Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 464 For the Expectations and Dreams They Bear
Upon hearing this, Beibu Xuanju was taken aback, and then eagerly pressed for an answer:
"By the way, A-Zhen... I mean, where's the trainer? Why didn't he come with you?"

"Ah-Zhen? Oh, it's Yasui..."

After a moment of surprise, the Emperor of the East Sea was about to speak when a thought struck him.

Unconsciously, she glanced at Megumi McQueen again, only to find her friend looking back at her with a knowing look. After exchanging a glance, she quickly thought of something and smiled:
"They're still behind us, but we two ran faster, so we arrived first."

"That's it..."

Northern Black Horse responded softly, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the distance outside the medical center, as if trying to catch a glimpse of that familiar figure.

Then her relaxed expression hardened slightly, and her eyes showed a hint of hesitation, along with an irrepressible curiosity.

She took a deep breath, turned to look at the two seniors in front of her, and spoke with unprecedented solemnity:
"By the way, seniors, I... have something I want to ask you."

The Emperor of the East Sea had just noticed that the Northern Black Horse was addressing Yasui Shin in a much more intimate way than before.

Because of her experience as the student council president, she couldn't help but let her thoughts drift to matters of the heart.

The tacit understanding she had developed working with McQueen over the years allowed her to discern, in that brief eye contact, that her friend had thought of the same thing.

If their guess is correct, then things will be in trouble.

If it really is related to feelings, on the one hand, school rules clearly prohibit such behavior, after all, the golden period of a female racehorse's career is extremely short, and feelings can easily affect the race.

In particular, the Shining Series has an idol-like nature, and if not handled carefully, it can affect fan support and one's own reputation.

On the other hand, these kinds of things are extremely difficult to handle. She and McQueen have experienced this before, but the results have never been optimistic.

Either the horse girls perform poorly in subsequent races, or the trainers are disciplined, or more often than not, both are true, and they can only try to minimize the impact.

Moreover, not only them, but even the former presidents have not found a proper solution to this situation.

This development was clearly unexpected for them. Seeing the solemn expression on the Northern Black Steed's face, the Emperor of the East Sea felt a headache coming on.

With a heart full of trepidation, she quickly exchanged a glance with her friend, and seeing the same worry in her eyes, she pinched her thigh hard to calm herself down. Turning her gaze to the northern black horse, she asked:
"So, Xiao Bei, what kind of thing is it that you want to talk about?"

The East Sea Emperor and Megumi McQueen exchanged glances so quickly and in such perfect harmony that the Northern Black Horse, preoccupied with its own thoughts, failed to notice.

Hearing the question, she perked up and then spoke slowly and earnestly:

"It was during this Takarazuka Memorial that, after I crossed the finish line... I suddenly noticed something extremely strange, but I wasn't quite sure what it was."

"However, seeing the Emperor's President now, I feel... it seems to be related to what the President said."

"Is it...related to me?"

The Eastern Sea Emperor was stunned for a moment, but she quickly realized that the Northern Black Steed's claim... was definitely not a matter of feelings.

Realizing this, she felt a great sense of relief and murmured to herself:
"It concerns me, that's good, that's good... It's good that it concerns me..."

"Eh……?"

The Northern Black Steed looked puzzled, clearly not understanding the Eastern Sea Emperor's meaning, and pressed for an answer:
"What...that's good...?"

"Ah ha ha, well, this..." The Emperor of the East Sea quickly chuckled, trying to cover up his earlier lapse in composure.
"Well... if it's related to me, then I... yeah, right, since it's related to me, then I can help you solve it, so that's why I said that's fine, right, McQueen?"

Megumi McQueen realized that what Genko Kita was about to say probably had nothing to do with feelings.

So she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly echoed in agreement:
"That's right, the Empress... is very capable. Xiao Bei, she can help you solve any problems you have."

"Besides, I'm here, and I'll lend you a hand!"
"Anyway... Xiao Bei, please continue. We are listening carefully."

"Yes, yes, we're all listening attentively!"

Seeing that his friend had tacitly helped him smooth things over, the Emperor of the East Sea nodded repeatedly:
"In short... Xiao Bei, please continue!"

"Mmm Good!"

Although he vaguely sensed that something was off about the two seniors in front of him, Beifang Xuanju didn't think much of it and just nodded gratefully.

She then pursed her lips, pondered for a moment, and then recounted in detail her experiences after crossing the finish line.

After she finished speaking, she slowly raised her hands, just as she had done before, and clenched her fists tightly:
"...That's roughly it, and...I think I understand a little better what I was feeling back then."

Listening to the description from the Northern Black Steed, the Emperor of the East Sea had calmed down from the misunderstanding.

As the other person went into more detail, she could clearly see the girl's face flushed with excitement.

They also realized that, besides feelings, there was another important thing for the Northern Black Horse.

After pondering for a moment, seeing the Northern Black Steed pause, she didn't give a conclusion, but instead pressed for an answer:
"...So, what did you feel?"

As she spoke, she put one hand behind her back and quietly made a gesture.

Noticing her hint, Megumi McQueen turned his head without making a sound, took two steps away as if admiring the scenery, and then quietly left out of the sight of the Northern Black Horse.

Unaware of the commotion around him, Beifang Xuanju lowered his head and stared at his fist:
"Perhaps... that's why I'm running..."

Upon hearing this uncertain statement, a strange light flashed in the eyes of the Emperor of the East Sea.

She still didn't give any conclusion, and continued to press for answers:
Tell me, what is your reason for running?

"For...the expectations and dreams we bear."

Suddenly looking up, and completely different from before, the Northern Black Steed's voice trembled slightly, yet was extremely firm:
That's how I felt at that time:
"The racehorse girl's expectation and dream is to become an emperor's senior;

"For the sake of my grandparents' expectations and dreams of seeing me run beautifully on the track;
"For the sake of Mingsheng-chan, Huangguan-chan, and Gaoshang-chan's expectation and dream of overcoming their powerful selves;
"Little Almond and Little Lilac's expectations and dreams for their seniors to win;
"And there are also the expectations and dreams of my fans and supporters;

"And... Ah Zhen's expectations and dreams."

"Because of these things, carrying these burdens, I have become more and more powerful and stronger, and have been able to win the game time and time again."

She clenched her fists, as if trying to gather all her emotions into her palms.

The roar of the track, the cheers of the spectators, the panting of the opponents—all rushed in and then receded in an instant, leaving only the pounding of the heart:
"Senior Emperor, I think... I am just that kind of racehorse girl. I exist and run for these reasons."

(End of this chapter)