In this scripted world, Dream Weaver failed to seize time, and the current Dream Weaver was no different.
Perhaps only the legendary Uma Musume, Eclipse, could truly leave light, shadow, and time in her wake.
To no one's surprise, Dream Weaver never used that miraculous ticket until the mock race drew to a close.
The crowd of Uma Musume who had gathered to watch dispersed in a flurry once the heat was over. In their hearts, this wasn't exactly a shocking revelation.
Senior Dream Weaver might have been a world-class Uma Musume once, but she hasn't stepped onto a racetrack in nearly two years, right?
We see that mechanical Uma Musume flying across the training grounds every day.
It's only natural that Dream Weaver would lose.
The staff responsible for maintaining the mock race environment quickly cleared the grounds, returning the track to the rest of the students. One of them jogged over to the space between Dream Weaver and Sugar Lights.
"Do you need the timed results and race data?"
He didn't find Dream Weaver's loss strange either. The opponent was clearly some sort of high-tech "Super Uma Musume"; this whole thing was likely just a test to verify the progress of technology.
To the staff, this was just an ordinary performance trial. He might have even been daydreaming about the day he'd see mechanical Uma Musume appearing in official races.
"No, that won't be necessary."
Before Dream Weaver could speak, Sugar Lights beat her to it.
Her tone was flat. Though she had won the mock race, there wasn't a trace of joy in her voice.
Watching the staff member's retreating back, Sugar Lights controlled the mechanical Uma Musume to tilt its head, addressing Dream Weaver.
"Dream Weaver, do you have any strength left? It looks like ST-2 is out of power for the trip back. Can you help me carry her to the clubroom?"
"Ah..."
Dream Weaver let out a soft sound—a subconscious response from someone who had clearly lost her train of thought.
It took her several seconds to finally process what Sugar Lights had said before she could give a proper answer.
"I understand. Don't worry, running one mock race is nothing to me."
With that, she fell silent, grabbing the mechanical Uma Musume's arm as if she intended to hoist the machine directly from the track back to the clubroom.
But just then, a shout came from behind her.
"Trainer!"
Turning around, she saw Hishi Miracle. For some reason, the girl's nose was flushed red.
Dream Weaver didn't notice anything amiss and said with a hint of relief:
"Oh, it's you, Miracle. Did you remember to come to the track to burn off the calories from that strawberry ice cream today? That's encouraging. But I have to accompany Dr. Sugar Lights back to the clubroom first. We'll talk about your reward next time, okay?"
As she spoke, Dream Weaver lifted ST-2's metal arm, resting the weight against her somewhat thin shoulder, and began trudging toward the clubroom.
Fortunately, though Sugar Lights said the power was out, the machine could still move its legs slightly with support, making Dream Weaver's job a bit easier.
Hishi Miracle watched their departing figures, her back slowly arching until she eventually curled up on the grass. She buried her head in her arms as if hiding from something.
The other Uma Musume on the field were busy with their own routines. No one spared a glance for the girl huddled in the corner of the track, and no one noticed the occasional tremor in her frame.
Ten minutes later, Dream Weaver finally helped ST-2 back into the clubroom.
They hadn't exchanged a single word the entire way. Had the mechanical Uma Musume not been lifting its own feet, Dream Weaver might have thought Sugar Lights' consciousness had already departed.
"Good work."
Sugar Lights, sitting in her wheelchair, quietly opened her eyes and addressed Dream Weaver as she entered.
Then, she waved a hand, signaling that Dream Weaver didn't need to move the machine any further.
"Just leave her there."
Dream Weaver looked around, glancing at their current position with a hint of confusion.
"Right here? Won't that make it difficult to perform maintenance?"
"No need for maintenance. Just leave her wherever."
With that, Sugar Lights pushed her wheelchair toward a cabinet in the corner of the room. It was usually where Dream Weaver kept her materials, but Sugar Lights reached in and pulled out two cans of beer.
She set one on her armrest and tossed the other to Dream Weaver.
"It's not cold, but it'll do."
Dream Weaver caught the can, momentarily unsure whether to ask why there was beer in her cabinet or to point out that she hadn't reached the legal drinking age yet...
No, wait. She had.
She felt the slightly cool surface of the can and thought to herself: The Dream Weaver of this world has failed the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe more times than I can count.
Even if the drinking age here is two years older than in my previous life, she's long past it.
"Perhaps because they know not the dream, the wandering chase only shadows."
Sugar Lights ignored the silent, brooding Dream Weaver. She took a deep gulp of beer and let out a long, melancholy sigh.
"What's that? A haiku?" Dream Weaver asked, pulling up a chair at the table.
"Just a line I saw in a novel once."
"I thought scientists like you didn't read anything besides weekly journals."
"That's usually true. I confiscated it from a student while I was covering a night study session for a humanities teacher. She was an exchange student, actually."
"Since I rarely see writing that isn't a thesis, curiosity got the better of me."
Dream Weaver listened as she cracked open the beer. She didn't drink immediately, asking instead:
"An exchange student? Then the novel must have been in another language. You can actually read it?"
"A lot of professional papers are written in that language and don't have English versions, so I took some time to learn it."
"Spoken like a true genius."
Dream Weaver shook her head. Her grades would never allow for such a feat. She only knew two languages: the one from her past life and the one from this one.
"What's the point?"
"You used your Zone just now, didn't you? Although I couldn't feel it, I saw the expressions on those Uma Musumes' faces."
"In the end... I'm just someone who refuses to wake up from the dream. All I'm chasing is a phantom."
Dream Weaver didn't answer. Instead, she tilted her head back and took a massive gulp of beer. Perhaps because it had been so long since her last drink, she began to cough uncontrollably.
"Cough, cough..."
After a long while, she looked down and muttered to herself.
"You're right. It really doesn't taste great when it's not cold."
Sugar Lights narrowed her eyes and took another sip. She watched the silent Dream Weaver and, with an unreadable emotion, said:
"To think I'd actually see that look on your face."
"I didn't even see it the first time we met. I thought you'd go your whole life without ever looking like that."
Having finished, she turned her can upside down. Seeing not a single drop left, she slowly rolled back to the cabinet.
Without checking if Dream Weaver was finished, she tossed another can over.
"Welcome to the League of Losers."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.