21: Chapter 2: Wait, Am I a Treasure?
(6/15) 21: Chapter 2: Wait, Am I a Treasure?
(6/15) “Spica?” The first thing that came to Keiko’s mind was the astronomical term—Spica, the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.
Using it as a team name suggested a romantic touch.
Spica also represented harvest in the West, which fit the Umamusume philosophy that hard work would bear fruit.
“Yes, it’s Spica!” Gold Ship, who had just been kicked seven meters away, returned with grass in her hair and introduced the team enthusiastically.
“We aren’t super famous yet, but we’re amazing!
Why not give it a try!” “Thank you for the offer, but I have a busy schedule.
If I get the chance, I will definitely drop by to say thanks!” Keiko politely declined using her standard customer-service rejection speech.
She was used to dealing with sales pitches.
But before she could escape, Gold Ship grabbed her arm.
“Young girl…
Do you want to know the meaning of life?
Do you want to…
truly live?!” Gold Ship’s voice was deep, asking Keiko with absolute seriousness.
But this familiar line only made Keiko sweatdrop.
‘Don’t tell me Z-da is still dropping updates even in this world.’ Still, she shook her head firmly.
“I’m not really interested in that—” “Alright, Gold Ship.
Since she’s not interested, there’s no need to force her.
Maybe there will be other chances in the future—” McQueen stepped in to save the day.
Compared to Gold Ship, Keiko had a much better impression of McQueen.
It was truly a case of “no comparison, no harm.” In front of the gentle and kind McQueen, Gold Ship was practically chaotic evil.
As low as Keiko’s favorability for Gold Ship dropped, her favorability for McQueen soared.
“Sorry, um…
I haven’t asked for your name yet.” “Tojo Keiko.
You can just call me Tojo…” Keiko answered seriously.
“I really am in a hurry, so I’m sorry I can’t check out your team right now.
If there’s a chance next time, I’ll give it a try.” “I understand.
I’ll look forward to it, then.” McQueen had no intention of pestering her.
She quite liked Keiko’s politeness, so she kindly pointed out the location of the student council building.
This saved Keiko from wandering around aimlessly.
Expressing her gratitude to McQueen, Keiko quickly left the training grounds.
As soon as Keiko left, McQueen was surrounded.
These Umamusume were the ones who had been staring at Keiko earlier.
Now, they swarmed McQueen like wildfire.
“McQueen…
that girl just now…” An Umamusume who was close to McQueen spoke first.
“Is she the legendary Tojo Keiko?” “Eh?
The legendary…” McQueen blinked, repeating the name “Tojo Keiko” in her head before it clicked.
“She’s that…
Todai exchange student?
The legendary, only Umamusume to ever get into Todai, Tojo Keiko?!” “She really is just like the rumors say—she doesn’t talk to people much, like an aloof ice queen.
They say she rarely makes friends, except for Diamond-san, who is at the top of the grade, and Kita-chan, who is second only to Duramente.
She pours all her energy into studying and training.
Some even say her racing speed is on par with Kita-chan’s.” Several Umamusume whispered.
After all, as the only Umamusume in the world to get into the University of Tokyo, being famous here was only natural.
Combined with her exceptionally beautiful looks and her icy attitude, she carried an air of mystery.
McQueen hadn’t realized who she was at first, and now she slightly regretted not talking to her more.
Being able to converse with such an outstanding Umamusume was a rare opportunity.
“Although I recognized her early on, I just didn’t dare to go up and talk…” An Umamusume next to her muttered, feeling a bit insecure.
“Someone that outstanding probably looks down on us anyway.” “Yeah…
just in terms of aura alone, it felt like meeting a legendary senior.
She just completed her maturation, yet she has this kind of presence—she’s truly a genius.” An excited Umamusume said.
“How did you feel, McQueen?
Was she hard to get along with?” “Not really…
but she was very polite.
If I had to say, she felt quite distant.” McQueen recalled their conversation.
The girl had remained polite from start to finish, yet maintained a clear distance.
Even her rejection followed a textbook, cold template.
Perhaps she really was an icy person, both inside and out.
“What did you think, Gold Ship?” McQueen asked Gold Ship, who had also spoken to Keiko.
“Isn’t she just a very average, slightly socially anxious girl?” Gold Ship scratched her head.
“You guys are looking at her through a thick filter.” “What are you thinking?!
She must have been acting to have a normal conversation with us.
She’s a Todai student!
I heard their exams are terrifyingly hard.
How could an Umamusume who got into the University of Tokyo be ordinary?!” An Umamusume who seemed to be Keiko’s enthusiastic fan argued back.
“No, no…
at the end of the day, an Umamusume getting into Todai shouldn’t be that surprising.” Gold Ship shrugged.
“Most Umamusume just never even try.
She was just the first one to try, and she succeeded, right?” “That’s definitely not the same…” McQueen shook her head.
“But an Umamusume who can get into the University of Tokyo must indeed be someone amazing.
If I get the chance, I’d like to get to know her better.” “You’re overthinking, McQueen…
Maybe she was just thinking, ‘Why is a rich lady like McQueen so down-to-earth?'” “How possible…” — ‘McQueen, a rich lady like her, was actually so down-to-earth with me…
Wow, I’m definitely not washing this hand when I get back.
If I tell Dia-chan, she’s going to die of jealousy.
McQueen is her idol!’ Keiko was grinning so hard she could barely contain herself.
As an art student from her past life, being surrounded by beautiful girls was like being in heaven.
