The Empress, Air Groove

This was a habit that her real-life counterpart had already developed in the stable.

Incidentally, races run counterclockwise were also her real-life counterpart's specialty.

The game had therefore given her the Left-Handed skill, which increased her stats in races with leftward turns.

"Those... all seem like things I could do."

Silence Suzuka found the scene somewhat strange. Looking at herself in the game made her feel uncomfortable.

She had even forgotten about Zhou Yuang's misbehaving mouse from earlier.

Because the in-game version of her looked at the screen due to the game's perspective, every time their eyes met, Silence Suzuka felt a strange sensation: If she's Silence Suzuka, then who am I?

What was more, whenever the in-game version of herself looked back, she would nervously place both hands over her chest.

She had fallen into Happy Valley.

"Come to think of it, I want to record this part and upload it to a website."

Zhou Yuang's mouse kept circling the spinning Silence Suzuka. Naturally, the mouse was rotating counterclockwise too.

"But before that, I'll have to edit it, add some BGM, and extend it to three hours."

[Uma Musume Fan]: BYD, you're going to have Silence Suzuka spin for three hours? You like tormenting the moderators, huh? I'm a moderator—send it to me!

I just loved watching cute Uma Musume videos.

Whenever I saw an Uma Musume being cute, I would...

"Pfft—"

Staring at Silence Suzuka's serious expression as she spun in circles while making a little fist and running in place like a race walker, a certain Pink-Haired Girl's nose suddenly started bleeding.

Too cute. It hit me hard.

[Festival Girl]: I have a question for the uninformed: what's the point of repeating this for three hours?

There was no point, but it was cute.

"Speaking of which, if you raised your own friends or idols, you'd probably see personalities and preferences that were usually difficult to glimpse, so..."

[Invincible Lord of Seaside]: So when are you sending me the game?! I'm so anxious, so anxious, so anxious!

[Motherly Demon]: Same here. I want to see what certain children are like.

"I know you're all anxious, but don't be anxious."

It wasn't as if I was the one publishing the game.

After casually clicking around and laying the groundwork for the Debut Race, Zhou Yuang brushed up on some terminology and showed everyone Silence Suzuka's preferences.

She was an Uma Musume who looked very quiet and well-behaved—and in reality, she really was well-behaved.

Unfortunately, although Silence Suzuka did well in the humanities, she herself was an idiot.

An idiot who only knew how to run.

After clicking a few more times, Silence Suzuka started complaining. She talked about how much fun it was to run in the evening breeze, then mentioned that she had missed curfew.

After that, she said that because she was so obsessed with running, she had missed certain time restrictions and ended up being apprehended by an Uma Musume named Air Groove.

[Tracen Cold-Joke Master]: Air Groove, huh? She really had it rough.

[Invincible Lord of Seaside]: That really is something she'd do. Sometimes, she can be pretty strict.

Quite a few viewers also knew the Uma Musume Silence Suzuka had been complaining about.

Air Groove was a somewhat strange name, but that wasn't a problem.

Racehorse names in real life were strange in all sorts of ways. Some had Japanese names, some had foreign words, and some simply turned a joke into a name.

Apparently, there were even horses named "Hey!", "momomomomomo," and "Don't Underestimate Me!"

It was practically like the players who became absolute jerks while gaming.

Air Groove's real name was Air Groove. If one translated it faithfully and elegantly, it should be called Air Groove.

Her owner had chosen the name in hopes that it would inspire and uplift people.

But the translation of Air Groove depended on a certain anime production team, and the players eventually grew accustomed to that name.

"Who's this Air Groove?"

Zhou Yuang asked knowingly while watching the comments.

He knew Air Groove was among the viewers.

[Tracen Cold-Joke Master]: She's the vice president of Tracen Academy. Her mother was an outstanding Uma Musume, and because she wants to become an Uma Musume like her mother, she strictly disciplines herself at Tracen and is extremely strict with the other Uma Musume as well.

"Oh, she wants to become like her mother."

Open the book: Ma Dongmei. Close the book: What was Ma's name again?

That was taking something out of context—a reference to "Don't Take Things Out of Context."

After reading the enormous Imperial Edict, Zhou Yuang had only managed to make out the words "Northern Expedition."

Nothing more. He had done it on purpose.

After seeing the storm of question marks in the comment feed, only the Uma Musume complained about Zhou Yuang's deliberate out-of-context interpretation. The ID representing her own predicament, however, did not appear.

She's getting anxious. Or does she think jumping out would amount to exposing herself?

Zhou Yuang didn't know whether Air Groove was anxious, but the Empress, who couldn't even type a word, was already so furious that she was pounding the table.

"Tamamo! Don't let me catch you!"

If I find you, then... you're definitely going to suffer!

Her mature eyes, which always carried a serious air, had lost their calm.

She stared fixedly at Zhou Yuang's avatar, pondering how to find the man.

"Little Lamb, I didn't expect you to be such a troll too."

Darley couldn't help commenting after watching Zhou Yuang use the Uma Musume to amuse himself before using them to amuse the Uma Musume.

Zhou Yuang wasn't exactly an honest man either.

"It's fine. The information is still there. As long as... you're not deliberately going to cause some kind of incident, right?"

Zhou Yuang wondered whether the Three Goddesses would punish him the instant he misspoke, then throw the other person's Uma Musume right in his face...

Was their emergency response really that fast?

"Of course not. How could we possibly do something like that?"

