Chapter 21

"Wow... It looks delicious! By the way, this is Chinese food too, right? It feels like all the dishes you learned to make are Chinese dishes, little sis."

"Yep, because I like them. And I can also prepare some for Missy as afternoon tea. They're nutritious and tasty, and eating a little won't put her over her daily limit."

"Damn... I'm so jealous of that Rudolph Symbol..."

Thinking about how Rudolph Symbol got to eat food like this every day without having to line up and wait as she did, and how Kagura apparently went to deliver food to her every day and gave her a massage while she was at it—and supposedly had quite a good technique—Maruzensky grew increasingly envious.

"Ah! I want a Logistics Uma Musume too... Kagura, why don't you come work for big sis? I can support you!"

As she spoke, Maruzensky hugged Kagura and rubbed her face against her chest, taking two deep breaths of her comforting scent.

After seeing Kagura, Maruzensky had wanted to find a Logistics Uma Musume of her own. Unfortunately, the Tracen Academy logistics department was understaffed year-round, and this year only a few rookies had reported in. Besides, the skill levels of the other Logistics Uma Musume were nothing like Kagura's. After all, Kagura was a genuine maid trained by the Symbol family, while also understanding logistics support. The others were merely students.

"Ahaha... Miss Maruzensky, you're a little too enthusiastic... I'm on duty, so I can't just change assignments."

Kagura patted Maruzensky's head until she let go. Seeing that Gold Ship was still savoring her food slowly, bite by bite, Kagura returned to the kitchen to continue washing the dishes she had used.

It was already past nine in the evening, well after mealtime. Everyone else had even gone off work, leaving Kagura as the only one borrowing the cafeteria kitchen. She had already delivered Rudolph Symbol's and Nice Nature's meals, and was only still here because she wanted to try making something new. As for why Maruzensky and Gold Ship were still in the cafeteria so late, Kagura couldn't think of any reason besides them deliberately waiting to sample her latest creation.

"Delicious...! It's a dessert, but it tastes a little light... Still, it's really good!"

Unlike Gold Ship, who had brought her own utensils, Maruzensky simply picked it up and gnawed on it. Seeing the happiness on her face, Kagura knew she had gotten the flavor right. It seemed she could give this test batch to Rudolph Symbol tomorrow.

"Thanks for the praise~ Chinese desserts are like this. Looks like my seasoning is fine. Miss Maruzensky, could you be a little more ladylike? Look how elegantly Ship is eating."

Kagura answered without looking up as she continued working with the ingredients in the kitchen.

Maruzensky ate the way she ran, as if every movement carried a gust of wind. Kagura was always worried that she would choke.

"I'm used to it. Hard to change now. Oh, right, Kagura, what are your plans tomorrow?"

"Hm? I have something arranged. Is there something you need, Miss Maruzensky?"

"I wanted to take you out to buy clothes, but if you're busy, forget it."

"Th-thanks for understanding..."

When she heard that Maruzensky wanted to go out and buy clothes, Kagura's eyelid twitched. She was rather glad she really did have plans to go out tomorrow. She hadn't forgotten being tormented as Maruzensky's dress-up doll for two hours the last time they went clothes shopping.

Kagura quickly washed the dishes and put them in the sterilizer. Then she took off her apron and hung it up, washed her hands, turned off the kitchen lights, came out, and locked the door.

The two Uma Musume outside had already finished their pastries, but they clearly still wanted more. When Kagura came out of the kitchen, they both looked at her expectantly, as if asking, "Is there any more?"

"Hey, you two! Those were desserts! Even if they aren't high-calorie foods, eating too much late at night will still make you gain weight. Don't be greedy! Go back to bed!"

Kagura puffed out her cheeks and prepared to send the two gluttons away. She needed to turn off the lights and close up.

"What? There's really no more? Big sis can smell more on little sis!"

"Sodayo! The great Gold Ship can see the sacred-mark traces of more on you!"