And she had just spoken to the legendary eldest daughter of the Mejiro family!
In any gacha game, she would definitely be an SSR card, maybe even a UR!
‘I’ll have to brag to Dia-chan when I get back.
See?
I can manage on my own.
Always treating me like a kid, she really underestimates me.’ Arriving at the student council room door, she was still feeling smug.
But as she drew closer to ‘that woman’, the smile on her face faded.
That woman was the strategist who had set her up, the demon king who forced her onto an unexpected path, the peak of authority in Tracen, and the sponsor of her financial aid.
None of those identities were ones she could afford to offend.
To her, this student council room was basically the Demon King’s Castle.
She took a deep breath, grabbed the handle, and pulled the door open.
“Oh?
Tojo Keiko, you’re here.
I thought you got lost and was just about to look for you.” But the moment the hero Keiko stepped into the castle, she was cornered by the Demon King!
Standing right in front of her was the seven-crown Umamusume, the absolute Symboli Rudolf—the Emperor, the ruler of Tracen Academy, the legendary undefeated triple-crown Umamusume, and one of the strongest in history (limited to Japan).
Keiko hadn’t expected to face the Demon King’s pressure so soon.
She took a step back, her determined gaze wavering, her straight posture slumping, and her voice trembling slightly.
“I-I’m so sorry I’m late…
I’m just a useless Umamusume who gets lost even inside a school, I’m truly sorry…” ‘It’s over, my social anxiety has been triggered.
It’s a backlash—a physical backlash!’ Keiko blamed her body’s reflexes entirely, not wanting to admit that she was simply terrified of a VIP like Rudolf.
“Rudolf-senpai…
President Rudolf?” “Hahaha…
Sorry, I’m not laughing at you.
Hahaha…
Is that a joke you prepared?
It’s really funny.” Rudolf was amused by Keiko’s reaction.
“Sorry, sorry.
You don’t need to be so nervous.
I sincerely apologize for setting you up before.
Even though my intentions were good, I did keep you in the dark.” “…Um…
thank you very much for waiving my tuition fees.” Keiko thanked her, though inside she was screaming: ‘You cunning old fox, like I’d ever trust you.’ But she didn’t dare say a word of it out loud.
“Actually, the reason I took an interest in you was because of your race with Kitasan Black.
I’ve been watching Kitasan Black for a long time; she has great potential.
But I unexpectedly discovered a shining talent in you.
Yes, you might lack confidence, but I don’t believe I misjudged you.
A close friend of mine agreed; she highly praised your talent.” Rudolf explained in detail.
“Tojo Keiko, you worked incredibly hard.
The President didn’t go easy on you either; your written and interview scores were outstanding.
You got into Todai through your own hard work.
It has very little to do with me.” “Then…
why did I still end up sent to Tracen Academy?” Keiko asked softly.
“I thought this was a plan between you and the President?” “Well…
because the University of Tokyo and Tracen Academy have always had a strategic partnership.” Rudolf answered directly.
“Actually, many Umamusume choose to continue their studies at prestigious universities in Tokyo after graduating from Tracen.
Waseda and even Kyoto University are popular choices.
It’s just that no Umamusume ever chose the University of Tokyo.” “Eh?” Keiko tilted her head.
“Why?” “Well, most universities lower their score requirements for Umamusume.
Enrolling Umamusume is an investment for them—it boosts the school’s fame and motivates the students.
Only the University of Tokyo has never received an application from an Umamusume.” Rudolf shrugged.
“Partly because Todai refuses to lower its grade requirements, and partly because, despite being one of the best universities in Asia, Todai doesn’t have much to attract Umamusume…
To change this, Todai and Tracen planned an exchange student program long ago.
You are the first exchange student from Todai to study here at Tracen.
As Todai’s representative, your racing will be the best promotion for them.
Ideally, it will attract more Umamusume to apply to Todai.
That’s their goal.” “So basically, I fit both of your standards, and you both decided to…
bet on me?” Keiko finally understood.
It wasn’t that the two institutions had colluded to scheme against her; rather, they both wanted to use her races for promotion.
The fact that Todai had no Umamusume had become a meme.
When universities interacted, other schools would always slot an Umamusume into their teams just to mock Todai.
Over time, Todai grew desperate to have an Umamusume student.
Keiko had successfully passed the written exam, and her interview was a breeze.
With her looks, attitude, and capability, there was no way they wouldn’t pass her.
As a result, Keiko became Todai’s banner.
A banner that screamed: ‘We have an Umamusume too, and she’s top-tier!’ Although she felt Todai’s administrators were a bit childish, their desire to save face was understandable.
Every other university had Umamusume, while Todai was stuck at zero—it was indeed frustrating.
Rudolf herself didn’t care who the Umamusume represented.
As long as talented runners could shine on the track, she was satisfied.
So it was no surprise that Todai and Tracen worked together.
Realizing all this, Keiko felt relieved.
No wonder both sides went all out to make things easy for her—not only waiving her tuition, but even sending her uniforms in advance, which usually had to be paid for out of pocket.
It swept away any potential trouble she might have faced.
“So, we value you highly.
I didn’t want you to have any misunderstandings—which is why I called you here on your first day to explain.
Though, I forgot how large Tracen is.
I should have asked Maruzensky to pick you up.” Rudolf rubbed her chin, realizing she hadn’t planned well.
But her words only made Keiko’s face turn white.
“No!
President!
Please no!
Never let big sister Maruzensky pick me up ever again!
I don’t want to die young!” —