The [Twinkle Series], as the most popular series, it's only natural that the champion Uma Musume garners a lot of attention. And among these champions, there's one whose name is inseparable from any discussion about the races.
She dominated the highest-grade G1 races, won seven championships, and is hailed as the "Emperor" reigning supreme over all Uma Musume: Symboli Rudolf.
Her tall, upright figure stood in the hallway. Her firm brown hair, much like her own steadfast personality, cascaded down her back. Beneath the flowing locks, a crescent-moon-shaped white fringe swayed gently in the breeze from the window.
Her amethyst eyes, clear and deep like precious gems, gazed at the training grounds not far away.
Today, the Uma Musume were, as ever, enthusiastically and diligently striving for victory.
"What a vibrant and beautiful scene," she remarked, arms crossed, unable to hold back a word of praise.
As the 'Emperor,' she was also a student at Tracen Academy, and moreover, the student council president, handling all manner of school affairs.
Her greatest pleasure was watching the Uma Musume work hard and fight their best on the track.
"President!"
A voice, piercingly clear like a child's, rang out behind her.
A girl, half a head shorter than Rudolf, with a similar hairstyle tied into a single ponytail, bounded over to her side with light, quick steps.
Hearing this voice, Rudolf's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
Tokai Teio. The child who had entered Tracen out of admiration for her.
She was the one who, during an interview, had once pushed through the crowd to get right in front of Rudolf, loudly proclaiming that she too would become a great figure like the 'Emperor,' thus catching Rudolf's attention.
This young Uma Musume had shown remarkable talent right from enrollment. With proper training, she was sure to shine brightly in races. Perhaps, just as she claimed, she could become the next 'Emperor,' maybe even surpass Rudolf herself.
Therefore, Rudolf paid extra attention to this particular Uma Musume who liked to stick to her so much.
"Teio, why aren't you at training?"
Even without a dedicated trainer, she should be doing basic drills with the instructors. This wasn't the first time Tokai Teio had skipped class to sneak over here, leaving the instructors unable to find her during roll call.
"Those drills are so boring, President! Please, have a practice race with me instead!"
This child sometimes came up with such troublesome requests.
Not only was Symboli Rudolf the 'Emperor,' she was also the student council president. She couldn't just accept challenges from anyone so casually. And this little one really seemed to look down on the importance of training.
Talent was important, of course, but the effort needed to maintain that talent was equally crucial. Rudolf had seen too many cases of naturally gifted individuals who, due to slacking off in training, ended up suffering crushing defeats in races.
"Every Uma Musume here is working hard. They build themselves up through training, becoming faster and stronger. Racing is cruel; there's only one winner. If you become arrogant and stop moving forward, there's only one outcome: being overtaken by those coming after you, left far behind in the dust. Do you understand the seriousness of this, Teio?"
Her violet eyes looked intently at the lively, somewhat airheaded girl.
Even though Rudolf was already called the pinnacle of all Uma Musume, even though her very presence symbolized authority, she still made sure to maintain her training intensity every day after finishing her work—and at several times the volume of others.
Only by combining talent with relentless effort could the prestige of the 'Emperor' be maintained.
"But I think I'd improve much faster if you trained me yourself, President!" Teio argued.
"Practice races are for testing your current strength and finding weaknesses. Training is about daily accumulation, building your power. They're not the same thing. When it comes to training, the instructors and trainers would definitely offer more professional advice than I could," Rudolf explained patiently.
As student council president, she had a duty to guide the students. So, she wouldn't rashly dismiss any earnest, ambitious idea.
"Tell you what. After you finish your training, I'll find some time for a practice race with you."
"Really? Yes! Awesome!"
Not just her voice, but her personality was so childlike too.
Just as Rudolf was looking at her with a somewhat paternalistic gaze, a series of sharp, clear sounds suddenly echoed from behind—clip, clip, clip…—the distinct sound of iron horseshoes striking the floor.
Hm?
Turning around, she saw a black-clad figure walking away down the corridor towards the far end.
A student? But why wasn't she in uniform?
Rudolf narrowed her eyes.
Also, wearing horseshoes indoors in the school building wasn't allowed—they damaged the floors. They were only for the training grounds or official races.
Could it be someone from outside the school?
"President, what are you looking at?" Teio asked the pensive Rudolf.
"…It's nothing."
That waterfall of black hair reminded Rudolf of Manhattan Cafe, but she was training outside right now, so it couldn't be her.
"Someone I haven't seen before."
"Someone you haven't seen? That person in black? If you don't know them, I'll go ask!"
Tokai Teio volunteered immediately.
As Rudolf's admirer, Teio often styled herself as the "acting student council president," helping out with various tasks.
Of course, she wasn't actually an official member of the student council yet.
But, aiming to cultivate this talented girl as her successor, Rudolf often gave her small jobs—like finding people, moving things, running errands—to gradually get her used to the student council environment.
'More experience leads to faster growth,' Rudolf thought, and nodded to her.
"Understood! Leave it to me! Hey—! You there, please wait up!"
In two or three quick steps, Teio hurried after the figure.
"Are you a student at Tracen?" she called out as she walked.
The other person, however, acted as if they hadn't heard at all, continuing on their way.
No answer?
Suspicious!
Teio immediately quickened her pace. But that series of soul-piercing clip-clop sounds remained steadily ahead of her. The dark, retreating back, seeming to melt into the shadows, always stayed just a few steps away.
Huh? Wha…? Weird?
Why can't I catch up?
