Soon enough...
The assembly hall was filled to the brim with students.
Freshmen gathered nervously within their assigned groups while seniors remained nearby to guide them through the orientation.
Whispers spread throughout the crowd as everyone waited for the arrival of Symboli Rudolf herself.
The very Umamusume many admired.
The very symbol many dreamed of becoming someday.
Among the freshmen stood King Halo as well, proudly positioned within her class queue.
Yet despite the bustling hall... one particular student was still nowhere to be seen.
Haru Urara.
Back at the dormitory, or rather, inside one nearly empty room...
Urara had somehow rolled completely off her bed.
Now sprawled across the floor while hugging her pillow tightly.
Snoring loudly as she did.
And beside her was a shattered alarm clock, sitting in pieces.
And judging by the scene, it was almost certainly Urara's doing.
Like what she did back before in her own home.
Except this time, there was no one there to wake her up...
...
...
...
Meanwhile, back inside the assembly hall...
The noise level continued rising as preparations neared completion.
Students chatted excitedly amongst themselves.
Some speculated over who might appear alongside Rudolf during the speech.
Others discussed future teams, clubs, and races.
And throughout all that excitement, not a single person realized one of the freshmen was still fast asleep inside her dorm room.
Until—
"Good morning, everyone!" An emcee approached the podium.
The chatter in the hall gradually died down.
"It's wonderful to see so many new faces here this early in the morning."
"First of all, I would like to thank all of you for choosing our academy as your first choice for further education."
"Second, I would personally like to express my gratitude for how well you have followed our school's rules."
Slowly, more students turned their attention toward the emcee.
"And lastly, I would like you all to give a heartfelt welcome to our president, Symboli Rudolf, who will now deliver the welcome speech."
"Please welcome her!" the emcee said before stepping away from the podium.
Instantly, the front gate of the assembly hall slowly opened.
Every gaze snapped toward the entrance.
And the entire crowd instead applauded; they fell silent.
As if they're watching a real emperor on display.
Then they appeared one by one.
Legendary Umamusume marched into the hall with an imposing presence and refined authority.
At the very front stood Symboli Rudolf herself, accompanied by her vice presidents, Air Grooves and Narita Brian, and several senior volunteers.
Then—
Teachers, trainers, officials, and academy staff also entered from the upper sections of the hall.
Reaching for the rows of seats had been prepared along both sides above the students below, allowing them to observe them quietly.
Even several senior Umamusume had accompanied their trainers, seemingly to help scout or evaluate newcomers themselves.
And despite this being called an orientation, the atmosphere instantly shifted; it felt far closer to another examination.
As though every one of their movement.
Their expression and their reaction...
Was being silently judged once more.
At that, the freshmen one by one stiffened beneath those countless gazes.
Meanwhile—
Rudolf simply calmly ascended the stage and approached the podium.
Then she stopped.
And looked down upon the gathered students.
Her gaze slowly swept across every single one of them, locking her eyes with the future generation standing before her.
Then, she smiled.
"Good morning, fellow students."
"I, Symboli Rudolf, respectfully welcome all of you to Tracen Academy."
"As the representative of this institution, allow me to express my gratitude for your thoughtful decision in choosing this esteemed academy as the place to forge your future."
She then paused briefly before continuing.
"Many across the nation dream of standing where you currently stand."
"Many train relentlessly merely for the opportunity to step through these gates."
"And today…"
"You have accomplished exactly that."
"Tracen Academy is not simply a school." She continued.
"It is a proving ground."
"A place where countless Umamusume before you forged their resolve, refined their skills, and engraved their names into history itself."
"Within these grounds, you will encounter hardships beyond your imagination."
"You will face rivals greater than yourselves."
"You will stumble."
"And you will fail nonetheless."
"And some of you may even question whether you deserve to stand here at all."
Her expression then turned solemn.
"But understand this."
"The moment you entered these gates…"
"You already surpassed countless others who never could."
"Because Tracen Academy does not merely seek talent."
"We seek those willing to continue running even when the world demands they stop."
"And because of that, should you persist…"
"Should you continue honing yourselves through effort, discipline, and pride…"
"Then one day—"
"You too may stand among the legends this institution proudly produced."
At that, students began to murmur. Their determination began to brew.
Every student started to listen more intensely.
Then—
Rudolf lowered her gaze slightly.
"And so…"
"On behalf of Tracen Academy…"
"I once again welcome all of you."
"May your decisions today become choices you shall never regret."
She raised her head proudly, and her voice echoed throughout the entire assembly hall.
"Eclipse first…"
"…the rest nowhere."
"Thank you," she expressed as she backed away slightly.
And once the speech concluded...
The entire assembly hall erupted into applause.
With that, Symboli Rudolf formally bowed to the crowd before stepping away from the podium.
As soon as she did, the emcee quickly took over and tried to calm the audience.
Meanwhile, amongst the crowd, King, too, watched Rudolf intently, clenching her fist slightly.
"So that's what a first-rate Umamusume is like..." she murmured, her gaze trailing after Rudolf as Rudolf silently walked away with the others.
"If that's the level I must attain, then it shall become my pursuit," she added. "Just you wait, Mother. I'll show you what I can become too...!"
At that, her fist clenched even tighter...
...
...
...
Soon afterward, the orientation assembly officially ended.
Each class was then assigned senior helpers to guide the freshmen throughout the academy grounds.
And the first destination was their dormitories.
Students were instructed to place down their luggage and settle into their assigned rooms so that they could continue the full campus tour without too much burden.
And so one by one, the freshmen were escorted toward their respective dorms.
Among them was King Halo.
The dorm assigned to her was none other than Ritto Dormitory.
Managed personally by Fuji Kiseki herself.
As expected, the moment Kiseki introduced herself elegantly to the crowd, many students instantly became flustered.
Some even began cheering excitedly for her.
After all, Fuji Kiseki was already famous from her remarkable racing career.
Meanwhile—
While the crowd surrounded Kiseki in admiration, King Halo merely sighed.
Then quietly turned away.
Dragging her luggage behind her as she proceeded directly toward her own business.
After several turns through the dormitory corridors, she finally arrived at a specific room.
The room she had been assigned.
The room she would spend her academic life in from now onward.
Quietly, King looked down repeatedly between the room number and the paper in her hand, making absolutely certain she had arrived at the correct location.
Then—
A faint smile formed.
"I suppose this is it…"
She looked directly toward the door.
"You'll be with me until the end of my journey."
Taking a slow breath—
King reached for the doorknob.
And carefully twisted it open.
Then—
The very moment the door opened...
Immediately—
A loud scream exploded from King Halo's throat.
And heads turned throughout the corridor.
Including Fuji Kiseki herself.
Without hesitation, Kiseki pushed through the surrounding crowd and hurried toward King's room to investigate the situation.
But the moment she arrived...
Even her eyes widened slightly.
Because while nearly every resident had already departed for orientation, one particular student had somehow remained behind.
Still inside the room.
Still sleeping.
And it was none other than...
That pink little critter, Haru Urara.
Only now awakened by King's scream, slowly rubbed her eyes while sitting upright on the floor.
"W-What's wrong…?" she mumbled sleepily.
Meanwhile, King pointed toward her in complete disbelief.
"W-What are you doing in my room?!"