There's Something Wrong With You, Logistics Uma Musume

Although Kagura didn't know what Eclipse wanted her to do, she still chose to comply. She took out the slightly cumbersome Shrine Maiden Outfit from her closet, and after changing into it, Kagura returned to the mirror to see if Miss Eclipse had any further instructions.

"——Turn off the lights and go to sleep!"

Eclipse would erase the words immediately after writing them, but this line had remained untouched, indicating that it was Eclipse's next instruction.

A bewildered Kagura tilted her head, puzzled. Despite her confusion, she obediently turned off the lights, then lay down on the bed in her Shrine Maiden Outfit and pulled the covers over herself.

As with every night, she quickly felt a chill crawl into the covers with her after she lay down, wrapping around her waist. She knew it was Eclipse, but tonight was different. Usually, she only felt a slight chill enveloping her, but tonight she could clearly feel what felt like someone's fingers tracing her abdomen and waist, as if Eclipse was hugging her waist from behind.

"Miss Eclipse... it tickles..."

As soon as she spoke, she immediately felt the sensation move, without the ticklish feeling from before.

If this had happened two months ago, Kagura, who was afraid of ghosts, would have fainted from fright. But after being messed with by Eclipse every day for the past two months, she had developed some resistance.

Closing her eyes, Kagura relaxed her body and quickly let her consciousness sink into the darkness.

Kagura felt a slightly cold breeze on her face, and she couldn't help but shiver.

Thinking she had kicked off the covers again, her instinct to find them and cover herself made her open her eyes.

"..."

Opening her eyes, Kagura's gaze met a pair of dark red eyes, and she was immediately startled awake.

"E... Miss Eclipse!?"

"It's me~"

The black-haired Uma Musume girl smiled at Kagura, who was still lying down. Kagura then realized that she was lying on the other girl's lap.

This was only the second time Kagura had met Eclipse like this. Today's Eclipse was different from the mature woman Kagura had seen before. This time, she looked like just a slightly older girl.

Having had this experience once before, Kagura knew that she was currently in her own dream. This was currently the only way Eclipse could appear before her in her true form. Moreover, Eclipse didn't seem to be able to use this method of communication often. Most of the time, when Eclipse had something to say, she would wait for her to wake up and then write or draw it to tell her.

Kagura understood why Eclipse had wanted her to wear the Shrine Maiden Outfit tonight, because she had been wearing it both times she had met Eclipse. It seemed that this outfit really had some special function.

"The main reason I'm here tonight is to let you familiarize yourself with this feeling. Also, I need to give you some guidance. It's best to ask everything at once, because I don't have many opportunities to communicate with you like this. If you have any questions about Uma Musume, you can ask me now. I can use my body to demonstrate for you."

It seemed that Eclipse had come to her tonight to give her a crash course since she was about to start working. Kagura also happened to have many questions about Uma Musume to ask Eclipse. Communicating by writing and drawing was indeed not very efficient, and it was better to have a face-to-face demonstration.

After thinking about what she wanted to ask and remaining silent for a moment, Kagura finally spoke:

"Um... I'll probably have to massage the young lady's legs often in the future. Are there any taboos or things to pay attention to?"

"You mean that? Not much, as long as you don't use your fingernails to scratch her hard. If you want to ask how to massage to make her more comfortable, everyone has different preferences, so it varies from person to person. The best way is to massage her several times. But after all, they're mostly the same, and there are a few spots that you can usually massage. If you're not sure, you can start by trying to massage these spots first."

As she spoke, Eclipse lifted the hem of her Shrine Maiden Outfit, revealing her thigh, and pointed out several spots on her thigh to Kagura, even letting Kagura touch and press them herself. Kagura nodded and memorized those spots.

"So next..."

It had to be said that Eclipse's little lesson was indeed much more efficient than her usual self-study. Moreover, Eclipse could directly use her own body to demonstrate any physical issues. Kagura had many questions answered today.

Before long, Kagura had asked all the questions she had accumulated during this time. In general, she had asked about the things related to Uma Musume and races, and she could ask any additional questions later.

"You have surprisingly few questions. I thought it would take at least half an hour to explain everything to you."

Seeing that Kagura didn't have anything else to ask so quickly, Eclipse rubbed her hands together. Kagura felt that Eclipse seemed to have something else on her mind.

"After all, I've tried a lot of things on myself, and I've solved many problems myself... By the way, Miss Eclipse, is there anything else I need to pay attention to?"

"Of course, but it's not related to your work. Now that your professional questions have been resolved, it's time for the next segment."

"Hmm?"

Seeing Eclipse point to the ground beneath her feet, Kagura looked in the direction she was pointing, but all she saw was an ordinary racetrack.

"Doesn't it look familiar?"

"Uh... Sorry, Miss Eclipse, I don't understand..."

"Oh dear... Kagura, you can't do this. For the Uma Musume you're supporting, you can't even remember the information about the racecourses she's run on? This is one of the things you should be collecting before the race starts."

