Outside Tracen Academy's main gate.
Barbatos, Seiun Sky, King Halo, Special Week, Urara, and Grass Wonder gathered together to see off El Condor Pasa, who was preparing to depart for France.
This time, El Condor Pasa was heading to France to compete in a race, and they wouldn't see her again for at least half a year.
Though they had known each other for less than a year, as the closest of classmates, everyone still came to bid her farewell.
Urara was the first to offer her blessings. "You can do it, El-chan! You're definitely going to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe!"
"It's about time France gets a taste of Japan's Phantom Bird."
King Halo placed one hand on her hip, utterly unfazed by the French racing scene that had long been a nightmare for Japanese Uma Musume—where even cracking the top five in a major stakes race was considered a monumental feat.
"You can do it, El-chan."
Special Week kept it short and simple, a noticeable shift from her usual bubbly self.
Barbatos could see clearly—her eyes were still rimmed with red.
She clearly hadn't fully moved on from the disappointment of her defeat in the Japanese Derby.
With her mother attending in person for the second time, and giving it her all, she still hadn't been able to clinch the Derby.
If the Satsuki Sho loss could be blamed on "external factors" and a bad start that left her with no chance, the Japanese Derby was different—she had a real shot.
If only she could have pushed past her limits a little sooner, perhaps she could have become a Derby-winning Uma Musume, inching closer to that title of "Japan's Best."
Barbatos didn't feel particularly inclined to offer comfort.
Though she and Special Week were good friends and classmates, failure was something every Uma Musume had to go through—with the possible exception of Symboli Rudolf.
The school motto, "Eclipse First, The Rest Nowhere," came from exactly this kind of experience.
Besides, if Special Week had won the Japanese Derby, Barbatos reckoned she'd probably be a mess herself.
After all, that would have meant her girlfriend, Seiun Sky, would have lost.
"Hehe, don't worry! Just wait for me to come back with the Arc de Triomphe trophy. I'll show you all what the world's number one Uma Musume really looks like!"
Facing the cheers and encouragement of her friends, El Condor Pasa was as confident as ever.
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France was a race Japan had long coveted but never attained—not even a top-three finish, let alone a win.
If she wanted to grow stronger and face more formidable opponents, going to France was the best choice.
"The world's number one Uma Musume…"
Barbatos chewed over those six words, a sly grin flickering across her face before she turned a sincerely earnest look toward El Condor Pasa.
"I'll be waiting for you to come back as the Arc de Triomphe champion!"
El Condor Pasa met Barbatos's gaze from beneath her mask, feeling this was the kind of rivalry-fueled friendship only true competitors shared.
"Once you come back, I'll just defeat you, and then I'll be the new world's number one Uma Musume—without even having to leave the country."
Hearing that, El Condor Pasa's cheek twitched.
As a friend, she knew this was just Barbatos talking trash—starting the smack talk before she'd even left for France.
Objectively speaking, in Japan's eyes, the Uma Musume who won the Arc de Triomphe would be considered the world's best—not that the world's best Uma Musume was the one who won it.
But that wasn't what bothered El Condor Pasa.
What Barbatos had just said implied she believed El Condor Pasa could win the Arc and return to Japan as the world's number one, ready for a showdown.
The corner of her mouth lifted, confidence shining through. "Then I'll definitely show you what the world's best is made of when the time comes!"
"Alright, I'd better get going."
El Condor Pasa hoisted her backpack and suitcase for the trip to France, waved to her friends, and turned to walk off campus. A pre-booked ride was already waiting outside Tracen Academy.
Barbatos and the others watched as she climbed into the car.
Just as the door was about to close, El Condor Pasa paused and glanced back toward the school gate, calling out.
"I'll definitely be watching the Takarazuka Kinen!"
"Hey, B-chan! Don't lose too embarrassingly, okay?!"
"Get lost!"
"You're the one who shouldn't lose too embarrassingly!"
Barbatos couldn't help firing back.
El Condor Pasa in the car didn't say anything more. She shut the door, and the vehicle began making its way toward Narita Airport in Tokyo, marking the start of her new journey.
"It'll be so long before we see El-chan again," Urara said, sounding a bit down.
King Halo offered comfort. "Don't worry. If it's El Condor Pasa we're talking about, she'll definitely win the Arc and come back."
"We need to focus on preparing for our own upcoming races too. We can't let her leave us in the dust."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward the training grounds. She'd have to train even harder from now on.
Though El Condor Pasa's parting words were directed at Barbatos, King Halo was also an Uma Musume who would be competing in the climactic race of the first half of the year.
Even though she had already won the Japanese Derby and earned the title of Derby Uma Musume, she didn't feel particularly proud.
In fact, she had a feeling that without thorough preparation, she could end up losing badly in the Takarazuka Kinen.
Everyone seemed to agree with King Halo's sentiment.
Special Week was still watching the car drive away, waving after El Condor Pasa on her expedition until the vehicle disappeared from sight.
Right then, her stomach let out a loud grumble. Because of the Derby loss, she hadn't eaten much over the past couple of days.
Now, stirred up by El Condor Pasa's departure for France, the gloom from the Derby defeat seemed to have faded somewhat.
The rumble from her stomach made her glance sheepishly at her friends.
She couldn't help but suggest, "How about we all go grab something to eat?"
With everyone focused on preparing for the Derby recently, their usual dining group of five hadn't eaten together in a long time—they'd all been having meals within their respective teams.
"Ah, I've got something to take care of, so I'll head off first."
King Halo laughed it off. It wasn't that she didn't get along with Special Week or didn't want to share a meal—it was just that the time to see off El Condor Pasa had been squeezed out of her training schedule.
She'd skip lunch and use that time to train instead, making up for the time difference.
There wasn't much time left before the Takarazuka Kinen began!
"Huh…"
Special Week stared blankly as King Halo walked away, wondering if she'd somehow upset the other girl. After all, who could turn down an invitation to eat?
Seiun Sky glanced at King Halo's retreating figure, her eyes flickering with understanding. As a fellow competitor, she immediately grasped King Halo's reasoning.
She couldn't help muttering, "She's really going to train during that little bit of time?"
But then the memory of how grueling the Japanese Derby had been surfaced in her mind, and her competitive instinct refused to fall behind.
"Sorry, Spe-chan. We've got things to do too. Next time for sure."
Special Week: "…"
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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!
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If you guys wanna check it out.