This Logistics Uma Musume Is Problematic

As she spoke, Nice Nature leaned closer to Kagura, whom she was holding in her arms, and rubbed her cheek against Kagura's.

"Now that I've finally gotten into Central Tracen, I'll find a way for you to get into school too, Kagura!"

"Well..."

Clearly, Nice Nature still hadn't forgotten the promise she had made long ago. Kagura was happy to have a friend who cared so much about her. However, when Nice Nature mentioned enrolling at Tracen Academy, Kagura suddenly remembered that she seemed to be going to Tracen soon as well. Wouldn't that make Nice Nature her classmate?

"...I have some good news to tell you too, Nature."

Kagura decided to tell Nice Nature the news first. Since they would be classmates from now on, there was no harm in keeping each other informed.

"Hm? Good news from Kagura?"

"The Symbol family restored my identity, and the young lady said she wanted me to go with her to Tracen Academy and take care of her daily life... So I'll be reporting to Tracen in a few days too, as a Logistics Uma Musume."

"Eeeh!!!!?"

Nice Nature wore an incredulous expression and let out a shriek at an extremely high pitch.

"That's wonderful! I always said it was such a shame that a smart girl like you couldn't go to school. Does that mean we'll be classmates?"

After her brief surprise, Nice Nature happily picked Kagura up and spun around several times. They were both still young Uma Musume, but Nice Nature was still a little taller than the short Kagura.

"By the way, Kagura, what exactly is a Logistics Uma Musume?"

"Well..."

Kagura briefly recalled the explanation Toujou Hana had given her about Logistics Uma Musume. She condensed the lengthy concept a little before giving Nice Nature a simple explanation.

"Oh, I see. So there are Uma Musume like that too... Hmm..."

After hearing Kagura's explanation, Nice Nature seemed to have come up with an idea. She looked thoughtful.

Kagura quietly waited for Nice Nature to think for a while. When she saw that Nice Nature seemed to want to say something but couldn't bring herself to, Kagura finally asked:

"What's wrong?"

"Ah... It's just, since Kagura's going to become a Logistics Uma Musume... I... well..."

Nice Nature stammered, lowering her head with a nervous look. A faint blush spread across her fair cheeks.

"Would you be willing to... be my... Um, what I mean is... once I'm able to compete, would you be willing to... support me?"

Although Nice Nature spoke haltingly, Kagura more or less understood what she meant. Naturally, it wasn't a problem. She had already been taking care of Nice Nature all along. To her, this was simply another part of her daily routine.

"Of course, Nature. As long as you don't mind, I have no problem with it."

"W-Why would I mind, Kagura?! I'd be thrilled if someone as good at taking care of people as you were willing to support me!"

"You're such a glutton. Here, I happened to make some daikon cakes. I added some taro this time. Want to try one?"

As she spoke, Kagura raised the basket she had been carrying and waved it at Nice Nature. She knew how much Nice Nature loved the food she made, so before coming out to buy groceries, she had used some of the extra ingredients Head Maid had bought that morning to prepare a few snacks.

"Yes!"

Nice Nature nodded without hesitation, wagging her tail as she stared at Kagura expectantly.

Ah... If only I had a little sister like this.

Seeing Nice Nature waiting for food like a pet at home, Kagura couldn't help wanting to laugh. She took a steaming taro daikon cake wrapped in a small bag from the basket and handed it to Nice Nature, reminding her not to burn her mouth.

Of course, Kagura hadn't forgotten that she had come out to buy groceries. With Nice Nature still burying her head in her food, Kagura entered the Shopping District and began her shopping.

"Yo~ It's been a few days since I last saw you, little Kagura. The usual today?"

"Yes. Please prepare the same ingredients as usual."

Seeing the shopkeeper head inside to prepare the ingredients, Kagura also checked her pockets, getting ready to pay.

"See? The moment you came back, that girl Nature got so much more energetic. Hey, Nature, did little Kagura bring you something to eat again? Did you thank her?"

"Mmph-mmph! (I did!)"

With her mouth stuffed full of taro daikon cake, Nice Nature made a muffled sound and nodded vigorously.

Kagura took the change from the shopkeeper and put it back in her pocket. Then she took another small bag of pastries from the basket and handed it to him. The shopkeeper looked surprised as he accepted it.

"What's this...?"

"Some snacks I made myself. They might not be as tasty as the ones sold in the shops outside... Hehe, I mainly wanted to thank you for always taking such good care of me, Shopkeeper. Just a little token of appreciation."

