McQueen.
"All the alternate skins are gone too—makes sense. Let me check the skill pool... Huh? Whoa!"
She opened the character's built-in skill pool, and a dazzling array of rainbow and gold skills nearly blinded her.
"Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!"
"Is this the skill pool from every character plus full training cards?!"
(Note: Original skin Mejiro McQueen + alternate skins + same-character training card skills)
Moreover, her in-game unique skill had been downgraded to a regular Flash skill, marked as "unlocked" for her inherent one.
[Zone]: Unlocked.
Shock!
A shiver ran through her!
"This isn't that Zone from the manga, is it!?"
It seemed unbelievable, but that appeared to be the truth.
"Hm, characters deleted, training card system and gacha pool scrapped—but—" Mejiro McQueen's face lit up with excitement. With this skill pool, who needed training cards? If she mastered all these skills, she'd be invincible! She clicked through each one, drool practically pooling at the corner of her mouth as she read the details. "Invincible! Not only a massive skill pool, but these skills have no distance restrictions?!"
That's right—the skills that originally had track or distance limits in the game now had none, as if to say: As long as you can learn it, as long as you time it right, even a long-distance skill can dominate a short race!
"Perfect—I've got endless motivation now. Hurry up and let me race!"
Mejiro McQueen was buzzing with anticipation.
After all, wasting this powerhouse's potential would be a crime.
[Training]
[Story]
[Characters]
[Events]
These were the game's remaining functions.
Without hesitation, Mejiro McQueen dove straight into the training script. She was dying to check out [Story] and [Events], but sadly, both required a fully trained character to access.
[Start a new simulation training session?]
[Yes/No]
"Yes!"
Her consciousness surged upward, accompanied by a dizzying sway, and she awoke anew.
The Mejiro McQueen who'd been gaming at home suddenly found herself before a grand gate. Looking out, there it was: Tracen Academy from the game.
Immediately, information flooded her mind.
"Six months—train and study to boost stamina and master skills, then debut in the race, huh."
She blinked in a daze.
Wait—this simulation training was all on her? No hand-holding?
Where's the trainer?
The team?
Nothing?
Even Tracen Academy was just a hollow shell.
Fully equipped, sure, but not a soul—or even a ghost—in sight!
So she'd gone from a "prison" game to actual solitary confinement?
Damn it.
If she weren't 1,000% thrilled with this body, she'd quit the simulation right then.
"No rush. Sure, Tracen Academy's empty, but opponents in races won't all be NPCs, right?"
Probably...
Not a chance, right?
She tried to reassure herself, but a chill crept in.
If she wasn't wrong, the simulation's timeline matched the Uma Musume game she'd played before.
And in the game, training equated to a full three years when converted to turns!
Meaning she might have to solo this empty simulated world for a solid three years!
The future looked bleak, but she was here now—she'd tough it out.
She pulled out her phone from her school uniform pocket and, using the Tracen Guidebook app, memorized the academy map and facility functions.
Thus, Mejiro McQueen launched into intense training.
Injuries from simulation training wouldn't carry over to reality, so she pushed to test this body's limits.
Luckily, the phone had an AI assistant for training plans—tailored to her goals, so she wouldn't flounder blindly.
Before starting, she'd never realized she had such iron will.
Thank goodness the cafeteria churned out gourmet meals automatically; that did wonders for her mood.
And hogging the entire Tracen Academy solo? Evenings in the grand bathhouse all to herself? Pure bliss.
The one downside: no internet. The computers worked, but only for Uma Musume and racing stuff—no games, no chats. If she weren't used to solitude from before, she might've cracked.
But day by day, as training honed her body stronger, sim race times ticked down, the sense of accomplishment filled her to the brim. Three months in, she'd fully immersed in the rote routine.
Time flew, and six months vanished in a blink.
Guided to the race venue, Mejiro McQueen spotted plenty of Uma Musume—and the stands buzzing with crowds.
But deeper inspection revealed the truth: all robots. Lifelike to the touch, but soulless.
If she were still that old guy, she might've entertained some impure thoughts right then.
Mejiro McQueen ran her hand over the Uma Musume ahead, her heart utterly unmoved as she mused.
She withdrew her hand and checked her stat panel.
Six months of grind had elevated her attributes to impressive heights.
After all, this wasn't the game.
No inheritance from stallions, no training cards.
Pure effort unlocked the body's latent potential!
So attributes that took a year in-game? She could shave that down dramatically.
Of course, not all upsides.
Games cap player stats for balance, but numbers inflate with patches anyway.
Here in "reality," early gains came quick through training, but later plateaus hit harder.
Still, right now, Mejiro McQueen focused on her debut race.
Sure, she spotted a star Uma Musume among the robot foes who shouldn't be in a newbie event—but one glance at the rival's panel dismissed her. A standard rookie sheet, game-like; no match for her now!
At the starting gun, Mejiro McQueen surged from the gate like lightning—leading style it was, since skills had no limits.
Because the view from first place? Totally different!