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Chapter 242 - Just a Streamer! - 242

The Spring Tenno Sho came to a close, following the rather theatrical birthday song performance.

Many who had seen Barbatos' pre-race interviews largely took her statement—"While ensuring my spot on the Winner's Stage, I'll strive to be the only one standing on it"—as a sign of her absolute confidence in a complete victory.

This year's Spring Tenno Sho was clearly meant to celebrate her "boyfriend" Seiun Sky's birthday.

Hitting the date of April 26th, using a G1-level Winner's Stage to celebrate a lover's birthday… that truly took some audacious skill.

Without sufficient strength and self-belief, one wouldn't even dare entertain the idea.

Some young couples watching the race together even got into disagreements over it, with the girls feeling their partners weren't romantic enough, utterly incapable of matching up to Barbatos.

Occasionally, a boyfriend would pipe up with a small rebuttal: wasn't Barbatos the "girlfriend" in this scenario? 

Shouldn't it be the girls taking notes instead?

Compared to humans, all Uma Musume could be considered female.

If an Uma Musume were to marry and have children with a human, there wouldn't be any need to distinguish further.

But considering the Uma Musume race alone, there actually is a distinction between male and female—the difference between mares and stallions. 

This distinction doesn't matter in front of humans, and it doesn't really matter among Uma Musume either.

Still, in this world of Uma Musume, Uma Musume enthusiasts are aware of the difference between mares and stallions.

So in their eyes, Seiun Sky was the boyfriend, and Barbatos was the girlfriend.

If Barbatos ever found out about this, she'd probably insist on clarifying: She was the boyfriend! She was the assertive one! This was a matter of dignity!

Of course, after this Spring Tenno Sho…

Some single viewers felt like they'd taken a critical hit—even watching a race meant getting a dose of public affection and dog food. But a small portion of the audience had already taken notes.

They planned to use a future victory, on a Winner's Stage, to confess to the object of their affection!

However, when the time came to put their plans into action, they'd likely run into two problems.

They weren't Uma Musume—how could they win a race, or have a Winner's Stage for a confession or a surprise for their girlfriends?

Moreover, even if they overcame all obstacles, participated in some competition, won the championship, and seized the chance to confess to the goddess they'd secretly admired for so long—maybe even someone they were too nervous to speak to—they'd probably just come off as creepy.

--+--

Tracen Academy.

Canopus Team Dormitory. The lights were all off.

Rows of candles flickered in the darkness. Barbatos wheeled out the real birthday cake, prepared well in advance, toward the "main character" in the room.

In the dark, candles stood tall on the cake, which was decorated with a somewhat wobbly cream drawing of Seiun Sky.

If seen at any other time, by any outsider, this artistic rendition would likely not be associated with Seiun Sky at all.

"What in the world is that drawing? This cake maker did a terrible job," Twin Turbo exclaimed, finding the cream artwork strange. 

Even knowing it was a drawing, if you weren't sharp, you might not even recognize it as an Uma Musume.

"Just stop talking!" Ikuno Dictus hissed with exasperation, clapping a hand over Turbo's mouth.

She had just been soaking in the atmosphere the cake created, only to have Twin Turbo ruin it in an instant.

More importantly, it was precisely this imperfect depiction that showed Barbatos' heartfelt effort.

If a professional pastry chef had made it, with their skilled techniques, Seiun Sky would have been rendered vividly and accurately. But that wasn't the case!

Which meant this cake was handmade by Barbatos herself.

And…

Behind her glasses, illuminated by the candlelight, a shrewd gleam appeared in Ikuno Dictus' eyes. By the look of it, Seiun Sky probably hadn't known about this either.

Barbatos and Seiun Sky were practically always together. Even outside the club, they shared the same dorm room, leaving Barbatos no time to prepare a cake.

The only possible window was when she went to seek advice from senior Tamamo Cross about the Spring Tenno Sho.

While diligently preparing for the Spring Tenno Sho and achieving a complete victory in the race itself, she still squeezed out time to make a birthday cake for Seiun Sky.

This kind of sweetness—please, give us more.

"My first time making a cake. It really doesn't look that great," Barbatos said, scratching her head awkwardly. 

There weren't many days between the Oka Sho and the Spring Tenno Sho, and as her first attempt at a long-distance race, she couldn't afford to be lax in her preparation.

So the actual time she could dedicate to learning cake-making was minimal; mostly, she just cut into her meal times.

This birthday cake only managed to come together with considerable help from a pastry chef.

"Happy Birthday."

Barbatos had already said these two words at Kyoto Racecourse, but even hearing them again, Seiun Sky was deeply moved.

Compared to the celebration at Kyoto Racecourse, with tens of thousands of spectators singing for her, seeing this cake now made her heart feel even sweeter than it had in that moment.

She had guessed Barbatos would prepare a birthday gift, and would have surprises in store.

But this truly was beyond what she had imagined. After all, this was her first time having someone she loved, her first time being in a relationship.

Always the assertive one, for the first time before even launching any "offensive," she revealed a more girlish side.

Paying no mind to the watching eyes of her teammates around her, she stepped forward and gently embraced Barbatos.

Feeling the warmth against her, Barbatos also wrapped her arms around Seiun Sky.

She had actually prepared a lot to say, but sometimes, a thousand words aren't worth a single spontaneous hug like this.

Holding each other, they could feel each other's breath clearly. Seiun Sky leaned in, bringing her face close to Barbatos' cheek, brushing against it lightly before slowly pulling away.

If you blinked, you might have missed it entirely.

Such a fleeting touch was unusual for a couple who had been together for a while. Normally, such a gesture would involve a longer, more complex set of maneuvers.

But here in the team dorm, in front of their friends, both Barbatos and Seiun Sky chose restraint.

For a couple in public, a kiss might come naturally, but bringing tongues into it was entirely unnecessary—that would just seem strange.

As they separated, Barbatos pulled out the birthday gift she had prepared from her pocket and handed it to Seiun Sky.

It wasn't large, about the size of a bookmark, resembling a protective charm.

Once they parted, their friends, after a moment of silence, erupted into playful cheers and teasing sounds.

--+--

T/N: I have a Patreon! 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.

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