Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 562 Green Picking Competition
"Really?!"

With an excited shout, Chunqiufen's ears twitched repeatedly:

"That's wonderful! Shall we... shall we begin now?"

After eagerly asking the question, she suddenly shook her head nervously:
"No, we can't rush this. We need to practice some more, otherwise we won't be able to keep up with our seniors..."

As she spoke, she looked at the staff member who was still demonstrating, and was about to continue taking a step when she suddenly felt her cheek being pinched.

"Huh...? Senior?" She stared blankly at Beifang Xuanju, who was pinching her cheek.

"Don't be so nervous," Beifang Xuanju said with a smile, turning back to Chunqiu Fen's face.
"I'm here for you, so don't worry about anything."

"Besides, we're here to have fun, so the most important thing is to have a good time, right?"

Looking into the eyes of the Northern Black Horse, Chunqiufen clearly saw that there was no urging in those crimson eyes, only gentle encouragement. She couldn't help but feel relieved, and her gaze unconsciously became firm.

"Yes! I... understand!"

……

This is the first time that Beibu Xuanju has tried lion dancing.

She was very interested in the Satomi Crown project when she heard about it before, and she wanted to try it out when she came to see it with her friend last time.

This time, however, she got her wish. From backstage preparations to stepping onto the stage, her mind was not on herself, but on the Spring and Autumn Equinox behind her.

The lion's head wasn't heavy for the racehorse girl, but she felt that it would be a bit difficult for Haruki and Akatsuki to lift it, so she volunteered to control the lion's head from the front and Haruki and Akatsuki from the back to control the lion's tail.

Even so, she remained fully focused on watching what was behind her, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

However, when she actually started walking to the rapid drumbeats, she was surprised to find that the little guy behind her... didn't seem to need her worry.

The wooden stakes on the stage... or as the lady in the cheongsam explained, they were called plum blossom stakes. When she watched from below the stage, the tallest ones were seven or eight meters or even taller, and the shortest ones were one or two meters.

This time, probably to accommodate players like her and Chunqiufen, the entire plum blossom stakes were changed to a different set.

The tallest is only a little over a meter, while the shortest is about the height of a small stool. The distance between the stakes also seems to be a bit smaller.

Despite this care, she still felt fine, but thought the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes might be a bit difficult.

However, whether she was stepping forward on the plum blossom stakes or jumping over slightly longer gaps, she could clearly feel that those behind her could keep up with her pace perfectly.

Moreover, due to her sensitivity to music, even though the music for the lion dance was unfamiliar, she could still find the rhythm and coordinate her steps and the movements of the lion's head.

As for the rhythm, even the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes... can keep up.

She couldn't help but be surprised.

Is it possible to keep up with the music so quickly after just a short time backstage with the staff...?

No, that's not right...

It wasn't following the music, but... it was following me.

To be able to keep up with me so easily, Xiaofen... you really have amazing talent...

The Northern Black Steed was secretly amazed ahead, unaware that the Spring and Autumn Equinox behind him was currently in a complete mental blank.

She never imagined that she would not only meet her idol face-to-face one day, but also participate in events together.

So, caught up in her unexpected excitement, she had long forgotten the staff's demonstration and her previous plans.

At this moment, she was only moving forward on instinct, driven by the thought that she "couldn't let her seniors down."

The excitement and tension came to an abrupt end when she realized that the stage had stopped. She snapped back to reality and discovered that the audience surrounding the stage seemed to have already erupted in thunderous cheers and applause.

"These two girls are amazing!" "Yeah, other tourists have gone up there before, but none of them coordinated as well as they do."

"They all seem to be Uma Musume girls, right? Uma Musume girls are really amazing."

"What are you talking about? Can't you tell that the one in front is the Northern Black Steed!"

"Really? I didn't see it clearly..."

"I saw her! It's Northern Black Horse! I saw her before she went on stage, it was her!"

Amid cheers and applause, the calls for the Northern Black Horse grew louder and louder. Even though it wasn't his own name, Chunqiufen felt increasingly nervous and excited.

No, she couldn't help but cheer inwardly. As expected of a senior, she has so many people who recognize her wherever she goes... She's really amazing!

At that moment, she suddenly felt that the Northern Black Steed in front of her seemed to move to the side. Instinctively, she felt that it was going to jump to the side and thought that it was going to continue, so she jumped after it.

After the dance, she felt the lion dance costume on her head lift up, revealing the concerned and inquiring face of the Northern Black Horse:
"So, Xiao Fen, it's time for the match, are you ready?"

"A...competition?"

Spring and Autumn Equinox were taken aback, and then they saw that behind Northern Black Horse, several staff members dressed in Tang suits brought up two ladders.

Each ladder looked to be about ten meters long, with green vegetables wrapped in red silk hanging at the top. She now knew that it was called "picking greens," and the competition later would involve using lion's head meatballs to pick them.

A competition? And the opponent...

Somewhat flustered, she glanced around and quickly spotted a young woman in a cheongsam leading two men dressed in red and yellow lion costumes carrying a lion head onto the other side of the stage.

She was well aware that the physique of a racehorse girl was unmatched by humans.

But thinking about her slender arms and legs, which weren't even fully developed yet, and seeing the two men's forearms that were thicker than her thighs, she couldn't help but have second thoughts.

It wasn't that she felt her strength was inferior to the other party's, but the thought of having to cooperate with the Northern Black Steed and fearing she would be a burden resurfaced in her mind.

She involuntarily reached out and tugged at the hem of Beifang Xuanju's robe:

"Senior, um... how about..."

"Alright! Now that we're all ready, let's go all out, Xiao Fen!"

Immediately sensing Chunqiu Fen's retreat, Beibu Xuanju interrupted before she could finish speaking:
"You two worked so well together just now, we're sure to win this match, right, Xiao Fen?"

"Ah, this, this..."

It seemed that the Northern Black Horse truly wanted to win this match. Chunqiu couldn't help but admire her idol's fighting spirit even more, and at the same time, she gritted her teeth and nodded vigorously:
"...Yes! I will try my best!"

"Yes! That's more like it!"

Smiling, the Northern Black Steed lowered the lion dance costume it had just lifted, and a vibrant voice emanated from the lion's head:
"We're both ready, and we can start anytime!"

Upon hearing her words, Chunqiu Fen quickly took a few deep breaths, while the lady in the cheongsam took over as host and announced the start of the competition.

Perhaps because there were more people participating in the lion dance competition from the Northern Black Horse, the cheers from the audience upon hearing the announcement were noticeably more enthusiastic than all the previous ones combined.

This made Chunqiu Fen even more nervous. When the Northern Black Horse in front walked towards the ladder that had been set up, she didn't even have time to react.

Oh no, this is really going to cause trouble for my senior later...

Feeling like she couldn't breathe, Chunqiu Fen gripped the lion dance costume on her head tightly.

Suddenly, a clear whistle came through the fabric, and she was startled.

The next second, she felt a pull from the front and realized that the game had started.

(End of this chapter)