Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 639 Oden and Feelings in the Night Breeze
The hotel wasn't far from his home, so instead of driving from the parking lot, they chose to walk there.

As night deepened, the streets became quiet and peaceful.

Yasui Makoto walked ahead, naturally acting as a temporary guide. He didn't bring up his thoughts about the competition from the afternoon again, but simply pointed to the street scenes along the way, introducing them in a calm tone:

"That's the ramen shop I used to frequent when I was a kid, the taste is really authentic... This oden stall around the corner has been there for decades, I used to go there often when I came home late from school..."

His understated narration, seemingly just casual conversation, subtly outlined his growth trajectory in this place.

The Northern Black Horse, who was silently following behind him, listened very attentively, his crimson eyes curiously observing these ordinary yet connected landscapes.

Before long, a traditional hotel with warm curtains and soft lighting came into view.

The interior is a clean tatami room, decorated in a warm and comfortable style, giving people a sense of relaxation like home.

After helping everyone check in and carefully explaining the facilities and the meeting time the next morning, Yasui Makoto bid farewell and left.

Stepping out of the hotel, a cool night breeze brushed against my face.

Yasui Makoto stopped in his tracks, pondered for a moment, took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and opened the text message history with "Xiao Bei".

After thinking for a moment, he was typing a text message when he heard the hotel curtain rustling not far behind him.

He looked up and was stunned.

Northern Black Horse was just emerging from inside when she saw him standing outside. She was clearly surprised, then scratched her head with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Ah Zhen? You haven't gone back yet?"

Her eyes darted around for a moment, as if she were trying to find a quick fix, and she said:
"Um... I think I'm a little hungry, um... or rather, I'm curious about those shops you mentioned earlier that I used to frequent when I was little, Ah Zhen? So... I thought I'd try them out, like that oden place?"

Her reasoning sounded somewhat far-fetched, and her tone was noticeably unnatural.

Seeing her like this, Yasui Makoto was a little confused, but he still nodded: "Okay, that shop should still be open, I'll take you there."

“Yes!” Beibu Xuanju nodded immediately and followed beside him.

The two walked in silence for a short distance, then sat down at an oden stall and casually ordered a few dishes.

Northern Genko absentmindedly ate his steaming radish and bamboo rice cakes, but his eyes kept glancing at Yasui Makoto.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she put down her chopsticks and looked at Yasui Makoto.

"Hey, Zhen..."

She looked up, her eyes becoming serious, and her previous hesitation vanished.

"That's what you're thinking, right? I mean... let me try to guide Azume and run that exhibition match with Oguri-senpai and the others."

Yasui's hand, which was holding the teacup, froze in mid-air, and a genuine look of surprise appeared on his face: "How did you know...?"

Seeing his reaction, the Northern Black Horse scratched his head in annoyance:

"I don't know either... it's just that I feel like that's what you think, Zhen."

She paused, her voice lower, but more certain:
"And... I also felt that you, Ah-Zhen, seemed to have something you wanted to say to me alone, so... I made up an excuse to come out."

After saying that, as if afraid of being misunderstood, she quickly waved her hand to explain:
"Ah! Of course, I also really wanted to get something to eat! So... well... anyway," she took a deep breath and concluded:
"Ah Zhen, you must want to say something, right?"

Yasui Makoto was completely stunned. After a moment, he shook his head as if helpless and puzzled, then took out his phone and handed the half-finished, unsent text message on the screen directly to Kita Genko.

Northern Black Horse leaned over to take a look, and the text message began by inviting her to talk about her ideas for an exhibition match.

Her face flashed with a mixture of realization and surprise, and finally, a small smug smile appeared on her lips, as if she had guessed correctly, and her eyes brightened.

Looking at her expressive face, Yasui Makoto smiled with satisfaction, his tone tinged with a hint of jest:

"It seems like I can't hide many things from you anymore, Xiao Bei. You've already guessed it."

His words immediately turned Beibu Xuanju's earlier smugness into embarrassment, and he lowered his head, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"No, not really... I still can't guess many of your thoughts, Ah-Zhen."

She gently poked the food in her bowl with her chopsticks, paused for a moment, and then spoke again, her voice much softer, yet exceptionally earnest:

"However... this time I came to Nagoya, and... before I said I wanted to become an assistant trainer or something, actually..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping back down the street she had just walked, and towards the direction of Yasui Makoto's house:

"We all want to know more about you, Ah Zhen, and we want to... get closer to the world you live in."

The moment those almost whispered words left his lips, Beifang Xuanju panicked, his cheeks instantly turning crimson, and he frantically waved his hands:
"That's...that's how it is! So...so..."

As she said this, she felt a pang of regret and wished she could swallow her words back.

Didn't I already decide to keep these thoughts hidden and not tell anyone...? Why did I suddenly blurt it out...?

Beside him, Yasui Makoto listened quietly.

The night breeze seemed to carry the girl's flustered yet sincere words into his heart. Her clumsy yet fervent confession, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, rippled deeply and undeniably in his soul.

He could clearly feel his ears burning, but thankfully the darkness provided the best cover.

He subconsciously raised his eyes and looked at the girl opposite him who was so frustrated that she wanted to bury her face in the bowl.

Her crimson hair appeared exceptionally soft in the dim light of the stall, and her straightforward and pure heart was presented to him without reservation, making his heart soften and inexplicably at a loss.

He rarely had such moments when his emotions nearly spiraled out of control.

But his long-cultivated rationality quickly prevailed. He almost used a great deal of self-control to carefully suppress the sudden, unfamiliar, and overwhelming emotion, placing it discreetly in a corner of his heart so that she wouldn't notice his loss of composure.

He silently reached out, picked up the teapot on the table, and deliberately refilled her nearly empty cup with half a cup of warm tea.

This simple action gave him a few seconds to adjust his breathing and calm his inexplicably rapid heart rate.

The rising steam, positioned between the two, slightly obscured the subtle atmosphere of the moment.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, he quickly composed himself and his thoughts.

When he spoke again, the tone of his voice had been smoothly and decisively shifted, regaining the calm and clarity characteristic of his usual serious conversations, as if the subtle emotional turmoil he had just experienced had never occurred.
"Um……"

He first gave a positive affirmation, and then, as a turning point in the conversation, naturally continued:
"Let's get back to business. I do have some thoughts about the exhibition match. First of all, for Almond..."

(End of this chapter)