After being reminded by Eclipse, Kagura remembered. No wonder this place looked familiar. This was the racetrack where Rudolph Symbol's debut race was held.

"Never mind, just know that this is part of your job. Don't forget it in the future. Putting that aside, in this place, using your best running style, refer to Rudolph Symbol's one-thousand-meter race and run one."

"Eh?!"

"Don't be shocked! Get in the gate!"

Half-pushed and half-willing, Kagura, still in shock, was pushed by Eclipse into the gate that originally belonged to Rudolph Symbol on the racetrack.

"Miss Eclipse... I'm here for training, right!?"

"Yes, otherwise, do you think I would have gone to so much trouble to pull you into my dream tonight just to say a few things about the body?"

"Then... then why did you enter the gate too!?"

Seeing Eclipse walking into the gate on her right, Kagura already felt a sweat breaking out on her forehead in her dream.

"Track conditions, poor, weather..."

Looking up at the pitch-black night sky, Eclipse paused before continuing to read:

"...Weather: cloudy. Track: turf. Distance: 1000 meters. Direction: counter-clockwise."

"Um... Miss Eclipse..."

"Remember this, Kagura: nothing beats experiencing the track firsthand to understand the ground conditions. This should also be done before the race. If possible, walk the actual track; if not, find a similar one to try. This is essential for both you and the child you're supporting."

Eclipse bent slightly, assuming a starting position, waiting for the gate in front of her to open.

Kagura also focused intently on the gate, not daring to let her attention wander. She knew she had a tendency to be slow out of the gate, and it was clear that Eclipse wanted to run a race with her personally. She didn't know what would happen if she didn't run well.

"Click!!"

With the crisp sound of the gate opening, Eclipse made a beautiful start. Kagura, despite being fully focused, was still a little slow off the mark. Although not as bad as before, she was already a length behind Eclipse!

'I have to catch up...'

The race was 1000 meters, undoubtedly not enough to reach her physical limit, so she didn't need to worry about stamina. After her slow start, she accelerated with all her might.

But Eclipse was clearly not the kind of Uma Musume she could catch up to with mindless acceleration. Her full-throttle effort couldn't close the distance between them; in fact, the gap was widening at an unbelievable rate.

'Miss Eclipse... is even scarier than Milady!! Way scarier!!'

Watching the distance grow rapidly, Kagura couldn't help but exclaim in despair.

Even running with Rudolph Symbol hadn't given her such a hopeless feeling. She was already squeezing every ounce of power from her body. Given her current condition, and the fact that it was her first time running on completely unfamiliar soft ground, it took her a while to fully adapt to the running rhythm, which meant she couldn't accelerate fully at the start.

A thousand meters was such a short distance. The five or six seconds it took her to adapt had already cost her a lot of ground, and the distance between her and Eclipse had widened to the point where she had no chance of catching up!

'A thousand meters... is it such a difficult distance to run...'

This distance, which wouldn't even count as a warm-up, was incredibly torturous for Kagura. Not physically painful, but mentally. No matter what she did, she couldn't catch up to Eclipse, who was as fast as a flickering shadow, with no intention of letting her off easy.

"It's... impossible to catch up..."

Kagura understood the insurmountable gap between herself and Eclipse, but she didn't intend to give up. Even if the difference was hopelessly unchangeable, she still intended to finish the race.

As Eclipse had said before the race, even as the loser, she could experience what it felt like for an Uma Musume to run on this track, which would be helpful for her support work.

A few seconds after Eclipse crossed the finish line, Kagura followed her across.

"Sixteen lengths. Not bad... You persevered and finished. Your willpower is acceptable."

Eclipse looked at Kagura, who was catching her breath, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Miss Eclipse... you're so fast! You really didn't hold back at all!"

"Of course not~ I always give it my all. Did you expect your opponent to be kind enough to let you win when you're on the track? You wouldn't have such thoughts yourself, would you?"

Eclipse asked with a smile.

Of course, she hadn't said everything. While she had indeed used her normal full strength, it was only her normal full strength. Since Kagura hadn't reached a higher level yet, she didn't plan to use even stronger power against her.

'I think I understand what Miss Eclipse said before...'

One horse takes the lead, and all others fade into insignificance.

When Eclipse appears, who can compete?

Kagura understood where the ancient people's evaluation of Eclipse came from, and why Eclipse said that she had never met an opponent who could compete with her until the very end. She was truly too strong, reaching a height that other Uma Musume could never reach in their entire lives.

"Well... you were only sixteen lengths behind me, which is not bad... Work hard, and maybe you'll have a chance to catch up to me when you grow up."

"I... can I really?"

"Oh dear! You silly child, why can't you be more confident?"

With that, Eclipse leaned over and, looking helpless, reached out and pinched Kagura's cheeks a few times. But in the dream, Kagura couldn't feel any pain. This feeling of being consciously aware that she was in a dream and yet able to move freely was quite subtle.

