Chapter 5:

Ren stood alone by the empty track, watching the distant figures of King Halo and Seiun Sky disappear around the corner of the building.

"Ah..." He let out a long, pathetic groan, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. "I completely forgot to ask them."

He had been so caught up in playing medic and fending off the vulture like rookie trainers that the entire point of his morning scouting and recruiting had completely slipped his mind. But as he thought about it, he slumped his shoulders in defeat.

Who was he kidding?

King Halo had looked at him like he was a baffling, unyielding wall. Even if her legs felt ten times better thanks to the cooling gel, her pride was still recovering from a devastating fourth-place finish. Sliding a contract across the table right now would have felt like taking advantage of her vulnerability—or worse, she would have rejected him out of pure, stubborn reflex.

And Seiun Sky? Ren winced just thinking about her. He had bluntly declared her best friend was going to lose, completely misread her teasing, and topped it off by calling her a "cyan-haired student." She was probably enjoying her lazy, uncontracted freedom way too much to anchor herself to an unknown rookie trainer whose social skills hovered somewhere around rock bottom. Her affinity meter for him was probably sitting in the deep negatives.

"Where is the transmigration cheat?" Ren muttered under his breath, leaning heavily against the railing. "In every fanfic or fan-manga I’ve ever read, the main character gets transported into the game, uses his infinite wisdom to instantly charm the entire roster, and secures a stacked team on Day One. Why am I struggling just to have a normal conversation?!"

Reality, it turned out, was entirely indifferent to web novel tropes. The Umamusume in this world were living, breathing people with complex emotions, deep-seated pride, and high standards. They didn't come with click-to-recruit buttons.

Ren checked his wristwatch.

[ Current Time: 11:42 AM ]

[ Next Selection Bracket: 12:00 PM ]

It was almost noon. The sun was rising higher, casting long, sharp shadows across the turf track. The afternoon mock races were slated to begin shortly, featuring the next batch of uncontracted talent.

He had taken a hit to his confidence, but he still had almost three full months left on his grace period. He couldn't afford to mope around feeling sorry for himself.

Ren smoothed down his white shirt, straightened his tailored vest, and adjusted the stopwatch clipped to his belt. He took a deep, steadying breath, letting the cool noon air clear his lingering doubts, and walked back toward his spot along the side railing.

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"King! King! Are you really okay?!"

Haru Urara practically vibrated with anxiety, her bright pink ears pinned back as she hovered over King Halo’s bed.

King Halo, whose mood had been hovering somewhere in the subterranean depths following her fourth-place finish, felt the heavy dark cloud above her head instantly evaporate. Looking at the sheer, unfiltered concern radiating from her younger roommate, her heart melted completely.

"There is no need to worry, Haru," King Halo said, offering her gentlest, most genuinely first-rate smile as she reached out to pat Urara’s soft pink hair. "I am completely fine."

Urara’s face remained crumpled, big glossy tears welling at the corners of her eyes. "But... but Sei-chan told me you hurt your leg super bad! What if you can't run ever again?!"

Seiun Sky.

King Halo’s inner motherly instincts flared up wildly at the sight of Urara’s tears, prompting her to immediately pull the smaller girl into a protective, soothing hug. But behind Urara’s back, King Halo’s eyes narrowed into a terrifying, deadly glare aimed at the empty air. She made a silent, ironclad vow to have a long, extremely detailed conversation with a certain cyan-haired slacker later tonight.

"Look at me, Haru. I am whole, undamaged, and perfectly healthy," King Halo reassured her softly, rocking her back and forth. "See? No need to be sad at all."

Urara pulled back, her tear-streaked face setting into an expression of absolute, unshakeable gravity. "But even so! You have to rest right now, and you have to let me take care of you! I'm making sure of it!"

King Halo’s brain briefly short-circuited. She is so impossibly cute!

Having Haru Urara as a roommate was an absolute, undisputed blessing. The warmth of the moment was so overwhelming that King Halo almost completely forgot her crushing loss—and almost forgot her murderous intent toward Seiun Sky. Almost.

Out on the quiet grassy knoll near the edge of the campus, Seiun Sky lay sprawled out under the broad shadow of a sakura tree.

Suddenly, an icy, phantom chill raced down her spine.

Sky bolted upright, her ears twitching violently as she scanned the empty fields. She looked left, then right, then behind the tree trunk. Nothing.

"Hmm... must be my imagination," she muttered, rubbing her arms. She leaned back, stretching her arms above her head as a brilliant, work-evading realization struck her. "Ah. It's the perfect weather for fishing."

"Sky-san! I brought lunch!"

Nishino Flower stepped out from the main walkway, holding a beautifully wrapped, multi-tiered bento box with a polite, radiant smile.

