"Why can't we run today?"
Hishi Amazon's eagerness was dampened as if doused with a bucket of cold water.
She had fully expected to challenge Barbatos to a 1v1 today, but Toujou Hana's news caught her off guard. If that was the case, she'd just have to wait until tomorrow.
Regardless of what happened then, she was absolutely not going to spend her time acting as the "finish line lady" again.
She was going to be the Uma Musume actually racing Barbatos in that practice heat!
Still, the anticipation was eating at her.
Normally she was fine, but ever since hearing Barbatos was coming—and getting Toujou Hana's blessing to put her tutoring on hold—she felt like she was turning into a total speed demon.
"Did something happen?"
Fuji Kiseki looked toward Toujou Hana. Under normal circumstances, Hana wouldn't have brought this up so pointedly.
Usually, she'd just wait for Amazon to challenge Barbatos and see how the girl reacted herself. For Hana to mention it ahead of time meant there had to be a reason.
"She..."
Hana's mouth quirked, momentarily at a loss for words.
Maruzensky had described the whole ordeal quite thoroughly in their private messages, but now that it was time to relay it, she didn't know where to start.
It sounded so absurd. When it came to storytelling, the much older Maruzensky definitely had the upper hand.
"...Barbatos stopped a car."
"Her stamina is likely pretty drained. If you want a mock race, it's best to wait until at least tomorrow."
Hana tried to phrase it as diplomatically as possible.
"?"
"Stopped a car?"
Does stopping a car really take that much energy?
The three legends exchanged glances, none of them quite grasping what that meant.
As Uma Musume, even when they went into the village to shop during summer camp, they never needed to call a ride-share or a taxi.
Especially during these two months, drivers didn't even bother stopping near the beach because they knew they'd never find a customer who actually needed a lift.
So, when Hana said "stopped a car," she clearly didn't mean flagging down a taxi.
That wouldn't drain anyone's stamina.
Fuji Kiseki's lip twitched as she visualized a scene of a high-speed getaway gone wrong, with Barbatos chasing the vehicle down and dragging someone out through the window.
However, seeing that Hana didn't elaborate, the three legends didn't press further. Once they saw Barbatos in person, the whole story would likely come to light anyway.
After about half an hour, Barbatos and her group finally arrived at the Rigil training base.
The distance from the cottage shouldn't have taken that long, but everyone was mindful of King Halo's leg injury, so they kept a steady, gentle pace.
"Heh, I wonder if Grass will be surprised to see us," Barbatos mused.
Trying to imagine Grass Wonder looking shocked was difficult; in her mind, Grass always wore that same serene expression.
The only time she'd seen her truly let loose was during yesterday's board games and the pillow fight at the cottage.
It made Barbatos wonder how often Grass's smile was genuine and how often it was just a polite mask.
"Actually, you just want to see what she looks like when she's rattled, don't you?" Seiun Sky said, seeing right through her.
"Ehehe."
"Are you saying you aren't curious?"
Seiun Sky didn't answer, which Barbatos took as a silent admission.
Listening to their banter, Maruzensky, who had spent much more time with Grass Wonder, chimed in. "It's true, Grass is usually smiling very gently whenever you see her."
"But," she added with a wink, "she smiles when she's angry, too."
"So, you have to be careful."
"A smiling anger?"
King Halo looked surprised. She and Grass Wonder had been roommates once, before swapping so El Condor Pasa and Urara could stay together (mostly because El kept trying to practice sumo in the room).
Even then, she had never seen Grass actually get angry.
Taiki Shuttle picked up the thread. "Normally, you can't tell at all if Grass is mad."
"Right now in Rigil, only El can tell if there's a sting behind that smile."
It wasn't even about micro-expressions anymore; it was more about their deep bond—or perhaps just El Condor Pasa's raw instinct for danger.
"Well, I'm always the soul of politeness, so I doubt I'll ever see her angry side," Barbatos reassured herself.
She then turned to Maruzensky and Taiki Shuttle. "By the way, has Rigil already started intensive training this early in the summer camp? I thought there'd be a bit of a break."
"The morning session actually just wrapped up, which is why you saw us in the village."
"For the rest of the day, everyone just trains on their own at the base."
Maruzensky looked at Barbatos, then at Seiun Sky and King Halo, smiling. "It's because you girls are here that Grass has been working so hard to make up for the time she lost while injured."
Because of that, Hana was actually quite worried that Grass might overwork herself and trigger a relapse.
For an Uma Musume, repeated injuries can be devastating, leading to chronic issues. This era was a galaxy of stars, a gathering of geniuses that insiders called the "Golden Generation."
Seiun Sky, King Halo, Special Week, Grass Wonder—any one of them could have dominated a different era on their own.
But Maruzensky, who dealt with them daily, knew the truth: it wasn't just talent.
These girls were incredibly competitive with one another!
Even El Condor Pasa, only in her second year since debut, had already flown off to France to challenge the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe to push her limits further.
Chatting as they walked, the group arrived at the gates of the Rigil training base. The facility was massive, featuring a meticulously maintained outdoor track that supported both grass and dirt training.
In the center stood a building that looked like a professional gymnasium.
Since no one was visible outside, the members of Rigil were likely inside doing auxiliary training; the base essentially offered both indoor and outdoor options for any weather.
Standing right at the entrance of the indoor training hall was a single Uma Musume—the absolute "Emperor" herself, Symboli Rudolf.
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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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.