Osaka Racecourse.
In the backstage locker room, Barbatos slipped into her adaptive racing uniform and gave a few casual hops.
After confirming it wouldn't hinder her performance, she deftly picked up her phone, opened LINE, and looked at the friend she'd pinned at the top.
Back during her very first race, her debut, Seiun Sky had used a message to cheer her on for the first time.
Now, as she stepped out of the backstage area and into the racecourse, into the view of countless spectators, it was only natural that countless voices would rise to shout her name, to roar for her.
Things were simply incomparable to the past.
But compared to all that, what she really wanted was to hear Seiun Sky say "Good luck."
Barbatos bowed her head, fingers flying across her phone as she sent Seiun Sky a message, attaching a 'trembling with fear' sticker for good measure:
"My first G1 race, I'm so nervous. All the competitors this time are seriously strong."
She'd been slightly worried Seiun Sky might not be checking her phone, but the moment her message sent, she saw the 'unread' status flip to 'read.' Seiun Sky's reply came almost instantly.
Seiun Sky saw right through her, and didn't bother hiding it.
If she was going to be nervous, she'd had plenty of chances already. They'd looked into the other entrants for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies together. Any Uma Musume signing up for the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies was bound to be strong, but that all depended on who you compared them to!
If Barbatos's fanbase was a patchwork of different elements, as some said, their popularity still hadn't surpassed El Condor Pasa's—that said something.
Sakura Rambler and Freedom Soldier, along with the other competing Uma Musume, were strong, but were they stronger than "Tacit Accord," who'd managed a 5th place finish in the "Takarazuka Kinen"?
That remained to be seen.
If you really wanted to talk about pressure...
Facing Barbatos, an Uma Musume who'd surpassed the "Emperor" in popularity right from her debut, who could activate a "Zone," and who maintained a perfect, undefeated record since her first race… was pretty much no different from challenging a living legend ahead of schedule!
"You can't underestimate any opponent."
"I have a feeling this Sakura Rambler and the others will be really tough opponents!"
Knowing Seiun Sky had seen through her, Barbatos tried to salvage a shred of dignity. Her initial plan was to play things up a bit before the race, to get a 'good luck' from Seiun Sky, but her little act had been instantly seen through.
--+--
In the stands.
Seiun Sky pressed her lips together, a faint smile playing on them as she read Barbatos's message on her phone.
Her fellow Canopus team members around her were all waiting for Barbatos to make her entrance.
Freedom Soldier, the third most popular entrant, had just taken the stage and dramatically tossed aside her standard Tracen Academy jacket.
The stands were packed to the brim, yet only sporadic cheers rose for Freedom Soldier.
In this atmosphere, Barbatos's overwhelming support was blatantly obvious. Even after the confirmed news of Barbatos's injury, most spectators who came to see her race seemed to believe that if Barbatos was running, she was winning.
This kind of atmosphere itself could act as a form of psychological pressure on the other Uma Musume.
As Barbatos herself would put it, it was like a 'Debuff' on the others.
Thinking this, Seiun Sky lifted her phone to her lips and pressed the voice message button.
--+--
Back in the locker room.
Barbatos was counting the seconds, knowing it was almost her turn to appear. Thinking she probably wouldn't get that digital cheer now, she was about to set her phone down and head out when…
A new LINE notification popped up.
A one-second voice message. From Seiun Sky.
"Good luck!"
Just two simple words, yet they filled her with a deep sense of satisfaction. A light smile touched her lips, and the confidence built race after race grew just a bit stronger.
Her fingers flew across the screen, sending one quick reply before she placed the phone on the locker room bench. She snatched up the red-and-white training jacket beside her, pushed the locker room door open, slung the jacket over her shoulders, and strode towards the track outside.
In the locker room, the phone's screen still glowed.
On the LINE interface, Barbatos's reply was just two simple words.
"Total victory!"
--+--
"And now, please welcome the most popular Uma Musume in Japan, undefeated since her debut, acclaimed as a once-in-a-generation prodigy, the Wind God herself!"
"Barbatos!!!"
Barbatos's gaze met that of the other Uma Musume one by one as she passed them at the stage's edge, climbing the steps with measured calm.
Her red-and-white jacket was flung aside, falling away to reveal her poised form in the racing uniform.
The stands, which had been relatively quiet save for scattered cheers and murmurs, erupted in an earth-shaking roar.
It was as if they were heralding the arrival of the meet's sovereign, as if the victory was already decided before the starting bell had even sounded!
Especially once Barbatos had shed her jacket, the move seemed to emphasize her "Wind God" moniker perfectly.
The other competitors below the stage, the Uma Musume in their own vibrant racing silks, heard that overwhelming cheer, and it felt like they instinctively shrank just a little in presence.
Fortunately, they were all seasoned veterans, each carrying their own hard-won confidence forged in countless races. They wouldn't be crushed by a scene like this.
Sakura Rambler's gaze fixed on Barbatos on the stage, blazing with boundless fighting spirit.
She would prove herself here, by defeating Barbatos. She would prove she was no less than any 'prodigy'!
Freedom Soldier's eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing Barbatos like an archer taking aim, as if looking at her next prey. "Popularity is the most useless thing of all."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried to every Uma Musume present.
"The winner of this race will be me!"
Despite her bold declaration, a trace of solemnity remained deep in Freedom Soldier's eyes. Her words were as much about reinforcing her own belief, her will to win.
Barbatos, who had just retrieved her discarded jacket and come down from the stage, also witnessed the scene.
'Just as I thought,' she mused, 'the competition in this Hanshin Juvenile Fillies is on a different level from my previous opponents.'
Freedom Soldier's outburst was pretty normal behavior for competitive Uma Musume, really.
Most just kept that belief locked inside, while Freedom Soldier chose to voice it. Barbatos herself had declared "total victory" for this race—it was a common display of confidence.
But right now, they were rivals.
Her eyes met Freedom Soldier's, and she let out a playful, "Eh-heh," grinning.
"If by 'victory' you mean second place, then yeah, you might just have a shot."
Freedom Soldier: "?!!"
--+--
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.