[Mr. C.B.]: Yo, good morning, kouhai~ Got free time today? Wanna hang out?
Kagura had just finished recording the video with a maid's help to send to Wudi when her phone popped up with a new message.
[Inari Kagura: I guess I'm free. Where do you want to go, Senpai?
[Mr. C.B.]: Your shrine, of course. Didn't I ask you about it before? Send me the address.
[Inari Kagura: …You really want to go?
[Mr. C.B.]: I'm bored anyway. Let's check it out! You're standing in Symboli's yard right now, aren't you?
[Inari Kagura]: Huh? Senpai, how did you know?
"Hey—! Kouhai~ Good morning—!"
Kagura was still staring at the screen when suddenly Mr. C.B.'s voice came from behind.
"Senpai, why are you even here?"
"I went out for a morning stroll and happened to pass by. Then I remembered I asked about your shrine, and figured you wouldn't be going back to school so soon. Came over for a look, and voilà—you're right here!"
Mr. C.B. leaned casually against the garden wall, tail swishing back and forth excitedly as she watched Kagura from outside, her mood clearly sky-high.
"So? Coming or not? You're free today, right? Take me to see your shrine~!"
"Fine… If you're really that curious, I guess it's okay…"
Kagura hesitated for a second, then gave in. After all, that abandoned place had nothing worth seeing anyway.
"Yes!!"
Mr. C.B. cheered so enthusiastically that Kagura reflexively took two steps back in fright. She had no doubt that if there hadn't been a wall in between them, Mr. C.B.-senpai would've scooped her up immediately.
"Um, but could you change into that outfit…"
"No! Changing into the miko robes is such a hassle!"
Kagura knew exactly what Mr. C.B. wanted her to wear. Since she had absolutely no plans to perform any ceremonies at the shrine, she firmly refused.
"Pleeease~~?"
"Why are you so fixated on that outfit, Senpai?"
"Because it's really cute! Please! Just wear it once! I'm begging you!"
Mr. C.B. clapped her hands together and bowed earnestly toward Kagura. Kagura instinctively tried to help her stand upright, only to be blocked by the wall.
"F-fine! I'll go change, okay? Senpai, just stand up already!"
"Thank you so, sooo much!!"
Watching Kagura dash off toward the house, Mr. C.B. straightened up and smiled warmly, following her tiny kouhai's figure until she disappeared inside.
There was a reason she was so fixated on that particular outfit. Not long ago, she'd been back at the academy discussing race schedules with her trainer. It was late at night, and when she walked past the track, she'd seen a small Uma Musume dancing alone in the moonlight. Those gentle movements, those beautiful steps had mesmerized her completely.
She wasn't far away, and she'd clearly recognized that little figure as Inari Kagura. Although Kagura had fled immediately afterward, the enchanting sight of her graceful dancing had already burned itself deeply into Mr. C.B.'s heart, leaving an insatiable yearning behind.
If only I could watch her dance just one more time…
Mr. C.B. had often caught herself thinking this way. Perhaps if she got to see Kagura perform another dance for her, this restlessness inside her chest might finally fade.
After around ten minutes, Kagura, dressed in her miko robes, came out from Symboli's yard, followed closely by Symboli Speed herself.
"Sorry to keep you waiting… Mr. C.B.-senpai."
"Oh? The person who invited you out is Mr. C.B. herself?"
Symboli Speed narrowed her eyes slightly, surprised. She'd initially assumed Kagura would be meeting someone around her own age—certainly not last year's Triple Crown winner. She had thought Mr. C.B. and Kagura merely had an ordinary senpai-kouhai relationship.
"Yo, Speed-baasama~ I wanted to go out with Kagura-kouhai today. Is that okay?"
"Well, you should ask Kagura herself about that. Apart from preventing her from overworking herself, I won't interfere with her personal freedom."
With that, Symboli Speed patted Kagura's head, leaving the decision entirely to her. Kagura nodded quietly and turned toward Mr. C.B.
"Then let's go, Senpai."
"Right behind you~"
...
Just like when she took Nice Nature there before, it took Kagura quite a while to find the path leading up the mountain. Fortunately, the caution tape at the foot of the mountain was still there, providing at least one reference point.
"Kouhai, isn't your shrine just a little bit…too close to nature?"
Even Mr. C.B., after trekking through the dense woods for half the day, was starting to lose her composure. She hadn't imagined there would be such an untouched, wild area inside Tokyo—and that this would actually be the place where Kagura's shrine stood.
"That's why I said there was nothing worth seeing here, Senpai… You're really something else…"
"It's fine~ As long as Kouhai's with me, a bit of walking isn't a big deal!"
Indeed, the tiny shrine maiden leading the way ahead was currently Mr. C.B.'s strongest motivation for continuing onward. Honestly, her fingers had been itching the whole time. She was suppressing a fierce impulse to just sweep the tiny miko off her feet, tousle her robes messily, and gently rub that adorable face that looked so irresistibly soft.
If I actually did that, I wonder what kind of cute reaction she'd give me…?
What am I even thinking…? Even Kagura-kouhai, sweet-tempered as she is, would definitely get mad if I really did something like that.
Mr. C.B. quickly shook off these dangerous thoughts and forcefully suppressed her urges.
After nearly an hour of wandering through the dense forest, Kagura finally found the police tape at the bottom of her shrine's staircase. Mr. C.B., following behind her, already looked like a Vietcong fighter, her entire body covered in leaves. She paused, vigorously shaking her head to get the twigs and dirt out of her hair.
Mr. C.B. thought they were finally at their destination—only to realize that the stairs were the real challenge. Stopping at the foot of the seemingly endless staircase, she looked upward and felt an overwhelming despair comparable to staring down the final stretch of a 4000-meter race.
"Um… Kagura-kouhai, you seriously used to live here?"
Mr. C.B. felt the corners of her mouth twitch. It was unfathomable that an eleven- or twelve-year-old child had actually lived in a place like this. Even just climbing up and down these stairs alone could qualify as moderate stamina and guts training.
"I did, why? Senpai, weren't you the one who was super curious about my shrine?"
Seeing Mr. C.B., the mighty Triple Crown winner, already hesitating at the foot of the steps, Kagura struggled to hold back her laughter. She remembered when Nice Nature had first visited this place; she'd also had this exact same expression at the foot of these stairs.
Well, I guess this staircase really might be a bit too much for normal people… Seriously, Eclipse-san, why would you ever choose to set up your base somewhere like this?
——Don't ask me! How was I supposed to know somebody would randomly build a temple dedicated to me in the middle of nowhere like this!?
Ah…fair enough…
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T/N: wowee....