You Have a Problem, Logistics Uma Musume

Speed Symbol frowned, and Kagura, thinking she found her troublesome, hurriedly spoke up.

"Leave? Where would you go?"

"Uh..."

Only when Speed Symbol asked did Kagura realize that her words had slipped out without thought. She had nowhere to go at all. Not only was she undocumented, but the shrine-like place where she had originally lived had probably been destroyed in the fire. In this unfamiliar place, where could she go? An orphanage, perhaps? She really did not want to take that path.

"You're still young, but you're clever and very perceptive. Child, perhaps my expression just now gave you the wrong idea. I didn't mean that you were troublesome. I was only thinking about how to help you."

Speed Symbol naturally guessed why Kagura had suddenly said that. She knew it was one of her old habits. Her granddaughter often frightened other Uma Musume in the same way. She adjusted her expression to look as gentle as possible, then patted Kagura on the head again.

"...Help me?"

"That's right. It's obvious you don't want to go to an orphanage, right? Why not stay here until we find your family?"

"No, no! That would trouble you far too much! You've already helped me so much. I can't cause you any more trouble!"

Kagura hurriedly shook her head, and a wave of pain surged through her with the movement. She immediately stopped and hissed in pain.

"Don't move so violently. You'll hurt yourself again."

Holding Kagura's head still to keep her from moving around, Speed Symbol finally understood what people meant when they said that a child being too sensible could also be troublesome. The Symbol family might not be able to save every Uma Musume as their ideals demanded, but helping one little Uma Musume was no problem.

Why is this child as stubborn as Old Mejiro?

As Speed Symbol pondered how to make the little girl accept her help without feeling uneasy, she heard footsteps. A maid was pushing a food cart toward them in the distance, and Speed Symbol suddenly had an idea.

"Listen to me, child. I'm not asking you to stay at my house and do nothing. We happen to be short-handed. Would you be willing to stay and work as a maid?"

"Ah...? A maid?"

"A courtyard and residence this large need people to maintain them, don't they? Do you think I have enough people right now?"

Seeing Kagura's movements slow considerably, Speed Symbol knew the idea had worked. The child really did not want to accept charity, but if she used this excuse to keep her here, it seemed Kagura could accept it.

I really don't understand what this child is afraid of. Is she worried about owing me a favor and being unable to repay it? She looks barely ten. Do children this young already worry about things like that?

Speed Symbol was puzzled. She could understand the mentality, though. Whenever she helped Old Mejiro, she always told her not to worry about it, yet some time later, Old Mejiro would send over a mountain of gifts. Speed Symbol regarded it as helping an old friend and had never intended to receive anything in return.

"People outside may not dare hire a child like you, but the Symbol family can give you that opportunity. You can stay here and handle the Symbol family's household chores, while we provide you with food and lodging. What do you think?"

Since she had decided to do it, Speed Symbol simply steeled herself and treated it as hiring a maid. She could tell the Head Maid to assign Kagura less work later.

"Uh... Do you... really need me to do this work?"

"Of course. How do you feel about it?"

After a very long hesitation, Kagura finally gave a slight nod. By then, the maid delivering the food had already pushed her cart over and greeted Speed Symbol with a bow. It seemed Kagura had agreed.

"Okay... Once you've recovered, I'll have the Head Maid teach you what to do."

"Thank you... granny."

Kagura was not an ignorant child. She naturally understood that Speed Symbol had probably made up an excuse on the spot to help her accept the assistance without worry. So she still thanked her. She disliked owing people anything, especially favors, but given the circumstances, she had no choice.

After all, she was in an unfamiliar place, had no identity, and had no family to rely on. Even if she went out looking for work, no place would likely hire a child like her. Being supported without having to do anything would certainly be comfortable, but she could not accept such help without feeling guilty. Under the circumstances, the opportunity Speed Symbol offered was the choice she could accept most easily.

She was not worried about failing at maid work. That morning, she had asked the kind maid what they usually did, and it was nothing more than household chores. For someone who had lived independently for so long, that was no problem at all.

Oh well... It's not like I can go back anyway. I'll just take things one step at a time...

Since she was already here, she had to make the best of it. Inari Kagura knew that she currently had no means of returning to her original world, so she could only find a way to establish herself in this unfamiliar place first.

3. An Uma Musume, a Ghost, and a Maid

In the small room assigned to her, Kagura picked up the child-sized maid uniform the Head Maid had just brought her and looked at herself in the room's mirror.

"Ah... I'm only a little over 140 centimeters tall! I've completely become a child!"

