When everyone from Spica returned to the Academy, they were startled to see a haggard Rei Zai.
"Z-chan, are you okay?" Even Haru Urara looked at Rei Zai with concern.
"I'm fine, it's just been so boring these past few days QWQ" Rei Zai also looked like she had finally been rescued.
"Where are your games?" Daiwa looked at Rei Zai like this, finding it quite unusual.
"I finished them all, and collected everything…" Otherwise, she wouldn't be so bored.
"= =" Everyone was quite helpless with Rei Zai, who was currently clinging to everyone and refusing to let go.
Perhaps she had been cooped up too much; Rei Zai now completely lacked her usual senior's dignity, and even her voice was directly her original tone.
She didn't know how such a soft voice could sound dignified, maybe it was due to her aura?
After all, Z-chan on the track is so fierce, right?
Rei Zai's symptoms lasted for about an hour before she started to get better. Then, Trainer Okino clapped his hands and announced that Rei Zai had officially become a Trainer and that Spica's second team, Sirius, had been formed.
"Eh!? Z-chan is leaving!?" This time, Special Week directly hugged Rei Zai.
"Waaah, Z-chan, don't go!"
While the other team members' reactions weren't as exaggerated as Special Week's, they were all similarly reluctant.
"No, where did you all get that idea? It's a team division, not a separate team. Although the team names are different, strictly speaking, it's still one team." Although she was a bit red-faced from her earlier display, once she calmed down, her voice returned to its usual tone.
"So Z-chan isn't leaving!? Yay!" Special Week hugged her even tighter.
It feels like Special Week is becoming more and more dependent on her = =
"And then, since we need some members, my idea is to have McQueen and Haru Urara go to the second team. What do you all think?" Trainer Okino spoke after watching the Uma Musume interact for a while.
"I'm fine with it! After all, Z-chan has always been teaching me," Haru Urara raised her hand.
"Mm… I don't mind either. In fact, it's quite suitable."
"Eh? McQueen is actually going over?" Teio was a bit surprised.
"Could it be that she finally realized she's no match for the invincible Teio-sama and plans to run away?" Then she started taunting.
"Hmph, on the contrary, I'm letting you off, Teio. With two teams, our battles won't be interfered with by any factors. Then, if you lose, you won't be able to use excuses like 'I couldn't go all out because we were on the same team.'"
"Ha!? That's what I should be saying to you!"
It can only be said that this is indeed very effective in igniting the fighting spirit of these two.
"Oh, in that case, let me go too. Anyway, there's nothing to do here." Gold Ship raised her hand.
"Me too, count me in." Daiwa and Vodka said simultaneously, then both said, "Don't copy what I say," and started arguing.
"Hey, hey, hey, are you all so disgusted with me!?" Trainer Okino yelled.
"Huh? Who are you? Don't know you, really don't know you."
"Exactly, isn't Spica Z-chan's team?"
"If you keep this up, I'm going to cry, okay!? I'm really going to cry!"
After their usual teasing of Trainer Okino, everyone returned to their daily training rhythm.
Rei Zai planned to call Air Groove and Manchester Cafe over later; for now, Sirius was officially established.
However, because they were ultimately one team, everyone still trained together.
Neither side minded it anyway.
However, Zero hadn't chosen a person for her team yet. Haru Urara was still adjusting her aptitudes; her turf aptitude had been stuck at B for a long time.
Aptitude is truly important. If one doesn't have good enough aptitudes from the start, then the effort required in races is several times that of other Uma Musume.
As for McQueen, she hadn't undergone her full awakening yet, but judging by her current training level, she could already contend with Uma Musume who had. However, without her full awakening, she couldn't participate in races, so she had to be passed over.
Seeing Zero's distress, Haru Urara and McQueen, as new team members, asked Zero the reason. After being told, Haru Urara had an idea.
"Hey, hey, Z-chan, what do you think of Rice Shower?"
Oh, right, Rice Shower... she seems quite suitable, doesn't she?
Rice Shower's performance in the preliminaries had always been subpar, and that was because all the preliminaries she participated in were mile races.
She always thought it was due to her lack of talent, but Zero, even without looking at her stats, could tell from her running posture and rhythm that she wasn't suited for that distance.
Rice Shower participated in mile races mostly to run with Haru Urara. Although, even if Rice Shower performed poorly in the preliminaries, she would still create a large gap between her and Haru Urara.
Moreover, Zero could see that Rice Shower's long-distance aptitude was A.
An Uma Musume naturally skilled in long distances had a difficult time developing in Japan, which is primarily focused on middle distances, and wasn't easily discovered. If she didn't meet the right Trainer, all her talent could be wasted.
However, for Zero, she was indeed an excellent choice.
She had completed her full awakening, possessed enough talent to participate in the URA series, and was very well-behaved.
Acting on the thought, Zero told Haru Urara and McQueen to continue their training for the day, then set out to find Rice Shower.
After notifying her and learning she was with Air Groove, she hurried over.
"Good afternoon, Z-chan ~" Rice Shower greeted Zero, holding a coffee.
Air Groove wasn't here right now, possibly due to some other engagement.
"Good afternoon," Zero also greeted the two.
Then she saw Rice Shower and Chaza exchanging glances, then nodding simultaneously.
