When Keiko came to school the next day, she had massive dark circles under her eyes, looking completely drained.
The scene she saw last night and Cafe’s words kept replaying in her head like a broken record.
She hadn’t slept a wink since she lay down.
Only when morning came without any supernatural incidents did she finally sigh in relief.
Her exhausted state didn’t escape Diamond’s notice.
When Keiko almost nodded off for the third time, Diamond couldn’t take it anymore.
She raised her hand and told the teacher she was taking Keiko to the infirmary.
Her departure caused a minor stir in class, with gossiping Umamusume whispering.
“Why does the girl from Todai look so tired?” “She must have been studying late last night!
How else could she have gotten into Todai?” “True, the Todai girl is amazing.” “I heard she was personally invited by the President.
She must have incredible running talent too.
Is this what a genius is like?” “A genius…
I wonder how she compares to Tokai Teio.” “I’m curious too—” “By the way, what was the Todai girl’s real name again?” “…I forgot.
Everyone just calls her the Todai girl.” — Keiko had no idea her classmates had forgotten her actual name.
Although she was in bad shape, she didn’t really need the infirmary.
Her past workloads had been far worse.
Rather than a physical illness, she was just mentally exhausted from last night’s tension.
“Did something happen at the dorm?” The school doctor wasn’t in, so Diamond let Keiko lie down on a bed.
Having witnessed the hellish studying Keiko went through for the Todai exam, she was deeply worried about the girl’s health.
Even among Umamusume with resilient bodies, there was a gap.
Just like champion midlaners, not everyone was equal, and Keiko belonged to the weaker tier.
“The doctor isn’t here, so just rest.
I’ll wake you up when they return.” “…I’m actually fine.” Keiko shook her head.
“Last night…
how should I put it, you probably won’t believe me if I tell you.
It sounds too wild, so I’d better keep it to myself.” “How do you know I won’t believe you if you don’t tell me?” Diamond said in annoyance.
“Nothing like this happened when you stayed at my house.
Why don’t you move back?
I’ll move out of the dorms to stay with you too.
It’s a bit far, but we can just commute by bus every day.” “That wastes too much gas—” Keiko muttered softly.
“And I can’t keep bothering your family forever.
A week or two is fine, but if I live there permanently, wouldn’t I just be freeloading?” “Other people would kill for that opportunity.
What’s your problem with freeloading anyway?” Diamond crossed her arms.
“I’m perfectly happy with it!
Besides, my parents really like you.
Crown-san too—she even said it felt a bit lonely when you left.” “That’s because your family are all wonderful people, but even so, I can’t just take it for granted.” Keiko shook her head.
“But please thank your parents and Crown-san for me.
If I ever make it big in the future, I will definitely repay them.” “You already got into Todai…
Honestly, I feel like you’ve eaten enough bitterness to last a lifetime.
You can just leave the rest to us.
It’s fine even if you just want to be a slacker.” Diamond’s words were incredibly tempting, sending Keiko’s inner freeloading desires into overdrive.
But despite wanting to be a parasite who did nothing but eat and sleep, she wasn’t willing to rely on others’ charity.
Was it a lack of security, or did relying on such kind people trigger a sense of guilt?
The reasons were complex, tied heavily to her bizarre pride.
When it came to bringing misery upon herself, she was a professional.
After all, if not for that pride and a sudden impulse to become an artist, she wouldn’t have abandoned Tsinghua and Peking University to go to an art school in her past life.
But when she realized a path was a dead end, she was willing to turn back, which was why she chose to study for Todai in this life.
Having lived to see a second life, Tojo Keiko the Great naturally had to discard the bad habits of her past life and choose the path that led to easier success— “Look, I’m just living out for now.
I’ll still drop by to disturb you during holidays.
Just think of me as a domesticated stray cat that occasionally goes out to hunt.” Keiko used a bizarre analogy.
“…Keiko-chan, you really say the most random things sometimes…” “Yes…
I’m sorry.” Diamond sighed.
She had planned to drag Keiko back to her house if Keiko wasn’t happy in the dorms.
Although she opposed her parents adopting Keiko, she secretly wanted Keiko to stay with them longer.
Her parents really liked Keiko—they liked her diligence and admired how focused she was.
A serious person was always more likable than a frivolous one, let alone a cute girl like Keiko whose adorable factor was off the charts.
Aside from being a bit gloomy, she was basically the ideal “child of neighbor” archetype.
Initially, both Kita-chan and Diamond had invited the homeless Keiko to live with them, feeling much safer keeping her close rather than leaving her in a lonely dorm.
So when Keiko, despite her hesitation, ultimately chose Diamond’s house, Diamond had been overjoyed.
Though she hid her excitement behind her polite lady manners, she desperately wanted Keiko by her side.
Just looking at her gave her endless motivation—besides, Keiko had actually said she liked her!
That was something Kita-chan couldn’t compete with.
Of course, she didn’t know that the real reason Keiko rejected Kita-chan’s invitation was because she had spotted suspicious bulges in the pockets of the black-suited men standing behind Kita-chan, which had terrified her.
“But it’s really amazing.
I thought we wouldn’t end up in the same class, but here we are together.” Diamond smiled.
“Kita-chan wasn’t as lucky, though.” “Yeah, Tracen Academy has so many students.
I feel much safer having you around, Dia-chan—” As Keiko spoke, her aura darkened once more.
“Otherwise, no one would talk to me during breaks.
I’d start wondering if I did something wrong.” “…Ahaha…” Diamond waved her hands quickly.
“It’s just that everyone thinks you’re a bit unapproachable.
