Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Liberty Island gritted her teeth and agreed.
The Divine Blade was terrifying, no doubt, but its sheer power was breathtaking. If she could possess a Zone of that caliber, then a mock race was a small price to pay!
"No time like the present! Master, please, guide me!"
Seeing her expression—looking for all the world like she was heading to an execution—Dream Weaver's lips twitched. She honestly didn't know what to say.
Should she ask why Liberty Island's way of addressing her had evolved three times in a single day, jumping from Trainer to Teacher to Master?
"Instead of that... you should go eat breakfast. It's not the weekend, you have classes."
At those words, Liberty Island bolted upright. The impressions left by last night's mock race were so vivid that she'd completely forgotten that school was actually a thing today.
As she sat up and took in her surroundings, she finally realized where she was.
"Wait, we're in the clubroom?!"
In her memory, the clubroom didn't have any beds. Had her Master and the others hauled a bed in here overnight just for her?
Seeing the confusion written all over her face, Dream Weaver silently pointed downward, signaling for Liberty Island to take a closer look at what she thought was a "bed."
"A virtual... pod?"
Peering into the pod filled with plush blankets, Liberty Island let out a small cry of surprise. It had been so warm and soft that she'd assumed she was in a real bed; she never imagined she'd been tucked away inside a simulation pod.
"You didn't secretly turn it on while I was sleeping to make me do extra training in the virtual world, did you?"
"You certainly have a vivid imagination..."
Dream Weaver shook her head helplessly at the suspicious Uma Musume. She pointed to the clock hanging on the clubroom wall and gave her another nudge.
"Instead of obsessing over where you slept, you should probably worry about the time."
"Just a friendly reminder: we're quite a trek away from the dining hall and the lecture buildings."
Liberty Island followed Dream Weaver's gaze.
The hands on the clock showed that every second counted. She didn't have time to dwell on what had happened after she passed out; with a soft thump, she leaped out of the pod.
"I'll be back after my academic classes are over!"
Leaving those words behind, she dashed out the door like a whirlwind.
Seeing her in such high spirits, Dream Weaver nodded to herself. It seemed the last six months of training had paid off.
Even if it wasn't at full power, Liberty Island had taken a Divine Blade slash and only slept for about ten hours. While Agnes Tachyon's special concoction had certainly helped, the girl's own physical foundation played a massive role.
"Aren't you going to tell her that the clubroom clock is actually set thirty minutes fast?"
Thanks to Hishi Miracle always dragging her feet and saying she'd train at "such-and-such time," the clock had been intentionally moved forward so Liberty Island wouldn't actually be late today.
Dream Weaver looked toward the door, where Sugar Lights had appeared at some point. She shook her head and said, "Eavesdropping isn't a very good habit, Doctor."
"I'd argue that not interrupting a private moment between two people is actually a virtue."
Sugar Lights rolled her wheelchair into the room, lifting the breakfast bags hanging from her armrest with a smile. "Want to grab a bite together?"
Since someone had gone through the trouble of bringing food, Dream Weaver had no reason to refuse.
A few minutes later, as Sugar Lights handed a napkin to Dream Weaver, she said softly, "Tachyon already told you about 'that,' right?"
"Calling her so affectionately? When we first met, you two were at each other's throats."
"We're colleagues in the same building; we've bumped into each other before. It's only natural to be on good terms. It's just that when it comes to a clash of ideals, no matter how close you are, you can't compromise."
Dream Weaver, who had guessed that Sugar Lights would want to chat, remained noncommittal.
"Ideals can't be compromised, but teaming up to trick me is perfectly fine, apparently."
"I'm not like her; I don't hide the truth."
Dream Weaver thought back to their first meeting. Just as she had curiously asked about the mechanical Uma Musume ST-2, the conversation had drifted toward the philosophical battle between Agnes Tachyon and Sugar Lights.
Right after that, as if it were the most logical thing in the world, the three of them had gone off together to "apprehend" Hishi Miracle just to prove whose theory was superior.
Come to think of it, Sugar Lights had never given her a convoluted excuse like Tachyon did; she had simply joined the fray as if she belonged there.
"Besides, Tachyon wasn't entirely lying. To brew a potion that can return you to your peak state, real and reliable data is essential."
Sugar Lights offered a brief defense for Tachyon before continuing.
"However, my reason is actually very similar to hers. I'm doing it for ST-2."
"I want to strengthen ST-2 to the absolute limit. To do that, I need the physical data of the strongest Uma Musume in the Tracen Academy as a reference."
"That's why I went to the Chairwoman with her."
Dream Weaver didn't really mind being used as "material" to upgrade a mechanical Uma Musume. In fact, she quite liked the feeling of being involved with ST-2.
"Was it really that simple? You should have just said so."
Sugar Lights shook her head.
"Of course, there's one more request. I wanted to wait until everything was finished to ask, but since Tachyon spilled the beans yesterday, I might as well bring it up early."
"I want... to have a real race with you, Dream."
"With ST-2 in her strongest form."
She didn't give Dream Weaver a chance to speak; as soon as one sentence landed, the intensity of her voice rose.
"While I disagree with Tachyon's methods, there is one thing I must admit."
"A mechanical Uma Musume built of gears and metal is destined to never birth a Zone. No matter how much I strengthen her body—even if I've poured my own consciousness into that shell—she still has no hope of awakening a Zone."
"But even so, I want to know. For a perfectly constructed ST-2, the absolute limit of what I can reach... just how far is it from the Zone? How far is it from a 'true' race?"
Sugar Lights struck her own legs, which hung lifelessly against the wheelchair. Even as the thud-thud-thud of her fists echoed through the room, her legs remained completely unresponsive.
The woman had helped her so much over the past six months that Dream Weaver hadn't even considered saying no. She agreed instantly and cleanly.
Yet, for something that seemed so simple to Dream Weaver, Sugar Lights looked as though a massive weight had been lifted from her soul.
"It won't be long until ST-2 is perfected. At the latest, I'll have her tuned to perfection after the Japanese Oaks."
"So, in about a month."
"Yes. In one month, just like Liberty Island did yesterday, I will challenge you."
Sugar Lights looked up, her eyes burning with an incredible earnestness.
"I want to see..."
"Just how high these borrowed wings can fly."
--+--
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.