" ? "
"Z-chan, let's prank Air Groove," Chaza said, astonishingly.
"What did she do to you again?" Zero's eye twitched slightly.
"She's been experimenting on me more and more lately. I'm going to teach her a good lesson = ="
It seems Chaza has suffered quite a bit... "So, what's your plan? And it's quite rare for you, Rice Shower, to agree to something like this."
Of course, Zero wouldn't refuse a prank, and she had quite a few grudges against Air Groove herself.
"Ahaha... after all, Miss Chaza asked me to..." Rice Shower smiled helplessly.
"Let me explain the plan. Suko will be back soon," Chaza said, looking quite impatient. It was clear she was determined to teach Air Groove a lesson this time.
"This... isn't this a bit much?" Zero hesitated, as Chaza's plan seemed a bit harsh.
"I think it's great. If we don't do something drastic, she won't learn," Chaza said decisively.
"ovo" Meanwhile, Rice Shower looked completely clueless on the other side. According to Chaza, Rice Shower's only job would be to hold up a wooden sign that read "Prank Succeeded!" before things got irreversible.
Indeed, given Rice Shower's situation, she wasn't suited for pranking others.
Soon, Suko returned.
"Oh my, Z-chan is here too?" Suko seemed a bit surprised to see someone else.
"Ah, I was looking for Rice Shower, and she said she was here, so I came over."
"Heh ~ Is it about joining the team?" Air Groove thought for a moment and understood why Zero was looking for Rice Shower.
"Eh?"
"It's like this..." Zero explained the situation about the team and the Chairman preparing to launch the URA series to the three of them.
"Hmm... I see, that's quite interesting," Air Groove also seemed quite interested.
"Right? Chaza, do you want to participate later?" Zero looked at Chaza.
"Yes, I'll be participating in the long-distance races."
"That's certainly your style. So, Rice Shower, would you like to join my team?"
"Ugh... but... I don't have much talent..." Although tempted, she felt like she would be a bother.
"No, no, Rice Shower, your true talent hasn't been revealed yet."
"Eh?"
While Zero was persuading Rice Shower, Suko walked over to a heated beaker and poured its contents into several test tubes that already contained liquid. After shaking them well, she mixed them a second time.
"Chaza, I'll leave this to you."
"Oh = =" Chaza took the test tube with a helpless expression.
"Heh ~ You're quite proactive today."
"It's nothing, I just feel like you'd be too lazy to remember if I kept talking = ="
"Well, I'll treat you to coffee later."
"I'll make my own = ="
"Yes, yes, now hurry and drink it."
Meanwhile, Rice Shower and Zero, while chatting, were also secretly paying attention to the situation over there, and then... "!"
"Ugh... gurgle... cough!..." Chaza's face suddenly turned very pained. She clutched her throat, unable to make a sound.
"Chaza!?" Suko's expression immediately turned to panic.
Perhaps hearing the call, Chaza tried to reach out to Suko, but her whole body suddenly lost balance and she fell to the ground. As she fell, she even hit a table, sustaining secondary injury, and the test tube in her hand dropped and shattered, with the remaining liquid spilling onto the floor.
"Chaza! Hey!" Air Groove tried to go to her but suddenly collapsed to the ground as her legs gave out.
No... no... "Gurgle... cough... cough!... cough..." Chaza lay on the ground, coughing painfully, struggling with great agony, but could only arch her back and tremble, even starting to foam at the mouth.
Finally, her entire body seemed to lose all strength, and she lay on the ground with empty eyes.
To be honest, even Zero was startled by Chaza's performance. After checking with the system and seeing that she was perfectly fine, Zero could only inwardly marvel at Chaza's acting, which was on par with a film empress.
Meanwhile, Air Groove stumbled and crawled over to Chaza, her usual expression of having everything under control long since vanished.
"...Chaza...? Hey... no way...?"
Impossible... something must have gone wrong... her heartbeat is still there... but it's so faint, her breathing... her breathing is gone!!!
"Chaza! Wake up! Pull yourself together! Chaza! Hey!!!"
"No... no... Chaza!!!"
"Zero! Rice Shower! Quickly call for help! Quick--" Air Groove, tearfully panicked, quickly turned her head and shouted, and then... she saw Rice Shower, looking terrified and trembling, holding up a small wooden sign that read "Prank Succeeded!" She immediately froze.
And behind her, Chaza, who had been sprawled on the ground, quietly got up.
"Were you scared, Suko...? Now that you've tasted the bitterness, you should learn your lesson."
Grab.
Suko was holding Chaza's shoulder tightly, with a dark expression.
[A few minutes later]
The three of them sat together at a stone table in the small garden, chatting.
"I didn't expect to make her angry instead. Was there something we shouldn't have done?" Chaza looked a little troubled.
"Um... Rice Shower thinks... maybe we used the wrong method fundamentally...?" Rice Shower timidly raised her hand and said. Chaza's performance just now had truly scared her.
"Method... but that's how it is in horror movies..."
"Let's apologize later = =, at least she was truly terrified = =" Zero also hadn't expected the usually reliable Chaza to come up with such a terrible idea.
They had just been thrown out by Suko.
"Yes, after all, we clearly did something wrong," Chaza also nodded.
She had just been headbutted by Suko and still had a large bump on her head.
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