I mean, you know how you look…” “I’m sorry for being a gloomy-looking otaku girl…” Keiko’s aura grew even darker, to the point where mushrooms might start growing on her head.
“But having Dia-chan by my side is enough.
It makes me feel like I haven’t turned invisible.
Ahaha, if not for you, I’d probably go back to being a shut-in in no time.” “…Keiko-chan, you get really heavy sometimes.” “Yes…
I’m sorry.” “Instead of telling me this, why don’t you find a way to get people to approach you?
I think everyone is curious about you.
They just don’t know what to say, especially after your self-introduction in class…” Diamond brought up a memory that made Keiko’s brain boil.
“No!
Stop talking about it!” Keiko reacted like a salted slug, writhing, melting, and screaming in agony.
She had wanted to make a good first impression, but having stayed up all night, her brain had gone on strike at the worst possible moment.
When she stood up to introduce herself, she was still drafting it in her head.
‘”My name is Tojo Keiko, and I’m an exchange student from the University of Tokyo.
Nice to meet you all.
I might not talk much, but I’m not anti-social.
I hope we can get along…”‘ While she was still rehearsing, the teacher called her name.
Standing up under everyone’s gaze, her mind went completely blank.
Her boiling brain, coupled with the dark circles from staying up all night, gave her a terrifying aura.
To make things worse—and this was the part she desperately wanted to erase from her memory—her brain short-circuited.
She stood there, silently staring down the entire class, unable to squeeze out a single word.
In everyone else’s eyes, she had stood up, glared gloomily at the room, muttered four cold words: “Tojo Keiko,” and sat right back down.
She didn’t dare look at her classmates’ faces.
She only knew that her chances at a normal school life in Tracen were officially dead.
A self-introduction that left even the teacher speechless had to be a record at Tracen.
If she hadn’t just enrolled, she would have packed her bags and left the school that very night.
“It definitely had a strong presence, but such a brief introduction makes it impossible for people to strike up a conversation.” Diamond evaluated honestly.
“If I met you for the first time, I’d probably think you didn’t want anything to do with anyone.” Keiko knew that, but what could she do?
In her past life she might have handled it, but this body grasped shut-in genes.
When faced with public attention, her body’s instinct was to curl up.
How could she socialize with a body like this?
In fact, being able to talk normally to Diamond and Kita-chan was already a miracle.
Her soul wasn’t particularly cheerful, and she couldn’t suppress this shut-in aura at all.
‘Who stands at the peak of the shut-in path?
Once you meet Tojo, it all becomes void.’ Keiko’s introversion was carved into her bones, and her soul was simply too weak.
“Ugh…
this will definitely be useful next time…” Keiko wrapped herself in the blanket like a spring roll.
“The way of socializing is too profound.” “I think you’re just taking it too seriously, Keiko-chan.” Diamond reached out to stroke Keiko’s head.
“There, there.
Good girl.
Even if you can’t make friends, I’ll always be by your side.” “Uwah…
Dia-chan, my hero.” Keiko looked comforted.
“Without you, I’d turn into a water bear worse than a water flea!” “Yes, yes.
Good girl—” — “Satono Diamond!
You betrayed me!!” And just like that, the trust shattered.
Looking at Diamond’s apologetic expression, Keiko cried out in despair.
“Stay away from me!” “Don’t worry, it’s just a very standard fever shot—” A doctor with a cheerful smile reminiscent of Dr.
Livesey from ‘Treasure Island’ held up a syringe, grinning as he approached the weak, helpless Keiko.
“No need to worry, the pain will only last a second.” As everyone knows, in front of Dr.
Livesey, avoiding treatment is synonymous with death.
By the time Keiko clutched her rear and followed Diamond out of the infirmary, her resentment was practically tangible.
“Now, now, don’t be mad.
You had a fever, so a shot was the fastest way to cure it.” “…Ugh…
my butt…” Keiko clutched her backside.
She really hadn’t expected the school doctor to be so physically imposing.
She suspected the doctor had at least fifty percent Russian blood; otherwise, no normal person could emit such pressure.
If this doctor chased Umamusume with a syringe during a race, everyone would probably shatter their limits and set new world records.
However, the two didn’t notice that several Umamusume who had just finished class saw them and had their minds completely blown, imagining all sorts of things.
Two girls went into the infirmary together, and one came out clutching her bottom.
Thus, without either of them realizing it, a scandalous rumor about the Todai Umamusume and the Satono heiress doing something inappropriate in the infirmary spread like wildfire.
As a result, those who didn’t know how to talk to Keiko in the first place dared even less to speak to her in front of Diamond.
Whenever the two were together, everyone looked at them with suggestive eyes.
In a display of the unique gentleness of Umamusume, this rumor was kept completely hidden from the two involved.
Until— “Keiko-chan!
I heard you and Satono Diamond were practicing Umapyoi Legend in the infirmary?!” When Kita-chan came to find her, Keiko was eating lunch.
Having traded some tamagoyaki and a fried egg from Diamond’s bento, she was enjoying a box of papaya milk.
Hearing Kita-chan’s words, she spat the papaya milk right out.
The nutrition meant to secure Keiko’s future turned into an unspeakable liquid on the floor.
Keiko coughed in pain, taking a handkerchief from Diamond.
The shock had made her choke, and now her nose was full of papaya milk.
While cleaning up the mess, she looked up in horror.
“What did you just say?!” “Why did you only practice with Dia-chan?
If you’re going to practice, include me too!
I’m really good at Umapyoi!” “Do you even hear what you’re saying?!” Keiko leaned back defensively.
“Where did this rumor even come from?!
Fake news!” —