The video of the Tenno Sho finished playing.
Barbatos, controlling the mouse, clicked the replay button and watched it all over again.
'If it were me facing Air Groove, could I do better than Silence Suzuka?'
If she were up against me, Air Groove probably wouldn't adopt a front-running style. She'd likely choose to battle it out with me on the final stretch—that should be my chance.
If it just came down to a pure sprint, a clash of final speed, she felt confident that her current self wouldn't lose much even to legendary Uma Musume.
The only problem was, the Air Groove in that Tenno Sho probably hadn't unleashed her Zone.
Though it was hard to tell for sure through a video, Barbatos could make a judgment based on the states of the other Uma Musume around her.
Whether it was Tamamo Cross or Obey Your Master, when they activated their Zones, their presence exerted pressure on the others, causing them to slow down to some extent.
During the Relay Long-Distance Race and the Keio Hai, if she hadn't been using her ultimate—granting her immunity—she would likely have been suppressed by that pressure too.
"If it were you," Seiun Sky said, a slight smile playing on her lips as she took the salad from the net cafe attendant, "you'd have an even harder time than Silence Suzuka."
"Why do you say that?" Barbatos was a bit puzzled.
While she didn't think she was guaranteed to win against Silence Suzuka, that didn't mean she was worse than her.
Right now, she figured their chances were about four-to-six, or maybe even fifty-fifty. You could only know for sure by actually racing.
But Seiun Sky spoke with unusual certainty, as if she had clear grounds for comparison.
"Because the race is different," Seiun Sky continued, her tone languid. "If you were to enter a rookie race now, would you go all out?" She paused. "Even if you did, would you fight as desperately as you did against Tamamo Cross?"
Barbatos froze for a moment, then understood the meaning behind those words.
In the Tenno Sho, Air Groove only really had to worry about Silence Suzuka.
But the Winter Dream Cup would be different. There, Air Groove would be facing legends of the same caliber, rivals she had competed against for years.
Naturally, she would go all out from the very start, not just focus on a single opponent like in the Tenno Sho.
In other words, at the Winter Dream Cup, Barbatos would be facing an Air Groove with her Zone active, or rather, a clash of Zones.
"Just thinking about it is terrifying," Barbatos murmured.
Even her goal of defeating just one legendary Uma Musume seemed distant now.
After all, at the Winter Dream Cup, her opponents wouldn't simply fall into her rhythm.
Haa... Barbatos took a deep breath.
"If that's the case, with my current level, I guess my only option is to focus on marking one of them."
"Even among the legendary Uma Musume, they each have their own habits and preferred running styles. They can't all go all out from the very start."
"If I don't want to end up dead last in the Winter Dream Cup..."
"I'll target Amazon-senpai—"
"Hold on."
Seiun Sky suddenly interrupted, her hand pausing as she ate her salad. She pulled out her phone from her pocket, placed it on the computer desk, and tapped the built-in recording app.
A faint smile touched her lips. "Could you repeat what you just said?"
Barbatos's expression stiffened. If that recording reached Amazon-senpai, she'd be in for a world of trouble.
But after a moment's contemplation, she quickly regained her composure and spoke naturally, "If I don't want to be last, I'll choose to mark Amazon-senpai."
"Based on my understanding of Amazon-senpai, she usually employs a closing running style, observing the movements of others from the back and looking for the best moment to break through."
"That will be my opportunity."
"Compared to the legendary Uma Musume, I fall short in every aspect."
"But when it comes to pure sprinting speed, I'm confident. Even against them, I'm not inferior."
"Though I feel a bit sorry for Amazon-senpai, her running style is similar to mine, making her the easiest legend for me to mark."
"When the time comes, I will give it my all, holding nothing back, and pull her down from her throne."
Seiun Sky rested her cheek on her left hand, listening intently, her emerald eyes sparkling faintly.
Though she had initially wanted to tease Barbatos a little, as she listened to Barbatos talk about her strategy for the Winter Dream Cup, and especially when she declared, "Even against them, I'm not inferior," Seiun Sky could sense the confidence accumulated from race after race, and an unprecedented seriousness towards the upcoming challenge.
For a moment, Seiun Sky was captivated, feeling as if there was something more to Barbatos than usual.
And based on her understanding of Barbatos...
Perhaps even Barbatos herself hadn't realized it. It wasn't just about wanting to defeat one legendary Uma Musume.
Rather, it seemed Barbatos wanted to win the Winter Dream Cup, to become its victor, to become Japan's true number one legend!
'She's a bit dazzling,' Seiun Sky thought.
After discussing running strategies for upcoming races and finishing the salad, Seiun Sky had no real intention of sending the recording to Amazon-senpai.
For one, she didn't even have Amazon-senpai as a contact, and it was just meant to tease Barbatos a little.
Making use of their time at the net cafe, after watching the race recordings, the two of them also watched videos of King Halo, El Condor Pasa, and Special Week, getting a preliminary understanding of their future opponents.
Compared to other senior Uma Musume, they were more likely to encounter Uma Musume of their own generation more frequently.
--+--
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, it was Saturday, the day before the newly upgraded G2 Tokyo Sports Hai Junior Stakes.
Barbatos and King Halo, as the first and second favorites respectively, were receiving pre-race interviews. Being classmates who knew each other, there were no particularly sharp or aggressive remarks.
The third favorite, Queen Berry, was actually an acquaintance of Barbatos.
Although it was a G2 race, because it was a recent upgrade, the participants were still essentially the same pool of G3-level Uma Musume, hence Queen Berry being the third favorite.
The interview proceeded without major incident. Even Queen Berry didn't direct any strong words at Barbatos.
As the pre-race interviews concluded...
"We're heading back to Kyoto now to watch the Daily Hai Junior Stakes. Want to come along?" Barbatos invited King Halo.
They were rivals, but also classmates. Inviting her to watch the race together was perfectly reasonable.
"Sure," King Halo agreed. "Might as well see how strong El Condor Pasa is now."
The Daily Hai Junior Stakes was El Condor Pasa's first G2 race.
--+--
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.