"Are you sure you're in good shape for your debut race tomorrow?"
Inside the Canopus dorm, Minamizaka felt utterly exhausted.
This past week, Barbatos, who was about to have her debut race, had basically been slacking off the entire time.
She wasn't even bothering to make excuses for skipping practice anymore—she was just openly slacking.
Just look at El Condor Pasa from their class, also preparing for her debut race with Team Rigil. You could always see her training whenever you passed the field.
Then there were the rookies who had already finished their debut races. Spica's Special Week, for example, had been seen doing special training before her race.
Even though she ended up 'standing still like a post on the C-spot' during her debut, she genuinely managed to clinch first place.
But looking at his own team's Barbatos and Seiun Sky... he hardly ever saw them practice.
They just slacked. Slacked off relentlessly.
Even if they weren't practicing, they could at least hold a few strategy meetings or something.
Minamizaka's heart was weary. For a moment, he really wondered if it was his fault as a trainer, if he was too lax in training. But when facing the Uma Musume, he just couldn't bring himself to be strict.
Please, for heaven's sake, do something productive, Barbatos!
He could only hope that after watching Barbatos's debut race, Seiun Sky might feel a bit of urgency.
"I'm in pretty good form. I shouldn't lose tomorrow's race!" Barbatos said tactfully. These past few days, she'd been grinding ranked games in League of Legends, farming Blue Essence. She'd already saved up over 500 Essence.
If anything unexpected happened during the debut race, she could quickly buy a 450 BE champion from the store and gain a speed-boosting skill.
Truth was, she wasn't short on active speed skills—what she lacked were passive speed boosts. The best solution was to save up for Miss Fortune.
"Well then..." Minamizaka let out a long, quiet sigh, the words stuck in his throat.
If you're not confident about winning, if you're unsure, then train! Please, stop going fishing!
He'd also wanted to ask about the Winner's Stage dance, but then he remembered that Special Week was Barbatos's classmate. Since Barbatos had even skipped dance practice, he probably didn't need to worry about that.
'Special Week, Victorious in First Race, Stands Tall Under the Sky, Dumbstruck'—that headline had trended on Uma Musume social media.
All the trainers were now intensifying Winner's Stage practice for their rookie Uma Musume who hadn't debuted yet.
Suppressing his slightly hurt feelings, he said, "Then let's head out for Osaka. Let's aim for victory in this debut race!"
Beside him, Barbatos and Seiun Sky had already packed their bags with clothes for the next couple of days.
Uma Musume in their debut races don't get to wear victory dresses—you need to have run in at least one G1-level race to get your own. For debut races, it's the standard white t-shirt and red shorts.
But they still needed to prepare their stage outfits for the Winner's Stage and casual clothes for sightseeing in Osaka after the race.
"Go for it, B-senpai! You can definitely take first place!"
"Let those other Uma Musume see what us Canopus girls are made of!"
Matikanetannhauser and Twin Turbo cheered for Barbatos with brimming confidence and energy. Unlike Minamizaka, all they had to do was support their teammate.
Nearby, Ikuno Dictus and Nice Nature also offered their cheers and blessings. Even though Barbatos hadn't been training lately, they believed in the ability she'd shown when she outran them before.
"Heeey~ B-chan, I just know you're gonna get first!" Haru Urara cheered too. Even though her own predictions about whether she'd win weren't usually accurate, she firmly believed Barbatos would win her debut. Plus, she'd already convinced Minamizaka that her own debut race would be soon!
She was determined for all of them to debut successfully together!
She stepped forward and pulled a charm from her pocket, handing it to Barbatos.
"Me and Machitan went together to get this charm from Fukukitaru. It'll definitely bring you good luck, B-chan!"
Taking the green charm, Barbatos felt a warmth in her heart. Urara was so sweet, giving her a charm before the race. And Machitan was a good kid too.
It's just...
"Who's Fukukitaru?"
"Ah, Fukukitaru is Machitan's roommate! She's a really amazing fortune-teller!"
"Even Amazon-senpai goes to her often to buy Fukukitaru's special dice-pencils for make-up exams."
Dice-pencils...
Barbatos's mouth twitched. She never would've thought Amazon-senpai, known as Tracen Academy's fastest finisher, would need make-up exams... or rely on something like dice-pencils for them. You really can't judge an Uma Musume by her cover, huh.
It seemed Urara, unlike her, had a knack for quickly getting familiar with everyone and learning all sorts of things Barbatos had no idea about.
"Thanks, Urara, Machitan, and everyone. For this debut race, victory is ours!"
"Victory is ours!"
The dorm echoed with their united cry. Barbatos would've preferred to keep a low profile, secretly grinding and leaving the other Uma Musume in tears, but in this kind of atmosphere, what young person wouldn't get swept up?
With their rallying cry still hanging in the air, Minamizaka drove the two of them off into the night, heading for the subway station.
--+--
Three hours later.
Inside a luxurious hotel room near the Hanshin Racecourse.
Barbatos had finished her shower and dried her hair. She stood by the hotel window, gazing at the view outside.
Compared to small towns like Kochi, or even the relatively remote Tracen Academy in Tokyo, this place truly felt like a major city.
Cars zipped through the darkened streets, all kinds of neon signs glowed along the roads, and the bridge lights cast a unique beauty over the sea. It wasn't that China lacked this kind of bustling scenery—it was just that, in her previous life, she never had the money to stay in a hotel in such a prime location.
Their Canopus team, or rather Minamizaka, must be quite well-off. No wonder he could offer perks like a vacation in Hawaii.
She could sense Minamizaka's feelings well enough, understood his frustration watching her and Seiun Sky laze around. But who would believe that playing League of Legends could make you stronger?
The only thing she could do was win her debut race with absolute dominance and make Minamizaka confident in her.
Holding the charm Urara gave her, she felt power filling her heart.
She wouldn't lose her debut race!
She just wondered how the popularity poll for the debut race was going. She hadn't checked the votes on the official website since that livestream.
She pulled out her phone, about to check the current popularity rankings, when Seiun Sky emerged from the bathroom after her shower. The two of them were sharing a room.
Seiun Sky picked up the hairdryer and started drying her hair. Seeing this, Barbatos walked over. Thinking that dormmates, classmates, and teammates should help each other out, she took the hairdryer from her. "Let me do it for you."
After losing that bet before, she'd dried Seiun Sky's hair for a whole week, so she was pretty handy with this by now.
Seiun Sky hesitated for a brief moment, but didn't refuse.
--+--
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.