"Is Barbatos around? The Student Council President wants to see you."
Barbatos glanced at the time upon hearing her name. Class was about to start. She turned to the others and said, "If the teacher asks where I am, just cover for me—say I'm with the Student Council President."
Seiun Sky gave a soft 'mm' in acknowledgment.
The little white lie Barbatos had just told left the rest of the group momentarily stunned.
To them, the excuse sounded almost too bold—yet somehow, it felt more believable than the truth would have.
Only Seiun Sky knew that besides truths and lies, there was also the plain, unvarnished fact: Barbatos might beat a legendary Uma Musume in the Winter Dream Cup. And she could tell that even the lie might not be entirely false.
It wasn't until Barbatos had left that El Condor Pasa finally broke into a grin. "An undefeated record, huh?"
Special Week opened her mouth, wanting to say it was just a lie and not true—but then she remembered the look on Barbatos's face just now and wondered, What if it's true?
No way… Is Barbatos really aiming to become an undefeated Uma Musume?
--+--
"I'm Tokai Teio!"
"Barbatos. You already know who I am."
Barbatos smiled slightly. Since the other girl had come to fetch her for the student council, there was no need to waste time on introductions. She hadn't expected the legendary Tokai Teio to be… well, like this.
She'd imagined someone more like an empress—a mature, imposing type of Uma Musume.
After all, the "Emperor's Dance" was already quite famous within Tracen Academy, even if Teio hadn't debuted yet and the outside world hadn't heard of it.
As for whether Student Council President "Emperor" wanted to see her because of the "JOJO dance" she'd performed on the Winner's Stage…
She wasn't too worried or nervous.
Students naturally fear teachers, and at Tracen Academy, the Student Council President held even more authority than the teachers.
With the academy director rarely making appearances, the president was the top authority.
But though she was a student now, she'd lived a life before this—been part of the working world. So she didn't fear teachers; the respect she held was for the profession itself.
As for "Emperor," the Student Council President… her respect came from seeing her as a senior, a legendary Uma Musume, a Triple Crown winner. It was the respect a junior holds for her seniors—nothing more.
Fear? No. Nervousness? None. When you don't need anything from someone, you meet them as equals.
"Speaking of which, you're supposed to lead dance practice for our team this afternoon. Didn't expect we'd meet a little earlier like this."
"Lately, it's not just Team Canopus and Team Spica doing dance practice. The President's been getting headaches over the recent Winner's Stage performances."
"So the president called me in because of the Winner's Stage?"
Barbatos asked curiously, while subtly studying Tokai Teio's physique out of the corner of her eye.
She remembered someone saying that because of the Emperor's Dance, Tokai Teio had exceptional flexibility—which contributed to her incredible speed.
If she debuted, she might become the next Triple Crown Uma Musume!
Just how flexible was she, though? It wasn't something you could tell just by looking.
"Probably not."
Tokai Teio thought about the president's reaction. It hadn't been as intense as the time Special Week was forced to stand center stage as punishment.
"After all, you won by a huge margin. In essence, whether it's a solo or a group performance, you're free to dance however you like. It's just that your dance doesn't really match the image the academy's always promoted for the Winner's Stage."
"We're here. You can go on in."
"Alright. See you this afternoon."
Barbatos gently knocked twice on the student council room door. After receiving permission, she pushed it open and stepped inside.
Two figures were immediately visible. One was "Emperor" Symboli Rudolf, seated at the desk reviewing some documents. The other, standing at her side, was "Empress" Air Groove.
Even without introductions, she recognized them instantly—they were also the formidable rivals she would face in the upcoming Winter Dream Cup.
Noticing Barbatos's arrival, Symboli Rudolf rose from behind the desk and walked over to sit on the sofa. "I am the Student Council President. The Emperor."
Seeing that "Empress" showed no intention of introducing herself, Barbatos gave a polite nod in her direction.
"Empress" nodded back, then took a seat on the sofa opposite the one where "Emperor" was sitting.
Barbatos spoke courteously, "Hello, Madam President."
"Yes. The reason I called you here today concerns the Winter Dream Cup."
"The requirement for participating in the Dream Cup is a fan base exceeding 320,000. This has never been an issue in previous years—until you appeared this season."
As she stated this, she didn't give Barbatos a chance to speak. "For a newly debuted Uma Musume, your running style is remarkably powerful. However…"
"Are you truly prepared to share the stage with us at this point?"
"Then what is the president suggesting?"
Barbatos was taken aback. Was "Emperor" implying she didn't want her to participate in the Winter Dream Cup?
"Given your current number of fans, unless the committee changes the entry rules, you will definitely be selected for the Winter Dream Cup."
"If you prefer not to participate, the student council can go through official channels to ensure you are exempted—without any negative consequences."
Here, Symboli Rudolf offered a gentle smile.
"With your talent, in two or three years, you may genuinely have the strength to stand on the same stage as us."
"So I ask you: Do you still wish to participate in the Dream Cup?"
Barbatos was momentarily stunned.
Did "Emperor" truly believe she could become a legendary Uma Musume in two or three years, worthy of competing fairly in the Winter Dream Cup? Or was this just polite talk?
No—as Student Council President, "Emperor" had no need for empty pleasantries. Was she worried that a crushing defeat in the Dream Cup so soon after her debut might break her spirit?
So… should she take part in the Winter Dream Cup or not?
For a moment, Barbatos wrestled with the decision. If she didn't participate, the hype around her would fade, and she could continue developing quietly.
But the problem was, if she kept winning undefeated through the preliminary races, claiming victories in G3, G2, and even her first G1—as she and Minamizaka had planned for December, right before the Dream Cup—sooner or later, the spotlight would find her anyway.
So rather than waiting three years to enter the Dream Cup, wouldn't it be better to…
A youthful boldness, natural to one her age, flashed in Barbatos's eyes. "I'll just give it a try—see for myself just how wide the gap is between me and the legendary Uma Musume."
"Thank you for your consideration, President. I want to participate in the Dream Cup!"
"I understand."
--+--
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.