Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 398 Satomi Hikari Feels the Pressure

Staring blankly at Kita Genko, seeing the concern and sincerity in Kita Genko's eyes, Satomi Hikaru felt a warmth in his heart, and then smiled somewhat helplessly:

"As expected, I couldn't hide it from you, Xiao Bei... You must be feeling a bit down, I mean... after the Satsuki Sho, and after Crown-nee came back from Hong Kong..."

"So that's how it is..." Northern Black Horse's heart tightened.

"Hmm... I actually mentioned it to you before, Xiao Bei."

Turning her gaze away from the clothes tumbling in the glass lid of the washing machine, Hikari Satomi whispered, "At home... we're really looking forward to G1 Race Girls. All the older girls in the family have also stepped onto the racetrack for this."

"But no matter how much we train, how well we prepare, or even if we try to find all sorts of amazing trainers, the result is... the best results are still just a little bit off."

"So when we were in the dorm..."

Northern Genko hesitated for a moment, recalling what Satomi Hikari had said earlier: "Only Hikari-chan would say that she wants to take on more training...?"

"Yes, and..."

Nodding, Hikari Satomi's gaze shifted downwards to his feet: "I know I've done enough training."

"But besides more training, I... can't think of anything else I can do to break that curse."

"A curse...?" Northern Black Horse was stunned.

"Is not it?"

Finally looking at the northern Genko again, Satomi Hikari smiled wryly with a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "Whether it's Crown Sister or the other sisters and seniors, I've seen how hard they've worked."

"But even so, we couldn't win even one Game 1 match. Besides being cursed, I... can't think of any other explanation."

“This…” Northern Black Horse hesitated.

She didn't believe in curses. Compared to such vague things, she believed more in training diligently, following the competition instructions conscientiously, and at most, relying on a little luck.

"So," she asked after a moment's thought, "that's why Diamond-chan is so obsessed with curses...?"

"Ah, no, that's not it."

Satomi Hikari shook his head: "My passion for curses and breaking curses is just my own interest, but..."

She suddenly clenched her fist: "Perhaps this method can change all of this..."

"How can that be done!"

Before he could even react, Kita Genko suddenly raised his voice, and was immediately startled by his own words, while also seeing the astonished expression on Satomi Hikaru's face.

"I'm sorry, I... I don't know why I suddenly got so agitated... No, wait!"

After instinctively apologizing, Beibu Xuanju shook his head immediately.

Taking a deep breath, she met Satomi Hikari's astonished and confused gaze, leaned closer, and placed her hands on Satomi Hikari's shoulders:
"Compared to Guangzuan-chan, I certainly don't know as much about curses and such, but I think it's definitely wrong to base the outcome of a competition on such things!"

"If we keep thinking like this, I think... we definitely won't win Game 1!"

Although he didn't understand why Northern Genko was suddenly so agitated, Satomi Hikaru couldn't help but be moved by the familiar fervor and determination he saw in the other's eyes.
"Won't that mean we can't win Game 1...?"

"of course!"

Northern Black Horse nodded vigorously and said, "I admit that in the competition so far, winning often still requires a bit of luck."

"But more importantly, we need to train diligently and prepare seriously!" She then suddenly became flustered and embarrassed, saying, "Ah, no, I didn't mean that Hikari-chan isn't usually diligent and serious enough, I meant... I meant..."

Seeing the bewildered look on Kita Genko's face, Satomi Hikari blinked, then suddenly chuckled, and nodded gratefully, saying:

"It's okay, Xiao Bei, I understand what you mean."

"And to be honest, even if we consider the curse, there's really nothing I can do. All I can do is try harder."

"Thank you, Xiao Bei, I feel much better."

Smiling, she reached out to her shoulder and took the hand of Beifang Xuanju: "Then let's cheer each other on."

Yeah! Let's cheer each other on!

Seeing that her persuasion and encouragement seemed to have worked, Beifang Xuanju was very encouraged. Then, an idea came to her:
"By the way, Kozumi-chan, would you like to consider coming with me to the Tokyo arena for training in a couple of days? Or maybe just to take a look around?"

"The Tokyo venue?" Satomi Mitsuzu asked in surprise.

"Ok!"

After nodding vigorously, Beifang Xuanju said seriously, "Your next match is the Japanese derby, and the venue is the Tokyo Stadium."

"The Tokyo venue is currently under renovation, so you'll definitely need to find time to get used to it beforehand. Why not do it now?"

"Besides, you've been staying at the academy all this time, so maybe a change of environment would be more helpful for your training!"

Satomi Hikari's eyes lit up.

What she was worried about during this period, besides the pressure from her family's obsession with the G1 series, was the upcoming Japanese derby.

She wasn't lacking in confidence, nor was she lacking in focus on training.

However, she was just as confident and put in all her efforts before the Satsuki Prize, but still fell short. She is worried that a similar scene will repeat itself in the Japanese derby.

With encouragement and comfort from Kita Genko, she felt much more relaxed and thought about going to the Tokyo circuit to get used to the competition. This would not only give her more confidence in the race, but also perhaps alleviate her worries and tension.

After thinking for a moment, she nodded and said:
"That's definitely a good suggestion... I mean going to the Tokyo venue, and it was originally my trainer's arrangement for me."

"But I heard the renovation isn't finished yet, and you guys are still in special training. Won't that have an impact?"

Seeing that the light seemed to agree, Beifang Xuanju perked up immediately. She shook her head repeatedly, then nodded vigorously, saying:
"No, because our training match is in two days, and it will end a little faster than usual. After it ends, whether Guangzuan-chan wants to train together or come back, it's fine."

"And I'll also invite Xiaoxingmu over; she should be fine with it!"

"I see," Satomi Hikari nodded with a smile.
"Then I'll cheer for Xiao Bei... no, I'll observe Xiao Bei's performance in the competition."

When he responded in this way, Kozumi Satomi had no idea what the scale of the practice match Genko Kita was referring to was.

But on the day of the training match, standing outside the Tokyo stadium, she vaguely realized something.

The same period saw thunderous applause, the older sister's crown, and the recently rising star, the elegant Junyi...

Even earlier, players entered the Maze of Cleverness, Toho Lone Wolf, and Clear Sunshine of the Year of the Horse...

There are also the well-known Grand Shock, the Master of Gold, the Gold Ship, the Zhongshan Celebration...

Competing against such rivals, her childhood sweetheart, whom she grew up with, seems to have unknowingly grown to a point where she needs to look up to see her.

(End of this chapter)