Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 514 Let's ask the opera veterans for clarification.

Northern Black Horse, Almond Eye, and Miqi Rocket were all startled. Miqi Rocket stared wide-eyed at Vodka in disbelief:
"With a senior opera singer? That means... the senior singer will also be participating in the upcoming practice matches? But... I've never heard the senior singer mention this before."

"and……"

She bit her lip, lowered her head, and spread her hands:
"What exactly did you mean by what you said, senior? Did you invite me here just to say those things?"

"It's just a practice match..."

Vodka nodded:

"On the way here, I did talk about this with a senior opera singer. She said she doesn't really like being with a lot of people, so she'll think about it and decide later."

"Well... I think I understand."

Raising his head, Miqi Rocket's eyes flashed with memories and contemplation:

"I remember my senior once said in an interview that she didn't really like playing with others when she was young, and she preferred to train alone at Treson Academy."

"The senior also revealed some embarrassing things, such as breaking school rules by sneaking out of the school to play, and being caught by Miss Junchuan and having to write a self-criticism..."

Everyone present knew that Rocket Miki had always admired good opera, so it wasn't surprising that she knew these anecdotes about her idol.

Surprisingly, compared to the flamboyance and majesty just displayed by the good opera, those anecdotes... were a bit too playful.

"Huh? Such a great opera senior... would actually do something like that?"

The Northern Black Steed was the first to cry out in alarm:

"Sneaking out of the campus... I thought only emperors would dare to do that..."

"Yes, yes, and..."

Having heard from the Northern Black Horse about the Eastern Sea Emperor sneaking out of the campus, Xingmu nodded repeatedly, her expression and tone carrying a hint of lingering fear:

"If Miss Junkawa finds out, it seems like there's no way to escape, right? I've heard that since the school was founded, it seems... no student has ever been able to outrun Miss Junkawa."

"Hmm, indeed..."

Nodding, the Northern Black Steed's tone also became respectful:

"Moreover, when faced with such a situation, Miss Junchuan becomes extremely strict, completely unlike her usual easygoing self."

"But I heard she did that because she was worried we'd get hurt, since sneaking out of the campus would probably require climbing over the wall..."

"Ah, I heard that from others, but I've never done that!"

The "Miss Surugawa" they were talking about is named Surugawa Tezuna. She is the secretary to the chairman of the board of directors of Central Tereson Academy and has assisted several chairmen.

Student safety is one of the responsibilities of the chairman's secretary. In addition, he has some contact with students in terms of academics, training, and medical care. Therefore, everyone in the academy knows Tsuna Suguru.

After recounting some of the embarrassing incidents of their predecessors, and seeing Kita Genko waving his hands repeatedly in a somewhat flustered manner, Apricot and the others couldn't help but laugh. The strange atmosphere left over from their previous "confrontation" with Good Opera had dissipated considerably.

After laughing for a while, Miqi Rocket gradually frowned, and confusion reappeared on his face:

"So, what exactly does 'good opera senior' mean?"

"In my memory, you were as easy to talk to as Miss Junchuan, so why did you act like that just now...?"

"If this is the case..."

As before, vodka was the first to respond to the Miki rocket:

"I think he was trying to comfort you."

"Courage...me?"

Pointing blankly at his own nose, Miqi Rocket looked incredulous: "Then... why didn't you just say so directly, senior...?"

"This... must be because of me..."

Suddenly looking embarrassed, Kita Genko drooped his ears a little uneasy: "Because what the good opera senior said is right, Miki-chan, your running style... is indeed largely imitating the senior."

"I didn't realize it until my senior reminded me, and then it became very obvious."

"Is this so..."

Like the Northern Black Steed, the ears of the Miqi Rocket also drooped, and its voice became self-deprecating and sighing:

"Actually, I know about this."

"Because before I debuted, I practiced by learning from my seniors. Later, when I signed an agreement with my trainer, I was told the same thing."

"Wouldn't that... cause a lot of problems?"

"Actually, my trainer reminded me, but I just couldn't control myself. I would promise myself before training and before the competition, but as soon as I stepped onto the court..."

She paused, then sighed:
"And now, even the great opera veterans are saying the same thing, and I..."

"Don't do that!"

Abruptly interrupting Miqi Rocket, and meeting her surprised gaze, Northern Black Steed turned to face her and forcefully pressed down on her shoulder:

"Don't do that, Miki-chan!"
"Didn't you hear what I just said to my senior? Imitating my senior is not a problem at all."

"And if you think about it carefully, it's not just artists; aren't the running techniques and tactics we learn now all learned from our predecessors?"
"If our predecessors hadn't used those running techniques and tactics first, how could we have learned them so easily?"

"Xiao Bei is right."

Vodka nodded repeatedly, then moved closer to Miki Rocket and placed his hand on her shoulder:
"For example, Miqi, in the race you ran with Xiaobei and the others, you used the first-difference running method, right?"

"Indeed, you are imitating the great opera predecessors in many details, but the running technique is not exclusive to the predecessors."

"Like me."

Laughing, Vodka pointed to himself with his thumb and said:
"I'm also good at the first-round-off running style. If I were on the field, many of my decisions wouldn't be too different from yours. Are you trying to imitate me?"
"Or are you going to abandon all the running techniques of your predecessors and not learn any similar ones? If that's the case..."

She suddenly laughed, then dramatically jumped up and down, bracing herself on her hands and feet, taking two steps forward headfirst.
"You'll have to compete upside down like this!"

Because of Vodka's funny antics, both Miki Rocket, Northern Black Horse, and Almond Eyes couldn't help but laugh.

"Vodka-senpai, isn't that a bit too much...?"

After laughing for a while, Beifang Xuanju regained her serious expression and looked at Miqi Rocket:

"However, I think Miki-chan understands what you mean. We can't help but learn from our seniors, so you don't need to worry about this at all."

As he spoke, seeing Miqi Rocket nod gratefully, then hesitate to speak, Northern Black Steed pondered for a moment:

"You probably want to ask what the senior opera performers want to instruct you on, right? I think I can guess that."

“…Really?”

For a moment, Miqi Rocket couldn't help but grab Beibu Xuanju's hand: "Senior Bei, then... what exactly happened?"

"Your senior is probably worried that you're just chasing after her, just... running in her shadow."

As they talked about the opera and the Miki Rocket, a hint of excitement flickered in the Northern Black Horse's eyes, a thought that lingered about the match between him and the Eastern Sea Emperor before the training camp:

"That kind of thing is definitely not what our predecessors hoped for."

"They... definitely don't want us to just run behind them, or even live in their shadow."

"Perhaps this is just my guess, but didn't the senior say that she would participate in the competition?"

"So let's use our own footsteps to ask our predecessors: are we... right or wrong?"

(End of this chapter)