Umamusume, But I Have a Danmaku Loan System! [4]

Why were Silver Blizzard and Gentildonna standing outside an apartment, staring at each other in disbelief?

The story began with the debut race a few days earlier.

After winning the race, Silver Blizzard had repaid her loan to the Loan System. Left without a penny to her name, she naturally could not afford to renew the lease on her apartment.

Fortunately, her landlord was kindhearted. Even though Silver Blizzard had failed to pay the rent, she did not throw her out immediately, instead giving her some time to find somewhere else to live.

Thanks to that grace period, Silver Blizzard avoided the awkward fate of winning a race only to become homeless immediately afterward.

With this brief chance to catch her breath, she began considering how to solve her housing problem.

There was another reason Silver Blizzard had not lived in the dormitories at Tracen Academy.

The main issue was that she was not used to sharing her living space with other people. She would rather spend a little extra to rent a place in Tokyo than live in the academy dormitories.

Living in the dorms cost money anyway, so why not pay a little more to live off campus?

That way, she could enjoy some peace and quiet while living comfortably.

Her current financial situation, however, could no longer support that lifestyle. The black-hearted Loan System had even swallowed the prize money from her debut race, leaving Silver Blizzard no loophole whatsoever.

Now she was in trouble. She was completely penniless!

Even if she wanted to move back into the academy dormitories, she would still have to pay lodging fees. How was she supposed to afford that? Besides, the dorm assignments had basically already been settled. Even if she tried to return, Central Tracen Academy probably did not have an empty room available for her.

Could I perhaps… ask Orfevre to lend me enough money to rent another place?

No, no!

Silver Blizzard shook her head decisively, flinging the idea from her mind.

Seeing her childhood friend again after so long would be wonderful. She did not want borrowing money to taint their relationship with the stink of cash.

But if she absolutely had to ask someone for help…

Silver Blizzard thought for a moment, and a certain name surfaced in her mind.

That person might have a solution!

“Tazuna-neesan, save me—!”

On a stairwell landing inside Central Tracen Academy, Silver Blizzard pressed her palms together in prayer and raised them above her head, pleading with the woman before her in the most sincere voice she could muster.

“Oh my… Silver Blizzard, what is this about…?”

The woman standing before her wore a small green hat and a crisp, well-fitted green office suit. The gentle smile on her face radiated motherly warmth.

Hayakawa Tazuna is a woman who could be my mother—!

Ahem.

In all seriousness, as the veteran secretary to the director of Tracen Academy, Hayakawa Tazuna always wore a gentle smile as she helped the academy’s young fillies with all kinds of problems. As a result, she was exceptionally popular among the students.

In Silver Blizzard’s eyes, Tazuna unquestionably belonged among the ranks of dependable adults. She was someone worthy of trust.

That was why, when faced with the awkward predicament of having nowhere to go, Silver Blizzard had not hesitated to ask her for help.

“Tazuna-neesan, can I apply for financial assistance?”

“Hmm… The academy does offer that kind of support, but the registration period for students in financial need has already passed. You would have to wait until next year to be added to the list.”

Tazuna’s voice remained gentle. Despite the suddenness of Silver Blizzard’s request, she was seriously considering possible solutions for her.

“Aw, seriously…?”

Silver Blizzard sighed. She had hoped to receive another subsidy from the academy to carry her through this difficult period, but it seemed her idea had been far too naive.

That made sense. Financial assistance naturally had to be applied for in advance. Appearing out of nowhere and asking for help really did put Tazuna in a difficult position.

“Then, aside from financial aid, is there anywhere in the academy where I could stay temporarily? I could do odd jobs for the school…”

“Are you really that short on money, Silver Blizzard?”

Tazuna looked somewhat surprised. In her eyes, Silver Blizzard was not the sort of student who should have been struggling financially.

Very few students at Central Tracen Academy lived off campus, so it was easy for Tazuna to remember which ones did.

Normally, only students with plenty of money to spare rented places outside the academy. From what Tazuna knew of Silver Blizzard, accommodation should not have been a problem for her…

“Ahaha…”

Faced with Tazuna’s question, Silver Blizzard could only smile awkwardly.

Seeing that Silver Blizzard did not wish to explain, Tazuna did not press the matter.

“Somewhere for you to stay… Oh, that’s right. The academy recently established a special dormitory off campus. I believe you should qualify to live there, Silver Blizzard~”

“A special dormitory? What’s that?”

“It was created to provide a better living environment for students who achieve good results but have limited means. You could consider it an investment by the academy. As long as you prove your potential, the academy will provide you with accommodation free of charge. In return, however, the academy expects students in the special dormitory to achieve better results on the racetrack. In other words, there are performance requirements. Anyone whose results fail to meet the standard will be removed from the special dormitory.”

Silver Blizzard’s eyes lit up at Tazuna’s explanation.

This special dormitory sounded wonderful!

Free accommodation!

Wasn’t it perfect for a bankrupt Umamusume like her?

There might be performance requirements, but her goal was to meet Orfevre again on the highest stage. She already held herself to extremely high standards, so the special dormitory’s minor demands were nothing in her eyes.

“But can I really move in?”

As far as Silver Blizzard knew, she had only competed in a single debut race. Did that alone already qualify her for this special dormitory?

“Don’t worry. Admission is evaluated by the student council president. Considering that you defeated Gentildonna in your debut race, applying for a room should pose no problem.”

“Great! Then I’ll leave it to you, Tazuna-neesan!”

Now Silver Blizzard was genuinely delighted.

With this special dormitory, she would not have to live on the streets!

“Oh, one more thing. Space in the special dormitory is limited, so if your application is accepted, you will probably have to share the room with someone,” Tazuna kindly warned her.

“I see…”

At that news, Silver Blizzard’s elation faded considerably.

She still was not used to living with other people, but circumstances left her no choice. No matter how reluctant she was, she would have to step outside her comfort zone and give it a proper try.

Oh, forget it. If it saved money, what was so terrible about sharing a dorm room with someone?

Furube, yurayura!

Believe in yourself, Silver Blizzard! You’ll get used to it!

Having mentally prepared herself, Silver Blizzard arrived at an apartment building somewhere in Tokyo a few days later, pulling a suitcase behind her and holding the address Tazuna had given her.

She stared at the tightly shut apartment door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

She was ready to meet her new roommate!

No matter who it was, she was prepared to accept them!

At that moment, the apartment door slowly opened, revealing a familiar pair of burgundy eyes in a wholly unexpected place.

“Why are you here?!” they cried in unison.

The welcoming smile Silver Blizzard had prepared for her new roommate instantly froze.

She had never imagined that her new roommate would be Gentildonna!

What am I supposed to do now?!

This is a fan translation of 赛马娘，但我有弹幕贷款系统！by 整活的猫 Rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!