Who would have thought that as a first-time newcomer to Tracen, her very first classmate would be Belno Light.
Unlike her initially timid and hesitant demeanor, half a year had passed and she now carried herself like a seasoned senior, every word she spoke to the girl brimming with confidence.
"Is there anything you need me to carry? You must have brought a lot of luggage coming to Tracen for the first time."
"Not really, actually. I only need the daily supplies Tracen provides," the girl replied, shaking her head.
She didn't need to eat. To clean herself, she just needed to wipe her mask a few times with the solution and towel Agnes Tachyon had given her.
No metabolism, no risk of getting her mask or underclothes wet. Every few weeks, she'd clean her outfit to avoid any unpleasant odors.
Her living expenses could practically be reduced to zero.
As long as she had a bed so she wouldn't have to sleep on the floor, her basic living conditions were met.
Extremely easy to take care of.
"Ah, right, of course. You just finished your exams—how could you possibly have brought so much stuff," Belno Light said, patting her head after misunderstanding the girl's meaning.
She quickly continued, "Then let me take you to see the dorm first. Tracen is so big, it's really easy to get lost. Back then, Oguri got lost in here for ages, just going in circles until I found her. Oh, you haven't met Oguri yet, have you? Oguri Cap, my friend…"
Belno Light enthusiastically introduced her surroundings, her spirits high.
She was in a wonderfully cheerful mood.
Although she was also a staff trainee herself, honestly, Belno Light felt that the trainees here were… a rather odd bunch.
There was the one researching potions to help Uma Musume recover stamina, who often concocted baffling elixirs and drank them herself—a human guinea Uma—wrecking her health in the process.
The geology-obsessed Uma Musume who loved soil, rushing around every day collecting dirt from different tracks until her room was crammed full of it.
And then the pure training maniac.
The one who helped trainers devise all sorts of bizarre training methods, even claiming that running on all fours was faster than on two legs, then demonstrating by galloping on her hands and feet—a sight that could make anyone's vision go dark.
Such characters were commonplace among the staff trainees, to the point where Belno Light, who hadn't been at Tracen long, felt a sense of utter bewilderment, as if she'd stumbled into some large-scale neurology experiment lab.
Fortunately, she'd enrolled relatively late, and with no vacant rooms left, the school had arranged for her to move into a recently cleared-out storage room originally used for stockpiling bed boards and replacement equipment.
So Belno Light was grateful she didn't have a roommate.
Being around those types, she'd probably have started acting strange herself.
But today, Air Groove suddenly notified her that a new roommate was moving in and asked her to go welcome them.
Belno Light instantly felt a shadow fall over her forehead.
Just… just don't let it be a weirdo, she pleaded—though thinking that felt a bit too greedy! Just someone not too strange would do!
No bizarre experiments in the room, no pungent chemical smells, no compulsive collecting! And no inexplicable contraptions either—that's all I ask!
Holding these thoughts, Belno Light arrived at the room Air Groove had mentioned.
Opening the door, she saw the straight-backed, dapple-gray girl.
A black coat paired with a white overcoat, plus that lovely face—an intellectual beauty with a mature, rhythmic grace emanated from her.
She's definitely a wonderful person!
Both her hair color and her demeanor gave Belno Light an immensely favorable impression.
That was her immediate judgment upon first sight.
And their subsequent conversation further revealed that she was perfectly normal.
Belno Light's mood shifted from overcast gloom to radiant sunshine.
"Belno-senpai."
On the way to the dorm, the girl spoke.
Belno Light's brown ears perked up sharply.
"Just now… what did you say?"
"Was I being too familiar? Belno Light-senpai."
"No! Just 'Belno-senpai' is fine! Call me Belno-senpai!"
Clutching her chest, Belno Light felt like she was floating on air.
So this is what it feels like to be someone's senior…
It's amazing!
Finally, she had her own junior—someone before whom she could occasionally show her reliable side!
That's right—me, Belno Light! From now on, I'm a mature person too!
"What is it, Silence-kouhai?"
Belno Light's eyes curved into happy crescents.
"What do staff trainees usually do?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, Silence-kouhai, you probably don't know about Tracen's assignment system yet."
Finally, her time to shine had come!
"Generally, trainees are divided into several specialties: track, medical, and training. The track specialty involves testing soil viscosity on different courses and how it changes in various weather conditions, helping Uma Musume switch to different horseshoe materials, and coordinating training."
Medical trainees assisted Uma Musume injured during races or training with their recovery.
Training trainees helped trainers by assisting in developing training plans and coordinating with the other two types of trainees.
So strictly speaking, Tracen's trainers didn't work alone; they usually had multiple trainees assisting them.
As for which specialization to choose and which trainer to apprentice under, it depended on the examinee's preferences and scores.
Belno Light was a training trainee, usually assisting Musaka Ginjirou with Oguri Cap.
"It's more complicated than I imagined…"
On the surface, Tracen's educational structure seemed quite simple, but she hadn't realized there were so many categorized specialties.
Come to think of it, Air Groove hadn't asked about her preference or assigned her to any category yet.
Medical would be fine—she had some experience there. Training would work too.
Just please don't assign her to the soil research specialty.
She really didn't want to spend all day playing with mud in a lab.
"Ahaha… Everyone feels dizzy and turned around when they first arrive—I did too! I didn't even know what I was supposed to do!"
"But it's okay; you just need a little time to get familiar. It's actually pretty simple. Has the trainer Silence-kouhai will be apprenticing under been decided yet?"
"No, they said within two days."
"I see…"
Belno Light glanced subtly at the girl's face.
"If only Silence-kouhai could be assigned to the same trainer as me… The medical trainee spot for Oguri is still open right now. But there are plenty of vacant positions overall, so we might not end up together…"
"The school will decide, after all."
"A-Anyway, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me. I haven't been at Tracen for terribly long either, but I know the ropes by now. If you run into trouble, just come find me! Oh, what am I saying, 'come find me'—we're roommates after all! Look! We're here already—this is our room!"
The portion of the room belonging to the girl had already been tidied up by Belno Light, who eagerly began showing her around.
Finally, she had reached this point.
She had acquired a perfect, untraceable hiding place—one where she would never be found.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.