Uma Musume: From Being Knocked Ten Meters Away

Chapter 18 Tactical Planning
After taking off Kita no Xuanju's running shoes, An Jingzhen did not rush to put them back on, but instead looked at the soles of the shoes for a while.

There were two crescent-shaped metallic flashes on the front of the sole, which were the horseshoes used in competitions.

Due to their powerful foot strength, jockey women's shoes are subject to tremendous pressure during training and competition.

Horse shoes can reduce wear and tear and also better enable the racehorses to perform better.

"Well, the horseshoes are adjusted very well, but remember to check again before going on the field."

Nodding with satisfaction, An Jingzhen looked up and glanced at Beibu Xuanju, then looked at Satomi Kozuna.

"Xiaobei, did you adjust it yourself, or did Guang Zuan classmate..."

After a pause, he was surprised.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

In his eyes, the two horse racing girls had red faces and looked very embarrassed.

Especially Satomi Mitsuzumi, whose face was red and eyes were full of strangeness, and her gaze kept wandering between him and Northern Xuanju.

"No, it's okay..."

As if awakened, Northern Xuanju said in a strange low voice.

Then she sat on the back of the motorcycle, leaned over in a very weird posture, and grabbed her running shoes.

"I, I can put it on myself..."

When Northern Xuanju was wearing running shoes with a red face, Satomi Guangzuan also spoke in a strange tone.

"Xiaobei debugged it herself. She spent a long time last night..."

"I see. That's great."

After responding, Yasui Shin turned confused.

"So, what are you two..."

"No, nothing. Oh, by the way, what I wanted to say is..."

Before Yasui Zhen could finish, Satomi Mitsuzumi waved her hands in panic and said:
“Since the trainer came specially to pick up Xiaobei, you should let her go to the competition venue with you.

"Don't worry about me, my sister also wants to go to the stadium to watch the game, so I can go with her.

"Xiaobei, I'm going to find my sister. I'll cheer you on when it's your turn!"

After saying that, the horse racing girl ran away quickly as if she was trying to escape.

"Hey? Diamond-chan..."

He had just put on his running shoes and when he turned around he found that only his friend's back could be seen. Kita no Xuanju was stunned for a while, bit his lower lip, and turned to look at An Jing Zhen.

"Trainer, what about us...?"

"What happened to us?"

"N-Nothing... By the way, Trainer, how should I run today?"

He asked vaguely, and seeing An Jingzhen looking at him, Kita no Xuanju hurriedly changed the subject.

Running tactics are definitely a must-have for trainers, and Yasui Makoto has known this for a long time.

But right now, the people around are either contestants preparing to compete or trainers.

There are opponents in the subsequent games, so we definitely can’t make any arrangements now.

"Don't worry, let's talk about it when we get to the competition venue."

"Oh, alright……"

Also realizing that the occasion was inappropriate, Kita no Xuanju responded in a low voice, then obediently followed Yasui Shin to the bus arranged by the academy.

The atmosphere on the bus was obviously much more solemn than outside. Most of the other horse girls and trainers were watching some competition videos or resting with their eyes closed. There was no sign of any communication.

Influenced by this atmosphere, Beibu Xuanju also sat obediently in a chair and watched the game video.

Yasui Shinzo took out his tablet computer and checked the tactical plan he had made earlier.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at Tokyo Racecourse. There were dedicated entrances for athletes and trainers, as well as a lounge and separate preparation rooms.

Among the 12 races today, the first one starts at 11 o'clock. Before that, the horse racing girls will adapt to the venue, warm up and make their first appearance.

This resulted in the venue being very quiet and not crowded when we arrived at the stadium early.

Realizing this, Kita no Xuanju leaned on the window of the preparation room and watched for a while, then looked at Yasui Makoto in confusion.

"That's weird... Trainer, when I was watching the game on TV, there were so many people here. Why does it feel like there aren't many people here today?"

"The games you watch are either Game 1 or Game 2, or at least Game 3, right?"

Writing and drawing on the whiteboard in the preparation room, Yasui Makoto responded casually:

“Most of the competitions today are Pre-OP level. The three highlights in the afternoon are the Beginning of Spring Tournament, the White Fuji Stakes and the Saffron Stakes, which are all OP level.

“There are definitely fewer spectators on match days like this, and it’s not comparable to a G1 event.

“But it won’t be too much less.

"After all, this is the Tokyo Arena. Even during the Pre-OP, there were quite a few spectators. A conservative estimate is...

"By the time the event is about to start, there will be at least 60,000 to 70,000 spectators, and nearly 100,000 is not out of the question."

"So many people..." Northern Xuanju was surprised.

"Just now I thought there were too few people, but now I think there are too many... Didn't you say that there always seem to be a lot of spectators at the games?"

After laughing at his horse racing girl's childish behavior, Yasui Shin turned serious.

"Okay, enough small talk. It's quiet here with so few people around, so we can focus on preparing our running tactics."

Hearing this, Northern Black Horse was startled and rushed over from the window in two steps.

"Hey! I'm ready, Trainer!"

"Hmm, very impressive. Let's first take a look at the details of this competition..."

Nodding with satisfaction, Yasui Zhen pointed to the whiteboard covered with patterns and words.

In preparation for Northern Xuanju's debut match, he did a lot of homework and looked through the information of all the opponents who had registered in advance.

As a debut match, the other contestants, like Northern Xuanju, are all novices with no competition experience, so they only have training data.

These data are publicly available on the platform and can be seen by professionals and enthusiasts, who will also give evaluations and support based on these data and experience.

In terms of support, Northern Xuanju is quite popular, ranking third among the dozen or so contestants in the same field.

Putting aside emotional support such as liking someone's appearance, judging from the few rational comments, many people probably think that Northern Black Horse's maximum speed during training is not ideal.

The battle for the finish line is undoubtedly the one that requires the highest speed, so some commentators believe that she does not have much advantage in the battle for the finish line and it is not easy for her to win the championship.

Yasui Zhen did not deny this, but he knew Northern Xuanju better than those people.

"...You have excellent physical strength, power, and explosiveness. You should have no problem finishing the 1800m on grass.

"You do need to improve in terms of physical strength, power control, and explosive power maintenance, but competition is not just about statistics.

"It just so happens that in addition to the statistics, I also learned a little about your opponents.

"Simply put, after the start, find an opponent you like and follow him. You can also change the opponent you follow at any time.

"But once you notice this range..."

After analyzing the race schedule and opponents with Kita no Xuanju, Yasui Zhen pointed to a corner of the track on the whiteboard.

“From here, we start accelerating and keep accelerating until the end.

"Don't worry, listen to me.

“I understand that for most horse racing girls, it’s a bit difficult to start accelerating at this distance, after all, there are still more than 300 meters to the finish line.

"But, Xiaobei, do you think you are an ordinary horse girl?

"Or, can an ordinary horse girl achieve the same miraculous achievements as the Emperor of the East Sea?"

(End of this chapter)