Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 590 No joke
On the rest day after the Japan Cup ended, Genkoma of the North truly lived up to their reputation as hosts.

Before California Shining and the others even arrived in Japan, she had done her homework well in advance. Now that she had finally met them, she excitedly dragged California Shining, Frostfall, and Rengoku to almost all the famous tourist attractions in Tokyo for several days.

The boisterous joy washed away everything, and the palpitations and confusion that had arisen in the hot spring that night, which had made her feel uneasy, seemed to be temporarily sealed away.

However, when she was alone in a hotel or her own bed late at night, those feelings would uncontrollably surface and linger in her mind.

When the rehabilitation training began, I inevitably saw Yasui Makoto every day, and that subtle feeling not only returned, but seemed to have intensified.

It's not like a sudden storm.

It's more like a pond ruffled by the wind during the monsoon season, creating circles of fine, annoying ripples.

She could even clearly feel that her concentration during training had decreased, and she would unconsciously become distracted by a simple instruction from Yasui Makoto or a close inspection.

At night in the dormitory, despite being exhausted from the day's training, she couldn't help but toss and turn in bed.

Her mind was unusually clear, replaying over and over the look in Yasui Makoto's eyes when he handed her the plan, the tone of his voice, and even the meaningless moment when he slightly frowned while organizing the notes.

At times like this, she would feel her heart beat faster for no reason, pounding loudly in the quiet night, like a series of thuds against her eardrums.

To drive all of this away, she tried pulling the blanket over her head, but in the darkness, her senses seemed to become more acute, and the inexplicable anxiety and palpitations became even clearer.

One time, I pulled the blanket up too hard, startling Hikaru Satomi on the other bed. Then I heard some rustling sounds from there, followed by a voice filled with weariness and concern:
"Xiao Bei...? Aren't you asleep yet? Are you feeling unwell because of the Japan Cup, or... are you having insomnia?"

Northern Black Horse remembers his breathing stopping, as if he had been caught red-handed, and his heart pounded even harder.

Then she quickly peeked out from under the covers, and in the dim light of the night lamp, forced a smile at the blurry outline of Rimi Hikari, her voice deliberately steady, her body tense as she replied:
"Ah... um, no, it's nothing. I'm just... yes, a little tired. Yes, I am a little tired. I haven't recovered yet. I... fell asleep soon."

After saying that, as if to prove something, she immediately lay back down, closed her eyes tightly, tried to make her breathing long and even, and pretended to be asleep.

At the same time, she could feel Hikaru Satomi's concerned gaze on her, which made her eyeballs tremble slightly with tension.

Fortunately, all that came in the end was a soft mutter of "That's good... Get some rest, Xiao Bei," before the sound of her lying down again could be heard.

Only when he heard the even and long breathing did the Northern Black Horse dare to quietly open his eyes.

Gazing at the blurry light and shadow on the ceiling, a mixture of apology and an indescribable frustration overwhelmed her, and she let out a soft sigh.

She didn't mean to lie to Xiaozuan; it was just that she had such a chaotic feeling, one that she herself couldn't understand, and she simply didn't know how to express it.

After that night, the signs of overthinking seemed to increase, which also led to more problems during training.

Fortunately, perhaps because she was in the recovery period, some fluctuations in her condition were normal. Yasui Makoto and Alice Soko did not notice those problems, or if they did, they did not pay much attention to them. Instead, they comforted her, telling her not to rush and to relax and take it slow.

This made the Northern Black Steed secretly breathe a sigh of relief, but at the same time, it also gave rise to another kind of anxiety.

She wasn't very familiar with the technical aspects of the training, but she could sense that with the experience of recovery training after the Emperor's autumn appreciation, and the valuable data that Senior Alice had obtained from Yasui Makoto's personal drug trials, the day when she could fully resume normal training would be much sooner than last time.

Her concern was that once she resumed normal training, her restlessness would become impossible to hide, thus affecting her preparations for Arima Kinen's crucial G1 race.

This can't go on, we have to...do something...

After making this decision, he realized that he had no experience in this matter. After thinking it over, Beibu Xuanju felt that the only people he could consult were the few "culprits" who were about to leave and caused all of this.

……

A few days later, at Narita International Airport.

Beneath the dome, a bustling crowd thronged, their diverse sounds blending into a vibrant background noise. Outside the towering glass curtain wall, a massive passenger plane moved slowly, led by a tow truck.

Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting long, interlacing bands of light and shadow on the mirror-like floor.

In a corner of the waiting area after completing the formalities, Beibu Xuanju took a deep breath and turned to look at the three "culprits" she had quietly called over.

She was actually a little unsure, but she still had a vague feeling that her troubles, which she couldn't quite figure out, were probably related to the three people in front of her.

Before that day they went to the hot spring together, although she respected and trusted Yasui Makoto, she had never felt so flustered and distracted.

It seems that... it was after they started talking about things like "ideal type" and "your A-Zhen" that things started to go wrong that night.

It was as if they had unintentionally planted a strange seed in her heart, and now that seed had sprouted on its own, disturbing her peace.

She couldn't figure out what the seeds would grow into, but her intuition told her that perhaps asking the person who "sowed" them would give her some clues.

Thinking this, Beifang Xuanju's face showed a hint of barely perceptible embarrassment, but her overall demeanor remained as cheerful and generous as ever. She addressed California Shining, Frostfall, and Ronghou Zaijue:

"Well... actually, when we were at the hot spring that day, I felt something was... off."

She paused, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her dress:

"It's just that my feelings towards trainer Yasui... seem a bit special."

"But actually... I don't quite understand what's going on, so... I wanted to ask you guys, is that okay...?"

These words startled the three overseas female racehorses.

They exchanged a surprised look, clearly not expecting the Northern Black Horse to bring up the topic so directly.

After several days of travel, they all gained a deeper understanding of the unique reserve and introversion of Japanese girls of the same age, especially when it came to such private emotions, where they often blushed like a startled mimosa.

Although the Northern Black Horse was warm and cheerful, he took them out for fun without any reservations.

But precisely because of this, they felt that she was probably still clueless and had no idea about things like "liking" and "being in love".

Who would have thought that, on the eve of parting, she would be so frank, with obvious troubles, and bring this issue back to the forefront.

After a brief moment of surprise, California Shine and Frostfall reacted almost simultaneously.

A familiar glint immediately flashed in their azure and grey-brown eyes, and a mischievous smile, as if to say "something's definitely up," appeared on their faces. The two American racehorse girls spoke up one after another:
"I told you..."

"So that means..."

Two voices, one excited and the other teasing, collided.

However, before they could even utter their joke, they were interrupted by Rong Houzaijue.

She raised one hand, making a gentle but undeniable pause gesture, her gaze fixed on the serious and confused face of the Northern Black Horse.

"You two, wait a moment."

The voice that said "we'll decide later" was calmer than usual, carrying a sense of caution:

"Now... is probably not the time for jokes."

(End of this chapter)