"Ahhh...! That girl Nature was right. Little Kagura really is an angel... If only my daughter were this sensible and obedient..."

"Whoa, whoa, Shopkeeper, keep a hold of yourself..."

Judging by the shopkeeper's moved expression, his daughter probably put him through quite a lot on a regular basis.

After saying goodbye to the touched shopkeeper, Kagura and the still-devouring Nice Nature headed to the next shop. After paying, Kagura also slipped a bag of homemade snacks to that shopkeeper.

They visited so many shops along the way, and some of the shopkeepers tried the snacks on the spot. Kagura didn't know whether the shopkeepers were exaggerating or whether they really were that delicious, but judging from one shopkeeper's reaction, he had nearly blown his clothes off like a character from Food Wars!

After checking her shopping list and confirming that she had bought all the ingredients, Kagura saw that it was still early and that she didn't need to hurry home to cook. Only then did she turn to Nice Nature, who had followed her the whole way.

"Nature, you don't have any homework or anything to do right now, do you? What have you been doing lately?"

"Gulp... Mmph! Me? I've been looking ahead at Tracen's coursework..."

Hearing Kagura ask her a question, Nice Nature quickly swallowed the food in her mouth.

"Do you need any help?"

"Eh? Do you have time today, Kagura? Don't you need to go home and cook?"

Nice Nature had originally thought that simply walking around with Kagura without doing anything would be nice enough. Upon hearing that Kagura still had time, however, she suddenly had another idea.

"I have some free time left in my schedule. I also messaged Head Maid on my phone to tell her I might be home later, so there's no rush."

"Then... then why don't you come to my place? I mean... to tutor me?"

Nice Nature tried inviting Kagura over. Kagura had tutored her from time to time before, but she had never once visited Nice Nature's home. Since Nice Nature was always being taken care of by Kagura, she had long wanted a chance to host Kagura for once. Unfortunately, Kagura's schedule had always been packed, and Nice Nature hadn't had a way to contact her back when Kagura didn't have a phone, so she had never found the opportunity.

"Tutoring at your place? Won't that disturb your parents?"

"No, no, it's just my temporary residence. My parents are back in my hometown, and I live alone. There's no one else at home!"

As if to prove that she was telling the truth, Nice Nature even puffed out her already slightly developed chest and put on a dependable expression.

"Then... I'll be intruding?"

Nice Nature's home couldn't be considered large. It looked like a standard residence for one person.

Kagura placed the basket of vegetables by the entrance so that she could simply pick it up on her way out later. Only then did she take off her shoes and enter Nature's home.

"Eh... um, Kagura, sit over there for now. I... I'll make you some tea!"

Kagura felt that this was probably the first time Nice Nature had invited someone to her home. She could tell that Nice Nature was nervous. After all, she was still a child. Although Kagura agreed and sat by the table in the living room, she kept an eye on Nice Nature's movements, worried that the nervous girl might have some kind of accident.

Nature should be all right, shouldn't she?

Although Kagura couldn't see Nice Nature in the kitchen from where she sat, she could still hear some sounds coming from inside.

After a while, when nothing seemed wrong and Kagura had just relaxed, the sound of some metal object falling to the floor suddenly came from the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of water splashing. Kagura immediately focused again. When she heard Nice Nature cry out, she hurried to her feet and ran toward the kitchen.

"Nature! What happened?"

Pushing open the kitchen door, Kagura saw Nice Nature sitting on the floor and rubbing her lower back and hip. A kettle lay on the floor nearby, with water spilled all over the ground. Fortunately, Nice Nature had only come in to fill it, so the water inside hadn't boiled yet.

"Eh... Kagura... I..."

"Stay exactly where you are and don't move. Let me take a look."

After carefully examining the kitchen, Kagura noticed a stool that shouldn't have been there, as well as an unopened jar that seemed to contain tea leaves lying on the counter. She looked at the upper cabinet, which had been opened and left that way, and immediately had a rough idea of what had happened.

"I-I'm fine! I just fell off the stool and knocked over the kettle. Really, Kagura, you don't have to..."

"That stool isn't exactly short. Be a good girl, Nature, and let me take a look."

As a doctor, Kagura naturally didn't believe patients when they said they were fine. She had seen too many patients say they were all right, only to delay treatment until their condition became serious. To prevent Nice Nature from actually getting hurt, she decided to examine her carefully.

Nice Nature seemed stunned by Kagura's suddenly serious air and froze in place. Kagura walked over and told her not to move before beginning to check whether she had suffered any other injuries.

This is the first time... I've seen Kagura like this.

