Inside the log cabin.
"The Summer Dream Cup?"
"Is that like the Winter Dream Cup?"
Special Week, hearing the name for the first time, looked utterly bewildered. She had a vague feeling it was similar to its winter counterpart, but her mind was a total blank.
Had the teachers mentioned it in class?
Special Week couldn't be sure; she realized with a start that she hadn't absorbed a single word during those lectures.
Does this mean Barbatos intends to compete in this "Summer Dream Cup" before the official second-half season races begin?
Since she hadn't heard the news about Barbatos defeating Narita Brian and the others in today's short-distance mock race, Special Week was still buzzing with anticipation for a showdown between Barbatos and the legends.
If one wanted to become the best in Japan, Special Week was determined not to miss a single one of Barbatos's races.
"Heh, not exactly," Barbatos replied with a light chuckle. "In fact, if you really wanted to join, you probably could."
Barbatos explained that after the mock race ended, Hishi Amazon had asked if she wanted to participate in the Summer Dream Cup.
Her reaction then had been an exact mirror of Special Week's current confusion.
Even as someone who paid attention in class and obsessively studied race footage, she had been shocked to find a race she knew nothing about.
For a moment, she had imagined it was some ultra-prestigious event—even higher than the Winter Dream Cup.
While the winter race was a public spectacle, she envisioned the summer version as a shadowy, elite underground circuit where international legends gathered for high-stakes competition.
However, after hearing Hishi Amazon's explanation, Barbatos realized the Summer Dream Cup wasn't a running race at all. It was an off-track event organized by Team Rigil during their summer training camp.
Because Team Rigil boasted so many legendary Uma Musume—essentially the lion's share of Japan's top talent—this "in-house" recreational tournament had been jokingly dubbed the "Summer Dream Cup."
"Word is, this year's Summer Dream Cup is beach volleyball," Barbatos continued. "It's played in doubles. Usually, it's just for Team Rigil to foster some team spirit, but this year, I'll be teaming up with Seiun Sky."
"I bet if you're interested, you could partner up with Grass or Suzuka," Barbatos added, casting a slightly uncertain glance toward Grass Wonder.
The seniors in Rigil had given Barbatos the green light to invite friends.
Since she was already an "outsider" participating, a few more wouldn't hurt. She looked at Grass Wonder specifically because she wasn't sure if Grass already had a partner or had made prior arrangements.
Regardless, she was throwing her a bone. As an Uma Musume with high emotional intelligence, Barbatos could tell that Grass Wonder harbored some special feelings for Special Week.
Grass Wonder narrowed her eyes slightly, meeting Barbatos's gaze. "Actually, I'm already paired up with T.M. Opera O."
Her words were simple and calm, but they hid a quiet sigh of relief.
If Special Week really did end up pairing with Silence Suzuka, Grass wouldn't even have the chance to ask, "What about me?"
"Wait, what?!" Special Week's voice jumped an octave. "Competing in a Dream Cup with Suzuka?!"
It seemed Special Week had strategically filtered out Grass Wonder's part of the conversation.
She was currently in a state of pure euphoria. She had been dying for a chance to "race" with Suzuka; while this wasn't a sprint down the turf, a doubles match sounded even more exciting than a standard run. Being Suzuka's partner would be a dream come true.
However, the excitement lasted only a few seconds before her shoulders slumped and a dark cloud settled over her head.
"The Trainer said... letting me go to the Summer Camp Derby was already a huge exception. He's not sure when I'll even finish my makeup lessons. Until summer camp is over, I'm only allowed this one leave of absence."
Deep down, she considered skipping the Summer Camp Derby—the big eating contest—but she had already made a pact with Oguri Cap and Taiki Shuttle.
A promise was a promise, and besides, she was actually looking forward to the feast.
Hearing this, Barbatos felt as though Grass Wonder had let out a breath she'd been holding.
Even though Grass's polite smile hadn't wavered an inch, Barbatos could sense the relief radiating off her at Special Week's decline.
Ah, the drama of youth, Barbatos thought.
"That really is a shame," Barbatos said, playing along with Special Week's disappointment.
Then, she remembered something important. Since it was the "Summer Dream Cup," surely the President would be there...
"Grass, who is Symboli Rudolf partnering with this time? Is it Maruzensky?"
"The President? Her partner is Tokai Teio," Grass Wonder replied, listing off the pairings. "Maruzensky is with Taiki Shuttle, Hishi Amazon is with Narita Brian, and Fuji Kiseki is with Air Groove."
"Tokai Teio?!" Barbatos was stunned. "Didn't she move over to Team Spica?"
Having crossed paths with Teio many times, Barbatos found this shocking.
Not just because Teio was joining a Rigil internal event, but because she had chosen Spica in the first place.
Spica was a fledgling team, just like their own Team Canopus. While Canopus had Barbatos and Seiun Sky, Spica really only had Special Week and Silence Suzuka as their "big names."
Technically, Canopus was probably more famous.
Was the Trainer at Spica really that charismatic? Was Minamizaka just lacking that certain... pull?
"Well, even though Teio moved to Spica, she's still very close with everyone in Rigil. Especially her relationship with the President," Grass Wonder explained.
"It's just like how you're able to join the Summer Dream Cup, Barbatos."
"I suppose that makes sense. Teio was the one who came to fetch me for the Student Council meetings a couple of times."
Thinking of it that way, a Symboli Rudolf and Tokai Teio duo wasn't so strange after all.
Barbatos pumped her fist, a spark of competitive fire in her eyes.
Neither she nor Seiun Sky had much experience with volleyball, but given the athletic prowess and physical specs of an Uma Musume—plus a month to prepare—she felt confident they could hold their own against the other pairs.
Besides, the medium-distance mock races were coming up soon. For those, both Seiun Sky and Grass Wonder would be joining the fray. This summer camp was shaping up to be incredibly packed.
"By the way," Barbatos noted, looking around, "is King Halo still not back yet?"
She had gone off to concoct some vegetable juice that supposedly helped with injury recovery, but it felt like she had been gone for ages.
--+--
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.