Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 364 An Opponent I Desire to Defeat No Matter What
The two horse racers in front of Gao Shangjunyi were her younger sister, Qiangji, and her older sister, Jifeng.

She was not surprised by her sister's appearance.

Although the thought of attending the Emperor's Spring Appreciation Ceremony felt very sudden, I was completely unprepared, both mentally and in terms of ability.

Regardless, being a racehorse girl, she knew very well that whether she was ready or not, she should do her best to win this race.

Or rather, it is precisely because I feel I am not ready that I need to work even harder to prepare.

That's why, after the dinner that day, she hesitated and struggled for a long time before deciding to ask her older sister, Jifeng, to help her with special training.

With G1-level skills, over 20 tournament experiences, and more than three years of active experience, having such an older sister to help him, he might be able to gain some experience and skills in his upcoming preparations.

She had thought about this before, but each time she hesitated and ultimately gave up.

I still feel that, in terms of talent and ability, both my older and younger sisters are far superior to me.

Compared to their glamorous appearance, I am far too ordinary.

Perhaps, even if she accepted guidance, she would only be wasting their time and energy. That was her initial thought.

But for some reason, during this Emperor's spring outing, she inexplicably felt hesitant and uneasy... but also desperately wanted to win.

"So, no matter what kind of special training my sister arranges, or what she says, I... will definitely stick to it." She had already made this decision after seeing her sister's surprised agreement that day.

However, upon hearing her younger sister's cough, she couldn't think about her training anymore and focused all her attention on her sister.

"Wow~"

Hearing Gao Shangjunyi's concern, Qiang Ji's eyes lit up. He deftly and nimbly vaulted over the railing and began circling around Gao Shangjunyi.
"That's strange, you... you actually care about me so much?"

She stopped in front of Gao Shangjunyi, grabbed her sister's clothes like a kitten, and rubbed against them: "This is...so touching!"

Then, tilting her head and looking suspicious, she said, "But, to say something so caring just now, are you... really Sister Gao Shang?"

Feeling a bit of a headache and a bit helpless, Gao Shangjunyi struggled for a moment before sighing heavily at his younger sister's antics:
"...Hey, stop messing around, Qiangji, can't you just answer the question properly...?"

Upon hearing this, Qiang Ji smiled slyly and was about to speak when Ji Feng's voice came from behind her.

"Alright, Strong Strike, stop fooling around. The noble training isn't over yet."

As he spoke, Jifeng walked up, patted Qiangji on the shoulder, smiled, and looked at Gao Shangjunyi with a reassuring gaze:

"Don't worry, didn't you hear from the doctor before? There were no problems with the surgery, and the recovery has been very good."

"So instead of worrying about others, you should focus on your own Emperor enjoying the spring."

Gao Shangjunyi immediately felt relieved.

Her younger sister was more outstanding than her, and this wasn't a self-pitying thought on her part.

As a Uma Musume (horse racer) who debuted last year, Kōki was the most popular in the first two races.

Although I didn't get the first win in the first race, it was still a good result, and I was only less than half a horse length away from winning.

The second match was a resounding victory, which is enough to prove how outstanding the younger sister is.

As if the heavens were jealous of her talent, after successfully advancing to the top prize competition with outstanding results, her younger sister developed asthma and stomach problems.

Despite trying his best to recover before the competition, it still seriously affected his performance, and he only scored 12 points in both the Tulip Awards and the Hundred Flowers Cup.

To outsiders, 12 places might not seem like much. But those who know Qiangji's physical condition understand that there were 16 participants in those two competitions, and Qiangji's ability to achieve 12th place despite his illness is enough to prove his immense talent and strength.

It was clearly ineffective to adjust training and competition at the same time, so Qiangji had to temporarily leave the competition and undergo related surgery. He is still recovering and has therefore missed the Cherry Blossom Scenic Tournament and Oak Tournament, two of the Triple Crowns.

Now, seeing that her younger sister was not discouraged by missing the classic match, and that her older sister said it was no problem, Gao Shangjunyi felt relieved and shifted his attention to the Emperor's Spring Appreciation match.

"Tianchun... Of course I've been paying attention."

Although he said he had invited his sister over, Gao Shangjunyi's tone inexplicably carried a hint of rebuttal when he spoke: "If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have invited my sister over..."

"That's true."

Hearing his sister's rebuttal, Jifeng wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled teasingly:

"After all, I had said I wanted to help Gao Shangqin before, but she refused me with the excuse that she could do it herself. This made me feel so useless as her older sister."

Gao Shangjunyi suddenly felt embarrassed and awkward:
"W-what noble relative? That kind of nickname... Sister, don't you feel ashamed? Besides... I... I never said anything like that about you..."

Seeing Gao Shangjunyi's panicked appearance, both Jifeng, who was joking on purpose, and Qiangji, who was watching the show with amusement, secretly smiled.

Then, Jifeng's smile faded, and he gradually became solemn as he said:

"Alright, enough joking around."

"To be honest, I was quite surprised by your request, Gao Shang, but since you asked, I, as your older sister, certainly can't keep it from you."

"First of all, I want to say that I'm not good at long-distance races, you should know that, right?"

Although still a little embarrassed, Gao Shangjunyi quickly nodded and said, noticing his sister getting serious:

"Um...I know."

Whether you see her training or her competitions, you can tell that she is suited to races in the range of miles and medium distances.

To be more precise, the range of 1600 meters to 2200 meters is where my sister excels.

However, based on my current training and competition performance, my strengths lie in the 2200-3000 meter range, which is the middle and long distance.

"Therefore, you must listen carefully to the trainer about the specific tactics, running methods, and strategies to be used during the Emperor's Spring Viewing Ceremony. You cannot be ambiguous about any part of the training."

Seeing Gao Shangjunyi nod, Jifeng also nodded, and then began to stretch his body while standing still:

"And what I can teach you is a little trick."

"To be honest, I haven't succeeded with this technique most of the time, but it's not a bad thing for you to learn it."

As she said this, a complex look flashed in her eyes, then she smiled and pointed to the track:

"Then let's not delay any longer. Let me warm up and we'll start training now."

Nodding subconsciously, Gao Shangjunyi was taken aback, then said with a mix of complaint and confusion, "Wait, wait a minute, sister, you haven't told me what the technique is yet..."

"It's very simple."

Continuing to stretch his body, Jifeng looked towards the training ground: "This technique is..."

"If you encounter a competitor in a competition who you care about a lot and want to beat no matter what, how do you catch up with her, or how do you prevent her from catching up with you?"

(End of this chapter)