When Satono Diamond returned to the dormitory, she found Kitasan Black asleep on her bed, phone still in hand.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only 8 PM.
Kitasan-san really does go to bed early, as always.
Kitasan Black typically fell asleep before 9 PM every day, then woke up remarkably early the next morning.
Thinking about this, Satono Diamond suddenly recalled something else.
Even though Kitasan-san woke up early every morning, she was always careful not to make any noise that might disturb her roommate.
If Kitasan-san were truly a selfish liar, would she care about something like that?
Diamond gazed curiously at Kitasan Black's sleeping face.
(What kind of person are you, really?)
Crown had told her that Kitasan-san was a good person.
But Crown didn't really know Kitasan-san that well herself.
That assessment was merely Crown's own subjective assumption.
What Satono Diamond wanted to know was who Kitasan-san truly was.
Was she really a liar?
Had she actually been sandbagging in today's race?
If she couldn't get to the bottom of these questions, Diamond felt she would go mad.
(Alright, I'm going to see the real you!)
Satono Diamond quietly walked to the wardrobe, retrieved a change of clothes, and headed to the bathhouse. She was going to bed early tonight too.
Normally at this hour, Diamond would still be reading and studying until 10 PM, only going to sleep when the dormitory lights were turned off.
But tonight, she wasn't in the mood to study.
After Satono Diamond left the room, Kitasan Black's eyelids twitched slightly.
Though her eyes remained closed, she had clearly woken up.
The ojou-sama seemed to think she had concealed herself well, but that burning gaze had startled Kitasan Black awake.
After all, Kitasan Black's vigilance in the dormitory was always at maximum—even higher than when she was outside.
Compared to Satono Crown, that wild boss who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Kitasan Black knew very well that her real final boss was Satono Diamond.
Because whether in the game, the anime, or even in various fan-created works—
"Kita-chan" and the Diamond ojou-sama were always paired together as an inseparable couple.
In some of the stranger fan works, the Diamond ojou-sama even displayed a domineering attitude of "I want to claim the trainer, and I want to claim Kita-chan too!"
Compared to Satono Crown, who was practically just a background character in "Kita-chan's" story settings—
The Diamond ojou-sama was the one Kitasan Black truly needed to be wary of.
(Strange, what reason does the Diamond ojou-sama have for paying so much attention to me? Her enthusiasm had cooled down quite a bit not long ago.)
Though the Diamond ojou-sama would occasionally try to get close to her, that enthusiasm and curiosity would typically cool off quickly.
It usually took some kind of catalyst—
Like a certain Crown, or a certain Crown, for the Diamond ojou-sama to pick up those feelings again.
But there was usually a buffer period between such attempts.
And it had only been one day since the Diamond ojou-sama's last probing.
Was that cooldown period really evolving this fast?
Kitasan Black groaned internally.
She simply couldn't understand.
Why was it that even when she did nothing, these ojou-samas would approach her on their own?
In the original setting, wasn't "Kita-chan" the one who actively approached the Diamond ojou-sama in their relationship?
After all, in the Diamond ojou-sama's memories, she said she had always been led forward by "Kita-chan."
The one holding her hand and walking ahead was "Kita-chan."
Based on "Kita-chan's" cheerful personality, there was a high probability that "Kita-chan" had made the first move to befriend the Diamond ojou-sama.
From this, one could conclude that the Diamond ojou-sama might not have been very proactive as a child.
Therefore, Kitasan Black had initially thought that if she just learned from her senpais and adopted a distant, unapproachable attitude, this destined connection would naturally be severed.
But why?
Why hadn't the Diamond ojou-sama given up? Why was she becoming even more proactive lately?
Could it really be the influence of fate?
Kitasan Black knew very well that in this world, destiny was a real, mysterious force.
But to expect her to simply surrender to it—that was absolutely impossible!
She didn't need this kind of friendship!
Kitasan Black steeled her resolve.
It wasn't that she feared some strange fan-fiction scenario unfolding.
