Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 452 The Treasure Tomb of Dreams
"Of course it's unexpected! Why would an emperor like you suddenly come here?"

The northern black horse clenched its fists in excitement, its tail swaying with its body, but then worry crept in:

"Aren't there a lot of preparations going on for the Yasuda Memorial and Takarazuka Memorial lately? Doesn't your senior need to keep an eye on them? If you come over... won't it interfere with your work?"

Blinking his eyes, the Emperor of the East Sea suddenly chuckled.

She leaned closer, stood on tiptoe, and suddenly reached out and forcefully ruffled Beifang Xuanju's hair:

"As expected of Xiao Bei, she's always so worried."

"Don't worry, my work has been arranged all along. I finally got a chance to rest, so I came here specifically to cheer you on!"

She tilted her head, revealing a sly smile, and made a victory sign with her fingertips:

"If I were to miss the amazing race of the genius horse girl, that would be a real dereliction of duty for me as the student council president!"

"By the way, how's the preparation going? Let me, your senior, hear about it?"

Northern Black Horse blushed slightly and quickly tidied his messy hair, but felt a warm glow in his heart.

"The preparations are going very smoothly. The trainer has designed a lot of ideas and new training methods... Oh, right! It's that one that's really popular online, the one with the event!"

"Oh, the event before the derby, right? I know about it, since I was the one who got the president's approval for the event."

"President...you must be Senior Rudo?"

"Of course, otherwise who else would be the president? If it weren't for her, how could I have such a strong appeal to bring so many celebrities over?"

"I see. Your Majesty must have had a really tough time."

"No, it's all part of the job."

During their casual chat, which resembled catching up with old friends, the two unknowingly strolled towards the stadium.

The Takarazuka Memorial Ceremony is about to begin, and despite the rain today, the stands are still packed.

The commentator's warm-up was echoing throughout the stadium via the loudspeaker, and when the announcement of the upcoming introductions was mentioned, a deafening roar erupted from the stands.

Some sharp-eyed people had already spotted the Northern Black Steed and the Eastern Sea Emperor over there. Their uncontrollable screams and cheers immediately attracted more people to look over, scream, and cheer.

"Wow... this is really exciting, the Shining Series."

As he spoke with emotion, waving to the audience, the Emperor of the East Sea suddenly chuckled, shook his head, and laughed:

"If I had known, I would have run a Takarazuka raid back then."

Upon hearing his senior suddenly reminisce about the past, Beibu Genko was momentarily at a loss for words.

Suddenly, she remembered what Gao Shangjunyi and the others had said, and couldn't help but take a deep breath:
“Um… Senior Emperor.”

"Huh? What's wrong?"

"Senior, do you think... I'm considered a formidable opponent by everyone?"

"what?"

Looking over unexpectedly, the Emperor of the East Sea tilted his head, stood on tiptoe, reached out and hooked his arm around the shoulder of the Northern Black Steed, and said affectionately:

Why are you suddenly asking such a strange question?
"Oh right, is it the Japan Cup?"
"Yasui has already reported that this match will be on your schedule for the second half of the year, following the Takarazuka Memorial."

"And let me tell you a secret, I recently went to the US and Europe, and all those friends you met in Dubai..."

She deliberately drew out her words, waiting for the Northern Black Steed to show a look of surprise and anticipation before she said with a grin:

"They've already agreed to leave for the Japan Cup."

"Really?!"

Suddenly excited, the Northern Black Steed's eyes shone:

"California-chan and the others...are they really coming to Japan to compete?!"

"Of course, and when we went there, California Shining was practicing on the grass court."

The Emperor of the East Sea nodded repeatedly and said:
"You should know that she originally fought on the mud front, and she takes you, her opponent, very seriously."

"It's not just her; all the racehorse girls I've seen abroad are like this."

"So, being valued by so many racehorse girls, Xiao Bei, don't you consider yourself a recognized and formidable opponent?"

