Li Ze leaned against a wall outside the racetrack.
A phone rested in his hand, its screen still showing the message he’d just sent.
Pain twisted his face into a grimace.
He wanted to groan.
But with people constantly passing nearby, he didn’t want to attract attention.
Never expected I’d have such a tough-guy moment in my life.
Enduring pain was the sort of thing rugged men encountered in action movies.
Yet somehow it had fallen to him.
As a child born in a peaceful era, the worst injury he’d ever suffered was breaking his right arm after fighting with someone in a field when he was young.
And now?
Li Ze felt as though his thighs had been torn apart.
Every inch of his body screamed.
Some time had passed since the race, so his internal organs had gradually settled down.
Yet that suffocating pressure still lingered in his chest.
Can someone tell me why this garbage system is so embarrassing?
Is my Uma Musume body literally the same body as my human one?
What kind of technology is this?
Temporary genetic reconstruction?
How else could a human body possibly reach Uma Musume speeds?
But then what kind of genetic modification lets you turn the modified body back to normal afterward?!
Li Ze had known about this mechanic already.
He just hadn’t expected sprinting at full power to hurt this badly.
Yes.
Unlike other systems, where damage or exhaustion in a transformed body magically disappeared after returning to normal…
His system didn’t work that way.
Pain and injuries suffered as an Uma Musume carried over into his human body.
On the other hand…
Once his human body recovered, the Uma Musume form would also return to perfect condition.
During the previous month, Li Ze had transformed and practiced running several times.
But he’d always kept things controlled.
He’d never pushed himself to the limit.
After transforming back, he would merely feel a little tired.
One night’s rest was enough.
But now…
His whole body wailed in pain.
In his entire life, he’d never experienced anything like it.
The pain was so overwhelming that he didn’t even have the energy to check what his newly unlocked finishing skill actually did.
Thinking about his savings…
He barely had enough money for food.
If he went to the hospital and paid the medical fees up front, he’d need to wait until the race money arrived.
“No matter what, I should go to the hospital first.
I can owe the money if necessary.
As a Trainer, they should let me defer payment…
right?” Li Ze wasn’t certain.
He had only recently arrived in this unfamiliar country.
Although the body’s muscle memory allowed him to use everyday Japanese despite lacking the original memories, he knew absolutely nothing about local social customs.
As for hospitals…
During the past month, his body hadn’t experienced any major problems.
So he hadn’t needed to visit one.
Ordinary healthy people always seemed to have a peculiar psychological resistance to hospitals.
He pushed away from the wall and staggered down the street like a drunk.
Fortunately, Japanese pedestrians weren’t quite as eager to gather around and watch strange things as people back home.
His movements didn’t attract too much attention.
Most people glanced at him once and then looked away.
“Excuse me, sir.
Could you stop for a moment?” Is she talking to me?
The voice came from behind.
Li Ze glanced around from the corner of his eye.
There weren’t any other men nearby.
Then who is calling me?
Could it be someone who knew the original owner?
No way…
If I really run into one of his old friends, what am I supposed to do?
Reading and writing could be relearned.
Knowledge related to Uma Musume training could be studied from scratch.
Those things were static.
They wouldn’t suddenly change just because a different person was using the body.
But human relationships?
How was he supposed to deal with those?
Li Ze stopped.
The owner of the voice came up beside him.
If Li Ze had to assign the woman a representative color…
It would be green.
Not because of any metaphorical association involving green hats or unfortunate husbands.
Simply because everything she wore was green.
It was a combination very few women would choose.
Most people couldn’t carry such a color palette.
Yet this woman did.
His attention was initially caught by the green clothing.
Then it shifted to her face.
And he immediately noticed how beautiful she was.
Beyond her appearance…
Something about her felt familiar.
Not from the original body’s memories.
This wasn’t the kind of familiarity muscle memory could produce.
Li Ze himself had seen her in his previous life.
The Green Demon.
Hayakawa…
Tazuna…
something like that?
Li Ze had already forgotten her exact name.
She was the chairman’s secretary at Tracen Academy.
She had never been playable in the game and only appeared as a support card and the gacha guide.
The reason players called her the Green Demon…
Was also tied to that second role.
When the Green Demon personally opened the gate for you…
Only to reveal nine whites and one guaranteed gold…
That pain wasn’t something ordinary humans were built to withstand.
“Sir, do you need help?” Li Ze’s thoughts were interrupted by her question.
The original owner probably wouldn’t have known someone as important as the chairman’s secretary.
“Excuse me, but who are you?” “Oh, pardon me.
I forgot to introduce myself.
Hello.
I’m Tazuna Hayakawa, secretary to the chairman of Tracen Academy.” The Green Demon introduced herself.
Her words matched Li Ze’s memories.
So this is one of those background characters in Uma Musume?
I remember some people theorizing she was secretly an Uma Musume too…
His thoughts began drifting again.
But Li Ze still remembered that someone was standing in front of him.
“Miss Hayakawa, was there something you needed?” “It’s just that I noticed you’ve strained some muscles and are having trouble walking.
Would you like me to take you to a hospital?” Her concern was obvious.
But the secrets he carried made Li Ze answer instinctively.
“Thank you for the offer, Miss Hayakawa.
Please forgive me for declining.
I think I can get to the hospital myself.” Transmigrator.
System.
Transformation into an Uma Musume.
Those secrets made him cautious.
Especially now.
He’d been careful when transforming back, choosing a blind spot without cameras.
But if someone paid enough attention, there was still a good chance they could notice something strange.
An Uma Musume enters.
A Trainer comes out.
That was weird.
Sure, he could probably invent some ridiculous excuse.
But it was better to avoid creating that situation in the first place.
“I understand.
Then please walk slowly, sir.
Don’t aggravate your injury.” “I will.
Thank you for your concern.” Their brief conversation ended.
Li Ze lowered his head and left alone.
Eventually, he disappeared from Tazuna Hayakawa’s view.
Watching the young man go, Tazuna took out her phone.
“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…” After searching for a while, an ID photograph appeared on the screen.
The man in it was unmistakably the same Li Ze who had just walked away.
“So he’s a Trainer.
I knew he looked familiar.
And he’s Natsume Reiko’s Trainer too…
“But why would a Trainer have signs of a muscle strain?” Tazuna remembered Natsume Reiko.
In the debut race that had just concluded, that Uma Musume had already displayed overwhelming dominance.
Given enough time…
She would surely leave her own mark on Uma Musume history.
And…
If I remember correctly, Natsume Reiko also looked like she’d strained her legs when she left.
One distant glance was enough for Tazuna to analyze quite a bit.
So was there some connection between those two things?
Tazuna Hayakawa had no answer.
“I should go back and tell the Emperor first.
It would be such a waste if an Uma Musume like that didn’t enter Tracen Academy and receive proper training.” With that, Tazuna temporarily put the mystery aside.
She had more urgent matters to handle.
Li Ze, meanwhile, had no idea that after his very first race…
Someone had already come dangerously close to discovering his greatest secret.
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