"Anyone with over 240,000 fans is considered top-tier among Uma Musume, while those surpassing 320,000 are outright legends!"
"But in Barbatos' case, it's clearly an exception."
The commentator watched the barrage of comments fly by. As a professional, she could understand the Pinyin—Barbatos obviously had some side gig beyond racing, amassing a massive fanbase from China.
Aside from Barbatos, every single Uma Musume who'd crossed the 320,000 fan mark was nothing short of a legend.
"The Triple Crown winners Symboli Rudolf and Narita Brian, the 'Amazonian Queen' Hishi Amazon, the 'Dream Triple Crown' Fuji Kiseki, the 'Supercar' Maruzensky, the 'Empress' Air Groove, the Idol Oguri Cap, and the G1 record-holder T.M. Opera O!"
"These are the legends among Uma Musume today. They shine like the moon at night, each illuminating their own generation—unavoidable pillars that every modern Uma Musume must acknowledge!"
"So when Barbatos debuts with popularity rivaling these legends, will she join their ranks, or fade into obscurity?"
"Let's all look forward to the upcoming race and find out!"
As the commentator's voice faded, the atmosphere at Hanshin Racecourse ignited instantly. Even if the crowd couldn't match a G1 event in numbers, the roar of excitement was just as deafening.
No matter what, they were about to witness the birth of a trending topic—perhaps even the debut race of a future legend!
--+--
"Who backstabbed me?!"
Backstage, Barbatos was questioning her life.
How had things ended up like this when she'd been so low-key?
She knew exactly what level she was at. Sure, she was confident she could win this debut race—maybe even have something left in the tank if nothing went wrong.
But honestly? She wasn't even sure she could beat Special Week or El Condor Pasa from her own class. How strong Grass Wonder or Seiun Sky would be was still up in the air.
Now, with 330,000 fans and a following comparable to the legends, she was the classic case of "all reputation, not enough skill."
When she'd talked about her goals with others, she'd been careful not to jinx herself. So how had she gotten backstabbed so quickly, thrust into the spotlight like this?
If she failed now, she'd become a laughingstock—a total clown.
So who the hell sent all these people to support me?!
"..."
...Oh. The one who backstabbed her was herself, wasn't it? If she hadn't gone on stream showing her face and asked her chat to vote for her, she'd still be a nobody, developing steadily in the shadows. Even if she lost her debut, no one would blame her—her teammates would probably comfort and encourage her like crazy. But now...
"Talk about pressure."
She let out a long sigh, her mindset shifting subtly.
'If I can't develop quietly, then I'll just have to become one of them for real—a true legend!'
What young person isn't ambitious? No matter what her past life had been like, even if her thoughts were more complex and mature than the straightforward Uma Musume, a man remains a boy at heart until he dies!
Even transformed into an Uma Musume, her soul was still that of a young man!
--+--
All competing Uma Musume entered the starting gates.
The Nojikiku Stakes was about to begin!
Barbatos could feel the gazes of the other racers fixed on her—she'd even seen a few of them around Tracen Academy.
"A bit too much attention, isn't it," she muttered under her breath.
"Barbatos, you're strong, but I'm going to stick to you like glue!"
"Us too!"
The words from the Uma Musume beside her rallied the rest. Unlike Barbatos' suspicions, they were mostly just treating her as a rival who demanded extreme caution, given her legendary-level popularity at debut—with just a hint of envy mixed in.
"?"
'Are they really planning to mark me? That's insane—how are they even going to do that?'
The next moment, the gates flew open.
Every Uma Musume burst out instantly.
"And they're off!"
"Eh? This is a very strange start—what in the world is happening?"
Not just the commentators, but the live audience and viewers at home were all stunned. What was going on out there on the track?
Every Uma Musume seemed to be holding back, none willing to really stretch their legs.
"Oh my god! Are they all trying to mark Barbatos?!"
Barbatos: "..."
'Is this really the way to handle a closer like me? I was planning to wait until the second half to crush you all, refresh [Ghost] and [Highlander]'s duration, and grab some extra gold. What's even the point of this?!'
If they kept this pace all the way to the finish, she wouldn't need to panic—just slot in Hecarim's ultimate. At this speed, even if they got feared, they wouldn't get hurt beyond maybe some scraped knees.
So she wasn't worried about being surrounded.
But while she wasn't afraid, some Uma Musume were clever.
Seeing everyone else hanging back for a casual stroll with Barbatos, one shot ahead at full speed, using Barbatos to hold back the competition and seize victory!
Once one broke away, others followed. All the Uma Musume who'd planned to mark Barbatos, seeing that Barbatos intended to run dead last, chose to surge forward instead.
Though they still kept an eye on Barbatos, their focus shifted more toward charging for the finish line!
The race instantly returned to a normal rhythm.
Barbatos began to pick up speed too. Even without using skills, her passive movement speed bonus alone could easily place her in the top five of this debut race!
Not just fifth—top five included fifth, fourth, third, second, even first!
The 1800-meter track would take these rookie Uma Musume over two minutes—around 130 seconds or more.
"The race is half over! Will Barbatos choose to make her move now?"
"Or is this all the speed she has?!"
The racing Uma Musume kept glancing back, tracking Barbatos—they saw her as their biggest rival in this race!
"Mark me? Think you can keep up?!"
[Highlander] and [Ghost] activated simultaneously, equipped with [Boots of Swiftness—Righteous Glory]'s active effect!
Her instant acceleration dug grooves into the turf, the wind ripping past her with a sound like a sonic boom. She blew by the other Uma Musume before they could even react!
"Done for!" * 13
"Barbatos cuts through all thirteen! Barbatos takes the win with a lead of over ten lengths!"
"Magnificent! With such a dominant victory, perhaps someday, Barbatos will truly have what it takes to compete with the legends!"
The commentator cheered passionately. Even if the gap between Barbatos' current showing and the legends was still vast, the sheer dominance she displayed definitely marked her as one of the strongest of her generation.
As she finished, the co-commentator added, "No 'perhaps' about it. With 330,000 fans, Barbatos will be invited to the Winter Dream Cup."
--+--
T/N: Bro the match was like 10 lines after all that build up but i guess this is more slice of life
--+--
T/N: Gacha x Multiverse Fic Up!
--+--
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.