Because the probability of that was far too low.
Her senpais' experiences had taught her that the worlds created by the system were quite normal.
The real reason she didn't want to befriend her classmates was actually quite simple.
Because this was the Uma Musume Development Academy, wasn't it?
Everyone here would surely want to become uma musume in the future.
And since they were all similar in age—at most a year or two apart—there was a high possibility they would meet on the racetrack.
Kitasan Black imagined having a good friend, meeting them in a race, and then having to defeat them in competition. The thought terrified her. After all, the emotions uma musume invested in racing were simply too heavy.
It wasn't like ordinary sports competition at all.
It meant truly staking everything in every single race—transforming one's entire being, including one's future, into fuel to deliver what might be a once-in-a-lifetime grand performance. That was what it meant to be a true uma musume.
If she herself were such a genuine article, that would be one thing. But Kitasan Black knew she wasn't.
Her reason for wanting to race was so mundane.
There wasn't a shred of dreams or passion in it.
She wanted to become an uma musume simply because racing paid well.
Of course, there were others who had entered this world with the same mindset.
Take the great senpai Tamamo Cross, for example.
Tamamo Cross-senpai had originally become an uma musume to improve her family's financial situation.
Her initial motivation for racing was likewise money.
But her own situation was different from that senpai's.
Tamamo Cross-senpai's early results weren't good at all. The reason she later became a legend was because she had awakened.
Yes, it started with money, and that goal never changed.
But beyond that, she had developed a desire to win, found rivals she absolutely had to defeat.
It was because she awakened into a genuine article that Tamamo Cross-senpai became so strong, became a legend.
But what about herself?
Kitasan Black didn't think she could awaken like Tamamo Cross-senpai had.
Because their situations were completely different.
Tamamo Cross had never truly experienced the passion of racing at first. Once she experienced it, there was no going back. But Kitasan Black was fully aware of that burning passion and remained a "fake" despite knowing it.
Moreover, thanks to her senpais, she was already strong even without awakening that passionate love for racing.
Not just ordinarily strong—she was strong to an almost rule-breaking degree!
She was a cheater.
Her situation was fundamentally different from Tamamo Cross's.
That's why she couldn't do it.
She couldn't bring herself to ruthlessly crush a friend in competition while fully understanding the weight of their dreams.
But if she couldn't do that, her goals would remain unfulfilled.
And so, the path forward was clear.
She, Kitasan Black, didn't need rivals or friends who would compete against her!
Simply treating uma musume races as work—racing without any emotional attachments—that was what suited her best.
Therefore, it wasn't that she disliked Satono Diamond or Satono Crown. They were simply people from different worlds from the very beginning. As long as she maintained their current relationship, Kitasan Black could crush them in future races without any psychological burden.
Your dreams, your feelings—what do they have to do with me?
Don't look at their brilliance, because we're destined never to walk the same path.
Actually, becoming friends with Kitasan Black was quite simple.
You just had to not become an uma musume, or not become an uma musume who would race against her.
As long as Kitasan Black was certain they wouldn't meet in competition later, there was no reason they couldn't be friends.
Take, for example, a certain good friend from her hometown.
Though Kitasan Black knew this friend would also become an uma musume in the future, she was certain they would never meet in a race, so they had become good friends without any obstacles.
The situation with Satono Diamond and Satono Crown was different.
Because in "Kita-chan's" story, they were originally rivals. That was why Kitasan Black resisted getting close to them.
In fact, if she weren't so soft-hearted—
She might have already used various methods to drop their affection for her into the negatives.
Her current display of distance and coldness was actually a manifestation of Kitasan Black's gentle nature.
If you know from the start that getting close will only cause pain, then you shouldn't get close at all.
(Sigh...)
Though it felt tiring to disguise herself this way—
Kitasan Black believed this situation wouldn't last long.
After all, those two ojou-samas were just elementary school students. She didn't think their current feelings could persist for long.
