Tracen Academy.
A scarlet sports car sat idle within a training ground.
This place was rarely visited by the Uma Musume; it was an area reserved for Tracen Academy's Uma Musume and staff to practice driving.
Though hardly any Uma Musume came here for lessons normally, the facility's specs were high-grade to match Tracen's elite standards—far better than the driving schools Barbatos remembered from her past life.
"Feel like giving it a try now?"
Maruzensky, who'd arrived at Tracen Academy much earlier due to their… spirited driving, asked.
Thanks to their speed, they'd reached Tracen nearly an hour ahead of Minamizaka and the others.
Even though it was night, it was still a good time for a driving lesson.
It wasn't every day she met another Uma Musume who shared her passion for cars, and Maruzensky was more enthusiastic than usual. She'd brought Barbatos straight here.
"Is that really okay?"
Barbatos couldn't hide her excitement.
Sure, she'd been a complete mess during Maruzensky's high-speed ride, but really, who could resist the allure of a sports car?
"Of course. Besides the few Uma Musume learning to drive, nobody else comes here."
"So there's no need to worry, even at night. It's hard to hit anything, so just be bold and give it a shot."
Truth be told, there were dedicated vehicles for proper driving lessons.
But this was more of a private, informal session between Maruzensky and Barbatos. Using her own sports car for practice was just fine.
Maruzensky could tell.
When she was pushing the car to its limits, Barbatos had been scared, but it was a different kind of fear from what someone like Grass-chan would feel.
Hearing this, Barbatos climbed out of the passenger seat.
The door swung upwards, and she swapped places with Maruzensky.
She'd initially assumed an 'older lady' like Maruzensky would drive something like a Mini or an electric car. She never imagined the famous red sports car on campus belonged to Maruzensky.
So cool!
As for any nervousness about driving? As long as she wasn't in the passenger seat, fear was the last thing on her mind.
Settling into the left-side driver's seat.
She buckled her seatbelt, gripped the steering wheel, and took a moment to feel the difference of this position, the unique sensation of being in the cockpit of a sports car.
"Yes, just like that," Maruzensky instructed from beside her. "Now, try pressing down the clutch and the brake, start the engine, shift into first gear, and then release the handbrake."
"The clutch is the one all the way to the—"
Drawing on her teaching experience, she pointed out the key steps to Barbatos.
Learning to drive was actually quite simple, especially when the student was interested. Beginners were usually too timid to speed, minimizing the risk of accidents.
"I know."
Barbatos stated plainly, listening to Maruzensky's instructions.
She had a grasp of the basics. Although the right-hand drive layout felt a bit unfamiliar at first.
But with an Uma Musume's reflexes, that slight discomfort was negligible and she adjusted almost instantly.
Under Maruzensky's watchful eye, Barbatos smoothly pressed the clutch and brake, started the engine, slotted the gearshift into first, released the handbrake, and set the car in motion.
Oh!
Maruzensky was slightly surprised.
A complete beginner shouldn't be able to manage that. And Barbatos had said she knew how.
That meant she must have studied up beforehand, maybe even had some hands-on experience. She probably still lacked practice and might be a bit tense, but this was a very promising start.
As a professionally trained coach.
She continued guiding her. "Next, you can—"
Before she could finish, she watched as Barbatos deftly shifted up to second gear, then third, then fourth.
When she said 'I know,' did she mean she was already fully proficient?
Maruzensky looked at her 'student' with growing satisfaction.
Maybe she could invite her out for a proper drive sometime. If she was this skilled already, getting a license would be a mere formality.
But gradually, she started to sense something was off.
The car's speed began to climb steadily, surpassing 120 km/h, 130, 140…
The usually unflappable Maruzensky couldn't help but tighten her grip on the seatbelt, her legs pressing together tightly, a slight shiver running through her body. She felt a strong urge to tell Barbatos to stop right now.
No! She was Maruzensky, Tracen's legendary sports car, the senior who could tear down the highway at over 200 km/h!
How could she possibly tell Barbatos to stop now!
How could she halt a cute kouhai who shared her passion!
After a brief internal struggle, her legendary Uma Musume mental fortitude allowed her to calm down slightly. She decided to try making conversation to distract herself.
Maybe ask what kind of car Barbatos planned to buy herself.
Just then, a phone rang from the driver's seat. Startled, Barbatos pulled the device from her pocket.
It was rare for anyone to call her. Her friends usually contacted her via LINE or used LINE's voice call feature. Phone calls typically meant telemarketers or spam.
The kind that shows 'Suspected Spam' on the screen—best to just decline.
But the moment she saw the screen, she saw 'Minamizaka' displayed. It was her trainer?
Calling now? Had something happened?
Her hand on the wheel guided the car, which had been approaching 150 km/h, to gradually slow down, pulling over steadily and smoothly to the side of the track. Only then did she answer Minamizaka's call.
The nearby Maruzensky let out a quiet sigh of relief.
She'd been genuinely worried Barbatos would take the call while driving at high speed, which would have been extremely dangerous.
"Minamizaka, is something wrong?"
Barbatos asked urgently, fearing something might have happened to her trainer.
After all, Minamizaka usually contacted her via LINE too.
"Barbatos, it's about your future races. I should probably tell you in person, but I thought this was too important to wait."
"I just received a notice from the racing committee."
"In light of the ability you've demonstrated, they are requesting that you do not participate in the upcoming Tokyo Sports Hai Junior Stakes, or any future G3 grade races."
"They strongly encourage you to focus your activities on G2 and G1 level competitions."
"They believe your talent is mismatched for competing against G3 level Uma Musume."
Hearing this, Barbatos's breathing grew heavier. They didn't want her in G3 races…
That was cutting off a major source of her gold income.
But that wasn't even the worst part. The most important thing was… she'd already made a promise to someone!
--+--
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.