Umamusume's days are numbered

Operation a great success! 300 carrots in hand, enough to buy medicine and exchange for some cash.

It seems I do have some talent in this area.

With cash, there are many places to stay overnight. Although most hotels and guesthouses still require identification, there are some that don't.

Bathhouses, KTVs, billiard halls—there are plenty of places to go.

Finally, I don't have to sleep in the mall anymore and face security guard patrols every night.

On a certain day of a certain month

There are more police officers again. Could it be that I went too far at the racetrack before?

After all, this time they sneaked in for a G2 big prize, which was on a completely different level from the previous ones.

It seems I still need to be careful... But thanks to my frequent visits to the racetrack every week lately, my life has finally become more comfortable.

We no longer need to eat unpalatable bread and compressed biscuits, nor do we need to drink tap water.

Let's move to another city. There are more events in Tokyo, and I definitely have to attend the Yayoi Prize later, so I'll go to Tokyo.

On a certain day of a certain month

It seems I can't take the high-speed rail...

Let's head towards Tokyo along the highway.

Traveling light without carrying anything on my person. I've never experienced this kind of joy in my past life.

So Japan also has those large, continuous barley fields... Oh, I remember now, it seems that these kinds of fields are more common in places with more developed agriculture.

There's even a forest... though I don't know if it's man-made.

I heard Japan is experiencing a bear plague right now. I hope I won't encounter any bears on the street.

On a certain day of a certain month

It's really impossible to complete the entire course in one day.

To say that finishing the race would be truly like flying over the grass.

I saw a cycling group on the road. Wow, people can ride that far! Amazing.

I stayed overnight at a rest stop and got away with it; they didn't ask for my ID or anything. Being a foreigner is really useful!

What a soft bed! I'm so happy.

On a certain day of a certain month

In Tokyo, you'll encounter more one-sided acquaintances.

In particular, you can see all sorts of familiar faces on the TVs on the street.

Ah ha, so the Emperor of the East Sea is a recent debut. It seems Yayoi-sho will have to settle things with her.

Wait, is the Emperor of the East Sea actually participating in the Yayoi Sho...?

Is Shin Universe a recent debut? That doesn't make sense. In my memory, Shin Universe is clearly...

It is clearly...

What was I supposed to write again?

Something's not right. I have a feeling this new universe is definitely not right.

Episode 138: The End of the Diary

At first, Platinum was looking at the diary with some interest, but then her face fell.

The later images are even more explicit, resembling "elderly person, subway, mobile phone.jpg," as if every muscle in the face has its own thoughts.

No, whose diary is this?

Is this my own diary?

Which timeline's diary is this? It's all so rambling and nonsensical...

Bai Jin was stunned, as if a sudden thought had flashed through her mind. She turned her eyes tremblingly, looking at the diary in her hand.

...Maybe...this diary really comes from another time and space?

The handwriting on the diary was indeed his own. If it weren't for the one he wrote lying there, he would have seriously doubted that this one was actually his.

This can't be faked. Besides, who would bother to fake something like this? That would be incredibly boring.

With trembling hands, Bai Jin turned the diary to the first page, stroking the water-soaked and somewhat blurred handwriting.

From...other time and space, from other worlds.

Parallel worlds?

Do parallel worlds really exist?

No, no, no, in the end, this system is far more powerful than I imagined! Could it be that everything I've been buying all this time came from a parallel universe?

This is simply...unacceptable, too far-fetched.

Isn't this the Uma Musume Pretty Derby set? Why is there such a sci-fi setting here?! If I didn't know better, I would have thought I was on the set of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya or Koyomi Araragi.

This was so shocking that it left Platinum's mind completely blank. It took her a while to start thinking again.

No, no, no, knowing all this doesn't really affect me. So what if it's a parallel universe? Even if the Planet of the Apes were to rise here, my primary goal would still be to cure my soul dissolution syndrome.

Looking back so far, there are only three things that are really important to me.

First, life at Treson College was truly miserable. Forget sleeping on the streets, they couldn't even get food; it was practically a survival show in the wilderness. Even Platinum herself was on tenterhooks while watching it, finding it hard to imagine how her parallel universe self would have survived.

Secondly, the soul dissolution syndrome wasn't just something he was scaring himself with. His parallel-world self developed coughing up blood three days after stopping the medication. This was indeed a manifestation of the first stage of soul dissolution syndrome. The reason he's still doing well is because he's been taking his medication regularly. Although everyone says one should be brave enough to experiment, Platinum himself would never dare to stop taking his medication for three days.

As for the third...

Platinum flipped back to the page she had seen before and continued reading.

On a certain day of a certain month

Something's definitely wrong with this new universe.