Refusing to believe it, Teio sped up even more. Yet the distance didn't shrink at all.
That unhurried, steady pace seemed to mock her youthful naivety. That unyielding, unswerving figure seemed to speak of her own powerlessness.
This sparked Teio's competitive spirit.
No one could just brush her off so casually, act like she was nothing!
That's right, I, Tokai Teio, am going to stand at the summit of all Uma Musume!
Thinking this, she broke into a full sprint down the hallway, reaching out a hand to grab the other person.
But in a flash, the figure turned and disappeared into the restroom.
"Wha…"
She won't even face me?!
Is this guy scared or something?
"Don't run away!"
Chasing right up to the door, Teio spread her arms wide, blocking the exit.
"Who's sneaking into Tracen? A thief? Or an Uma Musume from another school?"
Like a cat that has cornered a mouse, Teio looked at the few simple stalls by the sinks and grinned, confident of victory.
"In here, right?"
She pushed open the first door. It had just been cleaned; a puddle of water still gleamed on the floor.
Empty.
"Must be here then!"
She immediately opened the second door. It was exactly the same.
"Strange…" She scratched her head, uncertainty creeping into her voice. "It should be this one, right?"
She opened the door. Also empty.
She had seen them come in here with her own eyes! How could they not be here? They had to be in the last stall!
"Stop hiding! Come out now!"
With a smack, she flung open the fourth door. Inside was a wet mop leaning against the wall and a tied-up black trash bag.
Impossible! This bathroom is tiny, the aisle barely wide enough for one person, the window barred shut. Where could such a big person have hidden?
Tokai Teio was utterly bewildered.
Just then, she heard the clear sound of iron horseshoes again. Clip-clop, clip-clop. The sound echoed through the room, seeming frighteningly close.
She whipped her head around. No one was there.
Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, falling to the floor and splashing, like footsteps moving invisibly from side to side.
"Who's there?!"
Teio's nerves were stretched taut as she called out. The footsteps abruptly stopped.
At the same time, one of the sink taps turned on by itself, accompanied by the splash-splash of running water. In the quiet air, the water slowly overflowed the basin and spilled onto the floor.
The bizarre, rhythmless sounds stabbed into Teio's young and inexperienced heart like an awl, sending a shivering chill down her spine.
It felt like she'd stepped into a scene from a horror movie. A wave of panic washed over Teio. She felt like something invisible was watching her.
Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack…
The sound of horseshoes started again, gradually becoming erratic and disordered.
Calm down, calm down. You're the invincible Tokai Teio! There's no way something like this could scare you…
She desperately tried to reassure herself, but her heartbeat only grew more frantic.
Even though she was alone, Teio could clearly hear someone else breathing.
Who… who is it?!
More and more water flowed onto the floor. The continuous, unsettling noises made Teio's pupils dilate. Fine beads of sweat soaked her back. Carefully, cautiously, she began to move her feet, inching towards the doorway, terrified of making a single sound.
BANG—!
The stall door slammed shut by itself, startling Teio so badly she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Is… is someone there?"
All her earlier bravado gone, Teio's voice was now barely a whisper. Leaning forward, she tentatively pushed at the door with her finger.
Click-clack, click-clack. The metal latch rattled.
The door had locked itself!
It's just… just stuck, right? Yeah, that's gotta be it… Hah, I should really ask the President to get these bathroom doors fixed sometime. This is creepy…
She thought these dry, desperate thoughts. A cold breeze brushed against her sweaty forehead. A wind seemed to be stirring inside this enclosed space.
The ventilation fan! It must be the ventilation fan!
Her legs twisted into an inward-facing stance, trembling and pressed tightly together.
R-right! I just remembered I have training! I need to go, or the instructor will yell at me! Yeah, that's it! I'm definitely not scared! I'm going to be the 'Emperor,' after all. How could I be scared of something like this…
She scrambled for excuses, her heart screaming at her to retreat.
President… where are you?
But it seemed "it" wasn't going to let her go that easily. A sharp sound came from the mirror above the sink.
Smack!
A stark white handprint appeared on its surface.
Smack! Smack! Smack—!
As if slapping directly on her heart, more and more handprints appeared, accompanied by a horrifying, skin-crawling noise.
Before Teio's terror-widened eyes, a pair of hands, transparent except for their outlines, reached out from within the mirror. Following them, a black, semi-transparent, smoke-like body struggled fiercely behind the glass, like a vengeful spirit trapped within.
Huuuu…
A sound like the wail of a soul that died a miserable death in hell whispered right by her ear. An icy, piercing cold breath brushed against her neck.
It was like being struck by a bolt of lightning. Pushed beyond her limit, Tokai Teio's eyes rolled back, her mouth fell open, and she briefly lost consciousness. After a moment, she managed to reclaim her senses through sheer force of will.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaa—!!! A ghoooost—!!! Presideeeent, there's a ghost in heeeeeere————!!!!"
The girl let out an unprecedented shriek and bolted from the restroom at the fastest speed she had ever achieved in her life. The tremendous acceleration sent her shoes flying off, but she didn't even notice, running barefoot down the hallway at high speed.
"What was that? Was someone outside just now?"
The black-haired girl who had just struggled out of the mirror asked, confused by the screams fading down the hallway.
"Not sure. Maybe." Sunday Silence's voice came from the doorway. "So, how did the test go?"
"I can definitely enter that world through the water, and I can move the exit point. But I'm still not used to it… I almost broke the glass getting out this time…"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.