"The Winter Dream Cup—no matter who the opponent is, I'm determined to give it my all and fight for victory!"
Minamizaka sat in front of his computer, reading this "Dream Cup declaration" posted by Barbatos on her Weibo account.
From the perspective of an Uma Musume, there was nothing wrong with this statement. If victory wasn't the goal, then why would an Uma Musume even compete?
Even those who had never left their mark in history gave their all in every race, striving toward the finish line against gifted rivals.
It's just that, given the current situation...
This kind of statement might fuel the fervor of some of Barbatos's fans.
Very few Uma Musume actually opened Weibo accounts and posted updates; those who did were putting in their own kind of effort.
But a post like Barbatos's could easily lead fans who weren't very familiar with Uma Musume racing to believe she was utterly confident about winning the Winter Dream Cup.
He reached for the mouse, intending to ask Barbatos to delete the post and put up a new one.
But the moment he opened LINE, Minamizaka hesitated.
If she posted something new, what should Barbatos even say?
"I'm no match for the Emperor. Winning the Winter Dream Cup is impossible, so please don't support me"?
There was no way she could post something like that. If she did, it might plant a seed of defeat in her mind, affecting her performance in future races.
It would chip away at the confidence and momentum built up race after race.
"Really now…"
Minamizaka sighed softly. Other Uma Musume wouldn't run into something like this.
If the competitors in the Winter Dream Cup didn't have Barbatos's level of popularity, there wouldn't be so much discussion.
Then again, without Barbatos's current fame, a non-legendary Uma Musume wouldn't have been able to enter the Winter Dream Cup in the first place.
Popularity could be a double-edged sword in some ways.
After turning it over in his mind, Minamizaka moved the mouse, minimized the LINE chat with Barbatos, and opened Canopus Team's official Weibo account.
He didn't specifically address the discussions around the "Winter Dream Cup."
Instead, he simply typed:
"Barbatos has registered an account on Weibo." Then he reposted the message Barbatos426 had just published.
If any negative public opinion really flared up online after the Winter Dream Cup, he could use some special computer skills to suppress it right away.
He had to minimize how public pressure might affect Barbatos's state.
As soon as Minamizaka's plain Weibo post went up, active users and followers of Canopus's official account immediately reacted, heading over to follow Barbatos's account.
"A statement like this will probably cause quite a stir, huh?"
Minamizaka muttered to himself. He continued monitoring Barbatos's Weibo, curious about what people would comment under her post so he could respond quickly if needed.
But as his attention shifted, he noticed the numbers "426" following the Weibo ID.
Earlier, he'd been so focused on the post itself that he hadn't paid much attention to Barbatos's full ID—as long as it had "Barbatos" in it, the rest didn't seem important.
But what was 426 about?
"Why does this number feel so familiar?"
"Where have I seen it before, and what does it mean?"
Puzzled, Minamizaka—a tech expert—soon remembered where he'd seen those digits. It was in the information files of the Uma Musume under his care.
He opened the digital records of his team's Uma Musume and, multitasking, scanned for the number 426.
He was curious what meaning Barbatos had attached to those three numbers.
Then… the screen stopped on Seiun Sky's profile. Birthday: April 26th.
Oh…
Minamizaka's fingers stiffened, as if he'd suddenly eaten something unusually filling.
"You two… if you don't end up getting married, it'll be a real shame."
While he was browsing the Uma Musume files, he noticed that "Barbatos426" had already gained over 50,000 followers—and the number was climbing fast!
Even though he'd expected it, Minamizaka couldn't help but be impressed.
With the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies just ending and discussions about the Winter Dream Cup heating up, such rapid growth in followers seemed almost inevitable.
Besides, Weibo likes and popularity votes for Uma Musume were two completely different things.
Voting for another Uma Musume in a popularity poll was basically aiding the enemy—it could push your favorite down the rankings.
But on Weibo, even fans of other Uma Musume, including legendary ones, would follow out of curiosity, wanting to see what their favorites were up to.
It was guaranteed that Weibo followers would outnumber popularity poll votes.
She might even easily surpass a million followers.
--+--
While Minamizaka was busy reposting, Barbatos finished blow-drying Seiun Sky's hair.
She pulled over the chair from her computer desk and sat close to Seiun Sky, both looking at the comments under her Weibo post.
Seiun Sky scrolled through the comments with her finger. The most-liked comment was also the most pointless one: "First."
Probably worried that typing too much would cost them the top spot, the user had just posted those two words—and it worked, securing the first comment and the most likes.
"Work Is For Losers" commented: "Generation's Pride—Barbatos. Hah, now this is the real deal!"
"Work Is For Losers" also commented: "You've got to win the Dream Cup! All us Dandelions are behind you!"
"Mr. Liu (Not at the Police Station)" commented: "Heyo, I'll definitely come to Japan to cheer you on in person."
"mienomei" commented: "Even though the Emperor is strong, you gotta do your best!"
"Fang Shen Official Account (Verified)" commented: "Go for it."
"Newspaper Auntie" commented: "Even though winning seems unlikely, give it your all! Wind [gibberish incantation] DadGod!"
--+--
A/N: Feels a bit like filler, but it's a necessary transitional chapter. The first volume will be wrapping up soon.
--+--
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.