The summit of Narita Mountain was shrouded in night, dotted with stars strewn across the sky.
Small groups of men and women walked side by side toward the prayer area or the fortune-draw stalls, some occasionally pausing to glance at Barbatos and the girl beside her.
A few recognized them, whispering to their companions; others looked once and paid no further mind.
Among them were fans of Barbatos, and fans of Seiun Sky, but right now, what mattered more was accompanying the person beside them for the New Year's shrine visit.
Barbatos noticed none of them.
At this moment, it was as if she had entered a focused state—her eyes fixed only on the finish line.
And in her eyes now, there was only Seiun Sky.
"Isn't it normal to make wishes for someone you like?"
"I love you."
The moment those words reached her, the peculiar feeling that had been swelling inside her chest suddenly burst open, flooding every corner of her being.
She wanted to stand up, to embrace Seiun Sky, to hold her and say, "I love you too."
From the moment she had acknowledged her own heart, her goal had been to confess before Seiun Sky did—to be the one on top, so to speak.
After sensing Seiun Sky's feelings in return, she had imagined many confession scenes, but those visions vanished after losing the Dream Cup. Defeat made her feel unworthy of confessing.
It felt improper, as if losing had stripped her of the right to love.
At the very least, she ought to wait until she had achieved glory—winning the Triple Tiara, consecutive Spring and Autumn titles, or claiming the Dream Cup—before confessing. That would be truly cool.
These thoughts condensed into four words: "Wait a little longer."
Wait a little longer, and a better moment would come, a more romantic confession possible.
But here and now—
Hearing Seiun Sky utter those three words, her body stiffened, her thoughts slowed, and the surrounding sounds seemed to fade into silence. The whole world narrowed to just the two of them.
In this instant, she didn't think about Seiun Sky confessing first, or whether that put her in the passive role.
There was only one thought in her mind.
"I love you too."
Following her heart, Barbatos reached out and caught the small hand that had been covering her mouth. "Will you be my star alone?"
"Then you must be my Barbatos alone."
Seiun Sky replied with a smile.
Confessing to Barbatos was something she had decided upon when inviting her home for the New Year, which was why she had hesitated back then, only stopping Barbatos just before she was about to return to Kochi.
But now, at the moment of confession, everything felt perfectly natural.
To others, we must have seemed like a couple already, so confessing now was only fitting.
Her feelings wouldn't change just because Barbatos lost the Dream Cup, yet Barbatos had still been hesitating. Honestly, she had wanted to take the initiative herself for a while now.
Though they had already acted like a couple, now that they had confessed, there was a new layer of sweetness between them—a slight awkwardness, but a tender one.
If Barbatos weren't nursing a leg injury now, she'd probably be thinking of doing something romantic, something couples do.
But along with the joy in her heart, there was now a hint of unease—a worry that hadn't existed before they made things official.
Seiun Sky's face had flushed after saying those words. Confessing in public left her feeling strangely vulnerable afterward.
The walk back was mostly quiet, until they arrived home.
Grandpa, who had been about to ask his granddaughter if she'd enjoyed the New Year's visit, sensed something was off.
It didn't seem like she'd been bullied, but he wasn't sure whether to ask what had happened.
By the time the two retreated to their room, even a tough guy like him was at a loss. Well, if Barbatos had made his granddaughter upset, she'd have hell to pay later!
Back in the room, after wrestling with her thoughts the whole way, Barbatos finally spoke up. "Actually…"
"You…"
They spoke almost in unison, then looked at each other and nearly laughed.
"Let me go first."
Seiun Sky stood by the window, smiling. As roommates who knew each other well, they wouldn't fall into that "you go first" back-and-forth.
Once home, with no outsiders around,
the embarrassment that had colored her cheeks began to fade. Even before confessing, she and Barbatos had basically acted like a couple.
Making it official, confessing—it still made her a little shy, but she had mostly returned to her usual self.
"You were planning to confess after the Dream Cup, weren't you?"
"You could tell?"
"I wanted to make a cool confession after achieving a good result."
Barbatos didn't hide it. Seiun Sky was always sharp at guessing these things, and now that they were together, it didn't matter if she knew.
"Winning or losing has nothing to do with us."
"But from now on, no matter the outcome, we'll face it together—the joy of victory or the pain of defeat."
Even though Barbatos had been hiding her emotions, Seiun Sky knew she hadn't fully moved past the loss. She wanted to share that burden.
"Sharing pain… let's not."
Barbatos scratched her head. "Losing a race—once is enough."
The thought of sharing pain with Seiun Sky—she refused to let that happen! Her desire to win burned stronger in that moment, her resolve hardening. To ensure only joy in the future, she had to work even harder.
"Is that so?"
"Then I'll have to work hard too."
Seiun Sky mused. If she lost a race, wouldn't Barbatos also share her pain?
It seemed she couldn't afford to stay so laid-back anymore.
She needed to start preparing earlier for the upcoming classic races—Special Week and King Halo were both competing in them.
Normally, she might play it cool and then quietly grind, but with Barbatos, she didn't need to pretend.
Just then, Barbatos made a suggestion.
"Then let's train together tomorrow."
Seiun Sky: "???"
Even someone as sharp as her was momentarily baffled by what Barbatos meant.
--+--
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.