[Uma Musume (Pre-Space Age)]
A world set in a modern society, with technology levels matching that of pre-space human civilization.
Home to a unique species known as "Umamusume"—Horse Girls.
[Comparison of Strengths:]
• Technological Level: Like an Ant.
• Military Strength: Like an Ant.
• Economic Power: Like an Ant.
"..."
In the plaza outside the capital, Setsuna opened the Hyperdimensional Star Map and selected the Uma Musume world.
The Uma Musume world had a rather peculiar setting.
It belonged to a semi-fictional human society where Horse Girls were not genetically engineered beings like the Catgirls in the Nekopara world.
Instead, they were more akin to Spirits—naturally existing entities.
In this world, horses didn't exist. At birth, girls had a chance of being born as Horse Girls.
Aside from changes in appearance and enhanced physical abilities, Horse Girls were no different from ordinary people. Anything a human could do, a Horse Girl could do as well.
Becoming a racehorse was entirely voluntary, just like a human choosing to become an athlete.
Most Horse Girls longed to run and would participate in racing tournaments, while a smaller number chose to pursue regular jobs, become idols, and so on.
"..."
"This setup feels a bit... odd," Yat Sen said, brushing back her hair.
"Only girls can reincarnate as Horse Girls? Sounds quite similar to the Shipgirl or Catgirl settings."
In the world of Shipgirls, there were no male counterparts; same for Catgirls in the Nekopara world.
Naturally, there were no stallions in the Uma Musume world either.
All the horses were cute girls, and many of them had inherited names from famous racehorses.
"Ahem, it's another world. No need to overanalyze it."
"We must respect the worldview of other universes."
Setsuna cleared his throat.
"This one will be easy to conquer. I just need to bring back the Horse Girls I want. Later on, we can hold horse races at the base."
"As for the human civilization here… same as always, just make them a vassal state."
Horse Girls had no real combat ability. He didn't expect these cute girls to go to the battlefield.
Outside of combat, it was important to add some color to life.
Even if Setsuna hadn't been into racing before, watching a bunch of cute girls compete in athletic events could be quite entertaining.
"Tch, does Husband-sama have a talent for attracting girls or something?! Why is it that every world we visit is either Shipgirls, Catgirls, Dragon Girls, or now Horse Girls?!"
"Don't tell me everything in the multiverse can be girlified?!"
Kurumi narrowed her eyes, suspecting Setsuna was deliberately targeting worlds full of cute girls.
"Don't make such a fuss. I still plan to go find some Monster Girls next..."
...
[Dimensional Gate Established]
[Constantinople — Uma Musume World]
Vmmm—
As the dimensional passage tore open in midair, a silver-white starship broke through the clouds and descended into the Uma Musume world.
On the bridge, a blonde, sweet-faced shipgirl hovered around Setsuna, fussing over him attentively.
"Commander, is the ship too hot? Too cold?"
"Would you like something to eat? Do you still like the rose-scented aroma diffuser?"
The Aurora had become Setsuna's ride while the Eternal Snowfall was under retrofit.
The shipgirl was overwhelmed with joy—this was her first time receiving such an honor.
"Mm, everything's fine."
Setsuna gazed out over the world below.
He had initially planned to leave the task of retrieving Horse Girls to the shipgirls. But with nothing urgent at the base, he figured he might as well come see it for himself.
This Earth was virtually indistinguishable from ordinary human society—
Skyscrapers, bustling streets filled with cars.
The flow of people and traffic in the city gave Setsuna a strange feeling of dissonance.
The civilized world he once longed for now seemed underwhelming, especially after the Starsea Empire had ascended into the stars.
They were just a group of natives still bound by planetary gravity.
"Commander! That place looks lively!"
After flying for a while—
Aurora pointed to a large academy below.
It was slightly smaller than the universities in the capital, with crowds of students bustling through it.
What stood out most were the several large sports fields, no less impressive than those at professional athletic schools.
Hundreds of students were engaged in running, stretching, and physical training.
A closer look revealed that the students all wore uniforms, had horse tails, and beast ears atop their heads—they were all Horse Girls.
On the main building of the academy, golden letters displayed the school motto:
"Eclipse First, The Rest Nowhere."
"Oh ho, isn't this Tracen Academy?"
Setsuna smiled as soon as he recognized it.
This was the top Horse Girl training institution in the Uma Musume world—the premier development academy.
All of the world's top-tier racehorse girls were registered here, training their legs day in and day out.
In the plaza stood three goddess statues, but from what he could see on the Hyperdimensional Star Map, this world had no true gods.
The three goddesses were more like spiritual symbols representing the three pureblood horse ancestors.
The Horse Girls lived in neat order—learning general education while training in running, swimming, dancing, and other skills.
