"Ojou-sama!! I was only gone for two weeks!! How—How did you manage to grow this belly!!?"
Early in the morning, a crisp, childish shout echoed from within the Student Council office.
The month-long holiday had finally ended. Students gradually returned to school, and Kagura, who'd been forced into two weeks of vacation at the Symboli Household, had also returned to Tracen Academy at last.
Naturally, Kagura's first stop upon arriving was the Student Council to report to Rudolf-ojousama. But the moment she laid eyes on Rudolf, she felt her blood pressure skyrocket. Because during this period, both she and Trainer Tojo had been absent, meaning no one was there to supervise Rudolf-ojousama's daily life. Apparently, Rudolf had indulged a bit too much, and now looked distinctly… rounder.
"Ah… Ahahaha… Um… Kagura… Let me explain…"
Cold sweat dripped down Rudolf's forehead. Never before had she felt such terrifying pressure from Kagura. To say that Kagura's aura right now was oppressive would be an understatement—even the notorious intimidating presence Mejiro Ramonu often used to frighten others paled in comparison. Even though Kagura's voice had regained its calm, the pressure within her tone hadn't lessened in the slightest.
The newly joined Uma Musume standing nearby—apparently named Air Groove, according to what Kagura had heard—stared blankly as their Student Council President was pinned to her seat by a tiny girl who looked barely eleven or twelve years old, mercilessly scolding her. The young Uma was frozen stiff, unsure if she should step in to help Rudolf or quietly slip away.
"I don't think your situation requires further explanation, Ojou-sama. When you're finished at noon, you're coming with me immediately to the nurse's office to weigh yourself. I'll get your condition back in shape as soon as possible!"
"Y-Yes…"
Rudolf bowed her head, nodding like a child being scolded for wrongdoing. Air Groove stared in shock at the petite Uma Musume whose presence now dominated the entire Student Council office. From this tiny figure emanated an unmistakable aura—one exclusive to the strong.
"Honestly… The races are coming up—how could you be so careless? Here, breakfast for today; the amount is precisely measured. And I'll have Trainer Tojo adjust your afternoon training program."
Handing Rudolf-ojousama her carefully portioned meal, Kagura grumbled irritably, ending with a helpless sigh.
"Oh, sorry about earlier, classmate. Was I too loud? Hope I didn't scare you—it's just the usual hypertension-inducing life of a Support Uma. Here, I brought snacks too; have some."
"Ah… oh! Th-thank you very much…"
Air Groove dazedly accepted the fried Luobo Gao from Kagura. Only after sending Rudolf a final murderous glare did Kagura finally turn and leave.
Incidentally, Kagura took all of Rudolf's hidden instant ramen from the office cabinets with her as she left.
"I-I really shouldn't have been grinding so hard during this period… Should've listened to Kagura and eaten proper meals at the cafeteria…"
Rudolf had already mentally prepared herself for the scolding, but Kagura's attitude toward her was much gentler than expected. Probably because Kagura didn't usually lose her temper easily. But even a calm Kagura had unleashed such terrifying pressure just now—Rudolf couldn't imagine what she'd be like if genuinely angered.
"President… who exactly was that…?"
This was Air Groove's first encounter with Inari Kagura. Even though she wasn't particularly interested in school gossip, seeing a little kid scolding the Student Council President had undeniably piqued her curiosity.
"She's my Support Uma. Air Groove, you've probably heard of her—she's last year's Tracen Academy's top-ranked Support Uma."
"Ah… so she's the legendary Inari Kagura-san!?"
Inari Kagura's name had long circulated widely among the students. As last year's winner of Tracen's Best Support Uma award, countless Uma and trainers had their eyes on her, eagerly hoping for her support. Rudolf could already foresee the swarm of people who'd come to recruit Kagura once her contract with the Symboli Household ended.
"Yes. So, what's your impression of her?"
"Exactly as the rumors say… She's gentle and attentive. Even when she was scolding you just now, President… she seemed to carry a kind of motherly exasperation."
"Haha… You felt that too, didn't you? That's exactly the type of child she is."
Rudolf fully agreed with Air Groove's assessment—motherly gentleness. But from the perspective of the one being scolded, it was more like motherly pressure.
