Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 574 Our opponent is not just her

Training soon resumed, and back on the sidelines, seeing Yasui and the others intently watching the training on the track, occasionally frowning and whispering to each other, Almond-eyed remained silent, biting her lower lip and tightly clutching the water bottle she had prepared for Northern Genko.

As she looked at the Northern Black Horse on the track, watching it being bumped, adjusted, and impacted again and again, her little face was filled with tension and undisguised shock.

During the break, as she jogged over to hand over towels, drinks, and energy bars, she couldn't help but speak with a hint of worry: "International competitions... are they really this... cruel... Senior Xiao Bei, you..."

Before she could finish her worried words, she suddenly noticed a rustling commotion in the stands. Turning around, she was startled by the surging crowd and the dense array of telephoto lenses:
"Wow, w-w, why are there so many reporters here all of a sudden...?"

Beside her, Golden Ship took a sip of water, glanced in the direction of her gaze, and pursed his lips:
"Ugh, these guys are like flies that have caught a whiff of something, so annoying."

Yasui Shinya glanced at the stands and couldn't help but frown.

The Japan Cup Game 1 is somewhat different. While other Game 1s are being prepared for, there are usually reporters covering them, but due to restrictions imposed by the URA Association and Treson Academy, the number is relatively small, and now, during the preparation phase for the tournament, there are even fewer.

However, the Japan Cup will attract more overseas media. Even with similar restrictions, at least a few media outlets from each region will be able to come and film, which will significantly increase the number of participants.

The student council had warned about this before, and it was mentioned in the announcement. It was an unavoidable training disruption, so Yasui glanced at the stands and spoke, his tone calm but carrying a hint of barely perceptible helplessness:

"There's nothing we can do about it, that's the Japan Cup. Every second is scrutinized under a magnifying glass. You'll get used to it."

He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back:

"Alright, break over, next round! Focus on practicing the core combat techniques we just discussed!"

As the northern black horse began training again, several female racehorses watched this side of the track with tense and attentive attention.

If Northern Black Horse were here now, he would be surprised to find that the noble and elegant, the thunderous, the Satomi Crown, the Satomi Diamond... it's all her friends and family.

Or it would be more accurate to say that the group of friends and family, plus the opponents in the upcoming Japan Cup, such as Wan Lai Zheng Ming, and Tenchi Song, whom the Emperor met around the time of the autumn viewing.

One of the reasons they gathered together to focus on the training of the Northern Black Horse was, of course, to be concerned about the condition of their friend and rival.

On the other hand, the Tokyo venue, while not small, could not accommodate the dozen or so participants and their training teams at once. Therefore, they adopted a phased approach, and Gao Shangjunyi and his group were the next batch after Beifang Xuanju and his group.

While watching the race, several horse racing girls were also chatting quietly:

"Xiao Bei... is still finding it very difficult to cope."

Satomi Kōji's expression was serious: "That level of collision is almost never seen in G1 in China."

Hearing her sister's words, Satomi Hikari nodded slightly, her eyes filled with worry and a flicker of newly ignited fighting spirit: "Are all overseas competitors like this? It feels so intense..."

"In Hong Kong... it feels okay, but it's more intense, especially in races with European and American female racehorses participating."

After explaining for a moment, Satomi Crown looked at the thunderous roar and said, "It should be more obvious in Europe, right?"

"Yes, that's the style of play in Europe; it allows for more physical contact."

Nodding, Thunderous Roar gazed at the Northern Black Steed on the track, and continued in a complex tone, filled with both satisfaction and caution:
"However, Xiao Bei is adapting quickly, and her learning ability... remains as formidable as ever."

After saying this, she paused, her gaze shifting to another training area in the distance:
"And then, our opponent... isn't just her..."

Following her gaze, one could see that top Japanese players such as Tianxia Weiyi and Jiangwei Lijiu were also diligently training to adapt to the venue. Their training was equally hard and sweaty, but their style appeared more "disciplined" and "restrained".

Further away, the training style of overseas racehorse girls is completely different. It's more like rugby or boxing training. When racehorse girls like Burst and California Shining run, their bodies collide frequently and intensely, shouts are constant, and their movements are extremely large. At first glance, it looks like they're about to wrestle together at any moment.

"Isn't this...a bit too much...?"

Staring dumbfounded at the situation, Gao Shangjunyi pulled down his hat brim:

"If this happened on the field, wouldn't I... get knocked away in no time? Ouch!"

Holding her head, she looked around blankly and saw that her sisters were all looking at her with suppressed laughter. Even Ming Sheng Lei Dong, whose face was usually cold, couldn't help but smile. Meanwhile, Tian Di Song, who was beside her, slowly put away his hand and pushed up his glasses.

"...Xiao Song, why did you hit me...?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about."

Pushing up his glasses again, and nodding with an air of matter-of-fact, Tian Di Song crossed his arms and looked in the direction where the overseas athletes were training:
"It's just that the confrontation is a bit more intense, it's not like we're really going to fight, why are you so scared?"

"You're going to be racing in the Japan Cup, and you're already scared? Why don't I talk to Sister Gyokumine and the others and ask you to withdraw from the race? That way you won't embarrass yourself on stage."

"Let me make this clear first: if you act like this on the field, don't ever say I know you again."

"Uh, uh, this, this..."

Gao Shangjunyi panicked for a moment: "I... I was just saying, why are you taking it so seriously, Xiao Song..."

Seeing that she was still hesitant and weak, the Heavenly Emperor Song was immediately furious. Just as she was about to speak, she was suddenly interrupted by a loud voice from the side.

"Ah—! Look! This power! This passion! This unrestrained collision! This is no longer an elegant waltz, this is..."

Completely oblivious to the astonished gazes of Tian Di Song and Gao Shang Jun Yi, Wan Lai Zheng Ming, who had remained silent until now, watching the training ground with sparkling eyes, suddenly pulled out her violin from somewhere, placed it on her shoulder with perfect posture, and exaggeratedly swiped the strings with her other hand, as if the intense competition before her was not training, but the prelude to a grand performance.

With an expression of rapture, she exclaimed in an exaggerated tone:

"This is the most exhilarating movement of the Symphony of Destiny! It's the wildest collision and resonance of notes on the track! Ah—my inspiration has struck, and I can't help but improvise!"

As she spoke, she actually pretended to "pull" something, her body swaying wildly to a non-existent melody.

However, no piano music filled the air; only her absorbed performance.

An awkward atmosphere gradually filled the air. Tian Di Song was the first to react. She hesitated for a moment, then tugged at Gao Shang Jun Yi's sleeve:

"Dear Mr. Gao, what exactly is this...?"

"...It's nothing, it's just..."

Gao Shangjunyi sighed and rubbed his forehead, muttering under his breath:

"...She forgot to charge the player in her violin yesterday..."

The Heavenly Emperor Song tilted his head, feeling a huge question mark appear on the top of his head:

"……Eh?"

(End of this chapter)