Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 521 Taking on the Opera "One-on-One"

Thinking this, Alice couldn't help but show a hint of concern on her face. She turned her head and, mimicking how Yasui Makoto had comforted her before, whispered:

"It seems that Xiao Bei is planning to wait and see. How should I put it... it's a good choice. Facing a race like the 2000 meters, which is not his forte, it's okay to be cautious."

When offering comfort, she thought she had been tactful enough.

Unexpectedly, Yasui Makoto paused for a moment, as if she had seen through her thoughts, and slowly shook her head:

"It's okay, Xiao Bei... the current handling is fine."

"If I had to point out any problem, I would say it was... a bit too daring."

"……Um?"

Alice was surprised, and her true thoughts blurted out:

"You mean...it wasn't a mistake? She ran like that on purpose?"

As she spoke, she quickly looked at the racing teams on the track, frowned, and studied them for a few seconds before hesitating slightly:

"But her current state...it looks like she's given up on the fight for the lead, so you mean...this is intentional too?"

Yasui Makoto also shifted his gaze from the screen in front of him to the competition venue, and did not answer immediately.

He held his breath slightly, his eyes fixed on the black figure at the front of the group, his darting gaze seemingly trying to see through all distances and into the heart of the Northern Black Steed.

On the track, Yamato Akama remains in the lead.

It was quite obvious that, thanks to her rich racing experience, she maintained a perfect position and distance from the Northern Black Horse behind her, seemingly able to overtake at any moment, yet having enough buffer time to make various decisions.

Despite appearing to be in a restricted situation, the Northern Black Horse's posture was remarkably stable. Its chest rise and fall, arm swings, and stride frequency showed no signs of panic despite falling behind.

Compared to their already settled confrontation, the competition in the rear was significantly more intense.

The race has now passed the second bend and officially entered the mid-course cruising phase.

In the early stages, due to the actions of the Forest Treasure Cave, the entire team's formation entered a follow-up state quite early, causing a related change in position after exiting the turn.

Milan Hai, who was originally in third place, was struggling to take the lead from the start. Now, under the pressure from the crowd behind him, he had to slow down a bit.

She used the curve to adjust her position and move to the outside to avoid the enemy, and the previously tight Pioneer Group instantly became loose.

Satomi Diamond, Blazing Steed, and Satomi Crown remain in the lead. In addition, Forest Treasure Cave seems to have shaken off its anxiety and joined the battle between the first three along with Wonder Rocket.

Several female racehorses stood very close to each other, almost shoulder to shoulder, without giving an inch, seemingly trying to use this momentum to maintain speed and rhythm.

Almond Eyes had already fallen to the second row, and it was clear that compared to her seniors, her speed was somewhat strained at this moment.

However, even as her face turned bright red, she still tried her best to move forward and keep up with the pace ahead.

The players who came after them didn't change much in their positions, but the distance between them and those in front was significantly reduced. They all seemed to be waiting for the perfect opportunity to unleash their full potential.

It's much faster to check the race situation yourself than to listen to the commentary. After taking in the state of the racehorses, Yasui Makoto took a deep breath and glanced at Airi Soko beside him:

"Intentionally...you could say that. Dr. Soko, do you remember when Kita came to see me that day? It was the day they made a promise with the opera seniors for the competition." Having noticed Yasui Mako's lack of response earlier, Alice Soko, confused, had unconsciously started paying attention to the competition as well.

Hearing the question out of the blue, she was momentarily stunned before realizing that Yasui Makoto seemed to be bringing up the previous topic.

"Looking for you..."

After recalling for a moment, Alice roughly pictured Kita Genko carrying a large notebook, running from her room to Yasui Makoto's room. Nodding, she asked with a puzzled look:
"I vaguely remember... Why are you bringing this up?"

Yasui Makoto's gaze remained fixed on the racetrack. He narrowed his eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then spoke with a hint of certainty:
"That day, Xiao Bei came to me and made a bold decision that I never expected."

"She... wants to compete in the competition, to have a one-on-one battle with the opera."

He paused here, as if organizing his thoughts, or perhaps waiting for Alice to process the information.

It took Alice several seconds to understand what Yasui Makoto was saying.

"...No, wait a moment..."

A hint of doubt gradually appeared in her eyes as her gaze darted back and forth between her surroundings and the arena.

"What you're talking about... is probably a 'one-on-one' fight, right? This... this is unlikely, isn't it?"
"A one-on-one duel on the line is certainly possible, but this match involves not only a great opera, but also Yamato, that guy from Takarasu, and vodka... In short, how could she possibly go one-on-one?"

Completely misunderstanding Yasui Makoto's words, or rather, Kita Genko's thoughts, she spoke faster and faster, relying on her experience:
"Moreover, such a situation is not something you can just wish for; it depends on the match, the opponent, the venue... and even the weather."

"Moreover, this would be one thing if it were a 3000-meter race, but a middle-distance race like the 2000-meter..."

"Have you forgotten that even if that situation were to actually occur, Yamato would be fine, but there would be great operas, treasure caves, vodka, and tea houses..."

"Tell me, in a race to the last foot... who can Xiao Bei beat?"

Alice's speech, just like her name, grew faster and faster, almost catching up with the muffled footsteps faintly coming from the other side of the arena.

And Yasui was not unaware of everything she said.

"One-on-one" or "duel" are both terms used to describe a special situation in the Shining Series.

For various reasons, in a few races, there will be a situation where only two female racehorses are locked in close combat on the final straight.

Due to the unusual intensity and the fact that the outcome is more difficult to predict than in most races before the finish line, the "one-on-one" match is always a scene that race fans look forward to and talk about.

But as Alice said, such a scene is very rare due to many accidental factors.

More importantly, to win in this kind of competition, adaptability and finishing touch are both indispensable.

Both of these are things that the Northern Black Steed lacks at this moment.

However, when Yasui Makoto took in Alice's surprised expression out of the corner of his eye, his tone became even more certain as he continued speaking:
"That's why I said it was a bold decision that I never expected."

"To be honest, when I first heard Xiao Bei say that, I was just as startled as you were."

"However... I still agreed and helped her come up with a solution."

(End of this chapter)