"LINE payment received – 8,000 yen~"
With the sound of the payment confirmation, Barbatos tugged her cap down, making sure she likely wouldn't be swarmed by fans again, then stepped out of the shop alongside Seiun Sky.
Wearing matching baseball caps as they were, they really did look a bit like a couple.
"I can't believe you can pay with LINE now," she couldn't help but remark. "Back in Kochi, it was pretty much all cash."
Compared to China, mobile payments in Japan didn't seem all that widespread, especially out in the more rural areas. It seemed you could only really use them near Tracen Academy or in places like Tokyo and Osaka.
"Where to next?"
Outside the shop, Barbatos glanced around. It was her first time here, so she didn't have many ideas.
"How about over there?" Seiun Sky pointed vaguely in a direction. "Pretty sure there's a bubble tea shop that way. Some of the fans who asked for your autograph earlier were carrying drinks from there."
"With observation skills like that, it's a waste you aren't a detective. You'd be the savior of the Japanese police."
"What, so Inspector Megure could call me 'Seiun-boy'?" Seiun Sky replied with a sidelong grin.
"He calls everyone 'boy'—total 'boy-dude' vibes," Barbatos shot back, then paused, realizing something was off. Seiun Sky had actually caught her reference.
"Uh, you've watched Detective Conan?"
"Just a few episodes," Seiun Sky shrugged. She really had only seen a few; she found it kind of boring. The TV version didn't seem as good as the movies, especially since she could usually guess the culprit anyway.
But the bubble tea shop wasn't a guess—she already knew there was one there.
She'd planned to bring Barbatos to Marunouchi in the first place; of course she'd scoped the place out beforehand.
Plus, that shop was running a promotion right now… it felt like a good chance to tease Barbatos a little.
Though, when Barbatos had put the cap on her earlier, she had flustered a bit, her heart racing. But Barbatos probably hadn't noticed.
Maybe it was the caps, or maybe the nearby fans had already gotten their autographs, but nobody stopped Barbatos for a signature this time. Hand in hand, they strolled down the streets of Marunouchi.
It felt just like walking with a girlfriend after final exams. Really nice… if only her palms weren't sweating.
Her resistance to holding hands had improved since the culture festival, but she still got nervous. It was like an inexperienced guy holding his crush's hand for the first time.
All around, young couples walked hand in hand. Some were sharing a giant bubble tea, taking sips back and forth.
Seriously, isn't that kinda unhygienic? Barbatos mentally scoffed. Wouldn't it be better if everyone just had their own cup?
Just then, Seiun Sky asked, "What do you think of King Halo?"
"Why the sudden question?"
Barbatos blinked. Based on her love expert intuition, if a girlfriend asked something like that, it was a test of survival instincts. Even though she and Seiun Sky weren't dating yet, she figured she should still tread carefully.
"Well, King Halo… she's an ojou-sama type, but she seems pretty easy to get along with. I don't know her that well, though. You'd have to ask Urara for details."
"Pfft, that's not what I meant." Seiun Sky giggled, swinging their joined hands slightly. "Your next G3 race is against her. Don't tell me you didn't know."
"My next G3?"
Her next race was a G2. The one after that, in late November, was the G3 Seiun Sky was probably referring to. As the person involved, she'd totally missed that her next G3 opponent would be a classmate.
"King Halo lost to El Condor Pasa during Rigil's entrance test and got overtaken by Special Week after a bad start. But according to Urara, she trains really hard normally. You can't judge her by that test—she's a rival you'll need to watch out for."
"Still, I won't let her snatch first place that easily."
After recent events, Barbatos wasn't deliberately avoiding so-called flags anymore. Sports ultimately came down to who was faster and had more endurance, not some jinx.
Even in a classic race like the Japanese Derby, where they say only the luckiest Uma Musume wins, that luck only really matters when everyone's skill is on the same level.
But for some reason, Barbatos felt like the Uma Musume in her generation were just overwhelmingly strong.
Not just Seiun Sky and El Condor Pasa—even Grass Wonder, who she'd thought was just undefeated in beginner races, had shown she could glimpse the [Zone], meaning she likely had the potential to awaken it too.
Then there was Special Week, who seemed like a standard protagonist—the stronger her opponents, the stronger she became—and King Halo, whose power couldn't be underestimated. These were all rivals she needed to keep a close eye on.
She squeezed Seiun Sky's hand a little tighter. Well… Seiun Sky didn't count as a rival.
"Hmm? Looks like you've gotten over worrying about flags," Seiun Sky noted.
"I'm not that superstitious anyway."
As they chatted, they arrived at the entrance of a bubble tea shop. The customers going in and out were mostly young couples. Next door was an arcade packed with claw machines. Clearly, this was a popular spot for dates.
Just as Barbatos was about to head inside, she noticed a small sign planted near the door:
[Couples entering together enjoy half-price on our Sweetheart Large Cup Boba Tea!]
The words were surrounded by a big pink chalk-drawn heart.
So… that explained why so many couples had been sharing one drink earlier. It was because of this shop's promotion.
She stole a glance at Seiun Sky, standing beside her in their matching caps, who was still reading the sign.
It wasn't about the money—she could afford full price. But as an Uma Musume raised with fine traditional values, Barbatos believed in being thrifty when possible.
In the name of upholding this virtuous tradition, she cleared her throat softly and leaned closer to Seiun Sky. "What if… we pretended to be a couple?"
"I mean… we're already here. Wouldn't it be a shame not to try this tea?"
Feeling Barbatos's warm breath as she spoke, Seiun Sky's eyes darted away briefly, a conflicted look on her face. "Well… I guess we could pretend, just this once."
"Let's go in, then," Barbatos said.
She started forward, but Seiun Sky stopped her. "Wait. If we're pretending to be a couple…"
As she spoke, she let go of Barbatos's hand, leaving both Barbatos's palm and heart feeling oddly empty.
But the next moment, that warm, jade-like hand returned, fingers gently lacing through hers.
"If we're pretending to be a couple… we should probably hold hands like this, right?"
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T/N: Quite possibly the most fluffy yuri fic ive translated and im loving every second of it
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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.