Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 499 What if I don't perform well in my debut battle?

On the way back to the hotel, the evening breeze carried the unique humid scent of Atami City, gently rustling the palm leaves along the street.

Northern Black Horse walked ahead, carrying several dolls in his arms, but his eyes were always on Almond Eyes behind him.

While they were still at the barbecue restaurant, Xingmu was chattering away, but she didn't say much after parting ways with Miqi Rocket.

Or rather, the little guy became silent after leaving the arcade.

As they approached the inn, Xingmu, still with her head down, absently kicked at the pebbles on the road. Beifang Xuanju remained silent, but he had a guess in his mind.

It was probably what she said to Miki-chan that made Almond Eyes have some ideas...

After all, if we're talking about following in the footsteps of one's seniors, Xiaoxingmu... is probably doing the same thing.

But the goal is to surpass me. We haven't debuted yet, so our adaptability... should be different. Thinking about it this way, there are still many things I don't understand.

If it were A-Zhen, she would probably help Xiao Xingmu analyze what to do. As for me... it seems like all I can do is stay with Xiao Xingmu?
Hmm... not necessarily. At the very least, I can train with her and guide her on how to improve herself.

But it seems like A-Zhen can do that too, like in chase training...

Speaking of which, I haven't beaten A-Zhen in the chase training yet, nor have Xiao-Xiao-Mu, so I have to work harder myself...

Wait, why am I suddenly thinking about something else...?

We should first think about how to talk to Xiaoxingmu about it...

With his thoughts racing, the Northern Black Steed still didn't take the initiative to speak.

Perhaps it was today's trip to Izu and my time with Miki Rocket, or perhaps it was earlier when I realized my status as a senior.

In short, Northern Genko felt more and more that even if he wanted to help others as before, he couldn't just rush in with enthusiasm without thinking about anything else.

This is just like what Grandpa once said: there's no use in rushing things.

That kind of thing is like brewing tea. You need to patiently wait for the tea leaves to slowly unfurl before you can see their shape. If you rush to stir it, you'll only muddy the water, and then you won't be able to see anything or help at all.

So, can we wait until tomorrow? Or a few more days, and then talk to Xiaoxingmu again...?

Just as she was thinking this, Beifang Xuanju suddenly felt her clothes being tugged. She looked over in surprise and met a pair of bright, almond-shaped eyes.

"Senior Xiao Bei, I suddenly realized..."

With a rare hint of hesitation, she tilted her almond-shaped eyes upturned her small face and pondered:
“I always say I want to surpass my seniors, but if you ask me how exactly to do it, actually… I’m becoming less and less confident.”

"Eh……?"

Northern Black Steed blinked, then widened its eyes in surprise:
"How could you think that way? Xiaoxing's training performance has always been very good. The day before yesterday, when you were training the sprint rhythm, even Senior Hayako and Senior Yamato praised you."

"I know, but... training is training, and a match is a match."

Xinmu scratched his cheek, his tone tinged with helplessness:
“In the past, I only watched my seniors run on the track, and the competition videos were all of my seniors winning and crossing the finish line. I always felt that debuting was a natural thing.”

"But after enrolling, I found that many of my classmates had a very difficult debut battle."

"Especially some people who are in great shape during training, but when it comes to the actual competition... all sorts of problems will arise."

As she spoke, she looked down and saw a pebble about the size of a thumb at her feet. She kicked it lightly, lowering her voice:

"Like Senior Miqi, her skills are quite good, but her debut battle was also bumpy. In short, I suddenly realized that the competition... isn't as simple as I thought at all."

The arm holding the doll tightened, and Beibu Xuanju was speechless for a moment.

Before parting ways with Miki Rocket, the three of them sat on a bench by the sea and enjoyed the breeze for a while.

Perhaps it was the sea view at dusk that made people open up, and Miki Rocket talked about his experiences after his debut.

In four consecutive matches, he came in second place in three and only stood on the champion's podium once.

Judging from these results alone, they are absolutely remarkable and are enough to prove her strength.

But the competition after that was like a roller coaster ride. First, he barely managed to get fifth place, and then he suffered a crushing defeat of thirteenth place in the Satsuki Sho.

It wasn't until the later qualifying rounds that she gradually regained her form and slowly accumulated enough points to qualify for the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Competition.

Such ups and downs are indeed much more difficult compared to the experience of the Northern Black Horse, which reached its peak right from the start.

Sure enough, Little Almond Eyes heard everything we said...

Looking at his junior who was bowing his head and remaining silent, Beifang Xuanju unconsciously tightened his grip on the doll.

She racked her brains, trying to think of something to say to ease the somewhat heavy atmosphere. Suddenly, her almond-shaped eyes looked up, revealing their bright, sparkling light once more.
"Actually, when I listened to my seniors talk about many things today, I kept thinking, what should I do if I don't do well when I debut?"
"If you're like many of your seniors and classmates, who have prepared for a long time but still can't even get in..."

"Will not!"

Unable to resist interrupting, Beifang Xuanju unconsciously loosened his arms, letting the doll fall, and reached out to press down on the shoulders of the almond-shaped eyes:

"Little Almond Eyes... you will definitely debut successfully! You will surpass your seniors' dreams... and you will definitely achieve them! I will definitely help you... no, I will achieve them with you!"

As soon as the Northern Black Horse spoke, Almond Eyes swiftly reached out and caught the falling doll.

"Senior Xiao Bei..."

Just like before, Beifang Xuanju held the doll in her arms, staring blankly at Beifang Xuanju with her almond-shaped eyes, then suddenly revealed a familiar look of confidence:

"That's right! That's exactly what I think! And... it's precisely because the competition is so difficult that winning is meaningful!"

"Eh...?" Completely unprepared for Almond's reaction, Kita Genko's eyes widened slightly.

"Is not it?"

Seeing the reaction of the Northern Black Steed, Almond Eyes hesitated for a moment, then a stubborn smile appeared on her lips, and her tail curled upwards:
"My dream is to surpass my predecessors and become a racehorse girl who is better than all of them, right?"
"If that's the case, how can I prove that I'm better than my seniors if I can win the game so easily?"

"Isn't it because it's difficult, something others find hard to do, that you have to win and accomplish it to prove you're better than others?"

She suddenly clenched her fists, and gratitude flickered in her eyes as she looked at the Northern Black Steed:

"So, I am actually very grateful to Senior Xiao Bei."

"I was able to see and learn so much by following my seniors."

"If it were me, I would probably only become more and more insecure the more I think about it, but now..."

"Whether it's the debut battle or future competitions, no matter how difficult it is, it doesn't matter. Winning a battle like this... that's who I am!"

(End of this chapter)