"Silence Suzuka left Rigil?!"
After finishing breakfast, Barbatos arrived in the classroom only to be hit with another bombshell.
Just the day before yesterday, she'd been streaming Silence Suzuka's race with Grass Wonder and the others, and now, yesterday, Silence Suzuka had left the team.
That was Rigil, the academy's strongest team. To just up and leave like that was downright baffling.
Barring slackers like herself, most Uma Musume dreamed of joining Rigil. For Silence Suzuka to quit the team at a time like this… could it be related to the recent changes in her running style?
It couldn't really be because Special Week didn't join Rigil, so she left with Special Week for another team, could it?
"Did she leave Rigil because of her running style?"
Seiun Sky had reached the same conclusion. In that race the day before yesterday, she'd surged from the mid-pack to take the lead outright—there had to be some twists and turns behind that, for sure.
Of course, the specifics would be known only to the inner members of Rigil.
Grass Wonder maintained her usual gentle smile. "The details aren't clear, but that's probably the reason."
El Condor Pasa stood with one hand on her hip. "I heard Silence Suzuka joined that team called Spica."
"Spica?"
Barbatos was taken aback. "Never heard of them. Is that team well-known?"
When she'd looked up Tracen Academy's teams online before enrollment, the name Spica hadn't appeared anywhere.
There were two possibilities: either the team didn't recruit online, or it had no popular, debuted Uma Musume.
"Haven't you all checked the academy's bulletin board?"
Grass Wonder smiled, pulling out her phone and opening a photo from her gallery.
Yesterday, with their clear goal of joining Canopus, Barbatos and the others hadn't actually checked the bulletin board.
Looking at Grass Wonder's phone screen, they saw Spica's recruitment poster: a patch of soil… and several Uma Musume who looked like they'd either been planted or buried headfirst in the dirt.
"Yikes."
"Is this Spica team's motto 'Plant one Uma Musume in spring, harvest a whole group by autumn'?" Barbatos analyzed with a completely straight face. "And right now, it just so happens to be autumn."
Seiun Sky couldn't hold back a complaint, "Doesn't this just look like a parody to anyone else?"
Any normal person would think it was a joke and steer clear of the team. But if it managed to attract Silence Suzuka, there must be something special about it.
Even if no other powerful Uma Musume appeared later, just having Silence Suzuka would give Spica considerable visibility.
"This poster was probably made by one of Spica's members. That Uma Musume is quite well-known within the student council, actually," Grass Wonder shared, drawing on her knowledge as both a Rigil member and a student council affiliate.
At Tracen Academy, the student council president, the one they called the "Emperor," Rudolf Symbol, basically ran the show. The academy's chairwoman rarely involved herself in daily affairs, and it seemed most of the student council's upper echelons were Rigil members.
That alone spoke volumes about Rigil's status within Tracen.
"An Uma Musume famous even in the student council? Which one is it?"
"Gold Ship."
"I've heard of Gold City—she's a famous Uma Musume model. Is Gold Ship from the same family?"
"One's from the Gold family, the other's from the City family. They're not the same."
Barbatos didn't pay too much attention to the rest of this discussion.
She just found the "Gold" part kind of interesting. Maybe Gold Ship even possessed the "Golden Spirit" or something.
--+--
As the class bell rang, the classroom door flew open and Special Week rushed in.
She didn't look the least bit anxious about being almost late; in fact, her flushed face suggested she'd encountered some happy news.
Something like: "My wife is having a baby!"
Following right behind Special Week was their teacher, who launched into another lesson covering the most basic of basics.
From what Barbatos understood, the academy's later curriculum would include foreign languages—simple English and Chinese—meant to help Uma Musume racing abroad embody Tracen Academy's elegance.
Just like yesterday, she took notes to keep herself from zoning out, not wanting to make a bad impression on the teacher just two days into the school year.
But as time dragged on, a slight sweat beaded on her forehead. The weather today was rather oppressive, carrying a hint of stifling heat.
This mugginess didn't seem to bother the other Uma Musume much, but Barbatos felt unusually hot, all because she'd worn an extra pair of leggings.
Earlier, she'd patted herself on the back for putting on those leggings before heading out, thinking she wouldn't feel that chilly draft down below. But now? This was worse than the draft!
Feeling a bit chilly while walking outside was one thing, but being hot lasted the entire class. With little experience regarding the thickness of leggings, she'd basically set herself up for this misery.
There was still nearly an hour left until class ended. Though uncomfortably warm, she forced herself to keep listening.
"Barbatos, are you feeling unwell?" King Halo, sitting next to her, noticed her discomfort and whispered.
"It's nothing, just a bit hot."
She could feel the sweat building up underneath. A soft 'psst, psst' sound came from the other side.
Seiun Sky, on her other side, was half-sprawled across the desk, listening to the lesson with seemingly zero energy.
Yet, even in that state, when the teacher called on her, she answered correctly without missing a beat.
With the lower half of her face hidden by her arm, Seiun Sky's green eyes held a trace of helplessness. "If you're hot, why not just take them off?" she drawled lazily.
She didn't even need to ask Barbatos to figure out why she was hot.
Aside from a few rare exceptions, what Uma Musume wore leggings inside the academy, especially in this weather?
As for male trainers… well, it was unlikely any would risk their reputation and safety just to sneak a peek.
Barbatos understood the logic perfectly. But they were in the middle of class. Maybe she could use a bathroom break as an excuse?
After a moment's thought, it seemed unnecessary. Everyone present was an Uma Musume, and the teacher was a woman too. It wasn't like she needed to be self-conscious about the leggings. Besides, she was wearing something under them, and under the desk, most people wouldn't see much anyway.
She slipped her hands under the desk, reached under her skirt, rolled the leggings down, and slowly pulled them off.
Aside from Seiun Sky, who'd suggested it, the only one who noticed was King Halo beside her.
A faint blush rose on King Halo's cheeks, and she couldn't help stealing a few glances. It was just the simple act of taking off clothes when you're hot, but in this context, it felt… different.
--+--
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.