She appeared before everyone as if by divine intervention, without any reason or warning, and everyone ignored her abnormality.

When Donghai Emperor was conquering the classic three championships, she never had any formidable rivals. Her biggest rival was her own injuries. I absolutely remember that.

Not to mention, the New Universe is a whole head taller than the East Sea Emperor! Compared to the East Sea Emperor, who is still like a child, the New Universe is already close to maturity. How come no one finds it strange that they are in the same year?

...I can't figure it out. I'm not at Treson Academy, so I don't have any good opportunities to get close to her. And to be honest, even if the New Universe has some secrets, it has nothing to do with me. I really don't need to pay any more attention to her.

Neither the Emperor of the East Sea nor the New Universe poses a threat to me now. This may sound arrogant, but it is my firm belief.

On a certain day of a certain month

···impossible.

I failed? I actually lost?

While it's true that sneaking into the competition six times in two months was a bit too much for me, I felt that even if my form dropped, they still wouldn't be a match for me.

It's a new universe, and in the end, the new universe surpasses me.

Her running style... it's simply unbelievable. How can anyone run like that? New Universe seems to know the track so well she could run the whole race with her eyes closed.

Watching the replay of the race, I still find New Universe's running style incredible. How did she manage to seize every opportunity? Her eyes seemed to see right through everyone.

I was too arrogant. My failure stemmed from not being sufficiently vigilant about the new universe.

Yayoi Sho suffered a crushing defeat.

Heh... Looks like I can't stay in Tokyo anymore. Since I've already lost the Yayoi Prize, there's no point in continuing to run.

...I'm very unwilling, extremely unwilling, and deeply regretful. But should I blame the new universe? I can't bring myself to do that.

Let's get ready and set off.

On a certain day of a certain month

The new universe has found me!

She was actually—

The diary ends here.

The ending was so abrupt that Platinum didn't even realize she had finished watching it.

no?

What is this?

Bai Jin stood there dumbfounded, then turned the pages again; none of the remaining pages had any writing on them. It seemed this diary had come to an end.

what is this?

This is the third piece of information that Platinum obtained.

There is definitely something wrong with the new universe.

However, Platinum didn't pay much attention to the new universe at first, since what happened there was none of his business.

As a result, when you turn the page, the new universe has created a huge mess for itself?

He failed to win the Yayoi Prize. The new universe stole his championship.

You can't stand this platinum version.

I could tolerate you stealing my wallet, but you stole my Yayoi Prize? Are you trying to kill me?

It's literally going to kill me.

If the level 2 shop can't be unlocked, it's hard to say how long Platinum can stay at Treson Academy by just relying on suppressants.

The ending of this diary, in particular, reveals a strong sense of unease that makes Platinum feel deeply uneasy.

Now, the new universe is related to me.

Moreover, according to the diary, the new universe even found itself?

Logically speaking, if my parallel universe self were a highly proactive individual, it's questionable whether Platinum would still exist in Tokyo at this point. Even if it did, it's hard to find Platinum even with Rudolf's Symbol, yet it could in the New Universe. Wouldn't that make the New Universe even more powerful than Rudolf's Symbol?

And it is quite obvious that the new universe has brought some impactful message to itself.

The diary hasn't recorded what Shin Universe said yet, but it's likely that Shin Universe confessed to Platinum that he's actually a boy.

Unexpectedly, after going around in circles, the focus has returned to the new universe.

Episode 139 The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole... and there's more to come.

Alice stood by Platinum's bedside, blinking incredulously, wondering if there was something wrong with her eyes.

In Alice's memory, Platinum never missed a day of sleeping in. Even though Alice came every day to play the suona for Platinum and pull back the covers, Platinum would still manage to wear earplugs and stick double-sided tape on the covers, outsmarting Alice.

But today...

Platinum's bed was empty.

There was only a note left on the bedside table: I went to gather intelligence on the enemy, don't worry about me.

Alice pinched her cheek hard, and half of her cheek immediately turned red.

She didn't seem to care at all, but instead covered her reddened cheek, frowning and muttering to herself, "Something's not right, it hurts. Am I dreaming?"

After thinking for a moment, Alice felt that just whether it hurt or not was not enough to determine whether she was dreaming, so she picked up her phone again and started making calls.

She didn't answer the first time, so she called again. This time, the call connected. Before Alice could even speak, a quiet voice, concealing underlying anger, came from the other end of the line.

"Suko, do you know what time it is?"

“I know, coffee.”

"So you're disturbing my sleep... you must have something very important to tell me, right?"

“What I’m trying to say is…” Alice took a deep breath, “Manhattan Coffee, the coffee you make is terrible.”

This time, even over the phone, Alice felt as if the gaze, now solidified, was cutting into her like a sharp blade.