Remembering that she had once been 170 centimeters tall, Inari Kagura sighed helplessly.

She had spent almost the entire week since being injured lying in bed, with the Symbol family's servants caring for her. As a result, she had not needed to worry about food or lodging. It was only after moving into her new room today that she finally had the chance to examine herself carefully.

She did not know whether the medical technology here was advanced or whether her body in this life was simply much stronger. Injuries that severe had nearly healed in only a week, and hardly any scars remained. As someone who had once studied medicine, she was deeply shocked.

During that time, she had also gained a rough understanding of her surroundings. The granny who had saved her was called Speed Symbol, the head of the Symbol family. Kagura did not understand the complicated affairs of noble families, but she knew that the Symbol family was extremely powerful and that Speed Symbol was currently its leader.

The world she was in seemed similar to Earth, and this place resembled an island nation. At least, she had never heard of creatures called Uma Musume on Earth. She had heard of an anime called Uma Musume: Pretty Derby, but only by name and knew nothing about it.

At least this was still a modern society, and most common knowledge remained applicable just as it was on Earth. That eased Kagura's worries somewhat. At least she did not have to fear being thrown into an era she could not adapt to.

After putting on the maid uniform and attaching the white petal ornament to her left ear, Kagura looked at herself in the mirror. If it had been in the past, the black-haired, straight-haired Uma Musume in the mirror would have been exactly her type. But now that she had become this way herself, she felt rather conflicted.

"Does this mean I've become the kind of person I like...?"

She had always thought maid uniforms should be paired with long stockings, perhaps garter stockings. But now that she had to work, she understood that going barefoot in slippers was the best choice for a traditional maid moving around the house. Those flashy fetish accessories would only slow her down.

"Sigh, forget it..."

Pushing her messy thoughts aside, Kagura patted her cheeks to clear her head, then made a cheering gesture at herself in the mirror.

"(? o_o)? Mm, perfect!"

As if responding to her, a thin layer of mist suddenly appeared on the right side of the mirror. Then a line of text appeared on it.

--Good morning. You look full of energy. It's wonderful that your injuries recovered so quickly.

"Ah, I almost forgot. Good morning, Miss Eclipse."

The person who had written the line could not be seen in the mirror, but Kagura knew she was beside her, so she greeted the invisible person.

This was not some legendary talking magic mirror. Kagura had not believed in ghosts or gods at first, either. But two nights earlier, while sleeping, she had felt the bed beneath her suddenly sink as though someone had climbed onto it. She had broken out in a cold sweat and instinctively turned her head, only to find nothing there. Yet she could clearly feel that something was present. Her scientific common sense had desperately denied her suspicions, and she had eventually fallen asleep uneasily.

Then she met the Uma Musume who called herself Eclipse in her dream.

Through their conversations in the dream, she learned that this body had been specially created for her by Eclipse based on Eclipse's own body. Biologically, it had no father or mother, but in the sense of being its creator, Eclipse could probably be considered the parent of this body.

As for why Eclipse had done it, Eclipse herself said that after awakening for the first time in ages, she had found an undying, restless soul drifting past her. So she created this body, put the soul inside it, and sent it to the remote shrine dedicated to Eclipse.

At the time, Kagura had been utterly bewildered. She felt that her scientific knowledge as a doctor was being subjected to inhuman torture. Later, she came to terms with it. Some things did not need to be understood too clearly. All she needed to know was that she had originally died, and Eclipse had given her a new body so she could be reborn here. Something had gone wrong during the process: lightning that descended along with Eclipse's divine power had set the shrine on fire. Having exhausted her power, Eclipse could only awaken Kagura and urge her to escape. Kagura had then run until she collapsed at the Symbol family's gate.

What Kagura found somewhat regrettable was that even the goddess Eclipse did not know why her soul had appeared in this world, much less how to send her back.

--I'm sorry. I still have no idea where you came from. I haven't received faith in far too long, and I no longer possess such omnipotent power.

Seeing the words, Kagura could almost picture the black-haired Uma Musume girl's ears drooping in disappointment.

"It's fine. Things are pretty good as they are. Being alive is more important than anything else~"

Kagura comforted the goddess, who was feeling dejected because she could not help her, using words she had often heard in the hospital. She did not particularly mind living in another place. Since worrying would not solve anything, she might as well go with the flow.

To Kagura, the goddess who followed her everywhere was more like an invisible ghost friend. She did not dislike having someone to chat with at any time.

However, Kagura had work today and could not stay in her room chatting with Eclipse forever. After straightening her clothes, she put on her shoes and went out to report to the Head Maid.

