For Mr. C.B., today was definitely one she'd never forget.
Even after sending Kagura back to the Symboli Household, she was still lost in the dream-like afternoon they'd shared. So dazed was she when she returned to Tracen and wandered to her trainer, it wasn't until the trainer lightly tapped her on the head a few times that Mr. C.B. finally snapped back.
"Why'd you come back looking like you left your soul somewhere? Didn't you say you wanted to go out today to adjust your mood since you've been down lately? Did something else happen?"
"I... I'm great! In fact, I feel full of energy right now!"
It wasn't until that moment that Mr. C.B. remembered she'd told her trainer earlier she wanted to go out and clear her head. Now, not only was she no longer gloomy, she even felt like running a few laps around the track.
"Oh... seems you're in great spirits. Were you lost in thought, savoring something nice just now? What good thing has you this captivated?"
"I met... a really considerate underclassman. Even though I made a somewhat unreasonable request, she still took great care of me, helped me a lot. When I tried to repay her, she even refused."
"Let me guess—that underclassman you mentioned is Kagura-chan from the support department, right?"
The trainer took a sip from her cup as she spoke. Mr. C.B. raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise, as she'd never once brought up Kagura to her trainer before.
"She is the most outstanding Support Uma this year, after all. I've seen plenty of discussions about her on the forums. Almost every Uma in the support department has received help from her, so she's quite famous. The only kouhai who fits your description of being so eager to help others has to be her."
"Yeah... Come to think of it, Trainer-san, since you follow the forums, what exactly are people talking about regarding Kagura-chan?"
"Mostly recent events—mainly the trainers Narumiya Akimitsu with Bizen Nishiki, and Trainer Tojo-san with Rudolf. There's been heated discussion about Rudolf's racing schedule this year. Bizen Nishiki is currently viewed as Rudolf's strongest rival and potentially the biggest obstacle on Rudolf's road to the Triple Crown."
Recently, the hottest topic on the Tracen forums had been about these two newly debuted Uma Musume, even surpassing the previous buzz around Mr. C.B. versus Rudolf.
Similar to Rudolf, Bizen Nishiki had breezed through several previous races undefeated. Compared to Rudolf, who had taken a long rest, Bizen Nishiki's battle record appeared more persuasive, to the point that many had begun believing she had the potential to surpass Rudolf.
Mr. C.B. had heard about Bizen Nishiki, though mostly from Kagura. Bizen Nishiki had previously tried to recruit Kagura, only to be politely refused due to her existing contract. As her trainer spoke about Bizen Nishiki, Mr. C.B. suddenly recalled something Kagura once said about her:
"Bizen Nishiki-san is hardworking and talented, but… if she's aiming for the Triple Crown against Rudolf-ojousama… she still lacks a little something."
Kagura was always humble and conservative. For Kagura to make a remark like that meant she had solid grounds to say it, and Mr. C.B. had faith in Kagura's judgment.
"Wait a minute—what you just said about trainers Narumiya and Tojo-san, how does Kagura-chan factor into that?"
"Some time ago, Narumiya Akimitsu tried to recruit Kagura. Of course, it ended up failing, and now there are two camps: one claims Bizen Nishiki will crush Rudolf, and the other insists that with Tracen's best Support Uma backing her, Rudolf is unstoppable."
"Since Rudolf-ojousama hasn't raced lately, her fans have no new victories to talk about. Instead, they started focusing on Kagura's abilities to find new talking points. And just like that, Kagura-chan's popularity shot up."
Oh? There's something like that happening? I wonder how Kagura-chan would react if she knew.
Mr. C.B. listened eagerly as her trainer described recent forum discussions about Kagura—mostly highly positive evaluations, along with a few who wanted Kagura's contact details for support work. Negative comments seemed entirely nonexistent. Clearly, Kagura was extremely popular at school.
"We've gotten a bit sidetracked… C.B., you clearly had a great time today. Just what exactly did Kagura-chan do to make you this happy?"
"I witnessed a one-of-a-kind performance… I'm in a fantastic mood! Trainer-san, how about I run a couple laps right now?"
"It's already past eight…"
Her trainer smiled wryly as she glanced at the wall clock. But seeing Mr. C.B.'s energetic face, she hesitated briefly before giving a nod.
