After the afternoon's friendly match ended, Bizen Nishiki and the others still had things to handle. And since Kagura wasn't exactly eager to deal with the kind of troublesome parents like that, she left first to go eat. After dinner, while Kagura was wandering around the track, she ran into Bizen Nishiki again.
Compared to daytime, Bizen Nishiki looked a lot more relaxed—just like the first time Kagura met her, full of energy. It felt like Kagura hadn't seen that expression on her face in a long time.
"Good evening, Nishiki-san. You look a lot more relaxed."
"Ah! Kagura-san!! I was just thinking about where I should go to find you!"
Seeing Kagura, Bizen Nishiki ran over happily. She opened her arms like she was about to hug her, but halfway through, as if realizing that might be inappropriate, she hurriedly pulled her hands back.
"Heh. So lively. Looking that happy… Narumiya Akimitsu's persuasion worked?"
It was obvious this kid was in a great mood—just from her face, Kagura could tell their plan with Narumiya Akimitsu had probably succeeded.
"Yeah! My parents finally agreed to let my trainer arrange things according to his plan! Hehe… it's all thanks to you, Kagura-san. I don't even know how to thank you…"
"Heh, don't be so polite. I'm just glad I could help."
"No, I can't just leave it at that! Trainer told me—Kagura-san, you saved my whole second half of my life. He said I have to thank you properly!"
"Mm…"
Normally Kagura would reflexively downplay it, but this time she didn't deny it. If Bizen Nishiki kept running like that, once she collapsed, whether she'd ever stand again would be a question. If luck went bad, this child might spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. If Kagura still tried to "be humble," it'd be no different from a doctor hiding a diagnosis from a patient. She also hoped that through this, Bizen Nishiki would start taking her own body seriously—so if something like this happened again, she'd fight back or ask the people around her for help.
"So! As repayment, Kagura-san—whatever you want, just tell me! I can do anything!"
"Hey now… kid, can you really say that kind of thing so casually?"
Lately, Kagura felt like she'd been hearing "I can do anything" a lot. She smiled helplessly, rose onto her toes, and poked Bizen Nishiki in the forehead with a fingertip.
"I—I'll do my best! Ah! Kagura-san wouldn't ask me for something weird, right?!"
Bizen Nishiki laughed awkwardly, then suddenly remembered something important and rushed to ask—
"I won't. But if it was someone else who helped you, would you agree?"
Seeing how cautious she looked, Kagura couldn't help laughing. She had no interest in asking for anything weird, but she did want to tease this pure-hearted kid a little.
"Eh…? I-it depends on what kind of person and what kind of request… If it's Kagura-san…"
She'd only meant it as an offhand joke, but Bizen Nishiki looked like she was seriously thinking it through. She seemed genuinely troubled, stammering and unable to get the words out.
"Alright, alright, it was just a joke. Don't take it seriously. But if someone ever really uses an 'opportunity' like that to ask you for something strange, remember to call the police right away, okay? Girls need to learn how to protect themselves."
Seeing her struggle that much, Kagura laughed and patted this sweet, slightly adorable idiot twice, not making it harder for her. Bizen Nishiki finally let out a breath—swallowing the second half of whatever she hadn't managed to say.
"Oh… then… Kagura-san's request?"
Even though Kagura had interrupted her with a joke, Bizen Nishiki still didn't forget to ask.
"I haven't thought of one. If you really want to repay me, then just keep it on hold for now."
"Okay! I'll remember it! If there's ever a day Kagura-san needs my help, just come find me!"
Watching Bizen Nishiki nod so earnestly, Kagura finally understood what Eclipse-san meant about her being like a kid. Still—she didn't dislike children this straightforward. She was just worried that one day this idiot would get lured away, and that would be a problem.
...
[Director Akikawa, the thing I asked you for yesterday—have you prepared it?]
That night, lying in bed, Akikawa Yayoi felt her phone vibrate twice. She picked it up and lit the screen—she had a new message.
[I already got it from Tazuna-san. But what do you want it for?]
[Just interested in that child… If I remember right, her name is Inari Kagura, yes?]
[Interested? You're British—why are you interested in her?]
[Hehe, Director Akikawa. Something as shallow as "why," I don't need to spell out, do I? As director, what you know is no less than what I know.]
Staring at the message on her screen, Akikawa Yayoi hesitated before tapping her phone and sending over the file she'd prepared.
[April Turf In-school Selection 2000m-01.mp4 sent]
[Ooh! Got it! Thanks for cooperating, Director—once I'm back in a while, I'll bring this video to the Queen to have a look]
[No need to thank me. If you hear anything back, just tell me.]
After replying, Akikawa Yayoi turned off her screen, set the phone down, and lay flat on her back.
Yesterday, when she heard that an English Triple Crown Uma Musume she hadn't seen in years had come to the academy, she really was surprised. After the Maruzensky incident a few years ago, they'd barely been in contact. Their relationship wasn't bad, but they weren't close either.
Besides coming to see where her daughter had been studying these past few years, that Uma Musume brought her a clue Akikawa Yayoi had been thinking about for a long time. Like Akikawa Yayoi, she'd also noticed Kagura's oddness—so she asked Akikawa Yayoi for the recording of Kagura's School Selection Race that day. As for whether anything meaningful could actually be analyzed from it… Akikawa Yayoi couldn't promise that. She was just doing it with a "might as well try" mindset.
"Still can't let it go, huh… If Nijinsky can dig something out of it, that'd be great."
Thinking of Kagura's face—so eerily similar to that legendary Uma Musume—Akikawa Yayoi couldn't put down that itch of curiosity. She'd already given up when the trail went cold, but then Nijinsky said Inari Kagura looked familiar, and it sparked her curiosity all over again.
"But wait—this afternoon, didn't that little girl run with some classmate again… Ah! I got busy planting vegetables and forgot to go watch!!"
...
——Ah, this child has a kind of innocent beauty that hasn't been tainted.
Eclipse-san, you could just say it more plainly…
——It's the truth, no sarcasm. I like her, sure, but honestly, I'm worried that one day she'll get tricked into being sold and still help the buyer count the money. In that sense, I like your ojou-samas more.
Yeah… Hopefully Narumiya Akimitsu can teach her some common sense.