"Hmm... I remember that I shouldn't normally see you standing here at this hour."

Speed Symbol stepped out of her room and saw the Head Maid standing by the corridor's floor-to-ceiling window with an exasperated look as she watched the courtyard below. The Head Maid should usually have been busy with household chores at this time, so Speed Symbol could not help feeling curious.

"Didn't I ask you to teach that child how to work? Is something wrong with her?"

"Ah, Head of the Family, it's not that there's anything wrong..."

The Head Maid sighed. When Speed Symbol came over, she pointed toward Kagura below, who was wielding a broom in the courtyard and sweeping with astonishing speed.

"...It's more that she's too capable. In only half a day, there's almost nothing left for me to teach her. She handles household chores more skillfully and efficiently than I do. She's practically left me with nothing to do."

The physical abilities of Uma Musume and humans could not be compared directly. The Head Maid had experienced that firsthand today. With her practiced skills enhanced by her physical abilities, Inari Kagura had managed to produce the efficiency of four people by herself. Kagura was also meticulous and extremely thorough. The Head Maid had not even found an opportunity to help her finish anything.

"She even left you with nothing to do? My, my... It seems some things cannot be forgotten even with amnesia. By the way, today's lunch seemed different from usual. Did she make it too?"

"Yes. She said she wanted to try. It was a style of cooking I'd never seen before, but she looked like she knew exactly what she was doing, so I didn't stop her. What did you think? Did you enjoy it?"

"It was quite good... Old Mejiro once traveled to a neighboring country with me and visited her granddaughter along the way. She treated me to food with a similar flavor at a luxury hotel there. I never expected to taste it again after all these years, made by this child's hands."

Remembering lunch, Speed Symbol felt rather nostalgic. To be honest, Inari Kagura's cooking had surprised her greatly. She could say without exaggeration that all the maids in the house might not have been able to match a single child like her.

"If you like it, why not have her cook a few more meals for you in the future?"

"She's cleaning and cooking, and she's still young. Give her some breaks and don't exhaust her. My, my... I only meant to help the child and let her stay here until we found somewhere suitable for her. I never expected her to be so capable... Ha-ha, it seems I've gotten quite a bargain."

"Ha-ha~ Everyone likes her. You've struck gold, Head of the Family. That child is undocumented, isn't she? Since you like her so much, why not simply adopt her?"

Remembering how the other maids in the house all liked the new maid and constantly clamored to pet her, the Head Maid could not help laughing. Speed Symbol laughed along with her.

"Adopt her...? Leaving aside everything else, the child herself would never accept that kind of help. It's obvious she knows she would trouble us and cares deeply about it. She rejected me without hesitation."

"My, my... That really is..."

Seeing Speed Symbol's helpless expression, the Head Maid, who had more or less figured out Kagura's personality during this time, could only smile helplessly.

"Speaking of which, did you do what I asked you to investigate?"

"Yes. The investigation is complete. It has been over a week since the shrine where Kagura lived burned down, and no one has tried to look for her during that time. Nothing was left at the fire site. A child like Kagura could not have lived alone in such a remote place for long, either. We can basically conclude that her family died in the fire."

"Ah... That really is... Never mind. Register an identity for her. Process all the necessary paperwork as quickly as possible, or it will be very inconvenient for her to move around in the future."

Halfway through speaking, Speed Symbol rested her chin on her hand and pondered whether she had forgotten something. After a moment, she continued:

"Don't tell her yet. She looks gentle and easygoing, but she's strangely stubborn when it comes to accepting help. If she finds out, she'll nag me again about going to so much trouble for her."

"Hehe~ You really do care about that child."

"The Symbol family's ideal is to let every Uma Musume run happily. Since we encountered her right in front of us, there's no reason not to help. Besides, a sensible child like that makes it impossible to feel at ease. So many things could be solved easily by asking us for help, but she always wants to handle everything herself. Independence is certainly a good thing, but she's still a child with no one to rely on. In her current situation, someone has to give her a hand."

4. A Chance Encounter

"Thank you for your patronage~"

Carrying a large bundle of ingredients out of the store, Inari Kagura glanced at the shopping receipt. After confirming the amount and checking the ingredients she carried, she carefully tucked the receipt back into the maid uniform's pocket.

She had been here for nearly two months. After adapting to her new job, she found that even working at full intensity was easier than what she had done before. Compared with sitting in an office all day treating patients or spending an entire day reading an academic paper, walking around outside was much more comfortable.

