"Wait, starting tomorrow I'll be training with little Weaver?"
That evening, as soon as Goodbye Halo—who had recently begun making a name for herself in the design world—got home, before she could even set her bag down, King Halo's sudden ambush short-circuited her brain for a moment.
"Mhm! Because we want to become top-tier Uma Musume, just like Mom!"
After saying this, King Halo blinked her eyes, clearly hoping for praise. Seeing this, Goodbye Halo could only pat her daughter's head while saying, "How wonderful."
Then she turned her gaze to Dream Weaver, who was standing behind King Halo, and asked:
"There's really no need to rush things. After all, you two just started elementary school. Don't listen to your sister bragging—she's only faster because she's a year older than you."
"Last time she asked me to train her, but she lost motivation after just a few days."
Knowing her daughters' personalities well, Goodbye Halo understood that King Halo, who was still easily distracted and childlike, wouldn't suddenly become motivated for no reason. This must have been Dream Weaver's idea.
So, ignoring King Halo's flushed, protesting face, she gently advised Dream Weaver:
"If your goal is to become a top-tier Uma Musume, wouldn't it be better to start training sooner rather than later?"
Faced with such persuasive reasoning, Dream Weaver—whose main mission in life was to become a top-tier Uma Musume—didn't back down an inch.
Seeing the stubborn glint in Dream Weaver's eyes, Goodbye Halo knew that persuasion wouldn't really work on her. Ever since she was little, Dream Weaver had been steady and strong-willed; once she set her mind on a goal, she never changed it. With a resigned smile, Goodbye Halo finally agreed.
But it was fine. She could treat it as physical exercise. What could be better than her daughters growing up healthy and strong?
Thinking this, Goodbye Halo immediately took out her phone from her bag, planning to call her old trainer—someone she trusted to keep an eye on them so they wouldn't push themselves too hard.
Unexpectedly, just as she took out her phone, a call came in. Seeing the name on the screen, Goodbye Halo answered right away.
"Hello? Ah, yes, this is Dream Weaver's parent…"
Hearing the word "parent" from Goodbye Halo's mouth, Dream Weaver, who was standing nearby, immediately felt a prickle of dread down her spine and knew something was wrong.
Frowning, she slowly retreated behind King Halo.
'You've got to be kidding me. I've never been called to the principal's office in two lifetimes—I can't let it happen now!'
Maybe it was the rush of six years' worth of memories, or some deep-seated instinctual anxiety, but in that moment, Dream Weaver completely forgot that she had no real reason to fear such a thing and made a move to escape.
Unfortunately, she also forgot just how powerless she was as an elementary schooler facing a height disadvantage.
With a sharp glance, Goodbye Halo immediately ended the call and reached out with an unstoppable hand toward Dream Weaver. Seeing no way to dodge, Dream Weaver could only close her eyes and wait for the inevitable.
But to her surprise, when the hand touched her head, what she received wasn't instant annihilation, but a slightly resigned yet fond remark.
"You really are still just a child after all."
Standing there dumbfounded as her hair was tousled, Dream Weaver finally remembered—she was only a first grader now.
The Halo household was as warm and cozy as ever.
Today's winner: unknown. The loser: the rookie teacher left uneasy by the suddenly ended call.
The next day, the soft light of dawn spilled over the streets, and sunlight filtered through the window screen onto Dream Weaver's sleeping face. Having carried heavy burdens for so long, she finally enjoyed a peaceful, deep sleep after entering this story world.
Thump!
A sudden loud noise startled her awake. Before she could even open her eyes, that familiar, energetic voice reached her ears.
"A top-tier Uma Musume has to do morning runs, of course!"
As King Halo spoke, the thin blanket covering Dream Weaver was thrown aside, and a pair of warm little hands unceremoniously pulled her out of bed. She had barely opened her eyes when King Halo dragged her out of the room without giving her a chance to speak.
Clip-clop, clip-clop— Only when they were nearly downstairs did Dream Weaver, drawing on yesterday's experience, finally manage to blurt out the words stuck in her heart.
"At least let me change out of my pajamas first!"
With all this racket, Goodbye Halo, who had stayed up late finishing her design drafts, was also woken up. Dark circles under her eyes, she approached her daughters with an intimidating aura and gave each of them a light thump on the head.
Under their mother's pressure, an overexcited King Halo finally calmed down. She and Dream Weaver quietly changed into their athletic wear and shoes under Goodbye Halo's watchful eye, took their water bottles and keys, and gently closed the front door behind them.
Without making a sound.
Outside, King Halo and Dream Weaver looked at each other and, for some reason, suddenly burst into laughter.
Goodbye Halo stepped out onto the balcony, watched them for a while with a smile, then yawned and returned to her room.
The morning streets were completely silent, as if everyone in the world had disappeared, leaving only King Halo and Dream Weaver.
But neither of them paid it any mind. Freed from her mother's pressure, King Halo regained her energy and chattered excitedly, while Dream Weaver quietly looked forward to what surprises her sister—already famous in the real world—had in store for her.
"Ahem."
King Halo turned around, posing like a trainer, and held up a finger as she said to Dream Weaver:
"A top-tier Uma Musume has to see the 4 a.m. Los Angeles, ya know!"
"It's 5 a.m. now… and we're in Tokyo, you know."
Caught in her lie, King Halo blushed and insisted, "Don't talk back to your top-tier trainer! Anyway, let's start running! First one to the end wins!"
Unfortunately, before King Halo could make her escape under this pretext, Dream Weaver grabbed her shoulder.
"Shouldn't we warm up and stretch before training?"
Faced with Dream Weaver's sharp gaze, King Halo could only glance around and mumble vaguely, "R-Really? Oh, right, right!"
But before she could gloss over the matter with some half-hearted stretches, Dream Weaver grabbed her again, giving her a deep, searching look.
"Big sis… you don't actually know how to train properly, do you…?"
Blushing, King Halo—who had impulsively taken on this big responsibility hoping to impress her little sister—doubled down. "W-What? How could that be! If I didn't know how to train, how could I be faster than you, Meng? It's all thanks to my sweat and hard work!"
Dream Weaver watched her clumsy performance and sighed inwardly.
'This is the first time I've had an amazing Uma Musume for a sister, and we're both in elementary school. How did two good things combined turn out like this?'
After a long silence, Dream Weaver placed her hands on King Halo's shoulders and said slowly, "Maybe it's better if I take the lead."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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.