Victory lifts the human spirit, and the more legendary the tale, the more hope it brings to the audience—this was the insight Dream Weaver had gleaned from her many script missions.
Since she intended to use victory to bring everyone happiness, why not make that happiness even greater?
After all, for her, winning was as natural as breathing.
Dream Weaver couldn't understand why Chizuru Haibara was so stubbornly against her competing in all three races.
Hadn't the strength she'd shown already proven that victory was practically within easy reach?
If it was something she could do, why hold back?
Puzzled by Chizuru's behavior, Dream Weaver returned to her classroom, sat down at her desk, and frowned in contemplation.
Just then, a booming voice called out beside her.
"Dream Weaver! Why do you look so down again today?!"
"If something's bothering you, you can tell me! Listening to classmates' troubles is part of my duty as class president!"
In this class, there was only one Uma Musume who could shout something like that without a care for her surroundings.
Resting her cheek in her palm, Dream Weaver shot a weary glance at the girl beside her.
She wore her hair in a ponytail similar to Dream Weaver's, but her bangs were swept boldly aside, proudly exposing her wide forehead that gleamed under the sunlight.
Her eyes, marked with the Sakura family's signature cherry blossom patterns, blinked intently at Dream Weaver. This could only be the class president, Sakura Bakushin O.
Yet she seemed completely oblivious to the resignation in Dream Weaver's eyes.
Instead, she puffed out her chest with pride, as if to say, 'Go on, tell me all your worries.'
"Bakushin O… I've told you before, you don't need to worry about me…"
Dream Weaver sighed. Sakura Bakushin O had approached her with this same reason many times already, but until now, Dream Weaver hadn't been in the mood to respond.
After all, she didn't want to tell anyone about saving up for medical bills or clearing script worlds.
"Well, you did say that…"
Bakushin O blinked and scratched her head, putting on an expression of remorse.
But Dream Weaver had been her classmate for a while now. She wasn't about to be fooled.
Sure enough, Bakushin O's remorse lasted all of three seconds before she straightened up again, chest out, and declared righteously, "But as class president, I just can't stand by and watch a classmate moping like this!"
"Come on! Pour out all your troubles to Bakushin-san! Go, go, go!"
As she spoke, she leaned in close, her cherry blossom-patterned eyes fixed intently on Dream Weaver's.
Pressed so near, Dream Weaver found her enthusiasm a bit overwhelming and instinctively leaned back before saying, "I'll tell you, but only if you lower your voice and cut down on the exclamation points."
Bakushin O's eyes lit up like a player who'd finally reached the end of a chain quest, and she began nodding her head vigorously, like a chicken pecking at grain.
Watching her nod so eagerly, Dream Weaver sighed in resignation.
She agreed partly because she was worn down by the persistence, and partly because she suddenly remembered one of the "Seven Mysteries of Tracen Academy" that Chizuru Haibara had mentioned earlier—
The idiot who's always shouting 'Bakushin!' actually knows everything.
The subject of that rumor was, of course, the very class president before her, nicknamed Sakura Bakushin O.
Influenced by Chizuru, Dream Weaver felt a sudden urge to test whether the legend was true.
After all, she'd personally experienced the rumor about the cafeteria occasionally spawning a certain… Oguri Cap.
So, even if the chance was only one in ten thousand, maybe this Sakura Bakushin O really was a peerless sage hidden in plain sight.
After a moment's thought, Dream Weaver chose her words carefully.
"It's like this: my trainer and I have a disagreement about my race schedule."
"There's a race I want to enter, but my trainer absolutely won't let me sign up."
Dream Weaver had only intended to test the waters a little.
To her surprise, the light in Bakushin O's eyes grew even more intense after hearing this. She grabbed Dream Weaver's hands and exclaimed excitedly.
"I get it!"
Her voice was so loud it drew the attention of every other student in the classroom.
Dream Weaver, being right next to her, felt her ears ringing and instinctively flattened them against her head.
"I said to keep your voice down."
"Sorry…"
A bit chastened for breaking their agreement, Bakushin O lowered her voice apologetically, but quickly regained her excited demeanor, still holding Dream Weaver's hands as she said, "My trainer's the same way—"
She was clearly making a great effort to keep her volume down; you could almost see the exclamation point forming at the end of her sentence before she swallowed it back with a trailing note.
Watching Bakushin O struggle to contain herself, Dream Weaver gave a wry smile and said, somewhat helplessly, "You don't have to force yourself that much. Fine, just say what you want to say."
Delighted by the permission, Bakushin O wagged her tail happily, her hands shaking Dream Weaver's in sync with the motion.
"My trainer's like that too. I want to enter long-distance races, but she keeps saying they don't suit me or something."
"Who knows an Uma Musume's body better than herself? You won't know unless you try!"
The second part of Bakushin O's statement unexpectedly resonated with Dream Weaver, who found herself nodding in agreement.
That's right. She knew her own body best. Bakushin O had a point.
At that thought, Dream Weaver looked at Bakushin O with sudden suspicion. Could the rumor be true? Was the girl who was always shouting 'Bakushin!' actually… really smart?
A little startled by the possibility, Dream Weaver swallowed and gripped Bakushin O's hands in return, asking, "Class President, do you have a wise strategy to teach me?"
This was the first time anyone had looked at her as if she were truly clever. Bakushin O was so thrilled her tail nearly whipped into a helicopter spin.
Her face flushed, and she gave a deliberately solemn cough before declaring,
"I have three strategies: superior, middling, and inferior. Which would you like, Dream Weaver?"
Hearing that Bakushin O not only had a plan but had three tiers of strategies, some deeply buried memory stirred within Dream Weaver.
She became increasingly convinced that this class president was a sage hidden from the world.
"Please enlighten me, Bakushin O!"
Dream Weaver imitated the manner of a certain monarch from her memories, speaking to Bakushin O with grave formality.
Nearly floating on cloud nine from the praise, Bakushin O could no longer contain her excitement. Forgetting any pretense of mystery, she blurted out all three plans in one breath.
"The superior plan is 'Bakushin Solo'—if my trainer won't let me, I'll just enter the race myself! The middling plan is 'Bakushin Thrust'—wait until three minutes before entries close, then sign up before the trainer can stop me! The inferior plan is 'Bakushin Bakushin'—just get a new trainer altogether!"
The expression on Dream Weaver's face after hearing these three strategies could only be described as complex. After a long, thoughtful pause, she finally said slowly,
"Never mind. Go play."
'Believing an idiot isn't an idiot… makes me the real idiot.'
Dream Weaver thought to herself.
--+--
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.