Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 655 Don't let her leave you too far behind
Seeing Almond's positive and confident response, the power in her smile seemed to be transmitted to him as well, and Northern Genko's tense shoulders relaxed a little.

She quickly returned an encouraging smile and pumped her fist at Almond-shaped eyes:
"Yes, yes! I believe in you. Good luck, Almond!"

Upon hearing this, Xingmu smiled again, turned around, and walked into the training ground.

As soon as she stepped into the arena, her eyes were immediately drawn to the figures in the arena.

Oguri Hat, Super Little Bay, Inari Ichi, and the Fujimasa March while stretching his ankles, and the Flying Summit testing his sprinting ability...

These names and real people, who had just been repeatedly analyzed in the preparation room, were now right in front of me, all of them undergoing their final warm-up before the match.

Each of their movements naturally exuded the composure and powerful aura of seasoned veterans, making the air seem a little heavier.

A thrill mixed with awe and excitement surged up her spine. She instinctively clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

Her racing heartbeat calmed down considerably, and without much hesitation, she scanned the area once more.

She quickly located a relatively open area on the edge, took a step, and silently walked there to begin warming up at her own pace.

A short while later, on the other side of the training field...

As Xiao Lima was diligently stretching her legs, and the Super Bay helped her maintain her balance, her gaze inadvertently swept across the entire area, pausing briefly at the edge.

Without pausing her work, she turned to a horse racer facing the girl in the chestnut hat and said:

"So, Inari? Was I right with Oguri?"

She nodded slightly in the direction of the almond-shaped eyes:
"That child's potential... seems quite good."

Standing opposite the super-small bay and the chestnut hat, a short, brown-haired racehorse girl wearing a fox mask is none other than Inari Ichi.

She had just finished a set of squats and was catching her breath.

Upon hearing Super Little Bay's words, she stopped what she was doing and scanned the direction Super Little Bay indicated.

"Hmm...it does look quite professional, not just for show."

She made a comment, then pondered for a moment: "I remember it was called... Almond Eyes, right?"

"But it's not too surprising."

"After all, she trains with top active riders like Northern Black Horse, and their trainer is also very capable, so their habits are naturally good."

She paused, a smile of interest playing on her lips, her eyes sparkling with eagerness:

"That's actually just right."

"I'm eager to see for myself what kind of skills this new generation of young talents can bring."

"When we get back, we can use real examples to teach those arrogant kids in the academy a good lesson."

After retiring, Inari chose to take a trainer training course. After graduating, she returned to the countryside with her trainer, Taro Taohara, and worked in training-related jobs at Oi Tresen Academy.

She came to the event with the intention of gaining experience at the Kasamatsu competition venue, and specially invited many friends and junior students from Oi.

Hearing her say that, Super Little Bay couldn't help but smile, his tone carrying a hint of relief and a touch of teasing:
"It seems that Inari has really grown up."

After a moment of surprise, Inari immediately retorted, slightly annoyed, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on:

"Hey, Little Bay! How many times have I told you? Stop talking to me like a doting mother! It sounds really awkward!"

The little bay just smiled gently, not having a chance to say anything more.

Beside her, having just finished a set of stretches, Oguri Hat looked up, blinked, glanced at Super Bay, then at Inari Hajime who looked uncomfortable, and then very naturally and matter-of-factly interjected: "Hmm? I think... Little Bay is fine like this. Besides, Inari... you really have grown up."

"Uh, you... I... Sigh, never mind..."

Clearly speechless at Oguri's naive reaction, Inari stammered a few times before finally rolling her eyes in exasperation.

At this moment, a racehorse girl dressed in a slightly sexy style, who was also turning around and stretching, curiously came over and asked:

"So, that junior over there who looks so serious is the same junior you mentioned before, the one in the same team as Beifang Xuanju?"

She was Oguri Hat's classmate and best friend at Kasamatsu Tresen Academy, and Norren's ace.

Beside her were several racehorse girls, who were also warming up. When they heard what Ace Noren said, they all followed her gaze to Almond.

One of the racehorse girls, with short gray hair and a capable demeanor, glanced at Oguri's hat, then looked in the direction of Almond Eyes and nodded slightly.

"Even if Oguri didn't specifically say it, it should be quite obvious."

This is also a close friend of Oguri Hats from the same period, Fujimasa March.

After responding, she looked to the other side of the training field and pondered:
"That kid named Almond... has a good warm-up routine, and his movements look very practiced, which clearly indicates that he has undergone long-term systematic training."

"Among the kids who came to participate in the recreational competition today, she's probably the only one with this kind of quality."

Then, she glanced at Noren Ace and her other somewhat casual companions, a slight smirk playing on her lips, her tone laced with a hint of a joke:
"Of course, even compared to some of her seniors who haven't practiced enough, she doesn't look inferior at all."

Her last remark was clearly pointed, causing a horse racing girl wearing round, black-rimmed glasses next to her to immediately frown and click her tongue in annoyance.
"Hey, Fujimasa, are you saying that to us 'lacking-in-practice seniors'? Stop getting all smug!"

Almost simultaneously, another racehorse girl with a slightly "bad" air and hands in her pockets cast an unpleasant glance and sneered:
"That's right, and you haven't had any competitions in recent years, yet you're so arrogant... Don't let us 'lacking-in-practice seniors' teach you a lesson too badly on the field later."

Seeing the tension escalate so quickly, Noren, the ace, rubbed his forehead, both amused and exasperated, and hurriedly tried to smooth things over, saying with a smile, "Alright, alright, you guys... the match hasn't even started yet."

Then she stretched her shoulders and laughed:

"Besides, we're all seasoned veterans who have actually competed, right? Even if we haven't run seriously for many years, we can't be that much worse than a kid who hasn't even officially debuted yet, can we?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Fujimasa pursed his lips, as if he was about to retort immediately.

However, someone spoke up before she could.

"No, that child... must be really amazing."

Before the Fujimasa March could even begin, Oguri Hat made this statement with absolute certainty.

After drawing surprised looks from Noren Ace and the others, she jumped up nimbly with a "whoosh" and shook her head slightly.

"Thanks, Little Bay."

She first thanked Super Bay, then looked at Noren Ace, and then at the figure on the other side of the training field who was warming up alone, but seemed unusually focused and solid.

As if sensing the gazes gathering over there, the almond-shaped eyes subconsciously turned to look.

A hint of surprise flashed across her face, but she quickly composed herself, and with clear respect, as well as undisguised expectation, confidence, and a touch of trepidation, she bowed respectfully in the direction of the legendary seniors.

Little Chestnut Hat looked at her, nodded in response, then looked at her friends beside her again and added earnestly:

"I was referring to almond-shaped eyes. Anyway..." she seemed to struggle to organize her thoughts before finally stating very bluntly:
"Be careful when you run later, don't let her leave you too far behind."

(End of this chapter)