After being tormented by Agnes Tachyon all night, the next morning, Trainer Chiya arrived at his office looking completely drained.
My back hurts…
And he had somehow slept wrong too.
What a disaster…
On top of that, Tachyon's interruption yesterday meant he never finished the training plan. Now he had to rush it out this morning.
Letting out a yawn, Chiya stretched and forced himself back into work.
Meanwhile, after finishing her classes, Shirayuki headed out to grab a can of coffee. Chiya was not in good condition, and she was feeling it too.
While walking down the hallway, she ran into Air Groove.
"Air Groove-senpai."
"Shirayuki."
They exchanged a few casual greetings.
"Oh right, Shirayuki. How is the recruitment form going?"
She was a bit curious about her progress.
Shirayuki stiffened.
"I have completed… three so far."
Mejiro Dober, Opera O, and Agnes Tachyon.
Yes, after last night's chaos, Tachyon had finally signed the form. It might have been the only good thing she had done in her entire life of troublemaking.
"Three, huh."
Air Groove's ears twitched slightly.
"That's not bad progress."
It had been ten days since she gave Shirayuki the form. At this pace, she could probably reach twenty people by next month.
"By the way, Shirayuki, I have a job for you. If you help me, I can fill one out for you as well."
"Really? What kind of job?"
"There is a troublesome student causing chaos around the academy. I need you to catch her and bring her to the disciplinary committee room."
Air Groove showed her a photo.
A small girl with short brown hair and a white streak at the front. She looked mischievous, sticking her tongue out at the camera.
Her name was written below.
Shinko Windy.
"If you bring her in, I will fill out your form. My recommendation counts as three. What do you say?"
"Of course I'll do it!"
Just catching someone? Easy.
Back when she played tag, she was one of the best.
"Leave it to me!"
Shirayuki confidently patted her chest.
Very soon, she would regret that confidence.
"Hahaha! You think you can catch me, you weakling!"
A mocking voice came from above.
Looking up, Shirayuki saw a smug little face.
Windy stuck her tongue out, making faces at her.
"You little brat. Just wait till I catch you!"
Shirayuki was already getting heated.
This small Uma Musume moved like a monkey, jumping around nonstop. Just when Shirayuki cornered her, she opened a window and climbed up a pipe to the next floor like she was in some action movie.
What is this… a spy film?
She had thought that after a year at Tracen, she had seen everything.
But Gold Ship, Agnes Tachyon, and now Shinko Windy…
She could not understand any of them.
It felt like these Uma Musume existed just to challenge her understanding of reality.
"So scary, right? But not as scary as me!"
Windy laughed loudly, even patting her own backside provocatively.
"I'll smash your butt into pieces when I catch you!"
Shirayuki charged upstairs after her.
The moment she reached the next floor, Windy darted into a classroom.
Shirayuki rushed in but crashed straight into someone.
The small figure fell beneath her.
"Uwaa…"
A soft cry escaped.
"Sorry!"
Shirayuki quickly got up.
Looking down, she froze.
"Rice!?"
"Shirayuki-san…"
"Are you okay?"
Shirayuki panicked, gently touching her head.
"I'm fine. What are you doing here?"
"I'm chasing someone."
"Chasing someone?"
"Yeah. A problem child."
"Hahaha. That's it? With that level, you'd need a few million years to catch me!"
Windy stood on the teacher's desk, laughing smugly.
This brat was way too arrogant.
"Sorry, Rice. I need to deal with this first. I'll come find you later!"
With that, Shirayuki chased after Windy again.
Windy ran across desks and dashed out, throwing the entire classroom into chaos.
Standing outside, Rice slowly touched her head.
What Shirayuki said just now… and the way she patted me…
It felt just like… Onii-sama…
"Stop running, you brat!"
"Hahaha. Too slow, too slow!"
The chase continued through the hallway.
Near the teachers' office, an instructor was lecturing someone.
"Tachyon, if you keep skipping training, you won't be allowed to register for races."
"Mm."
"That's not enough. You've skipped six sessions already. At this rate, you'll be in trouble."
Listening to the nagging voice, Agnes Tachyon stared out the window, clearly bored.
What a waste of time…
Just as she was about to lose patience, two figures dashed past the corridor.
The instructor jumped in surprise.
"What are you doing running like that in the hallway!?"
Her train of thought was completely disrupted.
"Alright, I understand. I'll consider attending training."
Tachyon waved her hand and walked off.
"Tachyon, I'm not finished yet!"
"You were just going to repeat yourself. No need."
Without looking back, she left.
The instructor sighed helplessly.
I really don't want to deal with these problem children…
But without trainers, they all ended up under the instructors' responsibility.
Maybe one day we'll get hazard pay…
With that unrealistic thought, she returned to her office.
After chasing for who knew how long, Shirayuki collapsed onto a bench in the courtyard behind the school.
"I can't…"
Chasing Windy was not just physically exhausting. It also required mental endurance.
Windy would suddenly hide in storage rooms and jump out of boxes to scare her.
Between physical exhaustion and constant jump scares, Shirayuki was completely drained.
No wonder they needed help catching her… even the disciplinary committee couldn't handle this.
Opening the bottle she just bought, Shirayuki drank deeply.
Just as she was about to rest—
"Graaah!"
A strange sound came from behind.
"Ow!"
She turned and saw Windy biting her arm like a wild animal.
Her small mouth had surprisingly sharp teeth.
"Shinko Windy!"
"Hahaha! You've become my latest victim!"
"You dare show up right in front of me…"
"Of course. A villain lives to toy with her prey!"
She proudly placed her hands on her hips.
"I want to see that frustrated look on your face!"
"You little brat!"
"Call me Lady Windy!"
At that moment, Shirayuki noticed something.
Windy was holding two bottles of water.
"Hey, that wouldn't happen to be…"
"Huh? These? Hmph. I'm not helping my prey recover. These are mine!"
She then pulled out a mask and put it on dramatically.
"Heroes may shine, but villains who bring equal destruction to the world are the real stars!"
She laughed.
"Shirayuki, since you've been chasing me so hard, I prepared a gift for you."
"…What?"
"I left it in the middle of the garden. If you want it, go get it."
With that, Windy ran off again.
Five minutes later, Shirayuki tossed aside her empty bottle.
A gift… what kind of nonsense is that?
Probably a prank…
Better play it safe and check from a distance.
She stood up and walked toward the garden.
Sure enough, something shiny was sitting in the middle.
There really is something…
She stepped closer.
Suddenly—
"Thud!"
The ground beneath her disappeared.
She fell straight into a large pit.
"This is the gift I prepared for you, Shirayuki!"
Windy popped out from the side.
"You're not hurt, right? Good!"
"Then see you next time! Try harder if you want to catch me!"
Laughing loudly, she ran off.
Climbing out of the pit, Shirayuki was furious.
"These damn problem children…"
One day… I'm going to deal with all of you properly!