Compared to the racetrack, training always felt long and tedious.
But every Uma Musume knew that only by enduring grueling, seemingly unbearable training could they truly shine with their own brilliance on race day.
That was the theory, anyway. Actually putting it into practice was another matter.
After all, not every Uma Musume could endure such long and arduous grinding; once fatigue set in, they'd always find ways to sneak in some breaks.
It wasn't exactly a bad thing. Balancing work and rest was the best way to get the most out of their training, right?
But in Mr. C.B's eyes, Dream Weaver had recently gone a bit off the deep end with her training.
Sure, they had a goal they absolutely had to reach, but you still needed to leave a little time for yourself to rest!
Yet Dream Weaver seemed completely immune to fatigue. Every day, she executed the training plan provided by Symboli Rudolf's support team to absolute perfection, leaving herself not a single moment to catch her breath.
This kind of training gave Mr. C.B a bad sense of déjà vu. In this version of Dream Weaver, she saw shadows from the past.
So, to keep her from going down the wrong path, Mr. C.B decided to take Dream Weaver out for some relaxation.
As for how to lure this training maniac away from the track... let's just say Mr. C.B had her own methods.
"And this is what you call 'scouting the opponent in advance'?"
Dream Weaver looked at the Uma Musume dolls inside the claw machine before her, pulling the corner of her mouth in a speechless expression.
"Don't you dare look down on the art of the claw! While most machines are set with a minimum grab strength, we can still rely on our own skill to surpass the limits set by the manufacturers."
Mr. C.B licked her lips, her eyes fixed on the tantalizing prizes within the machine as she spoke.
"There's a legend in the claw machine world. They say a trainer once went to play with an Uma Musume and managed to grab five dolls in a single try!"
"Wow. So impressive."
Dream Weaver responded with a completely deadpan expression.
Seemingly finding her reaction underwhelming, Mr. C.B leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a mysterious, hushed tone as if telling a ghost story.
"But a legend doesn't become a legend that easily—"
She drew out the words, sighing softly and ominously.
"I heard that the five dolls the trainer grabbed... that night, they turned real! They pinned that trainer down right then and there, and tore her apart!"
"And this! Is one of Tracen Academy's Seven Great Horror Stories—"
"The Five-Uma Dismemberment!"
Dream Weaver's eye twitched involuntarily.
She suddenly realized Tracen was full of these bizarre tales, and they always seemed to be grouped in sevens. What was the deal with the number seven?!
"But this legendary story still doesn't seem to have anything to do with scouting opponents."
Dream Weaver said helplessly. Had she given up her training time just to follow Mr. C.B out and listen to some spooky Tracen tall tale?
"Fine then. I'm going back to train."
With that, she turned around, ready to leave the arcade.
But before Dream Weaver could take more than two steps, Mr. C.B hastily dropped the joystick and pulled her back into a hug.
"Wait, wait! Okay, so there's no opponent info here, but we're already out! The trip back would be a waste of time anyway, so we might as well mix a little fun in with the work—"
"I don't feel the least bit overworked!"
To Dream Weaver, this level of intensity was nothing.
Back when she didn't know how to break her limits, and had no place like the institute to teach her, she had to defeat T.M. Opera O under full stat restrictions, relying on half-baked experience and training with every ounce of her being.
Now, she not only had a stronger body and more experience, but she even had Symboli Rudolf's professional team helping to calibrate and plan her regimen.
For Dream Weaver, this environment was as good as it gets. How could she possibly feel tired?
Her last script world hadn't offered any such benefits. The fallen Northern family had no 'team' to speak of. All she could do was repeatedly adjust and find her direction through training alone.
Now, she basically just had to follow the plan. For Dream Weaver, this was practically a vacation.
"I'm tired! How about I'm the one who's tired, alright?! Just think of it as helping a teammate with her mental adjustment. Come play with me!"
"But I don't wanna!"
Seeing she was still getting nowhere, Mr. C.B tightened her grip, trying to forcibly keep Dream Weaver in her arms.
But how could she possibly restrain Dream Weaver?
Despite the restrictions, Dream Weaver's power stat was the real deal. Mr. C.B, still in her rookie stage, simply didn't have the strength to hold her down.
So she could only watch, a cold sweat forming, as Dream Weaver began prying her fingers loose from her waist, one by one.
Staring down at Dream Weaver, who was a full half-head shorter than her, Mr. C.B couldn't fathom how such a small frame could contain such terrifying strength.
Just as Mr. C.B's defenses were about to be broken, a frantic shout came from across the room.
"You there, Uma Musume! No coercive approaches!"
Mr. C.B turned in surprise and saw several mall security guards running towards her.
She then glanced around and realized that, without her noticing, a crowd of whispering onlookers had gathered around her and Dream Weaver. They were muttering amongst themselves and shooting strange looks her way.
Mr. C.B's ears twitched, faintly catching words like 'forcing the kouhai to play,' 'so the dark side of Tracen really exists,' and other such comments.
Hearing that, Mr. C.B suddenly felt her image transform into that of a creepy senpai trying to drag a junior Uma Musume out to play against her will.
She looked down at Dream Weaver and offered an awkward, strained smile.
"C...could you help me explain this?"
"Right now? You've got to be joking."
Dream Weaver had initially wanted to teach this pest, who was keeping her from training, a lesson. But she quickly noticed the surrounding gazes shifting towards her as well, and not in a good way.
A cold sweat trickled down Dream Weaver's forehead as she realized her own image was now also at risk.
The last thing she wanted, after winning the Triple Crown, was for this weird misunderstanding to be dug up and turned into a sensational news story like 'What Dream Weaver Did Before Her Triple Crown.'
Looking up and meeting Mr. C.B's eyes, the two reached a strange, unspoken understanding.
Immediately setting aside their dispute, they bolted together through the surrounding crowd.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.