On that same day, just as Equinox and Sea the Stars were locked in a sharp confrontation, Dream Weaver arrived at the Tracen Academy training grounds alongside Sugar Lights, whose consciousness was now hosted within a mechanical Uma Musume.
Compared to the initial prototype, the completed mechanical Uma Musume, designated ST-2, had undergone significant cosmetic overhauls.
The chassis was a sleek composition of blue, white, and green. Her limbs were sculpted with a contour that mimicked a real Uma Musume far more closely than the original design, and her fluid, linear aesthetic suggested she was built to adapt to the track better than any ordinary runner.
The acceleration rig mounted on her back was instantly recognizable as the perfected version of the system Sugar Lights once bolted onto her wheelchair.
Back then, Hishi Miracle had been driven to near exhaustion just trying to outrun a wheelchair carrying the weight of three people; now that the system was integrated into a dedicated frame in its final form, the resulting acceleration promised to be nothing short of blistering.
"Since she's forged from metal, weight is a massive hurdle if you actually want her to run," Sugar Lights said, tapping the glowing emerald power source at her chest from within the ST-2 unit.
"But with an acceleration rig that can fully draw out that energy, weight becomes a non-issue."
"I've even programmed a 'Release Mode' for the chassis. It overclocks the drive system to hit speeds far beyond its cruising limit. You can think of it as a mechanical equivalent to a typical Uma Musume's finishing sprint."
Dream Weaver poked at the fluorescent power source with a hint of curiosity. Because she was currently a machine, Sugar Lights didn't feel the least bit shy; instead, she puffed out her chest with pride.
"How long can you maintain that mode?"
Drawing from her knowledge of sci-fi tropes, Dream Weaver had half-assumed this "burst state" could last an entire race.
After all, an Uma Musume's race didn't actually take that long, and in fiction, these power-ups usually lasted at least three to five minutes.
"I used the 'finishing sprint' as an analogy precisely because the duration is the same—it can only support the machine through the final stretch, just like a normal runner."
"That short?"
Sugar Lights' eyes drooped with a hint of regret. The eyes of the completed ST-2 were no longer the simplified rectangular blocks of the previous version; they were designed to mimic the depth of real pupils, allowing even these subtle emotional cues to be translated perfectly.
"It's frustrating, but there's no helping it. My expertise just isn't enough to solve the energy density problem."
"The ST-2's reserves can only handle a single mock race at most. Designing a Release Mode that simulates an Uma Musume's final kick was the absolute limit of my ability."
Dream Weaver nodded, the realization sinking in.
Because Sugar Lights' previous sci-fi-esque inventions had been so breathtaking, she sometimes forgot that the girl's true mastery lay specifically in the realms of virtual reality and consciousness.
The diving pods and the consciousness transfer tech existed because Sugar Lights was a genius in those fields. Beyond that, she wasn't omniscient; she couldn't possibly master every branch of science.
In fact, even this ST-2 unit had been built by a research team Sugar Lights assembled at Tracen Academy, pooling the collective efforts of many experts. Usually, she just handled the maintenance.
Of course, that didn't mean Sugar Lights wasn't a prodigy. Both the virtual immersion and the consciousness upload were inventions capable of shaking the foundations of the world.
It was simply a case of human limits—even a scientific genius like Sugar Lights had her blind spots.
Reading the expression on Dream Weaver's face, Sugar Lights guessed exactly what she was thinking. She shifted her weight, placing her hands on her hips with a helpless sigh.
"You really do think of me as some blue robotic cat that can grant any wish, don't you?"
"The colors might be similar, but I'm not so incredible that I can just pull endless gadgets out of a pocket."
She tapped her temple with a forefinger, the metal-on-metal contact producing a sharp, clear clink.
"Even the racing intuition needed for the upcoming mock race was something I had to upload to the ST-2 as raw data."
"Otherwise, how could an Uma Musume who spends her life in a wheelchair suddenly learn to run with such fluid grace?"
Dream Weaver pulled her gaze away from the glowing power source and looked into the flickering green light of the machine's eyes.
"It's still impressive," she said.
"The ST-2 was built using my peak data from my racing days as a blueprint, right? Its base performance must far exceed my current self."
"Besides, as long as there's no mechanical failure, a machine doesn't suffer from 'off-days.' With that kind of stability paired with the Release Mode... honestly, I can't imagine how I'm supposed to win."
While Dream Weaver could theoretically try to trigger a chain reaction by burning her "kindling," this was just a mock race. There was no need to pay such a price for a practice run.
Thus, in their current "base" states, Dream Weaver truly couldn't see a path to victory over Sugar Lights.
"Even if they are borrowed wings, you're already flying high enough."
Dream Weaver expected the sentiment to please Sugar Lights, but the girl simply shook her head.
"On a technical level, yes. But there is one exception."
Hearing that, Dream Weaver didn't even have to think before the words left her mouth.
"The Zone?"
"But the Zone is a miracle born of an Uma Musume's will. It's a battle on a spiritual level; no one except an Uma Musume can even perceive it."
"Even for another Uma Musume, if they aren't on the track and are far enough away, the effects of a Zone drop off significantly."
That was why Uma Musume sitting in the stands during a race weren't affected. Only those standing as close as Hishi Miracle and the others had been that night could feel the weight of it so vividly.
Furthermore, Dream Weaver's own Divine Blade was exceptionally powerful. Had it been a weaker Zone, even those standing nearby likely wouldn't have had such a visceral reaction.
Now that Sugar Lights had uploaded her consciousness into a machine, Dream Weaver wasn't sure if the girl could still sense it.
The mind was still that of an Uma Musume, but the body was nothing but steel.
"I don't know if I'll be able to feel the Zone while I'm inside the ST-2," Sugar Lights said after a pause.
"But if I had the choice... I'd hope that I can."
Dream Weaver tilted her head, confused.
"Why? If you can't feel the Zone, wouldn't that practically guarantee your victory?"
"Because I want to face the Zone properly on the track..."
"If I can feel it, then it means the 'me' uploaded to the ST-2 can still make contact with that realm. And that means... I still have a chance to awaken a Zone of my own."
She tapped her legs—now cold, metallic limbs—and her voice reached Dream Weaver's ears through the chassis's speakers.
--+--
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.