"Ship, stop playing so much Age of Empires! That's for Nice Nature! You've already eaten your portions!"

Kagura had wanted to smack both gluttons on the forehead, but after raising her hand, she realized that, as a pitiful little shorty, she couldn't hit either of them. She could only lower it helplessly.

She dragged the two gluttons out, closed the cafeteria's main doors, and left them unlocked. The cafeteria doors at Tracen Academy were never locked. Kagura was somewhat curious whether leaving a student cafeteria unlocked was safe, but apart from ingredients, there was nothing worth stealing. The kitchen was locked, and there was nothing outside that could be lost either.

They returned to the dormitory building, and it was finally time to part. Maruzensky looked reluctant to leave, but she didn't live at school and couldn't enter the dormitory.

"...I suddenly want to live in the dorms! There's still room in little sis's room, right?"

"If Miss Maruzensky applied now, you might end up in Miho Dormitory... Besides, I do have a roommate. I just don't know who she is yet."

Half a month had passed, but Kagura still hadn't seen where her roommate was. She had continued cleaning and tidying the other bed, though. Even though its owner had been gone for a long time, the bed remained neat and spotless.

"Damn! The great Gold Ship doesn't even have a chance to sneak in and occupy the sacred ground?"

"Unfortunately, no~"

The picture should have been in the previous chapter.

Meeting an Online Friend by Pure Chance

The next day, after taking leave from Toujou Hana and Rudolph Symbol, Kagura handed Rudolph Symbol the day's menu so she could decide what to eat at noon, then set off alone to carry out her plans.

She hadn't been making excuses when she said she had plans today. Following Miss Eclipse's earlier advice, she wanted to experience the racetrack herself before Rudolph Symbol's race began. Yesterday, she had looked up information about the Icho Special and confirmed her destination: Tokyo Racecourse.

Tracen Academy was some distance from Fuchu, where the racetrack was located. Kagura had considered running there, but after looking at the distance, she obediently chose to take a vehicle instead. This time, she had learned her lesson and deliberately changed into inconspicuous casual clothes.

—I think standing out in that outfit wouldn't be a bad thing. It would be a good way to train your courage.

Miss Eclipse, are you trying to kill me...?

It wasn't quite accurate to say she was going out alone. An invisible ghost was always beside Kagura—Eclipse. Most of the time, their conversations consisted of Eclipse writing words on various reflective surfaces. Kagura replied through thought or speech. Just like now, she looked as if she were scrolling through her phone, but she was actually reading the words Eclipse had left on the screen.

—Even if you don't wear a maid outfit, people will still take pictures of you. After all, I'm very beautiful!

I think you could be a little more modest, Miss Eclipse!!

Kagura knew people were taking pictures of her. Just now, several children and their parents had even come over to ask whether they could take a photo with her. She had felt a little embarrassed, but seeing how happy the children were, she hadn't minded much.

The trip from the Tracen stop to Fuchu took only about twenty minutes. Kagura didn't understand what made her so attractive, but three groups had come to take pictures with her during that time. Two groups were children who loved Uma Musume, which Kagura could understand. The other was a gray-haired pony-tailed Uma Musume about her age—the one now standing in front of her.

"Cute big sis~ If you don't mind, could I take a picture with you and post it on my Umastagram account?"

"I don't really mind... but you are...?"

Kagura had heard of the platform. She also had an account there called "Inari kagura," where she posted her food videos. Her results over the past half-month had been fairly good, attracting many Neonese netizens curious about Hua Nation cuisine, along with a considerable number of fans who could clearly be recognized as Heavenly Dynasty netizens. She was still some distance from her small goal of one hundred thousand followers, but Kagura felt she would reach it before long at this rate.

"I'm Machikane~ That's my Umastagram name too!"

"Machikane..."

