Osaka.
Two hours had already passed since the Winner's Stage concluded.
The entire Canopus team, stuffed and content in their hotel, lounged lazily, utterly reluctant to move.
Just as Minamizaka was about to pull out his phone to pay the bill, Barbatos stepped forward and settled the tab for everyone this time.
Always having Minamizaka foot the bill felt a bit awkward.
"If I won the race today, let me get this one."
"Alright."
Minamizaka breathed a quiet sigh of relief that Barbatos had managed to run the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies without any issues.
Barbatos's timing for that final sprint had improved from before, giving a real sense that she might just make it through all three years before retiring.
Then there was the upcoming Winter Dream Cup.
Judging by Barbatos's attitude—no, by the attitude of every Uma Musume really—everyone would be giving it their all in a race like that. Minamizaka dismissed any lingering thought of trying to talk Barbatos out of participating.
His job now was simply to cheer her on properly.
And to send Barbatos the compiled information he had gathered on the legendary Uma Musume.
Match footage of the legendary runners wasn't exactly a secret; you could still find videos of races from decades ago online.
But Minamizaka, a Tracen Academy trainer and a computer specialist in his own right, had used his own methods to compile detailed profiles on the legendary Uma Musume—their habits, tendencies, and more.
After all, while Barbatos did study her opponents, she spent most of her time apparently playing League of Legends.
She might do some research, but it wouldn't be as thorough as his.
He didn't quite understand why Barbatos was still so fixated on that game, but Minamizaka had decided to just compile the file on the legends for her anyway.
He trusted Barbatos.
The outcome of the Winter Dream Cup didn't matter; all that mattered was giving it her all, leaving no regrets.
Minamizaka drove his team of Uma Musume back toward Tracen Academy.
The original plan was to spend a day relaxing in Osaka, but with the Winter Dream Cup drawing near, even the usually carefree Twin Turbo and the others couldn't help feeling tense. They didn't want to waste any of Barbatos's training time.
So, they all opted for a same-day round trip, skipping an overnight stay in Osaka.
--+--
Back at Tracen Academy, in his own dorm room.
Minamizaka booted up his computer, logged into LINE, and sent Barbatos a direct message, attaching the digital file on the legendary Uma Musume.
"If you have time, give it a look."
Understanding your opponent was key to beating them, even if beating them seemed almost impossible.
In Uma Musume races, intelligence was important, but raw power was often decisive. Intelligence needed a solid foundation of strength to be effective.
"Got it."
"Thanks, Minamizaka. I'll check it out later."
Reading the reply on LINE, Minamizaka allowed himself a small smile. He then turned his attention to researching next year's races, figuring out which ones might suit Urara and Twin Turbo for their debuts.
He also pondered what kind of training to arrange for them to help them improve further.
Just then, a trending topic about the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies caught his eye on the side of a webpage.
Minamizaka clicked on it absentmindedly.
He went to see the praise for Barbatos. The top post essentially paraphrased the comments from the veteran trainer, Mr. Take Yutaka.
It described how Barbatos had handily won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, lauding her well-deserved reputation for strength.
For Minamizaka, this was nothing new.
He felt a quiet pride for Barbatos internally, though he was also getting a bit desensitized to it. He hoped Barbatos's fans would still be there to support her after the Winter Dream Cup.
Then, he glanced at the comment count…?
This number of comments? Had Barbatos's fanbase exploded again after winning the Hanshin Cup?
The comment count was several times higher than after her previous win in the Tokyo Sports Juvenile Cup.
He opened the comments section.
Minamizaka's vision seemed to darken for a moment. Just how had this argument started?
Barbatos could beat the 'Emperor,' Symboli Rudolf?
Were these just haters coming out of the woodwork because Barbatos was getting too famous?
Even as her trainer, his initial goal for her had been 'not to be beaten by more than 20 lengths by the runner-up.' Even though Barbatos's growth had exceeded his expectations, he hadn't changed that fundamental assessment.
'Not being beaten by 20 lengths' was never a small goal.
Maybe now, if Barbatos went all out, pushed herself to the absolute limit, she could manage 'not being beaten by more than 10 lengths.'
But to actually beat any of the legendary Uma Musume, to even become the runner-up… that was sheer fantasy. If it happened, it could only be called a miracle.
Let alone defeating the absolute pinnacle, the legend among legends—the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf!
Honestly…
Minamizaka took a deep breath, his expression turning uncharacteristically stern. He seemed like a different person—the computer specialist, Barbatos's trainer.
He decided it was time to step in. He would use some unconventional methods to identify who exactly was slandering Barbatos.
And judging by the state of the comments, this wasn't the work of one person, but a whole group. What was their goal?!
Five minutes later…
Minamizaka fell silent.
The people in the comments who believed Barbatos could beat the Emperor… they were genuine Barbatos fans.
Not trolls trying to stir up trouble, not people trying to make her look bad.
These accounts had all appeared, to varying degrees, in comment sections related to Barbatos before.
According to Minamizaka's checks, none of the accounts seemed to have been hacked.
Meaning, these comments reflected their real opinions. They genuinely believed Barbatos had a chance to win the Winter Dream Cup, a chance to defeat the Emperor!
Most of them shared a common trait.
Before discovering Barbatos, they had never followed Uma Musume. They were fans drawn in by League of Legends, or perhaps other games, or even… trends like 'Gangnam Style.'
Having never witnessed the Emperor, never known the legendary Uma Musume, having been immersed in this world for less than four months…
They simply had no idea how vast the gap truly was!
--+--
The soft hum of a hairdryer filled the dorm room. Barbatos gently tousled Seiun Sky's hair, helping her dry it.
Seiun Sky, deep in thought, pulled out her phone. Her fingers flew across the screen, opening a certain social media app and tapping on a trending topic.
"Did you see the trending topic about the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies?"
"Not yet. Reading too much of that stuff might inflate my ego."
Barbatos joked half-heartedly, pausing what she was doing to lean over and look at the screen with Seiun Sky. Together, they scrolled through the heated arguments in the comments.
The corner of Barbatos's mouth twitched. "I can beat the Student Council President? Win the Winter Dream Cup?"
--+--
T/N: Im going to stop formatting this fic cause i need to upload faster
--+--
T/N: 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.