Under the streetlights.
Minamizaka didn't stay at the training field to watch Barbatos train. He left right away.
In fact, once he was gone, the entire field was left with only two people—Barbatos and Seiun Sky.
For a trainer, being present on-site mostly serves to collect training data, to better judge how much improvement is being made.
Whether he stayed or not wouldn't actually change how much Barbatos improved.
On that front, even though Minamizaka was still a rookie trainer, he was surprisingly level-headed.
He wasn't like some trainers who hovered over their Uma Musume the entire time.
With that kind of time, it was far more productive to dig through more data, compare notes with other trainers, and come up with better training plans.
That, in the end, was what truly helped the Uma Musume under him.
Of course, there was an even more important reason—
Minamizaka really didn't want to stay behind as a third wheel between Barbatos and Seiun Sky.
He couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Back during New Year, when I was driving Barbatos and the others home, I was thinking I should finally find a girlfriend…"
"And yet, still zero progress."
During the holidays, he'd been completely absorbed in figuring out how to better raise his Uma Musume, along with a bunch of computer-related work.
After returning to Tracen Academy, he spent almost all his time with his team. When exactly was he supposed to meet anyone outside of that?
Even so, this was really just some mild internal grumbling. At most, he felt a faint twinge of envy toward the kind of campus romance Barbatos seemed to have.
His current life was already full. He got along well with his Uma Musume, enjoyed his days, and honestly didn't feel an urgent need to find a partner.
Especially when he thought back to how hard Barbatos had been pushing herself just now.
"Looks like losing the Winter Dream Cup wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Barbatos," Minamizaka muttered to himself.
He still remembered Barbatos last year—undefeated since her debut, practically untouchable among her generation.
She had a fanbase rivaling legendary Uma Musume, qualified for the Winter Dream Cup right out of the gate, and was riding a wave of unstoppable momentum.
Back then, Minamizaka hadn't felt the slightest sense of contribution to her victories. Every championship had been won purely through Barbatos's own overwhelming talent.
Most days in the dorms, she'd just be lounging around with her phone, grinding away at League of Legends: Wild Rift.
Even when he didn't see it in person, he could always catch her streams.
Her broadcast hours were absurdly long—so long that she qualified for perfect attendance as a streamer, despite being an active racing Uma Musume.
That alone was kind of insane.
But now, he saw her training every single day. The stream he followed, the one he'd even subscribed to as a top supporter, only went live briefly on the day a race ended.
Almost like she was squeezing in one or two League matches just to chat with her viewers, sharing bits of daily life and race impressions.
As her trainer, Minamizaka found this deeply reassuring. At the very least, Barbatos had shifted her focus back to racing, back to training, and had temporarily set League aside.
What pleased him even more was how drastically her streaming schedule had been cut back.
Yet her viewers and fan groups were nothing but supportive—cheering her on, encouraging her, not a single complaint about fewer streams.
That alone made it feel like a genuinely good start.
"Trainer!"
Nice Nature's voice called out as she hurried over, snapping Minamizaka out of his thoughts.
Under the streetlight, her reddish-brown twin ponytails framed her face beautifully.
Minamizaka didn't dwell on it too much. For a hardcore Uma Musume fan, every Uma Musume came with a built-in beauty filter anyway.
"What's up, Nature? Something happen?"
"Ah, no…"
Nice Nature awkwardly brushed aside the bangs on her forehead.
"Turbo said she's going to scout a senpai's training. Urara's delivering dinner to Halo. Machitan and Ikuno both have things to take care of…"
"So I was wondering if maybe I could eat with you, Trainer."
Usually so composed and sociable, Nice Nature sounded a little hesitant this time, not quite daring to meet his eyes.
"Sure," Minamizaka replied easily. "Though it's pretty late—the cafeteria's about to close. Let's grab something and eat outside."
Tracen Academy's food was excellent—better than most restaurants outside.
Unless they were traveling for races, visiting a famous restaurant, or going out for drinks, students, staff, and trainers almost never ate off-campus.
"Mm, okay."
Nice Nature gave a soft reply, then fell quiet, clearly struggling to find a topic.
After a moment, she spoke up anyway—starting with Barbatos. As a teammate, she genuinely cared about the others.
"Trainer… do you think B-chan can beat Air Groove in the Takarazuka Kinen this time?"
The Winter Dream Cup had pushed Barbatos to refocus on training and racing, but everyone could tell she'd taken the loss hard.
Now, with the Takarazuka Kinen approaching—another clash with a legendary Uma Musume—everyone outwardly expressed confidence in her. Deep down, though, there was still worry.
If she lost to Air Groove again… would it break her spirit even more?
"That's something only the race itself can answer," Minamizaka said.
Even so, his tone was serious. "Facing a legendary Uma Musume puts a lot of pressure on her."
"But she applied for this race herself. That means she believes she has a shot."
"If you fall somewhere, you stand back up there."
"And let's not forget—Silent Suzuka is a threat too. Barbatos is studying countermeasures for her right now, isn't she?"
"Don't focus only on the biggest name in the race. Every competitor can be a formidable opponent."
Minamizaka spoke calmly, steadily. Nice Nature listened in silence.
Their figures gradually faded beneath the glow of the streetlights.
--+--
Back at the training field.
Barbatos and Seiun Sky ran dozens more start drills. Without Minamizaka present, they couldn't precisely track improvement, relying instead on repetition and feel.
Only when they sensed progress would the other person pull out a phone app to get accurate measurements.
Seiun Sky stared at the numbers on the screen, then shook her head. Compared to when Minamizaka had left, there was no improvement in Barbatos's start.
Still… something felt off.
Tilting her head, Seiun Sky thought for a moment.
"Should we try activating our Zone?"
To normal people, a Zone just looked like some kind of "acceleration skill." But Seiun Sky, having used it herself, knew better—it was fundamentally different from a simple speed boost or final sprint.
Once a Zone was activated, the world around you felt frozen. Skills and speed could be pushed beyond one hundred percent.
Training with a Zone drained stamina far faster and could shorten overall training time.
That was why Barbatos hadn't used it while practicing starts. The plan had been to layer Zone training afterward.
But if they used it from the very beginning… could the Zone's properties amplify the results?
Because of the physical strain and stamina cost, no one in history had seriously trained using a Zone.
But Barbatos wasn't just anyone.
In an instant—
White lightning split the darkness, illuminating the training field.
And the training continued.
--+--
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.