Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 342 How could I, a senior, desert my post?

In response to the completely out-of-control screams and shouts, the reporters and photographers in the front row frantically tried to capture the scene with their long lenses and tripods, the sound of shutters clicking in rapid succession and flashes going off one after another.

Standing right next to the flashing lights, Qi Kuo unconsciously gripped the strap of his sunglasses, tilted his head to the other side, and muttered a low, impatient complaint:
"Damn it... This is so annoying..."

The direction she turned her head towards was Yasui Makoto.

While intently watching the game, Yasui Makoto vaguely heard the air tank's complaints and couldn't help but glance to the side.

He first noticed that the air tank looked a bit uncomfortable, then he saw the flashlight in the distance, and he immediately understood what was going on.

Some racehorse girls are very sensitive to things like flash photography, and the air tank is one of them, and it's an especially sensitive one.

This racehorse girl also participated in the Classic Line race during her active career, and during the Akika Sho race, she was startled by the flashing lights during her appearance.

In the subsequent competition, she not only performed poorly but also only achieved 10th place.

He was also diagnosed with a fracture in his right foot after the match, which forced him to undergo eight months of recovery and caused him to cancel his original plan to travel to the Arc de Triomphe.

For this reason, Japan imposes considerable restrictions on the use of flash photography by media reporters.

It seems that Dubai hasn't suffered any losses in this regard yet, which is why it allows the media to use this tool freely.

Thinking about the condition of the air tank, Yasui couldn't help but worry:
"Are you alright, Senior Air Tank...? Why don't you go back and rest first? I'll stay here, and there are other trainers too."

"Or you can watch the live broadcast on the screen in the back, see how the game is going, and then we can review it together afterwards..."

Next to the two was the Japanese training and guidance team for this competition, and the post-match review was also planned in advance.

But before Yasui could finish speaking, Qi Kuo tightened the strap of his sunglasses, shook his head, turned his gaze toward the arena, and said in a deep and unquestionable voice:

"No need. I wear sunglasses precisely because of this, and I've gotten used to it after all this time."

"Besides, they are still fighting desperately, how can I, as their senior, desert my post?"

Upon hearing this, Yasui couldn't help but look towards the racetrack.

2500 meters is a long-distance race, but with the incredibly fast pace of the racehorse girl, what sounds like a long distance actually looks very short.

The race is already past the halfway mark, and the teams are already on the opposite straight line.

Perhaps it was the salty sea breeze, or perhaps it was their extreme speed; their long ears, ponytails, and sportswear—everything was stretched taut and pulled backward.

Leading the pack is still the Northern Black Horse, which took the lead right from the start.

The black-haired girl was like the night sky suddenly appearing on the green track during the day; only the sunlight gilding her with gold indicated the time and her efforts.

Following closely behind, California's dazzling golden ponytail seemed to be on fire, or rather, as the commentator described, she was like a brilliant shooting star, trying her best to break through the shroud of the night.

Two figures, one in black and one in gold, intertwined, like the alternation of day and night, or like intertwined twin stars, sparking intensely before the third bend on the opposite straight road.

Although Yasui Makoto was carrying binoculars, he put them down as soon as he looked at the air tank.

However, having been guiding and training the Northern Black Horse, and seeing close-ups of the black-haired girl on the large screen opposite him, he could clearly know, whether through memory or by watching the screen, just how hard his racehorse girl was giving at that moment.

From cheeks to neck, then to torso, arms, and legs, the taut muscles and veins on his fair skin were already showing bluish lines. With the support of his strong stamina, his long, powerful legs were crossing rapidly, each step carrying the fierce force of someone wanting to break through the track, leaving continuous, deep marks on the grass.

Behind her, California Shining was doing the same. She was following too closely. Northern Black Horse only unleashed its speed and power because of her close following. She herself was also showing a desperate attitude.

Later on, the two fighters, Unyielding Steel and Defeat Later, really got into a fierce battle.

Unyielding Steel maintained a half-body distance from its inner opponent, neither overtaking nor widening the gap, much like a patient beast waiting for its prey to reveal a weakness.

Inside, her light brown long hair and light brown ponytail, which had been straight in the air, now showed a strange curve.

It was obvious that the European girl had already started to lean forward at the end of the straight, before the decisive third corner.

This is both a countermeasure against the Unyielding Steel and a preparation for the tactical running approach to come.

She was probably just as predicted before the race, or at least similar to it, planning to use a seemingly unconventional but actually very much in line with the norms of European racing, forcing her way into the inside corner while finding the right speed for the final sprint.

The same anxiety continues.

The relentless struggle between Bu Neng Zhen Gang and Rong Hou Zai Jue prevented Ming Sheng Lei Dong and Shuang Jiang from breaking through easily, and they too were caught in a tug-of-war.

Frostfall's low-slung body almost brushed past the grass, her signature springy strides displaying terrifying explosive power on the straightaway, each stomp sending grass clippings flying like shrapnel.

Her dark brown ponytail swept across the ground, creating a series of fine ripples in the grass, while the bulging veins on her neck and the slightly reddened tips of her ears indicated that this was by no means an easy chase.

With a thunderous roar, her chestnut hair was pulled almost parallel to the ground. She deliberately slowed down her pace, and whenever Frostfall tried to break through from the outside, she would move half a step to the side like a nimble snake, forcefully blocking the opponent's path with her shoulder.

Watching this scene, Yasui Makoto had already forgotten to comfort the air tank.

His fingernails dug deeply into his palms, and his knuckles turned white from the excessive force.

"This...this is insane..."

He couldn't help but mutter to himself, his voice trembling with disbelief.

He anticipated that this match would be more intense than any he had ever witnessed before, but he never expected it to be this intense.

He had imagined countless intense scenarios in tactical simulations, but the harshness of reality far exceeded his imagination.

The tremors of every push from the Northern Black Horse, the ever-present pressure of the California Shining, the elegant yet deadly dance of Unyielding Steel and Relentless Strike, and the near-handed entanglement of Thunderous Roar and Frostfall—every scene challenged his understanding of the game.

Suddenly, the man who had been trying to comfort her pushed up his sunglasses and, with his usual calm and sharp demeanor, said in a deep voice, "What's there to be nervous about? This is just the beginning."

"Yasui, you are indeed a genius trainer, but you also know very well that what you lack is experience."

"Your surprise means you didn't expect the game to turn out this way."

"But I can tell you very clearly that this... is actually our real competition."

"Calm down, Yasui. I told you, this is just the beginning."

(End of this chapter)