Air Groove took a bite of the Luobo Gao Kagura had handed her. The aroma of the fried cake, combined with the savory fragrance of seafood, scallions, and radish, exploded like a rich culinary bomb inside her mouth. Her eyes widened involuntarily. Her taste buds immediately told her this wasn't something ordinary cafeterias or restaurants could produce.
"How is it? Her cooking is quite remarkable, isn't it?"
"Incredible. President, she… looks like she's only eleven or twelve?"
"Twelve this year, actually. This child always manages to surprise me. Without her help, which relieves me of so many worries, I would've collapsed long ago."
"So, she really is only twelve!? I assumed she was just a very petite upperclassman from the high school section… this is truly…"
..
After leaving the Student Council office, Kagura dragged her suitcase directly toward the dormitory building.
Nice Nature seemed to be training at the track; as Kagura passed by her dorm, there was no sound from inside. Thus, Kagura temporarily shelved the idea of going in to greet her friend and went straight back to her own room.
"Ah! Kagura-san! You're finally back!"
Inside the room, Mejiro Ardan, who was doing squats, jolted as if electrified upon hearing the door open. Having not seen Kagura for two whole weeks, she almost instinctively rushed over to hug Kagura. Fortunately, her etiquette training prevailed, suppressing that impulse. Instead, she merely hurried over and stopped in front of Kagura, ears and tail swaying joyfully behind her.
"I'm back, Ardan-ojousama. Were you exercising just now? Make sure to control your pace properly. If you tire yourself out and collapse, it'll be troublesome for me."
"Mm-hmm! I won't do anything to worry you, Kagura-san! Also, um… mmph!"
Before Ardan could finish speaking, Kagura suddenly stood on tiptoe and popped a piece of freshly-fried, pleasantly hot Luobo Gao straight into her mouth. Instinctively biting down, Ardan's eyes widened—its flavor was pure and authentic, immediately transporting her back to memories of touring southern China with Iris-sama.
"How is it? This is the snack I'm best at making. What do you think, Ardan-ojousama?"
Kagura smiled warmly as she watched Ardan's cheeks suddenly flush red. Ardan, after briefly malfunctioning for a few seconds, finally nodded shyly down at Kagura:
"Mm… It's delicious, perfectly authentic. Kagura-san, your cooking is truly impressive…"
"I'm glad you like it, Ardan-ojousama~"
Placing the breakfast box on the table, Kagura had already noticed Ardan's stomach growling loudly. Guessing correctly that Ardan hadn't eaten yet, she had thoughtfully brought food straight from the Symboli Household.
"By the way, I received a video recommendation from Wudi-san… I saw your New Year's greetings video spoken in Chinese, Kagura-san. Your pronunciation was so precise! Did you know Chinese all along?"
"Not really. Actually, Wudi-san taught me on the spot while filming. So… I guess you could say I know a tiny bit?"
"Oh, I see… Didn't I say it before? If you ever wanted to learn Chinese, you could always ask me! My Chinese is great!"
Ardan proudly puffed up her ample chest.
"Well… I'm sure I'll encounter more things like this in the future. If you don't mind, Ardan-ojousama, maybe you can teach me a little every night after I finish my tasks?"
"Yes… Of course!"
"Alright then, Ardan-ojousama, I've been listening to your stomach rumble long enough. Hurry up and eat~"
After urging Ardan toward breakfast, Kagura took out her cleaning supplies and started tidying the dorm room, which had been unoccupied for weeks. Though it wasn't particularly dirty, Kagura simply had the habit of cleaning—seeing even slight dirt left her restless.
"Um! Kagura-san, let me help—"
"Ardan-ojousama, you just sit and eat! Leave this to me!"
Ardan's offer was immediately shut down before she even finished speaking.
Suddenly, Ardan felt as though she were watching her own mother bustling about the dorm. She recalled how, whenever she tried to help with chores at home, her mother would immediately send her off to rest instead.
Kagura-san… really does give off such a strong motherly vibe, doesn't she…
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T/N: 4 chapters since i was gonna update yesterday but didnt, bonus chaps are tomorrow and uhhh no character note for thisweek
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