Early December.
A chill was gradually settling over Japan, the streets now adorned with lanterns and decorations, some places already setting up for Christmas.
But for the Uma Musume, Christmas in December was secondary.
What mattered more were the numerous G1 races happening this month. Compared to other times of the year with sparse G1 events, December had quite a few.
Whether it was the two highly anticipated juvenile specials for newly debuted Uma Musume, the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes, along with the Hopeful Stakes.
Or the G1 races for dirt specialists—the Champions Cup and the Tokyo Daishōten, and the eagerly awaited annual Arima Kinen.
These were far more important than Christmas.
Barbatos, who had been resting and recovering from her injury, stretched on the training field.
Having been inactive for some time, she felt her body had grown rusty. The innate love for running within every Uma Musume made her itch to dash out ten or eight laps right then.
The rest of Team Canopus stood to the side.
Minamizaka held a stopwatch, his expression serious. "If you feel any discomfort later, don't push yourself. Ready!"
Tomorrow was the final day to confirm Barbatos's participation, followed by the pre-race interviews.
Even though Barbatos had insisted she was fine, Minamizaka, as her trainer, needed to verify her physical condition for himself. This was part of his duty and responsibility.
He absolutely could not allow an Uma Musume to compete while injured!
So, before the race, he had to test whether Barbatos's condition was stable.
"Wait!"
Barbatos raised a hand, stopping Minamizaka from continuing.
She smiled and glanced at her Canopus teammates, crooking a finger towards Twin Turbo and the others. "How about racing me?"
"Running alone just feels like it's missing something."
It wasn't really that something was missing.
Mainly, running alone wouldn't maximize her skill's duration, which might mean she couldn't deliver the performance Minamizaka was expecting, leading him to think she hadn't fully recovered.
She was in completely different form when running alone compared to when she had rivals to challenge.
Besides, Nice Nature, Ikuno Dictus, and Matikanetannhauser had already debuted recently, each winning their debut races—they were proper, debuted Uma Musume now.
As for Twin Turbo and Urara, Minamizaka seemed to be planning their debuts for next year.
He wanted them to have a better shot at victory in their first races.
Compared to Nice Nature and Ikuno Dictus, Twin Turbo's talent seemed slightly lacking, though Barbatos didn't feel she had much room to talk.
After all, if she didn't have her system giving her an edge, her own innate talent would be far below Twin Turbo's.
Whether she could've even passed Tracen Academy's entrance exam would've been questionable. She'd probably be stuck competing in local races somewhere else.
Well, if she hadn't gotten into Tracen Academy.
She'd more likely be playing in League of Legends tournaments, trying to become Japan's first professional Uma Musume player, striving to compete in Worlds.
But her current life seemed to suit her better. Compared to grinding League day in and day out...
She preferred the atmosphere at Tracen Academy, and she loved her daily life with Seiun Sky.
"Hmph, this time I'll definitely show you what Twin Turbo can do!"
Twin Turbo rolled up her sleeves, grinned widely, and dashed onto the training field.
Ikuno Dictus and Nice Nature exchanged a glance, then also stepped onto the track. As teammates, they understood better than anyone just how frightening Barbatos could be.
They needed to understand the gap between themselves and Barbatos.
At their current level, they probably still weren't a match for her, even after all that had happened. They'd already begun training harder, cutting down on their strategy meeting sessions.
But the gap between them wasn't something that could be closed so easily.
However.
Ikuno Dictus adjusted her glasses. "Let's see just how far we are from B-chan."
Only by knowing the distance could they hope to catch up.
According to their plan, after debuting this year, they'd wait until the following year to challenge the Triple Crown races, building up their strength while also avoiding internal competition within the team.
After all, Seiun Sky would be aiming for the Classic Triple Crown, and Barbatos for the Triple Tiara.
Internal fights within the team wouldn't be ideal—that was one conclusion they'd reached in their strategy meetings.
Besides, the level of competition this year was just ridiculously high.
It might seem like Barbatos managed to beat King Halo even after being left behind early, but based on Ikuno Dictus and the others' analysis, King Halo's ability was nothing to scoff at either.
In most years, she'd easily be among the strongest of her generation.
But this year, she not only lost during the entrance tests to Rigil's El Condor Pasa and Spica's Special Week, but was also defeated by Barbatos in the Tokyo Sports Hai Junior Stakes.
It wasn't that Barbatos, El Condor Pasa, and Special Week would definitely overshadow her from now on, but it showed just how fierce the competition would be next year.
Then there was also Seiun Sky, and another undefeated junior-level runner in Rigil who was currently injured—Grass Wonder.
One could imagine the upcoming year would be a battle of titans.
They weren't afraid—no Uma Musume shied away from a strong opponent—but since Seiun Sky and Barbatos were both their teammates, they simply wanted to avoid internal clashes.
Once those two stepped onto the track.
Only Seiun Sky, Urara, and Matikanetannhauser remained beside Minamizaka.
Urara beamed with confidence. "I've got a feeling B-chan's no match for me today."
Even though she wasn't good on grass tracks, she always had this unusual confidence and premonition right before a race.
Seiun Sky, who'd been looking after Barbatos until recently, stretched lazily.
Now that she was sure Barbatos was fine, she'd returned to her usual listless self. "Guess I'll just take it nice and easy then."
Matikanetannhauser, however, stayed put next to Minamizaka, showing no intention of joining.
Earlier that morning, when Twin Turbo found out Barbatos had recovered and could race again, she'd been so excited she kicked her shoes off, and unfortunately, one hit Matikanetannhauser right in the nose.
So, for now, she was still sidelined with an "injury."
Minamizaka held his stopwatch and tablet, watching his Uma Musume on the field.
He raised the stopwatch high. "Ready!"
"Go!"
Twin Turbo shot straight to the front, while Seiun Sky tucked in close behind, minimizing wind resistance to conserve energy.
Nice Nature and Ikuno Dictus held back, saving their strength for the right moment to overtake the leaders.
Barbatos lingered at the very rear, waiting for her chance to surge past everyone, though she was a little surprised by what she saw.
She hadn't actually planned to be last.
Because Urara wasn't good on grass—just like her—and usually couldn't keep up with the others' pace.
But Urara, though she looked like she was struggling, was managing to hang on, staying right behind Nice Nature and the others.
"Urara's really pushing herself…"
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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.