"Could I really beat the president?"
Barbatos leaned in close to Seiun Sky, peering at the content on the phone screen.
Even though she couldn't see the full scope of all the comments in the thread, as someone who surfed the web daily, she instantly grasped that the comment section was buzzing with heated arguments about this very topic.
In fact, several of the clashing Weibo usernames were ones she recognized quite well.
Meaning, both sides were fans supporting her.
Yet they were fighting over whether she could win the Winter Dream Cup.
Honestly, this kind of trouble felt almost... fortunate?
"Hey, do you... need to post something on Weibo to address this?" Seiun Sky tilted her head slightly, momentarily stunned.
They were so close she could hear each other's breathing, though by now she had developed some immunity to this level of proximity.
As for the dynamics of Weibo, while she mostly only paid attention to news about Uma Musume and fishing, she still had a general understanding of how things worked.
"...I don't think I have a Weibo account." Barbatos mused for two seconds before replying. She technically did have one, but she had never posted anything on it.
Seiun Sky instantly understood what she meant.
They, as Uma Musume, were different from celebrities. Not every random star had a Weibo account where they posted updates about everything they did, amassing hordes of fans in the process.
Whether it was them or the legendary Uma Musume, hardly any had verified personal Weibo accounts.
Usually, the teams they belonged to had official accounts—like the official Rigil account or the Canopus account.
The trainers would use those to uniformly relay any information that needed to be shared.
It wasn't that Uma Musume couldn't use Weibo; it was just that for them, it was considered somewhat flashy and unnecessary. In sports, strength spoke for itself. There was no need to create a Weibo account just to attract fans and keep them updated on personal matters.
"Actually, if Minamizaka used the official account to post something..."
"How do I put it... Saying I still have a gap to bridge with the emperor just feels like it lacks a certain... momentum."
She had originally planned to build up her confidence and momentum, winning every race before the Dream Cup with an undefeated record, so her drive and self-belief wouldn't fall short of the legendary Uma Musume.
"Hmm?"
"You've already thought of a strategy for the Winter Dream Cup?"
Seiun Sky recalled the goal Barbatos had mentioned on the Ferris wheel after her debut race—to defeat one of the legendary Uma Musume.
What had once seemed like a distant, almost unreachable target now felt "not so far away" after Barbatos's repeated victories.
In contrast, the goal Minamizaka had set—not to fall behind the last-place finisher by more than 20 lengths—now seemed almost laughably easy to achieve.
It was hard to imagine the uproar it would cause if the currently soaring "Wind God," as she was known to the public, were to trail by more than 10, or even 20, lengths!
After all, even the rivalry between "Dimensional Fugitive" Silence Suzuka and "Empress" Air Groove during the Autumn Tenno Sho hadn't resulted in such a massive gap in lengths.
"Yeah, though it's not fully fleshed out yet."
"But I want to challenge Amazon-senpai in this Dream Cup."
"Both of us excel as come-from-behind runners, so the gap shouldn't be impossible to close."
"Besides..."
"If possible, I want to win this Winter Dream Cup too."
"Winning against the president... that's something I've thought about as well."
An Uma Musume who doesn't want to be champion isn't a true Uma Musume!
Just like how El Condor Pasa wanted to become the world's best and win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe even before her debut.
Looking at Barbatos like this, Seiun Sky felt as if there was a light shining in her eyes—she truly wanted to defeat the "Emperor," Symboli Rudolf.
It made Seiun Sky pause for a moment.
An Uma Musume who had won so many races undefeated—how could she possibly want to taste defeat?
The only undefeated Uma Musume in history was the "Emperor," Symboli Rudolf herself. But even the Emperor hadn't participated in the Winter Dream Cup right after her debut.
Shifting her gaze from Barbatos's face back to the comments on the phone screen, Seiun Sky couldn't help but think Barbatos looked incredibly cool in that moment.
But as she scrolled further down the comments, Seiun Sky soon let out a soft, puzzled sound.
--+--
In a dimly lit room.
The only light came from the glow of a computer screen.
The curtains were drawn, blocking out the night sky and moonlight outside.
On the desk sat an empty energy drink can, and the fierce clacking of keyboard keys echoed through the room.
A slightly balding young man was hammering away at his keyboard, engaged in a heated online argument on Weibo.
He was a streamer from Japan's "God Zone" community, who had previously posted on Weibo:
"Don't pay attention to those online haters. You're already injured—if you go compete in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies now, there's no way you'll win. The Dandelions will wait for your return."
But now, the reality was that Barbatos had easily won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and was setting her sights on the Winter Dream Cup.
What did it mean to be a true prodigy of the era? This was it!
The slightly balding young man wasn't upset at all about Barbatos's victory. His original post had been well-intentioned, hoping she would take time to recover properly.
Now that Barbatos had not only healed but also won the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, it was the best possible outcome.
But now, the topic had shifted to the Winter Dream Cup.
Having previously doubted Barbatos's chances due to her injury, insisting she couldn't win the Hanshin Cup, he was now even more firmly convinced of her potential.
He stood firmly on the side that believed Barbatos could win the Winter Dream Cup and defeat the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf.
As someone who had only gotten into Uma Musume races after watching Barbatos compete, he didn't pay much attention to other Uma Musume.
But the saying "youth triumphs over experience" probably held some truth.
How old was Symboli Rudolf anyway? In human terms, she'd already be a retired senior.
The reason no one had been able to defeat Symboli Rudolf before was simply that Barbatos hadn't existed yet. So of course, she could win the Winter Dream Cup.
What did it mean to be a true prodigy of the era? It meant being an Uma Musume who could create miracles against all odds!
Right now, he was in the middle of an online argument with someone using the Weibo handle "Prodigy_of_the_Era-Barbatos."
This account had appeared in the comments not long ago, and because of the username, its likes were skyrocketing. Netizens believed it was Barbatos herself making an appearance.
"Prodigy_of_the_Era-Barbatos" mused in the comments, "Hehe, what's a mere emperor to me, the Wind God?"
--+--
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.