"Big sister… is this really okay?"
"It's fine. Keep eating."
"But… but…" Fūka Chiori's voice wavered.
Fūka Shirayuki finally turned her head, shot her a vicious look, and snapped, "Keep eating!"
Her little sister flinched like she'd been hit by frost—instantly wilting, shrinking back into silence.
Of course.
When we say "eating" here, we mean eating dinner.
Let's rewind ten minutes.
When Chiori had popped her head in earlier, she was simply calling her sister downstairs to eat. She'd already cooked dinner.
Since the Fūka household's income all came from Shirayuki—the older sister—
Chiori naturally took on the housework.
She wanted to share some of her sister's burden, even if it was only a little.
At the time, Chiori didn't sense anything wrong.
That was—until Shirayuki came downstairs.
She was stumbling and swaying so badly she was one step away from tumbling down the staircase like a bowling ball. Even the railing bore the marks of her… frankly violent grip marks.
How should she even describe it?
Chiori agonized over the thought.
If she had to give an example, it would be this:
Her sister's walking looked as difficult as a disabled person trying to draw a perfectly straight line while biting a pencil…
And then Chiori suddenly remembered—patients with muscle atrophy, paralysis… they walked like that too!
ALS? A brain hemorrhage? A stroke? Loss of mobility?!
Big sister—what's happening to you?!
Oh, dear God!
Please don't let my sister have some incurable illness! We don't have money to treat something like that!
Fear flickered in Fūka Chiori's eyes.
...
Meanwhile, Fūka Shirayuki had none of those questions.
After falling down again, she didn't even get up. Instead, she sat there for a long moment, thinking deeply about one single matter:
—Who the hell changed my keybinds?!
Right now I can only wriggle around like some… thing on the ground. In this condition, if I go outside and run into a big dog, it's basically a life-or-death match and I'm getting chewed to pieces.
Alright… alright…
Slumped on the floor, Fūka Shirayuki idly twirled the tip of her tail. Only she knew what the problem really was.
It was simple: she'd been paralyzed for so long that she wasn't used to normal walking anymore. She just needed two days to get familiar. Once her body adapted, she'd digest all of it!
Thinking that, she muttered calmly, "Just a little interlude before I become a god."
"…Hah?" Chiori's eyes went wide.
Her sister really had gone crazy!
She couldn't even walk properly anymore! Didn't she graduate from the second year of middle school nearly four years ago…? No, no—if you're surrounded by pressure for years and years…
Having a few mental problems would be normal.
With that thought, Chiori reached for a hidden sewing pouch…
It was tucked into the inner compartment of her schoolbag. It held the money she'd saved by skimping for years. She hated to part with it, but as her sister, she felt she had to take Shirayuki to a psychiatrist.
Fūka Shirayuki glanced at her and said slowly, "Little sister. You're huffing."
"…I'm not." Chiori bristled like an angry kitten.
Now she really was huffing.
She hesitated—should she really hand the money over?
If her sister had time, she could buy some medicine, treat her condition…
But Shirayuki's horse ears twitched.
She caught an ill-timed ringtone—her phone. She struggled up; this time, she didn't fall. She grabbed the screen and saw the caller ID:
[Landlord]
After a second of thought, she answered. "Hello."
Chiori clearly saw her sister's head dip slightly.
Even without speakerphone, sitting at the table she could still catch bits and pieces—like "rent due," and so on.
So it was rent collection…
Chiori thought so, clenching her little wallet tighter.
It was a pink HELLO KITTY cat—age-appropriate, and one of the few cute things she owned.
Shirayuki searched the memories in her head.
If she remembered correctly, their bank account didn't have much money at all.
…Even gods get brought to their knees by cash, huh.
But why did it feel so painful? Gods weren't supposed to feel painful.
She could sense it—memories, emotions from the original owner of the body, slowly seeping into her.
She sighed and asked tentatively, "Can you give me a few more days?"
"How many more days?! I've already been giving you leeway!" The landlord sounded furious—his voice so clear even Chiori could hear it.
In the end, though, his anger turned into a long sigh.
"All right. One week at most."
"I know it's not easy for you, Miss Fūka. But that's as long as I can give you."
Fūka Shirayuki didn't hesitate. "Thank you. I only need a few days."
The call ended with a beep.
