Special Week burst out of the starting gates!
Even with a slow break, Special Week was swift, quickly closing the distance with the other Uma Musume!
"..."
Barbatos fell silent. Good grief, El Condor Pasa was already streets ahead! Using a front-running strategy right from the start, she had even left King Halo—currently in second place—trailing by nearly ten lengths.
Everyone who came to participate in Rigil's entrance test had some degree of confidence in their own abilities, so how could they be falling behind so badly here?!
Could it be that the friend Haru Urara just happened to make after enrolling was actually the top talent among their batch of newcomers? She glanced sideways at Seiun Sky.
Back when El Condor Pasa raced against them, she had only overtaken Seiun Sky right at the finish line.
Was it possible her roommate was actually pretty skilled, too?
Setting those thoughts aside, she focused on watching the entrance test unfold. She believed Special Week wouldn't lose this entrance test so easily.
Into the first turn, Special Week accelerated!
No, it wasn't quite acceleration—more like she instantly adjusted her running form into a style that suited her better.
"That running form… doesn't it remind you of someone?" Barbatos asked.
"It's Silence Suzuka."
Seiun Sky glanced toward Silence Suzuka, who was outside the track. If what Special Week had shown earlier was truly her full capability, then to see Silence Suzuka off-track and instantly think of mimicking her running style… that was some serious innate talent.
It wasn't hard to guess. After all, Special Week had been late on her first day of school precisely because she went to watch Silence Suzuka's race yesterday.
So was that why Barbatos had bet that Special Week would win first place in the entrance test? But how had she seen it coming?
"Uwaaa~!"
A chorus of dismayed cries rose from the Uma Musume Special Week overtook. In an instant, she shot up from last place to third, and began swiftly closing in on King Halo in second.
Soon, the two were running neck and neck—King Halo pushing with all her might, Special Week refusing to fall behind.
"If she hadn't had a slow break, she might have stood a chance."
Barbatos sighed softly under her breath. And that "stood a chance" was being generous. Special Week really did seem like a main character in the making, but it looked like she still needed time to develop.
While Special Week and King Halo were battling it out, El Condor Pasa had already blasted past the finish line.
Now she'd be stuck blow-drying Seiun Sky's hair for a whole week. What a waste of time she could've used to farm Essence and get stronger. She'd really slipped up this time.
To be fair, she'd worked as a salon apprentice for a couple of days in her past life, so she knew her way around styling someone else's hair—it was just that doing her own was bothersome enough.
But now, a bet was a bet.
Even though she'd already lost, she kept her attention fixed on the entrance test. Even though El Condor Pasa had already secured the spot on the team, the race between Special Week and King Halo wasn't over yet!
"Go, Spe-chan!"
"Go, King-chan!"
Haru Urara was still cheering them on from the sidelines. The two were now just 100 meters from the finish line.
From the looks of it, they were practically neck and neck—maybe even a photo finish?
Just as Barbatos thought that, she froze, spotting a faint glow envelop Special Week. An instant later, Special Week's speed kicked up another notch, and she crossed the finish line—manned by Amazon-senpai—ahead of King Halo.
"?"
Barbatos couldn't help but slowly conjure a question mark in her mind. Unless her eyes were playing tricks on her from too much League of Legends, what was that glow just now?
Right after that flash, Special Week's speed had visibly increased. It couldn't be that Special Week had used an ability like her, complete with a flashy special effect or something, could it?
'I wanna report Special Week for cheating—and she still lost to El Condor Pasa!'
She couldn't resist complaining inwardly.
[Ding! Detection: Special Week used the skill [Last Spur]]
Last Spur? What's Last Spur?!
Was [Last Spur] the name of that special effect Special Week just used?
It definitely wasn't a skill from League of Legends—at least, she'd never heard of one called Last Spur.
So was Special Week another system user?
[Ding! The system will now undergo a live update. Estimated update time: 30 days.]
[Update content: The powerful talents possessed by Uma Musume, passed down through countless generations—their techniques, even their instincts, are manifestations of skills.]
Hearing the system's notification, Barbatos, who'd been totally baffled before, began to feel a glimmer of understanding.
Although the system hadn't stated it explicitly, something like the [Last Spur] Special Week just used probably belonged to the innate abilities or talents of their race.
There were likely many other skills similar to [Last Spur]. It's just that when she used to watch races via livestream, she never noticed. But today, being on-site, the system detected the existence of [Last Spur], triggering a version update?
In other words, once the update was complete, new functions would likely appear.
These new functions would probably be related to skills like [Last Spur]—she just didn't know what form they'd take or what aspect they'd cover.
"What are you spacing out for? Let's go."
Seiun Sky looked over at Barbatos, who seemed lost in thought. "We still need to go sign up for Canopus. You're not thinking of welching on our bet, are you?"
"As if!"
"I, Barbatos, always keep my word. I pay my debts."
She glanced around, noticing Haru Urara was missing. "Hey, where's Urara?"
"She went to comfort Spe. Let's head back to the dorm first, change, and wait for her there."
"?"
"Wait, that doesn't make sense. I saw how happy she was when she passed King Halo and crossed the finish line. Why would she need Urara's comfort?"
"El Condor Pasa ran so fast and finished so early, Spe probably thought she'd taken first place after passing King Halo."
"Did she say that herself?"
"I'm guessing."
"And you said it like it was a fact."
--+--
Dorm Room 7.
Barbatos was changing into the academy's athletic wear. Since they planned to join Team Canopus, they might as well get changed first.
If an entrance test was required, having their gear on meant they could start right away. Whether Canopus actually required a test or not, she wasn't sure.
Once changed, Seiun Sky—who'd been using the bathroom to change—emerged in her athletic wear as well.
Seiun Sky, dressed in red and white sportswear, held out a damp tissue to Barbatos—one meant for makeup removal.
"You're not planning to keep those eyebrows on forever, are you?"
"An Uma Musume's word is her bond! I won't wash these eyebrows off until I've fully adapted to turf tracks!"
Looking at Barbatos's utterly unshakable expression, even though it didn't make much sense, Seiun Sky had a feeling she'd already gotten used to running on turf.
--+--
T/N: HI3 x HSR Fanfic Up!
--+--
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.