After lunch, Barbatos and El Condor Pasa went their separate ways to begin their respective training sessions.
"Did Special Week really imitate my running form in the final stretch?"
Even now, she wasn't entirely convinced.
"Most likely," Seiun Sky replied with a degree of certainty.
"She probably thought your running style would be more effective for chasing others down, so she gave it a try."
If Special Week's previous running had been influenced by Silence Suzuka—giving her a strong final acceleration—then adopting Barbatos's form had proven just as potent.
Barbatos pursed her lips. "Talk about protagonist perks."
'Somehow, it feels like Special Week might end up becoming a bigger boss than even the president.'
If before, the idea of "protagonist perks" came from her experience with novels and anime, now it was becoming a tangible reality.
The ability to imitate others' running styles to strengthen herself—for most, that would be impressive enough. But what if Special Week could mimic her skills?
During the recent G3 race, Barbatos had noticed through the live broadcast that Special Week seemed to carry a faint shadow of [Highlander].
Outright copying a skill was probably impossible. Yet, Special Week would undoubtedly grow stronger with each thing she learned from other Uma Musume, steadily incorporating them into her own arsenal.
Given enough time, wouldn't that be like a Nasus stacking his Siphoning Strike for 20 minutes?
Barbatos had never imagined Special Week could pull off something like this.
To her, the system remained an inscrutable mystery. But Uma Musume themselves belonged to a realm of wonder in their own way—weren't there legendary Three Goddesses, after all?
Still, compared to before, Barbatos now held a new perspective.
Even if Special Week had all the makings of a main character, that didn't mean Barbatos wasn't one herself.
Everyone is the protagonist of their own story. She wouldn't deny her own potential just because of Special Week's talent. When they met on the track, she'd simply have to defeat her.
It was like those flags she used to worry about.
In truth, all she needed to do was focus on herself—on her own training and her own running.
"Let's walk for a bit, then do some paired running practice," Barbatos suggested.
Seiun Sky gave a soft hum of agreement. "Still planning to train with weights?"
She already knew the answer, her gaze drifting unconsciously to Barbatos's legs.
Weight training was probably the safest method for Barbatos at this stage. Practicing all-out sprints could shorten a career, and wouldn't do any favors for Barbatos's current condition.
"Yeah, it's the fastest and most effective way for me to improve right now," Barbatos nodded.
They couldn't start running right after a meal anyway.
As for battles on Summoner's Rift, in the past she could have played more often. But given the current situation—with the Winter Dream Cup approaching—major newspaper reporters would be conducting open interviews, and smaller journalists would be lurking around, hoping to snap some exclusive shots.
In Japan, camera shutter sounds couldn't be silenced, but those determined to get a picture would always find a way, whether through workarounds or long-distance photography.
In such cases, the old trick of "one photo, the rest made up" wasn't too scary—such fabricated reports rarely appeared in Uma Musume coverage. The only angle worth exploiting would probably be:
Current Prodigy—"Wind God" Barbatos, does no training before Winter Dream Cup, confident of victory!
With some of her own fans believing she could win the Winter Dream Cup and defeat the Emperor, that kind of story would spread like wildfire.
So, she still needed to train.
Moreover, after purchasing [Sylas], gathering enough essence for another major purchase would require high-intensity competition—hardly suitable for pre-race conditioning.
Better to spend more time on training, improving her base stats and endurance. That way, even without the ability to add skill duration like some legendary Uma Musume, she could enhance her sustained running speed while stacking passive movement speed bonuses.
Raising her base stats was difficult, but the rewards would be significant.
As the two strolled through the academy grounds, they spotted Fuji Kiseki and Hishi Amazon approaching, deep in discussion.
The moment Amazon noticed Barbatos and Seiun Sky, she called out with her usual boisterousness, a hint of anticipation in her voice. "Hey, how'd the exams go today?"
"If you failed, this senior is gonna have to tutor you for the retake, you know."
Beside her, Fuji Kiseki chimed in, "If anyone in our dorm fails, we help tutor them so they can pass the makeup exam."
Of course, the retakes would be scheduled for the new term after the New Year, held alongside other Uma Musume who missed exams due to races.
"Dorm heads have to handle this sort of thing too? You seniors really have it tough," Barbatos remarked with feeling.
Though both Fuji Kiseki and Hishi Amazon were her rivals in the upcoming Winter Dream Cup, they were also good friends. One was her dorm head, the other had often served as the finish line for their private practice races.
Especially Amazon-senpai—the look in her eyes seemed almost hopeful, as if she were wishing for Barbatos to fail so she could step in and tutor her.
Amazon-senpai really was a kind-hearted senior.
"Not tough at all! Tutoring juniors is no trouble," Amazon said cheerfully, stepping closer and draping an arm familiarly over Barbatos's shoulders. "So? How'd you do on the exams?"
"If you didn't do well, Big Sis Amazon can tutor you herself."
Seiun Sky's eyes moved between Barbatos and Hishi Amazon. Something felt off about Amazon-senpai today. But she was usually like this… so why the fixation on tutoring for retakes?
Then she caught Fuji Kiseki's barely suppressed smile from the corner of her eye.
Ah, so that's how it is.
She silently mourned for Amazon-senpai for a second, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at her lips as she waited for Barbatos to deliver the unwitting blow.
"But Amazon-senpai, our final exams this year were really easy," Barbatos said gently, facing Amazon's hopeful gaze. "I didn't find them difficult at all."
"I doubt anyone in our year will need tutoring."
"E… easy?" Hishi Amazon's arm around Barbatos stiffened. "Wasn't your exam supposed to be really hard this year?"
The words had barely left her mouth when she saw the surprised look on Barbatos's face.
Instantly, she felt it—the pain, so deep.
Ever since her debut race, she had never missed a single makeup exam after failing. She had hoped to welcome Barbatos into the "makeup exam family," but why… why did it have to be like this?
The whole story about her and Fuji Kiseki tutoring for retakes? In truth, it was Fuji Kiseki tutoring her and the other Uma Musume who failed.
--+--
T/N: 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.