Evening.
After coming clean with Seiun Sky.
The two of them went over plans for their upcoming training.
Now that Barbatos's healing ability was out in the open, they could significantly ramp up the intensity of their sessions.
They could even push harder than they had before the Dream Cup.
For Uma Musume, training was crucial, but they also had to be careful not to overdo it and wreck their bodies. That was where the trainers came in—to devise methods that maximized improvement without causing harm.
The Uma Musume just had to follow their trainers' plans for structured, sensible practice.
But right now, Barbatos didn't need to worry about that.
Late into the night, after a long discussion and review, they laid out a training schedule to be followed until her full "recovery."
As for the training plan itself, they couldn't exactly ask Minamizaka about it right now. That might raise some unwanted questions.
--+--
[6:00–6:30 Breakfast]
[6:30–11:00 Morning Training]
[11:00–11:30 Lunch]
[11:30–13:00 Watch Uma Musume race videos, study their techniques and strategies]
[13:00–17:00 Training]
[17:00–17:30 Dinner]
[17:30–19:00 Free Time]
[19:00–21:00 Training]
[21:00–22:00 Free Time or Livestreaming]
--+--
If they stuck to this schedule, they'd be putting in over ten hours of training every day. If they kept it up until the Oka Sho, Barbatos's stamina issues would definitely see massive improvement.
As for Seiun Sky, if she matched this intensity, she'd be in a much better position by the time the Kikuka Sho rolled around.
Deep into the night, Barbatos still felt wide awake.
She wasn't sure if it was the satisfaction of having a solid training plan or the fact that she and Seiun Sky were now officially together.
And as for Seiun Sky being the one to confess first… now that they were a couple, dwelling on who made the first move seemed pointless.
She was confident she could take the lead in their relationship from here on out.
Besides, there was a training ground right there in Seiun Sky's backyard. It was much simpler than the ones at Tracen Academy, but it was more than enough.
Perfect for the two of them to train together.
But for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that she'd forgotten something.
Something about the training plan, maybe? But no matter how hard she racked her brain, it just wouldn't come to her.
Glancing at the time—well past midnight—she finally suggested, "Let's call it a night. We've got training tomorrow."
"Mhm."
Seiun Sky nodded obediently, then asked thoughtfully,
"Have you figured out how you're going to explain things to Grandpa?"
"?"
"?!"
That question hit Barbatos like a bolt from the blue. Of course—Grandpa!
She'd come clean to Seiun Sky about her healing ability, but she had no intention of telling Grandpa. Even though he was Seiun Sky's grandfather, and would one day be hers too after they got married…
This was the kind of secret best kept to as few people as possible.
It had taken her a long time to work up the nerve to tell even Seiun Sky.
"Maybe… maybe I should just go back to Kochi and train on a treadmill at home," Barbatos said, her courage wavering.
She didn't have a good answer for dealing with Grandpa. If only League of Legends had a champion who could create illusions, like Sosuke Aizen from Bleach or something.
Then she could make it look like she was still in a wheelchair while secretly training on the side.
But no!
No such champion existed!
"Training on a treadmill would really limit your progress, though."
"I thought you'd already have some way to explain it to Grandpa."
Seiun Sky said with an amused smile. When they'd first met, Barbatos had been quite smooth at using certain… Chinese-inspired phrases to talk her way through things, always full of passionate conviction.
In fact, it was that initial bit of "air force" nonsense that had quickly brought the two of them closer.
"Hmm?"
Barbatos blinked, not following.
She couldn't very well tell Grandpa she'd made a miraculous overnight recovery just from drinking his herbal fish soup, could she?
No sane person would buy that.
But if she couldn't use that excuse, what else was there?
Pretend she'd been faking the injury all along? To win sympathy from her fans? That sounded even worse—utterly shameless, playing on people's pity.
That would just make Grandpa's already lukewarm opinion of her plummet, dragging whatever goodwill she had straight into the negatives.
"You know," Seiun Sky began, seeing Barbatos was genuinely stumped, "the Dream Cup… Legendary Uma Musume who compete in it are always at their peak."
It wasn't right to deceive Grandpa, of course, but maybe this could count as a white lie?
Or perhaps it was closer to the truth than not.
"Whether it's Uma Musume or humans, as we age, our physical abilities inevitably decline. But take Symboli Rudolf, absolute since the Showa era—she's still at her peak even now."
"It's not that their bodies don't deteriorate. It's that when they participate in the Dream Cup, they receive the blessing of the Three Goddesses. Their physical abilities are restored to their prime."
"That's part of why it's called the Dream Cup."
"So, by the same logic…"
Seiun Sky trailed off, glancing at Barbatos. Her expression said she'd already caught on.
This story would definitely work on Grandpa, but it was up to Barbatos whether she was willing to take the "risk."
"By the same logic, the leg injury I got during the Dream Cup was also completely healed thanks to the Three Goddesses."
Barbatos picked up the thread without missing a beat. She wasn't stupid—just not as conspicuously clever as Seiun Sky.
Once given the opening, she instantly grasped what Seiun Sky was suggesting, and it was surprisingly plausible. For someone of Grandpa's generation, the existence of deities was a matter of faith.
"And this isn't exactly a secret among the Legends, but they're strictly forbidden from revealing it to outsiders."
"Because modern society is all about science. Something like this would seriously shake up the current scientific mainstream. So it has to stay confidential—not a word can leak out."
"Otherwise, anyone who finds out will… have a little visit from the authorities."
--+--
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.