Chiori, who'd watched the whole thing, lowered her small head.
Tokyo rent was brutal. She knew how much her sister had been sacrificing… she understood everything—
and yet she could do nothing.
That crushing helplessness slowly swallowed Chiori whole, gnawing at her spirit until anxiety forced her into a decision.
She didn't want things to stay like this.
Like a young fawn, Chiori sprang up, hurried to her sister, and—no longer hesitating—pulled out the wallet, holding it up with both hands.
"Here," she said.
Shirayuki blinked. "What's this?"
"My money. I started saving from middle school, little by little, from my allowance. If we add a bit more… maybe we can cover the rent for this quarter," Chiori said.
Shirayuki took the wallet, turning it over curiously.
"But… big sister, can you take the money only…?" Chiori pleaded softly.
Shirayuki frowned. "Hah? Why?"
"Because I want this HELLO KITTY wallet…"
Chiori kept her head down, like she wanted to bury it in the ground and crawl into a crack.
As a fifteen-year-old girl, she truly loved cute things like this. But she couldn't afford more. This wallet was one of her few precious "cute items."
Yet Shirayuki always felt guilty thinking about how much extra money Chiori had paid for it…
It was almost equal to two hours of her sister's wages.
Chiori always wondered if it was wrong—then comforted herself with: Just this once.
Seeing her sister's expression, Shirayuki felt a little speechless.
…How is this family living worse than the officially impoverished?
It's just rent—why are they acting like it's the end of the world?
Her little sister looked so pitiful—like she was about to cry. Like a small animal.
That vulnerable look stirred something wicked in Shirayuki. She suddenly wanted to bully her sister a little.
Shirayuki wagged a finger. "Nope."
"…Okay." Chiori really was about to cry, but she bit her lip hard and held it in.
Her eyes brimmed with amber tears, shining bright.
She looked terribly wronged, like she was trying to swallow the grievance whole…
Shirayuki thought for a second.
Then she decided not to tease her. She ruffled Chiori's hair instead.
It felt like silk. Shirayuki was a little surprised. Then she patted Chiori's shoulder.
"It's just a wallet."
"If you like this style…"
"When your sister earns money, I'll buy you a hundred!"
Chiori was almost crying at the first part—
but Shirayuki didn't have the habit of pausing dramatically for breath. When Chiori heard the second part, she froze.
A hundred? A hundred HELLO KITTY… That sounded so cute…
Then she snapped out of it and shook her head hard.
That's not good! No wasteful spending!
Chiori looked up with wide, innocent eyes. "But… don't we still have to pay rent?"
"…Rent?" Shirayuki's smile turned playful. "Heh."
"It's only rent!"
"Money can't stop a god! Once Lo—ahem—once Lord Fūka Shirayuki makes a move, everything will get better!"
She let out a cold laugh.
"Haven't you heard? Heaven always leaves a way out! If I want to walk a path—then the path is beneath my feet!"
Chiori didn't understand her sister's weird lines at all—was it Madoka Magica? Some tokusatsu hero show?
But in that moment, she lifted her head and stared at her sister—so confident, glowing with light—her heart thumping.
She hadn't seen her sister like this in so long.
Ever since her dream of running freely as an Uma Musume shattered…
her sister had never worn that expression again.
Really…
So cool?!
Chiori asked curiously, "Then, big sister—how are you going to make money?"
"Easy." Shirayuki looked at her. "Write a novel."
"…Hah?"
Chiori gaped.
"Little sister," Shirayuki said, "you're huffing again."
"I'M NOT!!!" Chiori exploded completely.
...
...
After making that promise for the seventh time—"Don't worry, I won't do anything bad!"—Fūka Shirayuki finally shut the door, exhausted.
And she thought, Why can't I earn money by writing novels?
Chiori was so scared—was she afraid Shirayuki would go work at places like Toyoko, or Ōkubo Park, doing "fast money" jobs?
After all, in Chiori's eyes, her sister never even finished middle school and was forced to work.
A complete illiterate.
How could she possibly write something good?
But in Shirayuki's memory—sure, she'd been gossiped about for her looks, doubted, harassed by weird women…
but she'd never been "trash" at writing!
Do you even understand what it means to be #1 on a bestseller chart?!
