Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 564 Thank you, Xiaofen
Night had fallen, and the faint sounds of gongs and suonas could still be heard from the direction of Chinatown Square, making the road leading to the subway station seem rather quiet.

The lanterns along the street had already lit up one after another, their warm red light spilling onto the stone pavement, adding a faint blush to the blue ground.

Further away, there are dumpling shops and ramen restaurants that are still open, and the night breeze carries a faint, sweet aroma of noodles.

The vendor selling roasted chestnuts pushed his cart slowly along, the chestnuts in the iron pot tumbling among the sand and stones, and the sweet, caramelized aroma wafting on the wind.

Northern Genko, Apricot Eye, and Spring and Autumn Fen strolled side by side on the street leading to the subway station, their shadows sometimes elongating and sometimes shortening under the streetlights.

Northern Black Horse still had excitement on her face, and as she walked, she gestured enthusiastically:

"...As expected, the most interesting thing today was the lion dance, right? I crawled inside the lion's head and found out how fun it was. No wonder Crown-chan has been talking about it so much."

"Oh right, when I get back I'll tell Crown-chan, she'll definitely be envious!"

"Hehe, she's been talking about it for ages, but she's never been able to attend one of these events. She must be so disappointed."

"That's a bit naughty of you, senior."

She made a joke with a smile, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling:
"But the performances of the seniors and the juniors were really, really, really amazing!"
"The senior threw Xiaofen high into the air, Xiaofen grabbed it and picked it up, and the senior caught Xiaofen steadily before it landed..."

"Every move was super, super cool! It was just as exciting as the Shine Series!"

As she spoke, she eagerly pulled out her phone, her fingers swiping rapidly to reveal a tweet:
"And I even took pictures of it... Wow!"

Her sudden shout startled both Beifang Xuanju and Chunqiu Fen. In an instant, they saw her raise her phone and excitedly exclaim:

"So many likes and shares all of a sudden! And... everyone's saying how handsome he is!"

Beibu Xuanju leaned closer to take a look, and the screen was filled with a dense array of likes and comments that made her eyes widen.

Although she knew she and Chunqiu were a good match, she didn't expect such a huge reaction online. She scrolled through her phone, unable to contain her amazement.

"Really... it's already got over 100,000 views, and it hasn't even been that long..."

As she spoke, she glanced at Chunqiu Fen and noticed that the little guy was staring intently at the phone screen, but his eyes seemed hesitant. She couldn't help but be taken aback.

In fact, ever since the lion dance ended, she had noticed that something was off about the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes.

While we were talking about today's date, the little guy excitedly chimed in, but something just felt off.

Seeing Juntu staring blankly at her now, she became even more certain of her guess.

Having gone through so much training and competition, even without looking at the analysis and evaluations of Yasui Makoto and others, she knew that her ability had reached a fairly peak level.

Although lion dancing is a sport I've never tried before, it ultimately relies on physical qualities and skills such as strength, balance, and speed.

Moreover, Yasui Makoto's training and special training included many unique extreme skills, many of which can be matched with lion dance, such as grabbing Chunqiufen while climbing a ladder, and then tossing and catching her.

So she could clearly feel that Chunqiu hesitated when she first climbed the ladder, and then she had a balance problem.

Hmm... does Xiaofen still care about the previous "mistake"?

Thinking this through, Beibu Xuanju pondered for a moment and then gave Xingmu a wink.

Almond was still immersed in the joy brought by Juntsu, but after training with Kita Genko for more than half a year, she immediately understood the meaning in the other party's eyes.

Huh? Senior, do you want to have a private chat with Xiaofen?
With her almond-shaped eyes remaining impassive, she glanced towards the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes and saw the Northern Black Horse nod slightly, so she nodded in return.

However, just as the two racehorse girls, who had exchanged ideas, were about to speak, Chunqiu suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Under the astonished gazes of Beibu Genko and Xingmu, she clenched her fists, took a few deep breaths, and then, as if she had made a great decision, strode up to the two of them.

She lowered her head, her small face struggling between hesitation and guilt. After a long silence, she suddenly bent down and stretched her hands out in front of her.

"sorry!"

Her voice trembled, and her throat tightened:

"In the lion dance competition, I... didn't actually help at all, so I... shouldn't have received this prize at all!"
"Furthermore, if Anzu-senpai were to participate, she would definitely... be able to coordinate even better with Kita-senpai. Therefore... please accept this, both of you!"

Growing increasingly surprised, Northern Genko and Apricot Eyes couldn't help but exchange a glance before looking at the outstretched hands of Spring and Autumn.

On those trembling little palms lay a palm-sized black lion dance doll.

The mane was exquisitely embroidered with gold thread, and the bright, sparkling eyes were very lively; it was the prize for the champion of the competition.

Staring at the doll, Beifang Xuanju realized that he had guessed correctly.

However, just as she was about to comfort Chunqiu Fen, Chunqiu Fen suddenly raised her head, looked at Beifang Xuanju, and continued in a trembling voice:
"Actually...actually, while we were playing today, I...always felt that you seemed to have something on your mind, senior."

"I don't know why I feel this way, but..."

"The senior was in a dim sum restaurant, a cheongsam shop, and many other places. Although he was always smiling, I always felt that sometimes... he seemed to be staring blankly at something."

"I don't know what you're thinking, senior, but... but..."

"But I've been thinking about what I should do to make my senior happy!"

After saying those words with great effort, she slowly lowered her head again.
"But... I feel so useless..."

"I was thinking that if it were a lion dance competition, even though it wasn't the Shining Series, but... if I could win, my senior would be very happy, right?"

"So I thought... I thought... but... but..."

She stammered, her voice gradually turning into a sob of grievance.

However, she suddenly raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears, yet also radiating an unwavering determination:
"In short, I can't accept this prize!"

"And this prize is said to make people lucky, so I hope you will accept it and become even luckier!"
"Because, because...because I admire my senior the most!"
“Every time I see you running on the track, no matter how many opponents you encounter, you never give up. It makes me feel that I, myself, and myself are not afraid of anything!”

"Therefore, senior, you must accept this. Please, senior,..."

The words about the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes were still on her lips, tears were already welling up in her eyes, but her hand was still stubbornly outstretched, as if she wouldn't give up until she gave away the prize.

Just then, the Northern Black Horse gently reached out and placed its hand on the Spring and Autumn Equinox's small hand.

Those hands were warm and strong, and they immediately steadied her trembling movements.

"I...I won't accept it."

Northern Black Horse's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness, while her eyes were filled with a tender, moved light.

Chunqiufen suddenly froze: "Eh...? Senior...?"

"Because even if you feel like you're not being used, even if you perform poorly, Xiaopi... still played with me, didn't he?"

Meeting the familiar crimson eyes of Chunqiufen, Beibu Xuanju's voice grew softer yet firmer:
"As long as you step onto the field, you will always be carrying expectations."

"But if you feel you have let down your expectations and are afraid to face the fact that you have competed fairly and squarely, then... wouldn't that also be a kind of letting down?"
"I have let down everyone who was hoping I could make a comeback next time, and more importantly..."

"I have let down the person I was who gave everything for victory."

"so……"

Facing Chunqiufen's somewhat bewildered but mostly excited gaze, Beifang Xuanju pushed Chunqiufen's hand back, allowing the black lion dance doll to return to her palm:
"Thank you, Xiao Fen."

"Then, accept this prize with peace of mind."

"If you really want to use it to bring me luck, there are still opportunities, many opportunities, aren't there?"

"For example, the Japan Cup later on."

(End of this chapter)