"Welcome to Canopus."
Inside the team's building, Minamizaka officially announced the joining of Urara and the other two.
Only after Twin Turbo's repeated, earnest pleas did Barbatos reluctantly agree to join the team.
As for the entrance test—they had originally intended to take one before coming, but the trainer had privately messaged that it wasn't necessary. Well, she wasn't about to indulge him.
If it came to it, she could just switch teams. She didn't need a trainer to conquer the nation anyway!
"And about the benefits…"
"Hey, hey, listen! Our benefits include free dessert vouchers and a trip to Hawaii!!" Before Minamizaka could finish, Twin Turbo eagerly cut in, a far cry from her earlier desperate begging for Barbatos to join Canopus.
"Free dessert vouchers?"
"A Hawaii trip!"
Barbatos hadn't expected Canopus' benefits to be this good. Later, she'd have to ask Grass Wonder and El Condor Pasa about Rigil's benefits. She had a feeling they were probably training nonstop—no way their team would organize something like a Hawaii trip.
"You can fish in Hawaii, I hear."
Seiun Sky lay lazily sprawled across the meeting table, without a single thought of putting on a proper front on her first day.
Such small ambitions.
Fishing in Hawaii? That's playing small. If you're going to Hawaii, shouldn't you learn to fly a plane, shoot a handgun, or pilot a yacht?
After all, in Hawaii, you could even learn how to operate an excavator—that's what Edogawa Conan said, and it's definitely true.
As for the free dessert vouchers, they were nice too. Even though her streaming income was already enough to buy a square meter in a top-tier Chinese city every month, who would say no to free desserts?
Besides, Seiun Sky really does love fishing.
Minamizaka looked at the group and gave a resigned smile. This kind of scene was already familiar to him.
After the discussion about Hawaii died down, he spoke up at the right moment, "Now that you've joined Canopus, what are your goals moving forward?"
As a trainer, he naturally needed to understand his Uma Musume's ambitions so he could tailor training plans for them.
Well, if only they'd hold fewer 'strategy meetings' and actually follow his training plans… But then again, the current team atmosphere wasn't so bad.
"As for my goal, I plan to enter my debut race as soon as possible."
Barbatos looked seriously at Trainer Minamizaka. Through races, she could earn gold to buy equipment. The sooner she raced, the sooner she could gear up. Everyone understood the logic of 'sooner bought, sooner enjoyed.'
"Ah! A debut race!"
"Coach, I want to run in a debut race too! Right away!"
Twin Turbo slammed the table and stood up excitedly. Even though she'd joined Canopus way before Barbatos, if Barbatos debuted first, she'd have to call her 'senpai'—what a loss!
Ignoring Twin Turbo for the moment, Minamizaka met Barbatos's gaze.
Since she was willing to join Canopus and aimed for a debut race right away, that meant she trusted him as a trainer.
Minamizaka responded with equal seriousness, "Regarding the debut race, how about you run a trial with Twin Turbo and the others first?"
"I'll assess your condition and level to determine when you're ready for your debut."
As a trainer, that was the most responsible approach. He couldn't just let his Uma Musume enter a debut race because they wanted to—thorough preparation was essential.
"What about me! And me! I want to run a debut race too!"
"I'll evaluate whether you're ready based on your performance shortly."
Minamizaka smiled. Even though he usually didn't carry much authority in the team, when it came to races, Twin Turbo and the others fully respected his judgment.
--+--
Tracen Academy training grounds.
Most of the Rigil Uma Musume who had been conducting entrance tests here earlier had already left.
Only a few scattered Uma Musume remained, training independently.
All seven members of Canopus had arrived. Barbatos, Twin Turbo, Nice Nature, and Ikuno Dictus were making their way toward the track.
"Urara, Seiun Sky, aren't you two going to give it a try?"
"B-chan said I should run on the dirt track. She says I can reach my top speed on dirt!"
"Is that so? So Urara is a rare dirt track specialist."
There never were many dirt track Uma Musume—far fewer than those specialized in turf. It was like how turf races far outnumbered dirt races. Urara seemed to have the makings of a promising dirt track runner.
Since there had been no entrance test, Minamizaka didn't know much about the running capabilities of Urara and the other two.
But even if their talent was lacking, as their trainer, he would support them unconditionally and design training plans to help them run faster.
"What about you, Seiun Sky?"
"I beat Barbatos yesterday, so if she's qualified for a debut race, then I am too."
Oh. Well, that was logical and convincing. Since Urara didn't contradict her, it was probably true.
Minamizaka thought to himself, not knowing that if Barbatos had heard that, she'd likely have grumbled, 'Her slacking skills surpass mine,' or 'Congratulations to Seiun Sky for activating the skill—Wait at Ease while the Enemy Tires Himself Out.'
"Barbatos, what distance are you best at?"
On the track, Ikuno Dictus adjusted her glasses and asked. As the team's brains, since this run would determine Barbatos's eligibility for a debut race, they should race at her strongest distance.
That way, the trainer could also look for debut races at the distance where Barbatos excelled.
"As for distance…"
"Short to mile races are both fine."
It wasn't that she couldn't run middle or long distances, but her skills couldn't sustain her through those longer races yet. Once she developed further, she could handle them. For now, it was wiser to start steadily with shorter races.
"Any distance is fine! I'll lead from start to finish no matter what!" Twin Turbo declared pre-race.
"Then let's set the trial at 1400 meters, clockwise. How does that sound?"
"No problem. I guess the finish line should be around there for 1400 meters, right?"
Barbatos estimated the distance roughly. This wasn't a real race, so there were no finish line markers or preparations—it was just to show the trainer she had what it takes to debut.
The four Uma Musume stood on the track, drawing the attention of a few passersby who stopped to watch.
One of them, spotting the figures on the track, paused in surprise. "Hey, kid, so this is the team you joined? Is this the entrance test?"
Barbatos followed the voice and saw the finish line…
No, it was Team Rigil's senior, Hishi Amazon.
--+--
T/N: Type Moon x Multiverse Fic 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.