Chizuru Haibara suddenly realized something—that fierce gust of wind just now, the one that had sent the pages of her book into a chaotic flutter, might not have risen from nowhere.
Its origin was right before her eyes, right at the feet of the Uma Musume who was waving at her.
Her heart seemed to tighten, breath catching, much like those wind-buffeted pages moments earlier. She was utterly shaken by this Uma Musume, the impact arriving a beat late but impossible to miss.
In that instant, a phrase drifted into Chizuru Haibara's mind.
Just what does it mean… to be called a genius?
In this era, if you were looking for a model of genius, the answer would undoubtedly be Tokai Teio.
Awe-inspiring talent displayed from childhood, physical prowess in her debut race far surpassing her peers, footsteps on the track so fluid they seemed innate—even before setting foot on the stage, she was bathed in the spotlight, hailed as the heir to the throne.
Her gift was obvious to all. Everyone anticipated her future, eagerly awaiting the birth of another Emperor.
Yet, this very paragon of genius suffered an unprecedented, crushing defeat in her debut race.
Chizuru Haibara had watched the recording. "Crushing defeat" was no exaggeration.
At the time, Dream Weaver's speed was nearly on par with hers, yet the gap between them seemed an impassable chasm.
That red streak tearing through the rain also earned Dream Weaver her first title in the world: Tokyo Swift.
People believed that in that moment, Dream Weaver seemed blessed by the very heavens, allowing her to triumph over the spotlight-grabbing genius in such a manner.
As an elite trainer from Central Tracen Academy, having replayed that tape dozens of times, Chizuru Haibara naturally didn't subscribe to such a romanticized explanation.
For that debut race, her answer was that Dream Weaver had read the entire contest.
Not just the course, but even her opponent's movements were within Dream Weaver's grasp. That was why she could create such an immense gap between herself and Tokai Teio.
It was, of course, also a baffling answer.
To this day, Chizuru Haibara still didn't know how Dream Weaver had pulled it off. But that state seemed to be a one-time occurrence for her.
In the subsequent Niigata Junior Stakes, she never again displayed that aura of having seen through everyone.
These two races formed the foundational impression of Dream Weaver in Chizuru Haibara's mind: a remarkably precocious Uma Musume whose physical abilities surged dramatically in the early stages and who performed even better on race day.
Though different in direction from Tokai Teio, Dream Weaver back then was still a genius—just one with a slightly specialized, somewhat extreme style.
That version of her had a shot at the Triple Crown, but would inevitably face fierce challenges.
While she had beaten Tokai Teio, Chizuru didn't believe her winning rate could stay at a perfect hundred.
But… all of this was built upon the foundation of those first two races, based on Dream Weaver's performances at that time.
Now, faced with the unbelievable numbers on her stopwatch, every analysis Chizuru Haibara had ever made turned pale and meaningless.
This was beyond what "genius" could describe.
What genius, in their debut year, could reach such a terrifying, dreadful speed?
This was first-rate, world-class prowess. Dream Weaver's speed now would undoubtedly place her among the absolute top contenders globally!
No wonder Chizuru Haibara's mind went blank. Precisely because she had studied countless theoretical texts, she found it even harder to believe the scene before her eyes.
This speed felt like it was crushing over twenty years of her life's convictions, rendering everything she had steadfastly believed in mere trash, leaving her utterly bewildered.
She only snapped back to reality when Dream Weaver, after waving multiple times without getting a response, sighed, walked over, and patted her shoulder.
"Dream… are you really an Uma Musume?"
"Nope. I'm a super Uma Musume. About fifty times stronger than your regular one."
The words were clearly a joke, yet Chizuru Haibara found herself inexplicably believing them.
Hearing this, she immediately let out a sigh of relief, pointing at her own chest with a look of release.
"Well, that settles it then. If you're a super Uma Musume, it's only natural you'd be stronger than a regular—"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Her words were cut off by Dream Weaver's utterly exasperated look.
"Well, what other explanation is there?!" Chizuru shot back, suddenly animated.
She thrust the stopwatch in front of Dream Weaver's face.
"Tell me, is this a speed a first-year debutante should have?! Dream, aside from being a super Uma Musume, the only other possibility is that you were taken by some mysterious organization and turned into a Kamen Rider, isn't it?!"
"What if I'm just exceptionally gifted?"
Facing the agitated Haibara, Dream Weaver stroked her chin, furrowing her brow in an exaggerated display of deep thought.
"Apologize to all the exceptionally gifted Uma Musume in the world right now!"
Chizuru had no idea how Dream Weaver could say something so shameless with a straight face.
If this was just 'exceptionally gifted,' then wouldn't every other Uma Musume in the world be a mediocrity?
She pinched and pulled at Dream Weaver's cheeks. They were as soft and squishy as she remembered.
Her head was round and smooth too, no strange protrusions suddenly popping out. Everything seemed normal.
But that wasn't reassuring enough. Maybe they just hadn't installed the head module yet.
Under Dream Weaver's deadpan stare, Chizuru Haibara suddenly lunged downward, yanking up the hem of her pants and vigorously rubbing her jade-white calf.
"Hold on… this feels like hard metal? And why can't I find the power core?"
Frowning, Chizuru kept rubbing Dream Weaver's calf, muttering to herself all the while.
"Just what do you take me for…"
Dream Weaver twitched the corner of her mouth and hauled Chizuru back up.
She'd expected her physical stats to shock Haibara, but not this kind of shock. It just went to show Chizuru had definitely seen her share of… media.
"So then, any issues with aiming for the second crown?"
Blinking, the newly upright Chizuru pinched her own cheek to confirm she wasn't dreaming before replying dazedly, "Forget the Triple Crown… you could even take the Arc de Triomphe with no problem at all…"
"But Dream, have you ever considered an even grander goal?"
Dream Weaver perked up with interest. An even more impressive goal? She nodded for Haibara to continue.
"As the saying goes, 'With strong soldiers and mighty Uma Musume, one should become the Emperor.' Dream, have you ever thought about seizing Symboli Rudolf's perch and sitting on it yourself?!"
"...No."
Dream Weaver's mouth quirked wryly. Why on earth would she do that?
"Well, no help for it then. We'll just have to set our sights on the starry sea first."
"Why is conquering the solar system a lower priority than taking the student council president's seat…"
"That way, the 'Dream Weaver Support Association' name won't get rejected… forget I said anything…"
Under Dream Weaver's increasingly sharp gaze, a somewhat guilty Chizuru Haibara quietly averted her eyes.
--+--
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.