"Not interrupting anything, am I, kid?"
"Grandpa, you're here."
Barbatos, who had been in a tense standoff with El Condor Pasa a moment before, instantly "softened," reverting to the girl-next-door demeanor.
While showing her spirited side in front of an elder wasn't a bad thing, her girlfriend's grandpa was the type who responded better to a gentle approach than a forceful one—firm on the outside but soft on the inside, all bark and no bite.
From her experience interacting with him over this time, using this more approachable, neighborly girl persona when talking to Grandpa always got a friendlier reaction.
Of course, what she didn't know was that Grandpa's attitude toward her had improved quite a bit from the initial impression, largely due to her intense training sessions back when she'd stayed at his house.
He'd seen all that effort with his own eyes.
"Grandpa, let me introduce you. This is El Condor Pasa, a classmate of mine and Sei-chan's!"
"Mhm, I know."
Grandpa nodded. He was far from unfamiliar with El Condor Pasa. Having watched Barbatos's races, he knew El Condor Pasa was definitely a formidable rival his little Sei-chan would have to face next.
Overall, though, his impression of El Condor Pasa was quite good—there was a certain beauty to her strength!
Who wouldn't admire a strong competitor?
Even the older generation wasn't immune to that sentiment.
As for Barbatos being strong too, even capable of beating El Condor Pasa... well, who let Barbatos be the one who 'snatched up' his granddaughter?
"Hello, I'm Seiun Sky's grandfather."
"Nice to meet you, Grandpa."
El Condor Pasa greeted him cheerfully, though her eyes, much like Barbatos's beside her, kept drifting toward the figure standing next to Sei-chan's grandpa.
It was a woman wearing a hat. Her attire wasn't particularly fashionable, but her features and face alone carried a style, a kind of beauty. If she dressed up a bit, she might just reach half the level of someone like Gold City.
Barbatos offered the woman a friendly smile and a nod, then turned back to Grandpa curiously. "Grandpa, who's this?"
This woman gave her a certain feeling—not Sei-chan's mother, that much was clear from the vibe.
Of course, she'd seen Sei-chan's childhood photo albums, which was the main reason she could be sure. It couldn't possibly be a step-grandmother, right? The age gap seemed a bit too large for that.
Humans weren't like Uma Musume; you could tell when they were older.
Just the other day, when she'd gone out with Tamamo Cross to pick a gift for her girlfriend, Tamamo Cross had been mistaken for a lost elementary school student.
She'd laughed about that for ages afterward.
Though, in front of Tamamo Cross-Senpai, no matter how funny something was, she'd never dare laugh.
"I met her on the subway," Grandpa explained. "She said her daughter is also here for the Satsuki Sho, but she didn't tell her, worried it might make her nervous."
Actually, Grandpa left out a detail.
This woman beside him, even though she'd come to watch her daughter race, had almost gotten off the subway a stop early. It was only because he, having learned she was also heading to the races, stopped her in time.
As the elder, he was considerate of her feelings and didn't mention it.
"Oh? Miss, who's your daughter? We might know her!"
El Condor Pasa asked, intrigued.
Between her and Barbatos, they only knew three other competitors in this race, and that was counting Sei-chan herself.
Excluding Sei-chan, that left Special Week and Grass Wonder. If this lady's daughter was another Uma Musume, they probably wouldn't know her.
And if it was another Uma Musume, barring any absolute certainties in racing, winning the Satsuki Sho would be very tough.
When the question of her daughter's identity came up, Grandpa also looked curiously at the blonde-haired woman. He hadn't asked earlier, only knowing her daughter was in the race.
"It's Special Week. She's mentioned you both on LINE."
The mother and daughter kept in touch on LINE. Special Week would tell her about things happening at the academy.
She'd also talk about her classmates and her strong rivals.
Besides Suzuka-chan and the Spica team members, Barbatos and El Condor Pasa were undoubtedly the two Uma Musume mentioned most often—absolute rivals.
Even as Special Week's mother, after watching the races, she could sense how powerful these two were.
If Spe-chan wanted to become Japan's best, this was a hurdle she absolutely couldn't avoid.
Ah, the competition among the young... it really was something wonderful.
"Huh?!"
"So you're Spe-chan's mom!"
Barbatos and El Condor Pasa exchanged a glance, seeing mutual astonishment in each other's eyes. They'd heard about Spe-chan's mother right from the first day they met her.
After all, Spe-chan was someone who loved to share her own stories and tell tales.
If you really got her talking, she could go on for ages. Combined with her personality, she got along well with all her classmates, second only to the social queen herself—Urara!
"Auntie, how about I contact the Spica team for you now? When Spe-chan sees you came to cheer her on, she'll definitely be able to push past her limits," Barbatos suddenly suggested.
She didn't have contacts for anyone in Spica besides Spe-chan herself, but Tokai Teio had joined Spica now, which meant she effectively had a line to the team.
"No, no, that's alright. I don't want Spe to know I'm here," Special Week's mother quickly waved her hands.
Actually, she'd originally planned to just watch the broadcast, but after Spe lost the Yayoi Sho, she felt she needed to give her daughter some support, like cheering at the venue in person.
Even if Spe didn't know she was there, she believed the cheers from the stands would still make a difference.
"It's really no trouble at all! Spe-chan is a seasoned Uma Musume. She's sure to be a strong rival of mine in the future. She won't get thrown off just because you're here!" El Condor Pasa said optimistically.
She'd already seen Special Week's talent—the ability to watch Taiki Shuttle's running style in a mock race and immediately mimic and grasp it. Even though she lost that race, that kind of innate skill was truly impressive.
"Well... alright then."
Under the enthusiastic urging of both El Condor Pasa and Barbatos, Spe's mother relented. Mainly, it was because she believed her daughter had grown enough that knowing of her presence wouldn't affect her race performance.
Seeing Special Week's mother agree, Barbatos dialed Tokai Teio on LINE and passed along the news that Spe's mother was coming.
Was this kind of like Suzuka quietly meeting the parents?
As friends of Special Week, they could all see that Spe and Silent Suzuka were headed for each other. She was a little curious now—would Suzuka get nervous? Even though they hadn't officially defined their relationship yet.
As for whether Spe herself would get nervous...
How could an Uma Musume possibly get flustered just because family came to watch a race?
Barbatos believed her girlfriend could win the first leg of the Classic Triple Crown fair and square!
--+--
At the Nakayama Racecourse, in the paddock, a plump-looking Special Week threw off the jacket over her racing silks and waved toward the spectator stands, searching for where Suzuka and the others were.
And then...
"Huh?!!"
--+--
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.