If not for the beast ears and horse tails, one could mistake this for a prestigious all-girls academy.
"Tsk tsk, such weak creatures..."
Tohru swished her tail, scoffing as she looked at the lively Horse Girls below.
"No magic, no exceptional intellect or physique—just faster than normal humans."
"Weaklings. Their competitions are laughable. Even the strongest Horse Girl wouldn't stand a chance against me."
"Commander, I want to go race them."
"??"
Bonk!
Setsuna knocked her on the head.
"What are you doing? Trying to bully others with racial superiority? A Dragon Girl racing Horse Girls—are you serious?!"
"Let's go talk to the principal first."
Vmmm—
Aurora disengaged her optical camouflage and began descending slowly above Tracen Academy.
This world had countless Horse Girls. Tokai Teio, Silence Suzuka, and the rest of the protagonist team were all enrolled here.
Taking over the academy outright was the same as packaging up all the high-quality Horse Girls in this world.
Very efficient.
"Eh eh eh?!"
"Are we being invaded by aliens?!"
The Horse Girls training below panicked at the sight of the massive starship overhead.
This was a peaceful, slice-of-life world—they had never seen anything this massive blocking out the sky.
On the academy's main building rooftop balcony,
A short girl with orange hair and blue eyes lay sunbathing on a recliner.
She wore a blue-and-white formal dress and a wide-brimmed hat. The fan beside her was printed with the word "Chairwoman."
She casually sipped orange juice from the table and smacked her lips.
"Ah, another peaceful day."
"Debut races are scheduled next week. I wonder which promising girls will stand out this time..."
This was Yayoi Akikawa, Chairwoman of Tracen Academy.
Dedicated to training the finest Horse Girls and supporting their dreams.
The loli chairwoman picked up a document listing entrants in the upcoming debut races.
Suddenly—
Vmmm—
A humming noise filled the air.
The sun was blocked by a massive shadow.
Looking up, she saw a towering silver-white starship hovering above the academy.
Aurora wasn't as large as a battleship or carrier, but at two kilometers long, the space cruiser was still a colossal presence to the natives.
"What the heck is that?!"
Yayoi Akikawa spilled her juice, rubbed her eyes, and pinched her cheeks.
Was she still dreaming from a nap?
Clack—
The starship's hatch opened.
A small shuttle brought down Setsuna and his accompanying shipgirls, landing in front of the stunned little loli.
"Hello, we're from another world."
Setsuna got straight to the point.
"Let's be blunt—no, cough, I mean..."
"Simply put, I'm very interested in Horse Girls and plan to acquire the entire Tracen Academy. I will provide all Horse Girls with better living conditions and treatment."
"Let's talk."
...
Half an hour later—
Inside the principal's office at the academy, Yayoi Akikawa sat behind her large desk, blankly staring at the people in front of her.
Normally, she appeared before the Horse Girls as a friendly mentor figure, never putting on airs.
But now, facing a man in a military uniform with a firm stance, she felt a subtle sense of fear.
Tracen Academy only trained Horse Girls. It had never participated in political or military matters.
This planet was peaceful, with very few wars ever breaking out.
To them, soldiers were a distant and unfamiliar concept.
The man before her reminded her of a fleet commander from a sci-fi movie—one who had seen many battles and great events.
Just standing near him exuded a pressure she couldn't shake.
"Chairwoman, please stay calm. Let's talk things through..."
A secretary in a green uniform poured tea for everyone while discreetly observing the extraterrestrial visitors.
"I... I don't quite understand your intent, Mr. Setsuna..."
"Are you from some country's conglomerate? Wanting to acquire Tracen Academy? I'm sorry, but that's not acceptable."
The loli chairwoman spoke carefully.
"Our mission is to nurture excellent Horse Girls. We don't want any external interference."
She thought long and hard but couldn't recall any Earth country capable of building such massive spaceships—assuming it wasn't just her own ignorance.
"Conglomerate?!"
Setsuna nearly laughed. It was normal for otherworld natives to interpret him through the lens of their own understanding.
They simply lacked imagination.
He walked up to the chairwoman.
Shhh—
In front of her, he projected the Hyperdimensional Star Map along with images and data from the Starsea Empire.
Time to give the little loli a crash course on his origins.
"We come from another universe. You're simply one of our slightly more distant neighbors..."
...
An hour later—
"Abba abba..."
Yayoi Akikawa's brain short-circuited from information overload.
It took her a while to snap back to reality.
Multiverse theory, Shipgirls, Starsea Empire, FTL starships—this was all way too much for her!
She was just a regular academy chairwoman!
Shouldn't this sort of thing be handled by the United Nations?!
Used to playing house with Horse Girls and enjoying daily life, Yayoi Akikawa was completely shaken.
