Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 372 The Perplexity of the Peak

Since there are no advantages to taking the position, the situation of the Golden Performer can only be as Yasui Makoto said: he is not used to the slow pace brought by Genkoma in the north, which affects his decision.

As he made this judgment, Jifeng frowned secretly.

This isn't the first time Golden Rider has faced Northern Genko, and their last encounter was in a major tournament like Arima Kinen, so he should have a strong impression of the latter's pace.

Even if Kita Genko's rhythm is different from Arima Kinen's in this race, they should still do their research on the opponent before the race, just like they did for Takasho Junichi.

"So, why is Golden Actress so uncomfortable with the slow pace of the Northern Black Horse show?"

With these questions in mind, as the racing team was rushing across the straight line directly in front of the stands, Jifeng couldn't help but grab the railing in front of him with both hands, leaning forward as if he were about to sprint onto the track.

Leading the pack by about two horse lengths, the Northern Black Steed charged headlong towards the left bend of the track.

Behind them, closely following in front and behind, were the Medal of Honor and the Clever Maze.

Leading the vanguard group was still Golden Actress, and right behind her was Golden Actress who had failed to penetrate the inner passage.

Further on, the spot where the Golden Actress had originally stood was now occupied by Gao Shangjunyi, whom she had always paid close attention to.

As the procession sped past, Gao Shangjunyi's face flashed by almost instantly, but Jifeng could still make out a strange expression on his sister's face...

“Relaxed…?” Recalling Gao Shangjunyi’s expression, Jifeng murmured to himself as his gaze followed the other’s back.

"Go for it! Go for it, Sister Gaoshang!"

He cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, shouted "Go, sister!" to his sister, waved his hands vigorously, then twitched his ears and looked towards Jifeng.

"Sister, why aren't you cheering for Sister Gao Shang? Oh right, you just...did you say something?"

"...Ah, I'm thinking about some things."

He subconsciously responded with a smile, then stretched out his hand and waved it vigorously at Gao Shangjunyi's back a few times.

Then, without making a sound, she glanced at Yasui Makoto, who was focused on his work, and fell into thought again.

Gao Shangjunyi's behavior was strange; she felt that her younger sister was too relaxed at the moment.

It doesn't mean that I didn't run at full speed or compete seriously.

On the contrary, the sweat and tense muscles on that fleeting glimpse of her small face, along with the frequency of her breathing, arm swings, and steps, were all proof of her full effort and seriousness.

The problem is, it doesn't feel like running G1.

Jifeng has participated in G1 events before; in fact, she has participated in many competitions of this level and has achieved remarkable performances and victories.

On this top-level stage, giving your all is not enough; you have to bet everything and squeeze out every last drop of strength from your body to have even a sliver of hope for victory.

She repeatedly mentioned this point to Gao Shangjunyi when she was guiding the special training and giving instructions before today's match.

As it turned out, Gao Shangjunyi did work hard and give it his all, but he didn't go so far as to risk everything and exhaust every ounce of his strength.

This made the match feel less like Game 1 and more like a...

"A training match? A practice match...?" She couldn't help but think of this description, and slowly frowned, shifting her gaze from Gao Shangjunyi to the front of the team:

"If that's really the case, then the only reason for this situation is that she's the one setting the pace."

"The problem is, keeping the pace of the game so slow..."

Did she do this intentionally? And why...?

Jifeng was momentarily at a loss for words. Because if she weren't extremely familiar with Gao Shangjunyi, she wouldn't be able to ascertain the outcome of this match.

In this way, even if she could judge the rhythm from the speed of passing the signs, she could only assume that it was a common suppressed pace for runaway horses.

But compared to Gao Shangjunyi, she became like this, able to sense that something was wrong, yet unable to understand why.

"So, should we find an opportunity to ask this trainer...?" Lost in thought, she unconsciously looked at Yasui Makoto beside her again.

As Ji Feng pondered, thousands of eyes and cheers from the stands, along with the commentary, rushed towards the teams racing on the opposite track.
"Tens of thousands of cheers followed the eighteen racehorses as they passed the left bend of the track and were about to step back onto the starting line."

"There's still half the season left, and we need patience and to stay calm."

"On this verdant lawn in spring, the contestants in their colorful final outfits are showcasing their individual styles."

"After a smooth turn, the situation is currently calm. Let's confirm the players' positions:"

"Currently, the one controlling the pace of the race and leading by a large margin is still the Northern Black Horse."

"The Northern Black Steed doesn't have a position to accelerate at this moment. It seems that her specialty, sustained acceleration over long distances in the middle, will be activated later."

"Taking advantage of this opportunity, the second-place Honor Medal gradually caught up, and the Clever Maze also caught up. The two contestants were getting closer and closer to the Northern Black Horse."

"Behind us is a cacophony of sounds... Now it is the golden age of performers."

"Golden Dancer made a rather aggressive choice in this race, moving forward to take fourth place just before the end of the corner."

"The contestants behind did not choose to follow closely, and Wanlaizhengming chose to let Huangjinlingren pass."

"After that, the one in the very center is the Sun God Steed, and the noble and elegant Junyi behind it has come to the inner path after turning the corner, while the Dongbao Lone Wolf, which was originally in the inner path, has come to the outer path."

"It seems that the previous matches were relatively uneventful, but in reality, there were still hidden clashes."

"Then... Oh!"

The commentator suddenly raised his voice:
"It has begun! Alba has chosen to act!"
"Where is the Golden Performer? Where is the Northern Black Steed? And where is the Myriad Sounds of War?"

"His former rivals at Arima Kinen seemed unresponsive to Albah's movements, as Albah gradually moved forward on the outside and overtook his opponents!"

"Then!
"Contestant number 14, Satomi Noble, also took action!"
"The racehorse girl from a prestigious family has seized the route pioneered by Albert and is also catching up!"
"And now, the team is about to once again overcome the formidable obstacle of the Kyoto arena..."

“Second Yonozaka!

"Is the situation... about to be broken at this very moment?!"

The commentary abruptly stopped the moment that exclamation was uttered.

In an instant, unprecedented excitement resounded throughout the stadium from the broadcast:

"The Northern Black Steed... has also made its move at this moment!"

"A very obvious acceleration sprint, this racehorse girl has gradually shown her long-distance dominance from Kikusho to Arima Kinen..."

"It's starting to accelerate continuously!!"

This shout ignited the already surging roar of the stands, but what reverberated even more noticeably across the field was the ground tremor that could be heard from across the entire center of the arena.

Led by the accelerating Northern Black Horse, the sudden roar of its horseshoes thundering on the track propelled it towards the final uphill section of the Kyoto racetrack.

(End of this chapter)