Godolphin was still smiling cheerfully as she raised one finger.

"We'll just watch you keep pushing your luck, then wait for you to crash and die."

Questions About This Book's Plot (Please Don't Skip This; Also Please Bookmark and Vote)

(This explanation was originally meant to appear in a later chapter, but given the circumstances, I moved it here. Since this section was added temporarily, some comments in this chapter may be out of order.) I originally wanted to explain it in a postscript, but there was simply too much to say.

Someone asked how many chapters each livestream would take. Since every livestream has a different theme, the exact number of chapters depends entirely on the complexity of the story rather than on a fixed range.

The goal is to write an Uma Musume who leaves a deep impression, or an interesting story that happens to an Uma Musume.

Short stories will end quickly. For a longer plot, the first half may take place during the livestream, followed by the real-world and livestream stories intertwining, before the second half is finished through another livestream.

I like stories with a bit more detail. The more complete a story is, the better. I don't like stories that rush in and vanish like short videos.

This book's pacing will be slow to heat up, but it won't drag. There won't be a situation where something appears, gets stared at for ages, and then turns out to have been completely pointless.

There will be more description and buildup, with the main goal being to tell one story after another well.

I hope to make everyone like the Uma Musume, as well as the stories from before they became Uma Musume, while also letting everyone learn some common knowledge and interesting trivia about the real-world racing scene. (It won't take up too much space.)

Of course, this isn't an attempt to make everyone like that stupid game's mechanics. (I can't take it anymore—CY, take this punch!)

Incidentally, based on the premise and main direction of the story, this book is expected to reach four million Chinese characters, barring unforeseen circumstances.

The livestream content will include the Uma Musume mobile game, Uma Musume-derived anime and manga, and that hot-blooded Uma Musume series. There will also be tabletop role-playing games themed around Uma Musume, among other things.

I saw some people wondering whether I would explain the real-world racing situation related to Uma Musume.

All I can say is that I'm still considering it. The anime explicitly states that Uma Musume are reincarnations of the souls of real racehorses.

In other words, one could say that this is an urban legend within the world of Uma Musume.

Since that explanation holds up, it also provides an excuse for them to observe the real world.

The shock experienced by the Uma Musume upon discovering real racehorses could also be an interesting point, but it would lose its appeal if there were too much of it.

Whenever a web novel about history starts showing signs of educating its readers, it becomes terribly bloated. That wouldn't be good for either the author or the audience, so I'll only touch on it lightly. Otherwise, it would affect the reading experience.

Naturally, there will also be plenty of real-world plot. Since the story rotates between four types of plot, the real world will take up the largest portion. The main events will advance in reality and be resolved through the livestream, so everyone can rest assured.

The protagonist will learn about and resolve the Uma Musume's troubles through the livestream, use what he learns from the livestream to avoid bad endings in reality, and solve the difficulties that arise at Tracen in the real world. While resolving all sorts of incidents, he will also fulfill the wishes of those thirty Uma Musume wives.

That is more or less the plot of the book. I hope everyone will enjoy it.

Incidentally, the first livestream will probably end after around eighty to ninety thousand Chinese characters. First, it will resolve Silence Suzuka's Silence Sunday problem. Next, it will raise the favorability of the Uma Musume in the Livestream Room and Silence Suzuka herself, while establishing the protagonist's character.

The protagonist is a goofy netizen. He can't exactly be said to possess some world-shaking wisdom, but he is serious when the situation calls for it and acts like a goofy netizen in everyday life. He is also a good-natured person who cares about most people's feelings.

So please continue to support me. I'm begging you here.

ORZ

Empress, Air Groove

"Sorry, but I don't know how to hold back."

I was only being a little abstract and stirring things up as a streamer. I wasn't some damn scumbag!

Zhou Yuang silently turned his head away and continued the livestream.

After another turn, the story animation began.

Zhou Yuang felt a flash of white light before his eyes. When his vision cleared, Silence Suzuka and the Tracen Library stood before him.

He was standing in the library, with Silence Suzuka in front of him?

Zhou Yuang couldn't help rubbing his eyes before turning to look around.

Some Uma Musume stood or sat while holding books, immersed in a sea of knowledge.

The Silence Suzuka in front of him looked as if she were actually standing there.

When Zhou Yuang turned his head, he saw a floating UI interface beside him, like something out of Sword Art Online.

It contained an introduction on how to distinguish between speaking to the audience and speaking to characters in the game.

The function was quite convenient.

Zhou Yuang could see it, and so could the rest of the audience.

Zhou Yuang looked curiously at Silence Suzuka opposite him, then waved.

"Trainer, what's wrong?"

The Silence Suzuka before him saw Zhou Yuang wave and asked in confusion.

Zhou Yuang immediately pulled his hand back.

He probably couldn't roll around on the floor or constantly switch equipment during cutscenes anymore.

"It's nothing. I was just curious how much information you actually wanted to look up, Silence Suzuka."

As if he had only just started using a chat app, Zhou Yuang manipulated the controls somewhat awkwardly.

"This? Probably not much."

Silence Suzuka wasn't very sure either. She shook her head, then wore an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, was there something I should have asked the Trainer about directly?"

There was only one Trainer, so she could naturally ask the Trainer about running knowledge. But coming to the library to borrow books and encountering her own Trainer was somewhat awkward.

It was like a restaurant employee buying takeout from the restaurant next door and bringing it back to eat.

"It's fine. It's good that you thought to look it up yourself."