Tracen Academy Cafeteria.
"Here you go."
Seiun Sky handed the small bucket of fish to the Uma Musume working in the cafeteria.
After a brief exchange, she turned and headed back to the table where the other four were already seated.
"Grass Wonder, you seem really familiar with the academy, and I feel like I've seen you somewhere before," Barbatos asked curiously.
She definitely had a sense of having seen Grass Wonder before, but just couldn't pin it down right away.
And honestly, the name 'Grass Wonder' itself was kind of amusing. It seemed like all their Uma Musume names were a bit unusual, just like her own name, Barbatos.
"You've probably seen her races," Seiun Sky said, taking a seat next to Barbatos. As roommates, it was only natural they'd sit together.
"Races?"
"That undefeated primary class champion?! Wow!"
Once races were mentioned, the image of Grass Wonder instantly overlapped with the one from TV broadcasts in her mind—a fragment of memory from her predecessor.
Before, she'd assumed Grass Wonder was like her, yet to run a debut race. So that meant Grass Wonder was part of that top-tier group of prodigies at Tracen Academy.
If possible, she'd love to race Grass Wonder before their debuts to gauge her own current level. But reality said no, because she remembered reports about Grass Wonder suffering a serious leg injury.
"Grass, your leg injury..."
"It's almost healed. I should be starting rehab training soon," Grass Wonder replied, her voice warm and soft. "Barbatos is amazing too, being able to defeat all sixteen opponents in the entrance exam."
"Everyone there just wasn't that strong yet," Barbatos said modestly.
"Heh, looks like you'll be a fun rival on the track someday," El Condor Pasa remarked, a slight smirk playing on her lips. Even if it was just a rural area, managing a one-versus-sixteen streak meant she couldn't be weak. "So, which team are you planning to join?"
"I'm planning to join Team Canopus," Barbatos answered without hesitation. "What about you?"
"I'm joining the same team as Grass. They have an entrance test tomorrow."
An entrance test? Barbatos hoped Team Canopus's test would be simpler. She sent up a silent prayer. "Grass's team is... Team Rigil, right?" When watching races, she rarely paid attention to which team an Uma Musume belonged to, so she wasn't too sure.
"Yep, Team Rigil is the strongest team in our academy!"
"So that means King Halo and El Condor Pasa will be rivals tomorrow! I'll definitely be there to cheer you both on!" Haru Urara chimed in excitedly, her eyes scrunched into happy crescents.
There were six of them in the dorm, but only five were at the cafeteria. King Halo had said she needed to prepare for tomorrow's test and had gone to train instead.
"Only the top finisher in the entrance test gets to join. King Halo is working very hard for this," Grass Wonder noted.
"If it were me, I'd just want to perform normally, whether it's a test or a race," Seiun Sky mused. She hadn't even considered Team Rigil. Forget whether she could pass the test; the usual training load sounded downright deadly. Finding a team where she could take it easy was definitely the better option.
'Truer words were never spoken,' Barbatos agreed internally. On this point, she and Seiun Sky saw eye to eye.
"It feels like running should be about joy. If you train your hardest and still can't win, that just sounds awful," Barbatos said aloud.
"So I don't really have big goals. Just being happy is enough." ...While casually snagging a Triple Crown or something, Barbatos added silently to herself.
"Is that how you and Seiun Sky are?" El Condor Pasa asked, intrigued by their attitude. "How about going for a run at the training field after we eat?"
Even though they sounded laid-back, her instincts as an Uma Musume told her that the ones who talked like this were often the most dangerous.
"Sure, I'm game."
"I don't mind either."
This would be a perfect chance to see the gap in their abilities and get a rough idea of where she stood.
"In that case, we can treat it like a practice race!" Haru Urara looked around at the other four, her gaze settling on Grass Wonder. "We'll need to ask Grass to be the referee!"
The referee's main job was to stand at the finish line holding the sign, requiring sharp eyesight to determine who crossed first in a close finish.
For a casual run among friends, it wasn't that serious, but Haru Urara, considering Grass Wonder's injury, came up with this idea so she wouldn't feel left out.
"In that case, I'll go ask Amazon-senpai to borrow the sign now," Grass Wonder said gently, pulling out her phone. She thought for a moment, unlocked it, and opened LINE while murmuring, "I think Amazon-senpai should still have it."
What?!
Barbatos was taken aback. How did this suddenly become so official?
If that's the case, would the system count this as an actual race?
Should she use her skills during the run?
Winning should grant some gold, right?
Even though none of the Uma Musume here have debuted yet, so they can't be considered popular picks—probably only worth 10 gold each if 'defeated'. But winning first place multiplies that by ten, so that's 300 gold! In the PC game, that's enough for a small component.
For Barbatos, who'd been starved of gold income, this was a harvest-level joy.
She could beat Haru Urara.
Seiun Sky probably wasn't too strong either.
That left... the masked wrestler— no, that left El Condor Pasa. Judging by her confidence and aim to join Team Rigil, she was likely a formidable Uma Musume.
Despite her talk of just 'performing normally,' Barbatos was already calculating how to win.
The strategy from the entrance exam—hanging back and then 'defeating' all the opponents ahead—would maximize her skill effectiveness. It should work here too. Defeat Haru Urara and Seiun Sky first, then activate all skills to take down El Condor Pasa.
If I win, I'll reward myself with a jungle Yasuo game later.
"The sign is borrowed," Grass Wonder announced.
"By the way, Silence Suzuka from your team has a race today, doesn't she? Any news on the result?" Seiun Sky asked, glancing at the time on her phone. "It should be starting right about now. Want to watch it together?"
"Let's watch it," everyone agreed.
Grass Wonder opened a Pococha live stream, set it to full screen, and placed the phone in the middle of the table.
The race was just beginning. Silence Suzuka shot into the lead immediately, leaving all the other Uma Musume far behind.
"This is different from her usual running style."
--+--
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.