A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

Seeing him pointing at his beloved horse, Yukinoshita Haruno first tilted her head towards the horse to look, then smiled and asked, "Where's the saddle?"

"It's in the warehouse next to the dojo. I'll go get it."

Although Hiratsuka-sensei brought back all the horse tack and such, he didn't need it, so he simply washed the set and put it in the warehouse.

By the time he retrieved the saddle and bridle, Yukinoshita Haruno was already on the back of a horse jester, riding naked.

Perhaps they are enjoying the swaying and bouncing on horseback, and also experiencing a sense of exhilarating taming.

Not to mention the exhilarating feeling of running with the wind in your step.

That's the joy of horseback riding.

"You know how to do this too?" Yukinoshita Haruno watched him carefully place the saddle and couldn't help but ask in surprise.

Generally, no one rides horses, let alone installs horse tack; they usually just ride them as is.

So where did he learn it?

"I lived in a stable for a while, so I learned a little bit about it."

"..." He was lying, or he didn't finish his sentence.

Just as she had thought, Uesugi Genshin looked at Yukinoshita Haruno and smiled slightly as if he had seen through her thoughts. He smiled back, then put on the bridle and bowed to her like a gentleman, saying, "Please mount your horse."

"Very skilled."

It's unclear whether it's a compliment or not; the tone doesn't sound like one at all. Instead, it sounds like a young lady acknowledging her servants' work.

She stepped on the stirrup on one side, deftly mounted the horse, like a valiant female knight.

Furthermore, Uesugi Genshin admitted that she did indeed enjoy horseback riding, and she wasn't lying about that; the difference between a novice and an expert could be seen from her movements.

"Do you want to ride here? Or go outside?" After untying the rope, Uesugi Genshin helped her hold the reins and pulled Musou forward.

The horses' hooves pounded the ground with a rhythmic "tapping" sound, like a tap dance, which was quite addictive.

To be fair, although he can install horse tack, he's not very good at shoddy horses.

Previously, that was the job of military craftsmen and veterinarians, but now it can only be done by him. However, there is no rush now; it will be a long time before the horseshoes need to be repaired.

Wild horses don't need their hooves trimmed because on the grasslands, they move around frequently, and some also try to escape danger, so their hooves are constantly worn down, which offsets the rate of growth.

Since there was no heavy load on its body, only its own weight, the horse's hooves wouldn't crack because they were a little long.

Horses raised in captivity don't have that environment, which is why people need to take responsibility for this situation that is essentially their own doing.

“Of course it’s outside.” Yukinoshita Haruno sat on her horse, her body swaying from side to side in response to the horse’s movements. She glanced at the playground; it wasn’t small, but it wasn’t very big either.

Since it's a rare opportunity to ride, she thought it would be better to go outside.

"Understood." So Uesugi Genshin led his horse and Yukinoshita Haruno out through the side gate of the training ground. The path to the small gate had been completely blocked off.

They also had to exit through the car entrance, but this time they headed towards the sea. After cleaning up Inage Beach Park, the engineering team used materials to block up both sides of the coastline and other entrances.

It cannot guarantee that zombies will be completely prevented from entering, but they generally won't enter in groups.

They didn't see a single zombie until they reached the seaside.

White waves crashed onto the clean sandy beach, while the deep blue sea and light blue sky reflected each other in the distance, with the clouds in the sky serving as the finishing touch.

The afternoon sun shone directly on people, making it quite hot, but the sea breeze instantly dispelled this vague heat.

If I had to compare the feeling of being both hot and cold, I'd say it's the comfort of being under a blanket with the air conditioning on.

"Here you go." Uesugi Genshin said, handing the reins back to Yukinoshita Haruno. "There's no one watching over this area, and no zombies. It's safe."

"Yes." She gently pressed her soft hair, which was fluttering in the cool breeze, behind her ear.

Then she kicked the horse's belly forward, gradually accelerating; now she truly was a female knight.

Uesugi Genki shielded his forehead with his hand and looked at her like he was using binoculars. "He's very handsome."

This is indeed an intuitive feeling.

"I wonder if this is how other people see me when I'm riding a horse."

This was the first time he had thought this way, because Yukinoshita Haruno, after talking to herself, shook her head with a smile.

Then he walked to the small pavilion next to him and watched Yukinoshita Haruno riding a horse on the beach, admiring her graceful figure.

She gradually moved closer from one point in her line of sight to another, as if unleashing her true nature. Her expression at this moment was exceptionally genuine, radiant and captivating.

"Speaking of which, she wasn't wearing riding breeches today."

Today, Yukino knew there would be no battle, so she wore a crimson coat, a long skirt, and ankle boots.

As for whether he was wearing leggings or stockings under his skirt, he didn't know.

Leggings are fine, but stockings are a little...

Yukinoshita, whom he saw, rode on until he forgot about time.

Uesugi Genshin didn't know exactly how long it would take.

The boring wait makes the body feel slower, but the lovely girl in front of him makes time fly by.

He didn't wake up until she rode the horse right in front of him.

"Do you want to go?"

"Mmm." She stretched on her horse, her curvaceous body bathed in sunlight, like a captivating painting, every curve and every part exuding unique charm. "It was a very comfortable ride."

"That's good." Uesugi Genshin took the reins from her and continued to lead her horse. "If you still want to ride, you can come here yourself. I'll tell you where the horse tack is."

