Fresh out of the bath, Seiun Sky stared at her reflection in the steamy mirror, her mind drifting back to the evening's race and how El Condor Pasa had surged past her.
Even though she'd told herself that just performing normally was enough, a part of her still desperately wanted to win.
She gave her cheeks a firm pat. 'Racing's supposed to be about enjoying the run, taking it easy,' she mumbled to herself.
Trying to shake off the tension, she got dressed and hastily dried her hair with a blast from the dryer.
Dealing with wet hair after a shower was such a hassle in her opinion, which was exactly why she kept it short. She wondered how long the other Uma Musume with long hair spent on this every day. The mere thought of it felt exhausting.
As she opened the bathroom door, her ears twitched, picking up the sound of Barbatos muttering to herself—she was live-streaming again.
"Is this the Kassadin from the last game?"
"Hehe, don't tell me you thought a Yasuo could beat my Kassadin."
"All in a day's work, no need to praise me. That Yasuo just wasn't skilled enough. Typical Diamond tier game, I guess."
"Their mid laner is a famous streamer? Seriously?!"
"Hmm, this Yasuo's movement is pretty slick, almost dodged my Q."
--+--
Listening to the chatter, Seiun Sky couldn't understand a single word. Was that Chinese?
Even though it was gibberish to her ears, it immediately made her think of China, because back when Barbatos had tricked her into going "Air Force," she'd shown how much she knew about the country.
Was she streaming for a Chinese audience?
'She's still so naive,' Barbatos would have teased if she knew what Seiun was thinking. 'I could even use fluent Chinese to pretend to be a Chinese Uma Musume and make money off the Japanese fans.' Not that she'd actually do it, of course—the guilt would be too much.
Walking up behind Barbatos, Seiun saw the screen turn black and white. "Are you streaming that black-and-white game for China?"
"Yeah, not many people in Japan watch this."
Barbatos had just dove under the enemy tower to take out the famous streamer's Yasuo, only to be finished off by the arriving jungler.
With a moment to spare, she turned her head and saw Seiun Sky just out of the bath, her face flushed pink from the heat, her delicate profile making Barbatos glance away almost shyly.
If she stared any longer, she might feel tempted to pick Jarvan IV and land a good Q—'Dragon Strike'.
It wasn't that she had any particular feelings for Seiun Sky. It was just… two young mares alone in a room, one freshly bathed, and Barbatos, with her past life as a guy, couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
'If only my roommate was Urara,' she thought. Given how close they were, they'd probably even end up cuddling.
Seiun Sky found it strange how Barbatos glanced at her only to look away again. "How many Chinese people watch your stream?"
"Maybe a few thousand."
The actual viewer count shown in the stream was much higher, but since the chat didn't feel that active, she gave a smaller number.
"That many?"
"League of Legends is pretty big over there."
Barbatos took off one headphone to hear Seiun more clearly. The screen had regained its color, and she was already controlling Kassadin back to lane after buying items, multitasking the conversation without checking the live chat.
She had no idea the chat was going wild.
--+--
"That's Japanese! First time hearing the streamer speak Japanese!"
"The girl talking to her has such a nice voice. I want all her info in three minutes, or I'm unfollowing!"
"Feels like the famous streamer's Yasuo is about to get wrecked. When's our 'Bard' gonna do a collab with him?"
"Can anyone understand what they're saying?"
"Piece of cake! You guys clearly need to study more, always just watching streams and gaming!"
"That girl asked the 'Bard' if she's streaming the black-and-white game in China."
"Black-and-white game?! Damn, I feel spied on!!!"
"The one who said we need to study—can you share some 'learning materials'? My kidneys are strong enough (laughs)."
--+--
Just as Seiun Sky couldn't understand Chinese, most of the fans in the stream had no clue what Barbatos and Seiun were saying, relying entirely on "translations" from a few dedicated scholars who possessed vast archives of "learning materials."
"Sumimasen…"
All the viewers heard a voice from somewhere behind the streamer. They couldn't understand it, but it sounded like someone calling out—was someone locked out? Had the door been closed?
--+--
"Any experts able to translate what's happening over there? I think I caught a 'Sumimasen'."
"Hard to make out. Sounded like someone saying their name and that they're late or something."
"Mystery solved. The 'Bard' started school today. The girl who spoke earlier must be her roommate. The one yelling is probably someone who got locked out for coming back late."
"Couldn't hear clearly, but I think the person at the door said something about a… horse?"
"Horse?! What horse? The Canyon Horse Hunter arrives uninvited!"
(T/N: Someone who plays the game to insult the player's parents)
"The Horse Hunter hears the call!"
"Horse Hunter is ecstatic!"
[Canyon Horse Hunters have been muted.]
--+--
"No Horse Hunters in the chat. Didn't you guys read the stream rules?"
Barbatos, who was in the middle of clearing the F6 camp with Kassadin, jerked her mouse upon hearing the noise from downstairs, accidentally firing her Q at one of the small birds.
'So there really is an Uma Musume who got locked out on the first day of school because they came back too late,' she thought.
If she hadn't been in the middle of a live game, she probably would've rushed to the window to see which mare it was.
In light novels or TV dramas, the one who's late on the first day is usually the main character—after all, the hero always arrives last. But this was real life, not a story. So, this latecomer was either a big deal or a total goof.
Wait a second!
"Did the one downstairs just say her name is Special Week?"
Seiun Sky, who had been watching the stream for a bit beside her but found it boring, had already curled up on her own bed. Since her hair wasn't completely dry, she didn't dare lie down just yet.
"Yeah, I think she's in our class."
Not long after they'd returned to the dorm, they'd received the class assignment notifications from Tracen Academy.
Barbatos had scanned the list over and over, but couldn't find Urara's name anywhere. She did see Seiun Sky, El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, King Halo, and vaguely remembered seeing the name Special Week.
It was only when Urara sent her a message that she finally stopped scrolling, a wave of sadness hitting her. She really wished she could have been in the same class as Urara.
And so, the enemy Yasuo found himself defeated once again.
--+--
T/N: I said I was going to do 1 chap a day, but just decided to change it to two.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 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.