The name sounded familiar. Kagura thought for a moment about where she had heard it, then remembered seeing an influencer on Umastagram with an abnormally large number of followers. That influencer's account seemed to be called Machikane. She had been the first Uma Musume Kagura followed after joining the platform, since Kagura wanted to study how she usually created content and attracted popularity.

"Ah! I remember you. You're that Uma Musume influencer with tons of followers, right?"

"Ehh~ Big sis uses Umastagram too, and you know me? I'm so happy!"

The ponytailed Uma Musume looked delighted when she heard that Kagura knew her. Her tail swished cheerfully, and she nearly pressed herself against Kagura.

"Can I add you as a friend, big sis~? Let's follow each other!"

"My Umastagram account is Inari kagura. I already follow you. It's nice to meet you, Miss Machikane."

"Inari kagura... Huh! You're Inari kagura? The influencer who specializes in Hua Nation cuisine?!"

Although excited, Machikane clearly knew not to read someone's username aloud in public. She lowered her voice as she spoke.

Kagura saw Machikane raise her phone and show it to her. Machikane had already followed her too.

This is incredible! Did I run into a fan? And it's the legendary Machikane?!

Kagura had never paid much attention to her follower list, but when she checked the recent follows from the past two weeks, she found that Machikane had indeed followed her early on. She hadn't noticed at all when such a person had appeared among her fans.

"I ran into Miss Kagura on the train! Could today be my lucky day?"

"I didn't expect to meet you here either, Miss Machikane. You look just as cute as you do in your posts."

"Thanks for the compliment!! I didn't expect Miss Kagura to be such a cute girl either! Let's take a picture together!"

As she spoke, Machikane wrapped herself around Kagura with great familiarity, holding Kagura's right arm and resting her face against Kagura's shoulder. With her free hand, she raised her phone to take a selfie. Kagura paused, then quickly leaned toward Machikane, smiled at the camera, and held up a V sign. Compared with the mischievous Machikane, Kagura looked rather adorably dazed in the picture.

Kagura seemed to see a dazzling light shining from Machikane. It hurt her eyes. She understood then: this was the light of a social butterfly. Kagura wasn't exactly socially anxious, but she probably could never approach strangers and start chatting with such natural ease. Yet this little Uma Musume had done it effortlessly.

"Here, Miss Kagura, take a look. Should we use a beauty filter? Machikane thinks it's unnecessary."

"I agree. Machikane is a very cute girl."

"Hehe~ Then Machikane will post it!"

Machikane looked excited as she tapped out a post on her phone. Curious, Kagura leaned over to see what she planned to write.

I ran into Miss Inari kagura on the train today! I'm so happy! #MachikaneCurren #Inarikagura

Ah, a perfectly normal everyday post. Well, that makes sense. There isn't really anything else worth saying.

"By the way, Miss Kagura, I've been drooling over all the delicious food you make for ages! I always end up seeing it on my feed right before bed, and it torments me! I've given in and eaten a huge meal several times... and nearly lost control of my figure! Mmph! Where does Miss Kagura have a restaurant? I absolutely have to visit and check in sometime!"

After posting, Machikane asked the sort of question a fan would naturally ask.

"I don't have a restaurant. I film my videos during my daily work. If you don't mind, you can come check in at the Central Tracen Academy cafeteria. I'll make you some pastries~"

"Daily... work? You don't look much older than me, Miss Kagura."

Machikane tilted her head in confusion, curiosity filling her bright purple eyes.

"I'm a Logistics Uma Musume at Central Tracen Academy. The food in my videos is what I usually make for the Uma Musume I support."

"Ehh—"

Machikane blinked and dragged out the sound. Kagura guessed she didn't know what a Logistics Uma Musume was, so she explained the Central Tracen logistics department and its relationship with professional Uma Musume.

"So if I enter Central Tracen Academy, I might get to eat food made by Miss Kagura? And if I can have Miss Kagura support me as my personal Logistics Uma Musume, I'll be able to eat your food anytime?"

"You can understand it that way... Yes, that's more or less what it means."

