Hanshin Racecourse.
On the day of the Oka Sho, every ticket in the stands had been sold out, with the crowd swelling to nearly 150,000.
Countless Uma Musume racing enthusiasts had cleared their schedules to witness the clash of today's greatest talents.
They came to watch Barbatos return to the track—after four months of recovery following the Winter Dream Cup!
Now, Barbatos stood at the competitor's entrance, bidding farewell to Seiun Sky and the rest of her Canopus teammates before stepping once more onto the familiar grounds of the racetrack.
"Go get 'em, B-chan!"
"You've gotta win the Oka Sho!"
"If B-chan wins, Minamizaka's treating us all to a feast in Osaka!"
"..."
Minamizaka fell silent for a moment, thinking to himself, 'It's not like we eat poorly on regular days.'
The Canopus members—aside from Seiun Sky—cheered Barbatos on enthusiastically.
Barbatos responded with a gentle smile and a nod.
Checking the time, she turned and made her way toward the entrance.
"Wait."
Just as Barbatos was about to step through, Minamizaka's voice called out to her.
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"Also, El Condor Pasa will be your toughest rival today, but Sakura Rambler and Dramatic Development have grown much stronger compared to last year. Don't overlook them."
Minamizaka said it all in one go.
Though they'd already held a strategy meeting for the Oka Sho, it was clear Barbatos had her own ideas—she didn't need her trainer to map everything out for her.
For a gifted Uma Musume like Barbatos, a trainer's role was simply to highlight what to watch for and then let her do the rest.
Barbatos had a remarkable sense of timing, after all.
Still, Minamizaka worried she might put too much pressure on herself, too focused on beating El Condor Pasa while underestimating the others who'd improved so much since last year.
"Got it."
Barbatos waved without looking back and disappeared into the competitors' area.
The Canopus group then headed toward the spectator entrances. As part of the competing team, they had access to internal front-row tickets, so finding a good spot wasn't a concern.
On the way, Nice Nature glanced curiously at Seiun Sky.
Unable to hold back, she asked, "How come you didn't say anything to B-chan earlier?"
If anyone in Canopus was closest to Barbatos, it was undoubtedly Seiun Sky. They were a couple, likely to marry once both retired.
But on such an important race day, why hadn't Seiun Sky offered any words of encouragement?
"Because cheering over LINE might work better."
Seiun Sky replied casually.
It was a kind of tacit agreement between them. She remembered Barbatos's debut race—she'd sent her encouragement over the phone back then.
And it had been the same for every race since.
So it became their habit: whenever Barbatos raced, Seiun Sky would send a voice message to cheer her on.
--+--
Beep!
In the locker room, already changed into her racing silks, Barbatos smiled as she listened to the voice message from "Star-sama" on LINE. Her heart felt full.
But desires have a way of growing.
Even for an Uma Musume like Barbatos.
Before they started dating, Seiun Sky cheered her on like this. If it stayed exactly the same after they got together, then what was the point of dating?
With one hand, she quickly typed out a reply.
"Shouldn't there be something before the 'go get 'em'?"
Sending it off, Barbatos allowed herself a slight smirk.
Truthfully, just hearing Seiun Sky say "go get 'em" was enough to satisfy her. But right now, she felt like teasing her girlfriend a little.
She planned to wait for Seiun Sky to reply with a question mark or ask what prefix she meant, then tell her she should say, "Go get 'em, hubby!"
Completely unaware, Barbatos hadn't yet figured out the dynamics of their relationship.
A while after she sent her message,
Her phone vibrated again—the special vibration she'd set for her most important contact. Barbatos, who'd been staring at her screen, tapped the new voice message.
"Go get 'em, darling!"
The clear voice held a hint of laughter, mingling with the noisy backdrop of the spectator stands.
But that "darling" cut through with startling clarity, as if all other sounds had been filtered out.
Barbatos froze as if hit by a stun, holding her phone motionless for several long seconds before she could react again.
Somehow, she still felt like she was on the back foot even after they'd started dating.
But maybe that didn't matter. Seiun Sky, who'd just said "darling," was probably still surrounded by their Canopus friends—her face must be burning bright red by now.
Too bad she couldn't see it.
Quietly, Barbatos held down the voice message and saved it.
Then she tapped it again, listening to the words on repeat. Yet another reason not to lose.
It wasn't until a knock came at the locker room door that she stopped.
A staff member had come to remind the competitors it was time to prepare for their entrance. Barbatos set her phone down in the locker room and headed out toward the staging area.
Finally, it was about to begin.
Four months of waiting. Four months of training. Her first return to the track since her defeat.
Barbatos's gaze passed through the dark corridor ahead, fixing on the sunlit track beyond.
This race against El Condor Pasa—she'd been waiting for it a long time.
Even now, she couldn't claim she had the clear upper hand over El Condor Pasa. But it was exactly this kind of race, this kind of opponent, that made her feel her blood begin to boil.
This one, I will win!
Barbatos let out a soft breath, clearing her mind of every distraction as she stepped steadily toward the light.
Her body adjusted with each step, shifting toward peak condition. Her presence gathered, her fighting spirit rising.
Four months. Four months without a single race had left her slightly out of sync, but that feeling was quickly fading—like a precision instrument, long unused, having its rust scraped away, freshly oiled, and finely calibrated.
"And now, the favorite of this race—also Japan's most popular Uma Musume!"
"The undisputed prodigy of this generation, having recovered from a four-month injury—the 'Wind God' herself—Barbatos!"
Step by step, Barbatos emerged from behind the curtain, her jacket swirling off her shoulders like a cape.
The star of this race had now taken the stage!
--+--
T/N: 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.