Nakayama Racecourse.
Several days had passed since the Oka Sho, and it was now the opening day of the Classic Triple Crown.
"Go get 'em, Sei-chan!"
"You've got to win the Satsuki Sho! Then dominate the whole Classic Triple Crown!"
The members of Canopus all cheered for Seiun Sky as she prepared to enter the competitors' area. Barbatos glanced down at her phone, tapped out a quick message, then looked up.
"Gramps is already nearby. I'll handle things on his end."
"Good luck with the race!"
As the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown and Seiun Sky's debut G1 race, her grandfather naturally came to cheer her on in person.
If he hadn't made it, Barbatos was prepared to video-call him so he could watch the race live.
Even with the live broadcast available, a video call felt more personal—it helped bridge the distance between grandson-in-law and grandfather.
"Mhm, I'll leave Gramps to you."
Seiun Sky nodded, then waved and headed toward the competitors' entrance.
"B-chan, we'll head inside too."
Urara and the others also waved. While they could have all watched the race together with Seiun's grandfather, this was clearly a good chance for B-chan to bond with him.
Laying the groundwork for a harmonious family in the future.
Of course, such thoughts wouldn't have occurred to Urara and the others. Barbatos had considered it but hadn't mentioned it—it was Minamizaka who had stopped Urara's group from tagging along.
"See you after the race!"
Barbatos bid farewell to Urara and the others, then stood alone at the most conspicuous spot outside Nakayama Racecourse—right by the statue of the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf.
Tilting her head slightly, she gazed up at the statue. Outside Japan's four major racecourses—or rather, most Japanese racecourses—stood statues of the Emperor, an absolute symbol among the Uma Musume.
'Someday, I'll surpass you.'
A flicker of fighting spirit shone in her eyes. If she just kept winning, by the next Winter Dream Cup, she definitely wouldn't lose again!
"B-chan!"
A voice called from not far away.
El Condor Pasa, dressed in casual clothes, walked over. Barbatos could see bandages wrapped around her leg, clearly from the injury she'd sustained during the Oka Sho.
Fortunately, the injury wasn't severe enough to require crutches or a wheelchair—she just had to avoid running for the time being.
"El?!"
Barbatos was a little surprised. Rigil didn't have any races here today, so why was El Condor Pasa at Nakayama Racecourse?
"When my leg's hurt, all I can think about is running, so I came to Nakayama to watch."
"Who do you think will win?"
"My money's on my first-string wife, no question."
"Wanna bet? I'm betting on Spe."
After that simulated race with Taiki Shuttle, Special Week had picked up a lot of new tricks—she was definitely a strong contender for this Classic Triple Crown.
"Uh, a bet..."
"Better not."
Barbatos thought it over for a moment but still declined El Condor Pasa's betting invitation. After all, she'd never won a single bet against Seiun Sky.
If some mysterious Eastern force intervened in this race because of her bet, that would be no good.
After all the flag incidents she'd been through, she'd long since stopped being superstitious.
She believed races were decided by absolute strength and a dash of luck—but when it came to Seiun Sky, she wasn't willing to gamble.
She'd bet on her own races, but not on Seiun Sky's or anyone else's.
And besides.
If King Halo found out, she'd probably snap, 'Excuse you?'
This was supposed to be a three-way showdown for the Satsuki Sho, but here were El Condor Pasa and Barbatos acting like it was just between Special Week and Seiun Sky.
At Barbatos's refusal, El Condor Pasa's lips curled confidently, though she didn't press further. "Not going inside to watch the race yet?"
"Gramps is coming to watch today, so I'm waiting for him here."
"Gramps?"
El Condor Pasa hummed thoughtfully, dragging out the syllable meaningfully. Who would've thought Barbatos had already introduced Seiun Sky to her grandfather?
But come to think of it, she'd never heard Barbatos talk about her grandfather before.
Could it be Seiun Sky's grandfather?
Otherwise, it'd be a bit odd for Barbatos's grandfather to come watch Seiun Sky's race in person. He could just watch the broadcast—coming to the track felt a bit too formal.
Before she could ask anything else, Barbatos swiftly changed the subject.
"The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, against Montjeu... you're gonna win, right?"
Though phrased as a question, El Condor Pasa could hear it as a statement—as if Barbatos had full confidence that she could defeat Montjeu and win the Arc.
"Of course!"
"I'll win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, become the world's number one Uma Musume, then return to Japan, beat you in the Arima Kinen, and after that, defeat the President!"
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Emperor, Symboli Rudolf, both held immense weight in Japanese horse racing.
Even though Barbatos and El Condor Pasa had shown strength far beyond the ordinary, to many seasoned Uma Musume enthusiasts or industry insiders, they were still seen as just below legendary status.
No one was yet comparing them to Symboli Rudolf or the Arc.
But El Condor Pasa had that confidence.
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was in October this year. After winning it and returning to Japan, she'd undoubtedly have enough popularity and votes to enter the Arima Kinen and the Winter Dream Cup.
As for whether Barbatos would make it into those races—as her rival, El Condor Pasa was confident she would. Only someone of that caliber deserved to be her contemporary rival, a fellow prodigy!
The only real worry was whether Barbatos's leg injury would hold up until she returned from winning the Arc.
But she instinctively avoided dwelling too much on that.
"Is that so? Sounds good."
"You go win the Arc, then I'll defeat the world's number one you in the Arima Kinen. Wouldn't that make me the world's number one Uma Musume?"
Barbatos's tone was light, brimming with amusement and utter confidence in defeating El Condor Pasa again.
Instead of taking offense, El Condor Pasa responded with a broad smile.
"Then at the Arima Kinen..."
"We'll battle it out once more!"
"And see who really is the world's number one Uma Musume!"
Fighting spirit surged between them, the air crackling as if with electric sparks.
Ahem.
Just then, an older man's voice came from the side. "Hey kid, am I interrupting?"
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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.