Christmas Day, Reiwa Year 2.
Unlike in China, Christmas in Japan is a proper holiday. The streets outside were already filled with a strong festive atmosphere.
Christmas trees could be seen everywhere, shop staff dressed as Santa Claus, and young men and women exchanging gifts, all enjoying the unique mood of Christmas.
As for the holiday itself—
Barbatos had seen it many times in Japanese anime, but in Chinese comics or TV dramas, only one depiction had left an impression on her.
There was this madman who pretended to be Santa, stole a Christmas tree in public, and in doing so fulfilled a female doctor's wish.
It was completely different from the vibe here in Japan.
She also had no idea how a human could single-handedly carry off a whole Christmas tree. But none of that was present within Tracen Academy.
Inside Tracen Academy, some Uma Musume might celebrate Christmas, but most were focused on the year-end Arima Kinen and what came next—the event symbolizing both the end of one year and the beginning of another.
The dreamlike race, the Winter Dream Cup!
Both events represented the highest level of competition, practically pitting the strongest of the current generation against one another, a clash of legends across eras.
"I really want to run in the Arima Kinen."
The sound of running water echoed in the dorm bathroom. Barbatos, having finished another day of grueling practice, relaxed her body.
After demonstrating her abilities, she had been assigned training with the "Former Champions." Half a month had passed since then, each day both exhausting and fulfilling.
Training alongside the "Former Champions" had roughly brought her up to the practice intensity of those participating in the Dream Cup.
Whether it was Oguri Cap or the legendary Uma Musume of Rigil, they all had powerful training partners, allowing them to experience high-intensity practice anytime.
This was something Canopus currently lacked.
"If I could run in the Arima Kinen this year, I feel like I wouldn't need to fear any of them. I could win against all the seniors."
The preparation she needed to face legendary Uma Musume was precisely for confronting legends. If she were to participate in the Arima Kinen, she was confident of victory—and not just a small chance.
But the Arima Kinen and the Winter Dream Cup were not the same.
The Winter Dream Cup required participating Uma Musume to have over 320,000 fan support points.
While the Arima Kinen also selected participants through popularity votes, it wasn't open to Uma Musume in their debut year.
Even regular G1 races weren't open to first-year Uma Musume.
So, only races like the special juvenile G1—the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes—were available to her and El Condor Pasa. Though it was a G1, it still had a gap compared to standard G1 races.
El Condor Pasa had easily won the previous Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, displaying strength far beyond other Uma Musume of her generation.
Barbatos even felt their level was no worse than second or third-year Uma Musume—perhaps even stronger.
Such was the difference in innate talent among Uma Musume.
The sound of water gradually faded. Barbatos let out a soft 'heh.' "Why am I always thinking about races too?"
Originally, she thought she'd regret not experiencing a Japanese Christmas in her first year after crossing over.
She was bothered by not being able to go out with Seiun Sky to soak in the Christmas atmosphere.
As for gifts, they hadn't exchanged any yet—or rather, she didn't know if Seiun Sky had prepared a Christmas gift for her.
They had been together almost constantly lately.
Only after finishing today's practice did she sneak off to buy a long scarf.
Knitting a scarf herself would have been romantic, but as an Uma Musume, she truly didn't have the time—even if she could consider buying some attack speed items to speed up the knitting.
After her bath, Barbatos dried off and stepped out of the bathroom.
Her eyes immediately fell on a red figure lazily sprawled on Seiun Sky's bed.
Hmm, it was Seiun Sky.
Seiun Sky dressed in a Santa Claus outfit.
Seeing Barbatos emerge, Seiun Sky sat up on the bed. "Merry Christmas."
"?!?"
Could it be... Seiun Sky's Christmas gift was herself?
Seiun Sky in a Santa suit looked really good—or rather, much better than in her school uniform.
"Heh, surprised?" Seeing Barbatos slightly dazed, Seiun Sky showed a hint of playful cunning. "It's a rare Christmas. We should at least experience the atmosphere a little."
Actually, she hadn't planned this from the start.
It was only after noticing Barbatos sneaking off—probably to buy a Christmas gift—that she thought maybe they should spend this Christmas together. So, she prepared a little while Barbatos was showering.
Luckily, because of the intense training, Barbatos's shower wasn't as short as usual.
Only as roommates could she have noticed such a detail.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have had time to prepare anything.
Having trained alongside Barbatos, she was also quite tired and had simply collapsed on the bed—though that probably wasn't anything strange in Barbatos's eyes.
"Merry Christmas!"
A light smile touched Barbatos's lips as she also wished Seiun Sky a merry Christmas.
Crossing into this world with Uma Musume and being able to meet Seiun Sky... it was truly wonderful.
Right now, she really wanted to press Seiun Sky down and do things that went beyond friendship. This joy and delight probably couldn't be replaced even by winning the Winter Dream Cup.
Thinking this, she stepped forward, planning to take out the hidden Christmas gift.
To give Seiun Sky a little surprise.
Though she had only bought a long scarf, giving a scarf at Christmas carried the meaning "I will always love you"—a quiet confession.
Just then.
Seiun Sky walked up, reached out, and directly took her hand, pulling her to the side.
She stretched out and switched off the dorm room light, plunging the room into darkness. Only the faint light from outside allowed them to barely make out the outlines of things inside.
A soft click sounded. Barbatos's lips parted slightly as a scene she had never imagined appeared before her eyes.
