School Festival.
Tracen Academy's pathways were now lined with stalls of all sizes, each run by the Uma Musume students.
Barbatos strolled through the campus alongside Seiun Sky.
The air was thick with the aroma of various delicacies; you could even find regional specialties from all over Japan at the festival.
Many of Tracen's Uma Musume came from different parts of the country, or had traveled for races, picking up knowledge of local foods along the way.
Still, they didn't dare eat too much.
They'd only allow themselves a little taste when they spotted a favorite treat. After all, even Uma Musume had to watch their weight.
Carrying extra pounds could affect their race performance and running speed, especially with a relay marathon coming up tomorrow!
After the race, though, they could briefly let loose and enjoy a proper feast.
"Aren't you going to stream and interact with your fans during the festival?" Seiun Sky asked.
Because Barbatos streamed, she knew a thing or two about typical streamer behavior—normally, they'd be live broadcasting their festival experience by now.
Especially for her Chinese fans who'd never been to Japan or seen Tracen's culture festival; it would be a great topic.
"Streaming?"
"It's only the first day of the festival, no rush."
Barbatos eyed the delicious offerings at each stall, her gaze flickering briefly toward Seiun Sky.
Right now, what mattered was soaking in the atmosphere of exploring the festival with Seiun Sky, not chattering away to her streaming buddies back home.
She knew perfectly well which was more important.
"Looks like they're selling squid over there. Wanna check it out?"
"Mm."
They each bought a skewer of squid from the stall and continued their festival tour, munching as they scanned for other tasty finds.
"Wow, it's packed."
Not far from the squid stall, a large crowd of Uma Musume had gathered, blocking the view of whatever was inside.
A nearby poster revealed it was a "Beef Noodle Eating Challenge."
"Eating contests really are everywhere, huh."
Barbatos couldn't help but muse. In her short time as someone who rarely went out, she'd already seen two of these challenges.
"If Special Week joined, she'd probably win."
"True enough."
Special Week had the most impressive appetite in their little group.
Neither of them felt like pushing through the crowd. Jostling through a packed group of Uma Musume was exhausting, and besides, neither had a big appetite, they had a race tomorrow, and joining an eating contest was out of the question.
Moreover, as a League of Legends player, Barbatos was deeply aware of the cardinal rule: never eat beef noodles before a match.
So, after a brief glance, they moved on.
Within the crowd they passed, a grey-haired Uma Musume, arms laden with snacks, felt her stomach let out a loud grumble. The bowls of beef noodles lined up at the contest stage called to her, her desire to join written plainly all over her face.
"If you want to join, just go for it."
Beside her, the twin-tailed Inari One said, "With your appetite, an eating contest won't affect tomorrow's relay marathon."
That grey-haired Uma Musume was the legend who defined an era—Oguri Cap.
Their companions, Super Creek and Tamamo Cross, nodded in agreement. Oguri Cap's appetite was truly monstrous; winning this eating contest would be a breeze.
Who in Tracen Academy could possibly push Oguri Cap to her limits?
--+--
"How about we check out Fuji Kiseki-senpai's café later?"
Barbatos suggested. She was really looking forward to seeing legendary Uma Musume like Fuji Kiseki, Symboli Rudolf, and T.M. Opera O in maid outfits.
Seiun Sky was about to nod in agreement when she heard someone calling them from nearby.
"B-chan! Sei-chan!"
Special Week called out as she approached, accompanied by Spica's Silence Suzuka.
'Yikes, the chemistry between them is so strong,' Barbatos thought, acknowledging their synergy.
'It's Special Week, alright. She even gets to explore the festival with Suzuka, the one she likes, while I haven't even found an Uma Musume I like yet. Is this what main character privilege looks like?'
'Special Week seems so straightforward, clearly inexperienced in love, a total rookie at romance.'
'So how did she manage to get so close to Silence Suzuka so quickly?'
'Here I am, Barbatos, a love master who's read countless romance novels, brimming with theoretical experience, and I haven't even found an Uma Musume I like yet.'
"Spe-chan, Suzuka."
Barbatos returned the greeting. If she'd encountered Silence Suzuka alone, she probably wouldn't have said anything—they weren't that familiar.
"So, the race is tomorrow. Gold Ship mentioned a method to beat Oguri Cap-senpai. I thought about it and decided I should tell you guys."
"It's about, before the race, we just need to make Oguri Cap-senpai..."
The four huddled together. After hearing Special Week relay the plan, Barbatos and Seiun Sky were stunned. Was this something a normal Uma Musume would come up with?
Oh, it was Gold Ship's idea. That explained everything.
While Barbatos hadn't interacted much with Gold Ship, Gold Ship was rather famous within Tracen Academy.
Outside the racetrack, this was supposedly the only way to defeat Oguri Cap-senpai.
This felt all too familiar to Barbatos. It was like the pre-esports era idea that the only chance to defeat Faker was outside the arena!
"Spe-chan, we Uma Musume must never, ever do something like that."
Barbatos stated with solemn authority. Though she doubted Special Week would actually go through with it, as a friend, she had to emphasize the point.
After chatting a bit more, the four went their separate ways to continue enjoying the festival.
Only after walking away did Barbatos remember the eating contest. Had she forgotten to mention it to Special Week? She'd probably be very interested.
But from their current location, Special Week was bound to come across the eating contest area soon anyway!
--+--
Special Week glanced back at Barbatos and Seiun Sky's retreating figures. "B-chan and Sei-chan seem really close, don't they? Almost like a couple. They're always together whenever I see them."
"Yes, they do seem that way," Silence Suzuka agreed softly.
Special Week felt a pang of envy, but then she looked at Suzuka beside her. Being able to explore the festival with Suzuka was already more than enough for her.
Before long, Special Week's hands were full of various festival foods. She was determined to feast today!
Gradually, however, her steps slowed and then stopped as she looked toward a spot swarming with Uma Musume.
A sign read: "Beef Noodle Eating Challenge."
Silence Suzuka stopped beside her. "It looks like Spe-chan wants to join this challenge."
--+--
T/N: even Spe can tell that they homosexual~~~~
--+--
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.