Kagura usually gave people the impression of being quiet and easygoing. Nice Nature had never seen her so serious and intimidating before.

Kagura carefully touched Nice Nature's forehead and arms, occasionally asking whether she felt anything unusual. Uma Musume were naturally quite sturdy, and Nice Nature had only taken a minor tumble. Apart from her sore backside, she didn't feel any obvious discomfort.

After examining Nice Nature and confirming that she hadn't suffered any troublesome injuries, Kagura finally let out a sigh of relief. She took Nice Nature's hand and carefully helped her stand.

"Good, you're all right... Nature, let me handle it from here."

A few minutes later, Kagura carried a steaming cup of tea over to Nice Nature.

"Aw... I wanted to serve Kagura myself..."

Nice Nature's energy visibly plummeted. Her ears drooped, and she looked dispirited and deeply disappointed.

"You're not tall enough, and you can't keep your balance, so don't do anything that dangerous. I came here to tutor you. There was no need to do all this."

Kagura reached out and rubbed Nice Nature's little head. She knew Nice Nature always tried to act like an older sister or a senior in front of her, but in the end, she was still only a child.

"I just... You're always taking care of me, Kagura. Even though I'm older than you, I wanted to do something for you too..."

"Then before you try anything dangerous that you aren't confident about, tell me first, all right?"

As she spoke, Kagura lowered her hand from Nice Nature's head and gently hugged her from behind while she was still sitting.

The sudden movement made Nice Nature's ears twitch in surprise. She had never felt Kagura's presence so clearly before. The gentle sensation, like that of a mother, made her relax and grow calm. She suddenly wanted to lean against Kagura like this for a while and do nothing at all.

"Mmm..."

Kagura raised a hand and gently stroked Nice Nature's head as though comforting a child. Nice Nature let out a contented sound like a cat.

After a moment, when Nice Nature had calmed down, Kagura released her. Nice Nature reluctantly tried to rub her face against Kagura's hand, but she quickly restrained herself.

"All right, Nature. We've put it off long enough. Time to begin."

Kagura sat down beside Nice Nature again and reminded her.

"Eh? Begin what...?"

Having just emerged from that tender warmth, Nice Nature's mind was still a little hazy, and she asked instinctively.

"Didn't you ask me to come tutor you? Go get your exercises."

"Ah! Right! I'll get them!"

20. Enrollment

"Judging by the time, it should be almost time, right?"

A few days later, Kagura completed her enrollment procedures. After receiving the notice, she brought her luggage to the gates of Tracen Academy the very next day.

When she had gone to tutor Nice Nature a few days earlier, Kagura had also exchanged contact information with her. Nice Nature had arranged to meet her at eight in the morning to report to school together, and had asked Kagura to show her around. It was now 7:45. Kagura had always made a habit of arriving half an hour early, so she had already come to wait at 7:30.

"Kagura~! Have you been waiting long?"

After a few more minutes, Kagura heard hurried footsteps approaching from a nearby street. She saw the red-haired Uma Musume running over from a distance with a huge pile of luggage on her back.

Since she could now live directly in Tracen's dormitory, Nice Nature no longer needed to stay in her old place. So today, she had brought all her luggage over and said goodbye to her warmhearted landlord.

"Did you bring everything? Didn't you leave anything behind?"

"Huff... huff! I brought everything! I also said goodbye to the landlord and everyone in the Shopping District. They were all so happy, and they gave me lots of snacks to bring to school, so I was delayed a little. We lived together for such a long time, after all. It's a little sad to leave..."

Nice Nature stopped in front of Kagura, panting in short bursts as she leaned against her suitcase after running hard with such a huge load. Kagura wondered if it was merely her imagination, but even though they had only been apart for a few days, Nice Nature seemed to have grown a little taller, and her figure seemed slightly more developed too.

"That's wonderful. Coming to Tokyo from your hometown and finding so many people in this unfamiliar city who care about you... You're very lucky, Nature."

"Hehe... Yeah. When I first moved here, I was always worried that people would bully me because I couldn't fit into the city... But whether it was the Shopping District back home or the one here, everyone was so warm and kind. It's wonderful..."

"That's why I keep telling you not to be so insecure, Nature. You're a very lovable girl too."

As she spoke, Kagura reached out and rubbed the head of Nice Nature, who was slightly taller than her. Nice Nature didn't dodge. She only gave a silly grin, seeming to enjoy the feeling.

"Of course, there are times when I think, 'Maybe I can do it too!' Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to Tracen!"

"Since you're ready, shall we... go?"