The ceiling, walls, bed... the room's features connected, forming a vast, deep blue starry sky.
"One more time! Merry Christmas!"
"This starry sky is my Christmas gift to you!"
At that moment, Barbatos felt something deep within her stir, like an overturned vat of dye, coloring her entire inner world.
Seiun Sky, who had bathed before her. Seiun Sky in a Santa outfit. The familiar scent of shampoo beside her. It was an unprecedented satisfaction, a flutter in her soul.
"This starry sky is so beautiful."
Just like last time on the Ferris wheel, Barbatos spoke words from the heart.
The hand that had been holding hers let go, making Seiun Sky tilt her head slightly. She felt Barbatos's hand take hers again, fingers intertwining, holding tight.
"I love it. I'll definitely hold onto this starry sky!"
Following her heart's choice, Barbatos spoke the words within, as if uttering a lifelong vow.
Seiun Sky pressed her lips together lightly. Such words sounded strange, right? "It's too early to get excited. Look over there."
Wise as she was, how could she not understand the meaning behind Barbatos's words? She could clearly feel her own heartbeat quickening but forced herself to stay calm.
A blush had already spread across her face.
But she still pointed to a spot within the room's starry sky.
Barbatos followed Seiun Sky's pointing finger. There, a shining star twinkled.
"That's the other gift. Let's go catch the star!"
Hand in hand with Seiun Sky, they walked toward the other side of the "starry sky," reaching out toward the star Seiun Sky had indicated.
Just as Seiun Sky had said, the star was caught, landing in the palm of her hand.
"Is this a star from the sky?"
"Haha, it's an acrylic star piece. We caught a fake star, my lady."
"After all, we're just kids. This is our limit."
"But this star isn't bad, right? With a performance, it can shine brightly too! I picked it out for a long time."
"Heh, it's just a bit too plain, isn't it?"
"Hey... are you disappointed receiving a Christmas gift like this?"
"Not at all. I'm really happy."
"Really?"
"This is the most beautiful star I've ever seen."
"Hehe, then today's plan is a great success!"
"But..."
Seiun Sky's gaze met Barbatos's. She pressed her lips together and still said, "But, someday..."
"We have to catch a real star, you know. We need to think carefully about how to battle."
Looking at Seiun Sky, whose face was now fully flushed, Barbatos felt an emotion hard to contain. In the end, she couldn't help but step forward and pull Seiun Sky into her arms.
"Mhm."
This embrace was the limit for now.
She really wanted to confess right now, to be with Seiun Sky right now. She believed Seiun Sky wouldn't refuse either.
But she also understood the meaning behind Seiun Sky's words just now.
'We have to catch a real star. We need to think carefully about how to battle.' The meaning was probably that she needed to properly prepare how to confess.
So she couldn't make a rash confession now.
At the very least... it needed to be half as romantic as Seiun Sky's Christmas gift.
Even though she had watched many romance anime, read countless romance novels, and called herself a love expert, Barbatos felt that there was probably nothing in the world more romantic than Seiun Sky's Christmas gift.
And that line, "After all, we're just kids. This is our limit."
Meant that they were both still children now. They couldn't do things like Senior Tony and Senior Moonlight did. After doing such things, their racing careers would inevitably suffer a decline to some extent.
This decline wasn't obvious in Senior Tony and Senior Moonlight, but it was genuinely there.
Both Seiun Sky and Barbatos were talented Uma Musume with the potential to become Triple Crown winners. They both thirsted for victory.
That kind of thing... it simply had to wait until after retirement.
That was how Barbatos understood it.
The performance drop after that kind of thing—she could use her cheats to compensate, but what about Seiun Sky?
Liking someone didn't mean you couldn't crave their body, but it also required respecting their dreams. You shouldn't let your own momentary desires force the person you like to make sacrifices.
Barbatos understood this. And... just being with you—whether running together, training together, holding hands—any moment fills me with extraordinary contentment.
Affection isn't only about worldly desires.
"Mhm, I will. I'll definitely prepare a proper battle plan."
"My star."
Held by Barbatos, Seiun Sky, her heart racing, couldn't help but lower her head further, feeling both happy and a bit flustered.
Happy that Barbatos understood the meaning in her words. Flustered because... you understood in your heart, so why did you have to say it out loud?
Who knew if it was five minutes, ten minutes, or an hour later.
The two embracing figures slowly separated.
Seiun Sky took out a small remote from her Santa outfit and pressed it gently. The starry sky in the room gradually faded.
"This is...?"
"It's an indoor planetarium. I have to return it tomorrow."
Seiun Sky explained. Barbatos wasn't very knowledgeable about such things.
Seiun Sky, her face still tinged with pink, extended a hand.
"So, what about the star's Christmas gift?"
Barbatos scratched her head awkwardly. Compared to Seiun Sky's gift, what she had prepared felt too plain, completely not on the same level.
Even though she had spent nearly an hour choosing this gift.
She turned and retrieved the prepared gift from under her desk, unwrapped the box herself, and carefully wrapped the long scarf around Seiun Sky's neck.
The only silver lining was probably that the scarf looked quite fitting on Seiun Sky.
"Compared to the star's gift, mine is a bit too ordinary."
Seiun Sky shook her head slightly, hands clutching the scarf Barbatos had put on her, head bowed low. "No."
"This is the best Christmas gift I've ever received."
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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.