Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 600 There Will Only Be One Winner

The school bell rang like a distant horn, and Kita Genko practically rushed out of the classroom as the bell faded, nearly bumping into the Chinese language teacher who was about to leave.

"I'm so sorry, teacher!" She hurriedly stopped and bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.

The Chinese language teacher, who always wore glasses and had a serious expression, adjusted her glasses and looked at the star racehorse girl in front of her, without showing any leniency because of her fame.

"You've come at the right time, Northern classmate. I have something to tell you."

The teacher's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable weight:
"Neither training nor anything else is a reason to be late for class."

"Time is discipline, and it's also a rule. Isn't that how you conduct yourself in competitions? I hope you will keep this in mind in your studies and life."

"So for any important matter, you should plan ahead instead of hastily apologizing afterwards."

"Yes! I'm so sorry, teacher! I'll remember! It will never happen again!" Beifang Xuanju lowered his head even further and promised in a loud voice.

The teacher stared at her for two seconds, seemingly confirming her sincerity, before nodding slightly and leaving with the textbooks.

Northern Black Horse straightened up, let out a long sigh, and looked up to see several pairs of eyes staring at him from the corner of the corridor not far away.

Satomi Hikari, Roaring Thunder, Unyielding Steel, and even a little further away, Takashi Junyi and Tenjisong, who seemed to be just passing by but also stopped in their tracks, all looked on with curiosity and inquiry.

"Kobe, why are you so late?" Satomi Hikari stepped forward first and asked with concern.

Ming Shenglei tilted his head, his face full of pure confusion: "Yeah, and the teacher seemed really angry just now?"

Northern Black Horse's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly remembered the instructions from the Emperor of the East Sea and Megumi McQueen:

"What happened today absolutely must be kept secret, or it could cause big trouble..."

She also recalled the words the Emperor of the East Sea had taught her. Her mind raced as she tried to remember them, and she touched the back of her head with some embarrassment and guilt:
"Haha... It's nothing really! It's just that the Empress asked me to do something for her at the last minute, and it took a bit of time, so..."

Although she didn't finish speaking, the moment she brought up the name "Emperor of the East Sea," the effect was immediate.

"So it was the Emperor Senior..." Bu Nao Zhen Gang nodded as if he suddenly realized, and the others also showed expressions of "no wonder".

It's no secret that the Northern Black Horse has a close personal relationship with the Emperor of the East Sea, and the student council president has many important and demanding duties.

As a trusted junior of the chairman, being temporarily pulled away to help out was a perfectly reasonable excuse, and it was indeed inconvenient to ask too many questions.

Having successfully evaded the question, Beibu Genko breathed a sigh of relief, but then his expression turned serious, and he looked intently at Rimi Hikari.

"And, Diamond-chan..."

Her tone became very serious:

"sorry.

"A while ago... I did seem to have some strange problems. I would toss and turn in bed for a long time at night, which must have disturbed your rest and caused you trouble. I'm really sorry."

"In short... I'm sorry!" she said, bowing deeply as she had done to her teacher earlier.

These words stunned the female horse racers present.

Satomi Hikari first widened his eyes slightly, then exchanged a knowing look with the Thunderclap and Unyielding Shin'gang beside him, and a gentle and reassuring smile appeared on his face.

“I knew it,” she said softly, her voice full of concern. “Xiao Bei, you’ve definitely been preoccupied these past few days.”

"...Ah?"

As soon as he straightened up, Beifang Xuanju was taken aback: "Guangzuan-chan, you...you found out?"

"Yes. Xiao Bei... after all, she's the kind of person who can't keep things to herself."

Satomi Hikari nodded with a smile: "Many things...maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's really almost always obvious at a glance. "So, lately, I've been discussing with my sister and everyone else whether we should take you out for a walk on our days off to help you relax and clear your head."

"Eh—? B-Everyone...?" Northern Genko instinctively looked around.

Not only Satomi Hikari, but also Roaring Thunder and Unyielding Steel showed expressions of "I knew it" and "I'm relieved now".

Unyielding Steel crossed his arms and gave a dashing smile:
“We didn’t actually see it that obviously, but now that Guangzuan has mentioned it, we do feel that you’ve been acting a bit strange during training lately, not as fully engaged as usual.”

"But... as expected of Xiao Bei, although she can't hide her feelings, she can always quickly cheer herself up and regain her energy!"

Thunderous Sound nodded in agreement, saying earnestly, "In that case, I can talk to Sister Qi Cao and tell her not to go through all that trouble."

Now, not only the Northern Black Steed, but the others also became curious.

"Huh—? Why does Sister QiCao... no, Senior QiCao also know about this?" Northern Genko asked in surprise.

The thunderous sound shook its head, its expression remaining innocent:

"No, that's not it. I just asked her where there were fun places to go in or around the academy, so I could take everyone out to relax. Kiss-chan said she'd take care of it, and... it seems like she's already got tickets to some kind of event."

Northern Black Horse understood completely.

It turns out that while she was worrying alone, her companions had already noticed and were quietly caring for her in their own ways, even going so far as to bother the strict senior, Qisuo.

A warm feeling instantly welled up in her heart, making her nose feel a little sore.

"You, all of you... I... I really don't know how to thank you..."

"Don't say such formal things, Xiao Bei."

Satomi Hikari interrupted her with a smile, his voice gentle yet firm:

"Who among us hasn't received your help and encouragement, Xiao Bei? Now that you're facing some difficulties, of course we want to help you too."

"I just didn't expect that you had already adjusted yourself."

"Ok!"

Northern Black Horse sniffed hard, transforming that feeling of being moved into even stronger motivation. Her eyes lit up, all hesitation and distractions were swept away, replaced by a burning fighting spirit:

"It's all over! I've completely figured it out!"

"So, from this moment on, we must sprint with all our might!"

"My goal... is singular—Arima Kinen! I must win it!"

Upon hearing this, his friends were taken aback.

Northern Black Horse's words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples that spread silently yet powerfully.

In Satomi Hikari's clear eyes, the usual gentleness was suddenly replaced by a bright and resolute fighting spirit, like a piece of red-hot gold thrown into a calm lake, creating fiery ripples.

Bu Nao Zhengang almost immediately burst into laughter, a sharp and cheerful smile curving his lips, his eyes gleaming with an undisguised fiery light, radiating a spirited determination that said, "That's exactly how it should be."

The blush on Gao Shangjunyi's cheeks had not completely faded, but his eyes, which always carried a hint of timidity, suddenly widened, and the book he was holding was unconsciously clenched tightly, leaving faint fingerprints on the cover.

Even the Heavenly Emperor Song, who was standing to the side, suddenly focused his gaze, which was always seen through his glasses. A sharp light flashed on his glasses, eventually converging into a sharp beam of light that was extremely oppressive and purely driven by the desire to win.

Even the seemingly slow-moving and clueless Ming Shenglei leaned forward slightly in an instant, his eyes becoming focused and bright, tinged with a pure, aroused competitive spirit.

They didn't speak, but it was as if they could hear each other's hearts pounding faster.

(End of this chapter)