The Winter Dream Cup.
Here, there was no ceremonial introduction of the Uma Musume. Every single one present was a legend; each needed no introduction.
Their names alone represented an era, a glory.
The Uma Musume taking part appeared in pairs on the grounds outside the entrance stage. Their mere presence unleashed a thunderous, roaring wave of cheers from the crowd.
"Lord Rudolf!"
"Narita Brian!"
"Oguri Cap!"
One by one, Japanese fans cried out in delight, shouting the names of their favorite racers.
Fans didn't just cheer for the strongest; they had their own personal favorites.
This roar of the crowd was so clear that even Barbatos, still in the locker room, could hear it perfectly.
It was the first time since her debut race she'd heard such an overwhelming volume of cheers directed at other Uma Musume. 'Talk about pressure,' she thought.
Even with the confidence built from past victories.
Even with the recognition and approval from former champions.
Facing this race head-on, a touch of nervousness was inevitable.
She wasn't in a hurry to go out. Instead, she stared at the LINE interface on her phone, waiting for the cheering voice message from "Star-sama."
Even though Seiun Sky and her other friends were already there in the spectator stands, ready to cheer her on, she still waited here for that particular message from Seiun Sky.
This ritual of receiving encouragement here had become a habit.
Just then.
A message popped up on her LINE. It was from her very first channel member when she started streaming: Mino Naru, a Japanese Uma Musume studying abroad in China.
Mino Naru had sent a very short video. Beneath it was the text: "We're all cheering for you."
Curious, she tapped open the video.
She wondered what it could be. Knowing Mino Naru, it probably wasn't some overly intense "go get 'em" hype video.
The moment the video started, the background was clearly today's venue: Tokyo Racecourse.
In the center was a middle-school-aged Uma Musume with a single ponytail, surrounded by a group of older men.
Almost in unison, they shouted, "Go Barbatos!"
"This!"
Barbatos didn't doubt the authenticity of the background.
Her lips parted slightly. She was absolutely certain they were right there, inside Tokyo Racecourse, in the stands, ready to watch this race.
Friends she'd made through League of Legends had traveled all the way from China to Japan just to support her in person!
And in the video, after they spoke, the faces of men, women, boys, and girls appeared one after another, each with their streaming channel ID displayed below.
Some IDs Barbatos recognized quite well, others were less familiar.
But they were all shouting encouragement for her. Their backgrounds were various rooms, clearly not filmed in Tokyo. They must have recorded this in advance. Dozens, even hundreds of supporters flashed across the small screen with each passing second.
The minute-long video ended quickly for Barbatos.
But the chorus of cheers from her Chinese fans seemed to still echo in her ears.
As a Chinese person who had initially crossed over to Japan, she had ultimately felt lonely. Thank goodness she started streaming. Thank goodness she met all of you!
Each shout of encouragement deepened her craving for victory.
She didn't want to let down any of the fans who supported her. She wanted to win this Winter Dream Cup, to conquer the very pinnacle of Japanese Uma Musume racing!
Beep~
The special notification sound for "Star-sama" chimed from the top of her phone.
Barbatos instantly raised her hand and tapped it open, seeing the voice message from Seiun Sky. It was, as usual, that short, one-second audio clip.
"B-chan, go for it!"
"So it's four words this time?"
Barbatos chuckled softly, complaining snarkily to herself, but she could feel the distance between her and Seiun Sky shrinking once more.
"Of course, my Star-sama!" Barbatos replied. "The Winter Dream Cup—certain victory!"
With those words, she put down her phone and walked out of the locker room without a backward glance.
So what if they were legendary Uma Musume? So what if one was the Emperor? In sports, until the very last moment, before the result is decided, anything is possible.
If the Emperor is the Absolute among Uma Musume.
Then I will be the one to shatter that Absolute.
With unwavering resolve for victory and decisive confidence, she swept away all previous tension and pressure, striding toward the track.
As Barbatos's figure emerged, a massive wave of cheers once again rose from the spectator stands.
But this time, Barbatos could distinctly feel the difference between these cheers and the earlier ones.
Roughly one-third of the entire crowd, as if after a simple rehearsal, erupted in unison:
"Barbatos!"
The uniform, perfectly synchronized "Barbatos!" came from all corners of the stands. It wasn't Japanese, but the language of China—Mandarin. It was from the Chinese spectators.
Today, nearly half the seats at Tokyo Racecourse seemed occupied by Chinese fans.
Today, Tokyo Racecourse felt like a League of Legends professional league venue, with the audience chanting in unison for Barbatos, cheering and shouting.
Even though most Japanese spectators didn't understand what language "Barbatos" was, they were utterly shocked.
Under this onslaught of shouts and cheers, even though the other Uma Musume still had many fans, their support seemed completely overshadowed in that moment.
Even if they didn't understand Chinese, they could tell who the cheers were for, and they could guess where those fans came from.
One by one, Japanese Uma Musume fans, after briefly listening to these foreign cheers, began to模仿 the Chinese fans. Following their rhythm, they too started shouting "Barbatos" in Chinese.
It directly pushed the atmosphere at Tokyo Racecourse to a fever pitch!
One by one, Japanese Uma Musume fans, after briefly listening to these foreign cheers, began to imitate the Chinese fans. Following their rhythm, they too started shouting "Barbatos" in Chinese.
"B-chan, you really are popular, aren't you?"
"It's making even me feel the pressure."
Maruzensky, who was on good terms with her and worked as a driving school instructor, approached familiarly for a chat.
"I never expected so many friends to come here, to cheer for me like this."
"So no matter what, I want to win this race."
Barbatos stated firmly and confidently, her gaze shifting toward the "Emperor," Symboli Rudolf. Only by defeating her could she win the Winter Dream Cup!
Having now mastered Sylas's ultimate, [Hijack], the distance between her and the legendary Uma Musume had closed once more.
She, who had outrun former champions, even with her current physical condition significantly declined, should no longer face an insurmountable gap against the legends. Victory was possible!
What this race would come down to, then, would be grit!
"All Uma Musume, please prepare to enter the starting gates!"
"The strongest Uma Musume, in their best condition, are about to compete. The dream-like Winter Dream Cup is about to begin!"
--+--
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.