"You're going to watch the Daily Hai?"
King Halo's trainer, upon hearing this, immediately pulled out her phone to call the chauffeur.
She wasn't just a trainer at Tracen Academy; before that, she was part of King Halo's family.
In private, she even referred to King Halo as "young lady." She had become a central trainer after receiving sponsorship from King Halo's family, specifically assigned to train the Uma Musume within the family.
However, when she first enrolled, King Halo's intention was to join Rigil—a desire shared by most Uma Musume entering Tracen Academy. But in reality, only one Uma Musume could join the Rigil team.
King Halo, who had been placed with high hopes by her family, lost to El Condor Pasa and Special Week during the entrance test.
The trainer sighed inwardly.
The young lady's talent was truly outstanding, but this generation had an unusual number of prodigies.
Not to mention El Condor Pasa and Special Week, who had defeated the young lady—even Barbatos and Seiun Sky, who hadn't taken the Rigil test that year, would have been the stars of any other generation.
This generation simply had too many exceptionally talented Uma Musume. Whether it would be unmatched in the future remained to be seen, but it was certainly unprecedented.
El Condor Pasa and Barbatos were the most outstanding among them.
For this Tokyo Sports Hai Junior Stakes, where the young lady would face Barbatos, even she didn't dare say the young lady could win.
She knew how hard the young lady trained every day, how much extra time she put in. But the moment she saw Barbatos, her confidence wavered, as if the young lady was facing an unbeatable opponent, with only a miracle to hope for.
Yet, only the young lady could maintain the demeanor of a king through it all.
"Young lady! I believe you won't lose to any of them!" she shouted inwardly.
Outwardly, she merely gave a polite, slight bow. "I'll call for the chauffeur to bring the car around right away."
As a young lady of her status, King Halo naturally had a personal chauffeur—a standard among high society, much like the one from the Mejiro family.
King Halo quickly waved her hand. "No need. I'll go with Barbatos."
She had already discussed the trip back to Kyoto with Barbatos beforehand. The Canopus team's trainer, Minamizaka, would drive them there.
Besides, if her trainer called the chauffeur, she might feel awkward chatting with Barbatos and the others in the car.
"Understood," the trainer said, nodding slightly to Barbatos before stepping aside.
Barbatos watched the exchange, a bit stunned.
This didn't feel like a typical trainer-trainee relationship at all.
Sure, Minamizaka sometimes seemed a bit humble, but at their core, they interacted like friends. Not like some trainers who came off as strict and authoritative.
With King Halo, even though she seemed perfectly fine, her trainer treated her more like a young lady.
Truly fitting for King Halo, Barbatos thought.
She considered herself well-off, but she still couldn't compare to someone from a major family like King Halo's.
Even with her substantial income from streaming and races, it might not even match King Halo's pocket money.
As they walked toward the outer area of the racecourse, Barbatos waited until the trainer was out of sight before turning to King Halo. "So, what kind of car does that chauffeur drive, anyway?"
She'd always been curious. She'd often see those sleek, upper-class black cars passing by the gate.
"What kind of car? I'm not really sure," King Halo blinked. If it were about Uma Musume, she could probably list plenty of details, showcasing her upbringing as a young lady. But when it came to cars, she was practically clueless.
After all, she never needed to learn to drive—she always had a chauffeur for long trips.
"Just... the black kind."
"Rich girl, huh," Barbatos remarked with a sigh.
If she weren't already interested in another Uma Musume, she might've joked, "Rich girl, I'm hungry, feed me!"
Truth be told, Tracen Academy had its share of wealthy Uma Musume, but hardly anyone bothered sucking up to them. Everyone was too focused on running, on competing. She was no different.
Even if there was a financial gap between her and King Halo now, she had the confidence and determination that in two or three years, she would be the legend, she would be the one setting the standard. She wouldn't be inferior to anyone.
Once they exited the racecourse, they spotted Minamizaka's car parked not far away. As they approached and opened the door, they found Seiun Sky already waiting inside.
The distance between Tokyo Racecourse and Kyoto Racecourse wasn't too far. Even if they missed the pre-race interviews and entrance ceremonies, they could still make it before the race started.
Besides, for El Condor Pasa's race, Barbatos and the others didn't have to worry about finding good spots near the front of the spectator stands.
They chatted about the Daily Hai Junior Stakes during the ride and soon arrived at the Kyoto Racecourse. Despite it being in Kyoto, Barbatos had never raced here before.
Instead of getting out at the entrance, they stayed in the car until Minamizaka parked, then walked to the gate together. That was just how they interacted with Minamizaka—like friends. It was fundamentally different from King Halo's relationship with her trainer.
Not that King Halo's trainer was bad—all trainers at Tracen Academy were exceptionally capable, otherwise they wouldn't have passed the rigorous certification exams.
But when financial interests were involved, even if the trainer was genuinely dedicated to King Halo, there was always something keeping them at a distance.
It couldn't compare to the easygoing dynamic they shared with Minamizaka.
Outside the Kyoto Racecourse, crowds of people were still milling about. Countless spectators had come to see if El Condor Pasa could win the Daily Hai and solidify her status as the "Prodigy of the Era."
"Looks like we won't get good seats," King Halo remarked. With this many people, they'd probably have to watch El Condor Pasa's race from the outskirts.
Barbatos shrugged, unconcerned. "No problem. We've got an inside connection!"
This was El Condor Pasa's home turf, after all!
Seiun Sky, who had been quietly fiddling with her phone, looked up. A moment later, Grass Wonder and Maruzensky approached.
If there was one thing that set Rigil apart from the other teams, it was that they had their own exclusive spectator area—a privilege befitting Japan's strongest team.
As a G2 race without any particularly formidable opponents, the "Emperor" and other top members wouldn't bother attending the Daily Hai. So, they could take the chance to watch the race from Rigil's seats.
Of course, this was only after getting permission from Rigil's trainer, Toujou Hana.
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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.