Universal Studios.
Standing before the spinning swing ride, Barbatos couldn't help but think the difference between this and a carousel wasn't all that big—after all, they both went round and round.
But besides both spinning, what other similarities did it even share with a carousel?!
In this area, the spinning swings were easily the tallest attraction, eyeballing it at maybe thirty or forty meters high, roughly half the height of the Ferris wheel they'd ridden yesterday.
It was high! And the ride basically strapped you into a chair, then used two cables to hoist you up and whip you around nonstop in mid-air. However you looked at it, it was pure adrenaline.
"Still wanna ride it now?"
Seiun Sky glanced at her with a sly grin, guessing Barbatos had probably mistaken the spinning swings for a gentler kind of amusement.
After all, us Uma Musume mostly spend our time running; we rarely get out to experience other things, so it's normal not to know what a ride like this is really like.
Heck, she'd only heard about it herself yesterday from Grass Wonder.
Classmate Grass Wonder always had that gentle smile on her face—who would've thought she'd recommend a place like Universal Studios?
'If you ride, I ride.'
"Then let's go give it a try."
This wasn't the time for Barbatos to back down.
Besides, thrilling rides like this were different from the Ferris wheel. Unlike the slow, leisurely pace of the wheel, which took nearly twenty minutes for one rotation, a ride like the spinning swings would be over quickly. That was well within Barbatos's comfort zone.
The line for the swings wasn't too long; they'd probably get on by the second round.
But then Barbatos's ears twitched. She could've sworn she heard someone talking about her. She turned and spotted a young couple whispering to each other—probably visitors enjoying a date.
"You know me?"
An Uma Musume's hearing is far sharper than a human's.
Just like the first time she'd muttered under her breath about how anglers never go home empty-handed, only for Seiun Sky to catch every word, this time too she'd clearly heard her name in their conversation.
"Huh? Yeah! You're Barbatos, right? The one who became a legend right from her debut!"
"We saw the videos online. If you ever come to Osaka for a race, we'll definitely be there to cheer you on."
"Thank you."
"Videos... So someone uploaded clips of my race?"
Normally, Uma Musume races are all recorded and available on official race websites, but people who didn't know her wouldn't go out of their way to search for those. Had the newspaper coverage already come out?
Or was there some buzz online about her performance?
"Yeah, that video was really well made—especially the part where you popped Ghost and Yi's ultimate to chase everyone down."
"?!"
They know I'm scripting?
That couldn't be right. If anyone had noticed she could use abilities, wouldn't they have taken her away for research? How could it end up all over the internet for everyone to see?
"Where can I find this video? What's it called?"
After the couple pointed her to it, she pulled out her phone to watch it while they were still in line.
The title didn't surprise her much. If she were the video editor, she'd probably have gone even more over-the-top: "SHOCKING! Legendary Uma Musume Enters Beginner Races, The Reason Will Blow Your Mind—"
"Check the description. Looks like it was made by a fan of yours." Seiun Sky leaned in, watching the video play on the phone.
"Mmm, and they probably know I stream League."
Just from the opening shot of her cloak swishing, Barbatos relaxed.
It was clear the creator was deep into anime culture and knew she streamed League of Legends, so they'd added League elements to her race footage. They didn't actually know she'd activated [Ghost] and [Highlander].
That part where she had "Boots of Swiftness" on her left foot and "Mercury's Treads" on her right was especially inspired. Too bad in real life she could only wear one pair of shoes—she couldn't actually rock two like in the video.
"The editing is pretty convincing though."
She couldn't help but smile at the scene where they'd photoshopped the winner's stage onto a ship. Noticing it was finally their turn, she looked up.
As she did, her eyes met Seiun Sky's face, now unexpectedly close—close enough to feel the other's breath.
"This creator—"
Seiun Sky, having just noticed the uploader's ID, started to speak, but her gaze locked with Barbatos's.
They were so close, staring right into each other's eyes. After a long moment, Seiun Sky decisively took half a step back.
Seriously? That half-step retreat? Are you for real?
Barbatos couldn't help the internal facepalm. It felt like such a gut reaction. "Ahem, it's our turn now."
Seiun Sky gave a soft "Mhm," and they both took their seats under the staff's guidance.
The swings here were designed for two people per seat, so most riders came in pairs—whether two guys, two girls, or couples. The lone energetic young man in the seat ahead of Barbatos looked a bit out of place sitting by himself.
Once seated, Barbatos pressed down on the safety bar to make sure it was secure, then pulled up her system interface and opened the League shop.
If anything went wrong, she'd just buy a Kayle and ult Seiun Sky.
As for herself, she had that new item she bought yesterday—[Winged Moonplate]. The health boost should keep her from splatting, and she could always use Kassadin's ultimate to save herself. Seemed pretty safe.
"Did you catch the name of the video's uploader earlier?"
"The name?"
The swings began to move slowly. Not feeling nervous yet, she tried to recall the uploader's name. She honestly hadn't paid much attention.
"It was 'Bannan Minami.' Think it might be our trainer?"
"...So you're saying Minamizaka didn't get up today because he was up all night editing videos?"
"Maybe he's trying to help grow your fanbase here in Japan."
"Minamizaka... He really is something else. I'm actually touched."
The wind began to pick up as they rose higher and spun faster. Still feeling "touched," Barbatos glanced down and felt a sudden twinge of nerves. Maybe now would be a good time to hold Seiun Sky's hand?
Wait, why was that even crossing her mind?
"Waaah!!!"
Barbatos turned to look at Seiun Sky, who didn't seem the least bit scared. I haven't even screamed yet, what are you yelling for?
"Screaming makes it less scary!" Seiun Sky's hair was whipping wildly in the wind.
Truth was, in her past life, she used to scream her head off too. It was still scary, but it felt cathartic. That stopped after some random girls started pointing and laughing, so she never did it again. But now, as an Uma Musume, maybe she didn't have to worry about that anymore.
Just as she was about to let out a good, heartfelt scream...
The lone guy in front of them beat her to it, unleashing a terrified wail. "Aaaah!!!"
"AAH! HOLY CRAP!!"
"ARGH! DAMN IT!"
"OH JEEZ! I WANNA GO HOME!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.