Nakayama Racecourse.
Reporters and Uma Musume, having finished their pre-race interviews, began to clear out.
The junior league race scheduled for today was about to begin, and all participants were heading backstage to prepare.
As Barbatos and Minamizaka left the spectator stands, they watched Seiun Sky head towards the backstage area.
She noticed Seiun Sky glance back at her just before entering.
'Was she reminding me about our bet?'
The thought crossed her mind. Two weeks ago, she and Seiun Sky had gone fishing outside Tracen Academy and made a wager—the loser had to cheer for the winner in their debut race at the top of their lungs.
As if she'd ever skip out on that. She remembered her own debut race, when Seiun Sky had sent a voice message on LINE to cheer her on.
It had perked her up, shaking off the drowsiness that had been creeping in.
How could she possibly go back on her word now?
She'd already been worried about Seiun Sky's debut. Maybe shouting her support would ease some of that anxiety.
She and Minamizaka made their way to the front row of the spectator stands, waiting together for the debut race to start.
It was then that Barbatos, dark circles under her eyes from a nearly sleepless night, noticed something in Minamizaka's hand—the number bib that competing Uma Musume needed to wear on their backs.
"...Minamizaka."
"You forgot to give Seiun her number bib!"
At her words, the trainer Minamizaka facepalmed with an almost "stiff" motion, muttering, "Oh no!"
An embarrassed look spread across his face as he realized his oversight. "Barbatos, I'll need you to take this to Seiun Sky for me."
"Sure! Hand it over."
Taking the number bib from Minamizaka, she jogged toward the racecourse's backstage area.
Seriously, is Minamizaka just as nervous as I am? How could he forget Seiun's number bib? Maybe that's why Seiun glanced back earlier—she might've noticed it was missing.
--+--
In the spectator stands.
Minamizaka watched Barbatos hurry off and shook his head with a quiet chuckle. Well, well.
Forgetting the number bib had been intentional. Back when Tracen trainers shared tips on handling their Uma Musume' race-day nerves, one piece of advice stood out:
If a Uma Musume in your care seemed off her game right before her debut, you could "conveniently" forget to give her the number bib.
Then, have the teammate closest to her—or the trainer themselves—bring it backstage right before the race.
That way, in those final minutes before the start, they could offer some face-to-face encouragement and help the competitor get into the right headspace.
This method, tested and proven effective, came from the collective experience of countless senior trainers.
Seiun Sky didn't seem much different from usual—she'd probably be able to get into race mode just fine without such tricks. But Barbatos… she didn't look like she was doing too well.
He'd wondered why Barbatos had such a rough night.
From what he knew, her daily routine was pretty straightforward: classes, meals, and grinding League of Legends. She just refused to train with him—so stubborn!
After thinking it over, Minamizaka concluded that Barbatos was probably worried about Seiun Sky.
It was only natural for Uma Musume in the same class, same dorm, and same team to care about each other. "The closer you are, the more you fret," as they say.
Though he had no proof, he decided to send Barbatos with the number bib anyway—so she could cheer Seiun on properly before the race.
At least if she got to shout her support before the starting bell, it might ease her worries a little.
And if he was wrong… well, no harm done.
--+--
Arriving backstage at the racecourse.
The place felt somewhat similar to Hanshin Racecourse, where she'd had her own debut race. Then again, most racecourses didn't differ all that much.
Barbatos held her phone, already having messaged Seiun Sky on LINE about the number bib. No reply yet—probably because she was changing into her racing gear.
She had no idea which changing room Seiun was in.
So she stationed herself along the route everyone took when leaving backstage, ready to wait for Seiun to come to her.
An autumn breeze drifted in from the passageway leading outside. Barbatos's ears twitched slightly, faintly catching the noisy hum from the spectator stands.
For some reason, amid her worries about Seiun Sky's debut race, another feeling surfaced: a growing anticipation for her own junior race tomorrow.
She longed to stand on the track again, to break through the finish line first, to feel the crowd's roaring applause, to see the flood of praise online.
Even with a mature soul inside her, well aware that online acclaim often followed popular opinion—without the support of her 330,000 Chinese fans, even a debut victory wouldn't have gained such traction—she knew one thing for certain.
Once you've tasted the thrill of victory, you never want to fade into obscurity again. You never want to face defeat.
A few competing Uma Musume passed by her. For a moment, they seemed puzzled—was Barbatos racing today too? But when they spotted the number bib in her hand, understanding dawned.
A couple of them even felt a flicker of déjà vu.
It was like they'd been there before—either receiving a number bib from a teammate, or delivering one themselves.
"B-chan."
She turned toward the voice and saw Seiun Sky, already changed into her racing outfit, walking over. "Minamizaka forgot your number bib, so I'm bringing it over."
She wasn't sure if Seiun had seen the LINE message—racers usually left their phones in the locker room to avoid affecting their speed.
She held out the bib. "Also, good luck in your debut!"
"Mmm."
Seiun Sky's upright ears twitched slightly. She tilted her head, smiling. "So you lost sleep because you were worried about me?"
Barbatos paused for two seconds, then defaulted to denial. "As if!"
"It's just… last night I ran into some idiots in my game. Couldn't sleep because I kept getting angrier the more I thought about it."
No way was Barbatos going to admit she'd lost sleep over Seiun's debut. Wouldn't that make it seem like she cared too much?
She wasn't clueless, and she wasn't a tsundere either. She could admit to herself that she felt a little something for Seiun Sky—but they still didn't know each other that well.
If it were someone from another class or team, with Barbatos's mature outlook and wealth of experience, she would've already made a move to deepen that connection and explore those feelings.
But with Seiun Sky, it was different. Why shouldn't the rabbit nibble the grass near its burrow? Because if things didn't work out between them—if she didn't have absolute confidence they'd end up together—their situation as roommates, classmates, and teammates could get really awkward.
"Is that so."
Seiun Sky secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet a rare seriousness entered her eyes.
"I won't lose my debut race. Don't forget to cheer for me as loud as you can."
"Till I'm hoarse, you got it."
--+--
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.