Early December.
Haruna Minamino stepped into Tracen Academy, camera and notebook in hand.
She felt no unfamiliarity with this school where all the students were Uma Musume. She'd lost count of how many times she'd been here this year.
A journalist with just two years in the industry, she'd already made a name for herself thanks to her elegant writing and sharp nose for a story.
Her beat was covering G1 races.
Unlike lower-tier competitions, G1 events usually involved journalists coming to Tracen Academy for interviews.
They were permitted to film the Uma Musumes' training routines and assess their current condition.
So this year, nearly all the Uma Musume she'd interacted with were G1 level, and among those, the ones ranked within the top three in popularity.
This time's Hanshin Juvenile Fillies was considered the bottom feeder of the G1 series.
Yet, she was unusually excited for this assignment.
Because competing was the current center of attention in the Uma Musume world, the wildly popular online media sensation dubbed 'Japan's Most Popular Uma Musume'—Barbatos.
Even if her angle ended up similar to other reporters', any story that got published would still generate significant buzz and attention.
But she had a slightly different idea.
Having interviewed numerous G1 Uma Musumes, she knew one thing: they all possessed immense self-discipline, subjecting themselves to rigorous training for victory.
While everyone was used to seeing this, and Barbatos's fans would surely praise it too...
What if she took a different path?
According to some rumors she'd heard, Barbatos frequently skipped internal training sessions with Team Canopus.
If she could pin this down, she might just stand out from the crowd of journalists.
Just imagine—a prodigy with no equal in her generation, who barely trained. How earth-shattering would it be if she did train seriously?
Or were her current opponents simply not worth the effort?
Aside from a slight mishap in the previous Tokyo Sports Hai, Barbatos had won all her other races with seemingly effortless ease.
But journalism wasn't about fabrication. Her professional integrity wouldn't allow reporting based solely on rumors.
Everything depended on Barbatos's demeanor during the upcoming interview, or perhaps the answers from her trainer and teammates.
For G1 event coverage, interviews weren't limited to the competing athletes.
Often, while the contestants were training, the journalists' questions would be fielded by the trainer and other team members.
--+--
Tracen Training Grounds.
Barbatos and Seiun Sky were running side-by-side.
Though running together, both wore weighted horseshoes—a request from Barbatos, approved by Minamizaka.
Weight training was originally part of Minamizaka's proposed regimen.
Now, with doctors warning that Barbatos pushing her limits could lead to injury—or even prevent her from running altogether—this kind of training was the safest approach.
As for practicing sprinting speed... that was probably the least of their concerns.
Outside the training grounds.
"Gah!"
"I feel so nervous all of a sudden!"
Twin Turbo scratched her head vigorously with both hands. As an Uma Musume of Tracen Academy, she'd seen journalists come for interviews many times.
The last three months of the year were always the peak season for reporters visiting the academy.
But this was the first time she got to be involved in one, even if she wasn't the one being interviewed.
"They're not interviewing you, so why are you nervous?"
Ikuno Dictus adjusted her glasses calmly.
Having already run her debut race and undergone one pre-race interview, she didn't feel much pressure. She was mostly thinking about when she'd get to experience this herself—a G1 level pre-race interview.
Just then, she noticed a young woman who looked more like a student than a journalist approaching.
The girl, who still carried a student-like air, recognized Ikuno Dictus and Minamizaka immediately, knowing they were Canopus's trainer and the recent debut race winner, Ikuno Dictus.
A smile graced her face as she walked over.
"Hello, both. I'm Haruna Minamino, a reporter from the Kyoto Daily, here to conduct the pre-race interview regarding Barbatos."
Ikuno Dictus observed the young woman before her.
She seemed freshly graduated, with blunt bangs similar to Gold Ship's, though slightly thicker and longer eyebrows, and bright, lively eyes.
When she smiled, a faint dimple appeared. A work ID and a camera hung against her chest, resting on a modest curve.
The exact same hairstyle, yet the vibe was completely different from Gold Ship's.
It was closer to that character in the game Barbatos endorsed—the one with the same haircut whose name she couldn't recall.
"Hey, hey! You can ask me anything about B-chan! I know everything!"
Twin Turbo immediately perked up, patting her flat chest proudly, asserting her presence.
"Is that so?"
Minamino tilted her pleasant, oval-shaped face slightly, her smile playful.
She refrained from using terms like 'little miss,' as you could never judge an Uma Musume's age by height or appearance—just look at Tamamo Cross.
"Of course! I know all about Barbatos!"
Looking at Twin Turbo, Minamino felt this interview might go surprisingly smoothly.
At the very least, when interviewing others, the team members weren't usually this cooperative, often sticking to more formal, scripted responses.
She glanced at Trainer Minamizaka, who offered an awkward yet polite smile.
Hmm, so this wasn't arranged by the trainer.
She looked toward the track where Barbatos was running, albeit at a 'leisurely' pace, showing no intention of demonstrating that terrifying sprint just yet.
Shifting her focus back to Twin Turbo, she said, "Then I'll be relying on you for this interview, Runner Twin Turbo."
"Runner!!"
Twin Turbo's jaw dropped, instantly feeling a kinship with this young woman.
She'd expected to be asked if she was even a member of Canopus, given she hadn't made her debut yet. But not only did the reporter know her name, she'd even called her 'Runner.'
[Twin Turbo's Favorability Increased. Twin Turbo's Favorability MAX.]
Seeing Twin Turbo's reaction, the dimple in Minamino's cheek deepened a little. As a thorough journalist, she had, of course, done her homework on the Canopus team roster.
"Regarding the upcoming Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, is Barbatos confident about securing victory?"
--+--
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.