“Natsume Sawa, correct?
Please return for another examination in ten days.
Other than that, just pay more attention to your health.” “Understood.
Thank you, Doctor.” Li Ze had no idea that far away at Tracen Academy, the Emperor and Empress had praised both “Natsume Reiko” the Uma Musume and “Natsume Sawa” the Trainer.
Nor did he know about Symboli Rudolf’s concern for Natsume Reiko.
Uma Musume inherited the kindness and sensitivity of otherworldly spirits.
Even when they were rivals on the racetrack, they cared about one another outside it.
Of course, their sensitivity also allowed them to detect hostility.
And the way Natsume Reiko raced was filled with “malice.” It inspired fear in others.
But even Symboli Rudolf had never imagined that “Natsume Reiko” was actually a human.
Li Ze had grown up as a boy.
He was accustomed to being rough and inattentive.
How could he possibly understand what other people were thinking?
Much less what girls were thinking.
After leaving the hospital, Li Ze bought a cheap ready-made meal from a convenience store and carried it home for dinner.
With his leg strained, he had no desire to compete with housewives over discounted supermarket ingredients.
He didn’t even have the energy to wait until late at night for discounted bentos.
Fortunately, the Uma Musume Association worked efficiently.
The morning race had ended only an hour or two earlier…
And the prize money had already been deposited.
After marveling at the speed of the bureaucracy, Li Ze went to a supermarket and bought some fruit.
The moment he left the checkout counter, his heart started bleeding.
Fruit in Japan was expensive.
His already impoverished household had taken another devastating blow.
…Not really.
If the race money hadn’t arrived, he wouldn’t have bought fruit in the first place.
Even so, it still hurt.
“I should’ve just bought vitamin tablets.” Muttering all the way home, Li Ze ate his bento, painfully consumed one banana, then carefully stored the remaining fruit.
People needed to experience setbacks and suffering.
If all you did after hardship was wallow in self-pity, you’d never grow.
But fruit prices were completely incompatible with Li Ze’s concept of cost-effectiveness.
So in the end…
He chose the internet to dilute his emotions.
Humans were social creatures.
They needed interaction.
But the body’s original owner, Natsume Sawa, had grown up in a children’s welfare home.
Even after entering Trainer school, his life consisted entirely of studying and part-time work.
He had virtually no time for friends.
And Li Ze himself had been a veteran shut-in in his previous life.
If there was a place he could stay indoors, he absolutely refused to go outside.
That made social interaction even less appealing.
Whenever loneliness eventually crept in…
He simply surfed the internet.
There would always be idiots online capable of healing the soul.
Of course, sometimes those same idiots started wars in group chats.
Whenever that happened, Li Ze simply muted the group and moved on to another one.
While browsing, he happened to see someone post information about Tracen Academy promoting its transfer-student system.
Then a whole group began debating the real purpose behind the campaign.
Some ridiculous arguments even claimed that the “Emperor” had long planned to place every Uma Musume school in Japan under Tracen Academy’s direct control.
This familiar flavor…
Excellent.
Even after changing world lines, internet discourse remained exactly the same.
Wait.
Why the hell are a bunch of Chinese people in a QQ group discussing policy at a Japanese Uma Musume academy?!
Scratching his head, Li Ze still clicked the link.
After all, externally he was Japanese.
Internally he was Chinese.
And he could also transform into an Uma Musume while holding a Trainer license.
Tracen Academy’s policies were surprisingly relevant to him.
Open webpage.
Mute group.
Lurk.
The entire process was seamless.
The link led to a video uploaded by Tracen Academy’s official account.
Judging by the comments, this was old wine in a new bottle.
The policy itself wasn’t new.
Apparently, previous promotion had failed, so the academy was advertising it again.
Li Ze quickly skimmed the video.
The summary was simple.
Uma Musume outside Tracen Academy could apply through a special admission channel.
They did not need to pass the full entrance examination.
As long as they passed a special evaluation, they could enter Tracen Academy directly.
These students would even receive extra subsidies after enrollment.
It sounded like an exceptionally generous policy.
In theory, it should attract huge numbers of Uma Musume.
In reality…
Very few entered through this route.
Most would rather study academic subjects and take Tracen Academy’s standard entrance exam than challenge the special admission system.
Li Ze quickly discovered why.
“Emperor Symboli Rudolf and Empress Air Groove as the chief examiners?
“That’s like entering Totsuki Academy and having the God’s Tongue personally judge your cooking.” Not everyone was Soma Yukihira.
According to Uma Musume who had attempted this route before, both Rudolf and Air Groove were extremely strict.
If one applicant out of ten passed, that counted as extraordinary luck.
Usually…
Everyone failed.
“Only geniuses can pass, huh?
No wonder I never found much information about it before.
“This evaluation is so absurd I don’t even feel like making fun of it.” After gathering enough information, Li Ze gave his verdict.
Tracen Academy was the best academy in Japan.
Its instructors were exceptional.
Its facilities and resources were unimaginable.
And all those facilities could be used free of charge.
Everyone knew one simple truth.
Free stuff made people happy.
Naturally, Li Ze felt tempted.
But in the end…
He abandoned the idea.
If he entered Tracen Academy as an Uma Musume…
What would happen to “Natsume Sawa” the Trainer?
Could both of them enter Tracen?
And even if they could…
How was he supposed to keep the fact that both people were actually the same person secret forever?
What if someone discovered it?
Even if nobody did…
Living at Tracen Academy would practically become imprisonment.
Li Ze wasn’t ready to spend most of his life as a woman!
Transforming to train and enter races was already enough!
“Looks like I’ll still have to negotiate with the old academy about that abandoned training ground in the suburbs.
“If I can’t afford to buy it, I’ll rent it first.
“I can use it as a private practice area.” The secret surrounding his body meant he should avoid training publicly.
The more attention he attracted…
The easier it would become for someone to discover the truth.
Besides, he didn’t particularly enjoy running while people watched.
A short while later, Li Ze made his decision.
He picked up his phone and searched through the contact list until he found a number.
The original owner had kept a diary.
That allowed Li Ze to reconstruct at least part of his social network.
The owner of this number was one of his former instructors at Trainer school.
That teacher had previously worked as a Trainer at a regional Tracen Academy before retiring from the position and becoming a teacher.
And Natsume Reiko’s official affiliation…
Had been arranged through this teacher.
Unfortunately, just as Li Ze registered her with the academy, financial problems had forced the Uma Musume school into bankruptcy.
He’d gotten lucky enough to slip through at the last moment.
“Hello, Teacher.
It’s Natsume Sawa.
About the academy’s old training grounds…” At this moment…
Li Ze was working hard for tomorrow’s bread.
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