After drying her hair, Barbatos flopped onto the bed in a lazy sprawl, scrolling through her phone to see what was buzzing in both the team and livestream group chats.
After a moment's thought, she opened a search engine, planning to look up how exactly two Uma Musume get together—like, which one ends up having the baby? It's not something she ever really understood.
Just then, the bathroom door clicked softly.
She glanced over and saw Seiun Sky, already out of the shower and dressed in pajamas, drying her damp hair with a towel.
The hem of her pajamas revealed a glimpse of pale, smooth calves, and her white slippers, damp from the steamy bathroom, made soft squelch-squelch sounds as she padded over.
Barbatos's gaze lingered on those slender legs for a few seconds.
Not that her own legs were all that different—but who goes around admiring their own calves? Though, if she was being honest, she did have a bit of a thing for nice legs herself.
As Seiun Sky drew closer, Barbatos shifted on the bed and got a better look: Seiun's face was still flushed from the hot shower, beads of moisture clinging to her temples. The sight was… dangerously captivating.
If only she'd had a roommate like this back in her past life, when she was still male—day-to-day living would've felt a lot more… promising.
"What are you looking at?"
"Just figuring out how to dry your hair. Sit here."
Seiun's ears twitched slightly. She didn't quite believe that, but she had no proof. Settling into the chair, she averted her gaze and didn't press the matter.
Barbatos plugged in the hairdryer, and it whirred to life.
She lifted sections of Seiun's hair, blowing them out layer by layer. What started out a little awkward soon became smooth and practiced—drying someone else's hair was definitely easier than doing her own.
The dorm room was filled only with the hum of the hairdryer. Barbatos thought about making small talk—something like, "See? This is what a Triple Crown-level blowout looks like." But when she caught sight of that freshly washed, dewy profile, she decided against it and quietly kept drying.
Hmm, she even felt the urge to give that cheek a little pinch.
A few minutes later, with Seiun's hair about ninety percent dry, she finally switched off the dryer and unplugged it.
Seiun remained seated, not moving, perhaps lost in thought. Barbatos took her place in the gaming chair in front of her computer, ready to begin that night's journey through the Summoner's Rift.
After greeting the esteemed viewers in her stream, she teamed up with "Teacher Piao," who happened to be online, and they hit the Rift in a turbo-charged duo.
By the time she'd locked in her champion and entered the loading screen, she glanced over and saw Seiun had already returned to bed, presumably to scroll on her phone and unwind.
Noticing the gaze, Seiun looked back at her.
Beep-beep~
A LINE notification chimed from the computer.
Swiveling around during the loading screen, Barbatos checked the message—probably Minamizaka, maybe with details about her debut race.
Well, actually, it was Seiun Sky's icon blinking.
"You talking during your stream won't keep me up. Going to sleep now."
Reading that, Barbatos thought it made sense. After all, back in Canopus, with so many people talking, Seiun could still fall asleep—proof she could not only konk out in three seconds but also dive straight into deep sleep.
Still, reasonable or not, roommates ought to respect each other.
"Thx, g'night."
As she sent the message, the game started. She switched back to the client and dove into the Summoner's Rift.
By the time her match ended, she noticed a new LINE message—a "Good night" from Seiun, sent a few minutes after her own. She glanced back at the bed; Seiun was already buried under the covers, fast asleep.
Even with that "talk all you want" permission, Barbatos still lowered her voice considerably as she continued her carnage in the Rift, riding high and full of vigor!
Even well past midnight, she was still wide awake, like an immortal cultivating at night.
--+--
The next day.
"We're gonna be late, you know."
Barbatos struggled out of bed. Once again, her alarm had failed to do its job, but after their interactions yesterday, Seiun Sky simply took it upon herself to wake her.
But… oh, how she wanted to skip class!
"Teach, I've come down with a serious condition—my bones break if I leave the bed."
"Teach, my blanket cast some Four Symbols Seal on me and I can't get up!"
Compared to last night's high spirits and dominating energy in-game, now she was just… full of regret.
As a model student of the new generation, she really should've ended her stream after an hour and gone to bed early. Or better yet, not streamed at all—just helped Seiun dry her hair and called it a night!
If only, if only she could borrow just a little of Urara's boundless energy…
Seiun was right, after all—Uma Musume really do need plenty of sleep.
After squirming around in bed a few more times, she finally—under Seiun's watchful gaze—managed to break free from the blanket's seal and burst out.
In the bathroom, she splashed cold water on her face and went through a quick routine, trying to make herself look at least somewhat awake.
"Hah… today…today I'll definitely get to bed early!"
Every time she suffered from lack of sleep, she'd tell herself the same thing—swear she'd turn in early tonight. But when night fell, she'd always end up cultivating the night away again.
But this time was different. Yesterday really was the last all-nighter!
Barbatos made a firm resolution in her heart: tonight, even if she starved or jumped out the window, she absolutely would not stay up late. "My word is my bond—that's my Uma-way!"
After a quick freshening up, she grabbed her Tracen Academy uniform and changed into it inside the bathroom.
The skirt hem stopped midway down her thighs, creating that "absolute territory" with the white knee-high socks. White knee-highs were the standard-issue for the academy, but they weren't mandatory—you'd occasionally see other colors and styles around campus.
Not that any of the students paid it much mind.
"Hmm… you're quick."
"Of course. At this hour, we should still have time to grab something from the cafeteria."
"If we're really short on time, we can take it to go."
The Tracen cafeteria served all three meals. Yesterday, she'd been in such a rush that all she had for breakfast was a carrot. Today, she could actually check out what they had.
Sure, most Uma Musume loved carrots, but who could stand eating them every single day?
Just as they were about to head out, "Wait for me a sec."
Barbatos opened her wardrobe. She still remembered that chilly draft from yesterday—not a pleasant feeling. So…
Maybe try wearing a pair of leggings underneath.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.