"Alright—then let's go!"
Tokai Teio bounced forward with her signature springy gait, half-skipping as she crossed the gate of Tracen Academy.
"Good morning, Tokai Teio. Good morning, Eternal Meteor."
They had barely stepped onto campus when a greeting came from the right. Eternal Meteor turned her head instinctively—there stood the ever-hatted Tazuna Hayakawa, wearing her trademark smile.
A suicidal thought drifted into Eternal Meteor's mind.
I really want to snatch the green devil's hat off and see if there are ears underneath.
"And then you'll instantly earn the legendary record for fastest expulsion in Tracen history," X said, as if already raising a fire extinguisher to put out the impulse.
Tazuna studied Eternal Meteor's curious, slightly puzzled expression and assumed she was wondering how a staff member already knew her name.
"It was Rudolf who told me about you," she explained warmly. "My name is Tazuna Hayakawa. Nice to meet you."
"Domo, Eternal Meteor desu!"
"…?"
Tazuna tilted her head, confused—only to see Teio already grabbing Eternal Meteor and sprinting off.
"First up: the track!" Teio declared, pointing from the slope beside it. "This one's basically the same length as the track at Tokyo Racecourse!"
Eternal Meteor's mouth fell open. She'd heard it mentioned in the anime, sure—but standing here in person was an entirely different scale of shock.
"Pretty amazing, right?" Teio grinned. "Already imagining how good it'll feel to run on it?"
No.
I'm imagining how much money it takes to carve out this much land in Tokyo, Eternal Meteor thought, swallowing hard—but she didn't dare say it out loud.
"Next: the pool." Teio tugged her along.
At the entrance, Teio's eyes sharpened. She scanned the diving board like a soldier clearing a room. Only after confirming nobody was lurking above did she lead Eternal Meteor to the edge.
Eternal Meteor stared.
It was bigger than any public pool she'd ever seen. She suddenly felt like a country bumpkin wandering into a palace.
In the water nearby, two horse girls were splashing and playing. One slapped the surface with all her strength—
"Take my unbeatable strike!"
The other twisted her head and dodged with ease.
"Like that could hit me?"
The splash… arced perfectly.
Not into the girl she'd been aiming at.
But into Teio—who had been turned toward Eternal Meteor, enthusiastically explaining the benefits of swim training.
Teio froze, drenched head-to-toe. Her ears and tail were soaked, dripping like a wet cat.
Eternal Meteor clamped her mouth shut, face crumpling as she fought an impossible battle not to laugh.
She lost instantly.
"Hahahahahahahahaha—hic!"
Teio's eyes turned into dead fish. Deep in her heart, she made a solemn vow:
Next time I come to the pool, I'm bringing an umbrella.
Eternal Meteor was still laughing. Teio rotated her head toward her with agonizing slowness—so slow you could practically hear the creak, creak of neck joints.
She stared directly into Eternal Meteor's eyes.
"Ha… haha… ha… okay, I'm done… I was wrong. Let's—let's go see the next place."
Under that resentment-soaked gaze, Eternal Meteor couldn't produce another laugh even if her life depended on it. She hastily tried to change the subject.
"Then we'll go to the library," Teio said, instantly snapping back into her sunny self.
Passing the courtyard, Eternal Meteor glanced at the famous tree stump—only to find nobody dramatically shouting at it. She felt weirdly disappointed at missing a "classic scene."
Teio followed her gaze.
"When you lose and can't accept it… or when you've got worries," Teio said earnestly, "you can talk to it. It's the best listener."
Then they climbed the stairs to the school building.
"This is Tracen's library," Teio whispered in a stage whisper. "When you read, remember not to make noise."
After that, Teio clapped her hands.
"We still don't know what class you're in, so let's go handle your dorm registration first!"
Eternal Meteor could only nod. The sheer wealth of this place had her brain short-circuiting. And when she remembered the anime's two-person dorm rooms—and tried to calculate how many rooms would be needed for all these students—her mind went numb.
Just then, a voice called out from the lounge.
"Yo. Morning, Tokai Teio. And—who's this little foal I haven't seen before?"
A horse girl stepped out, a streak of white hair at her bangs.
"I'm Fuji Kiseki. And you are?"
"I'm Eternal Meteor. I'm a newly enrolled student."
"Enrolled now?" Fuji Kiseki looked surprised—admissions season had ended days ago.
"The president handled the paperwork," Teio said proudly, raising her right hand like she was answering in class.
Fuji Kiseki frowned slightly. "That's… troublesome. The dorm rooms are already assigned. There aren't any empty spots left."
"It's fine. Give me a storage room to sleep in," Eternal Meteor said casually. "As long as it keeps out the rain, I'm good."
"No," Fuji Kiseki rejected immediately. "A little foal sleeping in a place like that won't rest properly."
She paused, thinking—then her eyes lit up.
"President… Rudolf… got it. Let me make a call."
She stepped aside and dialed. Eternal Meteor could only catch fragments: "Mm… okay… understood…"
Fuji Kiseki returned and delivered the verdict like it was nothing.
"Your room is on the top floor. First door on the right. Basic bedding, toothpaste, and a toothbrush are all there. You don't need to bring much."
"That's wonderful. Thank you very much," Eternal Meteor said politely.
She felt almost nothing about the "top floor" part.
Because—come on.
They were horse girls.
Climbing stairs wasn't exactly a hardship.
The door to the dorm building opened, and Air Groove walked in.
"I finally found you," she said. Her gaze locked onto Eternal Meteor. "Eternal Meteor—the student council president is looking for you. Come with me."
Then she glanced at Teio.
"Teio. You can go do your free training."
"Yada yada! I wanna see the president too!" Teio instantly started pouting. "What—something you can't let me hear?"
Air Groove sighed at the performance. In the end, she relented and let Teio escort Eternal Meteor to the student council room.
Air Groove, however, looked quietly pleased—she had errands to run anyway. And more importantly, she could dodge Rudolf's "cold jokes." Just thinking about them made goosebumps rise on her arms. She shook her head hard and left.
They arrived at the student council room.
Eternal Meteor knocked on a door that looked offensively expensive. After hearing permission, she entered and saw Symboli Rudolf seated on a sofa, calmly drinking tea.
Rudolf lifted her gaze—and noticed Teio standing beside Eternal Meteor.
"Teio. Thank you. But I need to speak with Eternal Meteor about something private. Could you wait outside for a moment?"
"Ehhhhh—" Teio dragged out the sound, her big watery eyes pleading.
"Be good, Teio."
The seriousness in Rudolf's expression was absolute. Teio drooped and shuffled out, closing the door behind her.
Rudolf rose. She walked toward Eternal Meteor, then opened her arms.
"Even if this is a little late, I want to say it properly…"
Her voice softened into something warm—something that carried weight, like a promise.
"Welcome to Tracen Academy!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 36)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 36) Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 36)
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink