On the way back to Tracen Academy.
Barbatos sat in the back seat of the business car, her sprained right ankle already tightly wrapped.
The doctor had also prescribed a spray to be applied the next day.
The soreness and swelling in her leg had eased a bit thanks to the emergency treatment at the clinic, though she wouldn't be able to run for the next week or even longer.
Walking on her own wasn't completely out of the question.
But it was better to rest as much as possible, and have someone support her when she had to move.
That task naturally fell to her roommate—Seiun Sky. None of her Canopus teammates argued about it.
They were all worried, but everyone knew how things stood between Barbatos and Seiun Sky.
Even if the two never openly admitted their relationship, it wasn't just about holding hands—even that hug after the race carried a feeling everyone could sense.
"Barbatos."
Minamizaka, who was driving, spoke with unusual seriousness.
His passion for the Uma Musume under his care was probably the most openly displayed among all the Tracen trainers.
And now, with Barbatos in this condition…
"How about giving up on the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies?"
"Even if you skip it, no one would doubt your ability."
Leg issues caused by running too fast—if this continued, it could risk her never being able to run again.
That would be a nightmare for any Uma Musume.
Barbatos usually didn't train much, spending most of her time streaming League of Legends, but Minamizaka could tell—she loved running just as much, and savored the joy of victory.
If things kept going like this…
Would Barbatos hold back in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies?
Would she hold back in the Winter Dream Cup?
All of it could directly worsen her leg injury, shorten her career drastically, and maybe even leave her unable to run after retirement.
If only he hadn't agreed to let Barbatos enter so many races back then.
"Mmm, if I can recover in time, please let me run."
"Otherwise, wouldn't it be unfair to the fans who already bought tickets for Hanshin, some even booking flights just to see me?"
"If they're really your fans, they'd want you to rest properly!"
Minamizaka reflexively smacked the steering wheel, making a sharp sound. "After this race, we can release a statement—that's the least of our worries."
"Why not skip both the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the Winter Dream Cup, take a few months off, and come back after that?"
That way, she could at least rest properly.
At the very least, she'd have a chance to complete the Triple Tiara. Even if she retired after that, she wouldn't have as many regrets.
The truth was, there wasn't much time left before the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. According to the doctor, Barbatos would barely have recovered by then—if at all—with little to no time for rehab training.
Beside Barbatos, Seiun Sky pressed her lips together. She could hear the anxiety in Minamizaka's voice.
She could tell Barbatos was only using her fans as an excuse because she wanted to run.
Normally, she might have pointed it out plainly—'Barbatos just wants to race, it's not really about the fans.'
But now, she didn't know what to say. Worry clouded her thoughts; even her usual cleverness felt tangled.
Just then, she felt a light scratch on her hand.
Then, a bit clumsily, her fingers were turned over and gently laced together with Barbatos's.
This time, she didn't blush—her heart was too occupied with bigger worries. She turned to look at Barbatos beside her.
And saw her smiling back.
"Don't worry, I know my limits."
"Urara knows—back during the entrance exam, I had a fracture, but I still made it to the retest without any issues."
"If it comes to race day and I don't feel right, I'll withdraw on my own."
"So please, let me run, Minamizaka…"
Those words were for Minamizaka, for Seiun Sky, and for all her friends—so they wouldn't worry too much.
In her time with Seiun Sky, she'd often been the passive one.
But that didn't mean she was slow, or that she couldn't see how much Seiun Sky cared about her.
She'd come straight to the finish line right after the race.
Honestly, being able to hold the girl she liked after a victory, to share that joy with her—that was probably the best feeling in the world.
"Now that you mention it, that's true."
Urara recalled how it had been back then. It really was just like that.
When Barbatos fractured her leg before the entrance exam, the doctor said it was impossible to make the retest. She'd even promised Barbatos they'd run in the debut race together after she finally enrolled.
But Barbatos recovered in an incredibly short time and ran without any trouble.
Minamizaka let out a quiet sigh.
That wasn't what he wanted to hear, but he could sense the resolve in Barbatos's voice. He knew this was her decision.
As her trainer, his job was to support her—to be her strongest backup, to give her his fullest support.
"I see. I understand."
"But no matter what, if I see you haven't fully recovered before the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, I will use my authority as your trainer to stop you from competing."
"Even if you get angry because of it, even if you decide to switch to another trainer."
"This is my bottom line—you must not push yourself too far!"
"I know."
In the back seat, Barbatos smiled faintly. She understood this was Minamizaka's way of caring—and it was the firmest he'd ever been since she'd met him.
"I'll recover quickly, and easily take the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies."
People's physiques can't be measured by the same standard—after all, she was a Uma Musume with cheats.
Still, she couldn't quite figure out why pushing beyond her body's limits was hurting her legs.
Based on the health boost from [Dead Man's Plate], if it was tied to physical toughness, with her current durability this shouldn't be happening. Unless she needed even more health stacking?
But whether stacking more health would prevent this or not, she didn't need to worry too much. As long as her health regeneration was fast enough, injuries would never catch up to her.
In future races, the moment she finished, she could just use [Heal] along with other health-regen skills. Even if what the doctor warned about happened, it wouldn't be a big deal.
But before that, she needed to unlock one more item.
One that would let her "recover quickly" before the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies.
[Heal] wouldn't do—it would fix her injury instantly and raise suspicion.
--+--
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!
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