Tracen Academy, Miho Dormitory, Student Common Room.
A six-tatami mat room held two beds, with student desks positioned at the foot of the bed. As an institution that emphasized cultivating student independence, Tracen typically paired two students to a dorm room, with the entire dormitory building managed by a student dorm head who was responsible for establishing and enforcing the dorm rules.
Among these rules, the academy chairman, promoting student individuality, allowed them to decorate their rooms freely.
This led to some rooms being as opulent as palaces, while others resembled the underworld, creating stark contrasts between different rooms.
Not only that, but roommates didn't always prefer the same style, so they often split the room into two halves, each decorating the walls and ceiling around their own bed.
Manhattan Cafe was one such student.
Her half of the room featured pale grey wallpaper adorned with strange patterns she had drawn herself. A bookshelf held her collection of astronomy books, alongside an assortment of peculiar curios.
An open music box on her bedside table turned slowly, emitting a soft, gentle melody.
Much like the girl herself, her half of the room gave off a quiet and mysterious aura.
"Hmm..."
On her star-patterned bedsheets, Manhattan Cafe was wrapped in her comforter. Her golden eyes stared fixedly at the ceiling, motionless as if deep in thought.
The door, already slightly ajar, was pushed open fully by a girl with pure brown short hair and brown eyes, slightly younger than Cafe.
Yukino Bijin, Manhattan Cafe's roommate and also her junior at the school, a student from the middle school division.
Seeing the dazed expression on the girl in bed, the good-natured Yukino Bijin's face clouded with concern.
Cafe hadn't attended training today.
Not only that, but she hadn't even brewed her favorite coffee in their room. Yukino Bijin had noticed something was off with Cafe since she returned last night—her expression was heavy, her eyes dim.
Today was even worse.
As her roommate, seeing the girl like this, she couldn't just leave it be. She walked over to Cafe's bedside.
The golden eyes turned towards her.
"Yukino Bijin... you're back early."
"It's break time right now."
"I see." Cafe nodded and continued staring at the ceiling.
"I ran into your trainer on the way, Cafe. She asked me if I'd seen you. Why... didn't you go to training today?"
"Sorry," Cafe apologized frankly. "I should have informed my trainer beforehand."
"That's not the point."
Yukino Bijin sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her. "You look terrible. Did something happen?"
No, it's the same as always.
I just haven't recovered from the setback, lying here in a daze.
She couldn't figure out what she was lacking.
Why couldn't she catch up...
She had worked so hard, had achieved many impressive results, yet even so, the gap between her and her 'friend' hadn't narrowed.
It made her feel a deep sense of powerlessness.
Perhaps from the very beginning, that figure was an insurmountable existence. Perhaps she was just foolishly improving herself, only to end up falling further and further behind.
Cafe was gradually losing her initial confidence.
"What in the world... should I do..."
She murmured aimlessly.
Does training really... lead to the result I want?
Hearing her lost tone, Yukino Bijin's eyes widened slightly. Outside the window, it was spring, with lush green grass. Gazing at the orderly scenery unseen in the countryside, she spoke:
"Cafe, you remind me of how I was back then."
"Remind you...?"
"Mm, when I first came to Tracen, seeing the tall, grand buildings, people with trendy styles... I felt completely out of place, like a country bumpkin. For a while, I actually thought about giving up."
"I wanted to go home. I was afraid I couldn't fit into the big city circles, scared of being looked down on as rustic." She recounted her own experience.
"But I realized that what I was like before didn't really matter. I met classmates who didn't treat me differently, I found companions, I met Gold City. She told me to work hard on what I wanted to do, to not worry about my current self or other people's opinions."
"Because I admired the city, I came here. And that wasn't just a thought in my head! My feet were already standing on solid ground here. I must have made a pretty big resolution! If I gave up outright because I was afraid of the gap between me and my ideal, my past self would have been really sad..."
"Yukino... Bijin?" Cafe blinked, looking at the girl who had gently taken her hand in her own.
"Cafe, do you remember why you entered Tracen?"
She asked.
"I..."
Blinking, Cafe recalled her 'friend'.
She stood on the racetrack, waving to her, then pointed a finger towards the tall clock tower atop a building.
—Tracen.
Come to Tracen, she had said.
That way, you can follow closely in my footsteps.
It was because of that 'friend' that the current Manhattan Cafe existed.
But it wasn't enough.
She wasn't someone you could surpass just by winning races.
It wasn't enough...
"'Would you regret the decision you made back then?'"
"..."
"Gold City asked me that once," Yukino Bijin said with a smile. "I told her, 'If I regretted it, I wouldn't be standing here.'"
Her smile was as dazzling as snow under the morning sun.
"And you, Cafe? Your wish... it's like the coffee you brew. If it doesn't turn out right, what do you do?"
"The temperature... the amount of water, the timing, even my mood affects the flavor. If it tastes bad, it's not because the coffee is flawed, but because my state of mind... is off..."
She replied slowly. "I don't want to regret it, and I won't... I will catch up to that distant figure, that back which guides me, from life... to death..."
That voice constantly urged her on.
"To reach that world of red and black..."
And then look back.
See the world prostrate before you—
She was beginning to understand a little, a gradual light returning to her eyes.
"Yukino Bijin."
She had just been venting her emotions like a child.
"Thank you..."
"Not at all. I was the one spouting bold words without even knowing what was troubling you. If I could help, even a little, I'm really glad." She placed a hand on her chest, smiling, feeling she had taken another step towards becoming the mature woman she aspired to be.
"Oh, right. In home economics this morning, I baked some cookies. If you don't mind, would you like to share some? I heard sweets can improve your mood."
After receiving an affirmative reply, the girl hurried out excitedly.
Watching her happy back view, as if she had solved her own troubles, Cafe pushed herself up and gently touched her own soft legs.
These legs had given meaning to her life, something she cherished deeply.
I want to be like her, so gentle, so positive, facing everything...
Ding-ling—
The music box on the bedside played its final note. At that very moment, the beds, desks, and chairs in the room began to shake as if in an earthquake.
This is... a poltergeist phenomenon?
A special occurrence only triggered by the appearance of a powerful spirit.
With a faint click, the locked door swung open silently.
A dark figure entered from outside.
Black jacket, short skirt, thigh-high socks, cape.
Her 'friend' had appeared.
Black bangs obscured her face, as if shrouded in mist, making it impossible for Cafe to see her features clearly.
Iron-shod hooves clicked against the floorboards.
Clack, clack.
Her 'friend' walked in slowly and placed a box on the table.
"You've grown..."
She spoke words clearer than ever before.
Grown.
What did that mean?
Before Cafe could process it, the other had already moved to Yukino Bijin's mirror. A slender finger touched the glass surface, and in an instant, her body vanished.
She left... so quickly this time.
Thinking with a tinge of regret, Cafe got out of bed and picked up the exquisitely wrapped box.
Inside was a dessert.
The icing was uneven, the handiwork clumsy. One could tell it was made wholeheartedly by someone unfamiliar with kitchen utensils.
Did she... prepare this specially for me?
Picking up a fork, she took a bite. A rich, sweet yet bitter flavor spread on her tongue—a taste she loved.
Only then did Cafe notice a note tucked underneath the box.
A short sentence was written on it:
I'll be waiting for you at the frontier of speed—
I see...
She smiled.
Able to see so many things, yet failing to see myself clearly.
Someday... I will surpass you.
Until then, please let me follow closely behind.
--+--
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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