"Wryyyyy—!!"
Having obtained permission, Mr. C.B. immediately let out a weird shout and sprinted away. Clearly, she was extremely excited.
The trainer sighed helplessly, grabbing her stopwatch and following after. As her trainer, she had to be present whenever her Uma was training.
"What kind of magic did Kagura-chan use on her, anyway? Not even half a day passed, and she's already bounced back completely… Next time this happens, should I borrow Kagura-chan from Tojo-senpai too?"
...
"Welcome back, Kagura~ You look so cute today!"
On the other side, after separating from Mr. C.B. at the fork, Kagura returned to the Symboli Household. Several maids who'd been waiting at the door immediately surrounded her, reaching out to rub Kagura's head.
"Stop rubbing my head... I'll never grow taller!"
Kagura ducked away from their head-rubbing, swiftly escaping inside.
Although Kagura already knew her height limit—158cm—and even her upper limit for her figure, she stubbornly refused to give up. Honkaku meant anything was possible! Maybe she could surpass Eclipse someday?
——Give up, little girl. Other things aside, at least in terms of figure, you'll never surpass me.
I refuse to accept that! Miss Eclipse, can't you ever wish me luck!?
——Humans should be realistic. You shouldn't keep hypnotizing yourself with unrealistic dreams!
In what world is growing taller unrealistic!?
Seeing the words appear on the mirror, Kagura, who was preparing to bathe, couldn't help retorting silently.
She'd been busy the whole day and was now so exhausted she didn't want to move. She just wanted a quick bath before collapsing into bed.
[Nice_Nature]:Are you there~?
Just as she sat down in the bathtub and picked up her phone to scroll through some videos, Kagura saw a message from Nice Nature.
[Inari_Kagura]:Yep, what's up?
[Nice_Nature]:Happy New Year~ hehe, guess I'm a bit late. Did Kagura visit the shrine these past few days?
[Nice_Nature]:[Photo]
Nice Nature sent a picture of herself visiting the shrine with her family. Compared to Tokyo, Nature's rural hometown had a warm, lively atmosphere—different from Tokyo's rushed and crowded bustle.
Kagura also sent back a picture of herself alone during hatsumōde. The shrine was so crowded that neither Speed-sama nor Rudolf-ojousama felt like taking photos, leaving no group pictures behind.
[Nice_Nature]:I see... Oh, by the way, Kagura, is now a good time for a video call?
[Inari_Kagura]:Sure, go ahead whenever.
After Kagura agreed, Nice Nature quickly initiated the video call.
"Good evening~ Eh? Kagura, you're bathing too?"
As soon as the call connected, Kagura saw Nice Nature soaking amidst a cloud of steam, faintly revealing her white shoulders through the mist.
"Yeah, I spent the whole day outside. I'm exhausted, just want a bath then straight to bed."
"You're as busy as ever… Remember to rest properly, okay? Don't tire yourself out too much."
"Mm, thanks for worrying~ Anyway, Nature, was there something you needed to tell me specifically?"
"Not really, just… I missed you, so I wanted to see your face."
Nice Nature sank deeper into the water, bubbles softly gurgling around her.
"Pfft, you silly. It's not like you won't see me soon enough. Once classes start again, you can look as much as you want."
Kagura laughed, genuinely happy. It was the first time outside of her closest girlfriends that anyone had ever said "I missed you" to her. It felt nice having a friend care like that.
"Mmm… I'll be coming back in a few days. Kagura, can you make some Luobo Gao for me?"
"Of course~ Anything you want to eat, just ask~ I learned some new dishes recently. You can taste-test them for me."
"Yay!"
Nice Nature cheered loudly in the tub, prompting immediate knocking from her parents, asking why she was shouting.
Hehe, this kid's adorable. But I've soaked enough… time to get out.
Thinking this, Kagura slowly stood up from the bath.
"Eh—Eh—Eh!! Kagura, y-y-you're finished!? I can see everything…"
Nice Nature panicked on the other side, quickly covering her eyes.
"What's wrong with you…?"
Before Kagura could finish, Nice Nature hurriedly ended the call.
What's gotten into her...?
Confused but shrugging it off, Kagura dried herself, changed into pajamas, and headed to her room.