The pre-race interview concluded without much of a stir.
Many people familiar with Barbatos were eagerly waiting to see if she would launch any trash-talking after the interview.
Yet, when the interview was published and circulated across various video platforms and marketing accounts, everyone who knew Barbatos found it a bit odd.
Such a pre-race interview didn't sound like something Barbatos would say at all.
It was as if… she were a completely different person.
Posts related to the topic quickly gained traction that same day, overtaking the previously top-ranked threads in the Uma Musume racing section—"El Condor Pasa Easily Wins the Prix d'Ispahan" and "Invincible in the Heavy Rain"—to claim the number one spot.
At the top of the list:
Humble and Polite, Barbatos Already Holds No Hope of Winning the Takarazuka Kinen.
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France.
After winning the Prix d'Ispahan, El Condor Pasa, who had nearly fully adapted to European turf by now, stared at the headline displayed on her phone and immediately sensed something strange.
It was fairly easy to guess what King Halo and Air Groove would say in their pre-race interviews.
One was her classmate, the other a senior in her team—El Condor Pasa knew both quite well.
After clicking on the video linked in the post, El Condor Pasa quickly confirmed her thoughts.
King Halo and Air Groove's responses were pretty much exactly as she had expected, hitting about eighty to ninety percent accuracy.
But when the reporter shifted the camera toward Barbatos and asked, "Barbatos, do you feel any pressure facing off against a legendary Uma Musume for the second time?"—what followed left even El Condor Pasa baffled.
In the video, Barbatos looked puzzled and shot back at the reporter, "Pressure? Why would I feel pressure?"
The reporter seemed to perk up at this retort, probably thinking they'd struck a hot topic, and probed further, "So you're saying that neither Air Groove nor any of the other competitors pose a threat to you?"
"That means you're not feeling any pressure?"
Barbatos hastily waved her hands in a "naive" attempt to explain, her demeanor starkly different from what El Condor Pasa remembered.
"No, no, everyone is a strong opponent. They're all rivals I'd need to give my all to face."
The reporter seemed confused by the reply and pressed on, confused, "But you just said you didn't feel pressure?"
"Well… I actually do feel quite a bit of pressure…"
Barbatos lowered her head slightly as she spoke. "It's just…"
Her cheeks flushed a little, and she glanced with what looked like "admiration" toward one side.
In the edited video, the perspective zoomed out to show that Barbatos was looking toward Air Groove, who had already finished her interview.
Then, Barbatos' voice grew softer, carrying the shy, awkward tone of a newly debuted Uma Musume.
"It's just because of Senior Air Groove… Compared to the pressure she's under, mine really doesn't amount to much."
Without waiting for the reporter's follow-up, she continued.
"Both King Halo and I have been racing for less than a year since our debut. Even though Matikanefukukitaru and Mejiro Dober have been around longer than us, it's not by much."
"For us, facing a legendary Uma Musume like Senior Air Groove…"
"As much as I hate to admit it, losing is pretty much the norm."
"The reason legends are legends is because the gap between them and us is incredibly hard to bridge."
"But even so, when her opponents are young Uma Musume like us, Senior Air Groove still chose to participate in the Takarazuka Kinen. She's giving us a chance to see exactly how far apart we are, a chance to try and catch up."
"Even if we lose, our fans won't be disappointed in us. Our confidence won't take too big a hit—because our opponent is a Legendary Uma Musume!"
"We'll also be able to review the race afterward and work on improving our shortcomings."
"But for Senior Air Groove, it's different."
"If Senior Air Groove wins, everyone watching will probably think it's only natural—nothing out of the ordinary."
"But if Senior Air Groove…"
"So I believe Senior Air Groove must be under tremendous pressure just by participating in the Takarazuka Kinen."
"Compared to her pressure, what does mine even count for?"
This answer left the reporter at a loss for a follow-up question, unable to probe any further.
The video ended there.
As someone quite close to Barbatos and very familiar with her, El Condor Pasa couldn't help but feel dumbfounded for a moment.
She could also see the comments below the video.
Some praised Barbatos for being humble and polite, others said they preferred Barbatos' usual unruly arrogance, and some even wondered if Barbatos had been possessed…
But after a short while.
A smile curled at the corner of El Condor Pasa's lips—she had begun to see the underlying meaning in Barbatos' words.
If Barbatos' previous trash talk was straightforward, this pre-race interview was more like… a hidden message wrapped in fluff.
If a Legendary Uma Musume participates in a regular race, winning is no big deal—but what if she loses?
Originally, with Senior Air Groove's confidence and thorough preparation, she wouldn't even consider the possibility of losing.
But after this pre-race interview, her thoughts might just be nudged in that direction.
Maybe the impact isn't huge right now, but during the race, at critical moments, if Senior Air Groove recalls these words, it could sway her judgment at the crucial moment, potentially leading to a loss in the Takarazuka Kinen.
Compared to newly debuted Uma Musume, a legendary Uma Musume's experience and insight wouldn't be affected by ordinary trash talk.
Barbatos was trying to influence Senior Air Groove's mindset during the race through this kind of psychological play.
A scheme like this might not be obvious to those directly involved at first, but someone like El Condor Pasa, who knows Barbatos well, could guess it.
Given a bit more time, people online would probably start analyzing Barbatos' intentions behind her interview remarks.
Once that analysis spreads and gets reposted widely…
Senior Air Groove is bound to see it.
But that won't weaken the effect—if anything, it might even enhance it. This is more like an open strategy; in fact, once Senior Air Groove sees the analysis, it might work even better.
It might even make Senior Air Groove genuinely feel the kind of immense pressure Barbatos described.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.