As she gradually became familiar with her work, her activity range expanded from the Symbol family's residence to the Shopping District in the city. She had now officially been entrusted with purchasing ingredients. Fortunately, the Head Maid had good relationships with the older men and women in the Shopping District. After taking Kagura around a few times, the nearby shopkeepers remembered her, and she began visiting the district alone.

Being active outside also allowed her to learn more about this world. She had even met one of her own kind—an Uma Musume. A rather insecure red-haired little Uma Musume often helped the shopkeepers carry things in the Shopping District. Whenever Kagura came to buy something, she would also show her around. After becoming familiar with the girl, Kagura learned her name: Nice Nature.

"Are you planning to buy anything else, Kagura? You look like you're carrying quite a lot. Do you want me to help you take it back?"

Nice Nature had happened to run into Kagura in the store while buying groceries. She followed Kagura out and looked at the bags of ingredients in her hands, unable to hide her concern for her friend.

Nice Nature had heard the shopkeepers say that Kagura was one year younger than her. She also seemed to have lost her family and now had to work for others to support herself, so she took special care of her friend.

"No need~ I'm very strong. This much is nothing. Besides, we bought things so late today. If you don't go back soon, everyone in the Shopping District will start worrying about you."

Kagura poked Nice Nature, who was slightly taller than her, on the forehead and reminded her to hurry home.

For some reason, Nice Nature seemed eager for Kagura to call her "Sister Nature" or "Big Sister." But Kagura still thought of her as a child. Her body might be only ten years old, but Nice Nature was genuinely eleven, and Kagura, who had long since passed twenty, felt that calling a child barely over ten "Big Sister" would be strange. So she continued calling her Nature.

To be honest, Inari Kagura really wanted to complain about the names of the Uma Musume. Her own name, Speed Symbol's name, and Nice Nature's name all sounded strange. Inari Kagura at least sounded like a person's name, but Nice Nature was so obviously odd. Yet everyone around her seemed accustomed to it, making Kagura wonder whether she was the one with the problem.

"Mm... It is getting a little late. Be careful walking home alone, Kagura! If you run into that weirdo who tried to touch your legs the other day, kick him hard!"

"Ahaha... I know. I'll be careful."

After reminding Kagura to be careful, Nice Nature hurried away. Kagura took out her ingredient list and compared it with what she had bought. Only after confirming that she had not forgotten anything did she prepare to return to the Symbol family's residence.

During this time, she had truly experienced the physical abilities of an Uma Musume. If she had still possessed her old body, carrying several dozen pounds of ingredients and walking a kilometer would have exhausted her. Now, she could carry a large load and run three or four kilometers at full speed, even performing a few acrobatic moves along the way, without feeling particularly tired on the way home.

As a former doctor, she had tried using the knowledge she had learned to analyze her body and gain a better understanding of the Uma Musume species. But she soon gave up. Not only could she not dissect herself, this species completely violated everything she had learned in biology. Perhaps this was what her best friend had meant by saying, "You don't need to think too hard about things from anime." Whenever Kagura had questions about Uma Musume, she found that asking Eclipse directly was much faster than thinking about them herself.

I should have listened to her and watched Uma Musume: Pretty Derby...

Looking at the sky gradually turning black, Kagura sighed. She wanted to speed up and return to the Symbol family's residence, but the speed limit on city roads was only forty. If she ran any faster, the police would invite her in for tea.

Not long ago, she had tried running at high speed through the streets and had reached seventy kilometers per hour. Not only had she attracted crowds of spectators, she had nearly been taken away by the police for a lecture. Even more shocking, a man who looked frivolous and was sucking on a lollipop had walked up and asked whether he could touch her legs!

Inari Kagura, who was already somewhat introverted, had felt as though she were being pricked all over. After politely refusing him, she had fled in panic. After that day, she never again dared run so brazenly through the streets.

At a crossroads, Kagura stopped in the road with her bundle of supplies on her back. Eager to return, she looked at the red light ahead and felt rather depressed.

"Even Uma Musume have to wait for red lights..."

"Oh my, little girl, are you the Uma Musume the trainer mentioned a few days ago—the one who ran away with all her might through the streets?"

Kagura was still watching the red light when she suddenly heard someone calling from behind. She turned around and saw two Uma Musume considerably taller than her walking over.

They wore matching blue outfits resembling school uniforms. One of them, a chestnut-haired Uma Musume, possessed a strangely imposing air and had a white streak in her bangs, reminding Kagura of Speed Symbol at home. The other was also chestnut-haired, but unlike the serious Uma Musume beside her, she radiated a mature, alluring charm and did not look much like a student.

"Sorry, but I don't know what a trainer is."