"Is anyone there? Please, open up! I'm Special Week, we've arrived late!"
Special Week tapped anxiously on the glass door of the Ritto Dormitory, her voice laced with obvious panic.
In stark contrast, Myriad Dreams had completely given up.
She sat directly on the steps in front of the door, looking like she was ready to set up camp for the night.
"Stop knocking, Special Week-san."
Myriad Dreams chewed her gum, saying indistinctly, "At this hour, the administrator is probably already asleep."
"B-But that won't do! We can't exactly sleep outside on our first night!"
Hearing this, Special Week knocked even harder.
Just as Special Week was about to lose hope, the dormitory door opened with a click.
Fuji Kiseki, wearing an administrator's uniform and sporting a black ponytail, appeared behind the door.
A half-smile played on her lips as her gaze swept over the two of them.
"Being late on your very first day —you two have quite some nerve."
"We are very sorry!" Special Week immediately gave a ninety-degree bow.
Myriad Dreams also scrambled to her feet, following suit with an apology: "Sorry, we lost track of time watching the Winning Stage..."
Seeing their flustered expressions, Fuji Kiseki's tone softened slightly.
"Fine, I'll let you off the hook this time. It's too late now to arrange official rooms, but the lounge is empty. You'll have to make do there for the night, little ponies."
"Little... ponies?" Special Week and Myriad Dreams looked at each other, uttering the words in unison.
The Next Day
"Hello, I am the Secretary to the Board Chairman, Hayakawa Tazuna. I will be taking you to your classroom now."
Under Miss Tazuna's gentle guidance, the two arrived at the teaching building.
Standing at the door of Class C, Special Week took a deep breath, her body stiffening instinctively.
Noticing her tension, Myriad Dreams whispered, "What's wrong?"
"I'm thinking about how to greet the classmates..." Special Week whispered back, her ears twitching uneasily.
"If I don't greet them well, will I leave a bad impression on everyone?"
Myriad Dreams sighed and reached out, sliding the classroom door open. "You won't. Relax."
Since the door was already open, Special Week had no choice but to brace herself and walk in.
She stood at the podium and introduced herself in a slightly trembling voice: "Um... H-hello, everyone! I'm Special Week, starting school today! I'm from Hokkaido! Please take care of me!"
Perhaps because she was too nervous, her left foot caught her right foot as she turned, sending her tumbling forward.
"Waaaah!"
"Honestly..."
Standing beside her, Myriad Dreams reacted quickly, grabbing her arm to help her steady herself.
"Th-that was close... thank you, Myriad Dreams-san!" Special Week breathed a sigh of relief, her face flushing crimson.
At that moment, a pink-haired, energetic Uma Musume hopped over.
"Are you the new transfer students? Hello! I'm Haru Urara!"
She then pointed to a green-haired Uma Musume with a lazy aura standing nearby.
"And this is Seiun Sky-san!"
"Nice to meet you." Seiun Sky gave a polite, faint smile.
"Nice to meet you too!" Special Week responded quickly.
"Hi~"
Two more Uma Musume approached, and Urara enthusiastically continued the introductions.
"This is Grass Wonder, and this is El Condor Pasa!"
El Condor Pasa immediately leaned in with high energy: "I'm a returnee from the United States! What about you guys?"
"I'm from Hokkaido," Special Week answered honestly, then pointed to Myriad Dreams beside her.
"Myriad Dreams-san is from Saitama Prefecture."
"Oh! So you're both coun—" El Condor Pasa, ever outspoken, was cut off before she could finish the word "country bumpkins" by Grass Wonder, who gave her a gentle pinch on the waist with a smile.
"Ow!"
Just then, the bell rang for class.
"Ah! Got to go! See you next time!" Urara said, waving as she ran out of the classroom.
Watching her back, Myriad Dreams shook her head helplessly, "So she's not even in this class...?"
Once class began, Myriad Dreams walked straight to a seat in the back row by the window.
Since she couldn't chew gum during class, she spent the entire period spaced out, occasionally sneaking a feel of the gum wrapper in her pocket.
Lunch Break
Having finally endured until lunch, Special Week, Seiun Sky, Grass Wonder, and El Condor Pasa gathered to eat.
After a while, Myriad Dreams finally arrived late— she had taken a detour to the shop to restock her gum supply.
"Myriad Dreams-san, you're finally here!" Special Week greeted her happily.
As Myriad Dreams sat down, her gaze was immediately drawn to the mountain of rice piled up in front of Special Week.
She couldn't help but marvel, "So you normally eat this much?"
At those words, though Grass Wonder and Seiun Sky remained silent, their eyes betrayed their agreement, silently commending Myriad Dreams for her accurate observation.
Special Week, on the other hand, looked worriedly at Myriad Dreams's tray, which held barely a tenth of the food she had.
"What about you, Myriad Dreams-san? Is that enough? Training burns a lot of energy."
"Don't worry about it."
Myriad Dreams sat down beside her and gave a dismissive wave.
"I don't have a big appetite to begin with. If I get hungry, I'll just chew some gum or have some candy."
She quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, what were you all chatting about so excitedly?"
"We were talking about the selection trials for Team Rigil today!" El Condor Pasa chimed in enthusiastically.
Hearing this, Special Week suddenly remembered something.
Her eyes lit up as she turned to Myriad Dreams.
"That's right! Myriad Dreams-san, why don't you join the trials too? You could keep up with me so easily yesterday while chewing gum, you must be really strong! You might even get picked!"
Myriad Dreams immediately waved her hands in refusal. "No, no, count me out."
She had heard of Team Rigil. It was the academy's elite team, famous for its strict and high-intensity training.
For someone like Myriad Dreams, who could stay up training until two or three in the morning but absolutely could not wake up at 7:00 AM sharp, that kind of disciplined team life was a nightmare.
She longed for a team with flexible hours, one that might even let her train through the night.
To end the topic, Myriad Dreams picked up her pace, finishing her meal in record time.
She quickly cleared her tray and stood up. "I'm done eating. I'll head out first, take your time."
Watching Myriad Dreams's hurried departure, a thought appeared in Grass Wonder's mind.
Since this morning, she had noticed something unusual about this new classmate.
"Myriad Dreams-san's breathing remains remarkably stable no matter what she does..." Grass Wonder murmured to herself.
"Even eating that quickly just now, her breathing didn't falter in the slightest. This new classmate is certainly not as simple as she looks."