Even if that was in her previous life—when she was still Luo Tianque…
she still had never been trash!
In a huff, she turned on the old computer—left behind from her father's old job. A relic. It was so old even booting it up was hard, but she only needed it for simple text creation.
She skillfully opened a light-novel site and skimmed the top-ranked works.
The more she read—
the deeper her frown became.
Th-this…
What the hell is this garbage?!
No, wait—timeline. She transmigrated from 2025, but this was 2011. And this was the Uma Musume world: sports were developed, not entertainment.
So of course she'd look down on these works. That made sense.
She immediately rolled up her sleeves, ready to give these people a shock from the future.
What genre should she write?
She was thinking about themes and angles—
when, at that exact moment, a pale-blue panel appeared in front of her.
[Uma Musume Domain God System — Decompressing!]
The girl froze.
"…Hah?"
One hour after transmigrating, Fūka Shirayuki huffed for the third time.
She couldn't believe it—transmigration was already the path to invincibility; why would she need a system on top of that?!
Wouldn't that make all her future achievements look like she was useless without cheats?!
She'd clawed her way up with effort and sweat, okay?! Not hacks!
"Can you leave?" she asked sincerely.
The system, still decompressing: "???"
In the end, she gathered herself and looked at the panel.
What interested her most was the "Uma Musume" part—did that mean she could run freely again someday?
[Uma Musume Domain God System — a.k.a. "Divine Pen Uma Musume."]
[Bound Host: Luo Tianque / Fūka Shirayuki.]
[System Overview]
[The host can produce works by writing novels or drawing manga. After meeting certain requirements, the host can obtain the abilities or items depicted in those works.]
[If popularity points surpass a threshold, the host can "Perfectly Recreate" the plot of the work.]
[The work's worldview must overlap at least 50% with the current Uma Musume world.]
"…"
Reading the description, Fūka Shirayuki stroked her chin, deep in thought.
This system was interesting.
Creating something out of nothing… so she could become a "Divine Pen Ma Liang"? If she wrote that she had something, and the work got popular enough—she'd actually get it!
She wasn't deeply familiar with Uma Musume worldbuilding, but the memories in her head vaguely reminded her: Japan's strongest Uma Musume was… Symboli Rudolf? "Great Shock"? Something like that.
Her gaze drifted outside.
On the street, there were ads everywhere about a certain "Golden Tyrant" beginning a Classic Triple Crown charge.
So if she wrote that she possessed their strength, and her popularity hit the requirement…
Wouldn't she become Japan's strongest Uma Musume?!
No—why stop at Japan?! As long as people believed the bragging she wrote, becoming world #1 would be easy!
And besides—she was from the future. A web novelist who knew exactly how to write!
Once she realized that, she stood there blankly.
This system is fun—!
She was the type who lived for chaos. She couldn't wait to write some bloodthirsty plotlines!
A faint smile flickered in her eyes.
She was desperate to test the system.
Without hesitation, she opened a Word document and stared at the blank page.
She didn't think long.
Since this was the 2011 timeline—
she wouldn't crush these people with future works and future gimmicks. Otherwise they'd accuse her of bullying with an unfair advantage.
She'd write using a "2009" work…
And that work had a thunderous, famous name!
It fit her own experience too: when she ran local youth races before, she'd easily taken first place. A "genius" wasn't an exaggeration. Then she gave up running because of life.
The title was quickly decided—classic Japanese light-novel style: long and stinky.
[I Was Looked Down on by Everyone, but Then I Rose Up and Became the World's #1 Uma Musume!!?]
She didn't think much about the pen name either.
[Pen Name: Luo Tianque.]
She thought—
she didn't want the old "her" to leave nothing behind.
She plunged into the main text.
[Staring at the dazzling numbers on the speed stopwatch—so bright they were almost blinding—the girl's face was blank. A trace of self-mockery tugged at her lips. Her clenched fist tightened so hard that her slightly sharp nails dug into her palm… bringing wave after wave of piercing pain…]
[Beside her, the trainer announced the result in a flat voice.]
[Speed Force: Third Tier!]
Fūka Shirayuki wrote three thousand words in one smooth flow. Then she returned to the title line and, like the finishing touch on a dragon, dotted the final "eye."
[Chapter 1: The Fallen Genius!!!!!!!!!!!]