Dorm Room.
Barbatos stepped out of the shower, drying her hair, dressed in loose pajamas.
After a full day of physical training and starting gate practice, she'd even tried sprinting for an hour with her "Zone" activated.
Her entire body ached with that familiar soreness—the kind she'd only felt when she first started training after the Winter Dream Cup.
While activating her Zone granted boosts in speed, insight, and technique, it also placed a heavy burden on the body.
That's why even Legendary Uma Musume, blessed by the Three Goddesses, would only unleash their Zones at the critical final moments of a race.
It wasn't just draining on stamina; it wore down the body itself.
If she truly pushed her body to the brink, Barbatos doubted even the Three Goddesses could restore her instantly.
In that regard, the system's [Heal] and Mundo's Ultimate were far more impressive than the Goddesses.
At least they wouldn't leave lasting damage from overusing her Zone.
Rubbing her sore arms and calves, Barbatos had felt the urge to collapse into bed the moment she returned to the dorm.
If she weren't someone with a "family" now, she might have skipped the shower altogether.
She walked to the desk and sat down quietly.
The laptop she'd bought after arriving in this world held no appeal now; all she wanted was a good rest.
A warm breeze, accompanied by the low hum of a hair dryer, brushed past her ears. Seiun Sky's fingers gently combed through her black hair.
"Today's training must have been exhausting, right?"
Amid the sound of the dryer, Seiun Sky asked with concern.
Having spent so much time together, she could easily recognize Barbatos's current state of fatigue.
Their usual training wasn't much lighter than today's, but the starting gate practice with her Zone activated seemed to have truly worn Barbatos out.
Barbatos closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of fingers running through her hair, and let out a soft, tired hum.
"I really just want to take it easy and cruise through the whole Takarazuka Kinen."
"I'm gonna slack off!"
"Sure, count me in."
Seiun Sky replied with a chuckle. Taking it easy and cruising through a race—that was what she'd said in her initial self-introduction.
Being competitive and wanting to slack off weren't mutually exclusive.
But whether it was her or Barbatos, neither could resist the thirst for victory. Winning races and becoming the strongest Uma Musume was a dream they all shared.
It's just that compared to ordinary Uma Musume, they won more often and stood closer to the throne of the current strongest.
So people usually only saw their hardworking side.
The other Uma Musume worked hard too, but they rarely received the same attention.
"By the way, did you improve compared to last time?"
Barbatos asked lazily, her eyes closed as if she were about to fall asleep right then.
"There was more progress than in the same training duration before. But since activating your Zone boosts your speed anyway, it's hard to tell if it was really more effective."
Seiun Sky blinked, her hands still moving as she thought it over. Though clever, she wasn't a computer—this was something for a professional like Minamizaka to evaluate properly.
To determine whether training with a Zone activated could make practice more efficient.
"We'll ask our trainer tomorrow. He should have some good advice."
Using one's Zone during training was something Seiun Sky had suddenly thought of and suggested, but she hadn't tried it herself today.
Even though she'd activated her Zone during the Japanese Derby and could clearly perceive its presence now...
At her core, she still couldn't activate it at will.
Maybe under the pressure of a race she could unleash it again, but during ordinary training, it remained out of reach.
"How do you get better at controlling your Zone, anyway?"
In the entire Uma Musume racing world, the only one whose answer to this question could compare to Barbatos's would be the "Emperor" herself, Symboli Rudolf—the one who first discovered the existence of Zones in Japanese racing and gave them their name.
After all, when it came to frequency of use and maintaining a Zone normally, Barbatos was already number one in Japan, if not the world.
A long moment passed without an answer to Seiun Sky's question. Barbatos's head had dipped slightly, swaying gently with the motion of Seiun Sky's fingers.
"Already asleep, huh…"
A hint of heartache showed on Seiun Sky's face—she hated seeing her girlfriend worn out like this from training.
After finishing drying her hair, she thought about carrying Barbatos to bed.
But gazing at that peacefully sleeping face, she paused, lost in thought, then pulled out her phone from her pocket and opened the camera.
--+--
Morning.
Barbatos jolted awake, her mind still overloaded from dreams of training, briefly thinking she'd fallen asleep in the middle of practice.
But the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Seiun Sky's face right beside her, close enough to feel her soft breaths.
It took her a long moment to sort through her muddled memories and realize she'd fallen asleep while Seiun Sky was drying her hair last night.
Lying in bed, her body still ached all over.
But having gone through this when she first started training, Barbatos didn't pay it much mind—or rather, her attention wasn't on the soreness at all.
The sunlight outside the window wasn't harsh. After maintaining a good routine since the Dream Cup, even exhaustion-induced sleep couldn't stop her from waking up on time.
All her focus now was on Seiun Sky.
Even after they started dating and returned to the dorm, the two had slept separately, despite being a couple—they hadn't shared a bed.
Last night, after she fell asleep, Seiun Sky must have carried her to her own bed to sleep together.
Typical of her girlfriend, always taking the initiative. Though she'd probably been too shy to fall asleep easily after that, which was why she, who usually kept the same schedule, was still out cold.
Barbatos thought this wasn't good—it would affect their rest.
From now on, they'd have to sleep together every night.
Once Seiun Sky got used to it, she wouldn't feel embarrassed anymore.
Thinking this, a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
But she didn't plan to linger under the covers waiting for Seiun Sky to wake up. Her idea was to go for a morning run first, then bring back breakfast for her girlfriend and wake her up.
Carefully, she began to sit up. Looking at Seiun Sky's sleeping face, Barbatos naturally leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"Mmm~"
A soft, drowsy sound escaped Seiun Sky as she cracked her eyes open just a slit.
Her gaze met Barbatos's, who had just kissed her.
"I'm going for my morning run. Sleep a little longer?"
"Mm~"
"Wait for me… let's go together…"
Seiun Sky's voice was soft and hazy from sleep, melting Barbatos's heart. Watching her start to sit up, Barbatos couldn't help but say, "Hold on!"
"Hm?"
Half-asleep and half-confused, Seiun Sky looked at Barbatos, wondering what she meant.
"Before the morning run… let me kiss you one more time."
--+--
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.