Hanshin Racecourse.
Even though the Uma Musume wouldn't appear for a while yet, the spectator stands were already packed to the brim.
They were waiting for the moment Barbatos would seize victory and create a miracle, anticipating the sight of her race outfit, hoping that Barbatos, who had just endured injury and illness, would perform a miracle for them.
The young couple Barbatos once met beneath the Ferris wheel and their university friends, the mother and daughter she and Urara encountered on the subway heading to Tracen, her comrade still carrying not-light injuries, her former rivals whose relationship had taken a dramatic turn, the reporter Minamino Haruna—they had all come to the venue.
They came to watch this race, Barbatos's first since her "injury," and also her very first G1 race.
A gray-haired little girl wriggled her way through the crowd, arriving at the very front row of the stands, the spot closest to the track with the most direct view.
Her little friends were already there waiting for her.
Compared to her own petite, seemingly not-very-strong frame, her friends possessed strength far beyond that of a normal human.
Oguri Cap, Super Creek, and Inari One each held various delicious foods—yakisoba, takoyaki, grilled sausages—looking more like they'd come for a feast than to watch a race.
They were a straight-up 'Starvation Battalion'!
Tamamo Cross, running a bit late, accepted the food offered by Super Creek.
Unlike her friends who'd been 'led astray' by Oguri Cap, her own appetite had never been particularly strong.
But she still took a bite of the takoyaki and gazed out at the racecourse that seemed hardly changed from decades ago.
"I kinda wanna keep runnin' on the track too, ya know?"
The spectators nearby didn't disturb their meal and chatter. Even though the legendary Uma Musume Oguri Cap was among them, and even though the others were also famous Uma Musume from the past...
Compared to them, the crowd's focus today was on Barbatos.
She was the Uma Musume of their generation!
--+--
In Rigil's reserved spectator area.
Including trainer Toujou Hana, almost the entire Rigil team was present: the "Emperor" Symboli Rudolf, the "Empress" Air Groove, the "Heroine" Hishi Amazon, the "Supercar" Maruzensky, the "Phantom Triple Crown" Fuji Kiseki, as well as El Condor Pasa, Grass Wonder, and others.
They were all here to watch this G1-level race, even though it was only for their same generation.
The "Overlord of the Century's End," T.M. Opera O, was particularly interested. She had previously heard Maruzensky mention something about Barbatos's 'Zone.'
The ability to advance one's own Zone further, and one so similar to her own—it certainly hinted at the qualities of a king.
As Legendary Uma Musume...
As Barbatos's opponents in her next race, the Winter Dream Cup...
Neither Oguri Cap nor the legendary Uma Musume of Rigil were taking her lightly.
Even if there was indeed a gap between them, their experience through countless battles meant they treated every opponent seriously.
If Barbatos was already studying her future Winter Dream Cup rivals, then how could they, with far more experience and many more races under their belts as Uma Musume, not study Barbatos?
They had watched Barbatos's past races more than once. Knowing yourself and your enemy was the key to winning without any surprises.
Watching just one or two of Barbatos's races wasn't enough.
The newly-debuted Barbatos was currently in a period of rapid growth. Comparing the current Barbatos to the one who first debuted was like comparing heaven and earth!
If nothing unexpected happened, one day, Barbatos would undoubtedly join their ranks, becoming a legendary Uma Musume herself.
Provided her injury issues were truly behind her.
Tamamo Cross could have become a legendary Uma Musume too, but she chose to settle the final score with Oguri Cap in the Arima Kinen.
And was left nearly unable to run at full strength again.
That bit of recovery in the relay marathon only came after decades of rest and recuperation.
Let's hope Barbatos is okay.
"El Condor Pasa," Toujou Hana said, crossing her arms, "no matter the actual state of Barbatos's injuries, you must treat her as if she's fully recovered. Watch this race seriously."
After this Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, it would be El Condor Pasa's turn with the Asahi Hai Futurity Stakes.
El Condor Pasa, who should have been practicing for the Asahi Hai, had instead chosen to come here to watch Barbatos's race. Toujou Hana had agreed, which showed just how seriously they were taking Barbatos.
Regardless, Barbatos would be a formidable rival for El Condor Pasa.
Even if they wouldn't face each other immediately, watching Barbatos race could only fuel El Condor Pasa's competitive spirit even more.
Besides, El Condor Pasa's recent training load had been a bit excessive; this was a good chance to let her rest and relax a little.
--+--
On the official Fangod website in Japan and even China, an event appeared offering Fang Stones for watching the race and cheering for Barbatos.
Meanwhile, in Chinese live-streaming rooms...
A host of well-known League of Legends streamers were, unusually, doing a multi-platform collaborative stream.
This was something not even seen during the League of Legends World Championships.
Their streams were all broadcasting the live feed of the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies. They had all encountered Barbatos while streaming League of Legends, some even doing collaborative streams with her.
They were on pretty good terms.
"Hey yo, check out what I bought?"
A chubby streamer surnamed Piao grinned cheekily as he held up his phone.
In his fan group and the streamers' private chat group, he sent two electronic tickets displayed on his phone.
The only difference was that the one in the fan group had parts pixelated, while the one in the streamer group didn't.
They were a plane ticket to Japan, and an admission ticket for the Winter Dream Cup.
"When the next one, the Winter Dream Cup, comes around, I'm planning to go cheer for the bard right there at the venue. Any of you wanna join me?"
"Holy smokes, I can't believe it. The Hanshin race isn't even over and you've already booked tickets for the Dream Cup."
"Does this mean you think the bard has the Hanshin race in the bag?"
"No problem for me on the plane ticket, but how do I book the Dream Cup ticket? Let's go together then!"
"Group trip to cheer for Barbatos!"
"+1"
Just as the streamers started copy-pasting '+1', a discordant voice popped up in the group.
"So others open the champagne at halftime, but we're opening it before the match even starts? That's some flag you're planting right there. Feeling like the bard's race might be in danger."
But faced with such a comment, nobody saw it as a problem.
They only felt that Barbatos's victory in the Hanshin Cup had just gained an extra layer of security—a mysterious power from the East.
--+--
Backstage at Hanshin Racecourse.
Barbatos changed into her (adaptive) race outfit.
After moving around a bit to make sure everything was fine, she deftly picked up her phone.
--+--
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.