In the hotel room, the low hum of a hairdryer filled the air. Barbatos wasn't quite sure why she had ended up helping with drying someone else's hair.
Maybe it was because she felt a little guilty—especially after hearing that bit about couples who hold hands on the Ferris wheel staying together forever.
Something wasn't right, really wasn't right. Why should she feel guilty at all?
Sure, she was the one who suggested riding the Ferris wheel, but it was Seiun Sky who offered to hold hands!
She couldn't take all the blame for this. It was clearly a two-way problem, and if anything, she was the one more wronged here.
Just imagine, someday when she brought her own girlfriend to ride the Osaka Ferris wheel, and her girlfriend suddenly asked, "How… how are you so good at this?"
Ugh, this was definitely Seiun Sky's fault.
After mentally arguing her case, her previously wandering gaze steadied, and she turned to Seiun Sky, ready to clear things up. But the moment she saw that flushed profile, fresh from the bath, the words caught in her throat.
Guilt—she finally understood why she felt guilty. It really had nothing to do with anything else.
It was just that she might, perhaps, possibly… be a little attracted to the other girl's body.
Barbatos, you're shameless!
Quieting her thoughts, she focused on drying Seiun Sky's hair, unaware that Seiun Sky was in a similar state.
This had started after hearing what that fan of Barbatos said.
Holding hands all the way to the top of the Ferris wheel… It was her idea to let Barbatos hold her hand, and she'd even made that kind of joke when Barbatos mentioned partners.
She hadn't let go of Barbatos's hand after getting off the ride, either, letting Barbatos's fan see them hand-in-hand and get the wrong idea.
The blush on her face wasn't just from the hot shower—she was genuinely embarrassed.
As for whether Barbatos's fear of heights was an act, she didn't think so. Knowing Barbatos, that fear was real.
But so what? So what if her fans misunderstood? So what if Barbatos misunderstood? Getting a free hairdryer service like this wasn't exactly a bad deal.
Seiun Sky forced herself to calm down, though she lowered her head a little more. What was she even thinking?
Better to sleep it off. Once they woke up tomorrow, if neither of them brought it up, it would be like it never happened.
She sat obediently in the chair, took a deep breath after a moment, and broke the slightly awkward silence first. "It's pretty normal for Uma Musume to help each other dry their hair, right?"
"Mhm… normal, totally normal."
Relieved that the strange atmosphere was broken, Barbatos explained, "In humans' eyes, a guy and a girl alone in a room, helping with hair drying… that might seem inappropriate."
"But we're different. We're roommates, and we're both Uma Musume. Friends helping each other with their hair is completely ordinary."
"Right?"
"So holding hands on the Ferris wheel is normal too, then."
"Yeah, and wasn't it because I was scared of heights, so you reached out to help me?"
Back and forth they went, dismantling the awkwardness and returning things to normal—or at least, to what they mutually pretended was normal.
--+--
After her hair was dry, Seiun Sky climbed into bed and started scrolling through her phone as usual.
Barbatos sat at the desk, also pretending to look at her phone, but in reality, she was opening her system interface.
The gold coins she earned from defeating thirteen opponents in her debut race had already been credited. Now was the perfect time to upgrade her gear.
She already had a plan. By the time the Winter Dream Cup came around, she wouldn't be able to extend the duration of [Ghost] and [Highlander] with overtaking anymore. So speed-boosting items like "Youmuu's Ghostblade" wouldn't be very suitable either.
Speed boosts from skills or items don't last, and in normal conditions, legendary Uma Musume were far faster than her.
Imagine running against a legendary Uma Musume who also used a come-from-behind strategy—it'd be like they were both closers, but the other girl would look like a Great Escape leader to her.
Speed skills could keep her from falling behind in the short term, but once the effect wore off, she'd be a sitting duck. So she needed an item that increased her movement speed in normal conditions.
On the system interface, her gold count showed 1400.
That was made up of the 100 gold left from the 1600 she spent on [Boots of Swiftness] and [Righteous Glory] during the entrance exam, plus the 1300 gold she earned from defeating thirteen opponents today.
She opened the item shop, quickly navigated to the defense category, and found [Winged Moonplate (900 gold)]. Effect: +150 maximum health, Flight: +5% movement speed.
With a mental tap on the system interface, she purchased [Winged Moonplate] right away, gaining a permanent 5% movement speed boost.
A 5% speed increase might seem small—and compared to those burst speed skills, it really was—but the items [Winged Moonplate] could build into offered much greater movement benefits.
With the remaining 500 gold, she bought a [Cloth Armor] that gave +20 armor, preparing to later upgrade into [Chain Vest] for +40 armor.
[Winged Moonplate] plus [Chain Vest], plus another 1000 gold, would let her synthesize it into [Dead Man's Plate].
[Dead Man's Plate (2800 gold)] had base stats that increased armor and health—neither of which did anything for Barbatos at the moment—but it came with three effects, two of which were movement-related.
--+--
Relentless: +5% movement speed
Momentum: Gain momentum while moving, stacking up to 100 times. At max stacks, grants up to 40 bonus movement speed. Basic attacks consume all stacks.
--+--
The "Momentum" effect was practically made for Uma Musume. After all, she was here to race, not to throw punches, so she wouldn't need to basic attack anyone. That meant she could keep the +40 movement speed permanently!
Right now, she still needed 1400 more gold to upgrade into [Dead Man's Plate]—just one or two races away.
Legendary Uma Musume, your Barbatos is coming!
--+--
At the Race Committee.
A middle-aged man wearing sunglasses rested his chin on his interlocked, white-gloved hands.
Around him, several elderly men were slamming the table, making cups jump and rattle.
"Those foreign fans are overreaching! Since when can overseas fan votes decide who gets into the Winter Dream Cup?!"
"Disqualify her! She must be disqualified!"
"Since when can an Uma Musume with no fanbase in our country participate in the Winter Dream Cup!"
As the elders argued back and forth, a sharp-looking female secretary entered with a laptop. "Chairman, Barbatos's fan numbers in Japan are skyrocketing. Please take a look at this."
She set the laptop in front of the middle-aged man and opened a popular livestream with over 8,000 concurrent viewers.
--+--
T/N: Bro lowkey this might be the first time ive seen a seiun sky pairing, but i fw it heavy. Green on green.
--+--
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.