As she spoke with certainty, she clearly saw a strange hesitation flicker in the eyes of her junior, who was increasingly surprised and delighted.

She thought for a moment, then, without changing her tone, smiled as if chatting casually:
"So, you still haven't answered me. Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"for this I……"

After hesitating for a moment, the Northern Black Steed suddenly became serious.

He took a deep breath and recounted the conversation that had taken place in the hallway.

Finally, she clenched her fist and said firmly:

"...So, whether it's Gaoshang-chan, Mingsheng-chan, Huangguan-chan, or California-chan, they...all have expectations of me."

"I... I absolutely cannot let them down, I... I absolutely must win!"
Even though I'm still a little worried, a little... scared, and there are still so many things to consider, I... "I absolutely have to win!"

Clearly sensing the determination in the words of the Northern Black Steed, the Eastern Sea Emperor glanced discreetly at the clenched fist of this junior.

That fist, which seemed so small in my memory, was now trembling in a familiar way.

She was very familiar with that tremor; it was the tremor caused by what Northern Genko himself called worry, fear, and the confidence to win.

"...He's actually grown to this extent..."

"...Huh? Senior...what did you just say?"

"Ah, nothing."

Casually concealing the whisper he had just uttered in a daze, the Emperor of the East Sea smiled as he looked at the Northern Black Steed:

"Xiao Bei... is much more capable than I thought."

“I used to be just as nervous and scared.”

"I was so nervous and scared that I couldn't sleep at night, and I couldn't calm down before the competition."

"Senior...you can also...?" Northern Black Horse was astonished.

"Well, that's all in the past."

Suddenly, the Emperor of the East Sea chuckled and patted the back of the Northern Black Steed, his earlier expression of emotion vanishing.

With eyes full of admiration, she turned away from the Northern Black Horse, raised her hand, and waved:

"You're about to go on stage, go show the stage, you're... completely ready."

"If you're still nervous, scared, or worried during the competition, just remember this."

She paused, tilted her head slightly, and smiled:

"Run, run for your life...run!"

"At that moment, you only need to have this one thing on your mind."

With his hands behind his head, the Emperor of the East Sea strolled from one side of the stands to a quiet spot.

Unsurprisingly, she saw Meguro McQueen leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. She chuckled and flashed a peace sign.
"Alright, mission accomplished!"

"Done... Stop fooling around like that."

With amusement, McQueen looked at the Emperor of the East Sea with curiosity, his eyes full of inquiry:

"So, Your Majesty, what...what did you say to the Northern Black Steed just now?"

The Emperor of the East Sea smiled gently and explained simply:

"Just some encouraging words to help her relax and run with all her might."

"Eh? This..."

Megumi McQueen frowned slightly, a look of surprise on his face: "Why didn't you talk about the Hall of Fame like you did with Yasui Makoto?"

“Xiao Bei… no, the Northern Black Steed is different from us.”

After smiling and changing his tune, the Emperor of the East Sea's eyes gleamed:

"We ran on the track for a long time before we realized that to win, you really need to have your own unique reason for running."

"But to become a so-called hall-of-fame figure, one must bear more responsibilities and run for others."

"And the Northern Black Steed... has already done it."

"Perhaps, for her, carrying the expectations of others and running with all her might is her unique reason."

Megumi McQueen hesitated for a moment, biting his lip slightly, and said with some worry, "Xiao Bei... can you handle that kind of pressure?"

"She'll be fine."

Without hesitation, the Emperor of the East Sea nodded firmly, his tone resolute, his gaze fixed firmly on the arena:

"Because...this has always been her dream."

She paused, a mysterious smile appearing on her face:

"And...it's really a coincidence, isn't it?"

"What's so coincidental?" McQueen asked, puzzled.

"Of course, it's a coincidence that this is a Takarazuka memorial."

A glint flashed in the eyes of the Emperor of the East Sea:

"Dream Treasure Tomb..."

"Isn't this... the perfect stage to realize your dreams?"

(End of this chapter)