Besides, she believed that what Crown and Diamond felt toward her now was mostly curiosity, nothing more.
Children, after all, were naturally curious about new things.
Wanting to approach a new classmate—there wasn't really any deeper meaning behind it.
So she just needed to gradually wear down their patience, and they would naturally give up. They might even come to dislike her.
In any group, someone who stood apart from the collective would inevitably be excluded and disliked by everyone.
It didn't matter why.
Whether it was for being too outstanding, too unremarkable, or simply too independent—it was all the same.
This applied not just to elementary school students but to adults as well.
And she, Kitasan Black, was deliberately positioning herself as that isolated person, because that was the role that suited her best.
As long as everyone isolated her, she could likewise isolate everyone else.
By the time Satono Diamond finished her bath and returned to the dormitory, Kitasan Black had already fallen back asleep.
Though she had thought so much before sleeping, Kitasan Black's sleep quality was actually quite good. She generally didn't dream.
At 5:30 in the morning, Kitasan Black naturally woke up and opened her eyes.
She got up, made her bed, and changed into her training clothes—all without making a single sound.
This wasn't something an ordinary person could do.
But for Kitasan Black, who had perfect control over her body, moving without making noise was simple.
After changing clothes and putting on her shoes, Kitasan Black left the dormitory.
Though she had hated going out for morning exercises with her old man and the others back home, her body had grown accustomed to the routine. So even after coming here, she maintained the habit.
After all, habits didn't feel tiring. On the contrary, not following them would feel even more uncomfortable.
The moment Kitasan Black closed the door, Satono Diamond opened her eyes.
Visible dark circles had formed around her eyes.
She couldn't sleep. She simply couldn't sleep last night.
Thinking about tailing Kitasan-san, she had been terrified of falling asleep and not waking up in time.
So she had forced herself to stay awake the entire night.
For an elementary school student, this was an extremely difficult ordeal.
But Satono Diamond was no ordinary person—her mental fortitude was extraordinarily strong.
"Let me see what you're really like when you're out there."
Satono Diamond hurried to get dressed and put on her shoes.
Because everyone else was still asleep at this hour, Kitasan Black's solitary figure was quite conspicuous, so Satono Diamond didn't lose track of her.
Satono Diamond watched Kitasan Black walk out of the school grounds with a look of surprise.
She approached the security guard and asked, "Excuse me, sir, does Kitasan-san go outside at this time every morning?"
"That's right, Kita-chan goes out to exercise this early every day. I remember now—you're the classmate who raced against Kita-chan yesterday, right? I was cheering for Kita-chan at the time, but congratulations on winning anyway."
(The security guard seems to really like Kitasan-san.)
Satono Diamond nodded.
"Then may I go outside and exercise with Kitasan-san too?"
"Sure, go ahead."
The guard didn't refuse.
The security in this world was excellent.
Adults didn't have to worry too much about children encountering danger outside.
And uma musume, even as children, were not to be trifled with.
Though their immense strength hadn't fully awakened before maturity, elementary school uma musume who could already run two or three thousand meter races had physical capabilities on par with adult humans.
Even if they encountered petty thieves or robbers, those criminals would actively avoid uma musume.
After walking out of the school gates, Satono Diamond glanced at the footprints on the ground and hurried to catch up.
It was fortunate that uma musume running shoes were quite heavy, with horseshoes attached to the soles that left faint marks even on concrete. Otherwise, that brief delay might have caused her to lose track entirely.
Since Kitasan Black was only jogging, Satono Diamond, running at full speed, quickly caught up.
She quietly followed behind Kitasan Black.
What Kitasan Black didn't know was that this ojou-sama had actually learned surveillance and counter-surveillance techniques. Without being on alert beforehand, she couldn't detect the Diamond ojou-sama's tail at all.
(So Kitasan-san really has been training in secret.)
Satono Diamond hadn't expected Kitasan-san to have such a diligent side.
She had always thought that the lazy, indolent person she saw in the dormitory was Kitasan-san's true self.
