The group was still listening to Special Week's story and her longing to be on the same team as Silence Suzuka when Urara, having finished her meal, walked over. "Wow, you really can eat, Spe-chan!"
Nice one, Urara!
Hearing that quip, Barbatos finally felt a sense of relief, like the sweet release after holding it in for way too long.
With Urara's arrival, the group split into two after finishing their meal.
On one side, there was Grass Wonder from Team Rigil, along with El Condor Pasa and Special Week, who were preparing to join.
On the other, Barbatos and her two companions, who were set to join Team Canopus, decided to stick around and spectate Team Rigil's entrance test. They were fully ready to be enthusiastic onlookers, witness the intensity of Rigil's trials, and cheer for El Condor Pasa and Special Week.
As they stepped out of the cafeteria, the autumn breeze swept by, making Barbatos instinctively smooth down her skirt, feeling an unwelcome chill around her hem.
She'd been in a hurry getting from the dorm to the classroom building this morning and hadn't noticed it so keenly then.
Tracen Academy's uniforms came in two sets: one was the skirt they were wearing now, for everyday use, and the other was a tracksuit, worn during team training sessions.
This was actually the first time Barbatos had worn a skirt out in public, and she still wasn't quite used to it.
'If I'd known, I would've changed into the academy tracksuit with Grass Wonder and the others,' she thought. At least the autumn uniform had long pants. As for the summer one... well, the view down there was quite something else.
"Later, let's all cheer for King-chan, El-chan, and Spe-chan together!"
They had reached yesterday's training field. Urara, waving her little fists, looked as though she was the one about to race.
Truth be told, Team Rigil's entrance test was pretty unforgiving for dirt specialists like Barbatos and Urara. Unless they could adapt to turf, passing the test to join Rigil was nearly impossible.
"The only one who passes the entrance test is the Uma Musume who finishes first. So, who do you think will win?"
"And you're cheering for way too many people."
Barbatos couldn't hold back the comment. She seriously suspected that if given more time, Urara would end up friends with every single Uma Musume taking Rigil's test, cheering for all of them at once.
It might be a bit over the top, but really, who couldn't like Urara?
"I can't decide! King trained so hard yesterday, El seems really strong too, and Spe-chan must be amazing to have gotten into the academy in the first place."
Barbatos wasn't surprised by Urara's response. If Urara were taking the test herself, she'd probably believe she could win, regardless of her turf adaptability. That was just her unique brand of optimism and energy.
"What's your take? Who do you think will make it into Rigil?"
"My bet's on El Condor Pasa. And you?"
Seiun Sky crossed her arms, watching the Uma Musume gathering on the field. King Halo, Special Week, and El Condor Pasa had already changed into their tracksuits and were assembled near the Team Rigil trainer, receiving instructions.
While she didn't know the exact speeds of the others, based on their little race yesterday, El Condor Pasa's speed was undoubtedly top-tier. That's why Seiun thought she'd win.
"You think Condor will win? Wanna make a bet? I'm putting my money on Spe."
Seiun's tail swished as she tilted her head, meeting Barbatos's gaze. They'd both only met Special Week today and had never seen her run. What made Barbatos so sure Special Week would win?
Heck, Special Week, fresh off the boat from Hokkaido, might not even be fully accustomed to the turf track here.
From their earlier chat, they knew her hometown in Hokkaido had grass fields, but grass and a turf track weren't exactly the same.
Something felt off—was Barbatos up to no good, or was she genuinely certain Special Week could clinch first place?
Still, Seiun trusted her own judgment. "What are the stakes?"
"You're actually taking the bet? Alright then... How about one week of dorm cleaning duties?"
Barbatos spoke with confidence. It wasn't that she knew how fast Special Week was.
Rather, having consumed countless novels and anime, she recognized the tropes: a new transfer student who's late on her first day, trips over flat ground in the classroom, sits in the back by the window, has a huge appetite, and hails from the countryside? That was classic protagonist material.
There was no way someone like that was as simple as she seemed.
Feeling a little merciful, she didn't push for something extreme, like cleaning for the whole year or doing all the laundry.
"One week of dorm cleaning?"
Seiun Sky blinked, momentarily taken aback. Considering the habits they'd displayed last night, their dorm room wasn't likely to get that messy. A week of cleaning wasn't a big deal.
Her green eyes sparkled mischievously. "Let's change the stakes. If you win, I'll handle the cleaning."
She paused for effect. "But if I win, you have to blow-dry my hair for a week."
Compared to cleaning, blow-drying seemed simpler, but for Seiun, dealing with her hair was a real hassle.
"Blow-dry your hair? Deal."
"Then let's have Urara be the witness for our bet."
"Okay! I hereby declare the bet official!" Urara chirped enthusiastically, fully embracing her role as witness.
She didn't seem interested in joining the bet herself; after all, King Halo, El Condor Pasa, and Special Week were all her friends. Picking one to win over the others was just too hard.
Barbatos hadn't expected Seiun to propose those terms. While she found blow-drying her own hair bothersome, doing it for someone else seemed manageable enough, so she agreed. Besides, she had no intention of losing this bet.
With their wager set, both turned their attention to the track.
The Uma Musume taking the entrance test were filing into the starting gates. It was about to begin.
On the other side of the track, the members of Team Rigil stood observing the new recruits. Every one of them was a famous, well-known name. 'Guess that's what you'd expect from Tracen's strongest team, Rigil,' Barbatos mused.
"Hey, you kids not thinking of trying out for Rigil?" Hishi Amazon, who had noticed them, walked over.
"We've got another team in mind. We're just here to cheer for Condor and the others today."
"Is that so? Which team are you—"
"Hey, Amazon! Get over here! The test is starting!"
Amazon shrugged helplessly, waved goodbye, and ran off to the finish line. The moment she picked up the finishing placard, the test began.
BANG!
The gates flew open, and the Uma Musume burst forth. El Condor Pasa took the lead immediately!
Huh? Where's Special Week? Did she just have a bad start?!
Even so, Barbatos didn't bat an eye. A poor start didn't matter, as long as you could still come from behind and win.
'Come on, Special Week, get it together! Go for it!'
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, 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.