It took her a while just to regain the ability to think.
"You come from an advanced civilization in the space age, and you want the Horse Girls of Tracen Academy to go back with you to your Earth?!"
"Why? We're of no use to you. Horse Girls are just energetic kids who love to run. They don't understand your technology or magic at all..."
She saw that Setsuna wasn't trying to intimidate anyone, so she gathered the courage to ask.
"I simply like Horse Girls," Setsuna answered with a smile as he leaned back in his chair.
"Think of it as a way to enrich base life and satisfy my collection hobby."
"If we judged everything based on usefulness, the Starsea Empire would've kept only Shipgirls, Bulin, Spirits, and the like. Anyone not strong enough would've been thrown out."
"..."
Yayoi Akikawa had no rebuttal.
To the leader of a powerful civilization, a simple "Because I like them" was reason enough.
There was no need for grand ideals or flowery justification.
"But... shouldn't this be a matter between governments? Shouldn't you discuss this with the countries here..."
"Oh, I already sent Bismarck and the fleet," Setsuna said nonchalantly.
"If things go smoothly, you should see news by tomorrow morning that the nations have agreed to surrender and become vassals of the Starsea Empire."
"???"
Yayoi Akikawa's pupils trembled. She couldn't keep up with Setsuna's pace, and all her prepared arguments failed.
"..."
The little loli scratched her head in frustration, glancing at her secretary, hesitating to speak.
"You're worried I don't know how to properly train Horse Girls and might not educate them well, right?"
Setsuna saw through her thoughts.
"Ah..."
Yayoi Akikawa first shook her head, then nodded lightly.
"Yes, Horse Girl training is incredibly complex. It's not something that can be done overnight..."
She admitted that Setsuna was extremely powerful. If he wanted to annex their world by force, there was no resisting.
What she truly worried about was how the Horse Girls would live once they left this environment.
As the chairwoman, she simply wanted the girls to have a good life.
But she hadn't dared voice that concern, fearing it would anger him. To her surprise, Setsuna brought it up himself.
"Your Horse Girl training methods are outdated. Relying solely on daily physical training won't push them to their physical limits."
"Whether it's in curriculum, nutrition, or conditioning... there's enormous room for improvement."
Tohru spoke bluntly.
"Let Commander manage them. With a little genetic enhancement, I guarantee their capabilities will increase several hundredfold."
"Pick any Horse Girl at random—no matter the Yayoi Sho, Satsuki Sho, Tenno Sho, or Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud—they'll win them all blindfolded."
"—Oh, and once they're at the base, we'll hold regular races. I actually think watching girls run is kinda fun..."
"???"
Yayoi Akikawa frowned.
Any Horse Girl could win a grand slam?
That sounded a little too far-fetched.
Horse Girl races were incredibly competitive. Even the strongest elite mares didn't dare claim victory in every match.
Their academy's training program had been refined over years—it was the most advanced Horse Girl institution in their world.
"I happen to have some free time in the next few days. Why don't we run a little experiment?"
Setsuna said with a grin.
He was planning to get acquainted with the Horse Girls anyway.
"Let me show you the power of genetic science."
...
Hmm~ hmm~ hmm~
In the Tracen Academy cafeteria—
A Horse Girl with violet eyes, short brown hair, and a tuft of white on her forehead stood in line humming a tune while holding a tray.
The cafeteria offered free buffet meals, eat as much as you want—with many different carrot-based dishes.
The Horse Girl picked up two carrots, looked at her already-full tray, and hesitated.
"Hmm, eat till 80% full for a better race body."
Tokai Teio muttered, giving up on the extra portion.
She had only recently enrolled at the academy, and soon she would be entering her debut race.
Winning was a must to qualify for more advanced competitions. If she couldn't win within a certain period, she'd lose her racing license.
"Eh, will I really be okay...?"
"What if I lose..."
The more she thought about it, the more nervous she became.
Suddenly—
A commotion stirred in the distance.
Setsuna, followed by Shipgirls, the chairwoman, and a crowd of Horse Girls, entered the cafeteria.
It was rare for outsiders to show up—everyone cleared a path.
He walked straight up to Tokai Teio.
"Yo, looks like the worldline's shifted a bit. You don't have a trainer yet?"
"Ah... yeah."
Tokai Teio nodded instinctively.
"You dream of being the world's number one Horse Girl, right?"
Setsuna patted her shoulder.
Of course he'd go straight for the protagonist in the Uma Musume world.
"Uh... yeah, I guess..."
The Horse Girl looked confused. She had no idea who Setsuna or the others were.
And her goal had only ever been to be Japan's best—somehow he upgraded her ambition.
"That's more like it. C'mon, into the room with me!"
"You're about to be enhanced!"
—
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