By the time the next week arrived, Hayakawa Tazuna came to find him again and explained the details of the test.
Following her, Kaito arrived at the testing room. The once-empty space was now filled with black metal containers, cables snaking out from them and converging into a single computer terminal.
So this was the VR equipment the Chairwoman had mentioned—technology capable of uploading one's consciousness into a digital space.
In the past, Kaito would've been thrilled beyond belief at the sight of something like this. But now, his heart was strangely calm.
Because he felt like he was already inside a computer.
A visible UI. Low-intelligence NPCs. Ingredients that refreshed overnight.
This was a game.
Still, Kaito was curious—had all of this been transported in from outside, or had it simply appeared out of nowhere inside the room? He'd been keeping an eye on the school gates and hadn't seen a single vehicle pass through. If these had been delivered, there should've been some kind of commotion.
In the end, Kaito came to a conclusion.
Just like a game progressing through stages, these items had probably spawned at a certain point.
"Then we'll be counting on you, Trainer Kaito."
"So… what do I do?"
"Just lie down inside. We'll handle the rest."
After saying that, Hayakawa Tazuna began operating the computer. Kaito narrowed his eyes—on his end, the screen was nothing but pure white.
What was she even doing?
In this world, aside from basic household appliances, anything remotely resembling a smart device simply didn't work. He had no idea whether this world couldn't support high-computation hardware, or if something else was at play.
Following her instructions without much hope, Kaito lay down inside the VR pod and put on the head-mounted device.
He waited silently.
In the pitch-black void, he heard Hayakawa Tazuna's voice.
"Preparation complete."
[Connection Initiated]
A mechanical sound rang out beside his ears. The darkness suddenly lit up—strange beams of multicolored light flashed past him, followed by an intense burst of white.
Kaito closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he found himself standing at the entrance of the academic building. Outside, the Three Goddesses' statue sprayed water noisily, birds chirped, flowers bloomed—the air was vibrant and alive.
Kaito looked down at his hands.
At his clothes.
They were exactly the same as before.
Did I… trigger a scenario?
In this world, suddenly being transported somewhere usually meant a story event had begun. Even at a hotel, he could be forcibly sent back once a scenario ended.
But if this was a scenario… what kind was it? There hadn't been any prompts at all.
As Kaito stood there, confused, someone suddenly greeted him.
"Hello, Trainer Kaito."
He looked up.
Standing before him was an orange-haired Uma Musume he'd never seen before.
"Hello…?"
Wait.
She'd just called his name, hadn't she?
"I'm an AI Uma Musume assigned to assist you, Trainer, by explaining the functions of this environment."
"You're… AI?"
"Yes. I am an AI."
"This is VR?"
"This is Tracen Academy's Virtual Reality system. It can be used for training Uma Musume, as well as for racing."
Listening to her fluent responses, Kaito's eyes widened.
This AI was leagues smarter than the Uma Musume in his usual world—no, she was an NPC too, but her intelligence far exceeded that of the others.
Kaito stepped closer and reached out, patting her head, gently kneading her cheeks. The texture, the warmth—everything felt identical to the real Uma Musume. Combined with her tone and expressions, this place felt more real than reality itself.
"Trainer Kaito… please don't do that."
The AI Uma Musume puffed out her cheeks and wriggled free of his hands.
"Even though we're AI, we possess proper personalities. I'll let it slide this time, but if you touch me without permission again, I will kick you."
…She's way too real.
Kaito had found someone he could actually converse with—without triggering a scenario.
"Now then, let me show you around," the AI Uma Musume said, leading him forward.
The world inside was nearly identical to Tracen Academy—rooms, facilities, training grounds—all recreated at a one-to-one scale.
Uma Musume could train normally here, and their real-world bodies would receive corresponding feedback.
Today's test involved synchronizing parameters between the virtual and real worlds. The AI Uma Musume had Kaito run on the track while she recorded the data.
Humans ran slower, with less variation in speed—making them ideal test subjects compared to Uma Musume.
Once the test concluded, the AI Uma Musume nodded.
"That will be all for today, Trainer Kaito. Thank you for your hard work."
"When's the next session?"
"You'll be notified when the time comes."
"Then I'll look forward to it."
"Did you enjoy this place?"
"I want to live here," Kaito said honestly. "It feels nice. In a digital world, you can do whatever you want."
"Trainer Kaito, you shouldn't confuse reality with virtuality. If you stay here too long, your body will suffer."
"Confuse them, huh…"
Kaito let out a quiet breath.
"To be honest, I already can't tell which is real and which is virtual. To me, there's no difference anymore."
"…It sounds like you've been dealing with a lot."
The AI Uma Musume smiled gently.
"When I realized I was nothing more than a bundle of data, I cried too. But as you can see—it's not such a big deal. This place is fine. If we dwell too much on what makes us sad, we end up missing what's right in front of us."
She stood before him and took his hand, her palm warm against the back of his.
"Enjoy the moment, Trainer. Even if the world deceives you, your feelings won't. I hope you can learn to love a world like this."
A flash of white light filled his vision.
Kaito opened his eyes and removed the headset. The VR pod had already opened.
He stood up.
"The test… is over?"
Hayakawa Tazuna stood before the computer, staring at the blank white screen without a word.
Kaito left the room.
Tracen Academy was still Tracen Academy.
Students went about their daily lives, laughing as they passed through the halls. Discipline Committee members maintained order. Smoke once again rose from Agnes Tachyon's lab.
Tokai Teio ran into the Student Council. Seiun Sky slept in a tree. Grass Wonder taught students how to plant flowers.
Watching all of it unfold, Kaito stopped.
A student bumped into him—and ran off as if she hadn't felt anything at all.
Slowly, Kaito turned around.
He sat down on a nearby bench, like an outsider, quietly observing everything around him.
Tracen was lively. Every day, it brimmed with endless stories.
And yet—
None of that liveliness belonged to him.
Amid the surrounding noise, Kaito leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Trainer, what's today's training task?"