Kitasan Black jogged all the way from the academy area to the city district.
A full two kilometers, and she hadn't rested even once along the way. Not a single drop of sweat appeared on her body.
Satono Diamond wasn't doing badly either—after all, a slow jog of two kilometers wasn't much for an uma musume.
But not breaking a sweat at all like Kitasan Black? That was abnormal.
And this was just the beginning of Kitasan Black's morning routine.
Satono Diamond watched from behind as Kitasan-san continued without stopping even after entering the city.
Moreover, whenever Kitasan-san saw someone on the road who needed help, she would proactively offer assistance.
Helping elderly people cross the street, helping the fruit shop owner unload cargo—as long as someone genuinely needed help, Kitasan-san would step forward.
After helping, Kitasan-san wouldn't wait for their thanks but would quickly run off.
(Is that really the same Kitasan-san?)
Satono Diamond couldn't believe it.
She couldn't help but approach the fruit shop owner she had just seen to ask about it.
That's when she learned that ever since transferring here, Kitasan-san had been doing this consistently for quite some time.
Yesterday's sports festival had actually drawn quite a few locals who had come specifically to watch Kitasan-san's race.
After gathering this intelligence, Satono Diamond fell silent for a moment.
That Kitasan-san, so lazy she even copied homework answers from the internet—was she really such a kindhearted person?
If the shop owners hadn't known Kitasan-san, she could have convinced herself that Kitasan-san had noticed her surveillance and was putting on an act to deceive her.
But she could tell the owner wasn't lying.
"Oh, by the way, miss, could I trouble you with something?"
The fruit shop owner suddenly turned around and quickly packed two bags of fresh fruit, handing them to Satono Diamond.
"Please take these back to that little girl for me. Tell her it's thanks for all her usual help. Oh, and this one's for you."
Faced with the owner's enthusiasm, Satono Diamond couldn't refuse, so she accepted both bags of fruit.
But she felt rather awkward. The owner had clearly misunderstood her relationship with Kitasan-san. They weren't good friends or anything. And if she brought these back, wouldn't her surveillance of Kitasan-san be exposed?
But she couldn't refuse. She wasn't capable of just turning and running away like Kitasan-san did.
After that, Satono Diamond didn't dare approach anyone else for information. She finally understood why Kitasan-san always fled so quickly after helping people—it was to avoid their gratitude.
Clearly, Kitasan-san was quite experienced with this sort of thing.
(Is it still not over?)
Satono Diamond had been following Kitasan Black outside for one large circuit now, exercising for a full hour.
Even she was starting to feel tired, but Kitasan-san still looked energetic.
However, when her phone alarm went off, Kitasan Black checked the time and finally decided to head back.
Satono Diamond breathed a sigh of relief.
But she would soon realize she had relaxed too soon.
After leaving the city area, Satono Diamond saw Kitasan Black suddenly accelerate. Though she increased her own speed too, Kitasan Black's pace seemed limitless, quickly exceeding the limits of what Satono Diamond could follow.
(!)
Watching that rapidly disappearing figure, Satono Diamond's steps gradually faltered and stopped.
What was that?
Satono Diamond's face was full of disbelief.
That kind of speed—if Kitasan-san had shown this level of ability in yesterday's race, there was no way she could have won.
And even if Crown hadn't made that mistake, she still wouldn't have won.
(I found it!)
Definitive evidence. Satono Diamond felt angry. Just moments ago, she had been unable to help doubting whether she had truly misjudged Kitasan-san. But then Kitasan-san had suddenly displayed this level of ability.
(She really was sandbagging in yesterday's race!)
What Kitasan Black never imagined was this:
That an ojou-sama would be up just as early as her for morning training, and would follow her all the way to the city district.
She had chosen to jog on the way there precisely out of caution.
She had only let loose on the way back after confirming no one was around. How could she have known that the Diamond ojou-sama would stay up all night just to tail her? And an elementary schooler knowing surveillance techniques—that was way too unfair!
...
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