Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 449 Rainy Day
The discussion lasted a long time, from the moment of exiting the gate to the pacing in the corners, from the rhythm changes on the straightaways to the distribution of explosive power in the sprint, every detail was repeatedly scrutinized and polished by the two.

As night deepened and all was quiet, Beibu Xuanju's notebook was already filled with various tactical points.

Through repeated simulations and deductions, those abstract theories gradually transformed into a clear roadmap for the competition in her mind.

Even after the second day's presentation ended, she was still reviewing various key points.

However, when she walked with Yasui Makoto and Akime from the pre-match appearance area to the players' preparation room, she was immediately pulled back to reality by the noise.

The corridor was filled with enthusiastic reporters and fans who somehow managed to break through security and rush in.

As soon as the three approached, the group immediately surrounded them.

Flashes of light went off one after another, countless microphones and recording equipment were thrust forward, and shouts and questions instantly mingled into a cacophony of sound:

"Miss Northern Black Horse, how confident are you of winning this time?!"

Do you enjoy listening to music before a competition? What kind of music? Classical? Rock? Or folk?

"Could you tell me your winning recipe for today?!"

"Trainer Yasui, can you reveal your secret to victory?"

"In your opinion, who is the most noteworthy opponent in this competition? Is it the experienced Langri Qingtian? Or Dongbao Lone Wolf? Or the formidable rival Mingsheng Leidong from the same cohort? Or the Gaoshang Junyi, which has recently begun to emerge?"

A flood of people and questions rushed in, and Yasui Makoto immediately spread his arms to shield the two racehorse girls behind him, shouting:

"Please maintain order. These questions will be answered at a later press conference. Please do not crowd here!"

Then, somewhat disgruntled, he pointed at the people who had used the flashlights earlier:

"Do any of you have press credentials? The event rules prohibit the use of flash equipment inside the venue. How did you get in? Does any of you know these people?"

This wasn't the first time he'd faced such a situation. As Genko Kita's victories increased and his fame grew, Makoto Yasui became increasingly adept at handling these kinds of situations.

Taking advantage of diverting everyone's attention to the rule-breakers with a rhetorical question, he maintained his aggressive attitude while keeping one hand behind his back and quietly making quick hand gestures to Beibu Xuanju and Xingmu.

Northern Black Horse was also familiar with this kind of scene, but she was really concerned about the names mentioned in the question just now, and couldn't help but want to say a few words.

Reminded by Yasui Makoto, she suddenly came to her senses, quickly grabbed the somewhat dazed Almond-eyed girl, and before anyone could react, she jogged quickly toward the preparation room.

As they approached the entrance to the preparation room, the surroundings had quieted down considerably, and the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Touching his chest, he looked towards the Northern Black Steed with his almond-shaped eyes. Seeing the helplessness and感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both adversity and reflection) in his senior's eyes, he couldn't help but smile bitterly:

"That's really... exaggerated, isn't it, senior?"

Then, she became very excited:
"But this just shows that you're very popular right now, and everyone has high hopes for you!"

"If that's the case, then it's not entirely impossible..."

He chuckled and responded, then glanced at the adjacent preparation room.

A familiar figure was leaning against the wall, tidying his messy hair with a somewhat helpless expression, looking as if he had just escaped from somewhere.

Noticing the gaze of the Northern Black Steed, the other looked over, took two steps toward them, and revealed a smile that seemed to indicate he had escaped a calamity:

"You...were also stopped by those reporters?"

"Yeah, if that's what Narumi-chan says, then it means you are too." Hokuto Genko couldn't help but tease, having taken a few steps in that direction as well. Standing next to her was Narumi Raido; hearing the teasing, she smiled helplessly, pointing first in the direction she had just come from, then towards the arena:

"I was only stopped for a short while, but Sister Air Tank was completely stopped, as were the trainers."

"Is Coach Yasui one too? Shall we go watch the match first?"

As usual, the Takarazuka Memorial, as the G1 match, is the final event of the day, the penultimate match in the afternoon.

Among the racehorses that have already made their debut, some are preparing for the race. The idea of ​​the horse that is neighing loudly is to go and take a look before the trainers arrive.

Upon hearing this suggestion, Beifang Xuanju hesitated slightly. She had originally intended to stay in the preparation room and make proper preparations.

But after thinking about it again, she nodded and said:

"Let's go watch the game in the public rest area over there. It's closer to the preparation room, so it won't take too long for the trainers to get back."

"A common lounge...that's fine too."

Since it was originally a spur-of-the-moment decision, Ming Sheng Lei Dong didn't hesitate and readily agreed, "Then let's go together."

The rest area is not far from the preparation room, and there are not many people here, mostly athletes and trainers who will be competing today.

On the various television screens hanging overhead, the match was now in the gate-entry phase.

Upon seeing the image, Almond-eyed didn't react much, but Northern Black Steed and Thunderous Roar were both stunned, murmuring in unison:

"It's raining……"

"Huh? It's raining?"

After instinctively agreeing, Xingmu finally realized that on the TV screen, fine rain streaked across the lens, and upon closer inspection, one could see the splashes of water as the raindrops hit the grass and the athletes.

"It was fine just now. Sure enough, the weather forecast... can't be trusted at all."

Staring at the screen, he grumbled helplessly, then noticed the thunderous roar and the puzzled look in his eyes. The Northern Black Steed looked back and said:
"Ah, it was the day I came to Takarazuka City. The weather forecast said there would be no rain, but it suddenly started pouring rain halfway there."

"I didn't expect it to be like this today too."

While muttering complaints, Kita Genko's mind was filled with memories of his training on the heavy training field, starting from when he arrived at Takarazuka and even earlier.

Initially, for this competition, she was simply tumbling through the mud and water on the training field all by herself.

Since that date, and especially during this period of training, Yasui Makoto has been like a racehorse girl about to enter the race, training day after day in sunny or rainy weather.

Recalling the scenes of training together, she suddenly realized that her dependence on Yasui had changed without her noticing.

Her past dependence has made her habitually seek help from the other person whenever she thinks of anything difficult.

Although she does have things she wants to rely on now, she doesn't deliberately think about Yasui Makoto.

Because she knew very well, or had become somewhat accustomed to it, that when she was working hard, she only needed to slightly shift her gaze to see the other person also working hard.

"She really is reliable... Ah Zhen..." She unconsciously curled up the corners of her mouth and subconsciously reached for the small notebook full of tactics in her pocket.

(End of this chapter)