Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 596 What if she has feelings for you?
A moment later, the East Sea Emperor gently opened the office door a crack before fully opening it:

"Sorry to keep you waiting... Please come in and have a seat."

He vaguely sensed that the Emperor of the East Sea's tone and demeanor had changed somewhat; he seemed less tense than before, but Yasui Makoto didn't pay much attention to it.
"Well...ok, excuse me for interrupting you."

He entered sideways, his trainer instincts prompting him to quickly scan his surroundings:
The room was spacious and well-lit, with neatly arranged filing cabinets on both sides, and the faint aroma of fried pork chops still lingered in the air.

His gaze swept over Megumi McQueen, who was having a meal, and then naturally glided over the layout of the room.

My gaze eventually landed on the dark wooden display case against the wall, lingering there for an extra second.

The display case forms an abrupt angle with the wall, as if it had been hastily pushed open and never put back in its place.

There is a small gap between the cabinet and the floor, and there are slight drag marks on the ground.

This reminded him of the equipment that was occasionally moved on the training field, but its appearance in the student council office seemed out of place, and a sense of doubt unconsciously flashed through his mind.

"Ah, that..."

The voice of the Emperor of the East Sea rang out at the right moment. She and Yasui Makoto looked at the display case together, making a helpless and complaining expression:

"It's similar to my old table; it's been around for a long time."

"When McQueen went to pick up the documents this morning, he noticed that some of the wooden boards seemed a bit flimsy, and then he saw that the surrounding wall plaster was also a bit damp."

As she spoke, she walked towards the display case and patted it a few times.
"We moved it out to take a look, and felt that it was about time to report it for repair or replace it, so we were too lazy to bother pushing it back."

While the Emperor of the East Sea was explaining, behind the desk on the other side, Megumi McQueen appeared to be quickly eating his lunch.

After the Emperor of the East Sea finished speaking, her gaze briefly met his, and then she put down the lunchbox.
"Yes, some of the materials are not convenient to move for the time being, so they're just left there. I apologize for the mess, Trainer Yasui."

Yasui Makoto didn't really care about anything, but after hearing what the two presidents said, he couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Noticing some blurry handprints on the side of the cabinet, as if they had been made recently, he nodded in realization, then quickly looked away.

After all, it's common for school facilities to be upgraded, and besides, the clutter in the student council office is really not something he should be concerned about.

"I see……"

Yasui Makoto nodded, not pressing the matter further: "So... right now... won't this disturb you two?"

He glanced at McQueen's unfinished tonkatsu set meal, then swept his gaze across the East Sea Emperor's desk, where a similar lunch was laid out.

"Of course not!"

The Emperor of the East Sea immediately smiled and waved his hand, deftly gathering the scattered documents to the side, clearing the coffee table in front of the sofa:

"We've almost finished eating and were just about to take a break, right, McQueen?"

Megumi McQueen nodded knowingly, elegantly pulled a tissue from his desk, and wiped his mouth.
"Yes, Trainer Yasui has arrived just in time. Please have a seat."

As she spoke, she smoothly and naturally closed the lunchbox, which still had a little food left, and placed it to one side of the table.

At the same time, the Emperor of the East Sea led Yasui Makoto to sit down on the sofa, and then casually sat opposite him.

Megumi McQueen walked to the water dispenser, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to Yasui Makoto.
"Please use."

As Yasui Makoto thanked him and accepted the gift, the Emperor of the East Sea leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, his face showing just the right amount of concern, and said in a natural tone:
"So if I'm not mistaken... Yasui, you want to talk about Koho?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to bother you."

Yasui Makoto placed the water glass on the coffee table, clasped his hands together, leaned forward like the Emperor of the East Sea, and his tone became serious:

"It is indeed about Xiao Bei."

He paused, silently organizing his thoughts: "It's mainly about her recent training progress. There are some things... that I'm concerned about, or you could say it's my own oversight."

"Xiao Bei... is growing very fast and becoming more and more outstanding. As her trainer, I feel very gratified."

"But perhaps because I was too focused on training and the competition itself, I neglected some things outside of the competition."

There was a hint of self-reflection in his voice:
"It seems like... it's been a long time since I've had a proper, simple chat with her, to listen to her thoughts outside of training."

"This... is actually what I meant by my oversight."

Silence filled the room.

The Emperor of the East Sea and Megumi McQueen exchanged a quick glance, both seeing a hint of understanding in each other's eyes.

Then the Emperor of the East Sea nodded slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest of the sofa, his tone carrying a perfectly measured contemplation:
"That's it..."

McQueen lowered his eyes in agreement and softly echoed:
"Indeed..."

The two female racehorses seemed to be only processing the weight of Yasui Makoto's words about training and responsibility.

Their gazes, however, seemed quite natural, as if they were drifting unintentionally along the path of their thoughts, briefly glancing over the quietly standing display case.

Then the focus returned to Yasui Makoto, who was focused and serious, showing no signs of anything amiss.

And behind the display case...

Northern Black Horse leaned against the cold inner wall, his hands clasped tightly to his chest, trying his best to hold his breath and suppress his pounding heartbeat.

When the Emperor of the East Sea hurriedly pulled her in, she was still confused and didn't know what this arrangement meant.

It was only out of her unreserved trust and admiration for the Emperor of the East Sea that she asked no questions and obediently hid there.

At this moment, listening to the trainer's candid words and feeling the conversation outside that started because of her but cleverly kept her out, she suddenly understood why the Emperor of the East Sea had created such a peculiar "dialogue across distances".

This small space seemed to have become a unique theater.

She was both the only audience member and the center of the discussion.

...As expected of an emperor of our predecessors, to have thought of such a method...

that……

Ah Zhen... what is he...?
Hiding behind the display case, a mixture of enlightenment, gratitude, and an even more indescribable thrill quietly spread through Beibu Genko's heart.

Yasui Makoto's steady voice was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake; every word it uttered created unfamiliar, burning ripples in her heart.

She instinctively held her breath, her chest tightening.

Her ears, however, perked up even higher, straining to hear every subtle sound from outside through the heavy cabinet doors.

Outside the cabinet...

"Indeed, Xiao Bei is becoming more and more reliable."

The Emperor of the East Sea continued to steer the conversation: "Speaking of which, she has always relied on and trusted us a lot."

"Of course, she also relies on and trusts you a lot."

"Then... Yasui, have you ever thought about this: "

"What would you do if this dependence and trust deepened, or even if it was mixed with some other kind of affection?"

(End of this chapter)