Special Week ended up signing up for the Summer Training Camp Derby after all.
She reached out to her old rivals, Taiki Shuttle and Oguri Cap, via LINE, and they made a pact to head into the Summer Training Camp Derby together when the time came.
At the same time, Barbatos learned about Oguri Cap's reaction through Special Week.
In previous years, there hadn't been any eating contests during the summer training camp.
This meant the honest, simple owner of that local shop was hosting an eating competition for the very first time.
Barbatos silently lit a candle for the poor man's soul, hoping he wouldn't lose too much money—and that the contest would at least bring in enough new customers to keep the place afloat.
Special Week, Oguri Cap, and Taiki Shuttle... what a legendary, top-tier lineup of gluttons!
Once the group finished their meal, they headed back to the log cabin to kick off another nightly war of Ludo.
--+--
The glow of the computer screen reflected off Minamizaka's face, displaying articles on how to tutor students so they could grasp concepts faster through more vivid and engaging lessons.
After two days of tutoring, Minamizaka realized that if things continued at this rate, Twin Turbo might not pass her make-up exams even after the summer camp ended.
He had to try changing his strategy. Regardless of the pressure, Minamizaka wasn't the type of trainer who could bring himself to use corporal punishment to speed up a student's progress.
Besides, the summer training camp was supposed to be a time for the Uma Musume to unwind.
Twin Turbo had worked exceptionally hard during her training in the first half of the year; if she couldn't even relax now, the lack of balance between work and play would weigh heavily on Minamizaka's conscience.
If it really comes down to it, I'll just tutor her in the mornings and let her run wild in the afternoons, Minamizaka thought. Even if he forced her to study all day, it wasn't like she was soaking it in.
By the time afternoon rolled around, he could see her eyelids drooping. She was barely staying awake through sheer willpower, let alone actually learning anything.
Ping-ping!
The LINE icon flashed on his desktop. Minamizaka opened the message panel and saw a private DM from Nice Nature.
She had been chatting with him quite a bit lately, which made him feel a quiet sense of accomplishment.
At the very least, it meant the bond between him and his Uma Musume was growing—one step closer to becoming a truly great trainer.
However, after skimming the contents of the pop-up window, Minamizaka stood up abruptly and headed for the door.
Trainers were different from the girls.
While the Uma Musume were divided by both team and class—making it natural for them to share cabins based on their school years—trainers were adults.
With both men and women on staff, they couldn't exactly be piled into the same lodges.
Instead, there was a dedicated trainer apartment building near the beach. Almost all the trainers stayed there, enjoying a solid environment and a stable internet connection perfect for both work and leisure.
Minamizaka opened the door. Nice Nature stood there in her casual clothes.
"Good evening, Trainer," she said with a warm greeting, gesturing to the bag in her hand.
"I went out to grab some snacks with Twin Turbo and the others, but I accidentally bought too much, so I figured I'd drop some off on my way back."
The excuse was perfectly logical; Minamizaka didn't detect a single flaw in her story.
Even though the trainer apartments weren't exactly "on the way" from the girls' cabins, he assumed she meant it was a detour during her evening run.
Light exercise after buying food was a good way to manage weight and maintain peak performance for future races.
"Are Twin Turbo and the others downstairs?" Minamizaka asked, glancing behind her.
"They went back already," Nice Nature replied, shaking her head.
Of course they weren't there—she had told them she was going to hang out with classmates from another year just to slip away. Now that the midnight snack was delivered, she could head back too.
She knew that because Twin Turbo had failed her exams, the trainer had to spend his vacation tutoring her instead of relaxing. She just wanted to bring him something to eat.
"I see. Well, would you like to come in for a bit?" Minamizaka invited. He couldn't exactly take the food and just send her packing.
"Eh?!"
Nice Nature's face flushed. Though she knew she was overthinking it, she had originally only planned to drop off the goods and leave.
Still, she stepped inside, a bit curious about where her trainer worked when he wasn't at the track—even if it was just a temporary summer apartment.
The room was pitch black save for the glow of the laptop until Minamizaka flipped the lights on. The interior was sparse; the most prominent features were his laptop and a cup of coffee on the desk.
"Is this for Twin Turbo's tutoring?" Nice Nature asked, looking at the screen filled with notes on educational quality.
"Yeah. If we keep going like this, it'll just waste her entire summer break. It's my responsibility as her trainer that she didn't pass, so I want to make the lessons as fun as possible. I'm hoping to get her through all the material and pass the exam within the month."
As Minamizaka explained his plan, a trending news pop-up appeared on the screen.
With his computer skills, he could easily block pop-ups—or even launch a "Command Protect" bombardment on someone else's machine if he wanted to—but he had specifically designed these alerts to keep him updated on the latest Uma Musume news in real-time.
This particular headline, however, immediately grabbed both his and Nice Nature's attention.
It was news involving Team Canopus, even if the team's name or the other girls weren't mentioned. It was undeniably about Barbatos.
[Uma Musume News: Japan's Number One 'A Miraculous Touch—Fan Base Surpasses Two Million!]
The "Japan's Number One" title was practically official by now, and with two million followers, Barbatos had achieved something no other Uma Musume in history had—no one else had even cracked the one-million mark.
But since when did Barbatos know medicine?
Minamizaka clicked the article and saw the attached video.
"?"
A question mark practically popped up over both their heads simultaneously.
As her trainer, Minamizaka immediately initiated a video call to Barbatos to make sure she wasn't hurt and to figure out what on earth was going on.
That night, on the official Uma Musume website, Barbatos's follower count continued to skyrocket.
--+--
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.