Monjayaki Shop.
"To celebrate Seiun Sky's successful debut!"
Barbatos raised a beer mug filled with carrot juice high. "Cheers!"
"Order whatever you like, it's on me today."
Minamizaka said, taking a sip of his carrot juice.
He could drink alcohol, but that was reserved for socializing with other trainers.
Compared to those occasions, he far preferred sharing drinks—of the non-alcoholic variety—with the Uma Musume under his care.
Seiun Sky grinned mischievously. "Times like this make me feel like we should really take Minamizaka for all he's worth."
"If only we had an appetite like Special Week's."
"Special Week's level would be manageable. What we'd really need is an Oguri Cap-level appetite."
That one was in a completely different, almost mythical, weight class compared to Special Week.
"You know, it's a bit of a shame," Barbatos remarked, a hint of scorn in her voice, though it wasn't entirely directed at the title itself. "With all that fuss the 'Wife' kicked up, Sei-chan can't be called the 'Main Protagonist of Her Generation' anymore."
Frankly, she didn't think the title should have been revoked right after Seiun Sky's debut race. If it had stuck, Seiun could have ridden the wave of publicity and gained fans explosively, just like El Condor Pasa did.
It was like the current situation with Silence Suzuka, now hailed as the "Prodigy of the Era," whose fanbase was skyrocketing.
Besides the fans who genuinely supported you, plenty of others would sway with the court of public opinion.
"'Main Character of the Generation' or whatever… as long as I can run nice and easy, that's all that matters," Seiun Sky said, feigning nonchalance.
Minamizaka, sitting beside her, couldn't help but smile and shake his head wryly.
He saw right through her but didn't call her out.
There hadn't been a single trace of "nice and easy" in her debut race. If that was her idea of taking it easy, her full throttle would probably have left both El Condor Pasa and Barbatos in the dust.
Barbatos, never one to mince words, called her out. "Then why did you widen the gap with the second-place finisher so much?"
She understood the concept of diplomatic phrasing, but among close friends at the academy, that kind of "polish" wasn't necessary.
"Wasn't it because you were cheering so loudly?"
Seiun Sky shot a sidelong glance at Barbatos, a playful smile on her face. Even now, she could still detect a hint of hoarseness in Barbatos's voice.
She'd probably cheered at the top of her lungs, nearly shouting herself raw.
"Well, that was because—"
"Alright, this is a good time to discuss tomorrow's race," Minamizaka interjected, smoothly changing the subject.
Even if the outside world thought Barbatos had tomorrow's newcomer race in the bag, as her trainer, he still needed to give her a proper warning.
It wasn't a warning about possibly losing, but rather, to make sure she paid attention to a specific opponent.
"You mustn't take tomorrow's race lightly, especially be careful of that Queen Berry."
Minamizaka's serious tone made Barbatos straighten up and listen attentively.
She recalled the message Special Week had sent her on LINE. "Yeah, I heard this Queen Berry will resort to any means necessary during the race."
"I watched Special Week's race before. Thinking back on it now, if it weren't for Queen Berry, Special Week wouldn't have had such a poor start. And if Special Week hadn't received specific training from her mother regarding that sort of thing, her debut race could have been really dangerous."
Barbatos had indeed watched Special Week's debut.
After all, in her eyes, Special Week had all the makings of a main character. She needed to keep an eye on this "protagonist's" growth and figure out how to handle her future rival in advance.
"Exactly. If Queen Berry were facing Seiun Sky, I'd be less concerned."
"The prerequisite for her aggressive maneuvers is that she must be running level with or ahead of her opponent. Seiun Sky, who takes the lead and widens the gap from the start, wouldn't need to worry about that. But for you, with your come-from-behind running style, you fit the profile for her tactics perfectly."
Minamizaka analyzed seriously, his expression gradually growing more stern.
"Furthermore, Queen Berry has previously participated in a G3 race."
"This sets her apart from most Uma Musume in newcomer races. Even if she didn't achieve a good result in the G3, she absolutely cannot be underestimated. The reason Spica's Special Week managed to defeat her was a combination of having the right countermeasures and her own solid abilities."
An Uma Musume who's run in a G3? Barbatos looked over at Seiun Sky, a bit bewildered, and their eyes met. There was such a thing?
"Did she drop back to the newcomer race circuit because she couldn't win at the G3 level?" Seiun Sky asked.
Normally, after competing in a Graded race, subsequent entries would usually be in Graded races as well. Why would anyone go backwards?
"Yes, that's probably the case."
Minamizaka shared the same guess. After experiencing repeated failures, she was likely using the newcomer race to readjust her mindset.
"But even so, Queen Berry's experience, knowledge, and technique surpass all the Uma Musume you've faced so far. She's a competitor who has raced at the G3 level. You must be extremely careful and not let your guard down for a second."
"Understood."
--+--
The Next Day
Nakayama Racecourse
"Hey, hey, we didn't take a wrong turn, did we?"
A group of young men and women entered Nakayama Racecourse, only to be met by a veritable sea of people up ahead. Even though it was their first time attending a live race, they'd seen enough broadcasts to have a rough idea of how many fans usually showed up for a newcomer race.
They weren't hardcore sports enthusiasts; they were more like typical university students with active social lives who occasionally caught Uma Musume races via stream.
They'd come today because a friend had highly recommended it.
The young man at the front, holding his girlfriend's hand, was equally stunned by the human ocean before him. It felt like they were at a G2 or G3 level event, not a mere newcomer race!
But even though he was inwardly shocked, he didn't show it, instead puffing out his chest slightly with a sense of pride.
"Isn't this totally normal? Today's the race for my second favorite Uma Musume! The one who peaked right from her debut!"
Don't ask who his first favorite was. Of course, it was his girlfriend. A man's gotta have some basic survival instincts.
They were the same couple Barbatos and Seiun Sky had met under the Osaka Ferris wheel.
Since Nakayama Racecourse wasn't far and it was the weekend, they'd invited their university friends to come watch Barbatos's race.
--+--
One by one, the Uma Musume for the newcomer race stepped onto the stage, shrugging off their jackets.
Seeing the unusually massive crowd for a newcomer race and hearing the cacophony of shouts—like finding a needle in a haystack—a few of them couldn't help but shrink back slightly, feeling a touch of intimidation.
Even with their generally pure hearts, these Uma Musume understood perfectly well just who all these people had come to see!
"And next to take the stage, with a fan count second only to the Emperor's, the Uma Musume with 410,000 fans… Barbatos!"
The moment Barbatos emerged, the entire Nakayama Racecourse seemed to ignite instantly.
Many people here might not have been regular Uma Musume viewers. Some were JOJO fans, others played Genshin Impact or League of Legends.
The force that had attracted and gathered them all here, the singular reason for this convergence, was Barbatos!
--+--
T/N: I actually ship sei-chan and b-chan so bad
--+--
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.