Summer camp flew by.
Especially with the push from the mock races and the Summer Dream Cup, half of it was gone in the blink of an eye.
Barbatos had already fought three full mock races at Rigil's training grounds. None were long-distance.
One mile. Two middle-distance.
Her record so far could only be described as mixed—one win in middle-distance, two losses in the others.
Compared to those veteran legendary Uma Musume, Seiun Sky's clever schemes didn't seem to work quite as well.
It demanded more head-on clashes of raw strength, and she couldn't quite pull off the kind of runaway front-running that shattered the chasing pack.
The other two mock races ended with one win each for Narita Brian and Opera O.
And half a month ago, the long-awaited "Summer Camp Derby" that Special Week and Taiki Shuttle had been obsessing over was finally held as scheduled.
Since the goal was to boost the restaurant's revenue through the Summer Camp Derby, there was no way they'd postpone a glutton contest like this too late into the schedule.
With Special Week, Taiki Shuttle, and Oguri Cap as the headline trio, plenty of Uma Musume showed up to watch on derby day.
Besides those three widely acknowledged heavyweights of Tracen Academy—
Twin Turbo, King Halo, Opera O, and several other Uma Musume Barbatos didn't yet recognize—likely not even debuted—also joined the competition.
At the Summer Camp Derby—
King Halo and Opera O once again demonstrated what a clash of kings looked like.
Even after clearly reaching "full" status, the two of them relied on the terrifying willpower born from royal pride to forcibly keep pace with the true big eaters.
Come to think of it, Barbatos' middle-distance victory did benefit a little from the fact that Opera O had stuffed herself half to death during the Summer Camp Derby.
But in any case, she was now undeniably operating on the same level as Narita Brian and Opera O.
In the end, the Summer Camp Derby concluded with Oguri Cap taking first place.
Taiki Shuttle came second, King Halo third, Opera O fourth… Twin Turbo seventh… and Special Week dead last.
What was supposed to be a three-way clash of titans turned, thanks to Special Week's Waterloo, into a two-woman showdown between Taiki Shuttle and Oguri Cap.
Special Week clung to that defeat and cried about it for quite a while.
If she'd known, she wouldn't have joined the Summer Camp Derby at all—she would've gone with Suzuka to compete in the Summer Dream Cup instead!
As for Special Week's disastrous derby performance… Barbatos felt she probably bore a fair share of responsibility.
During the Summer Camp Derby, an ingredient called "large intestine" had been added to the menu.
The restaurant prepared it exceptionally well. It tasted rich and delicious, and after summer camp ended, it even became one of the dishes the Uma Musume regularly ordered.
But Special Week still vividly remembered the horror story of "Nine-Turn Intestines" from the first day of camp.
On the day of the competition, she even asked the owner whether any had been saved.
Although the owner firmly denied it, the shadow of that terrifying tale lingered. Her appetite shut down completely, and she could barely force herself to eat anything.
Because of her defeat in the Summer Camp Derby, Special Week spent the next half month working herself to the bone academically, determined to salvage what remained of summer camp.
Though her tutoring progress was still… emotionally moving, to put it kindly, she did manage to touch Spica's trainer's heart enough to earn permission for her and Suzuka to compete in the Summer Dream Cup.
--+--
The day of the Summer Dream Cup.
Weather: Clear
Season: Summer
Left or Right Track: X
Track Condition: Good
Location: Beach
Since the start of summer camp, this was the first time Barbatos changed into the swimsuit she had bought earlier, finally feeling that proper seaside summer vibe.
Especially with Seiun Sky by her side.
Her outfit perfectly matched every one of Barbatos' fantasies about what her girlfriend should look like.
That pale green two-piece swimsuit was partially hidden beneath a white outer shirt, revealing only her fair, slightly soft legs.
Walking barefoot across the sand, she made Barbatos feel an intense, almost overwhelming urge to claim her.
Honestly, even before the Summer Dream Cup had officially begun, Barbatos already felt like she'd won halfway.
The other teams might look strong, but they were just ordinary pairings. Over here? This was a couple's mixed doubles team. The emotional damage alone to those single legendary senior Uma Musume would be catastrophic.
"When we start, let's just play normally," Barbatos said. "If we really can't win, then we'll use that."
"Okay~"
The two of them discussed their so-called beach volleyball tactics.
They'd only started learning beach volleyball a few days ago—total rookies.
In terms of technique and experience, they were objectively unlikely to beat Symboli Rudolf's side. Most likely, they'd have to rely on raw physical ability to grind out a win.
Which meant this was where brains came into play.
Seiun Sky's "strategic genius" hadn't been much use in mock races—but in volleyball? There was far more room to maneuver.
That was their edge.
--+--
The beach chosen for the Summer Dream Cup was fairly remote, with few Uma Musume passing by. That was also one reason rumors of the Summer Dream Cup hadn't spread outside.
A volleyball net had been set up in the center of the sand.
On one side of the net, three tables had been pushed together. Seated behind them were three "highly respected" judges.
In the middle sat the host—Rigil's trainer, Toujou Hana.
To her left was Spica's trainer, Okino.
To her right, Canopus' trainer, Minamizaka.
They would evaluate the competitors' performances in the Summer Dream Cup fairly, impartially, and publicly.
In previous years, Toujou Hana had hosted the event alone. But this was the 23rd Summer Dream Cup, and with members from Canopus and Spica participating, Minamizaka and Okino had been invited as well.
It was also a networking opportunity between trainers—a friendly mixer between the three teams.
Twin Turbo, Nice Nature, and the rest of Canopus, along with Spica's members, were all present, cheering enthusiastically for the upcoming Dream Cup.
King Halo sat with Urara, sipping vegetable juice said to aid recovery while waiting for the match to begin. Whether it was the juice or not, King Halo no longer needed a cane to walk slowly.
Wearing a safety helmet and still chewing on a lollipop, Okino couldn't help but say, "Hana… aren't we going a little overboard?"
"You know better than I do how strong Uma Musume are. Do you want to spend the second half of the year in a hospital bed?"
Toujou Hana shot him a sidelong glance. History's lessons were meant to be learned.
The previous generation's Rigil trainer had been struck by a volleyball and ended up bedridden for half a year recovering. The only good news was that the ball that hit him hadn't been swung at full force.
And as for the strength of an Uma Musume's spike? Given Okino's personality, he'd probably been kicked around by his own trainees plenty of times. He should know that better than anyone.
Minamizaka, sitting on the other side, twitched at the corner of his mouth and silently thought—
If it's a spike powered by an Uma Musume… is a safety helmet really enough to save your life?
--+--
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.