What did it feel like to hold hands with fingers interlaced?
Barbatos didn't know how to describe it. She'd built up some resistance to ordinary hand-holding by now, but this time, Seiun Sky seemed to have pierced right through her defenses.
The moment their fingers linked, every bit of that resistance just melted away, leaving her brain completely frozen.
Seiun Sky, who had taken the initiative to tease Barbatos, wasn't faring much better either.
Beneath the brim of her cap, her cheeks were quickly flushing bright red. She had meant to tease Barbatos, to see how she'd react to this kind of intimate contact, but now she couldn't even focus on that anymore.
Her heart was pounding like a Twin Turbo engine had started revving inside her chest, beating faster and faster.
She didn't know if ten minutes or half an hour had passed. Countless couples walked past them before the two finally managed to regain some semblance of composure.
"Should we… go in and get some milk tea?" Barbatos was the first to speak up.
Seiun Sky had made the first move earlier; now it was her turn, the "boy" in this scenario, to step up.
But as she glanced over at Seiun Sky and saw that beautifully flushed face, so stunning it made her heart skip another beat, she couldn't help but think… she'd like to hold this hand for a lifetime.
Seiun Sky gave a soft "Mhm," and together they walked slowly into the milk tea shop.
The employee inside was a young woman, fresh out of college by the look of her. She'd noticed the two Uma Musume at the entrance for a while now—standing there but not coming in, though she couldn't quite tell what was going on.
Even though both wore caps hiding their characteristic ears, their tails were still pretty obvious.
They just stood there at the door, spaced out and motionless, not really looking like they were waiting for someone.
It seemed more like… a pair of newly-dating lovers not yet used to holding hands, experiencing that everyday brain-freeze moment after their first hand-hold for milk tea.
If that was the case, it was honestly adorable. Somehow, just watching them made her work mood lift.
About twenty minutes later, she finally saw the two Uma Musume walk in hand-in-hand.
"What can I get for you two today?"
"Um, we saw the promotion outside. Can we get the large Boba Tea for half-price?" Barbatos asked, shaking her and Seiun Sky's joined hands slightly to indicate they were a couple.
"You mean the Sweethearts' Large Boba Tea?"
"…Yeah. Can we order that?"
"Of course!"
The girl behind the counter smiled. She saw plenty of couples come through here every day, but a pair as innocent as these two was a first.
Just from holding hands, their faces were already bright red. That kind of feeling only came with a first love.
Unlike other couples who wouldn't even blush if they started making out right here in the shop—it was all routine to them.
Ah, romance really was most beautiful when it was fresh and unpolished.
She didn't find it strange that two Uma Musume were dating.
Though their overall numbers weren't huge, this shop was near Tokyo Racecourse in Marunouchi, so she'd seen quite a few Uma Musume couples before. But a pair as shy as this was new.
Youth really is something.
She couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Seeing their faces redden under those baseball caps made her feel old.
At their age, she'd been busy grinding in video games—no time for romance.
By the time she did start dating, the guys she met were all so experienced, she often wondered, 'Why are you so good at this?'
For some reason, the one who'd spoken looked familiar—maybe she'd seen her in a race before?
She didn't give them a hard time or ask them to kiss to prove they were a couple. If holding hands made them freeze up that badly, a little teasing might just scare them off completely.
With that in mind, she quickly prepared their "Sweethearts' Large Boba Tea." Unlike other drinks, this one was always pre-made in larger quantities since most customers here were couples coming to share one.
"Here's your Sweethearts' Large Boba Tea."
She handed over the drink with a smile. Barbatos accepted it, but now she had a problem: she hadn't bought a wallet, so with only two free hands, she had to let go of Seiun Sky's to pull out her phone and scan the payment code.
She instantly regretted it.
She should've given the tea to Seiun Sky to hold first, then paid. Ugh, love really does lower your IQ. She was filled with regret—she wanted to hold Seiun Sky's hand like that again.
After all, they were only holding hands and interlacing fingers under the pretense of being a couple for the milk tea deal.
That kind of hand-holding wasn't just casual—it was a privilege you unlocked once you started dating for real.
"Payment sent."
Once she'd paid, she mustered her courage and took Seiun Sky's hand again, interlacing their fingers. They were still in the shop, still pretending to be a couple—surely it was okay to hold hands like this now, right?
Just as they turned to leave, hand in hand, the girl at the counter suddenly asked, "By the way, what's your name? Maybe I've seen you race."
Still hand-holding and with her IQ clearly suppressed, Barbatos instinctively waved and replied, "I'm Barbatos."
After the two left, the milk tea girl stood there for a moment. "Huh? That name sounds really familiar too."
She wasn't really one to watch Uma Musume races; what she knew came mostly from occasional headlines or trending topics.
"Maybe I saw it somewhere… I'll look her up after my shift, watch one of her races."
Not that the race itself mattered much—she was the type to spend her free time reading romance novels or watching romance anime. Checking out the race was more about getting invested in that cute couple she'd just seen.
Right then, her eyes casually fell on a poster hanging in the shop.
"Witness the Rising Star?! Keio Hai Junior Stakes!"
"Barbatos — the Wind God!!"
The poster advertised the Keio Cup to be held in November at Tokyo Racecourse, featuring the much-anticipated Uma Musume. Even those who didn't follow the races knew a little about the G-series, and understood what it meant for a single Uma Musume to dominate the poster of a G2 race.
The milk tea girl's mouth fell slightly open. "…She's that famous?"
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T/N: Everybody be shipping them, including me
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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.