Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 602: We'll talk about this after we beat Arima Kinen.

After running to the training ground, Beibu Xuanju looked at the familiar luster of the playground under the afternoon sun, and felt a sense of calm and peace as the scent of grass and sweat wafted towards her.

Alice was quickly recording data on a tablet computer, while Yamato Akaki was adjusting a heart rate monitoring device.

Almond-eyed stood quietly to the side, holding a neatly folded towel and several bottles of energy drinks, looking around expectantly.

Yasui Makoto stood beside them, looking at the training plan in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about the final adjustments.

She smiled and ran over quickly.

Several people looked up at the same time.

The northern black horse suddenly stopped and gave a perfect ninety-degree bow:
"Trainer! Hayate-senpai! Yamato-senpai! And Aloe-no-Miko! I'm so sorry! I was in terrible shape during training the past few days, and I've caused you all trouble!"

Her voice was loud and clear, full of sincerity, which attracted the curious glances of several female racehorses training nearby.

Yasui Makoto paused for a moment.

Alice pushed up her glasses.

Yamato Akaki stopped what he was doing and watched quietly.

Almond-eyed, she trotted over to hand over a towel and bottled water, her eyes full of admiration and concern: "Senior Xiao Bei, please have some!"

Northern Black Horse straightened up and took the water handed to him by Almond Eyes.

After smiling and nodding at Almond-eyed, her crimson eyes looked straight at Yasui Makoto without flinching.

It was crystal clear, as if it had been washed clean. All the previous confusion and panic had been swept away, leaving only a familiar, even more fervent, determination.

"But I've already adjusted myself! All distracting thoughts have been cleared away! Please believe me!"

She clenched her fist, her voice even more resolute:
"Please...continue with my training! The next phase will be even more intense! Please!"

The air was quiet for a moment.

Yasui Makoto didn't say anything, but just looked at her in surprise.

He hadn't expected that, after only half a day, there was no trace of hesitation left in her exceptionally bright and determined eyes; only open-mindedness and burning fighting spirit remained.

He couldn't help but feel confused.

What happened to Xiao Bei?
Or did you see or hear something...

The issue of her condition... seems to have been resolved by her own efforts?

But this doubt was quickly replaced by a stronger sense of relief, and he couldn't help but smile, because no matter what the process was, the result was undoubtedly good.

At that moment, Alice suddenly chuckled softly and tapped the tablet with her pen:
"Well... the data doesn't lie. The curves from the past few days were indeed quite ugly, fluctuating like a beginner's."

"However, this gaze is quite good, and the energy reading is very stable, even... a bit too high."

"It's not as exaggerated as what Senior Suko said. A beginner... that's a bit of an exaggeration..."

With a chuckle, Yamato Akama turned to the northern Black Horse with a smile, nodded, and said succinctly:
"However, I accept this attitude... well, I do."

Yasui Makoto's expression remained unchanged, still displaying a calm trust.

He didn't ask her how she came to this conclusion, nor did he say anything more; he simply handed her the slightly revised plan he had just prepared.

When he spoke, his tone was as steady as ever:
"This is the final training plan before the competition. There's not much time left, so the intensity is very high, but I think you should be fine now."

"Yes! Absolutely no problem!"

Northern Black Horse took the plan sheet and squeezed it tightly, as if he were holding not a piece of paper, but a ladder to victory.

After carefully reviewing each training item, she returned the schedule to Yasui Makoto, nodded vigorously, and walked towards the starting line without hesitation.

Soon, Yasui Makoto issued the command, and Alice Soko and Yamato Akari discussed the instrument data in hushed tones, while Aloe's cheers echoed across the training field. Meanwhile, on the track…

Warm-up, start, accelerate, cornering...

Running meticulously according to the instructions, Beifang Xuanju felt that every movement of his had regained its former precision and focus, and even more fluid and explosive power because of the absence of distractions.

Her eyes were fixed on the front, as if the whole world consisted only of the track beneath her feet and the finish line in the distance.

As Yasui Makoto gazed at the figure on the track who had become pure again, running solely for the sake of running, he let out a soft, almost imperceptible sigh of relief, and his shoulders, which had been tense all along, finally truly relaxed.

He knew that the Northern Black Steed he knew had returned, and had become... even more dazzling.

Alice glanced at him, a knowing smile curving her lips. She lowered her head and quickly wrote on the tablet, reading aloud to record the words:

"The reaction delay data has returned to the normal range... No, the peak efficiency is even slightly higher than before the Japan Cup, interesting... Then, the psychological resistance coefficient has decreased significantly, and the recovery efficiency is excellent."

Yamato Akaki looked at the steadily fluctuating data on the instrument and nodded: "Yes, and the core indicators are very stable, even... a little bit beyond expectations."

Perhaps the Northern Black Horse was in exceptionally good condition, as the training session seemed to have ended very quickly.

As evening approached, after completing his last set of high-intensity interval runs, Beibu Xuanju slowly ran to the edge of the track.

She leaned on her knees, slightly out of breath, sweat dripping onto the track, but her eyes still shone with an astonishing light.

Yasui leaned closer, and at the same time, Almond quickly followed, offering a towel and water.

"How are you feeling?" Yasui asked softly.

"I've never had such a good time!"

Northern Black Horse took the towel and wiped his face.

Her breathing hadn't completely calmed down, but she answered without hesitation, a broad, joyful smile on her face:

"My body feels light, and my mind is very clear! I know what to do!"

Yasui Makoto looked at her smile, which was even brighter than usual, and pondered for a moment.

Remembering his previous worries and oversights, he decided to speak up:
“Xiao Bei, a few days ago… I seem to have overlooked your changes, so I actually wanted to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with you…”

"Trainer!"

Northern Black Horse suddenly interrupted him. Her smile was still bright, but it had gained a more knowing composure.

She understood his feelings and knew what she should do.

At this moment, those complicated thoughts can be temporarily put aside, transformed into a more solid driving force rather than a distraction.

"it does not matter."

She shook her head, her eyes sincere and firm:
"I'm very, very good right now. Let's talk about this after we beat Arima Kinen, okay? I promise I'll listen carefully then!"

Yasui Makoto paused for a moment, looking into her clear eyes, and suddenly realized that perhaps she understood things more than he thought.

He nodded, said no more, and simply steered the conversation back to training: "Okay. It's settled then."

"Let's go eat first. We'll have another team meeting afterward."

"Shoko and Yamato have already compiled the slope data and weather plan for the Zhongshan venue. We need to review them tonight to confirm the strategy and tactics for the game."

"Yes, trainer!"

Without hesitation, Beibu Xuanju agreed and drank the remaining water in the bottle in one gulp.

(End of this chapter)