Tokyo.
A business sedan glided along the deserted road.
It was New Year's. Even in Japan's capital, Tokyo, the usual stream of traffic had thinned to a trickle, leaving the streets uncharacteristically empty.
Barbatos sat in the back seat. The atmosphere inside the car held a peculiar tension.
Even Minamizaka at the wheel chose not to speak. For him, the current situation was entirely new territory.
Barbatos was going to Seiun Sky's home for the New Year holiday. Was this… meeting the parents?
Since when were the Uma Musume under his care this bold?
His own family elders were in Tokyo, not far from Seiun Sky's hometown, so he'd offered to drive Barbatos and Seiun Sky there, saving them the trip to the subway.
But now, his mind, usually preoccupied with race strategies, was grappling with a new and impending personal dilemma.
He was a computer science elite who'd jumped straight into being a Tracen Academy trainer after university. To this day, he'd never been in a relationship.
This year, going home meant facing the inevitable interrogation from the elders.
'When are you going to bring a girlfriend home?'
The thought made his head throb. Where was a Tracen trainer supposed to find a girlfriend to present to the family?!
Most of his fellow trainers were already spoken for. The only one still single, as far as he knew, was Toujou Hana from Team Rigil.
But Toujou Hana and the trainer from Team Spica always seemed to be making eyes at each other.
His own interactions with her were strictly professional.
It was only recently, because of Barbatos's rising prominence, that they'd had any contact at all. Anything beyond a collegial relationship was unthinkable.
Besides, women would only slow down his training speed!
They couldn't possibly be as interesting as Uma Musume.
It was Barbatos in the back who finally broke the strange silence.
"Should I buy something?"
"Huh?"
Seiun Sky, who had been pondering how to explain bringing a friend home for the holidays to her grandfather, was caught off guard. For a moment, she didn't understand what Barbatos meant.
"You know, since I'm visiting, shouldn't I bring a gift for your grandfather?"
"What does he like?"
This was Barbatos's first time spending New Year's at the home of a girl she liked.
The nervousness in her heart momentarily pushed aside the lingering sting of defeat from the Dream Cup. Her mature soul and life experience as an adult felt curiously inadequate here.
Wasn't this exactly 'meeting the parents'?
Though she and Seiun Sky had never formally confessed, they had both subtly expressed their feelings.
So this was, in a way, precisely that. As for Seiun Sky's grandfather, Barbatos, being her roommate, was naturally aware of him.
After all, the wallpaper on Seiun Sky's phone was a photo of her grandfather holding up a huge fish they'd caught together.
In fact, Seiun Sky's love for fishing was a hobby cultivated under her grandfather's influence.
Hearing the question, Seiun Sky started to shake her head, to say it wasn't necessary, but then she paused. It didn't seem strange at all for Barbatos to bring a gift.
If she could pick something he liked, it might improve her grandfather's first impression of her.
"Grandpa…" Seiun Sky thought for a moment. "Grandpa likes to drink."
"We can stop by a mall nearby on the way and look."
"Mm."
Barbatos nodded. Although many shops would be closed for the holiday, Seiun Sky's home was in Narita City, still one of Japan's most developed urban areas.
Most famous for Narita Airport, which saw a constant flow of foreign visitors, there were bound to be plenty of malls and stores still open.
And Narita was only a half-hour drive from Tokyo.
With the roads this empty, they'd probably make it in about twenty minutes.
"By the way, what's your grandfather like?"
Barbatos's impression of Seiun Sky's grandfather was still based on that phone wallpaper: a burly figure wearing sunglasses, his features unclear, but the silhouette alone suggested a hardcore tough guy.
He even looked a bit like a mafia boss or a yakuza enforcer.
But that photo was taken when Seiun Sky was little, nearly a decade ago now.
Given the Japanese physique, a decade could cause some shrinkage. Maybe he had softened into a kindly old man by now.
Like Joseph Joestar's transformation between Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is Unbreakable.
Barbatos wasn't afraid of a hardcore tough guy grandpa. In a one-on-one brawl, she wouldn't back down now.
What made her nervous was the identity—Seiun Sky's grandfather.
"Grandpa is very kind," Seiun Sky said. "He's just not good at showing his emotions. Sometimes he's clearly concerned about someone, but he comes across as quite stern on the surface."
"…"
A classic gruff-exterior, warm-heart grandpa.
Barbatos thought to herself. In that way, he sounded quite similar to Seiun Sky.
No, wait. It was probably Seiun Sky who took after her grandfather.
Seiun Sky was the type who would blush from just holding hands, yet had this strangely persistent, almost aggressive side. At first, after they held hands and felt closer, Seiun Sky would act as if nothing had happened at all.
It was a talent for concealing her affection.
A sort of heart-mouth disconnect.
That aspect of Seiun Sky struck Barbatos as particularly endearing. It was one of the things she liked about her.
Then again, it seemed she liked everything about Seiun Sky. She couldn't find a single thing she disliked.
That was probably just the filter you had for someone you loved.
"In that case, he should be easy to get along with."
"Mm-hmm."
"Then in the evening, we can go up to Naritasan Shinshoji Temple together for Hatsumode."
Narita City had Mount Narita, and Naritasan Shinshoji Temple atop it was one of Japan's most famous temples. Being right in Narita, it usually attracted hordes of foreign tourists.
The only pity was, she'd have to visit the temple with Seiun Sky in a wheelchair.
Should she come clean about part of her situation to Seiun Sky? Pull off some sort of 'medical miracle'?
No, no. A 'system'? That was just too unscientific!
Torn between hesitation and self-rebuke, Barbatos arrived with Seiun Sky at a mall in Narita City.
With Seiun Sky's help in selecting a suitable gift for the visit, they were soon dropped off by Minamizaka at the entrance of what looked like a derelict ranch.
Though 'ranch' wasn't quite right—it was more like a modest private estate.
Just then, a tall shadow fell over Barbatos in her wheelchair and Seiun Sky standing beside her, casting a palpable sense of pressure.
A deep, aged, and authoritative voice spoke from behind them.
"Sei-chan, who's this you've brought with you?"
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T/N: 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.