The medical room was filled with the sharp scent of disinfectant.
Shadow Radiance leaned against the headboard, watching the doctor quietly tend to the wound on her palm.
The bleeding had stopped, but the "accidental" mark still looked dramatic.
She lowered her gaze, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the cuff of her training uniform.
"This 'accident' should've reached Rudolf's ears by now."
At the President's Office
The floor-to-ceiling windows sliced the morning glow of the Central District into rhomboid patches of light.
Rudolf sat at his desk, red pen in hand, circling and revising the Tracen Expansion Proposal. The tip of her fountain pen scratched softly across the paper.
Then, Air Groove entered, placing a race replay terminal on the mahogany desk.
"President, an abnormal record from last night's 2500-meter Long Distance debut race."
Rudolf looked up.
On the screen, Shadow Radiance raised her head toward the camera after crossing the finish line—smiling.
Blood still glistened on her palm. That angle, that look—it was unmistakably provocative.
"Interesting."
She immediately instructed Air Groove to retrieve all data on Shadow Radiance.
She returned swiftly.
The examiner's flagged note: All-S aptitude—suspected machine error.
Rudolf's lips curled.
"Oh my… what a truly talented Uma Musume."
Meanwhile, Shadow Radiance stared at the scar on her hand.
She used passive points to purchase healing items from the system shop and quickly treated the wound.
Then she replied to messages from her grandfather and Starlight, both worried about her condition.
Afterward, she lay down and drifted into sleep.
In Her Dream
The stadium's cheers still echoed in her ears.
But instead of following her original plan—self-inflicted injury to avoid the Winner's Stage—she had chosen the second option:
Escape.
She ran straight for the exit, clearly intending to skip the ceremony and irritate the President.
At the fork in the road, she saw Rudolf.
Her eyes glowed like a hunter spotting prized prey.
She stood calmly, radiating quiet authority. Beside her, Air Groove stood tall, posture sharp as a drawn blade.
Shadow Radiance's heart skipped.
She got a bad feeling about this.
She turned and sprinted toward the crowd, hoping to disappear among the masses.
But the crowd was full of Uma Musume—each with bright eyes, as if given a "special mission." They lunged at her with sacks.
"You want to catch me? No way!"
With max-level parkour and terrifying agility, she kicked off walls, vaulted over heads, and even made a mocking face mid-air.
She kept running, wind roaring past her ears.
Then—her foot caught something.
She fell.
Before she could rise, a sack dropped over her head. A dizzying spin followed.
Knocked out. Carried away.
Her final thought before losing consciousness:
"It's over. Rudolf actually succeeded in 'kidnapping an Uma Musume.'"
Shadow Radiance jolted awake, gasping, drenched in cold sweat.
She looked around, heart pounding.
After a moment, she exhaled and patted her chest.
"Good thing it was just a dream…"
But what she didn't know was that parts of that "absurd dream" were quietly unfolding in reality.
She had been placed on Rudolf's observation list.
And someday… it might come true.