"About the race outfit—which one were you thinking of choosing?"
Faced with that question, Barbatos had already made her choice earlier. "The green set, the 'Archon' gear. It suits us Uma Musume better."
"But it doesn't even have shoes, and doesn't it feel a bit too revealing?"
"The 'Archon' gear is what I'd recommend."
The middle-aged woman suggested, "Compared to the divine set, the ordinary one seems a bit too plain. Standing next to other Uma Musume, it might come off as unremarkable."
As she said this, she couldn't help but cover her mouth with a light chuckle.
"That might not quite fit the image of a top talent of this era."
"And as for the 'Archon' outfit—I've already got some modification ideas. I can run them by you."
As one of the most outstanding Uma Musume of this generation, her race outfit really ought to be something special.
"Modifications?"
Barbatos was taken aback. "Even after signing the contract, we can still modify the race outfit?"
She had assumed they'd just copy the 'Archon' gear straight from the game. But thinking about it, there was no way she could actually race in something like that.
"Minor modifications are possible. After all, that wasn't originally designed as a race outfit—you can't just wear it as-is for competitions."
"Actually, before you all arrived, I'd already been considering some adjustments."
As she spoke, the middle-aged woman brought over a laptop showing detailed revisions to the outfit. "For the lower part, I'm thinking of adding a skirt flare. It'll create a nice visual effect when you're running."
"Also, I'm considering whether to add a semi-transparent outer coat."
"Compared to the white thigh-high on the left leg, we could appropriately add a blue garter on the right leg. That would really enhance the aesthetic."
At its core, a Uma Musume's race outfit is meant to make those competing in G1 races more distinctive.
In other words—to make them more pleasing to the eye.
If we're talking purely about what's best for running, the standardized athletic wear used in races below G1 level is actually the most suitable.
Some race outfits may look incredibly cool, but due to their design, they often add a bit of drag when running.
Of course, for a true legendary Uma Musume, even with that extra resistance, they can still take first place.
"!!!"
Barbatos's eyes went wide, her ears shooting upright.
Did she just hear "garter"? Honestly, she didn't have any strange fetishes, but she did have a bit of a thing for legs.
White, black, bare—she wasn't picky. But add a garter? That would be the ultimate finish!
Looking at the design sketches on the laptop, she could see the white thigh-high on the left leg and the garter on the right… It was absolutely perfect.
The only downside was—this race outfit was for her to wear.
If Seiun Sky were the one wearing it, that would be the perfect combo. Too bad, it wasn't meant to be.
But maybe she could look forward to Seiun Sky's own race outfit? What if Seiun Sky's outfit had a garter too?
"I approve of these changes!"
Barbatos praised, "Just modify it like this. I trust your professional judgment."
Beside her, Seiun Sky watched Barbatos's expression, lost in thought.
A notion crossed her mind: 'Does Barbatos like garters?'
'She's always staring at my legs…'
'Maybe when I get my G1 outfit, I should ask for a garter too.'
The strange idea flashed through her mind. It wasn't just because Barbatos liked it—more that adding a garter might be a fun way to tease her later.
Yeah, that was it.
Another half hour passed. With Barbatos's cooperation, the middle-aged woman took all the measurements needed for the race outfit and settled on the shoe style to match. The matter of the race outfit was, for now, wrapped up.
"Alright, now that the race outfit is settled, how about checking out the cosplay costumes in our shop?"
"See if any catch your eye. There are quite a few comic conventions coming up soon."
Here, the middle-aged woman paused, remembering that as the year draws to a close, the Uma Musume race schedule tends to get busy.
Especially since Barbatos was set to compete in December's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies—she'd probably be too busy training to attend any conventions.
But there's always time after the races.
Next year, once she has more free time, she could always wear a cosplay outfit to an event then.
"Sounds good."
Barbatos, who'd been thinking the same thing, headed toward the display area.
Seiun Sky followed, curious to see what kinds of cosplay costumes were available.
Of course, if they wanted something not in stock, they could always request a custom order. But Seiun Sky didn't know too much about anime—just some basics and a few shows.
She figured Barbatos would have suggestions.
Barbatos made a beeline for the "Tohsaka Rin" and "Archer" outfits she'd spotted earlier. Ideally, she'd love to cosplay those two with Seiun Sky.
But it wasn't feasible—Barbatos was nowhere near tall enough to pull off Archer.
Forced cosplay would make Rin workable, but Archer would end up a shorty, like he never hit his growth spurt.
As an Uma Musume, she stood around 155 cm, same as Seiun Sky. Cosplaying a male character just wasn't in the cards.
Well, it wasn't entirely impossible.
But the method seemed pretty unrealistic.
Like spending 3150 Essence on a Cho'Gath, then using his ultimate to "Feast" on something to grow bigger—turning into a jacked-up Uma Musume.
Abilities that drastically alter body size like that seem downright unscientific. Using one in real life would probably get you handed over to the authorities.
And… doesn't Cho'Gath's ult stop stacking at 6 layers unless he eats champions? In the real world, wouldn't that mean he'd have to eat Uma Musume to keep growing?
The thought alone was enough to send a chill down her spine.
So the Tohsaka Rin and Archer cosplan was a no-go.
What else was there…?
Scanning the shop, her eyes soon landed on an especially cute outfit—one of the many iconic dresses of her childhood idol, Kinomoto Sakura.
Plus, Seiun Sky's eye color was close to Sakura's, so she wouldn't even need colored contacts.
"Wanna try this one?" Barbatos asked, tilting her head.
Seiun Sky clasped her hands behind her back, studied the outfit for a moment, then gave a slight smile. "Will you try the one next to it, then?"
"Next to it?"
Barbatos glanced over. She hadn't paid much attention to the neighboring outfit earlier—just recalled it was yellow.
Looking at it now, her expression froze.
The cosplay suit was bright yellow, with a small pair of wings on the back. A headpiece hung beside it.
A Kero costume, huh?
--+--
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.