From Kasamatsu to Kyoto, the trip wasn't that far.
In May, Kyoto was at the height of early summer's fresh green season.
And around this time, with the Aoi Matsuri—one of Kyoto's three great festivals—about to be held, the entire city was soaked in a solemn yet heated atmosphere.
Along both sides of the streets, you could see people in kimono everywhere, weaving through the crowd, and flower shops beneath large red parasols.
"Wow..."
The moment she got out of the car, Oguri Cap was captivated by the sight in front of her—
More precisely, by the street packed with food stalls.
"Looks popular!"
The ash-haired girl's eyes sparkled with anticipation, and you could practically see the glistening drool beginning to gather at the corner of her mouth.
Berno Light broke into a cold sweat.
"Cap, didn't we just finish lunch not that long ago?"
"... Is that not allowed?"
Hearing Berno, the ash-haired girl looked at her friend with aggrieved eyes, widening them as she stared, full of wounded innocence.
"O-Of course it's allowed!"
Berno hurriedly backpedaled.
Behind them, Kuroha and Fujimasa March exchanged a look and laughed happily.
Then the four of them began weaving through the festival stalls, grabbing little snacks now and then, and trying any interesting mini-games they came across.
Time slipped by as they played.
Before long, the sky was painted with sunset clouds, and evening had almost arrived.
On a bench by the street, the four of them sat close together, looking at one another.
Everyone was carrying bags and packages, and even though they'd come out to have fun, none of them felt like they'd had quite enough yet.
"Haha, Cap, don't move."
March was smiling as she wiped a few grains of rice from the corner of Cap's mouth.
And the ash-haired girl in front of her simply narrowed her eyes contentedly, as if she wouldn't have minded spending the whole afternoon like this.
"Kuroha-san, are we heading back now?"
Berno tugged lightly at Kuroha's sleeve as she asked.
After today's outing, the way she addressed him had become more familiar.
"Heading back?"
Kuroha took out his phone and checked the time. It was only 6 p.m.
Then, thinking about Kyoto's evening activities, he said, "Since we're already here, let's go take a look at Kamigamo Shrine first."
"I heard today's Kamo Festival event is being held at the shrine's horse-racing track."
"Kamo Festival event?"
March turned her head, blinking with curiosity.
"So... it's a race?"
"More or less."
Kuroha gave a mysterious smile.
"But it's not quite the same as the races you usually run."
...
Not long after, Kuroha and the others arrived near the shrine.
Oguri Cap had a skewer of grilled dango in her left hand and a matcha ice cream in her right, eating with wholehearted joy.
Berno, weighed down by her bags, looked left and right, seemingly lost in thought.
March naturally walked at Kuroha's side. Now and then, her shoulder or hand would brush against his arm, a faint blush lingering on her face as she kept close.
Thump— thump—
Just then, a deep, rhythmic drumbeat drifted from ahead, breaking the shrine's quiet.
Right after it came a burst of enthusiastic cheering.
"Oh? Looks like it's already started."
Kuroha's eyes lit up, and he led the three of them forward at a quicker pace.
They reached the side of a track near the shrine.
The mud track at Kamigamo Shrine was packed so tightly with spectators that it was nearly watertight.
At the starting area, several horse girls were lined up, some wearing red-and-white shrine maiden outfits, others dressed in Heian-era-inspired ceremonial racing attire.
Colorful streamers and small bells—symbols of good fortune—hung from them, chiming crisply with every movement.
"This is... the Kamo Festival event?"
March stared, astonished.
"Why are there so few participants?"
As if hearing her, a nearby horse girl in a deep blue kimono explained.
It turned out that although the Kamo Festival event had horse girls running in it, it wasn't an official race.
It was a relay sprint split into two teams.
Its main meaning was a traditional rite, praying for peace across the land and bountiful harvests.
So for one side, the organizers selected horse girls tied to historical themes—casting them into corresponding roles.
The other side was made up of on-site sign-ups.
It didn't even matter whether you were an active racer or not, because winning wasn't the point.
"I see..."
Berno sighed in admiration.
"It's not an official race, but this format... it's impressive."
"Um... is there a prize?"
Oguri Cap swallowed the last bite of her ice cream, her focus always refreshingly straightforward.
"There is."
An elderly woman nearby smiled as she explained.
"The winning team receives sacred offering rice blessed by the shrine. It's high-quality rice selected from the fields."
"Good food... rice..."
Cap's little ahoge snapped upright like an exclamation mark.
Just then, the priest hosting the ceremony took a microphone and loudly announced that the Kamo Festival event was about to begin.
Any horse girl interested in joining could come forward.
"Hmm?"
The elderly woman suddenly chuckled.
"I feel like you two young ladies look awfully familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?"
She looked at Oguri Cap and Fujimasa March with a puzzled expression.
"Maybe you saw us racing in Kyoto before, and you're not quite remembering," March replied with a gentle smile.
"Oh, is that so?"
The elderly woman nodded thoughtfully, and was about to turn away when—
"... Wait. Fujimasa March? Oguri Cap?"
A young man, prompted by what the elderly woman had just said, turned his head and recognized those familiar faces.
"..."
"!!!"
"Fujimasa March?!"
"Oguri Cap?!"
"How are they here?!"
The crowd suddenly erupted into commotion.
...
Ten minutes later.
March and Cap, unable to refuse the overwhelming enthusiasm, ended up in shrine maiden outfits and stepped onto the track.
These shrine maiden outfits, unlike some impoverished shrine maiden's perpetually gloomy getup, were properly made and covered them tightly from top to bottom.
Still, since the material wasn't like a race outfit, their movements weren't particularly convenient.
On the track.
The horse girls who'd been cleared to participate—active racers from the local circuit and even Central—were trembling all over.
"Seriously? I came to an event and I have to run with those two?"
They looked like they were about to cry, but they also couldn't afford to get dropped too far behind. That would be humiliating.
"D-Don't panic. It's just an event."
Another horse girl tried to steady her voice, as if trying to convince herself.
"Even so, we can't let them leave us too far behind. That'd be way too embarrassing."
Under the arrangements of the priest and shrine maidens, it would be five legs in total.
Fujimasa March and Oguri Cap were assigned to the fourth leg and the final leg, respectively.
(End of Chapter)
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