"Now, please have the Uma Musume enter the starting gates!"
One by one, the Uma Musume participating in this rookie race filed into the starting gates according to their assigned order. Seiun Sky gestured briefly at the gate before her, hesitating instead of entering right away.
"Please enter the starting gate promptly."
A staff member nearby offered a friendly reminder.
Seiun Sky eyed the gate, feeling it looked a bit too narrow. Truth was, she wasn't a fan of tight spaces.
But under the gaze of the other Uma Musume and the staff's urging, she finally stepped straight in.
Only after getting inside did she realize it felt even more cramped than she had imagined.
In conditions like these, if she put too much force into her initial start, she might even end up bumping into the gate itself.
It was a fear of a specific environment—she didn't know why, but it was an instinctive dread. Kind of like how Barbatos was scared of heights, even though the Barbatos from Genshin Impact had said stuff like 'Flying is faster than running.'
The size of a single cabin on the Osaka Ferris Wheel was at least four or five times bigger than this starting gate.
Thinking of that, an image popped into Seiun Sky's mind: Barbatos, terrified of heights, looking utterly defeated, and then stubbornly refusing to admit it right until the end, before finally grabbing her hand.
At that moment, it was as if her attention had been redirected. The unpleasant feeling of being inside the gate instantly vanished, and a light, relaxed smile touched her lips.
Even though Barbatos had claimed she hadn't slept well because she was worried about her—blaming it on some issue with her game instead.
But this time, she couldn't just take it easy and run casually.
She would give this race her all! She didn't want the title of 'generational star' to be hogged just by El Condor Pasa and Barbatos!
Every Uma Musume wanted to take first place and become a Triple Crown winner. Even Seiun Sky was no exception, though she rarely showed it.
The lights above the starting gates began to flash.
All the Uma Musume settled into their ready-to-run stances. Most of them fixed their eyes on the strong rivals they had researched before the race.
At the same time, they kept a careful watch on Seiun Sky—the one from Team Canopus, the same team as Barbatos!
No one knew what running style this newly-debuted Seiun Sky would use, nor just how fast she truly was.
All they could do was keep an eye on her. If she showed strong ability, they could mark her immediately.
They had all seen the race videos of El Condor Pasa and Barbatos; they had witnessed how others had tried to box Barbatos in, only to fail.
Only a Uma Musume of the same caliber could effectively mark an opponent. Otherwise, no amount of marking would make a difference.
But surely not every newly-debuted Uma Musume could be a monster like El Condor Pasa and Barbatos, right? Canopus wasn't a team like Rigil; it wasn't possible for every single member to be synonymous with strength.
BANG!
The moment the gates flew open, all eleven Uma Musume burst forth.
"And the race is underway! Let's see which Uma Musume will take the lead in this race!"
"It's Seiun Sky from Team Canopus! Seiun Sky charges straight to the front and immediately takes the lead!"
The race caller's and commentator's voices echoed in the spectators' ears.
Standing near the finish line in the audience seats, Minamizaka watched the running Seiun Sky with surprise.
This was his first time seeing how Seiun Sky looked when she ran seriously. Was she actually a front-runner type?
But this was the Hibiscus Cup—different from the race Barbatos had participated in before. This was a middle-distance track, a full 2000 meters long!
Using a front-running strategy on a course like this required immense confidence in one's own stamina.
Unconsciously, Minamizaka's own emotions grew tense. At the same time, he held onto hope that Seiun Sky could maintain her lead all the way and take first place.
Barbatos might often trick people, but she had personally admitted to losing to Seiun Sky before. She had also said that Seiun Sky was generally on par with El Condor Pasa, telling him not to worry too much about Seiun Sky's tendency to slack off.
Thinking of that, Minamizaka let out a soft chuckle. She told him not to worry, yet she herself had been so worried she couldn't sleep all night.
Right then, a booming voice exploded next to his ear, causing Minamizaka to jolt and 'tactically lean back' in his seat.
"Go, Seiun Sky! Leave them in the dust!"
Why do you have to yell so loud?!
Minamizaka clutched his chest, nearly jumping out of his skin from Barbatos's sudden cheer.
"Seiun Sky is leading the pack!"
"Seiun Sky is increasing the distance between herself and the Uma Musume behind her!"
"Five lengths!"
"Six lengths!"
"Seven lengths!"
"My god! What incredible speed! Could it be that after Barbatos, Canopus is about to produce another genius?! Is another contender about to join the race for 'generational star'?!"
"It might be too early to say for sure. Her pace as a front-runner is indeed very fast, but she has to handle a full 2000 meters."
"It's hard to guess whether this was her planned strategy all along, or if she changed it on the spot after hearing Barbatos being mentioned here!"
"What are you implying?"
"Rivalry exists not just between teams, but within them as well. When your daily training partner becomes a generational star, nobody wants to be left behind."
"Then let's see if Seiun Sky can maintain this lead all the way to the finish line!"
"If she can, just how much of a gap can the newly-debuted Seiun Sky open between herself and the second-place Uma Musume?"
Somewhere along the line, influenced by heated online discussions surrounding races involving El Condor Pasa and Barbatos, even the race callers and commentators had started emphasizing the number of lengths between first and second place as a criteria for judging 'generational stars.'
"The race has 800 meters left! Seiun Sky still leads second place by nearly seven lengths, showing no signs of slowing down!"
"They're entering the fourth turn—the final stretch!"
"Has the second-place runner run out of steam for a final sprint?!"
Seiun Sky was aware of the gap behind her. Even without looking back, just listening to the footsteps told her the second-place runner was more than five lengths behind.
So, was this enough? Would winning like this be sufficient?
"Go for it!"
A clear, loud cheer came from the spectator stands. It was Barbatos's voice, fulfilling the bet she'd lost after their fishing trip. A hint of hoarseness was even detectable in her shouts.
"Incredible! On the final stretch—Seiun Sky is still accelerating on the final stretch!"
"The gap to second place is widening even further!"
"Seiun Sky crosses the finish line! What a dominant front-running performance!"
"Even compared to El Condor Pasa and Barbatos, she appears not the least bit inferior!"
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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.