Thinking about it carefully, Machikane wasn't wrong, so Kagura didn't correct her.

"Okay, I understand!"

Kagura felt that a strange fighting spirit had begun to burn in Machikane's eyes. Her instincts told her it wasn't merely hunger. But based on their brief exchange, what else could Machikane have come up with besides food?

"Now arriving—Fuchu Station. Passengers, please..."

Just then, Kagura felt the vehicle begin to slow down and heard the announcement for the station.

"Ah, I'm getting off here. You're not going to Fuchu, are you, Miss Machikane?"

"No. What a shame... If you have time in the future, let's go out and have fun together! I'm very familiar with Tokyo and know lots of fun places!"

"Sure! If I want to go somewhere fun in the future, I'll leave it to you, Miss Machikane~"

Kagura waved goodbye to Machikane, then got off the vehicle.

Machikane waved back from inside, her purple eyes fixed on Kagura as she walked away.

"Central Tracen Academy... huh? Machikane has to work hard too..."

Miss Eclipse Thinks It's Great

Since it wasn't currently racing season, there weren't many people at Tokyo Racecourse. The only others entering at this time were some Uma Musume Kagura didn't know, along with people who seemed to be their trainers.

The racetrack authorities didn't allow her to run on the track. Even after applying, she could only walk around the outer perimeter between the track and the spectators' stands. Kagura understood. The grounds needed maintenance, after all. They couldn't let people run noisily across them whenever they wanted. The damage Uma Musume's legs did to the ground could be seen from the grass at Tracen Academy, which needed repairs every few days.

Recently, Kagura had even seen the chairwoman personally operate a machine to press down the track for the students, which had amazed her. She really hadn't expected Akikawa Yayoi to have such a strange skill.

—Get closer. Closer. Look carefully!

Eclipse urged Kagura to get as close to the racetrack as possible and carefully observe and memorize its layout.

—Look carefully, and try touching it a few times if you can. Once I recover, I'll bring you here in a dream to run a few laps!

Huh? You can do that?

Eclipse always managed to come up with something new. After thinking about it, Kagura had to admit it made sense. The last time, Eclipse had used Kagura's memories to recreate the Niigata track in her dream, then left Kagura more than ten lengths behind in a full-speed escape.

Since she had this advantage, Kagura naturally intended to make use of it. Unfortunately, there was a fence in the way, so she could only touch the outermost edge of the track. Eclipse said that would be enough.

—Why are all the tracks here so hard? I hate it! What's the difference between ground this hard and the concrete in the city? Who's responsible if the children damage their legs running on it?

After walking one full lap around the grounds, Kagura had roughly memorized the racetrack's layout. Eclipse seemed to have memorized it too, because Kagura soon saw her complaints appear on her phone.

Kagura had noticed it too. When she had wandered around the Symbol family's track, she hadn't felt the same soreness in her feet after running, or at least it hadn't been obvious. Later, after running on Tracen Academy's track, her feet had felt much worse after a lap. Apparently, it hadn't been her imagination.

"There are a lot of straights here... The sprinting distance is really long."

—It's perfect for charging ahead. The curves are spacious too, so you don't have to worry about crashing into anyone. You can shake off your opponents at full speed. It's the kind of place I like. Too bad the ground is a little hard.

While Eclipse evaluated the racetrack, Kagura took notes in a small notebook. Comparing its features, she quickly remembered that Tracen Academy also had a training course resembling Tokyo Racecourse. It had many long straights, and even the slope on the straight looked exactly the same. It was probably modeled after this place.

Come to think of it, Miss Eclipse, have you ever thought about running again?

—Although I love running, a racetrack without opponents is too boring. And even if I had opponents now, what could I do as a spirit?

Um... As a spirit, don't you have abilities like possessing people, the way ghosts do in traditional horror movies?

—Just assume I don't.

Although Eclipse said she couldn't, Kagura felt that what she meant probably wasn't that she couldn't.