"I don't know how to put on horse tack."

"...Then call me next time."

"Let's do it this way." She nodded on horseback, clenching her flanks and pressing herself against the horse.

"Remember to change into pants next time."

"I didn't even bring my clothes." I never planned to stay here; I'd be going back in a day or two at most.

"Then let Yukinoshita lend you her tracksuit."

"Hey~, Yukino-chan's clothes don't fit, how about I borrow yours?"

"...Won't mine be too big?" Uesugi Genshin glanced at the calves peeking out from under the skirt. To be honest, Yukino Yukinoshita was less than 1.7 meters tall, so wearing his would be worse than wearing Yukinoshita's. That's what he thought.

However... it might be due to unfair weight.

“Then I’ll have to borrow Hayato’s.” She spoke from her horse.

"My workout clothes are in the apartment."

"Perfect timing, I was planning to go back anyway."

Finally, leading the horse, we walked out of Inage Beach Park, leaving the sea and its sounds behind us.

Back at Soubu High School, Uesugi Genshin tied Musou back to the tree, then reached out his hand to Yukinoshita.

"Oh my, what a gentleman."

“I’m a gentleman by nature, please give me your hand.” As he spoke, he bent down, placed his hand on his chest, and gently extended his right hand.

She smiled, placed her hand in Uesugi Genshin's hand, and then obediently let him lift her off the horse.

He lost his footing, and his entire body weight pressed down on him.

However, Yukinoshita didn't say anything, quickly turned her back, and placed her hands behind her hips.

Uesugi Genshin changed the water for Musou and planned to clean it up and brush its fur later.

“Let’s go,” Uesugi Genshin said.

"Ah."

Afterwards, I took her back to her apartment. It was Hiratsuka-sensei who opened the door. The teacher didn't have anything to do today and was discussing the first teaching session with Shiromai Jun, who had come over.

Since it was her first time, Shiromai-senpai was a little insecure and needed Hiratsuka-sensei's guidance.

Fortunately, there was someone inside; otherwise, Uesugi Genshin would have had to run to the student council room to borrow the key from Yukino, then run back here to open the door, and then return to the student council room to handle his afternoon work.

Although it's not far, it's still several kilometers round trip, and going up and down stairs is quite tiring.

Before closing the door, Yukinoshita waved with a smile, "I had a great time today."

"That's good."

The two tacitly avoided mentioning those unhappy things, and then the door closed.

"what......"

In the afternoon, Uesugi Genshin mainly went to the student council office to look at the backlog of documents from the past two days.

"This was submitted by the culinary department." Yukino Yukinoshita passed a piece of paper over from the table.

“A smokehouse, huh?” Uesugi Genshin glanced at the contents of the bottle.

"Yes."

The instructions stated that the head of the culinary department considered the daily catch volume and, since there was no cold storage available, the fish could be smoked to preserve it and also enhance its flavor.

Indeed, smoked fish is delicious; he's had it before.

If you don't know how to make a clay smokehouse, then you'll definitely need to find one or more machines.

“I will have Hayama handle it.” With that, Uesugi Genshin set the application aside.

"and this......"

Yukino Yukinoshita and Genshin Uesugi returned to their usual work routine.

Haruno's previous words did not change Uesugi Genshin's attitude towards Yukinoshita.

Iroha Isshiki, standing to the side, continued to help the two with small documents or go out to run errands for various departments in the name of the student council.

"The engineering team has prepared contingency plans, and we will be able to completely close off the Inage Coast next."

Then they can completely turn the coastline into their backyard, as long as no one comes, it's fine.

"Oh, that's a good idea to use sand. I wish they could just build a wall on the beach so I could take a nap in the sun at noon."

"Please don't write down your personal fantasies too," Yukino Yukinoshita gently reminded her, her gaze sharpening as if she were glaring at someone.

"No way," Uesugi Genshin clicked his tongue.

"Who knows?" Yukino Yukinoshita chuckled lightly as she continued reading the next document.

She even jokes with him now; she has indeed changed a lot compared to before.

She no longer resembles herself, or perhaps this is simply her true self.

"besides......"

They continued exchanging information until their shared desktop was completely empty, with the processed files piled up like a small mountain.

Sipping their daily dose of black tea, the two enjoyed a leisurely time after work, the air filled with the aroma of black tea.

Gently setting down her teacup, Yukino Yukinoshita began to chat, "When are we going to Shuchiin?"

“Hmm…” After thinking for a moment, Uesugi Genshin said, “As for Shuchiin, tomorrow? The day after tomorrow? Any day is fine, but we can’t delay any longer.”

"If you wait a few more days, you can see another performance."

"Hirokawa, Toyohama, and the others? Speaking of which, how's their rehearsal going?"

“We’ve added a lot of tracks, many of which are based on feedback we’ve gathered.” Yukino Yukinoshita quietly looked away from him.

"If we wait a little longer, it will be next week."

It means I'm not going to wait; if I miss it, I miss it.

At worst, Feng Bin can sing for him alone.

"Just the two of us, and Hayasaka also wants to go back. The three of us will travel light, so we should be back soon."

Chapter 220: Peerless Warrior of the North

"Be careful she doesn't go over there and never come back." Yukino Yukinoshita smiled knowingly, playfully glancing at her teacup.

“That’s quite a problem. It’s definitely a possibility.” Uesugi Genshin nodded, showing no surprise.