Northern Taste's physical form darted in front of Dream Weaver.
Noticing that she was looking over files on Liberty Island, Northern Taste let out a couple of smug little hums before skipping back a step. She snapped open her folding fan with a flourish and declared loudly:
"Speaking of which, she actually has quite a bit of history with you!"
"What do you mean?"
Dream Weaver looked up, puzzled. Seeing her confusion, Northern Taste grew even more self-satisfied and continued.
"She trained at Northern Farm when she was little. Who knows? Maybe it was hearing your stories that made her want to step onto the turf in the first place!"
Hearing that, Dream Weaver suddenly recalled something from back when she went to visit her mother.
Among that crowd of little Uma Musume who had flocked to her for autographs, it was entirely possible that Liberty Island had been one of them.
In truth, after her conversation with Starlight, Dream Weaver had visited those young Uma Musume just as they were finishing their training—before she set off on her travels—and had signed her name with a blessing for every single one of them.
The thought that the girl described in these papers might have actually crossed paths with her in the real world felt strangely wonderful.
However, a realization quickly dawned on her.
If the little Uma Musume from back then had already grown old enough to stand on the racing circuit...
Why did it feel like her own height hadn't changed at all? Dream Weaver frowned, reaching out to gesture at the top of Northern Taste's head.
She confirmed that the gap between them was exactly the same as it had been during their last family gathering.
Northern Taste hid the lower half of her face behind her fan, leaving only a pair of exasperated eyes staring back at Dream Weaver.
Her gaze seemed to say: Is it really necessary to play the height joke this many times?
Feeling the weight of that stare, Dream Weaver felt a prickle of embarrassment. She cleared her throat and clumsily pivoted the conversation.
"I get the deal with Liberty Island now. But what about this Hishi Miracle? Does she have some 'history' with me too?"
Perhaps Dream Weaver's attempt at changing the subject was a bit too effective.
The moment the name Hishi Miracle was mentioned, Northern Taste's gaze immediately began to wander. She waved her fan idly, speaking in vague, non-committal tones.
"Her? Well..."
"She's just, you know... she is who she is. Basically, if you know, you know. If you don't, you'll figure it out once you meet her. Anyway, I've given you the person and the contact info; how you handle it from here is up to your own judgment."
Dream Weaver's brow furrowed. Northern Taste was acting so strangely at the mere mention of this Uma Musume. Could there be some deeper connection between her and this Hishi Miracle?
She scanned Hishi Miracle's profile over and over, but no matter how many times she looked, she only saw a perfectly ordinary Uma Musume. She truly couldn't fathom why Northern Taste was being so evasive.
Seeing that Dream Weaver was starting to get suspicious, Northern Taste decisively changed the subject again, shouting out:
"Oh, right! This is your first time acting as a Trainer, Dream Weaver, so it's bound to feel a bit unfamiliar. I've specially prepared two assistants for you!"
As she spoke, she somehow produced two more files from out of nowhere.
Dream Weaver really wanted to ask why she hadn't just brought them all out at once, but she took the documents anyway.
"Agnes Tachyon and Sweet Light?"
Looking at the photos of the two unfamiliar Uma Musume, Dream Weaver read their names aloud, word by word.
"Are they Uma Musume who transitioned into being Trainers?"
"Not at all!"
For some reason, Northern Taste loved emphasizing her denials. She snapped her fan shut and tapped the files in Dream Weaver's hand, gesturing for her to look closer.
"They are top-tier talents of our Central Tracen Academy! One specializes in crafting potions with all sorts of miraculous effects, while the other possesses capabilities in the fields of machinery and virtual reality that defy normal understanding!"
Dream Weaver looked where the fan was pointing. Sure enough, in the occupation column for the two girls, she saw "Pharmacist" and "Scientist."
"Can I just ask... what do they have to do with training?"
A pharmacist was one thing—while Tracen already had a professional medical team, having an extra hand wasn't a bad thing. But a scientist specializing in mechanics and VR?
Dream Weaver truly couldn't see how those words connected to daily training.
"As top-tier talents, their possibilities are infinite!"
But Northern Taste didn't seem particularly inclined to explain why she was foisting these two onto Dream Weaver. With a crisp thwack, she opened her fan to hide her face, brushing the question aside.
Dream Weaver scratched her head, still unable to imagine what role they would play.
Besides, she had never been a Trainer before.
Setting aside the Hishi Miracle situation that Northern Taste was being so cryptic about, Liberty Island looked like a genuine rising star on paper.
She was worried that a group of half-baked amateurs like them might waste the girl's potential.
Even within a scripted world, Dream Weaver didn't want to see a promising Uma Musume's career wither away because of her own mistakes.
She wanted to slow things down—at least until she felt prepared to guide them—but since Northern Taste had gone to such lengths to arrange everything, Dream Weaver found it hard to refuse directly.
She tried a roundabout approach instead.
"Maybe I should wait until I've brushed up on the Trainer's Handbook before I start looking for a partner? Besides, I can still run a few more G1 races. How about we talk about this after I've finished those?"
This time, however, Northern Taste wouldn't hear of it. She stepped behind Dream Weaver and began physically shoving her forward.
"Now, now, I know you're still a bit depressed about falling short at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe last year, which is why you haven't raced since. Don't use that as an excuse."
"Even if you're carrying the 'Curse of the Arc,' you're still a world-class Uma Musume, Dream Weaver. You're the pride of Central Tracen! You have to have faith in yourself!"
Who are you even talking about? Dream Weaver had only received the background info for this world ten minutes ago, so she certainly wasn't "depressed."
But there was no way she could say that out loud. She could only let herself be herded along by Northern Taste.
"It's not like you're retiring and leaving the turf for good. Just think of it as taking a little vacation to rest. Isn't there a saying that teaching others helps you understand your own knowledge better?"
"Who knows? You might even find whatever it is you're missing by looking at your partner!"
"And so—"
Before she knew it, Dream Weaver had been pushed in front of a clubroom. Northern Taste stepped out from behind her and pointed at the door with her fan as if it were a conductor's baton.
"Young lady! Open the door to a whole new world!"
Dream Weaver wasn't sure if she still qualified as a "young lady" in this world's setting, but she was already there.
Well, since I'm here anyway, I might as well take a look.
With that thought, she reached out and pushed the door open. She was immediately hit by an indescribable scent—cloyingly sweet at first, but with a bitter undertone if you breathed it in deep. Just inhaling it made Dream Weaver's chest feel tight.
She turned back, instinctively wanting to ask Northern Taste exactly where she had brought her, only to find that the other girl had already vanished. Right then, she heard an excited, slightly manic voice drift toward her from ahead.
"My, if it isn't the big star of our Central Tracen. Whatever brings you to a place like this?"
"Could it be—"
"That you're looking to use one of my potions to try and claw your way back onto the track?"
The Uma Musume sitting in the chair had fluffy, shoulder-length hair. She tilted her head, giving Dream Weaver a wild, lingering grin.
--+--
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.