Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 397 If only I could be as strong as Xiao Bei
Actually, there was no need for a major shock or reminder; Yasui Makoto already knew that the focus should be on training content outside of his own domain.

If we were to use an analogy, the competition is like a card game.

Having territory is indeed a good card, and if you can get it at the beginning of the game, it will undoubtedly increase your chances of winning in the end.

However, a single card cannot determine the entire situation. To achieve final victory, one must consider all cards in hand, anticipate possible scenarios, and devise corresponding strategies for playing the cards.

After deciding to sign up for the Takarazuka Memorial Tournament, Makoto Yasui drafted some competition plans. Now that he has information about the training matches, he can adjust them in conjunction with the subsequent special training.

As with previous training methods, after finalizing the plan, Yasui Makoto didn't hide anything and explained the arrangements for the area to Kita Genko.

Northern Black Horse was quite used to this method of communication and naturally agreed.

As usual, after finishing his special training, he returned to the academy, changed his clothes in the dormitory, and had dinner in the cafeteria. When Kita Genko returned, he saw Satomi Hikari sitting on the edge of the bed, drying his hair with a towel.

"Huh? Hikari-chan, did you just take a shower...?"

Startled, Beifang Xuanju walked to the bedside, picked up the dirty clothes scattered on the floor, and then asked, "Wait, you're back so early today... Did you finish your special training so early?"

Goodnight, Xiao Bei, me too.

Without answering immediately, after greeting her with a smile, Satomi Hikari continued wiping the water droplets from her hair, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes, which then turned into helplessness:
"If we're talking about special training... I haven't actually finished it, but the trainer said my training volume is enough, so he told me to come back and rest."

As she spoke, she looked enviously at the northern Black Horse:
"If only I were as strong as Xiao Bei, I could take on more training."

"robust?"

He repeated it blankly, then subconsciously stretched out his back and laughed, "Indeed, I didn't feel anything before I came to the academy, but now I'm finding that I'm actually quite strong."

"During the special training period, the seniors also said the same thing. Many seniors even said that they couldn't compare to me in terms of physical strength, but they were probably just being modest."

"I see... Xiao Bei is really amazing."

After offering a compliment, seeing Kita Genko bending down to pick up a pair of mud-covered sweatpants, Satomi Hikari quickly sighed.

After Beifang Xuanju straightened up and put the dirty clothes and towels into the laundry basket, she got up from the bed and also put the clothes to be washed into her own basket:

"Is Xiao Bei going to the laundry room? Let's go together."

"Huh? Okay!" Without thinking too much, after a moment of hesitation, Beibu Xuanju quickly smiled and nodded in agreement.

Because training and competitions often get their clothes dirty, the female racehorses have a great need for clean clothes, so the dormitory building is equipped with a special laundry room.

As they walked to the laundry room, Kita Genko was enthusiastically sharing today's special training, while Satomi Kozumi smiled, nodding occasionally or adding a few words of agreement.

"...Actually, Xiaoxingmu has told me many times that she wants to go to special training with me."

Stuffing her mud-covered tracksuit into the washing machine, Beifang Xuanju casually chuckled, "But there's really nothing we can do about it. The intensity of this special training was just too high for her."

"Then the trainer was also a bit troubled by this, and he's been discussing with me what to do these past two days."

As he stuffed the clothes into the washing machine, Mitsuzu Satomi asked curiously, "I'm troubled... Mr. Yasui, do you not know how to explain this to Alimee-san?"

“No, that’s not it,” Kita Genko shook his head. “The trainer’s problem is that if he’s in Tokyo training me, he won’t be able to take care of Almond at the same time.”

“I see,” Satomi Hikari said with a hint of realization, then offered words of comfort, “But Alimee has just enrolled, and the training requirements aren’t high yet, so there’s no need to worry too much about training at school, right?” “Yes, yes, that’s what the trainer thinks too.”

Northern Black Horse nodded repeatedly and said, "Little Almond Eyes will be able to debut around next year, and then we can train in the same place."

"And these days, if Xiaoxingmu doesn't have any training tasks, her trainer will take her to the Tokyo competition venue."

“Every time she goes there, she helps me organize my training equipment and does my laundry. Although I feel a little embarrassed, it is really convenient to have Xiao Xingmu's help, hehehe.”

"That's it..."

Satomi Hikari said with a hint of envy, "It's so nice to have a reliable junior..."

"Hikaru-chan will meet a junior like Aloe-no-Miko in the future!"

After saying this with great confidence, the Northern Black Horse suddenly became a little quieter.

Her gaze shifted from the light fixture inside the washing machine to the washing machine for a moment, staring at the clothes turning inside the glass lid for a while, before looking back at it:

"Hey, Hikari-chan, you... seem to be in a bad mood, don't you?"

Before asking, Kita Genko was unsure of her own thoughts, but seeing Satomi Kozumi's surprised expression, she immediately became certain.

The feeling that my friend wasn't in a good mood didn't just come to me today; it's been there for about a month.

To be more precise, this feeling or thought intensified after the Satsuki Sho this year, and after the Satomi Crown returned to Japan some time ago.

Northern Genko is quite confident in his ability to perceive emotions.

Satomi Crown and Satomi Diamond are longtime friends. She knows the two sisters well and has some knowledge of the Satomi family.

So, by combining this understanding and these feelings, she could roughly guess what was going on.

Before participating in the Shining Series, she knew nothing about the competition, and even what she did know was mostly just hearsay.

For example, many people say that the Satomi family is a rising star after the Symbol, Sakura, and Mejiro families, which is why she used to think so too.

Especially when she was little, she would run with Satomi Kou and Satomi Kou, and no matter how hard she ran, she could never outrun them, which made her even more convinced of this.

However, once she actually stepped onto the competition field, she gradually realized that the reality was not as she had imagined.

Compared to those renowned horse racing families, the Satomi family actually lacks some foundation, specifically in terms of accumulated experience in high-reward races, especially in G1.

Therefore, Satomi probably expects to win the G1 championship even more than she originally thought.

Or rather, the pressure on Satomi Crown and Satomi Hikari was greater than she had originally imagined.

These two friends are the most sought-after female racehorses of their generation, yet they have yet to win G1.

Especially in the last two months, first Satomi Kozumi failed in the Satsuki Prize, and then Satomi Kouhaku went overseas but did not achieve the desired results. The pressure can only be imagined to be greater.

The reason my friend is in a bad mood is probably due to this kind of pressure.

(End of this chapter)