"Congratulations on becoming a student of Tracen Academy."
"Huh? Shouldn't there still be an interview?"
Barbatos looked rather strangely at the several Uma Musume standing before her.
Wasn't this supposed to be the interview part?
Urara had even given her a rundown of the questions the interviewers would ask, so how come she was getting accepted outright?
"Because your own ability alone is enough to qualify you for Tracen Academy. Even without going through the exam process, running a few local races in Kochi would have been enough to get you a special admission offer from the academy."
The lead examiner said with a smile.
Those who could serve as examiners for Tracen Academy were often those who lacked sufficient innate talent in running to achieve good results in races. Over time, they had transitioned into administrative roles.
Some Uma Musume without much innate talent would even take the qualification exams to become trainers.
While they themselves might lack talent, Tracen was never short of brilliantly gifted Uma Musume. These examiners could naturally recognize the level of a prospective student.
Defeating sixteen opponents in the entrance exam wasn't considered exceptionally brilliant or a sign of great innate talent by Tracen's standards.
There were plenty at Tracen Academy capable of such a feat. The key point with Barbatos was the explosive speed she displayed at the very end. Being able to unleash that kind of speed in the final stretch suggested she hadn't been going all out before, or that her grit was truly astonishing.
Either way, it was more than enough to qualify her for Tracen Academy, with the potential to become an Uma Musume who could make a name for herself.
Of course, what the examiner didn't know was that while the conclusion was correct, the reasoning… well, saying it was due to grit or holding back seemed about right.
After all, the ability she possessed was built up match by match in League of Legends.
"So, now that you're a member of Tracen Academy, do you have any goals or dreams?"
'Our goal is: To conquer the nation! Team Shohoku charges!'
(T/N: Slam Dunk ref)
Barbatos thought to herself, but decided to play it safe. "If I answer wrong, will Tracen reject me?"
"Of course not. It's just a question of personal curiosity. You're free to decline answering."
"I just hope to have happy, enjoyable days at the academy."
She could practically see the word written on the examiners' faces: 'That's it?!'
Normally, an Uma Musume who had just defeated sixteen opponents, not yet tempered by reality, would probably proclaim some grand ambition.
'I want to become Japan's number one Uma Musume!' or 'I want to become an undefeated Uma Musume!'
But she wasn't among them.
Having read countless web novels, she knew one thing for sure: never set yourself up with a flag.
Even if she had an edge, it wouldn't matter. Otherwise, she might end up like some tragic hero, kneeling on the ground crying, 'My kingly power!'
Who knows? If she set a flag like 'Japan's Number One Uma Musume' or 'Undefeated Uma Musume,' she might end up with a broken leg, a close friend getting a broken leg, a close friend falling ill, or even a close friend being euthanized.
In short, it was better to be humble.
A happy, enjoyable school life at Tracen Academy—didn't that sound great?
After all, how could you be happy without winning races?
Unless you were throwing them…
Ahem. Throwing races was absolutely out of the question.
As a noble Uma Musume, she'd rather starve, or even jump off a building, than ever throw a race.
Besides, with her streaming income now in the hundreds of thousands of yen, she wasn't short on money. It wasn't a huge amount, but it was definitely enough to get by. There was no need to sell her integrity.
After chatting with the examiners for a few more moments, Barbatos left directly to meet up with Urara.
"This is great! We can join Tracen Academy together!"
She was met with a bear hug. Using the formidable arm strength of an Uma Musume, she spun Urara around twice just like in the dramas before stopping. Joy radiated from both of them.
Even though she knew her cheat-like ability was more than enough to pass the exam, the sheer exhilaration from that run, after defeating all sixteen opponents and coming first, was something she couldn't hide.
This made her far happier than even reaching the highest rank in solo queue in League of Legends.
Maybe this was the true essence of being an Uma Musume.
"Once we're on the track, we'll be rivals, you know."
"Mhm, I won't lose to you either, B-chan."
"We'll see about that."
"To celebrate passing the exam, let's go get some good food!"
"Yay!"
--+--
The two took the bus and soon arrived at their destination—a well-known beef noodle shop in Kochi city.
The shop even had a striking name: "Let's Eat Something Good!"
Although it served ramen, the prices weren't cheap; they were even more expensive than China's Ajisen Ramen. Barbatos thought the noodles here were good, but she didn't come often.
"Seems a bit crowded today?" Urara said.
A large crowd was gathered at the shop's entrance. They didn't look like customers waiting to order, but more like onlookers.
If this were a scene from Detective Conan, surely someone would have died.
But in real life, who would crowd around to look at a dead person? The shop was probably running some event.
Barbatos squeezed forward. Neither she nor Urara were very tall, so they couldn't see what was happening inside. She turned to a young man standing nearby. "What's going on in there? Why so many people?"
The young man turned to see who was asking, and paused for a moment upon seeing it was an Uma Musume. "It's an eating contest. Win or lose, if you finish all the beef and noodles in the bowl, it's free."
"Uma Musume usually have big appetites, right? You could give it a try."
An eating contest?
"...Thanks, but we'll pass."
She politely thanked the young man and then, pulling Urara along, left without a second glance. Many people thought Uma Musume had bigger appetites than humans, but she could only say that it varied from horse to horse.
They were here to celebrate passing the exam, not to suffer through an eating contest.
At the very least, neither she nor Urara were the type of horse girls who could eat a huge amount.
With Urara, she chose a nearby restaurant with good reviews on the food app. Their order was brought out fairly quickly.
Urara was holding a glass of carrot juice with both hands, sipping it, when she saw Barbatos across the table pull out her phone.
Click.
Curious, she asked, "B-chan, are you taking a picture of the food?"
Barbatos grinned. "It's actually for giving it a 'blessing'."
The dishes hadn't all arrived at once, and they had already started eating. The photo she took wasn't particularly pretty, but she didn't mind.
There was no need to make a friend wait just for a photo, nor was there any need for elaborate staging. That would only spoil the mood of a meal among friends.
She had just thought of it, so she took a quick picture and posted it in her streaming group.
Along with the caption: 'Boo-hoo, I wanna eat Lanzhou beef noodles, I wanna eat Shaxian snacks…'
The persona of a Japan-based Uma Musume who loves China—wasn't it perfectly established now?
--+--
T/N: dang i thought u was a chinese glazer but bros a chinese schemer
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 1 Chapter 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.