Tracen Academy Training Grounds.
Rigil's training schedule for the day was finished.
El Condor Pasa was putting in extra work on the field, pushing herself to get stronger.
She didn't pay much mind to the chatter online, focusing instead on the upcoming G2 race, the Daily Hai Junior Stakes, and next year's Oka Sho, the promise she made to Barbatos.
G2 races were a different beast from G3s.
G1 races were truly rare, with only a handful held each year.
The elite Uma Musume who competed at the G1 level all had their preferred distances, so they couldn't just run in G1s all the time. That meant you could often run into G1-caliber runners in a G2.
That was the fundamental difference between G2 and G3.
You might even face one, or several, G1 champions in a G2.
"El-chan~"
Grass Wonder's voice called out from nearby.
El Condor Pasa turned her head and saw her holding a phone. "Is B-chan's race about to start?"
Grass Wonder smiled and turned the screen towards her. "Yes. Looks like she's quite popular at the venue."
"Yeah, well, her popularity's even surpassed the Emperor's now, hasn't it?" El Condor Pasa couldn't help but remark. "I'll skip watching B-chan's live race. I'm gonna use this time to get a bit more training in."
No matter how she looked at it, there was no way Barbatos could lose a G3 race.
So, there wasn't really any need to watch. It was better to use the time to improve herself. She didn't just need to win the upcoming G2, or G1, or even the Oka Sho.
Her goal was to go to France, win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe against Montjeu, and conquer the world!
Grass Wonder smiled, her eyes narrowing. "Indeed."
--+--
Tokyo Racecourse.
Minamizaka and Seiun Sky stood at the front of the spectator stands, with a clear view of the track. Even the Uma Musume racing on the course could easily spot them.
Minamizaka glanced sideways at Seiun Sky from the corner of his eye.
She slacked off in practice with Barbatos practically every time, yet she never missed a single one of Barbatos's races.
Tokyo wasn't far from Tracen Academy, but the other members of Team Canopus hadn't come along.
After all, this race seemed like a foregone conclusion, a total curb-stomp where Barbatos had an overwhelming advantage and couldn't possibly lose. They were planning to all come together to cheer for Barbatos in person at a G2 or G1 race instead.
So, even if it wasn't public, the relationship between Seiun Sky and Barbatos was pretty much confirmed.
However, even in a race Barbatos was overwhelmingly likely to win...
Minamizaka had a bad feeling about this.
Seiun Sky looked around at the packed stands, also noticing quite a few spectators looking her way, lost in thought.
As Barbatos's roommate, classmate, teammate, and the person who'd spent the most time with her since enrollment, she had a pretty good understanding of Barbatos's personality.
It was like how she could always predict the plot twists in those TV dramas.
Besides being fond of tricking people and slacking off, Barbatos came across as exceptionally humble to others.
Just like the "humble" the reporter described her during the pre-race interview.
But "humble" had a different meaning in her eyes. If Barbatos were truly humble, she wouldn't have said on the Ferris wheel that she wanted to defeat a legendary Uma Musume.
If she were truly humble, she wouldn't have promised El Condor Pasa a showdown in the Oka Sho.
No matter how exaggerated the hype online got, the talent Barbatos had displayed was undeniable.
Winning race after race would naturally build anyone's confidence.
But thinking about the "humility" Barbatos chose to show others... it was more like excessive humility, as if she was avoiding something.
After all, that so-called "humility" never showed up during her live streams.
Seiun Sky thought to herself, "So it's that, huh."
A sly glint shone in her jade-green eyes. She couldn't say she was a hundred percent sure about her guess, but if it were true, then Barbatos probably wasn't in top form right now, was she?
Minamizaka beside her was confused. "That what?"
Seiun Sky shook her head. "Just thought of something funny, that's all."
As she spoke, she pulled out her phone and opened LINE. She should still be in the locker room right now.
--+--
"Why do I feel like a pincushion today? There are so many flags, I can't possibly pull them all out."
Barbatos faced the mirror and patted her cheeks with both hands.
After crossing over, she'd always tried to avoid setting up flags, because in novels and TV shows, they were dangerous. You never knew what would happen after a flag was raised.
"Steady now!"
"Don't be superstitious. Just run like you always do."
Barbatos took a deep breath, planning to take one last look at her phone to see if Seiun Sky had sent any voice message to cheer her on before heading out.
But she'd only taken a few steps before she suddenly stopped.
The lace on her right shoe had somehow come undone. The shoes Uma Musume wore were far superior in price and quality to human shoes. The laces on them basically never came untied on their own, as that could easily cause an accident for a running Uma Musume.
But just now, her lace came undone?
Barbatos's eyebrow twitched.
Are flags really that potent?
She crouched down, re-tying the lace securely. She pulled out the good-luck charm that Urara and Matikanetannhauser had gotten for her from Tazuna before her debut race. It was time to fight mysticism with mysticism.
Just then, her phone vibrated slightly—a LINE notification.
"Is it Seiun Sky cheering me on?" she muttered to herself, pulling out her phone.
[Seiun Sky: After you win the race, I'm taking you somewhere.]
Not words of encouragement? But something for after she wins?!
Barbatos took a deep breath.
Was Seiun Sky starting to set flags for her too?
She typed a single "K" with one hand, then thought better of it and deleted it. She typed "Sure" instead. Sending just one word might make Seiun Sky think she was being dismissive.
Just as she was about to hit send, a "Laughing Kitten" sticker appeared on her screen.
[Seiun Sky: You're not actually worried about so-called 'flags,' are you?]
That made her pause for a moment. She simply replied, "Yeah." The clever Seiun Sky could even see through this.
[Seiun Sky: Flags? You can break them just by running fast enough.]
[Seiun Sky: Besides, all that is just everyone's belief in you, your fans supporting you. It should be your Buff.]
[Barbatos: Got it.]
Barbatos couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. And here she thought she had a mature soul. The cheers from outside were her best Buff, weren't they?
"This race... I will win!"
--+--
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.