Tokyo Racecourse.
Following the Japanese Oaks, the Japanese Derby arrived right on schedule.
Fans online couldn't wait to skip straight past the Derby and the Yasuda Kinen still dutifully filed into Tokyo Racecourse today, hearts full of anticipation, ready to witness the birth of another Derby-winning Uma Musume.
"This Derby is definitely going to be Seiun Sky's win. Special Week and King Halo were no match for her in the Satsuki Sho!"
"Don't be so sure. I caught King Halo training at night once—she's working so hard, she must have a shot at winning the Derby."
"Hard work? What good is hard work? It's not like Seiun Sky and Special Week aren't trying."
"Hey now, don't you think Special Week has a pretty good chance this time?"
Passersby on their way to the stands chatted, backing their favorite Uma Musume, putting their opinions out there hoping for their friends' agreement.
Compared to Seiun Sky and King Halo, Special Week's popularity had fallen quite a bit behind for this Japanese Derby.
Her loss in the Satsuki Sho might have been due to a poor start, but a loss was a loss. More casual fans tended to shift their support to the seemingly stronger contenders.
"Didn't you guys see Special Week just now? Didn't you notice something... different?"
The one supporting Special Week looked at his companions in surprise.
On their way to the racecourse, they'd been lucky enough to spot Team Spica and had seen Special Week heading into the competitors' tunnel.
"Wasn't she just her usual earnest, kinda goofy self?"
"Honestly, that look is pretty cute. If you like her, why not try chasing her and see if you can make her your wife?"
His friends teased him. It wasn't unheard of for humans to pursue Uma Musume. An ordinary person marrying a G1-winning Musume had happened before.
But this was just banter between friends—like admiring a celebrity from afar without actually dreaming of bringing them home.
"No, that's not it."
"Didn't you notice? Today, Special Week looked like she had this... intense aura about her!"
"Huh..."
"Now that you mention it, she did seem a bit different."
Prompted like this, the group remembered how Special Week today seemed different from the one at the Satsuki Sho. Her presence felt stronger.
Could it be that this time, Special Week was finally going to give them a real three-way showdown?
"Huh?"
The person walking at the front let out a soft sound of surprise and whispered to the friend beside him, "Isn't that Barbatos over there?"
"Yeah, so? What's strange about that? Seiun Sky is racing. Of course Barbatos would come to watch."
He said it like it was obvious. Still, spotting Barbatos tempered his excitement for the Derby a little, shifting his anticipation to later events.
"Then who's that blonde lady with her?"
"Probably just someone asking for directions."
The group chatted quietly as they walked past, not intending to disturb Barbatos.
"Looks like Spe-chan's finally overcome that issue."
Barbatos smiled as she chatted with Special Week's mother. She and her teammates had come across her on their way to the venue; Special Week's mom was waiting for the Spica members.
After what happened at the Satsuki Sho, where seeing her mother had caused Special Week to start late, her mother had decided to attend every G1 race at the Central tracks.
It was the only way to live up to her friend's wish. How could Japan's number one Uma Musume be late for a race because of something like that?
Only by being there for every race could she help Special Week conquer that mental hurdle.
"Yes, I believe she'll give her all this time."
Special Week's mother radiated a maternal glow, showing unprecedented faith in her daughter.
If last time was because she hadn't warned Special Week in advance, then after that incident, and after their heart-to-heart talk post-race, Special Week must be fully prepared for this Japanese Derby.
Her dream was to become Japan's number one Uma Musume, after all.
"By the way, B-chan, I watched your Japanese Oaks race too. You ran brilliantly!"
Barbatos gave an 'ehe' laugh. 'Brilliant' probably wasn't the word insiders would use. But to an outsider, it could indeed seem spectacular and shocking.
She wasn't sure if Special Week's mom was an insider or outsider, or if her praise was genuine or just polite adult talk, but she accepted it graciously.
"Auntie, you have to watch the Takarazuka Kinen. That should be even more exciting than the Japanese Oaks."
"I'll definitely watch, though I might not be able to cheer for you then, B-chan."
"What a shame~"
"The Spica team is here, so I'll head to my seat now."
Barbatos waved goodbye to Special Week's mother and jogged towards the spectator seats reserved for Team Canopus.
She'd just been making small talk with Special Week's mom. She wasn't actually expecting her support at the Takarazuka Kinen.
As an adult, Special Week's mother had surely picked up on the subtle relationship between her daughter and Silence Suzuka. She'd definitely be cheering for her future daughter-in-law.
As for 'B-chan' here, she was probably just relieved Barbatos hadn't somehow sabotaged her daughter again like at the last Satsuki Sho—even if it had been unintentional.
Barbatos still felt a bit responsible, which was why she'd stayed behind to wait with Special Week's mom for the other Spica members after running into her at the racecourse.
Weaving through the packed venue, she finally reached the Canopus section, immediately sensing an intense gaze.
It felt like the stare was piercing right through her sunglasses, full of scrutiny.
"What took you so long?"
A gruff, aged voice rang out. The burly old man wearing sunglasses tilted his head toward her. "Don't tell me you've taken a fancy to that little girl, Special Week."
"Haha, of course not!"
Barbatos hurried over to her grandfather's side.
Since Special Week's mother was here, Seiun Sky's grandfather was naturally also at the racecourse, having joined up with the Canopus team earlier.
"How could Special Week compare to Seiun Sky? Besides, I was just gathering intel on the competition."
"You'd better have been."
Grandpa huffed, not really suspicious, just venting a little of his frustration at not seeing his granddaughter for a while.