"Flower-chan!" Sky’s grand plans of escaping to the river bank vanished in an instant. She sat up straight, her face lighting up with genuine delight. "You're an absolute savior!"

Within moments, the two of them had spread a small picnic blanket over the grass, happily unpacking the lunch beneath the gentle breeze.

Not thirty yards away, deeply embedded inside a dense, overgrown decorative bush, a pair of heavy tactical binoculars poked through the leaves.

Agnes Digital was crouched in a full military low-crawl position. Her eyes were wide, her breathing shallow, and a tiny string of drool was visibly escaping the corner of her mouth as she adjusted the focus ring on the picnic scene.

"What a blessing..." Digital whimpered in a reverent, hysterical whisper, her heart thumping against her ribs. "The contrast... the serene energy of the lazy paired with the pure, untainted warmth of the  girl... This is art. This is high-tier, prime-grade salvation—"

A shadow suddenly stretched over the bush, blocking out the sun.

"Oh my. Here you are, Digital-kun."

Agnes Digital’s entire body went rigid. The drool froze on her chin.

Slowly, agonizingly, she tilted her head upward. Standing right above her, bathed in the sharp noon glare, was Agnes Tachyon. The eccentric scientist wore her stained lab coat over her shoulders, her hands resting casually on her hips, and her glowing dark red eyes locked onto Digital with the terrifying intensity of a predator who had just found its favorite test subject.

"A-Ah... Tachyon..." Digital stammered, a massive drop of cold sweat rolling down her temple as she held up her binoculars like a shield. "Um... can I have... maybe five more minutes? Just a tiny bit more for my research?"

"No, Digital-kun," Tachyon said smoothly, a dangerously bright smile spreading across her face. "We have a vast mountain of experimental trials awaiting your personal participation in the lab!"

Without waiting for a response, Tachyon reached down, grabbed Digital by the back of her collar, and began dragging her backward out of the bushes like a sack of laundry.

"Nooo! Just ten more seconds!" Digital wailed, her fingers desperately clawing at the dirt as she watched her golden view of Sky and Flower recede into the distance, tears streaming down her face. "Let me observe the sacred scenery just a little longer—!"

Her pleas echoed uselessly across the courtyard, completely unheard by the two girls enjoying their peaceful picnic under the tree.

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Ren took another slow, heavy bite of his cafeteria lunch, chewing in rhythm with his plummeting self-esteem. The food was undeniably incredible—five-star quality, cooked to perfection, and entirely free—but the bitter side dish of utter failure made it a little hard to swallow.

The afternoon mock races had been a total disaster. Every time he mustered the courage to approach a promising runner, he got hit with the exact same soul-crushing response:

"Oh, thank you, but I'm holding out for a scout from Team Rigil!"

Team Rigil. Always Team Rigil.

Ren stared blankly into his rice bowl, his mind grinding to a sudden halt as the name echoed in his head.

Wait a minute... Team Rigil?

A sudden realization struck him like a stray lightning bolt. In the game universe, the central player team was just whatever the trainer built. But Team Rigil—the dominant, elite powerhouse led by Hana Tojo—was the flagship team of the anime timeline.

I'm in the anime timeline?!

Ren’s lifeless eyes instantly lit up with a spark of manic hope. If he was in the anime continuity, that meant Silence Suzuka was either currently at Tracen or arriving very soon. And more importantly, if she hadn't signed with Hana Tojo yet, then snatching her up wasn't "poaching"—it was just good old-fashioned, competitive scouting!

Okay, hold on, Ren thought, his mind racing into overdrive as he jabbed his chopsticks into the air. If I can get Silence Suzuka, that automatically opens the door for Special Week! They're basically a package deal! If I get Suzuka, Spe-chan will practically follow her right into my team!

He sat up straight, a triumphant, ambitious grin spreading across his face. He had a strategy now. He had a roadmap!

Then, reality casually tapped him on the shoulder.

Ren slowly lowered his chopsticks. The brilliant grin melted away, replaced once again by the hollow, thousand-yard stare of a defeated man.

Wait... 

He didn't even know if Suzuka had transferred to Tracen yet. And even if she was here, why on earth would a  talent like Silence Suzuka choose a complete, nameless rookie trainer over the prestigious Team Rigil? He didn't even have an official team registered yet. He had zero trainees, zero wins, zero reputation, and a social track record today that consisted of being rejected three times and accused of being a heartless cynic by a slacker.

His mood, which had briefly skyrocketed into the stratosphere, crashed back down to earth, burying itself six feet under.

Ren let out another deep, soul-weary sigh, slumping over the cafeteria table until his forehead nearly touched his plate.

One step forward, ten miles back, he thought bitterly, taking another slow bite of his lunch. At least the food here is really, really good...

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