"Alright, alright, that's all for today's guidance. You can summarize your insights and gains when you wake up tomorrow~ Don't stay here too long. You should get some rest so you can wake up tomorrow. Your Milady will have nothing to eat."

Eclipse released Kagura's cheeks and snapped her fingers. Kagura's vision began to darken, and the entire racetrack around her began to disappear, turning back into a black void.

"Good night, child. Sweet dreams."

33. Late-Night Diner

"Hey, classmate! Won't you really consider it! If you join now, you'll get a Little Gold Ship bicycle!"

"Gold Ship, this is the third time you've asked me this week. I think I've said that I don't have any plans to join the team yet."

Looking at the little Uma Musume who had appeared outside the cafeteria window, Kagura smiled helplessly and used a disposable paper plate to pass a small dish of crystal-clear pastries to the little Uma Musume.

"Eh~ It's okay, just think of it as me doing my routine. Speaking of which, I always bump into Kagura here at noon, which is a kind of wonderful fate. Could this be an arrangement of destiny!"

"What destiny? I make food here every day, so of course I'll be here when you come..."

Receiving the small plate from Kagura, Gold Ship's motivation visibly increased. Although she always had that quirky demeanor, you could tell she was excited by looking at her ears.

Before picking up her cutlery, Gold Ship exaggeratedly put her hands together and bowed to the plate of pastries, looking like a primitive performing some kind of magical pre-meal ritual, which Kagura, who was still waiting for the ingredients to cook inside, watched with great interest.

In all the days that Kagura had worked in the cafeteria, Gold Ship was the only Uma Musume who would stand in front of her window to eat. And after she ate it the first time and received a good response, she would perform this bizarre ritual every time she came to freeload.

"I've been curious for a long time, Gold Ship, what are you doing?"

"Gold Ship-sama is worshiping the sacred object! Requesting the sacred object to bestow its power upon me!"

"Eh... ah?"

Got an answer she didn't quite understand, but Kagura guessed that Gold Ship meant her cooking was good.

To provide Rudolph Symbol with delicious food without exceeding her daily calorie limit, Kagura had spent the last two weeks mostly going back and forth between the dorm, the cafeteria, and the training grounds. She was trying to create and improve recipes for Rudolph Symbol, attempting to make food that was both delicious and didn't repeat too often in the short term.

Gold Ship, who had tried to kidnap her two weeks ago, had been coming to the cafeteria from time to time during these past two weeks. The two quickly became familiar with each other, and after trying something Kagura made, she became Kagura's taste tester. Every time Kagura came up with something new, she would always use her as a guinea pig, and she was happy to come and be one.

Although Kagura called this kid a Little Uma Musume, Gold Ship's height was actually quite exaggerated. Even though she wasn't much older than her, she was tall enough to make her envious.

-- Every time I see her, I think, how graceful this child is when she's still, but how out of it she is when she moves?

Kagura saw a faint line of writing appear on the window glass, and then quickly disappear.

Looking at Gold Ship outside, she was quietly eating with her head down, holding her own knife and fork, slowly cutting the pastries on the plate and putting them in her mouth as if she were eating Western food. Her every move revealed an elegant air. At least at this time, Kagura felt that this child had a noble air, like a young lady.

Maybe this is what they call... a static beauty?

-- What a pity, such a good child, why does she have to move...

Eclipse's handwriting flashed by. She had been shocked by this lively Uma Musume several times in the past two weeks. After so long, it was the first time she felt like she, an ancient person, couldn't keep up with the times.

"Little sister~ good evening."

Just as Gold Ship was immersed in fighting Kagura's new creation, Kagura saw Maruzensky walking up behind her.

In the past two weeks, the situation of Maruzensky and the others coming to freeload had also improved. It wasn't that they came less often, but that they no longer rushed in all at once. Now, in addition to cooking for Little Quality and Rudolph Symbol, she only had one more of either Maruzensky or Akikawa Yayoi each meal. They seemed to have agreed to come at different times, sometimes Akikawa Yayoi would come today, and Maruzensky would wait until tomorrow. She never saw them come together.

Although she didn't know what was going on, Kagura guessed that they must have agreed on something in private, not wanting to put too much pressure on her at one meal. She didn't plan to delve into it. After all, it was a good thing for her.

"Good evening, Miss Maruzensky. I just made something new, would you like to try it?"

"Is that what that classmate is eating?"

Looking at the Little Uma Musume next to her, who was standing upright and eating slowly and elegantly, Maruzensky didn't recognize which classmate it was at first. She took a closer look and realized it was Gold Ship, who would come to freeload from time to time.

"Yes, I tried to make some snacks, this is coconut osmanthus cake."

As she spoke, Kagura came out of the kitchen and handed another paper plate to Maruzensky, and then pulled her and Gold Ship to find a place to sit down and eat. The plate was filled with a crystal clear, shimmering osmanthus cake. The Q-bomb cake was dotted with petals, making people couldn't help but swallow.