Besides, with Special Week's earnest, slightly goofy demeanor, there was no way Barbatos would be interested in someone like that.
He turned to look at the empty track center, where no competitors had appeared yet, crossing his arms. "So, what did you find out?"
"Special Week's recent special training seems to have paid off. I heard she gives off a much stronger impression now."
Barbatos stood beside the old man, deliberately using 'Special Week' instead of 'Spe-chan,' borrowing the whispers she'd overheard from passersby to describe the 'enemy intel.'
Special Week had likely genuinely changed. But seeing her often in class or around Tracen Academy made it hard for Barbatos to notice the gradual shift.
It was like someone who weighed 200 pounds. If you saw them every day, and a year later they were down to 150, you might not notice much. But someone who hadn't seen them for a year would think they were a different person or had been seriously ill.
"A stronger impression, huh?"
The sunglasses-wearing old man fell into thoughtful silence, only to be interrupted by a click. Even through the sunglasses, he could sense the flash.
Barbatos held up her phone, framing both of them in the shot. "Come on, smile!"
--+--
Locker Room.
Seiun Sky, having changed into her race silks, took a deep breath. In her hand, she clutched the birthday gift from Barbatos—a lucky four-leaf clover charm.
She might not show it normally, but the nerves waiting in the locker room before a race were very real. She'd grown stronger since the Satsuki Sho, but so had Special Week and King Halo.
Beep beep~
The distinctive LINE notification for her special contact sounded on her phone.
The nervous Seiun Sky immediately picked up her phone and unlocked it, already knowing it was a pre-race encouragement message from Barbatos.
The nervousness was still there, but now mixed with anticipation—wondering what Barbatos would send.
The anticipation was simply for a message from Barbatos. The content didn't matter much; even a simple 'good luck' would be a huge boost.
Opening LINE, the screen showed a slightly bewildered old man in sunglasses and an Uma Musume with two braids. Leaping into the frame beside them, trying to photobomb, was Twin Turbo.
Seeing the photo, Seiun Sky couldn't help but press her lips together in a smile.
She knew her grandfather would be here to watch, of course. But in the photo, he clearly hadn't expected Barbatos to suddenly suggest a selfie, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Another message followed immediately, this time a voice memo.
"This time, run so hard you make Special Week and Halo-chan skip the Kikuka Sho entirely, ehe~"
The Japanese Oaks, because of Barbatos, had led many Musume to withdraw, leaving only five to compete for second and third place. So, Barbatos's meaning was clear.
"No can do. I'm going to take it nice and easy the whole way. Going all out is just too tiring."
Seiun Sky didn't feel any pressure from Barbatos's words at all. Instead, they helped ease her lingering tension.
Besides, running so fast that Special Week and King Halo quit racing? Impossible. Just look at King Halo.
After losing to Barbatos, realizing the gap, she'd thrown herself into training and even entered the Takarazuka Kinen for a rematch.
Just then, a light knock sounded at the door.
A staff member outside reminded the competitors it was time to prepare for their entrance.
Hearing this, Seiun Sky was about to put her phone down when she saw another simple message from Barbatos pop up on LINE: just the word for "Fight!" Her fingers swiftly tapped back an "Okay."
Putting the phone down, she pushed open the door. The slight tension on her face vanished completely, replaced by her usual somewhat lackadaisical expression.
This look of having no particular drive? It was her best state.
--+--
Special Week carefully zipped up the back of her silks all the way to the top.
After a month of hellish training following the Satsuki Sho and strict dietary control, she could finally wear her silks properly without any issues. No more struggling with the zipper like at the Satsuki Sho.
In her hand, she also held a four-leaf clover charm. Her teammates had found it and made it for her during her special training.
"Mom, Suzuka-chan, everyone... I will become Japan's number one Uma Musume!"
Winning the Japanese Derby wouldn't make her number one, but becoming a Derby-winning Musume was absolutely her first step toward that goal!
Her mom would be here cheering for her again this time. She absolutely could not mess up her start again. Everyone had done so many starting practice runs with her. She would not fail this time!
Tucking the four-leaf charm into the chest of her silks, she pushed open the door and stepped out.
--+--
King Halo checked her reflection in the locker room mirror, maintaining her royal composure.
After multiple defeats, she was long past the mindset she had at the start of the semester. But that pride unique to a queen had never been set aside!
She needed no four-leaf clover charm, needed nothing else. Legend said the Japanese Derby tested not an Uma Musume's strength, but her luck. The luckiest Uma Musume would win.
But her queenly pride made her disdain such superstitions. She hadn't gone searching for supposedly luck-boosting items like four-leaf clovers.
"It's time to show everyone the bearing of a First Class Uma Musume."
"Win the Derby, then challenge the Takarazuka Kinen!"
Satisfied that her royal image was perfect, she pushed open the door and strode out.
--+--
One by one, the Uma Musume made their entrances. The race caller and commentator introduced the competitors to the audience, highlighting the main contenders for victory, framing the narrative of a three-way battle.
The top three of the Classic generation might not match the likes of El Condor Pasa or the sheer power of a Barbatos in some aspects.
But compared to ordinary Uma Musume, their strength was overwhelming!
In G2, G3, or even standard G1 races, any one of them could easily snatch the winner's circle. It was just that their brilliance was somewhat overshadowed by the era's true prodigies, making it seem less dazzling.
This Japanese Derby would determine whether Seiun Sky would advance further on the Triple Crown path, or if a scenario like a fragmented Triple Crown would emerge.
--+--
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.