"This is totally different from Silence Suzuka's usual running style."
"Could it be the trainer's idea?"
"Compared to her past running style, leading from the front seems to give her a lot more dominance now."
The five horse girls had finished their meal, and the livestream had moved on to the Winner's Stage segment, but none of them were paying it much mind.
Instead, they were discussing the change in Silence Suzuka's running form.
While the Winner's Stage was important, compared to the outcome of a race, it was a minor thing.
"Probably not the trainer's idea," Grass Wonder mused. Though a leg injury kept her from competing, she often watched team training sessions and communicated with her teammates. She knew the trainer hadn't instructed Silence Suzuka to change her style.
The only explanation was that Silence Suzuka was trying out a change on her own.
"If she's choosing to run as a front-runner..." El Condor Pasa's lips curved into a confident smile, her mind already sketching out the strategy she'd use against Silence Suzuka.
Even though she'd be taking Rigil's entrance test tomorrow and would soon become Silence Suzuka's teammate, teammates could still end up in the same race. "If it were me, I'd stick to her like glue, never giving her a chance to break away."
"Stick to her like glue?" Seiun Sky thought it over, but her ears immediately drooped, giving her a look of someone devoid of worldly desires.
"Can't stick to her. No way, just can't see it happening," Barbatos propped her cheek on her hand, making a slight 'tsk' sound. "Rigil team members really are monstrously strong. So scary~"
"B-chan, I'm sure we can become amazing Uma Musume too!" Hearing Urara's encouragement warmed her heart, though she was really just stacking a buff on herself.
If there were some handsome, well-read guy present, he might understand her deeper meaning, but an Uma Musume probably couldn't grasp the implication of her words.
"Yeah! Let's do our best together!"
El Condor Pasa watched the interaction between the three. Even though B-chan shouted that line, it felt strangely lacking in passion, almost like non-flammable material.
How could she know that Barbatos was playing weak, while secretly planning how to debut fastest, earn gold, and start the grind.
That way, while others rested, she'd be gaming to earn Blue Essence. While others raced, she'd be grinding gold in 'Dominating Uma Musume'. A plan to dominate the nation and become the strongest Uma Musume through sheer grind was slowly taking shape in her mind.
"Got quite a few promising youngsters here, huh?" A mature woman's voice sounded beside them. She turned to see an Uma Musume with a healthy tan.
And she could accurately name her – Hishi Amazon, a former champion with six consecutive G-series wins. Her winning streak was only ended by another Rigil member, the current Triple Crown winner – Narita Brian.
Even so, Hishi Amazon was definitely a heavyweight figure.
"Amazon-senpai." x 5
With Grass Wonder's help, the four others introduced themselves.
"Haha, no need for 'senpai'. Just call me Amazon-nee," Amazon said half-jokingly. "Grass Wonder said she needed to borrow the finish line sign. Heard you were in the cafeteria, so I brought it over. Hope you don't mind an extra spectator."
"Of course not," El Condor Pasa smiled. "In fact, if possible, I'd love to run a race with you."
As for spectators, their training ground at the academy was a public space anyway; no reason to forbid people from watching. Compared to that, El Condor Pasa was more interested in racing against an Uma Musume of Amazon's caliber.
"A race?" Amazon's eyes lit up. "Hehe, then I, Hishi Amazon-nee, will be your opponent! Come on! Let's have a good fight tonight!"
Seeing this, a complex look flashed in Barbatos's eyes.
She felt even more motivated to win first place. Hishi Amazon was the very picture of a popular Uma Musume. If she didn't count, who did? A solid 30 gold coins! Winning first place would multiply that by ten, turning it into 300 gold, instantly doubling her total earnings!
Of course, the difficulty of securing first place had probably more than doubled. If she didn't get first, her gold earnings would shrink dramatically.
--+--
Tracen Academy Training Ground.
Even nearing evening, quite a few Uma Musume were still training there.
However, there was no sign of King Halo. She probably wasn't training at the academy grounds but had chosen somewhere else.
As her feet touched the green grass of the track, Barbatos felt a sense of novelty.
Back in Kochi, she and Urara mostly ran on dirt tracks or roads; they hadn't run on a grass track before.
Compared to dirt, the feeling underfoot was distinctly different.
Uma Musume should run on grass tracks. It just felt more fitting for a horse girl.
If she got tired from running, she could lie down on the grass nearby, play a quick game of League of Legends: Wild Rift to relax and earn some Blue Essence, and top it off with a line like 'The wind is rather rowdy today' – that would be perfect.
"We'll use that spot as the finish line. Starting from here, it's exactly 1600 meters," Hishi Amazon pointed to a location.
1600 meters was the standard distance for a mile race, something even Uma Musume not specialized in endurance could generally complete.
No one had any objections to the proposal.
Seeing it was settled, Grass Wonder took the finish line sign and went to stand at the finish, waving to signal they could start.
Hishi Amazon took out a small stone she'd picked up earlier. "When the stone hits the ground, the race begins!"
With that, she tossed the stone into the air. Uma Musume capable of high-speed running possessed vision and reaction speeds beyond human comparison; they could react the instant the stone landed.
'Let's see what you kids are made of,' Amazon thought.
The stone reached its apex and began to fall. The five horse girls prepared to sprint the moment it hit the ground.
Just then.
"Amazon! The president wants to see you now!" Hearing the call, Amazon was momentarily distracted and took a step forward.
Thunk!
The stone bonked Amazon on the head. Luckily, it was small, so the Uma Musume was fine.
But with Hishi Amazon having to go see the student council president, she couldn't race with them after all.
The race, however, would go on. El Condor Pasa tossed the stone into the air again.
"Are you ready?!"
"Here we go!"
The stone hit the ground. Four unleashed Uma Musume shot forward, with Seiun Sky taking the lead and El Condor Pasa close behind.
"So much for 'just run normally'?!" Barbatos would have loved to throttle the fishing enthusiast.
But right now, she was running behind Urara. Following Urara had been her strategy – wait until the second half of the race, then activate her skills, 'dominate' everyone, and maximize the skill effects.
But why was this track so hard to run on?!
By the time she and Urara reached the second half, El Condor Pasa and Seiun Sky would have already crossed the finish line!
--+--
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.